A fighter walks in the room and people are like 'oooo' because everyone is trying to be a tough guy.
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.
Your parents and people close to you, whenever you want to do something or you want to follow a dream, they'll try and stop you. It's not out of their hating, it's just protection. They want to try and preserve you. Like 'oh what If he fails?' From the culture we're from, they want to protect you.
If people want to take the chance to watch, to see what I bring and try to use it to better themselves, yeah, OK. But I'm not one of these guys who's going to try to be a role model and be an angel because I want to get a Nike sponsorship.
I've talked about tall poppy syndrome when I see people. I used to be like, 'Why am I feeling this way? What is that person taking from me that makes me feel inadequate?' That same feeling you feel when you feel uncomfortable because people start talking about racism, lean into that feeling, don't just look away from it, because you can't pretend.
You're never as good as they say you are, you're never as bad as they say you are. That's a quote I live by.
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.
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.