Issue 121
November 2014
After climbing into the top 10 at 185lb, CB Dollaway is ready to make a run at the UFC title.
Q. Do you feel under extra pressure now you’re ranked in the top 10?
A. “I used to think like that but not any more. It doesn’t really matter where you’re ranked as everybody in the UFC is so physically well matched that it’s a total mental game. You’ve got to believe you can beat everybody else.
“I am now at a point in my life where I truly believe I’m as good as all these guys and I can beat anybody in the world. Stick me in a cage with any of them. Could I beat them 10 times out of 10? Likely no. But I only have to beat them once and I know I’m good enough. They make one mistake and I can capitalize, and vice versa. But put me in a cage with anybody and I know I have a chance.”
Q. Just like TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao?
A. “Exactly. TJ’s the inspiration. He was the number-seven guy in his weight class going up against a guy people were saying was the number-one pound-for-pound in the world, and he just went out there and smashed him. Dominated Barao. And it wasn’t luck. It wasn’t by chance.
“You could see that he had put everything he had into the two months leading up to that first fight and it all came together on the night. He went and got it done. He surrounded himself with winners. Guys like Urijah Faber. He took on the champion’s mentality that you need. That is confidence.”
Q. Speaking of wrestling alumni, didn’t you train with UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez in college?
A. “I trained with Cain for a while at Arizona State. I was there when he won his world title. So I’ve seen guys who I’ve trained with go out there and make it possible. These aren’t people from some far-away land that I have no knowledge of. I used to train next to this guy day in, day out.
“So to see his success makes me think, ‘Alright I can do this too. I just have to step my training up, learn to get better and focus on the life.’ I had to cut out the party lifestyle, grow up a little and take stock of my career. If you want to be a champion you have to dedicate yourself.”
Q. Is that where you are now, mentally?
A. “I believe so. I got married this past year, had my first baby girl nine months ago and changed my life. I get home now and have the baby crawling around on me and I’m living for different things now. I’m dedicated.”
Q. It sounds like becoming a father has changed you?
A. “It has. I get up every morning and it’s no longer a case of do I feel like training? There is no, ‘Well I just fought and got paid so I’m taking two months off to party.’ That’s all gone now. There is one goal and that is to win a title. And you’ve got to be dedicated to that.
“You can’t want to win a title some days and then not others, you have to want to win the belt every day. Every minute of every day. You have to take your rest days and whatnot, of course, but you have to live life to achieve these things. You can’t play at this game and expect to succeed.”
Q. You picked up a performance bonus in Berlin; further proof you’re improving?
A. “If you have a weakness in MMA, then tough, go get better at it. I hear guys complaining about being pinned down or held down. Well, tough. Be a man and get the hell up. If you can’t then go train how to get up.
“I had a weakness with my stand-up so I went away and worked on it, got better at it. If you get pinned to the mat you’re as guilty as your opponent when people say it was a boring fight. It’s up to you to get up and make it exciting. Get up and throw punches.”
Q. How does it feel to be injury-free again?
A. “I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff over the past three years, the hip injury and everything else. I don’t think people appreciate how tough that was. I had a torn labrum in my hip. Then I tore all the tendons in my ankle. I needed full ankle reconstruction and was in a hard cast for six months and then a walking boot for an additional three. I just kept fighting to get back where I was, having one or two fights and then getting injured again. Now I’ve been able to get some fights in and do some training and get better. It feels good to have a run of fights.”
Q. What was the worst part about being out injured?
A. “It hurts financially when you can’t fight. Fighters, even in the UFC, don’t make millions of dollars. I have house payments, car payments, health insurance payments for my family. So now I’m healthy I want to put some money in the bank by staying active. I’m pretty smart with my money from my bonuses. Thankfully, I’m mature enough now not to blow it on stupid-ass s**t. If I hadn’t banked those checks then financially we’d be hurting right now.”
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