I respect my competitors, you know, I get respect back from them. I respect people out there who pay for their tickets to come watch us compete. And I respect the reporters because they've got to come out here and tell a good story. That's what it is. It's just a cycle of respect.
Even though my approach is slightly different, the Luke Cage of 'Jessica Jones' is no stranger to the Luke Cage of Marvel's 'Luke Cage.' It's really a continuation to a certain extent. It's just got a little different flavor, but it's still the same suit.
For me, it's more important to bring my level up and make sure that I can compete against guys in the top 100 and top 50 instead of maybe being 120 or 130 and not being able to compete with those guys.
The thing is, against guys like GSP or Anderson Silva, many guys are beaten before they step into the cage.
I recall improvisational drummer and composer Michael Evans telling me a story of someone who had the opportunity to meet Cage and give him a record, and John Cage just smiled and said, "You know I have nothing to play this on?"
Seeing bigger guys doesn't scare me at all. It just makes me want to compete against those guys. Bigger or smaller guys - it doesn't matter.
Everybody I step in the cage against I have the utmost respect for.
When Al Harris is healthy, he's one of the toughest guys to compete against. There are cornerbacks who are probably better physically and faster and more talented, but he's one of the guys who knows how to use his hands. He's a good corner.
The respect from my peers is what means a lot to me. The guys I go up against each and every night. You know, to have their respect, I think that's huge. And that's what I care most about, to have the respect of my peers.
We've got some guys going good and we've got some guys who are struggling. Usually April's a tough month. Guys come from Arizona where the weather's perfect and the ball flies all over the place. Then you get into the reality of the season, and it can work against them, not so much physically as mentally.
Training camp gets long when you compete against your own guys.
For me, getting up is an inside job, but it has been hard stepping in the cage with guys who I've had to lose against and not a lot to gain.
I got a short - I got a temper. I fight in a cage for a living. There's a reason people like us are wired slightly different.
The thing about Luke Cage that makes him different is - on the surface is he's a hero for hire; Luke Cage wants to get paid. Luke Cage in the comic books is like, 'I'm doing this stuff. It's all well and good, but I gotta make a dollar.'
I think the Eddie Alvarez fight is a good fight that makes sense - a couple Italian guys throwing down. I've got nothing but respect for the guy.
You want to push a guy up against a cage, there's nothing like pushing a car.