When and why did you start training for fighting? I wanted to do martial arts since I was a very small kid but I was not allowed. I was doing wrestling for 10 years and I was looking for new challenges. I was always a big fan of martial arts since I was a kid and fighting was always something I wanted to do. Me and my brother trained for fighting with each other all the time, learning from books and Bruce Lee movies. I stumbled upon MMA around 2006 on the internet, watching PRIDE, Bas Rutten and the UFC. I started to train in 2008 and fought my first amateur bout in 2009.
Do you have any heroes? My mom, Joachim Hansen, Alexander Gustafsson, Bruce Lee
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It means a great deal for me. To fight in the UFC is like a dream for me. It is one of my big goals in life. And I am so happy to be able to fight the best fighters in the world while the whole world is watching.
What was your job before you started fighting? Worked in a petshop, worked with endangered species of animals, was a substitute teacher and student assistant, and worked as a bartender.