mixed-martial-artists

"In 2011, I went to Russia with the national jujitsu team to participate in the World Sambo Championships and managed to win third place in the world, but in the same country, I became acquainted with a very special sport, which was a combination of all martial arts. I was learning more about this field and started researching."

"I lost my father when I was eight years old and my life moved on under my mother's shadow. I have been working professionally in most martial arts for 21 years, including Thai boxing, jujitsu, boxing, judo, karate, etc., and I have been pursuing cage fighting professionally for about two years. When I was in Iran, I won championships in martial arts many times and I was a member of the Iranian national team in the field of "Jujisto", but the story of my acquaintance with the exciting field of "MMA" or "Fighting in a cage" goes back to Year 2011."

"I saw the struggle of the champions of this discipline and read various articles about it. At this time, I realized that this sport is one of the strongest martial arts in the world and the name of this sport is "Cage Fighting". "Working in this field and learning their tricks and techniques tempted me badly."

"I had to lose 9 kg in this short distance."

"I promise to show a struggle beyond expectations."

"My goal has always been to make Iran and Iranians proud."

"I currently have a contract with Venum Training Camp."

"I started playing judo and kung fu at an early age."

"Eventually I get what I want."

"The real martial artist must first be a role model in ethics."

"The way to success is only three things; Practice, practice and practice."

"Martial arts polish my soul."

"I still have the motivation to practice and fight."

"Living in exile has its difficulties enough."

"After winning MMA world championship, I will be retired to professional sports."

"When it came to fighting convicts, Leduc said: "I wouldn't feel bad if I win and my rival's sentence isn't reduced. They do not fight for money, they fight for their freedom. I only fight for honor and glory. [...] They deserve to get my 100%, if he wins, then he earns it.""

"We’ll let the peasants fight for last place."

"Now, I’m telling you. Mark my fucking words. This, it’ s going to be a clear and decisive win. I don’t know how it’s going to happen. I just want to let my body freely move with headbutts and elbows, I don’t care. I just want to finish the guy."

"I love Dave Leduc. The guy is a monster! I would love to have him in One Championship."

"My wife and I became fully vegan solely for health reasons [...] shortly after watching the movie The Game Changers, as I saw that it was possible to thrive as an elite athlete on a plant-based diet. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CKxaA8ypcwZ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (2nd February, 2021)"

"I will never eat animals or dairy for the rest of my life. (2nd February, 2021)"

"Once you reunite with your compassion and choose the vegan way of life, it’s almost impossible to go back. (2nd February, 2021)"

"Veganism. It’s not a diet, it’s a philosophy, which aims to cause as less cruelty around you as practically possible."

"He got two years to hate me and meditate in front of my photo."

"Tun Tun Min actually disrespected me when he said that the Myanmar Lethwei Champion should not be a non-Burmese according to him. I replied saying that it doesn't matter where the champion is born, it's what's in his heart that matters, and I am Myanmar in my heart."

"I take great pride in going in the ring and choosing my shots to dismantle my opponent and avoiding shots, avoiding attacks. I think that’s the ultimate bad a**. You fight bare knuckle, and you leave unscathed."

"Maybe I was born in Myanmar in another life"

"“I’m not deep into Lethwei, I am Lethwei.”"

"Lethwei is more popular than ever, and I am proud to be behind this. I'm bringing Lethwei to the world, and bringing fame to Myanmar which will bring more tourism and more money to the people."

"I like extreme. I never like to be normal. F*** normal. I’m the black sheep in life. I’m the weird one and I like that."

"In life you don’t ‘half-ass’ things. So I thought; I want to fight, why not do the most brutal sport in the world?"

"I would prefer fighting foreign fighters to show the true power of Lethwei against other martial arts."

"I will probably end my life fighting. … I just hope that if it does happen, it will be in an honest and fair competition. My body is fucked but my mind is still here. I’ve still got my senses about me and I know what’s right and wrong, which is the main thing. … I feel proud that I got here without cheating. Proud that I got here without taking any shortcuts and by doing it the proper way. My way. … I’d be champ already if it wasn’t for the cheaters. … We need the Ali Act put in place. Fighters want to know what they’re worth. … These guys don’t get paid jack shit."

"I'm going vegan, hate this."

"At first it was for health and athletic performance but it also became about ethics and the environment. My strength increased. I put 20lbs on my dumbell benchpress (10lbs each arm) in only 2 weeks and my endurance improved. Running is much easier now. I have more energy and recovery is better too. The whole protein myth is complete nonsense. Plant-based foods have plenty. … As an athlete you want your , the inner lining of your arteries, to be as healthy as possible. It is responsible for nitric oxide production which transports oxygen to the muscles and dilates the arteries. More oxygen means better performance whether it be strength or endurance. Plant-based foods are inherently loaded with antioxidants too, which aid athletes in recovery. If someone wants to be the best athlete they can be they need to fuel their body with the best diet available and that is a whole food, plant-based diet."

"I started out like most people just finding my local martial arts gym … and it's quite easy to start thinking that whatever you're in is the best thing that you can do, so … I assumed that Taekwondo is the best. … I started thinking, “Well, maybe there's something else that the other arts have offer,” so I started cross-training. Anyway, that got me into competing in mixed martial arts. So, I thought my diet was pretty good … and it was until I got injured … that I actually had some time to sit back and really analyze what I was eating, and I realized I hadn't applied the same scrutiny to my diet as I had to the martial arts training. So I saw a parallel there, that in martial arts there's a lot of nonsense out there, people teaching stuff that really doesn't work, and I'd realized that and started finding the truth in martial arts, and basically I realized I hadn't found the truth in nutrition, so last year I spent over 1,000 hours looking at peer reviewed medical science and realized that a plant-based diet is superior and optimal for health and athletic performance."

"I know that I'm not the prettiest one, I'm not having big boobies or I'm not American, but I want people to remember me as the best female fighter, undefeated in MMA, and the UFC champion of the world"

"I am sexy everyday"

"Polish ladies rule the world"

"No one is taking this belt from me"

"You are mentally unstable"

"Don't compare me to Ronda Rousey"

"You can see the other female strawweights fighting, and c’mon. They cannot compare themselves to me. They are all are only jealous and talking too much all the time. I’m telling them, bow down. I’m the queen"

"I will not do this. Never ever. She wants my honor? She must earn that... No way I’ll say Rose is the best. Maybe you beat me, you’re the champion and you won. But your legacy isn’t that big. You should bow down, because I am the queen"

"Joanna is like my karma,"

"You're damn right I'm in it to make money. This is prizefighting, I'm in it to get rich; fast. And then I'm in it to get out... I'm in the business of securing my own future, my family's future, and that's it. That's what I'm in it for. The fight game doesn't last long, competitive fighting doesn't last long. Learning martial arts, and training, is for life because that's medication to me so I will do that forever. But, as far as the fight game, I'm in it to get all the money, all the belts, and then I'm gone."

"I love proving people wrong and proving my supporters right. This is all fun and games to me. I love it. I love my job. I whoop people for truckloads of cash. How could I hate this life? I love it so much. I’m grateful every single day."

"Of course I want that gold belt. Don’t tell me that gold belt sitting up here right now on this table would not look great along side this ivory, elephant-trunk suit that I have got on me right now. It would look perfect."

"I am cocky in prediction, I am confident in preparation but I am always humble in victory or defeat."

"One thing about martial arts: People can say this fight game is dangerous and its brutal but my mind is strong. I'm fit in body and mind and that's something that not a lot of other careers can give to a person."