Ben Askren Quotes

Even in my first year in the UFC I fought five times in the year.

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.

The first time I saw a commercial for my fight was UFC 210.

The one thing about the heavyweight division or, actually, just being in the UFC, anybody can win, and anybody can lose. You're competing with the best in the world.

Anyone in the UFC, that should be your goal, to get the UFC belt and to fight for that title.

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.

If you want to prove your worth and prove you're one of the best in the world, you need to be fighting in the UFC.

For me, being a part of the halcyon days of Pride Fighting Championships and then watching the explosion of the UFC following the 'Ultimate Fighter,' I've been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

I'm so happy to have my first main event in the UFC.

I want to earn a top-contender status in the UFC, so I have to fight the best.

I saw my first UFC fight when I was 15 and figured, 'This is what I want to do when I grow up.'

It's not like I was saying, 'Oh, I want to make it to the UFC one day,' because the sport wasn't big enough then that a guy could have this as his job.

There are certain things that I always dreamed of, like fighting in the UFC. There's just certain things that I feel like haven't been accomplished there. There's such great women coming up in the sport; seems like a wonderful time to be in women's MMA.

My first MMA fight was July 2006 here in Brazil. I won a few fights here in Brazil, and then I got a chance to fight in the UFC, but they put me against the number one contender for the title at that time. It was Fabricio Werdum.

I'm ready for anybody. If it's John Dodson, if it's Demetrious Johnson, if it's Joseph Benavidez, I'm ready for whichever one, whoever wants a piece of me.

When you're talking mixed martial arts, to have a win over a guy who is by many considered the greatest of all time, is definitely going to take your career to the next level.

Dana White, bring me someone that can beat me. You can't find no one that can beat me.

I beat Ryan Bader, and that beautiful knockout got me a shot at the title. That's the kind of thing that puts you close to the top.

I've never said no to any fight the UFC has asked of me.

I think I fought my first fight in Zuffa in 2010.

Anderson Silva, Georges Saint-Pierre, and Rodrigo Nogueira are some of the top fighters in the UFC among many other great fighters. The UFC has many of the toughest fighters around.

I've had people say I'm inconsistent, and sure, I've never held a UFC or WEC title.

Bellator offered me a job. UFC never offered me an opportunity to fight. There's no question that UFC is the top. It's a machine. A lot of people, including myself, have helped build the UFC to where it is today.

It is amazing to have the UFC to come here to Perth... it is great for Australian Mixed Martial Arts and great for the sport, and it is going to be great for Perth to have such a world-wide event, through pay-per-view, hosted here.

In the UFC, nothing is guaranteed. Anything can happen when it comes to getting a title shot.