EDDIE ALVAREZ

When I fought Nick Thompson, I wasn't experienced enough. That was the first person that put me in a real fight. Before Nick, nobody had put me in a fight where I had to struggle.

With MTV2, every fighter is exposed to millions of people, and they won't have to take a monster pay cut to do so.

Conor McGregor - this guy is so offensive minded and never on the defense that whenever you put him on the defense, he gets so flustered and so upset.

I want to fight only dangerous guys. Whenever I've done that in my career, I've stepped up and risen to the challenge.

I think bullying in general is for cowards.

I had to fight Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Gil Melendez, Rafael Dos Anjos. I had to fight these guys in order to prove myself in order to get a title shot.

You don't want to be in a fight of the year. It takes years off your life. But, it's why fans tune in; it's why people gravitate toward your fights. It's why people want to watch you fight. It's important to get into them, but it's important to try not to get into too many of them.

You win a world title, you beat the best guys in the world, and a lot of these fans are kind of misconstrued about who are the best fighters in the world.

I want an opportunity to fight the best in the world and make millions of dollars doing it.

From wrestling, I learned that I was capable of much more than I thought I was.

Going in there just to win and put on a boring fight, I don't want to be related to anything like that.

I've done it a couple times where I've had fight of the year. It's not what you aspire to.

I was never the most technical; I was never the best at one aspect at this sport, but what I was always good as was negating people's strengths and putting them in terrible situations where they're uncomfortable.

When I joined UFC, I said I want to be involved in fights where millions of fans are watching, biting their fingernails, thinking, 'What the heck is going to go on here?'

I can walk into a restaurant and knock five guys out, become 5-0 real quick. It's about the quality of opponent. You have to beat the right guys to call yourself the No. 1 contender.

Where most kids play stickball and hockey, I'd walk down the streets with two sets of boxing gloves and knock on my friend's door and see if he wanted to box. There were boxing gyms on every corner.

I've experienced success, I've experienced failure, I've been a world champion, I've fought all over the world; I think I've experienced enough that I won't get in front of a million people and get gunshy.

It's MMA - anything can happen. You can throw a punch from one knee, a punch from anywhere.

If you're not successful at a certain weight, it rarely has anything to do with gaining or losing 10 pounds. It's something inside of you that you need to fix in order to win. It rarely has anything to do with cutting 10 pounds.

I have a very good ground game and very good wrestling. People just underestimate it. That's it. I want to keep it like that.

I'm old school, man. I think, if you want to be the best, then beat the best guys.

I want to prove the naysayers wrong. They're everywhere. And to be honest with you, they're all I see, and they're what motivates me.

I've got the fighting Irish, and Puerto Ricans are some of the best fighters in the world. I'm proud of who I am, but it doesn't define me as a person.

I think sports is a quest to find out what really is - not what perceptions are.

I would love, love, love to watch Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather.