TRAINING: I train twice a day. Morning and evenings with conditioning as well.

When and why did you start training for fighting? Four years ago. I'm a natural competitor from my college basketball days. Yeah, that’s right, college BASKETBALL...

What ranks and titles have you held? None

Do you have any heroes? GSP when it comes to fighting, personal life it is my family.

What is your favorite technique? Grappling

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It is everything I've worked for. All the hours in the gym and all my sacrifices are finally paying off. Being from a small town and making it to the big leagues goes to show that if you want something hard enough, and are willing to fight for it, you can achieve anything.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I graduated from the University of North Dakota. Exercise Science and personal training

What was your job before you started fighting? I was a college student and working two jobs at the same time. I worked at a factory making windmill blades and did my internship at a gym.

•    Former college basketball point guard at Jamestown College in North Dakota (NAIA division). Played for two years, was not a starter in college… But played high school ball in North Dakota and says he averaged roughly 14 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds per game as a high school senior.

•    Estimates he is one of UFC’s top basketball players! “I could beat 95 percent of the UFC fighters, by far,” in hoops, he said.

•    In his prime could dunk a basketball

•    6’1 frame, boasts a 73-inch reach …. Says he’s never fought any opponent with a longer reach

•    On braving the North Dakota winters: “Everybody is not built for it. Winters here are extremely harsh. In the winter it gets 30 degrees below with the wind chill. On the news they tell you not to go outside.”

•    Earned bachelors degree in Exercise Science from University of North Dakota

•    Ancestry: Both parents emigrated from Mexico and worked “manual labor,” he said.

•    Speaks Spanish and English