I think the ultimate sign of an icon or legend in any sport is the ability to elevate their teammates.

So many kids dream about playing in the NFL. But I was 130 pounds in ninth grade. I looked around and didn't see any 130-pound wide receivers in the pros.

It's been a lot of responsibility to be an ambassador for U.S. wrestling and the sport. It's a tough journey. There's a lot of obligations but also a lot of opportunity.

There was a time period where I was obsessed with the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics in the 1980s.

I definitely want to fight after I'm done wrestling.

John Smith from Oklahoma State was the greatest American wrestler of all time.

I've won every single event there is to win as a wrestler, and I still continue to come back every single year. The hard part for me is, 'OK, how long can you do this?'

Anything less than gold is a failure to me. It's extreme pressure, but I hold myself to a high standard.

I've got the ability to control my destiny, and I take pride in that.

A lot of guys get out of wrestling immediately after winning a gold medal. Every time another Olympics comes around, it's always a bunch of fresh faces. For me, to win an Olympic gold and have a chance to win another would be huge for our sport.

Everybody makes money; not everybody makes history.

It's one thing to never accomplish anything. You start from the bottom, you remain at the bottom, and all you know is the bottom. When you start at the bottom and you get to the top, and you feel the success and the notoriety and the recognition from being the champion, and you go back to losing, that's a tough place to be in.

It's harder to be a dad than an Olympic champion.

Family is most important to me.

There's no excuse for losing for me.

If you come from Jersey, you're tough. You've been through the grind.

Donald Trump and I have very different views on Iranians. I am confident that if he ever visited the country, he'd learn a lot about the people and come back to the States with a newfound appreciation for the Persians.

I think I'm a crossover athlete to get the sport into the mainstream media.

I've had matches that were close.

A lot of kids can't identify with the things I've done and where I'm from and who I am as an individual. That's why I've tried to be a person and live my life in a way that can be identified by all cultures.

I wanted to be amongst the greats. I wanted to be a Simone Biles, a Michael Phelps, an Ashton Eaton. I wanted to be those guys.

The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time.

We have a lot of wrestling fans out there just looking for a star to cheer for.

I think every young man's goal is to be a professional athlete, whether it's the NBA, MLB, or the NFL.