Quotes from Beneil Dariush

In Iran, we had a really good life. Everything is good. Iran is considered, I think, a Third World country. I don't know what it is considered but it's not considered to be up there.

I feel like I have an advantage in grappling with just about anybody I fight.

If you're in the UFC, your goal should be to become champion... Just because you have the belt doesn't mean that you achieve greatness.

My goal is greatness, so whether it is at 155 or 170 doesn't really matter.

If you're grappling with punches involved, you start realizing you only use certain guards. There are 3-4 different guards that you use - half-guard, open guard, and closed guard - the majority of the time.

The hardest part about making weight is getting to 155 or 156 - whatever you make - and you gotta wait four hours.

I'm telling you, the lightweight division is so talented, we have so many high level guys out there who are not even in the top-15 who can be champion.

I'm OK with hitting you, I'm OK with getting hit, I'm OK with cuts, broken leg, broken nose - I've broken my nose five, six times - but I don't need to verbally assault somebody. I don't need to say anything bad about somebody.

I'll watch tape on my opponents. I'll watch a little bit of tape. I don't like to invest too much time on tape. Sometimes you get too focused on your opponent instead of yourself. I'd rather watch my own training and my own sparring sessions and develop from there.

When I started fighting, it wasn't about being an idol or representing my people. It was like the furthest, furthest, furthest thing from that.

When it comes to martial arts, I always feel hungry.

I've had one or two interactions with Scott Holtzman and I've watched his fights and I thought to myself, great fight, great competition and a great guy. The few interactions I had with him, he's such a great guy.

I truly believe the way to build a good civilization is to do it on Judaeo-Christian values because whenever you do it on Judaeo-Christian values you build amazing countries that give human beings intrinsic value.

When I was growing up, I was always outside. I think that's helped me, as far as athletics go, but to improve in anything, you just have to invest time.

Everyone in Iran has wrestled, except for me, I never wrestled in Iran for some reason.

Iran is amazing. It's beautiful. It has everything, everything you want.

Everything that I have is because I live in America. If I was in Iran, I wouldn't be in the UFC... But, I came here, and I got to do something amazing. And that's because of America.

I can fight at any minute. It's like nature, like a second language, you just do it.

You don't want communism. You don't want this socialism. This is what destroys countries and lives.

I haven't been able to go to Iran because of the military service, it's mandatory once you turn 18, so I haven't been to Iran since I was 17.

When I retire, to be honest, my goal is to be a missionary. I plan on going around and spreading the gospel.

Werdum is one of the nicest, kindest people I've ever met.

Staying hungry and never being satisfied is how you always improve.

One of the guys I used to watch was Georges St. Pierre. Watching him, I thought this guy is awesome, he's doing all these amazing things... I was 16 at the time and I thought he was like 32, and it turned out he was like 21-22.