Jon has always been able to start off at a certain pace but then pick it up throughout the fight and then, at the end of the fight, his opponents are like, 'Damn, this guy is at another level.' I think that's what makes Jon Jones, Jon Jones.

It's good to be able to feel appreciated and to be able to know that your efforts and the impact in the sport meant something.

It was really difficult being away from MMA because it's been a way of life for me for 13 years. But being on the outside and coaching helps you sharpen your skills because you have to explain what you do, why things work and why other things don't.

I kind of did mixed martial arts as a hobby. At the time I was actually wanting to become a police officer as I was working in a hospital as a security job in Michigan. It was something I did in my off time.

Working at the hospital, there was a lot of starchy food. I was in good with the lunch lady, so she would hook me up with all kinds of macaroni and cheese and potatoes and that kind of food. I would eat it all night to the part where I hated food. I got pretty big.

I feel like I can beat Jon Jones. I see some things in his game that I can capitalize on.

The hardest thing in the world is to watch someone you love really not be able to get themselves together and really struggle on a level so bad when it seems and it appears that they have it all.

Whoever I have to face has to feel the wrath.

I like getting booed.

I've had some real hard setbacks in this sport and I learned to realize that you can't really build who you are on what people say. That's ultimately building your foundation in sand.

I really worked hard to get myself in shape, just from a physical standpoint when you're able to bring your body down and have the discipline to get into shape the way I was, it's really a spiritual journey as well.

For the last 14 years or so, I've been a fighter for so long I kind of forgot what it's like to not have this as my biggest form of expression of who I am.

The UFC is not a place for the feint of heart.

If you're not chasing gold, you're not really in a place where you should be competing.

I took so many years off my fighting career arguing with Dana, trying to get a fight with Shogun Rua, not trying to fight this guy, trying to do all this stuff. At the end of the day, it didn't really matter much. I just lost time.

One thing you understand quickly as a fighter is that you're not punching with eight or 10 oz. Gloves. We've got 4 oz. gloves. It only takes one good shot for a fight to be over.

My momma told me a long time ago, 'not everybody has to like you.' And it's very true. I'm ok with that.

I'm never gonna please the haters, and I'm not gonna try to.

All the losses that I had, I think they were important, just because it helped me grow as a fighter, helped me grow as a person.

I love Chuck Liddell. Chuck Liddell is a good friend of mine, actually.

Having a chance to fight for a title is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I consider myself to be very lucky that I got two chances.

Being relaxed allowed me to fight the way I'm capable of fighting.

You've got so many guys coming up and putting in work, and everybody wants to be in my position, so I gotta be paranoid and think that if I'm not producing, if I'm not going out there and winning fights and winning impressively, I'm gonna be replaced.

I never want to get content. I never want to think that I'm at a certain spot and I'm gonna stay there, because this organization's hard to stay in, and this is the wrong place to get complacent in.