Quotes from Johny Hendricks

Punch me in the face, I'll punch you twice as hard.

I really didn't know If I wanted to pursue the Olympics for wrestling. I didn't know what to do with my life. So, I prayed about it. My manager called me a few weeks later and asked if I wanted to fight. I agreed to give it a shot, and I went out and got knocked out.

I just want the belt. That's the only thing that's pushing me, the only thing that's motivating me.

I've been under the lights since my freshman year of high school.

I've been blessed with athleticism, and don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for it. But I'm really grateful that I learned how to, without sounding arrogant, just suck it up and realize that even though I'm not at my best in a given situation, it doesn't matter. You still have to get the job done.

The hardest thing is that the people who don't know anything about fighting, they label you. Once they get to know me, they're like, 'Ah, you're not anything like I thought.' That's probably the hardest thing about being a fighter - everything else is easy.

I don't know how many times I've went to bed at five, six o'clock in the morning and woke up at 10, running four miles because I wanted to beat GSP that bad.

For some reason, I have a thick skull.

If I don't get the love of the sport back, it's not about winning or losing to me: it's about having fun. If I can wake up and enjoy what I do, it's gonna show in the octagon.

GSP can't hide from me forever, you know.

I grew up working hard to earn everything I had.

To be a world champion from Oklahoma is something that really pushes me.

But after defeating Carlos Condit, I've shown I deserve to have a title shot.

Any time you get a title shot, you always try to wait for it the best you can.

I've got to keep my name out in the public eye. That's how you get more fans, and the more fans you get, the more want to see you fight for the title.

I get to fight a tough dude like Koscheck, and then a title shot if I win? It's great.

I've got a wife who keeps me humble.

Disney World was tough because you do a lot of walking, but it was worth it. To see the smiles on the faces of my kids and the memories that we made makes it all worth it.

You see a lot of guys who are told they will be the number one contender if they win the fight in front of them. They have fought a couple of really tough guys to get there, but when the chance is presented to them, something happens in some shape or form, and they aren't able to take it. They end up losing. That was the biggest fear for me.

The toughest fight I've ever had was T. J. Grant.

Growing up wrestling, you get injured, and they expect you back on the mat in a couple weeks unless it's really bad.

I had Jake Ellenberger. I trained very hard for him; then I was able to get Carlos Condit, an excellent fighter. That's what it's all about.

Reebok has helped me tremendously with my training.

All I care about is getting smarter and better.