Matt Riddle Quotes

A great fight that I'd love is B.J. Penn. That would be so awesome. He's a veteran of the sport. He's fought everywhere.

I found wrestling when I was 11 years old. About two years later, I convinced my mom to let me rent my first UFC tape. I was fascinated by the sport.

I watched the UFC way back in the day, before there were time limits. I always knew it's what I wanted to do some day.

In my teenage years, I started kickboxing, then did a little boxing. When the UFC and MMA exploded in the early 2000s in the U.S.A. and Japan, I saw a way to make money and a career.

I started training for MMA when I was 18 years old. My jujitsu coach told me, 'Amanda, you should try MMA.' Since that moment, I got in love with this sport and haven't stopped.

I'm more into MMA than any other sport. I watch a lot of the UFC fights. I have since it first came onto the scene.

Yeah, I get to fight in 'Eclipse.' My trainer is teaching me MMA right now. So. Cool.

Obviously wrestling is a core component of MMA. And among UFC fighters, my take-down defence is considered quite high.

There's no question in my mind that the times I was in my prime, I was the most well-rounded fighter out there - or in the world. I was the one who knew how to kickbox. I did kickbox and muay thai, I competed in events in Japan, and I was a submission specialist. Going into the UFC for the first time, I was the most well-rounded fighter there.

When I was 14 years old, I said, 'Mom, I want to fight MMA.'

My fight against Chris Leben was a war, and I was fulfilled with that victory because that guy has a ton of experience fighting in the UFC.

But I got into MMA for the sport. I love fighting.

I already knew a lot about the ground aspects of MMA, being a wrestler, but there was so much more. There was kicking, punching, and other things I wish I could have done as a wrestler. It really stoked my interest.

I didn't really have intentions of fighting in MMA; it just kind of fell into place. Once I started fighting, though, I loved it, and I walked away from kickboxing right away.

As far as MMA, I want to say there's maybe five guys that do jiu-jitsu that have an actual level of understanding when it comes to boxing.

In the UFC, it's about names. Every fight is hard, and everybody knows all the disciplines. Some might know more than others.

I trained with Jorge Masvidal when I've been training MMA for 2-1/2 months in Coconut Creek, Fla., in, like, December 2008. I was beating him up then!

Back in '93 I saw my first UFC fight and just became enamored by it then.

I do mixed martial arts, mainly kickboxing.

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.

MMA in my opinion is the hardest sport in the world, no doubt.

GSP is at the top of my list in knowing how to use strategy, how to bring an opponent out of his game, how to beat a guy without taking a beating. And he's good in standup and good at grappling.

I like fighting, man. I didn't get into this sport not to fight. I enjoy fighting; I actually enjoy getting in the cage.

Back when the UFC first started, I wanted to see what MMA was all about; at the time, I was training with Tank Abbott, and so I went to see him fight. While at the fight, I saw this guy fighting that I just crushed in high school wrestling, and I thought, 'Hey, I'm a street fighter, and I have a wrestling background,' so I gave it a shot.

The strawweight division may be the lightest division in the UFC, but we are very tough fighters.