Things seemed to go a thousand miles per hour from that point on. That day I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, did about 20 phone interviews while heading to and from training, had two photo shoots, and went up to FOX studios for my first live interview on FOXSports1. I got home around 10pm and couldn’t sleep a wink.

The rest of the week was a lot more of the same, interviews, UFC All-Access, last minute doctor appointments to complete medicals, making sure my weight was under control and oh yeah, preparing for the biggest fight of my career.

The next thing I knew I was flying to Vegas. When I checked into my hotel room and sat down on the bed I remember things slowing down for the first time. I could finally take a breath. Fight week is pretty hectic; I don’t think I had another moment to myself like that until the day of the fight. Not exactly something I’m used to dealing with when getting ready for a fight, but I did my best to put it all aside and focus on the task at hand.

Throughout my career as an athlete, I’ve competed in front of some pretty big crowds and felt a lot of pressure to perform. Most of the time the few minutes before a competition are filled with nerves, but once the time on the clock starts running I can block out everything and go execute. This time around I felt oddly calm, I didn’t feel any pressure of the situation and when the round started I got right to work. I felt great! After about thirty seconds into the round I remember thinking that our game plan was working and I was winning.