“I’ve been in that situation three or four times before where I’m losing the fight – the fight seems almost over with – and I knew I had to finish him and stop playing possum as much.”

I really don’t like watching women fights.

It’s all the stuff I’ve been through in my life. From family struggles, people doubting me, things I went through as a child and going to prison, they all played a factor in who I am today. It really made me a better person. Going through those situations can make or break you as a human being.

I like to fight tough fights.

My heart outweighs all the talent. If they’ve got more talent, I believe that my heart will still overcome that. You’ve got to have heart to step inside the octagon anyway.

You know, once you have the belt you want to be less active, fighting once a year.

If I was really trying to be the best fighter in the world, I would be in the best shape and taking it more serious but I’m not.

I’ll fight anyone.

All of my fights, especially all of my UFC fights my whole career, I’ve never been in there without any kind of impingement and pain wrong with my back.

I’ve been in that situation many times before – where I’m losing and I have to knock a guy out.

I know I only need one punch to knock any guy out.

I don’t know how to do takedowns.

I don’t care if I ever fight for the belt or get the belt.

I don’t care what people think.

I know I’m the least technical guy in the sport. Most of the champions or guys at the top are real martial artists.

That’s what really gets me going, thinking about my past. I think about all the tough times and bad times I’ve had in my life and I bring all that into the Octagon. That’s only because it’s hard going in there trying to fight someone who didn’t do anything to you.

I grew up watching my mom and my stepdad fight.

Good athletes do not know what tiredness is. They do not know what discouragement is. Good athletes only know what victory is.

If you seek approval from others in this world, you will not know happiness.

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

I never quite know when I’m not writing. Sometimes my wife comes up to me at a party and says, “Dammit, Thurber, stop writing.” She usually catches me in the middle of a paragraph.

If you know the North, you know where the South is; if you know the darkness, you know where the light is! Evil is an excellent compass for the good!

If I had known I would influence so many guitarists, I would have practiced more.

I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew whatever it was that I was looking for was real.