Braun Strowman recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:

On challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title at No Mercy:

“You’re going to see a new Universal champion crowned when I hold the title over my head,” said Strowman. “I want to be the best at everything that I do in life, and there is only one first place.”

On being featured in WWE 2K18:

“Just to be in a video game is cool,” said Strowman. “And the fact that they were able to capture my beauty and get it into the game, and show off my muscles, my moves, and my athleticism, how can I not be happy with that?”

On returning from elbow surgery:

“Six weeks after my surgery, I benched 455 for eight [reps],” said Strowman. “I don’t do a whole lot of heavy squatting stuff anymore because my legs give out really fast and that slows me down in the ring. Mainly, a lot of the stuff I do now is just maintenance. I can’t do the crazy, heavy lifting on top of all the banging around and the travel eventually wears on you, so I just try to look good in the ring. We do this 300 days a year, and it’s a lot on the body, but I am grateful to represent the WWE. This company has given me so many things, and I’ve gone around the world because of them, it’s an honor to be here. You’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to listen, and you’ve got to be tough.”

On his advice to Conor McGregor:

“McGregor might make it on 205 Live,” said Strowman, before warning, “but he doesn’t want to step in the ring with me.”