I'm not a full model like those other girls. Mostly I was surprised that I could hang.

Look at my face. Does it look like I can take a good hit?

The Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I was lucky enough to go twice, but most people only get one chance. And in judo you can train your whole life and it’ll come down to a split second: You can lose everything or win anything.

If there's a camera on me or off me, it's roughly the same, just a lot less energy.

Even though I was painted, even though I had on seven layers of paint - to the point that I got a tan, it was as thick as a fabric - I think I felt the most naked because I couldn't cover myself at all. I didn't have to, so I had to be much more open and relaxed.

The thing that gets me up in the morning is that I’m really not ready to see someone that I know I can beat holding my belt.

When I looked at the state of women's MMA, what I saw was that it was missing rivalries or anything theatrical about it. Everybody was trying to be Miss America, unwilling to go under any kind of criticism, and taking the safe answers. I thought I needed to do whatever I could to get attention.