Frank Mir is a champion talker as well as a fighter.
Put a microphone in front of Mir and settle back. Usually the self-edit button is off.
It makes him one of the more entertaining characters in mixed martial arts. And occasionally one of the most controversial.
His near obsession with title-holder Brock Lesnar necessitated a recent apology after he told a radio interview he wanted to break Lesnar's neck in the cage, adding "I want him to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries."
And in the buildup to his last fight against Cheick Kongo, he suggested "it could be the last time he ever gets to compete as an athlete." Kongo dismissed Mir as a big mouth but the former champion backed up all the pre-fight chatter by putting Kongo to sleep in an impressive 72 seconds at UFC 107.
Mir (13-4) could probably trash-talk the Pope. But the 30-year-old former champion from Las Vegas has had little bad to say about Shane Carwin going into their co-main event showdown at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J., on March 27.
"I know there's times I've looked to go ahead and hype fights by finding anything I can say about my opponent that might irk people or maybe get under his skin, just to play into his mind," Mir told The Canadian Press. "I haven't found anything. If anything, I like everything about Carwin.
"I don't think that's going to change the fact that I have to get through him if I want a shot at Brock. So I'm still extremely motivated. As far as Carwin as a person, I have the utmost respect about how he conducts himself."
Mir's back story includes winning the title and then having to give it up after a 2004 motorcycle crash then left doctors wondering whether he would ever walk again.
Mir has fought his way back into championship contention. Now he is within one win of a rubber match with Lesnar (Mir spoiled Lesnar's UFC debut when he submitted him at UFC 81).
Victim of a severe digestive disease, Lesnar has been out of action since he beat Mir in a rematch at UFC 100 last July. Returned to health and preparing for his comeback, the big man continues to dominate talk in the heavyweight division.
Carwin was slated to meet Lesnar after UFC 100. But Lesnar's illness got in the way and then Carwin underwent knee surgery.
With Lesnar out of action, the UFC opted to have Mir and Carwin meet for the interim title, an honour that means little other than it should carry with it a shot at the real champion. With Lesnar healing quicker than expected, that could happen in the early summer.
Waiting in the wings, in case the Mir-Carwin winner is injured, is Cain Velasquez. He staked his claim to a title shot with a first-round knockout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last month at UFC 110.
Velasquez was slated to fight Carwin last year in what was widely seen as a championship contender eliminator. The UFC, perhaps taken by Carwin's growing popularity, opted to bypass Velasquez and advance the heavy-handed fighter/engineer from Colorado directly into a title match with Lesnar.
Velasquez responded by beating up (Big) Ben Rothwell and Nogueira to run his UFC win streak to six and his overall record to 8-0.
The loss to Lesnar aside, Mir has been sharp in recent outings. He showed off crisp striking to finish off a less than healthy Nogueira at UFC 92 and floored Kongo with an overhand left before finishing him off with a guillotine choke.
It's all a means to an end, stops on the road to another fight with Lesnar, who taunted him after beating him at UFC 100.
Mir has the edge in experience, with 15 UFC fights under his belt. The 35-year-old Carwin has just three, with Gabriel Gonzaga his toughest opposition to date.
"How big of a factor I don't know but I do think that it's a factor that weighs into my favour," said Mir. "The fact that I've fought more competitors at a high level and in championship-level fights."
Carwin also hasn't fought in a year due to injury.
"It's not to his advantage to take a year off. How detrimental I don't know," said Mir, who beefed up to 264.5 pounds for Kongo.
Mir has been preparing for the Carwin fight at his own gym, an invitation-only facility located some 10 minutes from his home. Mir said he opted for the private gym so he could have his family hang out there.
He just bought an ice machine for the gym and is planning a wet bar next.
"Everything I need is right there," he said.