Issue 110
January 2014
He was born in Cuba, lived in Australia and is known as one of the craziest characters in MMA. The UFC welterweight contender shares some of the best moments from his unusual life
BEST THING NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT YOU?
“People say that I’m cocky but I’m actually a low-key, humble guy. I don’t go out much. I don’t drink. I don’t do what most of the guys in MMA do. I don’t do much media. I’m the complete opposite of that. Actually, something else about me is the fact I’d like to contribute even more to the Church. I would like to make trips to Africa to help the people there.”
BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO A YOUNGER YOU?
“Take advantage of every moment in life. Don’t let it go that easy. We as humans take things for granted sometimes, especially living in a country like America or Australia, where things are nice and easy. I don’t mean things are easy in America, you have to work hard but when growing up in another country, I would go days without food. I didn’t have shoes. We were broke. I didn’t shower for days at a time. I used to smell. It was bad. We used to walk to get water to take back and take a bath at our house.”
BEST INSPIRATION TO FIGHT?
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. We all want to prove something to ourselves. We as human beings always want to be able to say, ‘We did it.’ I just wanted to prove that I could do it.”
BEST MEMORY OF YOUR FIRST FIGHT?
“That I did it. Everyone was telling me I couldn’t do it. People were telling me that fighting wasn’t for me. So the best memory was that I got in there and did it.”
THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
“When I beat (Rousimar) Palhares in Australia. It was in front of my home crowd. I was home. That was the place where I had my first fight, so to go back was special. To do it in front of so many friends, that was the happiest moment of my life.”
BEST THING ABOUT MMA COMPARED TO OTHER SPORTS?
“When you play other sports, you are doing just that – playing. When you are doing MMA, you are doing the best sport in the history of the world. It is in our history going back 2,000 years. People used to fight in front of emperors, in front of Caesar way back in Roman times. It’s the oldest sport in the world. It’s the sport that everyone in the world understands. You don’t have to explain to anyone who wins a fight; everyone understands.”
WHAT FEELS BEST, A KNOCKOUT OR SUBMISSION VICTORY?
“A knockout. Everyone knows that I want to go in and knock people out. It’s extremely hard at the level I’m at now. Everybody knows I’m looking for the KO, so I have to focus on other areas of my game. Guys now are trying to fight me safe, trying to fight me smart. A win is a win though, whether it’s a submission or a KO.”
BEST OPPONENT?
“I think Palhares. Maybe (Yushin) Okami or maybe (Gegard) Mousasi.”
BEST WAY TO GET PUMPED BEFORE A FIGHT?
“Striking. Striking with my coaches.”
BEST JOB BEFORE BECOMING A FIGHTER?
“I didn’t have a best job. They were all worst jobs. I worked construction. I worked security. Just jobs to get by.”
BEST CARTOON CHARACTER RESEMBLANCE?
“Back in Cuba they used to call me names. I was so short and stocky, with big arms.”
BEST DINNER GUESTS? THREE PEOPLE, PAST OR PRESENT.
“My mom, my sister and my best friend in Australia.”
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE?
“Best guilty pleasure? Sex! I’m just kidding. I would say eating. Eating food is great!”
BEST LESSON LIFE HAS HANDED YOU?
“Always try to accomplish the things people tell you that you can’t do. For example, when people are telling you how hard, how impossible something is, you say, ‘OK, you know what, I’m going to try it and I’m going to do it.’ Like MMA, this sport is so hard but I’m going to try. I’m going to do it anyway.”
