Issue 194

September 2021

Having dispatched Conor McGregor twice in 2021, the Diamond moves on to his main task of claiming the undisputed UFC lightweight title.

We are very close to your UFC Lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 on December 11. Where are you in the title fight process, mentally and physically, as we speak today? 

I landed here in South Florida for fight camp. I am fresh and have had ad a great camp. We are a few weeks out. I stayed here in South Florida until fight week. As soon as I found out that his side was done and my contract was signed, sent back in and the UFC received it, I packed up my stuff, booked my flight, and came out here to go straight to work. 

I stay on the mats and stay in the gym in Louisiana but to prepare for a fight of this caliber I need to be around the best coaches and training partners in the world and that is why I come down here to South Florida to American Top Team. 

To have the ultimate goal in front of you and in reach, to prepare for such a monumental task and undertaking, can you put into words what camp will be like for a fight of this magnitude? 

It’s a grind. It’s a test of your commitment to fighting and a commitment to yourself. It’s about the discipline in your diet. It’s about the discipline in terms of your work ethic. It’s challenging but I accept it all and take it in my stride. I learn so much about myself over these weeks out here grinding. It’s part of my journey and evolution as a fighter. 

Every fight camp and every fight I earn more about myself. There are different lessons and curveballs that are thrown each time. Nothing is the same, except the coaching and my effort. That is always the same. I push myself and try to become the best I can be and continue to grow in this sport.

In 2021, you had two huge fights against Conor McGregor, besting him both times. You stopped him once in January by TKO at UFC 257 and in July you secured the victory and the trilogy. To finish off the trilogy in the way you did, in such convincing fashion, what are your takeaways now that you have had time away and time to reflect? 

It has been a great year for me. I have two wins over the biggest star in the sport. It was great for my career. I put myself in position to provide for me and my family. I passed up a title shot to do the second fight this year with Conor. Getting my hand raised twice this year and now I am right back to where I need to be, across the cage from a champion. 

Can you speak to the process of fighting Conor, from the media to social media, and the fact that the fights being mainstream viewing events. What was it like to be opposite him twice this year? 

It was a circus, man. It’s a circus. I don’t really enjoy all of that stuff, the antics, and all the bullshit. I just like to scrap and that is what I went out there and did. I whupped him twice this year. I don’t even know why I’m still talking about it every time I talk to somebody. 

You recently received the first annual Forrest Griffin Community Award. It’s well documented what you are doing with The Good Fight Foundation. What was the experience like for you at the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony?

I had never been to a UFC Awards show or a Hall of Fame induction. To be on the red carpet and be next to Bas Rutten, GSP, Kevin Randleman’s family, Jon Jones and other legends of the sport, it was awesome. I was in awe of the moment. I grew up watching these guys fight. 

Bas Rutten and Mark Coleman were coming up to me and talking to me in the back. It was the who’s who of legends and pioneers of Mixed Martial Arts. To be amongst those guys and to be the first to receive this award – I am just thankful, man. 

We do so much work with the foundation and put in so much time. A lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff people don’t even get to see. It’s not just me. It’s a great team of people in Louisiana and I wouldn’t be able to get these things done without them. Some of the people on the board don’t travel often. 

To stand on the red carpet and go to Vegas was a big deal. I am thankful for the platform I have and I recognize I have this platform. I live in a place of gratitude because of all of this. 

Speaking of The Good Fight Foundation, it has become a movement. The growth, the reach, and the impact of this foundation is phenomenal. If you went back to day one, could you even imagine what you’ve built to this point? 

No I can’t, man. This thing has grown and done so much at such a fast pace that it’s unbelievable. We started it and I had big plans for it but this has already surpassed what I thought was going to happen. We are still growing. I can’t wait for the future and hopefully, we can continue to help out as much as possible. 

With everything you have accomplished personally and professionally, ultimately, all that really matters in this sport is for you to be the undisputed champion. Can you speak to that mindset? 

The last time we spoke I don’t even know if I was a father back then. My daughter is in kindergarten now. I still feel good but I know I’m not 20 years old anymore. So, providing and putting my family in a safe spot and being a prize fighter is very important but looking at the whole journey, I never started fighting to do that. That was a by-product of being good at fighting. The goal at the beginning was to be a world champion and to be the best. I knew all the things that come along with that success of being a world champion would help me in my life and catapult me to other opportunities. That is the wave I am riding right now. I am still chasing the undisputed world title next to my name. I want that. I want that so much. Going through the ups and downs of being a professional fighter and providing for my family and winning fights and putting myself in a good position, I think I’ve done that. Now I have to get that world title. 

By Tony Reid