Derek Brunson Quotes

People expect you to play your best, so I go through a routine to prepare myself so that I know I'm physically and mentally ready - prepared for the game.

You have 20 fights, you should know what it takes to get yourself ready. If you don't feel like you're ready, you let your coach know 'hey we need to work on a little bit more of this.'

I need to continue to be wise, be efficient and prepared for every game that I play leading up to the Olympics.

The day I step in the cage with Cyborg, I will be 100% prepared.

When I prepare for a fight, I never expect it to be easy. I believe that that would create a chance for me to not give my best in the Octagon.

I don't know if that's going to disappoint anybody out there, but I was - I have a very rigorous warmup where I get a good sweat going before a match to prepare for battle. That is what people see; that is what people mistake for dirtiness.

From the very beginning, every time I trained for a fight, I didn't train to beat the guy I was fighting. I trained to beat Anderson Silva.

You don't get to the highest levels of the sport without having the basics in order.

I'd love a training camp. But if they walked in the door right now and said, 'Do you want to fight for the title in the next 10 minutes?' I'm out the door, warming up, ready to go.

There are so many variables that go into a fight, you shouldn't waste your time worrying about the other fighters.

No fighter wants to risk getting ring rust.

It's not an excuse, but I'd say I didn't perform well in the big fights because I wasn't prepared properly.

I learn how to put myself in situations at practice that cause me to zone in on what I'm trying to accomplish at meets. I try to make my practice surrounding as close to competition pressure to focus on what I need to do on the big stage.

Once I go into these fights, and we have to go through the ringer to prepare for them, and we know I'm not 100 percent going in, winning is the most important thing, and dominating is the most important thing, and that's what we've been doing.

People think hard sparring will get you sharp. And you do get sharp in the gym. But anytime I've trained that way, I've actually been a little bit flatter in the fight. And the knockout shot hasn't come. It's almost because my training has been too hard.

I know if I want to have a chance to beat the top players, I need to be mentally ready for that.

To be able to perform at a high level, to be able to do things that no other fighter can do, you have to practice it. And the only way you can practice is by sparring, by fighting another man.

I train seven days a week. I'm mentally and physically prepared for any situation that I might be thrown in, and that's what puts me in the upper echelon compared to other Knockouts.

People turn professional and they are not running as fast as they did in college because it is a lot different, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't have that kind of transition and always stayed on top.

I always feel like the freshest boxer going into competitions.

I train really hard for each and every fight. I never take anyone lightly.

When I set my eyes on the gold at the world championships, I was able to maintain that focus that whole day. That's what I aim to do in Rio - my focus is gold, so I can keep in that good state; I can't get too complacent. I can't relax; I can't be content. I need to be 100 per cent switched on.

The longer you stay out of this sport, the less sharp you are, and I've been aware of that; that's why I've stayed and haven't wanted to retire and come back - because you skip a beat.

My coaches know when it's a big fight, I'm at the gym because if they give me some pretender, another actor, I might not take it.

Things are never easy against whoever you play, which is why every game you have to be totally at it, on your mettle, and totally focused and concentrated.