On Jeff Curran – “The match-up is pretty good. He is very technical. We both never give up. We’ll see who the better man is.”
On owning several homes on one Sacramento, Calif. street – “I bought my first house before I had any money. I was 25. Part of making the payment was having buddies move in with me to pay rent. Then some of my buddies bought a house next door and then another house opened up and I bought it. It’s a cool situation. There are always guys around. I’m used to that lifestyle. As a wrestler in college, there was always a ton of guys around. It’s a fun environment. It’s a recipe that works. I just had the means to make it happen.”
On distractions – “A lot of people don’t understand that having all these fighters around is a motivating environment. We’re all business. These guys aren’t just like my friends from college. These are guys from all over who want to be champions. We are all trying to get better.”
On getting into MMA – “I’ve always been a huge fan of contact sports, especially fighting, for as long as I can remember. After I graduated from college, it was something I was interested in.”
On starting his fighting career – “I remember a lot of buddies were trying to talk me out of it. I never told my mom until after my first fight. She made me promise I would never fight again. I said ‘OK.” She supports me now. She has always been a very supportive woman.”
On his weaknesses as a fighter – “They are hard to find these days. I am training all the time on my stand-up. I wouldn’t say I have a weakness. I am still improving in all aspects of the game.”
On the UFC possibly starting a 145-pound class – “I really like the WEC. I would stay here. I think the UFC is a little watered down. The WEC is still trying to establish itself and I see an incredible future.”
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