I've dreamed on numerous occasions that I've lost the biggest event in my life, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it.
I was an All-American at three different weight classes in college. Started off at 149, then 157, and then finished up my senior year at 165.
I'm not afraid to tell people what I hope to accomplish and what I believe I'm capable of. I'm ready to take the backlash if I don't accomplish my dreams.
There's just a spirit about you that it's such a beautiful art form in which you can implement strategy in order to subdue another individual. And I really feel like that's in wrestling and UFC; we're kind of - we collaborate in that way.
I think that Ben Askren, when he competed as a wrestler, he was an amazing athlete.
It's easy to be selfish and focus on what you have to do and what you need to do to accomplish your goals and be like, 'I'll give back later,' but there's no better time than now.
I'm not a big guy that watches technique from my opponents. I try to do what I do best and hope that my stuff is better than their best stuff.
I take a lot of pride in beating guys like Kyle Dake or David Taylor or these guys who have been basically bred to do this from Day 1. The best camps, the best high schools, the best universities. I never had that. It's not necessary, but I never had any of the frills a lot of those guys had.
Every person I wrestle, it's the biggest match of their career. They're Buster Douglas. But what's the honor in being Mike Tyson and beating Buster Douglas? I win and move on. They win, and it's a game-changer for the rest of their lives.
I love kids - they're so carefree and always put a smile on my face.
If you look at my iPod, I've got so much different music. I think that it kind of describes me as a person, just being a chameleon to whatever particular environment that I'm in.
I've become close with Masoud Esmaeilpour and consider him a friend. We send each other messages from time to time on Instagram, checking in to see how the other is doing. Whenever I see him, he's always a gentleman, giving me tips about my next opponent. There is a tremendous amount of respect in our friendship.
I have high expectations for myself - as an athlete, as a man, as an individual - and wrestling has helped me build a lot of character knowing that I have to remain humble but also fight complacency.
You know what's cooler than being the richest guy in the room? Being the toughest guy in the room.
I think I'm a crossover athlete to get the sport into the mainstream media.
There's a pride in representing your country on a stage like the sport of wrestling, which I've done since I was five years old. There's nothing that can deter me other than my own decision to leave the sport.
When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.
Every single time I get on the mat, every tournament, I get to see what I'm made of, how tough I am, where my desire is, and how hard I've worked.
I like movies with superheroes - one of my favorite movies of all time was 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.'
Once you've reached the highest level, you always want to get back there. It's like, once you drive a Ferrari, you're not satisfied driving a Honda anymore.
