Mauro Ranallo Quotes

I feel like I started with wrestling, and a love of pro wrestling, that lead me to MMA and the UFC. And now it's come full circle back to pro wrestling.

Growing up, I was always a fan of wrestling, but I was also a fan of MMA and stuff.

You know, MMA doesn't need New York, New York needs MMA. And I say that with all due respect to New York.

People love the fact Chael Sonnen is saying he's undefeated. It's crazy to me that people like something like that but don't give respect to the fighters that just put it on the line.

When I started wrestling, I never wanted to go to WWE. It was the Japanese life for me.

All combat sports are connected.

I love this sport. I love the fights and I love most of the guys in it.

In boxing, it's one fight, so it's easier to build up rivalries, but everyone's got huge respect for each other.

I think people are realizing that whereas now the 'Ultimate Fighting Championship' has taken over what people used to like about pro wrestling in the '70s and '80s. We just want to see who's going to fight for the title.

Fighting Raphael Assunaco isn't that exciting to me. I have nothing against him; he's a good guy and a good fighter.

My goal is to make wrestling more like mixed martial arts.

You can call WWE whatever you want, but at the end of the day, it's a fight and fighting is my specialty.

I like to compete in everything - I like to compete in jiu-jitsu, I like to compete in wrestling and Muay Thai, and if I have a chance to compete in boxing one day, why not?

At the end of the day, us fighters, all we have is respect.

I would say Chael Sonnen would be a natural for professional wrestling.

Sprinkle in a bit of pro wrestling in MMA is good. You get the fans talking. They want that drama.

Even though MMA and pro wrestling are very different, at the end of the day, it's all about entertaining. They are amazing athletes who go out there and give 100 percent.

My dad grew up wrestling. He knew Ken Shamrock, and I didn't know who he was at the time. So, he found out that Shamrock was in a gym in Reno, and he wanted me to go try a class with him. I tried it and fell in love the first day. Ken told me that I had potential in this sport, and he's the reason I kept at it.

Most of the guys I've come across in the UFC have always been really polite and are always friendly with each other. We all understand how hard it was to get where we're at and how hard it is to stay there, so it's a mutual respect for each other.

People often say, 'Ah, ultimate fighting is so violent,' but it's rooted in martial arts. Martial arts incarnate respect. You can't walk into a dojo and say to your sensei, 'Hey, salut tabarnac!' After every one of my fights I go and shake the hand of my opponent. I don't need to hate the other fighter to fight him well. It's a sport.

UFC is not a competitor to the WWE because we are entertainment and UFC is competitive sport. It's very different.

I'm very well-rounded. It's mixed martial arts.

I will always go for the submission instead of hurting my opponent.

That was my dream since I was a kid, since I first saw a vale tudo event in my hometown of Sao Paulo. I wanted to compete.

I would never intend to hurt anyone I'm in the ring with. It's entertainment, it's a performance, it's a sport.