Fighters Only

Issue 156

July 2017

The original poster boy for the lighter weight classes – and now UFC Hall-of-Famer – reminisces on an iconic career and looks to the future.

How did it feel getting the Hall of Fame call?

It felt pretty cool, man. I was surprised. I didn’t really understand how that situation works, but I was definitely honored. It was really cool to be alongside some guys I looked up to as a kid. I remember watching Tito Ortiz fight when I was a junior in high school. I was a big fan of his. It’s cool to be alongside guys like him, BJ Penn, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture... The list goes on.

Would you say you’ve retired 37 years young rather than 37 years old?

That’s right. I think that’s the important thing. I’m not retiring because I’m old – I’m retiring because I’m young and I feel like I still have youth and still have my body and my mind intact. I still go to the gym every day and work out, but the difference is I don’t have to put myself through the mill any longer.

There was a great fan reaction to your retirement and Hall of Fame call. Has it always meant a lot to you and driven you on?

It definitely has. This is a sport where you’re entertaining, playing to the crowd. You’re doing it for yourself as well, and the hardest part of a loss is letting down the people who get behind you and feel the loss for you. I have a chance in this sport to exude all my energy and put my best foot forward, but the fans are a big part of this game and it’s awesome to have their support.

Out of all your great fights, what are your career highlights?

The highlights are definitely my fights in my hometown of Sacramento. I’ve had some amazing performances, win, lose or draw. It’s an energetic place. The whole town is on fire. It reminds me of the reason why I do this – the energy it brings me.

Was the fight against Jens Pulver at WEC 34 the real standout?

Yeah. That was a guy who was a UFC world champion, someone I looked up to. It was the first time I was in a big arena and there was a big build-up to the fight. It was on national television. I had a great fight. I remember thinking, ‘When I get this done – we get finished with this fight – it will cement me in the sport.’

What about the fights with Mike Brown in WEC?

I was one of the guys who did crazy things: atomic butt drops, one-legged jump knees and all sorts of crazy slams. I was really creative. Eventually, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. The first time I fought Brown, I did a sneaky jumping back elbow and he threw a heavy overhand right at the same time, which basically clotheslined me. Not only did he hit me hard and hurt me, it looked horrible. I rolled over and took 14-15 unanswered punches, but I was OK. They called that off in the first round. That was on the back of a huge winning streak and being WEC world champion for nearly three years. I had this thing with Brown and thought I needed to get back in there with him again. No dumb moves this time. First round, I threw an overhand right and busted my fourth and fifth metacarpals. I just dropped my hand as I’d broken it bad. But they were great times in the WEC.

Your rivalry with Dominick Cruz will always be remembered. Is the win over him memorable as well?

Not really. It didn’t really stand out to me as something that was monumental. Looking back, it was an important moment because it was part of the history between us, but at the time it wasn’t a massive deal for me. It was a good fight against someone I didn’t know. It carries a heavier weight now in retrospect.

Are you delighted you’ve been 10 years at the elite level and crossed over to a bigger platform when WEC came into the UFC?

I am. A lot of people forget, but this is a reminder of the fact the WEC was owned, in my era, by the UFC and by Zuffa. Anything seen on TV was under the Zuffa umbrella. It’s kind of nice to have that recognition by the UFC. This whole thing is kind of symbolic of that. At the time, the WEC was the top promotion in the world for our weight class.

Do you feel like you’re the template for creating a model professional?

I do. It’s been a lot of people combined. But, for me, this sport has grown so much and there wasn’t a direct path and it’s getting clearer and clearer – and I’ve had a hand in that. That’s awesome. I’ve also had guys I looked up to, like Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, that have come before me and we’ve all helped sculpt this thing which is still building and growing.

You’ve got young fighters coming up. That must be a great feeling, right?

Yeah, it’s a constant reminder of how the sport is changing. There’s a mindfulness and an opportunity from the beginning now unlike when I started. It was not a very cool path. Joseph Morales is a great example of a guy who is now 22 and about to sign with the UFC. He’s 8-0, fights at 125lb and has actually just had his first child. It’s pretty cool to see that. It feels great to give back and actually see the impact of it first-hand on a day-to-day basis.

What have you learned most about yourself in 14 years?

I’ve learned how important it is to represent a purity, to be loyal and fight for something bigger than yourself. That’s what creating Team Alpha Male was all about, and I’m really proud of that. But, also, I’ve learned how important it is to think big, while I’ve had to be mindful of accomplishing something and then setting a new goal and thinking bigger and bigger – not just in the fight world, but in general. I’ve realized anyone can do anything, so long as they work hard and keep going.

What would you like to see happen in the in the next five-to-10 years?

I’d just like to see the sport continue to progress and make fighters very successful – set themselves up for life, whether it’s knowledge or money. I think the sport is getting better, tougher, more interesting, but the biggest thing is the opportunities are getting better.

How does your mom feel about you retiring?

She’s happy. She’s used to me being a guy who gets to do what he wants. But, obviously, she’s pretty happy about the fact I’ll be hanging it up. She’s enjoyed what I’ve done, but has never been able to watch a fight live and was never too pumped about me ever being punched in the head. She wanted me to retire after I had my first fight! It will be nice for her to relax for a bit.

Have you ever had tough times in your career and wondered why you were doing it?

Not really. I remember the first fight I had, walking out to the cage and thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ I was facing this Mexican guy with “Pride” tattooed on his neck. Then the door shut and the rest is history.

Where did the calling to do this come from?

It’s just something I’ve always been drawn to. It was always contact sports for me as a kid. It was football, which was my passion, and hockey and boxing and wrestling. These were all things that worked for me. I don’t know whether it’s something to do with the alpha male who wants to prove himself to the world or some influence, but it was definitely something that was very grassroots and inside me.