I had over 200 street fights as a young kid growing up and won almost all of them. I fought pretty much all the way until I was about 18. I was always challenged by other delinquents because I had a reputation as the best fighter in my region and at the same time I was very small and had a boyish face. I didn't like to fight, but I hated to walk away from a challenge. I always had too much pride.That is why even with my knees shaking I would fight anyone who tried to start something with me. Honestly, this sounds ridiculous but street fights always made me more nervous than any MMA bout. I feel my experience in street fighting helps me a lot mentally in an MMA bout. Of course, I regret all this now and feel I was so immature. I even started smoking cigarettes as a 14 year old. I was never a bad kid, but I always had a lot of energy and sometimes this led me into trouble.