Holly Holm is a heck of an athlete and a heck of a fighter.

I was getting a lot of good work with my wrestling up in Iowa, but I needed a more all-around game, striking, jiu-jitsu at a high level. I had a lot of good coaches out at ATT to work with. They pushed me. Everything was smarter. Everything was precise.

I just move forward and not worry about the things I can't control.

It doesn't matter who I'm facing. I'm concentrating on myself.

I'm just fighting a lot of high-level guys. I feel everyone is trying to be tactical, everyone is trying to put their A-game out there, and I have to find a way to win. I'm all about moving on and trying to get better.

I fought for, like, five years in Hawaii - nothing better than that. It was awesome. Every fight, I went on vacation, and I wasn't cutting any weight, so I could just eat whatever I wanted. I enjoyed it.

I never lost sight of my goals. I never stopped thinking I could reach the top.

You don't appreciate what you have when it all comes to you real quick. I went from nothing to everything all at once.

I want it to be one-sided. I don't want to take any bumps or bruises: I want to go out and dictate all aspects and go out the way I came in. I'm looking to dominate and dictate.

My coaches have done a good job of tightening my skills, where I can dictate a little bit more where the fight is going.

Drew McFedries was the hardest hitter I've ever been around. A big, strong, athletic guy with power. He didn't have to hit you with a hard shot or load up - even the little short shots could hurt you.

I'm just a quiet guy who loved to fight.

When push comes to shove, I'm a fighter, and I'm going to force someone to fight. It takes a lot of technique, it takes a lot of skill, but to take that, and make something of it, it's a lot of heart and a lot of determination, and that's something I have. That's who I am.

Obviously, CM Punk is a really big draw for the UFC. He's going to bring a lot of eyes to the UFC, and the better he does, the better it'll be for all MMA fighters as far as sponsorships and stuff.

I always thought I could be the best, and that's what I've been doing all these years.

I don't really dabble into the politics of MMA too much.

I'm just willing to do a lot, take a lot, and force people into a fight. That's something a lot of people aren't ready to do. Some people are.

Who am I to say anybody can't do what they want to do and create their own destiny if they believe in something?

I'm not gonna tell any man what he should do in life.

The thing is I always believed in myself. I always believed that I was going to be the best in the world.

I'm not just a guy who can knock people out.

When you're coming up, and you have Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver and Pat Miletich, Jeremy Horn to train with and compete with - guys that have fought in Japan, all over the world - and you see these guys every day, you just embrace the grind and get after it: you have no choice but to succeed.

I just worry about myself. I'm just gonna be me and do me. If people appreciate it, cool. If not, I'm gonna still be me.

I just want to be a better fighter, plain and simple.