CARS

What was the first car you owned and how much did it cost?

“It was a ‘92 Chevy Blazer. I want to say it cost around $4,600. I was 16.”

What car do you have now?

“I drive a 2001 GMC Sierra 1500, it’s a four door. The reason being, my best friend since I was seven, I lived with him when I was in college, when I would come back from school in the summer. His father passed away and it was actually his father’s truck. He was always known for having a big, red truck ever since we were little.

“My buddy lived in San Franciso and when he got transferred to work in London, he works for PricewaterhouseCooper accounting firm, he was thinking about selling this truck. I told him he could give it to me while he was away, I’d fix it up and give it back to him when he came home.”

FLICKS

What kinds of films do you like?

“I enjoy thrillers and action movies: I’m a total meathead. I absolutely loved The Expendables 2. I think it’s a great movie. It kind of encapsulates all the movies that I grew up with from my childhood in that genre: the Die Hards, the Rambos, the Terminators.”

Do you think action movies were better in the ‘90s?

“The graphics and the choreography for the fighting is a lot better now than it was back then. Guys would be fighting with their hands down at their waist and they’d just be throwing bombs and the other guy would never duck, get hit with every punch and they’d never go down.

“Having said which, they can’t match those storylines. And I feel like the actors and they way they carried themselves, I think that made it better.

“But I think we’re just biased. These kids today, 20 years from now you ask them the question and they’re going to say the films coming out now are the best.”

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

“Maybe Colin Farrell, because I feel like he resembles me a little.”

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

“I do. A while ago this girl convinced me to watch Pitch Perfect. It’s a total chick flick but I was dying laughing. I loved it, and ended up going out to get it. I had to go to two different stores to find the DVD, just so I could own it (laughs).

“My guiltiest pleasure, probably the thing I’m most embarrassed and ashamed about, is liking that movie. It was a lot of work to find it but to be a fighter you have to be determined and I was very determined to get that movie (laughs).”

MUSIC

What kind of music are you into?

“Honestly, my favorite band is Linkin Park. Chester Bennington, the singer, is from the same area I’m from, Glendale, Arizona. But I listen to a little bit of everything. It all depends on my mood.

“That last week where I’m cutting weight for my fights, I listen to a lot of Calvin Harris on Pandora, the music streaming service, but when I’m trying to relax before the fight I’ll listen to Jason Mraz. Just to try and get me calm.”

Do you go and watch bands live?

“I do really enjoy seeing live music. I love going to places like Austin, Texas, or Nashville, Tennessee: places that have live music.

“One of my most memorable experiences was, when I was around 11, the first concert I went to was Metallica. Korn opened for them and Metallica came on and played this amazing set. I was such a huge fan. I liked them going into it but after I’d seen them play, and heard how great they sounded live, it was unbelievable.”

STYLE

Living in the Arizona sun you must use your sunglasses quite a bit.

“Yeah, I’m wearing Oakley Polarized Holbrook sunglasses right now. I grew up very, very low middle class and I hate spending money on clothes and accessories. I’ve had cheap sunglasses and I’ll lose them, but my expensive sunglasses I never lose and I never break.”

You’ve got quite a few tattoos. What was your first?

“I got a great white shark on my leg surrounded by red water – it’s supposed to be a ‘blood in the water’ thing. If I could take it back I would (laughs), but you can’t really live your life looking in the rear-view mirror. I’ve got it now and I don’t mind it. I’ve had it fixed up and made it look better but nevertheless I’ve got a cartoon-looking shark on my leg and it’s almost from my knee to my ankle. But it was my first tattoo, I was 16 years old. I guess you’ve got to go big or go home. And there’s no way I could cover

this thing. The damn thing’s huge (laughs).”

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