Michael Graves Says Being a Perfectionist Gets It Done

Michael Graves spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Bojan Velickovic at UFC 201 and more. Some highlights are below:

On his win over Randy Brown at UFC on FOX 19: “A lot of guys win and get up and think they’re king of the world. Just because you win doesn’t mean there aren’t improvements to be made. I was happy with myself with the win. Obviously, a win is a win, especially in the big leagues. But even without seeing the footage I could tell there were some things I could have done better, could have done more efficiently.”

On being in the UFC after only four fights: “I would much prefer to get my seasoning here. This is where I wanted to be from the very get-go and I’m here and I want to stay here for a while. … Every time I get in there I feel a whole lot better. I feel good fighting here in Atlanta.”

On being critical of himself: “The fact I am so critical on myself is how that gets done in my opinion. I’m very nitpicky about my training. I’m very particular. I look to be a different guy every time I enter the octagon.”

On Velickovic: “He’s got a good skill set, he’s got good submissions off his back. Obviously, I like the takedown so I’m going to have to watch out for guillotines and submissions off the back.”