You need good coaches with a good gym that teach you the essentials, like boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and pretty much all the stuff that you need to be successful in MMA.

You need good training partners - because you’re only as good as your training partners - and a strong desire to always get better.

I just have to practice hard, get better, and go out there and win impressively - that's all it comes down to.

While wrestling in college as a junior it came to a point where wrestling just wasn't enough for me anymore. I love wrestling, but I felt like I was missing something, and so the striking part about MMA, the boxing and kickboxing, was what got me really interested in MMA. I saw it on TV and I just knew that I wanted to do it.

Know what your strengths are, but also keep in mind what your weaknesses are always work on your weaknesses.