A lot of military kids make a lot of moves but I only made the one, so it wasn't really an issue for me.

I had never thought about being a professional fighter but meeting Pat [ Militich ] and the guys just pushed me in that direction.

My parents were divorced and my dad was in the Marines. I lived in California until I was 10 then we moved to Bettendorf, Iowa when I was in the fourth grade. I had an older brother so it made it a little easier to adjust to things.

I did takwondo from the time I was pretty young and also played I did taekwondo for martial arts and then also played football, baseball, and basketball against older kids because of my brother being older. I learned pretty quickly to not be intimidated and to not back down.

I got a little bit of the Marine mentality from my dad, I guess. You can't but help absorb the culture you're around.

The sport in 2000 wasn't as big as it is now [in 2008].

A lot of military kids make a lot of moves but I only made the one, so it wasn't really an issue for me.