I'd always done martial arts I was always interested in fighting.

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

I did a lot of smoker fights and fought pretty much every week since Pat wouldn't let me fight until he was sure I was ready. I was also boxing and so I had 30 unofficial fights or more of those.

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.

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'd always done martial arts I was always interested in fighting.

I did start wrestling after I moved to Iowa, I think in the seventh grade. It's really a part of the Iowa culture so it's hard not to do it if you like sports.