Matt Mitrione

“I'm afraid of not being as good as I could possibly be. I'm not afraid to go through setbacks to achieve the goals I've set out to accomplish. If I don't try, then I'll never know, and I can't live with that.”

“Gassing is a huge thing to a heavyweight.”

“Kharitonov is a legend man. He is really on par with Fedor. Fedor didn't lose for ten years, but Kharitonov lost four times in ten years. Really, that is kind of the same thing. And, the people he lost to, he lost in different sports. He did MMA, he did kickboxing, and he has done everything across the board. He is just tough.”

“I compete. I live to compete and to be a father.”

“It's a lot of fun to get in there and test yourself out against another human being that wants to punch your lights out, or fold you into a pretzel and take something home with him.”

“I'm proud as hell to be from the Midwest.”

“Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.”

“I don't like passivity being rewarded in a fight sport.”

“I think everybody underestimates my speed, agility and athleticism until it's too late. I think that happens all the time.”

“Once you have no chin, you'll never get a chin.”

“I think that Derrick Lewis has a little bit of a mystique about him, almost like Kimbo did. He's a little better.”

“I like Arlovski, I met him a couple times. If nothing else, I respect him.”

“My children are my world.”

“I think it has been pretty well publicized now that I didn't have a clue what I was doing when I was on 'The Ultimate Fighter.' I had only been training for six months before I got there.”

“If guys are in the UFC, they are still the best of the best. They might not be the top five in the world, but they are still somewhere in the top 30, and that is pretty hardcore for a guy with no experience.”

“I always think when it comes to something athletic or intellectual, like chess-matchwise, I can hold my own.”

“I wrestled because it was part of the sport. I don't like wrestling, I don't like people that can steal rounds.”

“This is probably not going to resonate as well, overall but the secret to the fight game is giving a punch and taking a punch. Once you know that you can give a punch and take a punch the secret becomes distance and timing.”

“Getting into the UFC is like getting into the NFL; it's cool to be there and winning a couple in a row is cool, too. But getting a piece of gold is what I want to talk about.”

“What light heavyweight moves like I do? There's not.”