There was a period of time early in my career where I was like, 'I'm gonna definitely fight. I definitely want to be a part of this lifestyle.' Then there was a period of time where I had so much success in the sport of wrestling, and I was like, 'I don't really need fighting.'

If I do consider fighting, it won't be until after the Olympic games in 2020, and then from there I'll reevaluate, see if it's something that would be a realistic option for me.

I think that Ben Askren, when he competed as a wrestler, he was an amazing athlete.

Wrestling is different than MMA or boxing or really any other contact sport in that you can't really draw along an opponent.

You watch Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather fight, Floyd can just throw a few punches, or he can do a lot of defense; he can slip a few punches, let Conor get a few shots in. You can't really do that in wrestling without getting scored on or putting yourself at risk.

I've always thought about it. I've considered it when I was young. I was like, 'Listen, I'm going to fight. I want to be a star. I'm going to fight.'

I just want one fight. Because, like, for me, it's not about the status, not about the glory. It's not about the money. Like, I just want to throw my hands and see what I'm made of. And I think that wrestlers and fighters have that same fighting spirit.

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 don't know if I'm really going to do it. But I've considered doing one fight and then getting out with my hands clean.

I'm so comfortable in my identity as a wrestler that if I never fought, it would never bother me one bit.

I think my mental toughness, athleticism, and my physical prowess, I'd be successful if I decided to fight, no matter what.

It's one of those things: we've got guys that are very offensive and can take down anyone, and we've got guys that don't shoot at all but are very hard to take down. It's one of those things. You've got to decide what you're good at.

I'm not going to sit on my laurels.

I think Americans, as a nation and culture, once something is recognized for a week or two, people kind of forget about.

Every year I win, everything I do, it cements my legacy.

I have a lot of confidence because of my success.

I'm getting older. That's realistic. I can't reverse time. I can slow it down a little bit.

I want to make sure that everyone benefits from my success, not just me.

It's become a lot bigger than just winning championships. It's about inspiring hopefully millions at some point in my career.

There weren't a lot of people who believed in my abilities. But the more I grew and developed as a man, the more I believed in myself, and the harder I worked, the better I got and the more I progressed.

That's my job: work hard, win, and inspire.

I want to be the guy who our sport looks up to, and win multiple championships.

I didn't see my son walk for the first time. I've left my wife at home with two kids for long periods of time to go to training camps, to foreign countries.

It's a difficult place being on top because, for me, beating the Average Joe has no significance, but for the Average Joe, beating me could be the biggest match of his life, potentially.

I approach every match with that mindset, that this guy is trying to beat you, and it will change his life if he does.

All I had was wrestling. If I'm not good at the only thing I have in life, I've got to get better at it.

I love kids - they're so carefree and always put a smile on my face.

I'd definitely like to give back. I know a lot of kids watch college wrestling, and a lot of kids watch me, want to meet me and introduce themselves.

I have never been affected by terror, but here in Iran, I have never felt any ill will toward me - the opposite, actually.

I've seen 'Cars' and 'Cars 2' about 1,500 times a piece.

I like movies with superheroes - one of my favorite movies of all time was 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.'

My one and only focus at the Olympic Games is to win a gold medal.

You know what's cooler than being the richest guy in the room? Being the toughest guy in the room.

I love legends. I love reading up on the greats in their time period. I think, 'Man, what it would be like to live when they were competing and see them at their best!'

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.

Within the realm of wrestling, it's been the same every year - just continually trying to improve and evolve as a wrestler, putting myself in a position to not maintain but maximize my potential.

I am who I am and who I try to be - someone who loves wrestling and loves people.

I enjoy wrestling. I enjoy the sport. I get to go against the world's best athletes.

If I wrestle in 2020, I want it to be my own decision and not the IOC's.

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.

There's always an opportunity to be your best until I hang up my shoes.

Within a match, there's so many things that happen that could ultimately determine the outcome: You reach too much with your right hand, you step forward with your left leg, you get your head out of position.

People need to feel like their heroes are human, not on the mat but in the world. The more people can see that, the more they can understand that they're capable of doing great things as well.

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.

I've got a home. I've got a wife. I've got everything I need.

I think a lot of guys get out of wrestling for financial incentive to go to the UFC, but I'm doing well.

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.

Believe it or not, my goal was always to play in the NFL.

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.

For Americans, of course, it's football, basketball, and baseball. We live for it. In many ways, it sums up who we are. In Iran, it's all about wrestling. The patriotism toward their country comes out in the way they wrestle, so it makes sense why they're the best.