That’s all you want to hear from a fighter, especially one trying to fight their way through the shark tank known as the UFC’s welterweight division. And to get where he wants to go, Quinlan knows that Saturday night can’t be his annual Octagon appearance.
“Man, if it was my choice, I would have wanted a little more last year, but this year I have good visions,” said Quinlan, who has fought just once in 2022 and 2023. “I talked to my leadership group, told them my projections, and it’s the start of a good year. I’m glad it’s in the first two months, and if any injury is sustained, I can’t wait to get back out there and be active, that’s for sure.
If the 31-year-old starts doing regular reps, he’s shown he has the skills, power and endurance to make some noise at 170 pounds. Are there areas to work on? Absolutely, but this is the case for everyone, at their level of experience. So what separates those from his peer group. Maybe it’s about the ability to handle everything that comes with being a UFC fighter. Some people can manage it for a while, but not for long; others are made to be in the spotlight. Quinlan is a quiet guy, but he doesn’t seem bothered by bright lights or constant questions from strangers.
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“I have a great mentor and coach, Michael Costa,” Quinlan said. “He’s been there since the beginning and he’s had a difficult career as well. An injury led to his retirement, and it wasn’t his choice. There are things that are not our choice that happen to us, but we have to make the best of them. And he kept that martial arts mentality. It didn’t change who he was; he has applied this work ethic and discipline to another endeavor, which is public speaking and dabbling in life philosophy. I believe there is a lot of philosophy in martial arts, and I like the quote that life imitates art and art imitates life. It’s like a reflection of each other, and I believe we learn a lot about each other or we learn a lot about ourselves through this journey in martial arts, but it’s not necessary that it be martial arts.
You can learn about yourself in different ways, but martial arts allows you to test yourself and step out of your comfort zone, while keeping you humble. And I’m happy to be on this journey and I’m not going to let this change who I am to try to shape a certain personality while I’m here. I will remain faithful to the morals in which I was raised and to the mentors who shaped me.
That’s a lot of wisdom and one would assume a lot of Quinlan to think about getting into a fight on Saturday. It does…until the octagonal door closes. Then, “Bushido” lets that Hawaiian “just scrap” take over.
“I’m looking forward to the next fight,” he said. “I worked hard. My coach pushed me physically and also nourished my mind, and I feel like I sowed the right seeds, so I’m going to reap the rewards in this cage.
“I fight with my heart, I fight with my mind and my coach tells me to take the emotion out of it,” adds Quinlan. “He says emotion is just a gas pedal. You can turn on your emotion or put on the brakes. If you don’t have control of it, you’ll hit a wall, go out and crash. So I just control my emotions, but turn them up when I need to.