You don't wanna peak too early in training camp, but you don't wanna be out of shape or not to the point where you're able to peak. It's a science to be able to find the happy medium where your body and mind are at their best.

I've been blessed enough to live some of my dreams.

When you're so physically and emotionally invested in something - like you have to be in MMA - there's nothing like having your friends and family there to support you on fight night.

I grew up taking the Long Island Railroad from Baldwin, New York into Penn Station and walking upstairs to Madison Square Garden. Those are some of my favorite memories.

For me to be able fight in my home state of New York would be a dream come true.

The future belongs to God.

I'm a fighter.

Styles make fights.

I'm not the perfect person, but I have the perfect heart, I feel, when it comes to helping people.

I love kids.

My whole life, I thought I sucked. And then I get in here, and I grapple other people, and I'm like, 'I'm actually good.'

Not too many people present a good ground game from the bottom. They survive a little bit, and it's kind of boring. But not too many people are attacking from the bottom, hurting with elbows. They don't bring that kind of game because it takes a long time to develop.

I'm not picky; I'll get it how I can take it. Submission, KO - whatever it is, if it has me winning, I'll take it.

I get this weird feeling that there's bigger things to do still, and I can't wait to figure it out.

Sometimes, the best response is no response.

I can take care of myself.

One thing I took - you know, especially from boxing at a young age - from my coach was, if you're a jiu-jitsu guy, and you only cater your training to jiu-jitsu, there's going to come a day and time in your career when you face a guy who is a great wrestler, has great takedown defense, and he's going to make you look silly.

Put on a camera and put on some whatever, and you're an actor. Put me in a cage, I'm a fighter. Put me somewhere else - I'm in an ocean, I'm a surfer. I don't know what I am, I just do it all. And I want to be good at everything.

I don't look like a fighter. I like it, though, because it just allows me to be in the position I am now, to where I can venture out to wherever I want to go. I can go into acting. I can go into this; I can go different ways now. And because of fighting, I can do that.

I've gotta check, but I think I'll be the first UFC fighter in history to have the lead role in a big movie.

I'm a businessman, a company man, but I'm no 'yes' man.

I was blessed to be able to be born here. My dad crossed. My dad illegally went through the border and was living under a bridge; he was homeless. People are making fun of him, beating him up. All kinds of things. After he kind of figured out the situation, he brought my mom over.

My house always had at least 14 people in it. And one bathroom. So I didn't really want to be home.

My house was a revolving door. You walk in, you walk out, you get whatever you can eat, you leave, you go hang out with friends. I'm on my mission, my sister's on another mission, my dad is working trying to provide, my mom is trying to do the same thing. And somehow, we're all co-existing with each other.