After I defended my title the first time when I beat Sarah Kaufman, I went back to my room, and my friend ordered all these trays of hot wings. They came into the room, and the little hotel sheet thing was draped over it, and I go to open it up, and it's breaded and boneless. I cried.

I'm scared of failure so much more than any of the other girls I compete against that I work so much harder than they possibly could. I'm totally down with spiders and frogs and heights and snakes - everything; I'm cool with it.

I was painfully shy for a long time. I mean, that's something I really had to work my way out of. And I really think it was because, after the 2008 Olympics, I spent a whole year bartending. It was the one thing that really forced me to be just not so scared to start conversations with strangers.

I just like when a guy dresses for comfort, to be honest. If he takes longer to get ready than I do, that's a deal breaker.

Judo was one of those sports where they give you guidelines but then try to tell you to develop your own style.

Nobody's easy until after you beat them.

I was in a weight-cutting sport, in judo, so I had to be a certain weight on a deadline. It kind of pushed me into having a really unhealthy relationship with food in my teens. I felt like if I wasn't exactly on weight, I wasn't good-looking.

I might make an investment and lose some money, but that's something I can recover from.

I don't think politicians should be allowed to take money for their campaigns from outside interests.

I'm voting for Bernie Sanders because he doesn't take any corporate money.

I'm a huge fan of wrestling, and I would like to see the position of women in the sport continue to improve, so if I can be a part of it, great.

I'm really encouraged by the progress I've seen with what they're doing with the women in WWE, but I feel like there's a lot more than can be done.

Some girls sit around and watch 'Gossip Girl' together. Me and my girlfriends watch 'Raw' and 'SmackDown.'

The best way to take a punch is to look at it. Honestly. Someone could hit you with the hardest punch that they have, but as long as you see it, it's not going to knock you out. It's the punches that you don't see that knock you out. So you could get tapped with a small punch, but if you don't see it, you're out.

I feel like I can go all the way for the belt and hold it awhile.

When I'm totally in tune with myself, and I'm flowing, it don't matter who I'm fighting; that's just a problem for anybody.

All my jabs, they're all different. I have a million different jabs.

Sometimes when you push something or you force something too much, the progress doesn't happen the way it should.

People are gonna go up and down and people are gonna come in and out of this sport.

I wake up every morning trying to be a new, better person and version of myself. I never try and be the same thing. So that's what's going to be hard for girls to keep up with me, because I'm always ever-evolving my style.

When I force things, it just doesn't go well.

I don't necessarily know about the rankings. I always like to look at it as, it's the person with the belt, and it's everybody else.

Everybody's one fight away from getting a title shot if they step in on short notice for somebody.

Nobody's the same. So, I think that people benefit in different things than others.

It's really nice to know that hard work does pay off.

That's what I want to do when I finish fighting - build urban farms and learn how to become a farmer, because that's what I wanted to be when I was a little girl.

My dream is to be a farmer myself, but also to provide opportunities to others who don't have the land or the resources, in order to grow food themselves and teach them how to do it.

Wrestling and kickboxing, like martial arts, combine a handful of skills. They're really an art form.

A big misconception is that women shouldn't be in the UFC because we fight 'like girls,' but I think women have some of the most exciting fights.

I want to be the most influential champion, in a positive light. I want to change the world.

I feel like I can go all the way for the belt and hold it awhile.

It's great that mixed martial arts allows people to still be in touch with their animal side and duke it out in a cage, but I think it's important: we're still nurturing beings, and we should still have compassion for each other.

I was kind of a loner growing up.

When I'm totally in tune with myself, and I'm flowing, it don't matter who I'm fighting; that's just a problem for anybody.

I definitely get down on myself. I needed to work on my self-talk. The same way you do footwork drills and cardio training, I had to do self-talk training.

Some of the things I've had to overcome in my past, fighting helped me deal with a lot of struggles. Obstacles in life don't make you a great fighter, but fighting - or, I should say, martial arts - helps you overcome your obstacles.

All my jabs, they're all different. I have a million different jabs.

I feel like we have a duty as fighters to try and be a better example.

Sometimes when you push something or you force something too much, the progress doesn't happen the way it should.

People are gonna go up and down and people are gonna come in and out of this sport.

Fighting helped me learn that I can't let my emotions take over.

I wake up every morning trying to be a new, better person and version of myself. I never try and be the same thing. So that's what's going to be hard for girls to keep up with me, because I'm always ever-evolving my style.

I come from a place of lots of turmoil.

When I force things, it just doesn't go well.

If I'm not fighting for a good reason, then your personal life starts to get messy, and it's like, 'What am I doing this for?'

Always try to reinvent myself; never try to stay the same person, because that's how people figure you out.

I don't necessarily know about the rankings. I always like to look at it as, it's the person with the belt, and it's everybody else.

2016 was really challenging for me. I don't know what it was.

Everybody's one fight away from getting a title shot if they step in on short notice for somebody.

I've always felt that I was a star. I always knew that I am a star.