Cage Warriors is a brilliant organisation. They're doing great things for European MMA, and they're giving the platform for guys like me who came through. They're vital. I'm forever grateful for the opportunities I got.
It's always good to have more promotions, give more fighters work.
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.
If they let people go fight jiu-jitsu tournaments, they can't stop me going to fight a boxing fight.
As an amateur, I couldn't get many fights. No one would fight me when I was a schoolboy.
Can anyone tell me what Jon Jones was ranked when he fought for the UFC title? No one knows. I believe, in that aspect, it was easier to get fights back then. It wasn't, 'What's this guy ranked?' You fought, made your money, and went home.
In U.S., there are lot of good fighters, female fighters. Lots of different sparring partners. So it's good.
The one thing that's hurt in my career is people saying I don't want to come out of Manchester to fight people.
You only get so many opportunities to fight at the top level and stay at the top level.
When I was ranked No. 11 or 12, they offered me Gustafsson who was the No. 1 contender, and I didn't hesitate. I was No. 10 when I fought Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson who was the No. 1 contender. We accept fights, but not everyone is like that, I'm beginning to find out. It's not right.
I would love to see Bellator come up and offer an opportunity for competition. Then, fighters could negotiate contracts, and they would not be limited to having only one opportunity, one option, where you have to take what's given to you.
