Dan Hardy

“It's difficult to really develop any kind of muscle strength when you just don't sleep long enough, when you get two or three hours at a time.”

“I never intended on fighting past a UFC contract. When I was on that four-fight losing streak, and I was considering stepping away, I wasn't thinking of going anywhere else. I was thinking about studying philosophy at university, a complete directional change.”

“I know I can push myself to my limit and my heart won't fail me.”

“I never really had any doubt that Paul Daley would KO Dustin Hazelett.”

“If we start banning effective techniques, then we're going to find ourselves with a very, very limited rule set.”

“Intellect is invaluable in the sporting arena.”

“Gegard Mousasi is much more old school than a lot of UFC fans might recognise. We actually shared an opponent, Akihiro Gono, who I made my UFC debut against.”

“I want to explore every aspect of this sport, and I'm hoping Georges is the guy I can do that against.”

“I'm a lifelong martial artist and to have an arena to test my skills is essential for me.”

“I have no interest in fighting on the streets - I never did have - but I like to out-think my opponents.”

“The difference between a successful fighter and the rest is that the successful fighter is smarter. Believe me, the best mixed martial artists are smart fighters.”

“If I'm stepping in to do something I want the stakes to be high. I want people to doubt me, I want the challenge to be great.”

“Knocking Rory Markham out at the O2 arena was awesome.”

“A lot of people cut fats out because fat has been stereotyped as a bad word but it's really not. Your body needs fat to survive.”

“I've been working on footwork since I was a kid. I've always been able to put my feet where I want them. If I can't do it then I can learn it pretty quickly.”

“I'm the kind of fighter that likes to break people down, mixing in fast kicking and fast punching.”

“Superficial damage, knee injuries, elbows, those kinds of things, I have no problem with them at all. It's a part of the sport, it's a part of the industry, it happens all the time in other sports and fight sports first and foremost is about destroying other human beings.”

“At the end of the day, it's a fight, if you don't get in there to try and beat the hell out of someone; you are never going to win.”

“I've trained with Dillashaw, I've seen him in the gym - I've seen him work... I've seen the power and the tenacity that he moves with and the potential that he has.”