It would be cool to let people know that it doesn’t matter what kind of background you have in your past, that you can still make something out of your life.
I look at all my opponents, and they could be something else. They could go out and get a normal, regular job. I look at myself and I can’t do that. I have a strike on my back. I can’t have a normal job. So, I’ve got to fight for everything I’ve got.
A lot of people said I would never make it, and this and that, I’d never be a top 10 fighter, that I’d never fight for a title. Just stuff like that. Achieving all those goals and being the person that I am, this is going against everything everyone said I couldn’t do.
The one thing about me, if it is a 15-minute fight, I’m fighting every one of them 15 minutes. And if it’s a 25-minute fight, I’ll be fighting all 25 until the bell rings.
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.
It’s a job to me, basically. I’m not trying to be the best fighter in the world or nothing like that. I don’t come in trying to think I am the best fighter. I don’t care about none of that. It’s just a job to me.
I just believe that my heart is the best in the sport. And I believe that’s what carried me through my whole career. Not my talent or my power or anything like that. I just believe my heart.
It’s like I say all the time, it’s the heavyweight division. It doesn’t matter if the guys a black belt or if he’s a world-class boxer. We still have a 50-50 chance.
