TRAINING: Training is the same as usual for this fight.

When and why did you start training for fighting? My first fight was in 1997, but I didn’t really train in fighting for it.  I did it to make some money to keep wrestling and I thought I’d be good at it.

What ranks and titles have you held? Former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion (1st fighter in history to hold both belts simultaneously), 1992 and 1996 United States Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team member, 1988 USA Junior Freestyle champion, 1988 USA Junior Greco-Roman champion, 3-time USA Senior Greco-Roman champion, 3-time USA University Greco-Roman champion, 1990 USA FILA Junior World Greco-Roman champion, 1990 Amateur Wrestling News Freshman All-American, 1990-91 U.S. Olympic Festival champion, 1991 and 1993-94 University Nationals champion, 1993-94 U.S. Nationals champion, UFC 17 middleweight tournament winner, RINGS 1999 King of Kings Absolute tournament winner, coach on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.

Do you have any heroes? None

What is your favorite technique? Front choke

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It’s huge for me to see who the top guy in the world is.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Arizona State University, no degree.

What was your job before you started fighting? Wrestling. I’ve never had a real job in my life.

• Has perhaps the best resume in the sport when it comes to fighting world-class opposition.

• 9-8 in the UFC, 13-5 in PRIDE, 3-1 in Strikeforce

• Has fought 11 current or former UFC champions (Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Mauricio Rua, Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva, Quinton Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Carlos Newton, Daniel Cormier).

• Four of 14 losses have come via submission (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Anderson Silva, Daniel Cormier).

• Holds wins over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Kazuo Misaki, Murilo Bustamante (twice), Ryo Chonan, Akihiro Gono, Yuki Kondo, ‘Ninja’ Rua, Renzo Gracie, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Carlos Newton, ‘Babalu’ Sobral (twice), Rafael Cavalcante, and most recently, Fedor Emelianenko, who he knocked out in the first round in July 2011.

• Only man to knock out Renzo Gracie

• Has a deadly right hand.

• 17 wins by KO, one by submission

• Only wins by submission came against Eric Smith (via guillotine choke) in 1997 and against Bakouri Gogitidze in 1999 via a knee to the ribs, not by a traditional submission hold, so it is counted as a knockout.