MC: You have Demian Maia coming up on the 15th. He’s an amazing grappler. In your UFC career, we haven’t seen you on the ground a whole lot. Most people give you the standup edge and him the ground edge. Is your strategy to keep it standing at all costs?
NQ: You know I think it’s pretty clear, he’s shown in his past fights he generally wants to go to the gound, although he’s been showing a lot more Muay Thai. He was successful with it against Jason MacDonald in the clinch. He threw some knees, kicks and punches, so he’s expanded his game, especially with Wanderlei Silva in his corner. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to mix it up a little bit. But his bread and butter is always going to be the ground game. He’s going to be working to get me there, and I’m going to do my best to keep it standing and do my damage on the feet.

MC: How impressed are you with what you’ve seen of Maia?
NQ: He’s done very well. He’s so strict with what his game plan is. He looks to finish from beginning to end. I’ve never seen him go to a decision, so he’s constantly looking to finish. That’s what I like about the jiu-jitsu guys. They’re not looking to win on points; they’re looking to win by submission, and that makes for an exciting fight.

MC: You like to throw low kicks. Facing a guy who wants to take the fight to the ground, do you have to do without that weapon?
NQ: I think I have to use it more judiciously. Even against Kalib Starnes, he was able to catch a kick and put me on my backside, and that’s from someone who wasn’t necessarily looking for that. Demian will. After watching my last fight and seeing how many I threw, he’ll be thinking, ‘That’s his bread and butter,” and will be looking for it, so I have to be smarter.

MC: Maia is unbeaten and a lot of people seem to think he has the type of ground game that can give Anderson Silva fits. What would a win over him mean for your career?
NQ: For me it’s just one more step up towards that title shot again. That’ll make me 6-1 in the UFC. I’m just working hard and focusing to get that “W” and come in the best shape possible.

MC: I’ve gotta ask you about the UFC 91 main event. How do you think your former Team Quest teammate Randy Couture matches up with Brock Lesnar?
NQ: It’s definitely going to be one of Randy’s toughest fights. If he can really go in and execute his game plan, it could be a great victory for him. But he’s giving up a lot of weight, and Randy in the past has had difficulty with that. If he executes his wrestling and dirty infighting, it could be a good night for him. But if he ends up getting taken down, it might be not so good of an outcome. He’s got to stick to his gameplan, wear him out. He’s got to use his experience and dirty boxing.

MC: Your fighting schedule has been very inconsistent, mostly due to injuries. Do you have a desire to fight more often?
NQ: I really like fighting every 5-6 months. It gives me time after a fight to decompress, remind myself why I train so hard. When I’m fighting, when I get that contract signed, I’m obsessed. It’s all I think about, all I do. So having that time gives me a window to breathe and think about where I’m taking my life and career, spend some more time with my daughter, reward her for her support in helping me get ready. After that I can go back to the gym, train for my enjoyment and increasing my skill-set. When you’re fighting every three months, so much of that time is preparation for a fight, you can’t do as much skill training, because you’re working on conditioning and specific things you’re going to do in your next fight. If I have time, I can go to my coaches and look at what I did poorly, and try to make those things strengths.