I had to decide whether I should try to play pro football after high school or try to pursue my powerlifting career.

When somebody says I can't do something, it motivates me to do it.

I will be the most marketable of anybody to come through weightlifting ever. With my personality and my size, I mean, I can make people buy things, try what I say.

The Rock moved in with me at my apartment, and we trained together after that.

I'm blessed to be able to say that at every juncture in my career, I succeeded.

I don't want to be the second-strongest man in the United States or the second-strongest man in the world. They don't get much attention. I definitely want to be No. 1.

Small? Nah, I never want to be small. Big people usually push small people around. Why would I want to be small?

If it's dead, I'll eat it. If it's alive, I'll eat it, too. Jus put it in front of me and get out of the way.

If you want to be the champ, you've got to beat the champ.

I was in jail a couple of times, and I was probably heading back there for a long time. But martial arts saved my life and some of the choices I made with it.

Home was never a safe place for me. I felt safer on the streets.

Cheating is nothing to be proud of.

I don't want to be remembered as just some tough guy who could take punches.

A few months before my dad died, his eyes had started to go, and his skin was turning green. When he finally went to hospital, he was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. None of us kids knew why the old man ignored the doctors and refused their help, but none of us were surprised, either.

Your mind is the most powerful weapon you have.

I'm always going to say I'm going to knock someone out.

I couldn't believe that talk about Jon Jones fighting Lesnar - that would have zero legitimacy. In society, we punish people that do bad things. Why isn't it the same in fighting?

I don't feel pain like most people.

I always remember my dad's blue overalls and the blue overcoat he wore in winter, and I remember my mum's big old Afro. Sometimes, though, in my memories, smudges have replaced their faces.

I've had a pretty chequered past, you know, as a kid, as a troubled kid.

At the end of the day, that's just boxing - it's a different sport altogether. But when I finish fighting for the UFC, there are so many different options I have. Boxing is another option I could take.

I don't turn down fights unless I'm injured. Never have. So it's a part of my makeup.

Normally, a loss, it's hard to swallow, but you get over it sooner or later.

There was a lot of pride, being one of the elite fighters in the world, in the best promotion in the world. That's what I was proud of. To be called a UFC fighter, that was important.

All the guys at this top level, they're pretty much dangerous all over the place. If you're not good all over the place, you'll be in a little bit of trouble. It's hard to swim at the top end if you're only good at one thing.

I was a cheap criminal; I did many, many wrongs. I admit that. Of course, if I could tell each person I'm sorry, I would.

I don't ask to fight anybody. All I ask is to fight the best fighters in the world.

Coming from a standing background in striking, I couldn't catch up to the guys with 20-plus years of training on the ground. I had to learn submissions. I found out it wasn't an easy road. I had six losses in a row, but I still felt I was the best fighter in the world.

Most of the neighbours didn't like our parents, and they particularly gave Dad a very wide berth. We kids didn't have that luxury.

Mentally, I could fight forever. I feel I'm the best fighter on the planet. My mind says I can fight forever, but physically, I won't be able to do it.

I've been training jiu-jitsu for a while. It just didn't really click in my brain. Maybe sometimes I get a bit lazy. By the time I realize I'm in trouble, I'm already caught. You can't really think about it. You've got to just react as it happens.

All I've ever said I need is an opportunity. Give me a chance, and I'll take it with both hands and run with it.

Anyone who knows me knows how sharp my mind is. I speak at a thousand miles an hour. I'll hold a discussion or a debate with anyone.

I'm knocking fools out. I'm beating guys because that's what I was born to do.

It's always discouraging to lose. You look at it and think, 'Man, what's going on?' It's always discouraging. But I'm a fighter. I don't like to quit.

Yes, I was a bully. But the scrapping on the streets was my way of dealing with the anger I felt towards my parents.

I have, like, 12 screws in my hand.

In the end, I think everyone should be treated fairly.

A loss is just a loss. You get up again, dust yourself off, go at it again regardless of the circumstances. That's the way I look at it.

If I get the boot out of the UFC, I'll still continue to fight.

Knocking someone out cold means you just caught them, that's all.

Whenever I start something, I try to finish it.

If you don't like to be hit, you're in the wrong sport.

I'd like to fight and get close to that title shot - that's all I'm interested in. My whole purpose is to fight for the world title.

My whole career's been an underdog's.

I've built a career in one of the toughest, most ruthless industries in the world. You can't do that unless you're completely with it.

Every fight could be my last.

What my thing is, I tell most of the time the truth, and sometimes it's good for me, sometimes it's bad. But, it's true.

Sometimes I don't sleep well.

At the end of the day, none of us are really promised tomorrow anyway.