A Quote by Bernard Hopkins

Any UFC fighter, and any fighter going into the boxing ring and can do what they do in the UFC, nine out of 10 won't be victorious and vice-versa, with a boxer coming from - even myself - coming over to that field will be a fish trying to be in a jungle and survive. It's not going to happen.
There is still boxing, but there's just no money in it anymore. If you went around the world and asked a bunch of people under 20 years old, to name a boxer, I bet they couldn't name one. They'd be able to name a UFC fighter though. When I was younger there was Mike Tyson and we watched everything. I'm not saying its gone, or its going to go, and it could easily be ignited by another fighter, but it's just that idea that UFC is more violent, that desire for more spectacle, has captured people's attention.
Oh, man - I don't have just one favorite fighter, but I draw from many different aspects of each fighter. But I will say, just going back in the history of the UFC, just kind of trying to learn from each fighter, I've been looking at Brock Lesnar, all the things he did for the UFC back in the day, and his attitude and things like that.
I believe coming in early to the UFC gives me an advantage. More time to learn, more time to be in the UFC and get better as a fighter.
'Dancing with the Stars' was a really great experience. People were definitely surprised that I'm a fighter, or they couldn't believe I'm a professional fighter, but I feel like I'm going to get that for a while. I'm excited to bring a new demographic over to MMA and the UFC.
That's why everybody loves to tune in and watch these fights, because at any given moment, any given fight, any given fighters, anything can happen. A fighter could win nine out of 10 times, but there's always that one time.
There's no question in my mind that the times I was in my prime, I was the most well-rounded fighter out there - or in the world. I was the one who knew how to kickbox. I did kickbox and muay thai, I competed in events in Japan, and I was a submission specialist. Going into the UFC for the first time, I was the most well-rounded fighter there.
I treat myself more as an athlete instead of as a fighter. As a fighter, you're going out there as a street thug, relying on your hands, trying to knock someone out, being overly aggressive.
Being outspoken was important... I helped make the UFC what it is today with Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, and Randy Couture. Some said I was outspoken in a bad way, but I was just trying to educate the fans what being a UFC fighter is all about.
I'm not a UFC athlete. I'm a UFC fighter.
Against any fighter out there I'd back myself 100 per cent. I don't care who you are, what title you've got. Once we're in the ring I'm just going to perform to the best of my ability, go out and give it all I've got.
We have physical therapy there now so any fighter with an injury in the UFC can come to Vegas and get treatment every day.
Make no mistake, the days and hours before going into the ring can be stressful for any boxer. The bigger and tougher the fight the greater stress, But if a boxer knows he's stepping out of his league it's even worse.
One thing I see in a lot of coaches is they try to live through the fighter. You can't live through the fighter. You gotta allow the fighter to be the fighter, and do what he do, and you just try to guide him. Why should I have to live through a fighter, when I went from eating out of a trashcan to being eight-time world champion? I stood in the limelight and did what I had to do as a fighter. I've been where that fighter is trying to go.
Every fighter is dreaming about the UFC and then once they can get into the UFC, they are dreaming about a title and I've made all of my dreams come true.
When I couldn't sign with the UFC, I think my goal of being Number 1 in the world went out the window. There's just no way of doing that at Welterweight without being in the UFC. I could go 50-0, and as long as it's outside the UFC, I'm not going to be Number 1.
Every company that wants to sponsor a fighter in the UFC has to pay a sponsor tax to get inside the Octagon, and that's why many fighters in the UFC struggle to get sponsors. In Bellator, we don't have that.
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