Quotes from Eddie Alvarez

I'm not here if Bill Hunter never forced my hand in wrestling. It was a pivotal point in my life.

I have a very good ground game and very good wrestling. People just underestimate it. That's it. I want to keep it like that.

From wrestling, I learned that I was capable of much more than I thought I was.

If they could put us all in a tournament, that'd be the best way, but they're not going to do that here at the UFC.

I boxed. I did track and field; I did basketball, football, any sport I was able to sign up for.

I like to be with my back against the wall in dangerous situations.

When I say 'fighter,' I am thinking about how you deal with adversity, how you deal with being in bad situations.

The most comical thing for me, even when I watch movies, is the guy who's so crazy confident about himself, with the mink jacket - to me, that is so funny. I wish I could be like that. As a fighter, I wish I could do that, so I could make people laugh. But I can't; it's not my style.

The fans, man, the fans have a little different way of thinking. They really applaud the spirit of fighters, and that put a huge influence on the type of energy I fought with, rather than if I won or lost. America's a real win-or-lose culture, where with the Japanese, fighting with spirit is enough.

I've said it from the very beginning: Fighting the best guys in the world doesn't pay as good as the circus. I want to join the circus. I'm trying to get that circus money.

When I joined UFC, I said I want to be involved in fights where millions of fans are watching, biting their fingernails, thinking, 'What the heck is going to go on here?'

I'll beat a bunch of good guys, and then I'll get a ton of fans come up to me and go, 'Do you think you can beat Conor McGregor?' And I'm like, 'Oh my God. You guys are disillusioned.' They think because this man's popular he's good.

We got four-ounce gloves here. It's not hard to knock someone out.

Me? I'm no sob story. I get paid well, and I live comfortably.

The truth is, a large majority of the market, I'd guess 80 percent, doesn't know anything more than what they are sold.

The first time I fought Mike Chandler, I was thinking about money way too much. I was thinking about the end of my contract. My focus was way off. I didn't believe in the people that were guiding me.

I want an opportunity to fight the best in the world and make millions of dollars doing it.

My biggest fear as a fighter is to be knocked out in front of millions of people. But after it actually happened, there's this calmness about you that says everything is OK.

You don't want to be in a fight of the year. It takes years off your life. But, it's why fans tune in; it's why people gravitate toward your fights. It's why people want to watch you fight. It's important to get into them, but it's important to try not to get into too many of them.

With MTV2, every fighter is exposed to millions of people, and they won't have to take a monster pay cut to do so.

I'm a whole lot more than just Spanish or Irish or whatever, but definitely, it's given me help. It's given me a push, and I'm very proud of my Spanish heritage.

Fighting, for me, is not a career - it's an opportunity. I'm going to take full advantage of it and do it as long as I can. As long as my body lets me and I'm healthy enough to do it naturally, I'll do it.

I was never the most technical; I was never the best at one aspect at this sport, but what I was always good as was negating people's strengths and putting them in terrible situations where they're uncomfortable.

I'm a little unconventional; I do things a little differently.