I studied every move, I became fascinated by thinking what I could have done differently. And I take that approach now as a professional. I am on it, all the time, never stop thinking, learning. You don't get to be world champion unless you do that.

Fourteen weeks before the Mendes fight I tore 80 per cent of my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament]. That is the main ligament for stability. Every day in that training camp when I was working my way back, I was saying "real champions fight through any adversity". That is why I am a real champion and he is not. Look at my eye [he had seven stitches put in an old wound after an injury in training the night before we met]. Fighters fight on. Aldo got scared, he went running and I worry he will run again.

I don't know why anyone would want to do that politics stuff.

I believe in working harder and putting in the time - being completely obsessed. And, yeah, I think that's life.

Power and speed aren't enough to overcome someone who is strategic, who knows what you'll do before you do it and can turn it on you; someone who is mentally engaged and combines the whole package.

When I'm in there I'm just in my zone. What people think about when they're looking at me, that's their business. If there is a bit of that, I am fine with it, each to his own.

Sometimes the truth hurts. It hurts because they have a weakness - and I exploit weakness.