On his recent interview with ESPN’s Max Kellerman
“I think they wanted it to be a little more hairy and I allowed them to be. I think Max (Kellerman) was really trying to lay it on me, for sure. I don’t think any of the questions he asked were softballs. I think he was trying to be a little controversial with me. I was really proud of myself for the way I handled the situation. I definitely feel like I took the high road.”
On Stephen A. Smith’s controversial comments post-UFC 246
“Hats off to Stephen A. Smith. I think he’s a tremendous reporter, but you’re absolutely right. I think he does need to do more homework. You need to go back and maybe watch some of those PRIDE fights. You have to go back and start at UFC 1 and really do your homework. That way you know not only who we all are, but you know positioning. You know technique. You know a few submission names. I doubt they’re at that level and I would love to encourage them to get at that level. If you’re a true professional, that’s what you do.”
On why he doesn’t like to predict finishes
“I think (Dominick Reyes) is a very emotional fighter. He’s a very emotional person. If he’s sad he’ll come out like in some of his interviews. It seems like he can’t even breathe. The anxiety and the emotions have kind of taken over him sometimes. Then other times, he’s laughing and playful and just speaking out of his ass. One thing about saying you’re going to knock somebody out is you’re putting all of your eggs in one basket.
“I never claim that I’m going to finish the fight. I say I’d like to finish the fight. I can predict I’m going to finish the fight, but I’ve never guaranteed people I’m going to finish the fight. When you say you’re going to knock a person out and you find yourself going into Round 4 and I’m still here looking at you. You’re breathing hard and I’m not? It can cause a sense of panic. Like, ‘Oh boy, my plan didn’t work. I thought I was going to get a first-round knockout. Here we are going into Round 2.’ He’s just adding pressure on himself saying he’s going to get a knockout. Hey, I’m just trying to find a way to win.”
On whether he thinks people are too critical of mistakes made in his early 20s
“I can’t play a ‘poor me’ role. I’ve done a lot of wild stuff, you know what I mean? I can’t play ‘poor me.’ At the same time, I think about it this way. My little brother and my older brother are in the NFL. From the time they left college, they had programs there to really show them how to be a professional athlete. The NFL and their team provided them with a driver that they can call 24 hours. In the NFL, there’s a chaplain they can call 24 hours. There are group meetings. There are fellow guys to be around to encourage you. I was just kind of thrown into, ‘Okay, you’re fairly famous now and here’s some money, too.’ When you come from nothing, at that age it can be a lot to handle. It can be a lot to juggle. I don’t think I had enough mentors in my life at that point. I’m glad I finally figured it all out.”
UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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