UFC: You were on the same card as your opponent, Chad Mendes, in Boise. You even called him out from the Octagon after your win. Did you happen to run into him at all that week?
AV: I didn’t see him after I called him out, but I did see him before at the weigh-ins. I just remember looking at him and thinking—again, I’m small; I’m so used to taller people, people bigger than me. Especially guys I fought, I’ve fought up to middleweight—I remember looking at him and going, “man, he’s small.” I’m thinking I’m just towering over him. I’ve got that Little Man Syndrome: I think I’m 10 feet tall. He’s probably still taller than me. Nah, I think we’re the exact same height. It’s gonna be good. I’ve got nothing against him. Yeah, I called him out, but I got the fight. So I might have run his name in the dirt a little bit about his suspension and that, but it got me the fight. So maybe I’ve got to run some dirt on some future opponents [laughs].
