It is the most powerful submission in the sport. It is a beautiful thing. You’re holding them into you, their back is on you, and you are basically choking them gradually like a boa constrictor and once you’ve got them, the pressure goes on and they have to submit or they are going to stop breathing. It happened to me early in my career, and I panicked, and gave in, I tapped out too early. I learned a lot from that. I learned from it, learned how to do the move better, learned how to avoid it being done to me.

Sometimes I train in the middle of the night, all on my own. Can’t sleep, don’t want to sleep, get up, go to the gym, work. This is early for me, being here at half ten in the morning, this is really early, and I’m only here because I Sometimes I train in the middle of the night, all on my own. Can’t sleep, don’t want to sleep, get up, go to the gym, work. This is early for me, being here at half ten in the morning, this is really early, and I’m only here because I screwed up yesterday and kept you hanging around. Other times I’ll call up my wrestling coach, or my jiu jitsu coach, or my deep-tissue guy, and want to really focus on one part of what I do. I train in all these different disciplines.

screwed up yesterday and kept you hanging around. Other times I’ll call up my wrestling coach, or my jiu jitsu coach, or my deep-tissue guy, and want to really focus on one part of what I do. I train in all these different disciplines.

I do yoga. People think it is easy, just touching your toes. It is hard. But I tend to go with my own flow. It’s back to the movement thing. I feel it when I need to train, and I do what I feel I need to do. And when I am in the run-up to a fight, I am really at it the whole time, might be getting my weight down to meet the limit for the division. Soon I am moving up and I am going to be champion in the next one too.

I am not a big crier. But I’d say it was after the Mendes fight. It was not because of the fight as such. It was everything leading up to it. It had been such a tough time. When I did my knee, I had some very dark times. Life is all about ups and downs and I’d say there had been a lot of downs, but I got through it, I won and after the fight, I was standing in the shower and I was crying, just letting it all go.

I don’t give a f***. We’re not fighting. I don’t care what anyone thinks about me. All the stuff I have to do outside the fighting, the promotion, this, I don’t give a f***. But when I am facing up for a fight, I know what they’re thinking. I can read their minds. When I am going face to face with an opponent, nose to nose, I can smell the fear, and I’m feeling no fear at all.

I have unemployed my girlfriend. She had a job working for a cardiologist and now she can hang out, put her feet up, buy all the things she wants, have a nice breakfast with you and me in the Four Seasons. Any fights in families like mine come from everyone worrying about money. I’m taking all those worries away. That makes me feel happy, makes me really proud of what I do.

To do anything to a high level it has to be total obsession. Ask José Mourinho, he wouldn’t know a thing about me, my sport – he knows football, and to get to high levels you have to be insane, nothing else means anything. I respect all forms of movement and lifestyles, but I am in a bubble. I wake up, it is in my head; I go to sleep, it’s in my head, 24/7.

One of the reasons I got into this game was because I wanted to learn how to get myself comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I grew up in a tough area of Dublin, and fighting was just part of your life. Boys fight, and I won some, but I lost a lot too, and I didn’t like that, I didn’t like that feeling of not knowing whether I was in danger, in trouble.

I will cross that bridge when it comes. I am not stupid. I am a very bright guy. I know that in the fighting game, you get people who get brain damage and do themselves long-term harm. I am into it in a big way, and I am good at it, and I am going to get very, very rich and then I will get out and we will see what comes after that.

You need to be able to hit, kick, grapple, wrestle, but for me so much of this is about the mind, about feeling you are in complete control of the space around you, and you know what to do at any moment. That is a wonderful feeling, but it doesn’t just happen, you have to work for it, train for it, think about it all the time.

I love money, and I love movement. I like what it has let me do for my family. I have paid off my mum and dad’s mortgage, I’ve bought them two BMWs, they can have anything they want. I am buying a fleet of cars for myself. I have unemployed my sisters, they don’t need to work, don’t need to worry about a thing.

I believe in believing. My coach John Kavanagh is a big atheist and he is always trying to persuade people to his way of thinking, and I think what a waste of energy. If people want to believe in this god, or that god, that’s fine by me, believe away. But I think we can be our own gods. I believe in myself.

I daydream too. I visualise. I think ahead, I can do it now, sitting here. I think ahead to the walk-in, I can hear the crowd, the music, I can feel the cameras all around me, I can feel movements in my body as I am heading there, I can bring up that incredible feeling you get when you step into the cage.

I am in the fighting game, I don’t care about anything else. I don’t watch the news, I don’t care about politics, I don’t care about other sports. I don’t care about anything I don’t need to care about. This is my sport, it is my life. I study it, I think about it, all the time. Nothing else matters.

The surface below your feet is so special. It is not like a boxing ring, not like a wrestling mat, it’s its own thing, and when I am there, I am floating, I am moving with total freedom, I am free. And when you know, when you just know you are going to win, like I do, there is no better feeling.

I used to imagine it. I used to pretend that my Peugeot driving to the gym in the rain in Dublin was a Ferrari on the Vegas strip. And now that I have that? I can’t even describe that feeling. That’s why I like the best – the best cars, the best food, the best watches.

I studied every move, I became fascinated by thinking what I could have done differently. And I take that approach now as a professional. I am on it, all the time, never stop thinking, learning. You don’t get to be world champion unless you do that.

I believe in believing.

I’m not a fan of routine.

Pain is part of the sport.

I work hard and fight easy.

Don’t impersonate. Innovate.

Machines don’t use machines.

Know yourself, to know others.

Movement for me is meditation.

Smart work pays best. Trust it.

I eat, sleep and breathe training.

I love money because I’ve earned it.

Movement is meditation. Move to win.

I always think street but train sport.

I am comfortable in the uncomfortable.

You must improvise, adapt, and overcome.

Real champions fight through adversity.

All that matters is how you see yourself.

You can take on the world in a good suit.

Be passionate, be optimistic, be grateful.

I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready.

I think I am the greatest fighter in any class.

As far as I’m concerned, I just speak the truth.

I don’t believe in talent. Talent doesn’t exist.

I don’t relax, I don’t celebrate. I sit and plot.

If you are the best, you must go that extra mile.

I don’t use machines – animals don’t use machines.

You sleep on a win and you’ll wake up with a loss.

I think we can be our own gods. I believe in myself.

Excellence is not a skill, excellence is an attitude.

You don’t get to be world champion unless you do that.

I don’t care about anything I don’t need to care about.

car

I fear no man. If you breathe oxygen, I do not fear you.

I’m on top of the world, man. And I intend to stay there.

Failure is not an option for me. Success is all I envision

I like looking good. But it’s also about the feeling, right?

Keep positive and keep pushing on and things will turn good.

The support gets me to the gym but the doubt keeps me there.

To do anything to a high level it has to be total obsession.

Whoever said it’s tough at the top is talking absolute sh*t.

I don’t know why anyone would want to do that politics stuff.

Late switches are part of fighting and I’ve handled them all.

I don’t work, I live… I don’t have a job, I just have a life.

I keep having vivid dreams of success. Then it’s time to sleep.

I move in many ways. I can adapt and overcome to any situation.

Look out for those who look out for you. Loyalty is everything.

I have never encountered a winner that held hate towards something.

Always be civil, but with a plan to neutralise everyone in the room.

Listen, I am in the fighting game, I don’t care about anything else

I don’t worry about my opponent or their game, I worry about my game.

You are either the best. Or you are the worst. There is no in between.

I don’t just want the belt, I want every one of their heads on a plate.

An injury is not just a process of recovery it’s a process of discovery.

I’m definitely on the pursuit of perfection…I will always be learning.

Wherever it goes is my best position. Wherever it goes I am comfortable.

One thing I believe that’s a key to success is celebrate your surroundings.

Be spontaneous, be creative, go out and have fun, let things happen naturally.

There’s only one thing that’s impossible to beat… a man that doesn’t give up.

I hold no emotions while I am in there… in there it is just calm and creative.

If people want to believe in this god, or that god, that’s fine by me, believe away.

In general, I like the healthy stuff and don’t really have a problem with any of it.

Every little detail to every little movement must be perfect. Perfection in movement.

I don’t watch the news, I don’t care about politics, I don’t care about other sports.

Appreciate your surroundings and be grateful for it and that’s when good things happen.

Face adversity head on in your training and you will conquer it smoothly in your fight.

Doubt is only removed by action. If you’re not working then that’s where doubt comes in.

A fight is mental, not just physical and psychological warfare is absolutely part of that.

Sometimes the truth hurts. It hurts because they have a weakness – and I exploit weakness.

Training to me isn’t about a set time at the gym – I move at all times of the day and night.

It’s important to stay hydrated – first thing I do in the morning is stretch and drink water.

You can’t fear success and I think a lot of people do… I’m not like that. I’m going for it.

I try to eat healthy all the time. I don’t eat takeaways. I drink mostly water or coconut water.

I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. Keep proving people wrong and proving myself right.

You can’t enter a contest emotionally charged. It clouds your judgment, it clouds your reaction.

At the end of the day you gotta feel some way. So why not feel unbeatable? Why not feel untouchable.

I pursue this dream and carry on. I don’t dwell too much on the outside, I just focus on the inside.

Boxing is going to have to catch up with the kind of things UFC is doing. They’re getting left behind.

Seems like people get obsessed about times and numbers and weights and that – I’m obsessed with winning.

If you have a clear picture in your head of something that’s going to happen… then nothing can stop it.

I have visualised my imagination so clearly and so consistently that it has manifested itself into my reality.

I know I might rub people the wrong way sometimes, but I’m just a kid living my dream… I’m enjoying my life.

I won’t ever shy away from a fight and if it makes sense down the road, I’ll do it. But it will be on my terms.

It makes a difference when you’ve got more than two months versus two weeks to train for a particular opponent.

I believe in working harder and putting in the time – being completely obsessed. And, yeah, I think that’s life.

If I could bust out and eat anything… if I ever stop fighting, I could put on some serious weight with sweets.

I know I can hold two, maybe even three belts. So I have business to take care of back in and around my weight class.

I feel it when I need to train and I do what I feel like I need to do. I don’t get obsessed with one style or one skill.

It’s not really that much of a big deal – you brush it off and you come back. Defeat is the secret ingredient to success.

I love what I do… When I’m in there I don’t want to be nowhere else in the world… I love this game more than anything.

There’s people that focus on the game and forget about the art. There’s that specific special individual that can do both.

Getting enough protein is important when I train, to help build muscle and recover, so I’ll supplement with protein shakes.

My diet is usually pretty consistent whether I’m training for a specific fight or not. I don’t like to mess too much with it.

There are people who have great skills, who do great things, but don’t embody the whole animal that is the fight game like I do.

I love my job. I whoop people for truckloads of cash. How could I hate this life? I love it so much. I’m grateful every single day.

Nothing good ever comes from worrying or sitting there feeling sorry for yourself… Keep positive and keep pushing on and things will turn good.

I think we should all focus on who we are, what we want to do, and do it. That is my way. I don’t know why anyone would want to do that politics stuff.

People do what they think works for them, but the sport is about instinct, movement, balance, power… it’s too animalistic to get rigid about your training.

Ask José Mourinho, he wouldn’t know a thing about me, my sport – he knows football, and to get to high levels you have to be insane, nothing else means anything.

I don’t feel negative emotions. I feel calm, composed and ready. And as it goes on I get better at it. By the time the fight is on, I don’t feel any emotions at all.

When I’m in there I’m just in my zone. What people think about when they’re looking at me, that’s their business. If there is a bit of that, I am fine with it, each to his own.

Golf isn’t a sport, it’s a game. I’m not saying it’s not a difficult game, with lots of mental stuff. But it’s not a sport like mine. Where is the combat, the intensity of what we do?

Victorious. I feel that is why I did all the training, why I make the sacrifices, that is why I got into the shape I am in. I feel I have won, that’s millions more coming my way, I feel great.

Power and speed aren’t enough to overcome someone who is strategic, who knows what you’ll do before you do it and can turn it on you; someone who is mentally engaged and combines the whole package.

I’ve read a lot of books on the laws of attraction, and in my home I have a big book on Muhammad Ali, which I’ve read, because he is like a hero of mine, but other than that, no, I’m not a big reader.

{Losing can be a great motivator] but not if it drains your confidence. One of the reasons I got into this game was because I wanted to learn how to get myself comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

I mean I love movement. I mean the energy that comes from the way I move. We get energy from how we move. I mean the control I get from knowing everything about how my body feels and how it is working.

Have fun, that’s what it’s all about. People get stressed over it… Let competition eat them up. That’s not me, I just get in and have fun. That’s what I’m here to do: Have fun and make some money doing it.