My dream is to be the best fighter at 155 pounds in the world.
Seminars, TV shows, documentaries, always spreading Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I'm an instrument of this art more than a character myself.
I believe in my wrestling and I believe in my jiu-jitsu.
I'm not just a wrestler anymore. I'm a very well-rounded fighter.
People see a lot of my standup, and that's what I'm known for since I was trained in karate and kickboxing, but I also have ground game.
Everyone thinks Australia and New Zealand MMA fighters don't have that wrestling base, whereas a lot of Americans and other countries have, with them being able to do wrestling at high-school levels.
In the UFC, it's about names. Every fight is hard, and everybody knows all the disciplines. Some might know more than others.
I already knew a lot about the ground aspects of MMA, being a wrestler, but there was so much more. There was kicking, punching, and other things I wish I could have done as a wrestler. It really stoked my interest.
I started competing on boxing, so I have my hands. I'm an O.K. wrestler, so why not?
People say that I'm a boxer. I actually started with kick boxing, and then I moved onto boxing, and then I moved onto grappling.
It's interesting because my Mixed Martial Arts upbringing is less Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is the traditional thing that people study.
I just don't want to be a champion; I want to be one of the best fighters there ever was.
Eighteen years doing this, my friend. Eighteen years - combat sport. I think you will not find this in history, I believe.
I will be the UFC lightweight champion. Mark my words.
There was a time when guys just had a specialty, like boxer or wrestler or jiujitsu guy. Then came guys who could blend taking you down with also being able to kick your head off.
Wrestling has always been a dominating force in UFC.
I will always go for the submission instead of hurting my opponent.
People consider me a striker, but I have trained jiu-jitsu for 10 years.
MMA has evolved. When you look at an MMA fighter's skill set, boxing has to be a big piece of it. All of them have a boxing coach now and strive to have a good stand-up game, knowing that to be a complete fighter, you have to tend to your striking skills.
I've been doing everything people like to see: knock people out, and submissions, and go in there to fight.
I love striking, but MMA and Muay Thai are different.
I started training for MMA when I was 18 years old. My jujitsu coach told me, 'Amanda, you should try MMA.' Since that moment, I got in love with this sport and haven't stopped.
I'm in the UFC; this is a sport about fighting. If someone wants to fight me, or someone wants to fight someone else... you're here to fight each other, so I get it.
I trained karate in 2001 to fight Heath Herring.
I'm a fighter now. I'm officially a mixed martial artist. I'm not a wrestler no more.
