"I lost to Matt Hughes (in September 2006) and (was) hanging out and still partying in the bar four or five days a week. (On) my 28th birthday I'm just lying down in bed and I just I wake up and (think) ‘what am I doing, man? Why am I doing this greatest sport in the world? You're still blowing up. You're still at the forefront, you still got a chance.’ I just realized why (I) fight. I figured it out. Before it was just like, ‘oh don't put pressure on me.’ And then I started to enjoy it. I want people behind me. I want people saying he's the best. I just started understanding what this thing's all about. It's about fighting, man. That's all it's about."
-- UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn on the epiphany that turned his career around
"People think I'm guilty right out of the gate. There's always (been) some accusations that I was taking steroids even before the Nandrolone thing happened. I know I didn't take it, and people that are loyal to me, the people I train with, my sponsors, my loyal fans, they know I didn't take anything and that's really all that matters to me. Everybody else is just a fair-weather fan. They love you when you're on top, and they want to down you when you're not. I've developed some really thick skin since I've been fighting professionally and I know that if you're in the public eye, not everyone's going to like you. It’s not the end of the world. Life goes on."
-- Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk on the turn if fan reaction
It's time to just do this thing already, right? UFC 84: "Ill Will" from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24 is still 72 hours away. Fast forward, please. Thanks to MMARated.com for the great interviews ... as usual.
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