I grew up watching North American sport - basketball, hockey - so I like it when it's a little bit more energetic, rowdier, heckling either for you or against you. I think it's fun to have that in sport.
I had a really dark time after the Olympic Games... But then I said to myself, 'This is a sport that's blessed me with a home, with an education, with some money. I can't hate this sport. This sport took me out of Louisiana. This sport gave me a chance when so many people don't get a chance. And I love this sport.'
I was a big fan of Coolio, growing up, and I was excited to meet him. We played golf, which definitely is not my sport, and he was a character.
Basketball has always been a sport I loved and grew up playing. For me, it was one of those things that... I guess baseball was just in my genes a little bit. I have a lot of cousins that played baseball. Basketball is not an easy sport - you definitely got to be gifted to play that game. I felt like I was pretty good at it, but my ability was better in baseball.
I like rugby - I watch it from time to time. It's basically football without pads but probably a little bit more dangerous than football. You've got to be a lot tougher in that sport - but I definitely like watching rugby and watching those guys knock each other around. It looks like a fun sport.
As a child, I liked to play different type of sport, and I grew up to be an ardent sports fan. I have been watching all sports tournament religiously, especially badminton.
Every sport is trying to unlock the new consumption levels and fan interest by a younger demographic. Of course we love our core fan and everyone does, but every sport is thinking carefully about how to reach the millennial fan to get them excited about their sport.
I've been to fights, and I've seen them on television, but no, I would not call myself a fan of the sport, that particular sport, no.
I love the sport but it's definitely taken a toll on me. The first two years after I retired I was in pain and couldn't even sit in a chair for 2 years. 2 years! You want a sport that takes care of you the way you take care of the sport.
I was a huge boxing fan, but it's a sport where the guys punch each other in the head. I thought maybe I shouldn't be a fan of that anymore. Maybe I shouldn't allow myself to cheer a sport where the head injuries are a big part of it.
I've kind of grew to enjoy fighting legends that I got into the sport watching and admiring.
I'm too busy with entertainment to think about anything else. No one knows this sport better than I do. I've been a fan of this sport since UFC 1 in Denver. I've followed this sport, I've been obsessed with this sport, I've trained with the best of the best, and I've fought the best of the best.
In my position, I've always admired Claude Makelele. I grew up watching him play. I was able to play against him in the final stages of his career. I have always liked his way of playing football, and given my position and style, he's been a mirror to compare myself against.
Every sport has a 'guy' that personifies what the sport is about and almost creates what the sport is on his own.
I think boxing is a singular sport, because the stakes are so high and because it just appeals to people's primal instincts. It's a life and death sport, and it's a sport of sacrifice. It's a humbling sport, and people are coming from humbling circumstances. It's always fun to watch a person that's come from nothing to having everything and losing it again.
For me, I just want to be a role model, put a positive impact on the kids that are watching the sport, that want to be a part of the sport, and leave a good everlasting impact on the sport, continue my legacy down the road.