Quotes from Israel Adesanya

I'm a guy that, if I see people running away from something I'm like, 'Why you running away? What's over there?'

I want to fight the guys that are ranked above me, even though I don't care about rankings because they're just opinions anyway. Even if a guy is below me and wants to fight, I'll take the fight if it makes sense.

A lot of people say they don't care about the belt, but that's not true. For me, when I say it, I really mean that.

I don't just think about the belt, I think past the belt.

That's the beauty of this sport. We're trying to get to the same place, maybe, but we're on different paths.

Conor changed the game and he paved the way. He did those big numbers and I'm one of the guys who is going to carry that forward.

A fighter walks in the room and people are like 'oooo' because everyone is trying to be a tough guy.

I do what I do for a job. This is fighting. This is a bloody sport. It's not a nice sport.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a beautiful thing.

My least favorite thing or my pet peeve would be people who literally ignore the other people you're with, or the situation, and they just dive right in and cut off the conversation.

Even when I was fighting in China I met some guys on the local circuit that we're fighting, they didn't enjoy it, they wanted to be musicians and do other things, but they're just fighting because it pays the bills and they get money for it.

Kiwis, we love a good one out. We love a good fight. This is part of the culture. Straight up. We're a country of a warrior race, the Maori.

I'm not proud of my chin but I can take a shot.

Kelvin Gastelum, there's many ways I can classify his style. I like it. He's improved. One thing I can say is that he's improved over his run in the UFC from 'The Ultimate Fighter' and now being a contender. But his style? It's very Mexican. You have the Mexican style of boxing, and he has a Mexican style of MMA, like smart Mexican style.

I never, ever deviate from my plans.

I have to plot my path to greatness.

I wear gold all of the time. I collect gold like a magpie.

If you visibly compromise someone or hurt someone, or hurt their vision, you're not supposed to still just stand there and wait for them to come to you.

I'm smart about the way I move. I'm smart about the way I conduct myself outside the Octagon, like who I associate myself with.

Put it this way, people in my position in the UFC, their coaches couldn't tell them to sweep the mats because some people feel like they're better than that. I'm not one of those people. No matter how I am on camera, people who really know me, who know my soul, know I keep that same energy. So ain't nothing change but the change.

On the feet, on the ground, I have all the bases covered.

Look at rugby, the national sport, you have guys weighing 130kg, 140kg, who can run like sprinters full clip into each other causing brain damage constantly on that field.

I've done it in kickboxing, I've done it in boxing. After you clean out a division, you move up in weight.

I've learned how to be famous and a lot of people don't prepare for it and it's something that can change life for the better or for the worst.