Beneil Dariush

“I've been trying to be champion since day one.”

“I can fight at any minute. It's like nature, like a second language, you just do it.”

“I'm telling you, the lightweight division is so talented, we have so many high level guys out there who are not even in the top-15 who can be champion.”

“If you're in the UFC, your goal should be to become champion... Just because you have the belt doesn't mean that you achieve greatness.”

“We don't fight as much as we like. We think we're going to fight so many times, and end up fighting less.”

“I don't care if you're a young lion, you're an old lion, you're a veteran, you're in the middle of the pack - I'm top dog. I'm the guy.”

“You make government number one, and people give up their rights.”

“The hardest thing in the world is to change somebody's opinion of you.”

“I feel like I have an advantage in grappling with just about anybody I fight.”

“The government, once it takes power, nobody takes that away. If it's gained freely, it will be taken back in blood. That's the only way to get away from communism, Marxism. It's proven... you can see it in history.”

“You don't want communism. You don't want this socialism. This is what destroys countries and lives.”

“I always make a joke about this but it's true; Conor can make a highlight video of training hard and like, 'Alright guys, title shot. Give the man a title shot.' People will be saying 'look what he is doing, look at the way he is hitting the bag, look at the way, I don't know, he is pushing himself in the wheelchair.'”

“It got to a point where I couldn't turn my head without turning my whole body.”

“Kids are mean. But because kids are so mean, it made me learn English faster. I think it took me six-eight months to learn English.”

“I truly believe the way to build a good civilization is to do it on Judaeo-Christian values because whenever you do it on Judaeo-Christian values you build amazing countries that give human beings intrinsic value.”

“I'll watch tape on my opponents. I'll watch a little bit of tape. I don't like to invest too much time on tape. Sometimes you get too focused on your opponent instead of yourself. I'd rather watch my own training and my own sparring sessions and develop from there.”

“If someone asks, I'm going to tell them what I feel.”

“In Iran, we had a really good life. Everything is good. Iran is considered, I think, a Third World country. I don't know what it is considered but it's not considered to be up there.”

“I'm not big on what my career will be or what my legacy will be.”

“When I retire, to be honest, my goal is to be a missionary. I plan on going around and spreading the gospel.”