Brian Ortega

As much as I dream, I have nightmares. ”

I don't look like a fighter. I like it, though, because it just allows me to be in the position I am now, to where I can venture out to wherever I want to go. I can go into acting. I can go into this; I can go different ways now. And because of fighting, I can do that. ”

I'm a businessman, a company man, but I'm no 'yes' man. ”

I like super fights. I want super fights. I want guys that I can match up well where people don't know what going to happen. ”

When I go in to fight week, I go, 'Maybe I'm going to be that guy on the highlight reel that gets knocked out.' I'm always thinking, 'How am I going to react? Am I going to be a sore loser?' I'm almost checking myself in case something bad happens. ”

I keep training hard, keep working out, keep looking at my fights, and I wonder, 'If I was to fight me, how would I beat me?' It's like having a boat with a bunch of holes. I'm trying to patch up all the holes. If I was to fight myself, I'd take advantage of certain things. I've got to know my opponent is thinking the same thing. ”

I was sitting around, moping and feeling badly for myself. I went to the hospital to visit a child, and it hit me: helping people is what I'm meant to do. ”

I'm human, and we all make mistakes. But just because you're knocked down, you don't have to stay down. Get up and fight. ”

What's that song? It says, 'Everything that you do will come back to you in your sweet time?' That's why I still don't relax. Even my coach gets mad at me sometimes. He's like, 'Come on, man - relax.' I go, 'Nah.' I'm always good. ”

One thing I took - you know, especially from boxing at a young age - from my coach was, if you're a jiu-jitsu guy, and you only cater your training to jiu-jitsu, there's going to come a day and time in your career when you face a guy who is a great wrestler, has great takedown defense, and he's going to make you look silly. ”