I've had 12 amateur fights, 18 professional fights and I've come to Russia, not just to Russia but to Chelyabinsk, home of Sergey Kovalev who has an impressive resume. The fact I've come to his backyard means I feel it will go down as one of the best results ever.
I had 33 kickboxing fights, 37 MMA fights, plus 44 amateur boxing fights, which most of them were international. I will keep fighting as long as I feel good, but I will repeat once more, any fight could be the last one.
I don't watch a lot of featherweight fights yet some of those fights are the best fights ever.
I was offered the Kovalev fight in 2018 but my manager and promoter agreed it wasn't the right time for me to be challenging for a world title then. I needed a few more tuneup fights, learning fights, and I'm fine with that.
Over the course of six amateur fights and two professional fights I learned a lot about how to get things done, how to pick myself up after disappointment, how to work through frustration and how to process moments of success.
My first four fights in amateur at middleweight, and the first four professional were at welterweight. And I just kind of went down from there.
If I could have had everything exactly the way I wanted, this is how I would have written it down. Win all my fights in the first round, then go to the UFC and headline a show, and have it as a pay-per-view and at home. People's dreams don't come true like that.
We do not agree with policies that would lead to attempts at easing sanctions or lifting them and returning to business as usual with Russia. We believe that such behaviour will only embolden the aggressive behavior of Russia, as the last 12 years have shown, starting with Russia's attack on Georgia in 2008.
If you come down to it, there's only a handful of worlds that action films live in. You have your car chases, your gun fights, and your fights.
The US wants to subdue Russia, to solve US problems at Russia's expense. No one in history ever managed to do this to Russia, and no one ever will.
The fact that Turkey, the U.S., and Russia and other countries are really interested in Cyprus because of its strategic location... the fact that Russians launder their money there to avoid sanctions, and the fact that key U.S. and Russia players were there - all make it really important for the Russia investigation.
I think everyone in all due respect just needs to calm down Chris Weidman just because he’s undefeated. He’s undefeated because he’s beaten a bunch of bums. He’s only had about seven fights. I’ve had nearly 30 fights. I’ve been in the UFC when he was still in school probably. So I got nothing against Chris Weidman, but I don’t see him as the Great White Hope that’s going to come in and destroy Anderson Silva. He’s just another middle of the road UFC fighter as far as I’m concerned.
Fights are fights. It's a cliche, but it's true, you can never know how they'll go down for sure until you do it.
I just want fights like that. Fights that get me excited. Fights that are going to be exciting.
Conor knows how to fight and he knows how to box. He has been boxing professional boxers for his whole life, he has had almost 50 amateur boxing fights.
With amateur boxing, you're just entered into a competition. And to be the best, you've got to beat the best. You're not waiting around to get these fights organised.
I had 45 amateur fights, and I was able to win two national titles in those three years as an amateur.