JRE MMA Show #118 with Julianna Peña

[0] Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

[1] The Joe Rogan Experience.

[2] Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day.

[3] It's dope, right?

[4] Yeah, it's, I don't think that's technically an NFT.

[5] It's like a digital representation of the NFT.

[6] He gave me an NFT too, but you have to put that in like an NFT wallet.

[7] I don't know.

[8] Well, what does that mean?

[9] Like, what is an NFT wallet?

[10] That's how you store it.

[11] Exactly.

[12] What does that mean?

[13] I was right there with you, and you were talking about, like, you have no idea what this stuff is, and it's really complicated and everything.

[14] It's weird that they're so valuable.

[15] That's what's weird.

[16] Well, but I'm actually going to, like, try to start one.

[17] You should.

[18] Yeah.

[19] It seems like a scam that, like, people were willingly participating in, so, like, okay.

[20] But this guy, Beeple, like, he's an amazing artist.

[21] He does art every day.

[22] He puts a new piece of digital art out every day, and he's done it for 12 years.

[23] I saw it, yeah.

[24] And he's got a gallery that they're very.

[25] building of all these these kind of things like this Elon thing of these giant digital artwork pieces where it's so that's like he's a different thing some people would just make an NFTs of like an image of them like at the park or something like that I'm trying to figure out like what I can give to like the super fans right so like I'm like do they want like an old like fight bra or something like do they want like tickets to the fight like what do these guys want like what do you mean They definitely want to fight bra.

[26] Yeah.

[27] So I think I was going to like stick some of that stuff, like some weird stuff in there, you know, and like, be like, these are my old handwraps.

[28] Do you guys want that?

[29] Like, is this an NFT?

[30] Is it a handwrap?

[31] That's valuable.

[32] Jeremy Stevens gave me his raps and his shorts from one of his fights, one of his victories, and it's up in my studio in L .A. Oh, nice.

[33] I got to bring that over here.

[34] Yeah.

[35] So in the beginning, like when I first met you today, rather, when I ran into you, first thing I was saying, I was like, are you still on cloud nine?

[36] Like, what is this like?

[37] Like you, you know, it was Matt Sarah and GSP that was like the biggest upset ever in the history sport.

[38] Right.

[39] But this is like, I think this is there or bigger?

[40] It might be bigger.

[41] Yeah, I mean, that wasn't my era.

[42] I'm in the new generation.

[43] This is my era.

[44] So, of course, to me, it's the biggest.

[45] But it was huge because Amanda was terrifying.

[46] Like, everybody was scared of her.

[47] And you were the one that wasn't scared of her.

[48] Yeah.

[49] No, you can't be.

[50] You're fighting.

[51] I know, but it's still.

[52] It's like, it's the way you did it was so wild.

[53] Like, wild it was that, like, D .C. sent me a text.

[54] Are you laughing because you were counting me out the whole time?

[55] No, I'm laughing because D .C. sent me a text.

[56] And in the video, look at you.

[57] You're very excited.

[58] I'm very ready.

[59] I'm freaking good.

[60] D .C. sent me a text, and it was a video of me and him doing commentary on your fight.

[61] He goes, bro, he goes, listen to us.

[62] We're just making weird noises.

[63] Because during the fight, it's like, oh!

[64] No. He's screaming like a little.

[65] girl.

[66] It was wild.

[67] Yeah.

[68] It was fucking wild.

[69] You know, when you were standing toe -to -toe with her and smashing her with the jab in the middle of the octagon, we were like gripping each other.

[70] We were like, oh shit, oh, you can't describe what that's like to watch because it's like you can't, it's hard to believe that it's happening.

[71] I felt like if you had a chance to beat her, it would be in a scramble, you would catch her and submit her.

[72] Yeah.

[73] A grapple exchange, wear her down and submit her.

[74] But to see you standing in the middle of octagon and smashing her with a jab, it was like, ah, ah!

[75] It was crazy.

[76] It was so wild to see.

[77] It was almost like the world changed.

[78] The whole world changed.

[79] Like what is not possible is now possible.

[80] Yes.

[81] Well, there's two things.

[82] First is there's styles.

[83] We've already talked about that.

[84] Styles makes fights.

[85] But I knew stylistically that I have the perfect style of fighting to beat her.

[86] And because there's, for example, I'm not the type to run around the ring the whole time and do the point sparring thing and go to the decision.

[87] It's like one of us is coming out of here and that's it.

[88] That's just the way that my fighting style is.

[89] I'm the type of puncher.

[90] The only way to meet fire with fire and I have to stand in the pocket.

[91] So I'm not the type of person to run away in the fight.

[92] I'm the type of match it with my own fire.

[93] And I knew that that was how I was going to win.

[94] And so that's pretty much all I did is just game plan that specific type of you're going to be in the pocket.

[95] You're going to have to meet this fire.

[96] and you absolutely cannot shy away from it.

[97] Well, you said it leading up to the fight that you're going to drown her.

[98] Yeah.

[99] I mean, I've been calling for this fight for five years.

[100] Everyone's like, this girl's talking all this crap, you know, she's this and she's that and getting upset at me. But I've been calling for this fight since I won Katzengano at U .S. 200.

[101] She beat Misha that night.

[102] I beat Kat.

[103] Kat had just recently beat her.

[104] And in the press conference, Amanda saying that I'm next.

[105] and then Rhonda got to cut the line and, you know, Rhonda had just got knocked out by Holly home and instead of her, you know, having to fight somebody else, she got an immediate title shot and she got to cut the line and I was like, that was my fight.

[106] The champ said that I was next.

[107] And so Rhonda came in, she got knocked out and then I, you know, I got put to the back of the line again but I was constantly saying, even when Rhonda was champ and I won the ultimate fighter, I kept saying, I want to fight Rhonda, I want to fight Rhonda, and they wouldn't give me that fight.

[108] But the fact that she knocked out Rhonda helped your fight It really did when you finally got her.

[109] Yeah.

[110] Because she's a legend by then.

[111] True.

[112] Because before then, she was super dangerous.

[113] Everybody was very aware that Amanda was like super fucking dangerous and a vicious knockout artist.

[114] But beating Rhonda the way she did, put her on the world map.

[115] Right.

[116] When she knocked her out in 48 seconds, everybody's like, holy fuck.

[117] Right.

[118] You know, and your fight with her was bigger because of all the delays.

[119] Because she achieved this goat status.

[120] six years I think she's been unbeaten just knocking knocking people out for like the last six years so the fact that she knocked out cyborg like that too incredible right and then you just stood right in the fucking pocket yeah I know and that's great is if I can get people emotionally invested in me whether it's in my successes or in my losses whatever it is as long as you're watching and as long as you're you know gripping your seat at the end of your seat and freaking out I want to invoke that emotion in people and that's why I love fighting I think is because you know, whether you're invested in the loss or the success, you're watching and you're like feeling some type of way and your heart's, you know, going through your throat and to get that reaction from people and to see the, you know, outpour of people reaching out to me and how I made them feel.

[121] It was like, it almost made me feel guilty in a sense.

[122] I'm like, really?

[123] Yeah, my dad lost 15 pounds.

[124] Like, this guy's throwing up, you know?

[125] People are like putting, you know, this guy's like putting, you know, pissed off that they lost all this money, you know?

[126] And then there's people that are like super happy.

[127] But, like, the emotions of, like, people close to me is seeing how much I put them through.

[128] I'm like, I'm sorry I did that to you guys, you know?

[129] Like, it makes me feel bad, you know?

[130] I'm like, oh, man, I'm really putting these people through the ringer.

[131] Like, I feel, I feel guilty, you know?

[132] That's hilarious.

[133] Listen, they're all invested now.

[134] Yeah.

[135] You know, after that fight, everybody's invested.

[136] Yeah.

[137] That was one of the best fights I've ever seen.

[138] Thank you.

[139] In terms of, like, like, what do you want out of a fight?

[140] You want to, you want to be completely immersed in the world goes away.

[141] All you're thinking about is what's happening right in front of you.

[142] And because of your effort, because of what you accomplished that night, you change the way people think about what's possible and not possible.

[143] That's everything we want from a fight.

[144] Everything.

[145] You were the underdog.

[146] You came in.

[147] You were counted out by so many people.

[148] You fought the greatest of all time and you fucked her up.

[149] Yeah.

[150] And the way you did it, like the whole world, everybody that watched that was like, holy shit.

[151] the world is a different place now.

[152] Yeah, it just goes to show you how strong the mind is and how, you know, it's going to sound corny, but my mom always used to tell me, you can do anything you set your mind to.

[153] That's almost true.

[154] I mean, you can't swim across the ocean.

[155] No, okay, so it's almost true, but I mean, you got to be realistic, obviously.

[156] And people were upset about me, like, oh, yeah, you can't do this and you can't do that.

[157] Set some realistic standards for yourself, you know what I mean?

[158] You know, some old lady's not going to be obviously a world champion in the UFC, but she could find something that she's, passionate about.

[159] She can pursue that with her whole heart and she can achieve whatever that goal is for whatever it is that she wants, you know?

[160] So you've got to be realistic.

[161] But if you're passionate about something, how sad would it be for somebody to die with no passion, you know, to not be passionate about something?

[162] That's a very common thing.

[163] You know, a lot of people never find the groove.

[164] They never find a thing that excites them and then never realize that facing that fear and then challenging themselves actually feels good because you accomplish it.

[165] You get, you get through it and then on the other end of it you feel better that's something that people everyone wants to seek comfort and comfort's a terrible place to be it's horrible it's only good after you've already worked really hard and you deserve a little break that's what comfort's for if comfort's for like these small moments when you're not grinding right and and I think that that's probably the thing that's been hardest in my life is having to choose the easy route or go the tough route and just me by personality I'm always going to choose the harder road it's almost like I know that I could go the easy route, but that's just not in me. That's not who I am as personality.

[166] It's like if everyone's going this way, I have to go the other way.

[167] When you had that catastrophic knee injury, I mean, that was such an enormous setback.

[168] But how dark were those days?

[169] Like, how hard was that for you?

[170] It was very depressing.

[171] Talk about wanting to hide under a rock and never come out.

[172] How did it happen?

[173] Explain the actual extent of the actual extent of that.

[174] the injury for people who don't know.

[175] I can tell you that I was in that moment very angry at the time.

[176] I was angry at my, the relationship that I was in at the time.

[177] And I went to the gym angry and ready to like mess something up.

[178] And the training partner that I was with couldn't take me down.

[179] And we were fighting for real.

[180] And so at one point he was just hugging on my neck trying to take me down in desperation.

[181] and we ended up being like shoulder to shoulder and he's like pulling me from the neck this way trying to pull me down and my leg got stuck in the mat and it just completely caved sideways sideways sideways yeah I tore four out of five ligaments and when I went to step down on the mat my whole knee just like came out from underneath me it was like one of those disgusting things just flopping all over the place so you know I made a mistake because on the way I had just won the ultimate fighter and I was getting ready to go to my next fight.

[182] And I was getting ready to fight Jessica Andrage, actually.

[183] And when my first reaction was I'm out of the fight.

[184] And so I was on the way to the hospital.

[185] I was on my way to go, but I was screaming bloody murder, freaking out.

[186] And my coach is like, called Dana, tell him that you're out of the fight.

[187] And so I called Dana as I'm on my way to the hospital crying, telling him about my knee.

[188] And that was the biggest mistake ever because he literally blew it up and was like, she got mauled by a bear her training partners are jealous or trying to kill her you know what i mean he said yeah he told me leave that gym now like he made it a really big deal and and it just brought so much negative attention to my gym oh that's unfortunate it was unfortunate it was well dana cares but yeah sometimes when you care you get a little crazy yeah well it just it ended up making him hate my coach and i mean this is still the coach that i'm with for for the last 13 years you know So, well, that sucks.

[189] It does.

[190] Retrain injuries are just, that's just a thing.

[191] You know, I mean, some of them you can avoid, but you can't avoid personalities.

[192] You can't avoid people struggling.

[193] Yeah.

[194] You can't avoid, like, you zig when you should have zagged.

[195] Right.

[196] Well, and again, it was just my fault completely because I should have waited.

[197] I should have not gone into the gym in that moment and trained, you know.

[198] No one was watching.

[199] It was just us.

[200] It was like no supervision, no, like, you know, direction.

[201] It was just like, we're fighting.

[202] Like, let's go, you know.

[203] and it was almost like a bad karma type of thing.

[204] It was like, no, no, no, don't act like that.

[205] So was it because you think you've trained the way you did because you were in a bad headspace?

[206] Yeah, I was, I had just recently saw something with my eyes that I perceived, you know, girls are weird, you know, they overthink everything.

[207] So I saw something and I was like, oh no. And then I went to the gym and angry.

[208] Angry, angry, like just seething, seething angry.

[209] It's so hard to just take that anger.

[210] and put it aside and just think rationally when you're training you see guys like spar angry and then drop their hands and swing wild and it's like god the worst things happen when you do that well and um i think that for some reason my coach has it in my mind or even other people's mind not so much my mind but he'll tell other people that like she fights better when she's mad like she actually fights better when she has chaos in her life it's almost like the tanya harding type of situation where it's like I'm not at my best unless I'm getting mentally beaten down but I don't think that I think that's just his excuse because he's always created of so much chaos in my life and that's like what he wants to say you know we'll get in a fight and I'll go choke the girl out you know right away in the first round so I think that's what he thinks but I don't think that way that's well you need to be invested in the fight but to be that worked up I mean it's it's weird it's like so many fighters have had some of their best performances while their life seen chaos like Tyson when he was in his prime like his life was full chaos he had syphilis when he knocked out michael spinks yeah is that what he had or gonorrhea i think he had gonorrhea i i not syphil either way it's walking STD which one's the clap gonorrhea right yeah i don't he was he knocked him out when he was walking with an SCD he had an SDD and he destroyed the former heavyweight champion in one of the most spectacular knockouts the heavyweight division the heavyweight vision's ever seen.

[211] Yeah.

[212] And the guy had an STD.

[213] Yeah.

[214] And by the way, I love Mike Tyson.

[215] I love Mike Tyson.

[216] I'm sponsored by Tyson 2 .0 right now.

[217] Oh, are you real?

[218] What is Tyson 2 .0?

[219] It's his new cannabis line.

[220] Oh, you're sponsored by weed.

[221] Yeah, I'm going, I'm going the apparel route with Tyson 2 .0, you know, but yeah, they just came on as my newest endorser.

[222] Nice.

[223] No, I love Mike.

[224] I'm a giant fan.

[225] I just think that, you know, when he was in his prime, I mean, he was destroying everybody and his life was just full on chaos yeah yeah and I could make a case for that I could go back and be like oh yes I was you know in a really tough mental spot there too and I mean I could argue that for even this fight but I don't want to because I feel like at the end of the day those are all excuses and you got to be able to perform and that's the bottom line yeah and as a professional especially now as a professional and a world champion like you're in this stay like you really have to like make sure everything is aligned properly your mind your rest your recovery the whole deal yeah what is next do you think a rematch is next absolutely yeah there's still naysayers out there there's still people that think it was a fluke there's still people that are harassing me there's still people that are like being like she's going to kill you you know they're like 10 seconds and you're dead you know and so i i i just i would love nothing more than to to put the naysayers to bed for one last time oh yeah yeah yeah Now, have you guys started discussing when and if that can happen?

[226] Yes.

[227] And, you know, in my mind, in a perfect world.

[228] July 4th.

[229] Yeah.

[230] July 4th weekend.

[231] Yes.

[232] I totally would love to fight in Vegas.

[233] It's the biggest card.

[234] In my mind, I would always want, I have always wanted to anyway since I was on the ultimate fighter.

[235] I would love to coach the ultimate fighter.

[236] I just, you know, the last time that we were supposed to coach before this fight, she, she decided not to do it.

[237] And so I'm just trying to coax her into doing it.

[238] You know, like, come on, let's coach the Ultimate Fighter.

[239] And then we'll fight in July.

[240] It'll be perfect.

[241] That would be great.

[242] Yeah.

[243] So in a perfect world, that's how it would be for me. But I would anticipate sometime in the summer for the rematch.

[244] The Ultimate Fighter, what kind of a commitment is that?

[245] It's like a six -week commitment.

[246] Yeah, something like that.

[247] It is like a six -week commitment.

[248] So you just live in Vegas for six weeks, bring your kid, train there, and then coach people.

[249] Yeah.

[250] Now, that is always, like, traditionally.

[251] been a way that people have been able to like get rivalries really cooking yeah because then you're next to each other all the time for six weeks it just bubbles up yeah what do you think that's going to be like being around her for six weeks you know it's not a personal thing it's not like i have anything against her personally i think that she's great you know um and if i were to be on the show i can pretty much guarantee you i'm not going to be pulling any shenanigans if she pulled the shenanigans then it's on, you know what I mean?

[252] But, like, I'm not out to, you know, be vicious or malicious or anything like that.

[253] But, again, like I said, like, if I get pushed in that direction, that's a different story.

[254] But, yeah, it's, I've seen, like, I think the Connor McGregor won where he was, like, poking at Uriah.

[255] It's just hilarious, epic.

[256] Well, how about when Rhonda was on with Misha?

[257] She beat her in a competition, jizzed her the fingers, like, so angry.

[258] Oh, yeah.

[259] And I was right there next to her when they were at the Red Rock, and Misha's, like, she's like you can't even throw punches and Ron is like she stormed off so angry she went and got Edmund and they came back and like I thought they were gonna throw down right then and there literally like it was it was awkward well you get to see sides of people's personality when you had to see them on these exchanges with each other remember Rashad Evans and Rampage and like you're a bitch treat me like a bitch you're a bitch treat me like a bitch like face to face with each other for like several seconds saying that yeah or even like Von der Leigh and Shell Sine.

[260] Oh, that's a classic.

[261] Yeah, they straight up fought.

[262] Yeah, that's a classic.

[263] I would hope that that wouldn't be the case, you know, like, let's be adults about this.

[264] But then that's the flip side.

[265] It's like we're trying to sell the fight, right?

[266] We're trying to make people invested and make sure that they watch the fight.

[267] So it's like, how can it be, you know, this epic season of the ultimate fighter without that kind of chaos?

[268] But it's like Amanda's not that kind of person.

[269] And I'm not either.

[270] Yeah, I don't think it has to be that way.

[271] The fight is going to be giant no matter what.

[272] When you guys have a rematch, holy shit.

[273] God, it better be in North America.

[274] Yeah.

[275] I don't want to miss that one.

[276] No. I would hope not.

[277] Fuck.

[278] Yeah, it's absolutely going to be in North America.

[279] It has to be Dana.

[280] Dana White.

[281] Don't ship that shit to Abu Dhabi.

[282] No, heck no. That has to be in America because that one's just too big.

[283] It's too big.

[284] They locked us down in Abu Dhabi.

[285] I went out there twice and I was like, I'm in Abu Dhabi.

[286] I want to go buy some gold.

[287] and they're like hotel room that's it sorry sweetheart i'm just like uh you think that's different now though it seems like everything's kind of lightning up now and you already have had covid so you got the antibodies and everything yeah no i i mean i to me i don't put on a mask unless somebody like asks me and then i'm like that's over like come on cnn has said that they don't work yeah on cnnnn they said cloth mask don't work so unless you have like a fucking respirator or what are those things called not a respirator were those n95s what do they technically refer to them as Like it's a specific kind of mask.

[288] I thought it wasn't an N95.

[289] Yeah, but when they seal up to your face, they call them a specific type of mask.

[290] Gas mask?

[291] I don't know.

[292] This is ridiculous.

[293] Like, I'm sick of this.

[294] I'm seriously so sick of it.

[295] When did you get COVID?

[296] I got it November of 2020.

[297] Oh, you're an early adopter.

[298] Yeah, November 2020.

[299] How was it?

[300] Fine.

[301] I mean, I had the chills one night.

[302] It started with the headache.

[303] And I had a massive headache for two days.

[304] I couldn't understand what was going on.

[305] And then...

[306] Was this in a camp?

[307] Were you during camp?

[308] It was right after I lost to Jermaine Durandeman in October of 2020.

[309] And I had the chills day three.

[310] It was like freezing.

[311] I had like sweatpants on everything and like three blankets and I was still like shivering cold.

[312] I think day four or five I lost taste and smell and I had a very mild cough and then it was gone.

[313] I quarantined 14 days and I was fine.

[314] Did you get your sense of smell?

[315] and taste back quick?

[316] I have a friend who still has no sense of taste and no sense of smell for a year and a half.

[317] Yeah.

[318] Same with one of my really good girlfriends, Jennifer Murcia.

[319] She still doesn't have her taste and smell.

[320] Apparently, according to Andrew Huberman, he's this brilliant guy from Stanford, who's been on my podcast before he has his own podcast.

[321] He's an expert in health and wellness, and he says that alpha -lopoic acid is really good for that.

[322] Another thing that is really good, that this is anecdotal evidence, but people are that I know that have dried is NAD drips.

[323] So they get vitamin IV drips and then they get an NAD.

[324] Yeah.

[325] Which is, I don't know how to say it.

[326] Well, like.

[327] Nicotide, Aluma da, da, da, did, do, do.

[328] You took like the monoclonal.

[329] And then they just stripped those like two days ago, right?

[330] I wish, I wish this made sense.

[331] I wish it made sense.

[332] Because I have a friend in L .A. that just took the monoclonal antibodies a few days ago and she got better and she was really scared.

[333] Yeah.

[334] She was, and she's vaxed and boosted.

[335] and she got real sick, and she took the monoclonal antibodies, and she was back like that instantaneously.

[336] And they try to not give them to her in the hospital because she's too healthy.

[337] They won't, right?

[338] I don't know.

[339] I listened to the podcast with the two doctors, like back to back.

[340] Robert Malone and Peter McCullough.

[341] Yes, yes.

[342] And, I mean, that was eye -opening for me. I'm a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing, and I have been since the very beginning.

[343] I'm like, this is just a money grab.

[344] This is they're trying to kill us, you know, and this is ridiculous.

[345] I don't know.

[346] I don't think they're trying to kill us.

[347] I think there's a lot of confusion as far as what works and what doesn't work.

[348] And then there's a lot.

[349] Well, remember Peter McCullough said that there's like a specific plant that's growing somewhere.

[350] And then one day, like they were all burned gone.

[351] What?

[352] He said that there was like a field of like this medicine, like somewhere else.

[353] And then when they went to go back for it, it was like all burned down.

[354] Do you remember this?

[355] What was he talking about?

[356] So is that if it was in the Amazon, The problem with that is, no?

[357] I'm trying to remember too.

[358] It just, anyways, it just further.

[359] They do slash and burn agriculture in places, and they don't take any consideration as to like what.

[360] Like, that's an issue with the stripping of the Amazon is that there's a lot of plants in the Amazon that could conceivably lead to amazing pharmaceutical medications.

[361] Yeah.

[362] Like a lot of the pharmaceutical drugs that we take that are really helpful, they find them in the Amazon.

[363] It's pretty crazy.

[364] Yeah.

[365] So when they do stuff like that, it might not be.

[366] conspiracy to kill people.

[367] It might just be slash and burn agriculture that they're doing for livestock.

[368] What they do in Brazil in particular in some places is they'll slash and cut down giant chunks of the forest in the rainforest and then they use it just for grazing land for cattle.

[369] But in doing so, you know, you're destroying this ecosystem.

[370] Yeah.

[371] Well, I mean, at this point, I don't even think it's a conspiracy anymore with all the other stuff that's happening.

[372] It's just like, no, this is reality.

[373] Well, reality is there's a lot of people scared, and there's a lot of confusion, and there's also a lot of people that don't want people discussing things.

[374] I know.

[375] They only want one narrative, and that's where, you know, it becomes a problem for me. It's because science is supposed to be debated between experts, and oftentimes people who are highly credentialed, who are experts in their field, disagree vehemently about the exact same subject with the exact same facts at hand.

[376] And so the way they sort that out is through peer review, through discussions.

[377] Like when they have litigations, right, when they have lawsuits, you'll often have an expert witness that is for the defense and an expert witness for the prosecution.

[378] And both of them are experts, like legitimate, educated experts, and they differ completely.

[379] Now, whether or not they're being honest or whether or not they're being paid to give an expert opinion that follows a certain narrative because this is what their client wants, I don't know.

[380] But I do know that science is supposed to be sorted out through discussion of evidence.

[381] And when you suppress the discussion of evidence and you suppress people utilizing things that are 100 % healthy, safe to use, off -label medications, we've got a real problem in your hand.

[382] And that's what a lot of doctors think now.

[383] That's a lot of people think now.

[384] And that's why this whole thing is so confusing.

[385] And also, people are dying.

[386] You know, like, you got over it easy.

[387] I got over it pretty easy.

[388] but I had the right medication and yeah you know and we're both fit we work out a lot and that that's a big factor yeah this is the thing that's been driving me crazy about all this is how little emphasis they've put on getting people to change their lifestyle right make better lifestyle choices right you know that that's fucking crazy when you find out how many people that wind up in the hospital that are overweight right how many people that wind up you know like with real problems because they have vitamin D deficiencies right like all these kind of these these things can be fixed yeah We're living in a time where you absolutely have to be supplementing.

[389] If you have to be supplementing, you know, it's just bottom line.

[390] If you're not supplementing, then you're obviously going to, you know, your immune system is weak by nature.

[391] So you have to supplement to get what you need.

[392] Well, you were telling me that you gave me a box of the supplements from this company that you use.

[393] What's it called?

[394] It's called Designs for Sport.

[395] And you've been, you used those before they were sponsor yours?

[396] Yes, I did.

[397] Yes.

[398] It's all NSF certified.

[399] So if you, you know, Sada comes knocking on your door, you're not going to piss hot or anything like that.

[400] This is legit stuff.

[401] I was taking it before they sponsored me. And now it's just awesome that they are sponsoring me. They have vitamins and protein.

[402] Collagen.

[403] They have, you know, there's a thing that not a lot of fighters know I don't feel like for brain injury.

[404] Like it's called GPC liquid.

[405] And like if you get knocked out all the time, you should be taking this.

[406] If you get knocked out all the time.

[407] Yeah, I've never been knocked out.

[408] But I'm just saying like it's great for brain.

[409] cushion and then gpc liquid gpc liquid do you know what gpc stands for no i wish i did i'm sorry you know what's crazy is that like i'm sponsored by them and i know their stuff is legit but i just take it you know what i mean you're busy yeah i'm busy like i just yeah i just know that i need to be taking this stuff all the stuff that it does i don't know i know i drink the hydration complex and the amino acids you know during and after practice and stuff i know that i drink the collagen and the beef protein and make a little mocha in the morning with my coffee like i i i take it because I know that I need it and that it's good for you and I need to be supplementing.

[410] But like what the ins and outs of everything is, like, you're going to have to do more research.

[411] Listen, it's hard enough to be a mom of a four -year -old.

[412] Yes.

[413] To be a mom of a four -year -old while you're a professional fighter at the highest levels of the game.

[414] Right.

[415] Come on, you're busy.

[416] Yeah, no. Cut yourself some slack.

[417] Yeah.

[418] So I don't know what everything does, but I know that it's great.

[419] And another thing that's great for the brain injury is psilocybin.

[420] Wesana.

[421] Yeah.

[422] I'm sponsored by Wesana, Daniel Carcillo.

[423] He created this.

[424] he's a well he was a NHL hockey player but he got his career cut short as an athlete because he had too much brain trauma from you know those guys are constantly smashing so um we saw it as a psilocybin company that sponsors me that's on your left shoulder and uh and there's a psilocybin how do they do that they micro dose but it's illegal so how do they do that I have no idea it's stupid it's fuck that it's illegal it drives me goddamn crazy that you could buy pills that are, you know, oxycontins are legal.

[425] You can get those.

[426] You can't get a subscription for mushrooms.

[427] The conspiracy theory continues.

[428] Medicine is just a big, big money thing anyways, you know.

[429] Well, it is, and it's also heals people.

[430] Well, this medicine heals.

[431] Yeah, but there's a lot of medicine heals.

[432] Yeah.

[433] There's a lot of pharmaceutical drugs that are very beneficial.

[434] Sure.

[435] We're lucky that they exist.

[436] Yeah.

[437] But whenever you have companies that are designed to make as much money as possible, they start trying to figure out how to make money versus trying to figure out how to heal the most amount of people possible.

[438] That's where things get weird.

[439] But you're in Oregon.

[440] No, I'm in Chicago.

[441] Oh, you are?

[442] But I'm from Washington State.

[443] Right.

[444] But, well, I'm sorry, Washington State.

[445] But Washington State, I meant, didn't mean Oregon.

[446] Washington State.

[447] Didn't Washington State...

[448] It was the first state to legalize marijuana.

[449] Yeah.

[450] And I think they did something with mushrooms too recently, right?

[451] I think Oregon did for sure.

[452] Well, Oregon did with everything, right?

[453] Yeah, right.

[454] Didn't what other states have...

[455] done something with psilocybin.

[456] There's been a couple of states that have decriminalized psilocybin.

[457] Oregon essentially decriminalize everything, right?

[458] Yeah.

[459] Well, and here's the thing.

[460] I'm not telling you to go trip out on mushrooms every day.

[461] You know what I mean?

[462] This is microdosing.

[463] It's specific.

[464] Like, it's not like, you know, you're losing your gourd every day and high as a kite.

[465] It's like you can actually function and talk if you have this brain injury that you've sustained.

[466] If you have these issues, then you take this and then you can come back to normal and have a conversation.

[467] Here it is.

[468] Seattle becomes largest US to decriminalize psychedelics.

[469] Yeah, so that's it.

[470] So it's Washington state in Oregon.

[471] I think it's a bad rap though because people are like, I got to go chew these mushrooms.

[472] It's like it's not like that.

[473] It's like a pill that you would take like a vitamin.

[474] Right.

[475] And for people who haven't microdose, I have, it really, you don't get high.

[476] It's like a very, very mild elevation of mood and alleviation of anxiety.

[477] Yeah.

[478] Cilocybin services will be legalized in Washington State under new bill.

[479] So this is just three weeks ago.

[480] Okay.

[481] So that's what I was referring to.

[482] So you were in Tacoma, right?

[483] No, Spokane.

[484] Spokane.

[485] Spokane, that's right.

[486] Spokane, that's like towards the middle.

[487] So there's a mountain range that separates the state of Washington.

[488] Seattle's on the coast and the ocean and then Spokane's on the exact opposite side.

[489] Spokane's better weather, right?

[490] Yeah, yeah, because that mountain range.

[491] Yeah, it rains all the time in Seattle and then it's like a really dry heat over in Spokane.

[492] That's better.

[493] I'll take that.

[494] That rains for the birds.

[495] Yeah, I know.

[496] It's depressing.

[497] It's so depressing.

[498] They need the psilocybin over there because there's so.

[499] depressed because it rains all the time yeah i remember when i was there we one of my escape from la trips was uh seattle before the shit hit the fan with covid i was thinking of taking my family and moving to seattle yeah and we looked around there but i had a buddy of mine it was a coach at 10th planet in portland and we we looked at portland too and he had moved up there from la and i go you don't miss california at all he goes no dude man it's fucking amazing up here yeah and so i go well what about those the rain and all that bullshit he goes you know what man you get used to it.

[500] It's totally normal.

[501] I'm finally going, hmm.

[502] So I was thinking about that.

[503] Then a year later, I'm training and he's back in L .A. Yeah.

[504] And I go, what are you doing, man?

[505] He goes, fuck that rain.

[506] I go, oh.

[507] See, my sister lives on the opposite side of say.

[508] She lives in Bellevue, which is a few, you know, minutes from Seattle.

[509] And not minutes.

[510] I mean, it's like 20 minutes, whatever traffic.

[511] She lives over on the Seattle side.

[512] Yeah.

[513] And she had to get like a light, like a specific light and like look into it every day because she's not getting the sun, you know?

[514] Like, she's like depressed and like has all this sadness.

[515] It's like, because there's no sun it's just rains all the time you know yeah you don't make like alice and chains and nirvana music if you live in a happy place yeah exactly it's just that kind of fucking but beautiful stuff comes out of there oh yeah no the Pacific northwest is one of the most beautiful places so green yeah you know it's gorgeous remember the first time i went to portland it was like god the grass is like illuminated yeah it's like that that's so healthy yeah the grass is like a bright vibrant green well and where we're from we have mountains all over the place.

[516] You go snowboarding, you go skiing and all that stuff.

[517] It's awesome.

[518] I moved to the Midwest, and they took me like two hours north to the Dells in Wisconsin, and I was like, where's the mountain?

[519] They're like, you're looking at it.

[520] And I'm like, that's a hill.

[521] Where's the mountain?

[522] You know, it's like complete contrast.

[523] Why did you move there?

[524] I mean, the short of it is I got knocked up.

[525] I can't leave, so.

[526] But no, the truth is, is, you know, I had to go there.

[527] The UFC sent me there one time for Latino Heritage Month.

[528] And I was like, this city's legit.

[529] I like drove into Chicago downtown.

[530] I saw the skyline.

[531] It was like the most beautiful skyline I've ever seen.

[532] You know, coming from Spokane, I was like, this place is an awesome.

[533] And then it smelled like chocolate and pizza.

[534] And I was like, I never want to leave.

[535] And then, of course, one of my favorites is like Kanye West.

[536] And I was like, yeah, I'm going to go to the shy.

[537] And then I was going back to train with Luis Claudio.

[538] He's a Hicks and Gracie Blackbelt.

[539] And so I went out there with him and I was training with him.

[540] And then I went back to Spokane and I would come and stay with Luis for a few months, you know, and do my camps.

[541] And I was like, if I ever move anywhere, I would totally choose Chicago.

[542] And then I met baby daddy.

[543] And then I packed my shit after knowing him for two weeks.

[544] Put it all in the truck.

[545] And I was like, I'm here.

[546] After knowing him for two weeks?

[547] Isn't that crazy?

[548] Wow.

[549] Yeah.

[550] Yeah.

[551] I love it.

[552] Yeah, no, it's nuts.

[553] Well, you're a professional no fighter, you take chances.

[554] Right, yeah.

[555] No risk, no reward, right?

[556] I wouldn't have my beautiful baby.

[557] Yeah, there you go.

[558] Yeah.

[559] So I'm in Chicago now, but honestly, it couldn't have been a better move career -wise because, you know, in Spokane, I'm top dog.

[560] I'm, you know, big fish in a small pond.

[561] Chicago is like, welcome to the big leagues.

[562] With Jimmy you training out out there?

[563] So I, so that's also the flip side, right?

[564] Spokane, one -stop shop, go to the garage, that's it.

[565] Yeah.

[566] Chicago, I'm constantly in my car all day long.

[567] I have like four different places that I got to go to train.

[568] So it's not just one, it's not just one spot.

[569] It's like I get my boxing at Gregory boxing and Muay Thai.

[570] I get my MMA, like straight wrestling and MMA at VFS Valley Flow striking.

[571] I got my jujitsu with Luis Claudio at LCCT and Schaumburg.

[572] And then I do my strength and conditioning trainer with Alex Spanos at the Northwestern Football Facility.

[573] Seanberg is a hike because I used to do the improv out there.

[574] Absolutely it is.

[575] Especially with that traffic.

[576] Yeah.

[577] And even Evanston at the Northwestern football team, that campus is far away.

[578] So I'm just constantly in my car all day long.

[579] That's the benefit of a place like American Top Team.

[580] Yeah.

[581] You know, what Dan Lambert did down there by dumping a ton of money into that facility.

[582] Yeah.

[583] I mean, what an amazing opportunity.

[584] If you've got a place where you can go where everything is under one roof.

[585] God, that's huge.

[586] It is.

[587] Strength and conditioning, moitai.

[588] And you only got to pay 1 % over there.

[589] That's it?

[590] That's it.

[591] That's it.

[592] 1%.

[593] Yeah.

[594] That's when you're a rich fuck.

[595] Like, damn.

[596] But is it that great, though?

[597] Their greatest ever of all time just left.

[598] You didn't see that?

[599] No, what are you talking about?

[600] Amanda, she's gone.

[601] She left?

[602] She left American Top Team.

[603] Yeah, she's gone.

[604] It was just like last week or two weeks ago, not even.

[605] I didn't see that at all.

[606] Yeah, she left.

[607] To go where?

[608] I guess she's building her own team from scratch, I guess.

[609] I love Dan Lambert, though.

[610] I wish we would.

[611] One percent?

[612] How could you leave and leave one percent?

[613] That's how what's a great deal.

[614] Dan flew me down there when I won the Ultimate Fighter.

[615] He put me up in a beautiful house on Frickin' South Beach.

[616] and gave me a car and it was like have fun maybe talk to baby daddy and say take over that spot it's a total uh a free state over there i would love to move to florida i would imagine if you moved into american top team after amanda left that'd be great and you train there for the rematch with all the people that trained with her i bet dan likes me any better anyways no i'm just kidding i love dan lambert so do i he's fucking no he comes to chicago he'd take me to the cubs game and buy me popcorn and buy me dinner and stuff like yeah i mean and he flew me down there.

[617] Like I like, I had a, I felt bad because when she pulled out of the fight in August, I saw him at the show and I was like, what's up with your girl?

[618] You know, we kind of like got into it a little bit, but it was, it was business at that point.

[619] But I got nothing but love for Dan Lambert.

[620] I think he's a cool guy.

[621] What he did was, he set a precedent.

[622] I mean, they tried to do that with the Black Zillions, but, you know, the guy, he died, right?

[623] Didn't the guy?

[624] It was like, I don't know.

[625] The Blacksilians guy, I think the head guy died.

[626] I don't know.

[627] But like, they tried to do that in some other places, but no one's done it like Dan has.

[628] Yeah.

[629] The amount of money.

[630] I mean, he built a. I mean, he built a giant ass fucking building state of the art facility top of the food chain i think there's another one there what is it called sanford m -m -ma yes i feel like a lot of the people that were at american top team are now at sanford well sanford you got a henry hoof who's phenomenal right you got so many top flight athletes down there too i bet that's probably a one -stop shot for some of those guys too sure yeah for sure but that's i think that was pioneered by lambert like him doing that he dumps so much money into american top team and you know fighters fucked them over over and there's a lot of bullshit, but he, you know, he kept at it and he kept doing it.

[631] And then now he's got this incredible team with an amazing history behind it.

[632] Yeah.

[633] You can't do any better, you know?

[634] No. Well, you could.

[635] You could go to a little garage in Spokane, Washington, and the 509 and still become the champion.

[636] I don't know.

[637] I don't mean you can't do better in terms of your results.

[638] Sure.

[639] In terms of a place to you can.

[640] Yeah.

[641] And honestly, it's so nice there.

[642] Like, the weather's great.

[643] I mean, I would be afraid to live there because I've never experienced living in, like, hurricane season or anything like that.

[644] I bet that would be pretty scary.

[645] Hurricanes are wild.

[646] I've only experienced hurricanes when I lived in Massachusetts.

[647] By the time it gets up there, it's kind of a bullshit hurricane.

[648] Yeah.

[649] In Florida, they get the full brunt of it.

[650] And I don't think I could deal with that.

[651] Yeah.

[652] It's scary.

[653] I was watching a video the other day of a tornado that had hit.

[654] They were in Florida and a tornado hit like across the river from this guy's house.

[655] There's like some body of water and across the river from the sky's house.

[656] They're looking out the window and they're watching this tornado just drops down and fucks a house up and then takes off yeah oh isn't just recently right like kentucky there was a bunch of tornadoes like over a hundred people killed yeah horrible did you ever see what that one looked like this is what's crazy about that one it came in the middle of the night and it was lightning so so these people were driving and then lightning would flash and through the lightning because the sky was illuminated you see this funnel cloud that's as wide as like 30 blocks you're Like, what the fuck is that?

[657] And it's just, and you can't even predict which way it's going to go.

[658] Left or right.

[659] Imagine being in your car and you don't know what's going on and you hear there's a tornado warning.

[660] And then the lightning and thunder flash and you see it in the distance.

[661] Like, holy shit.

[662] Yeah, it reminds me that movie Twister.

[663] And not only that, but just let's just say, Mother Nature is a son of a gun.

[664] She's a bitch.

[665] Yeah.

[666] But she's also awesome.

[667] She is.

[668] It's like, but what happens.

[669] It's like, it's like, it's so.

[670] chaotic.

[671] What can possibly happen that, you know, the sky can turn into a funnel cloud that flattens everything in front of it.

[672] See, and there's a part of me that thinks that like one day we're going to wake up and it's just going to be like.

[673] Watch this.

[674] Watch this because it's so crazy.

[675] Watch this.

[676] So imagine your car and you hear the lightning and thunder and you see that.

[677] Real life twister.

[678] Yeah.

[679] Oh my gosh.

[680] Yeah.

[681] Look at the size of that fucking thing.

[682] So that was that was what came through and just destroyed.

[683] So imagine that person driving.

[684] Yeah, right?

[685] And you're looking off to your right and you see imminent death.

[686] And you don't know how fast it's going.

[687] It's probably so hard to judge because you only get to see it through the flashes of lightning.

[688] And it's so common there where they're like, get to the cellar.

[689] You know?

[690] I know.

[691] Fuck that.

[692] Can you imagine you don't have a cellar?

[693] Your house is just flattened?

[694] Like, horrible.

[695] Horrible.

[696] I feel horrible for those people.

[697] Like, golly.

[698] Did you ever see what it looked like after the impact?

[699] Yeah.

[700] The entire town was Well, there was, I mean, in Chicago, there's sometimes tornadoes.

[701] I think, like, one of the places got hit there, Naperville got hit, and I saw some houses flattened over there, and I was like, that's kind of scary because I live, you know, pretty close to the area.

[702] So, and obviously the only thing that I've ever worried about in Chicago is just how bitter cold it is, you know, like smacks you in the face, and it's just like the wind will take you away.

[703] That's not spokane cold.

[704] No, it's not.

[705] See, and that's the difference.

[706] I was like, oh, when I moved to Chicago, oh, yeah, I'm used to this.

[707] You know, I'm from Spokane.

[708] I'm from the Pacific Northwest.

[709] You kidding me?

[710] But, like, Chicago's a different level.

[711] It is a different level.

[712] It's like piercing your skin cold.

[713] Yeah.

[714] People that think New York City's cold, try Chicago in January.

[715] I know.

[716] Well, I'm there right now.

[717] I just came back from being, you know, in places not as cold, like L .A. And I come back to Chicago.

[718] I'm like, why do I live here?

[719] It's just, it just makes you angry.

[720] Does your baby daddy work there?

[721] Yeah, yeah, he's a police officer.

[722] Oh, okay.

[723] So, whatever.

[724] I know what I'm going to do.

[725] It's a rough place to be a cop.

[726] A lot of shit goes down in Chicago.

[727] Yeah, yeah.

[728] It does, exactly.

[729] Another reason why I'm like, why do I live?

[730] Yeah.

[731] I come from a place where it's like you can like leave the doors unlocked and you know you're relatively probably safe.

[732] It's like Chicago's like, don't answer the door.

[733] You lock everything up.

[734] Head on a swivel.

[735] Don't look down on your phone when you're walking anywhere.

[736] You know, it's hard to get a gun there too.

[737] Yeah.

[738] It's like their gun laws are really tight, even though everybody has a gun.

[739] Yeah.

[740] Isn't that weird?

[741] It's so weird.

[742] It's not.

[743] It's normal.

[744] It's like there's remedies that people put in place.

[745] There's laws that people put in place that they think they're helping people and they're just making problems worse.

[746] Criminals don't pay attention to.

[747] So you make laws that criminals don't pay attention to that keep ordinary citizens from protecting themselves.

[748] You're always going to have problems.

[749] It's just like they think they're doing a good thing.

[750] But statistically, it's not good.

[751] If you look at gun violence, it's the places oftentimes that have.

[752] the strict as gun laws that have the most gun violence.

[753] Yeah.

[754] So I was like a day before Christmas trying to get some shopping done before I had to leave and take off.

[755] And I was in Oakbrook, which is, you know, not the city, not downtown Chicago.

[756] And I look up and like Lori Lightfoot, the mayor is like standing 10 feet away from me. And I was like, this is crazy.

[757] She had her mask down here.

[758] Did you believe that?

[759] She didn't even have her.

[760] Below her nose?

[761] Yeah, she didn't have her mask going.

[762] I know.

[763] Anyways.

[764] And I'm not trying to be the mask police because I think.

[765] they're BS anyways.

[766] But I was like, wow, really.

[767] We can't even go into a restaurant without showing, you know, our papers.

[768] And this chick's, you know, dropping the hammer on everybody.

[769] And she don't even have her mascot.

[770] Like, I was, whatever.

[771] She's a terrible, terrible mayor.

[772] Okay, so, regardless, okay, I leave the mall and I go, I was so hungry.

[773] I went in the same parking lot to a restaurant.

[774] Five seconds later, my phone's blowing up, like ridiculous.

[775] And there was a shooting.

[776] Two people had just got shot in the same parking lot at Nordstrom's that I had just left.

[777] Holy shit.

[778] And I'm just like, why do I live here?

[779] This is the stuff I would never have to worry about, you know?

[780] So Chicago's like the real deal.

[781] Like, welcome to the jungle when you go over there.

[782] It's kind of freaky.

[783] Have you talked to him about moving?

[784] He would never, you know.

[785] It's only me that has to, you know, pack up all my stuff and say goodbye to my family.

[786] You know, I'm the only one that would do something like that.

[787] So yeah, forget it.

[788] No. His whole family lives there.

[789] He's not going anywhere.

[790] Chicago people love Chicago And I do too Because there's a culture there That is incredible They're great people Great the nicest They talk to you You don't even know these people They just like inject themselves In your business And all of a sudden your friends That's the beautiful thing about Chicago It's a big city But it has a small town mentality In terms of like how people are friendly Yeah and very unusual The food's a problem I mean it's so good It's so good And Dana told me that When I told them I was moving to Chicago He's like babe He's like the food's a problem I was like, no, no, it's good.

[791] And he's like, I'm telling you.

[792] The food's a problem.

[793] And he was right.

[794] I gained like 15 pounds when I first moved there.

[795] Did you eat it all.

[796] Just put it in front of me. I'm like, Mikey, he'll eat it.

[797] You know, like I will eat whatever you put in front of me. You ever thought about going up to 45 and challenging Amanda for her other title?

[798] I've thought about it.

[799] We can do that dance.

[800] I mean, but everybody knows the 45 divisions BS anyways.

[801] Like, what do they got there?

[802] Nothing.

[803] Well, if Kayla Harrison comes over.

[804] She ain't coming over.

[805] Don't think so?

[806] No, no. Why don't you think so?

[807] Well, they wanted her to come over.

[808] First off, can she even make 45?

[809] They're going to have to create another division for her at 55, I think, or 65, or whatever she fights at.

[810] I bet if someone like Mike Dolce got a hold of her, you put her through, maybe she works them right now, maybe I'm talking out of my ass.

[811] No, he might.

[812] George Lockhart.

[813] Yeah, a nutritionist.

[814] I'm sure she could.

[815] It would be miserable, but of course, I'm sure she could.

[816] It would be miserable.

[817] Yeah.

[818] But, I mean, people accomplish wild shit when it comes to wake.

[819] I mean, How about Paulo Costa?

[820] How the fuck is that guy ever made 185 pounds?

[821] I have no idea, and I don't think he's made it sense.

[822] Didn't he?

[823] Yeah, like he just misweight this last fight, right?

[824] I think Adasanya's fight took a real toll on him mentally.

[825] Oh, I'm sure.

[826] And wasn't he like, I was drunk and drinking wine?

[827] You don't deserve to win then.

[828] There was so many excuses, and it was the way that Israel beat him.

[829] Right.

[830] I mean, Izzy just lit him up like a Christmas tree.

[831] Right.

[832] That was not a competitive fight by any stretch of the imagination.

[833] No. And I think when you're a guy who steamrolls everybody and walks down Yoel Romero, and you look like a just destroyer.

[834] Right.

[835] And then this skinny dude just lights you up and fucks you up.

[836] And then dry humps you from behind when you're beating you up.

[837] Not a good look.

[838] Yeah.

[839] And then Marvin Vittori beat him up too.

[840] Yeah.

[841] That was a good fight, though.

[842] That was a close fight, but Marvin Vortori is a fucking bull that guy.

[843] Yeah.

[844] There's another one.

[845] How the fuck is that guy 185 pounds?

[846] I stand next one like, how are you, you're a heavyweight?

[847] How the fuck are you 185 pounds?

[848] Yeah.

[849] They're so big.

[850] Yeah.

[851] I just know that I heard, anyhow, from one of my friends who is signed with the PFL, that she was going to stay with the PFL.

[852] And then I think yesterday they said that they signed a new deal and that I believe that she's staying with the PFL.

[853] She should.

[854] If she makes good money.

[855] She's won, what, the million dollar tournament twice, yeah?

[856] Yeah, good for her.

[857] If it don't make money, it don't make sense.

[858] Keep making your money, sweetheart.

[859] That's a thing about these other organizations.

[860] One thing about the UFC has so much prestige and everybody wants to.

[861] to be the UFC champ.

[862] It's the number one organization in MMA by far.

[863] But these other organizations, they have to cut their profit margins down and pay people more in order to get people over there.

[864] So I think that's great.

[865] Well, and that's what I was just talking about yesterday.

[866] Some of these people don't care whether they're going to make, you know, eight and eight or ten and ten because they're like, I'm a UFC fighter.

[867] It's the prestige of being a UFC fighter.

[868] And back in the day, I would have been like, no way.

[869] I'm totally going to the UFC, you know.

[870] But then it's like now that I'm.

[871] I'm older.

[872] I'm like, no, if it don't make money, it don't make sense.

[873] And Gilbert Melendez would always tell me that.

[874] And he was right, you know, if, and that's the other thing, too.

[875] These other organizations, they need to pay their fighters to lock them down so that they don't feel like they got to go elsewhere.

[876] But they got to pay the fighters.

[877] And also, who cares about where you're fighting as long as you're making the money?

[878] Yeah.

[879] I mean, if you are a professional fighter, that is what you're supposed to be doing.

[880] You're supposed to be trying to make the most amount possible but if you're doing it for your legacy there's a thing about like these great fighters that never compete against UFC fighters so you're like god damn it like if fedor had fought in the UFC when Kane was in his prime you know how big that would have been yeah how fucking huge that would have been right they had made that deal and fador came over and he fought cane in his prime I always wished that fedor would come to the US why couldn't they make a deal like what it was hard to make a deal there was a lot of craziness yeah I'm both sides, I'm sure.

[881] I don't know the exact specifics, but I know they tried.

[882] Yeah.

[883] They wanted to make a deal with them for sure.

[884] Oh, for sure.

[885] Yeah.

[886] What was that M1 that governs him?

[887] Or like, yeah.

[888] Yeah.

[889] They were very strict, but obviously impossible to make a deal.

[890] Well, they knew that he was an international superstar.

[891] Yeah.

[892] And that wasn't the case with anybody else over there.

[893] Yeah, he's like the Yao Ming of Russia.

[894] Yeah.

[895] I mean, he was, you know, when he was in his prime, when he was running things in pride, there was nobody like Fedor.

[896] No one.

[897] He's my.

[898] He's not.

[899] He's my mom.

[900] He's my favorite fighter of all time for sure he's up he's up there for sure yeah i mean that guy when he was at the top of his game was so complete he mean he would lightning fast submissions he walked down crow cop and basically mostly a stand -up fight right beat the shit out of no gara and his prime i mean he was a monster he was when he was at the top he was extraordinary and the guy still fighting which is crazy isn't he scheduled to fight really soon in belator right yeah yeah real soon yeah It's so funny, he came to Chicago and fought, and I was like, this is my only chance to get a picture with him.

[901] So I just stormed him right as he was walking out of the cage and I got a selfie with him.

[902] He's like, get this, take away from me. But that's my only picture of him.

[903] And it's so funny because he was in Chicago and Wayne, my coach, Gregory, asked me to come to the gym that day.

[904] And I was like, I can't, you know, because I was like stalking the hotel waiting to see Fador.

[905] This guy didn't even tell me. Fador came to our gym and did like a private in the back area of the gym.

[906] and he was basically telling me to come to the gym because he knew Fader was going to be there but he didn't tell me that he was going to be there so of course I'm like waiting to like stalk Fador and he was at the gym the whole time you know and so the only picture I got of him was me like trying to get like a quick selfie after he won and he's just like stiff armie out of here yeah he's literally like get the heck away from me you could have got a perfect picture I could have got a perfect one it was like a dream come true that never happened I'm still depressed about it honestly it's like the greatest of all time who is he supposed to fight I have no idea Find out Fador's next fight.

[907] I guess he just still enjoys it.

[908] He had one point in time was thinking of retiring.

[909] I think he contemplated.

[910] He did retire at one point, right?

[911] Yeah.

[912] But you never know with fighters, like when they say they're retired.

[913] Like, is it a business deal that you're retiring from?

[914] Do you have an injury?

[915] I know so many fighters that are retired that come back.

[916] Most, most.

[917] Right.

[918] But, you know, that's why I really appreciate the ones who don't.

[919] You know, the ones who say, that's it, I'm done, and then they walk away forever.

[920] And at the top of the game, like Andre Ward, he's the best thing.

[921] Yeah.

[922] Undefeated, two division champion, Olympic gold medalist.

[923] He's like, that's it.

[924] Yeah.

[925] See you.

[926] Or even, um, I don't even want to say his name because I'm still angry about him not giving me any credit and actually talking crap about me, but Khabib, he retired on his own terms.

[927] Yeah, he was just like telling, like, I saw an oppressor, they asked him a question and he was just completely downgrading the whole win and everything like that.

[928] What?

[929] Downgraded your win.

[930] Yeah, it totally broke my heart.

[931] But I will say he, he, went out on his own terms and he said he was done and you know he's done why would why would he i know i was like dude you're breaking my heart man like i freaking love you like seriously like oh not only that if you watched that win how the fuck could anybody say anything bad about that he must be friends with kail harrison or something i don't know because he was like if this is the top of the women's division it's a joke i mean like it was it wasn't very nice i didn't appreciate it cabeeb it was weird to watch a man to fold so quickly like get her get her get tired so quickly.

[932] She's never tapped before, ever.

[933] Really?

[934] Never.

[935] She's never tapped.

[936] She tapped quick, too.

[937] Were you under the chin?

[938] Absolutely.

[939] Yeah.

[940] It's hard to tell from that angle because you were smarter than her.

[941] No, my shoulder blade.

[942] No, no hooks, no problem.

[943] My, that's like the first thing that they teach you in jujitsu.

[944] Well, at least that's where they do in 509 in the garage.

[945] That's what they teach us up at Sigizu.

[946] Back of the back of the shoulder right on the back of that brainstem there.

[947] Yeah, I was absolutely underneath the chin.

[948] Yeah.

[949] Yeah.

[950] It was, uh...

[951] They're like she quit, like quitting and tapping.

[952] What's the difference?

[953] If you tap, you're quitting.

[954] If you quit, you tap.

[955] You had her.

[956] Yeah.

[957] That's all it was.

[958] But she was so tired.

[959] It was crazy.

[960] It was almost like the...

[961] She took a lot of shots.

[962] Oh, yeah.

[963] Not just that.

[964] She took a lot of shots.

[965] She took a lot of heavy shots.

[966] Heavy shots.

[967] That jab was thunder.

[968] And you were cracking her with that jab.

[969] But on top of that, it was also like, oh my God, I'm losing.

[970] Like, she was realizing, oh, oh, my God.

[971] on him like the anxiety she had to realize like she's getting fucked up well and like it's so crazy the state -of -the -art cameras and everything in the UFC and no one's like getting the right angles that they should have been in the first round I had her in a straight arm lock I was like soccer robbing that thing I was literally thinking I'm gonna get the first ever win by straight arm lock in the UFC I was like this is over I got her I can just see you're pissing in her pants in the back of me like holy crap I got to get out of this and then she got out and then I switched to attacking the kamura and then the end of the round but i was like coming up from that first round i'm like i got this and then everyone's like how did you feel knowing that you lost the first round going into the second i'm like what are you talking about like i won the first round you know and that's just my opinion but well i think if you threaten with submissions from your back that should count for a lot yeah like that's a real close submission and even with the kamoa that was very dangerous yeah there's not enough like people have this idea that if you try for a submission and then you don't get it, then it doesn't mean anything.

[972] No, it does.

[973] You're attacking.

[974] You're not just attacking.

[975] And you're in trouble.

[976] If I'm attacking, you're in trouble.

[977] Exactly.

[978] I think it should be like almost getting rocked.

[979] Like very similar.

[980] Yes.

[981] Yeah, and she was rocked on the feet.

[982] I could see her eyes are as big as plates and she was like, oh, F. You know what I mean?

[983] And I could see.

[984] Like, yeah, I'm trying not to cuss, right?

[985] It's like so hard.

[986] I think we've already cussed.

[987] I might have said, you know, pissing.

[988] I'm sorry, Mom.

[989] I'm trying so hard not to cusses.

[990] Why are you trying not to cuss?

[991] Because I'm like trying to, they, there's a certain part of me where I want to be the real Juliana, you know, especially here in Joe Rogan.

[992] Come on.

[993] But then there's another side where it's like there's people that are listening to.

[994] There's little kids, you know what I mean?

[995] There's like, you know, trying to be like.

[996] Come to wait for the beeped out version.

[997] Yeah.

[998] So I'm just trying to walk a fine line here.

[999] Well, I appreciate that.

[1000] I appreciate that.

[1001] When you look back on the fight, did it play out the way you felt like it was going to play out?

[1002] Yes.

[1003] Exactly.

[1004] Absolutely.

[1005] Yeah.

[1006] I wasn't sure exactly how and I wasn't sure when, but I knew without a doubt that I was going to win.

[1007] You know, one of the things that everybody says about Amanda is her power is shocking.

[1008] Did you feel that her power was shocking?

[1009] Well, we have to cut back to the way that I grew up for me to answer that question properly.

[1010] In the 80s, you know, people wore those knee -high socks with like the two stripes on them, right?

[1011] The tube socks.

[1012] My brother would pack more socks in the bottom of the.

[1013] this tube sock and pack it real tight and swing it around you call sock bombs and i he beat the heck out of us with these sock bombs like if you can take a sock bomb punch you can take a real punch punch you know and so i've been getting my ass kick my entire life you had does she hit hard sure you know but can i take it yes am i the type of person that can take it yes like i have you seen this big chin you know like i got it you know well you had a very good high guard too like you kept your your hands a good position you were very defensively responsible Yeah, it's, it's Wayne Gregory, you know?

[1014] Wayne Gregory has, has changed my game.

[1015] And again, that's one of the great things about moving to Chicago.

[1016] I would have never met Wayne.

[1017] I would have never met the team that I have now without moving there.

[1018] The team that I have around me right now is extraordinary.

[1019] The other thing that was interesting about that fight was her last two fights before that, Megan Anderson and Cyborg.

[1020] Was it Megan Anderson and Cyborg?

[1021] Was it Megan Anderson and Cyborg?

[1022] Were they back to back?

[1023] I think so in the 45 division, yeah.

[1024] Yeah, so both of our fights were at 45.

[1025] Like, she hadn't defended 35 in quite a while, right?

[1026] Two years, yeah.

[1027] So making that extra 10 pounds is probably a big deal.

[1028] Like, she looked very lean at the weigh -ins.

[1029] Like, leaner than you ever see her before.

[1030] Lean, and she showed up all half -naked, and she was ready to go.

[1031] She was in the best shape of her life, it looked like.

[1032] She looked ripped.

[1033] She looked, yeah, she looked ripped.

[1034] But, you know, oftentimes when people haven't cut weight, and then they have to.

[1035] Yeah.

[1036] You know, and you see, like, there's a difference in, like, where your body bounces back.

[1037] from that.

[1038] Yeah.

[1039] Well, her focus in her camp was two fights.

[1040] I got to make weight and then I got to worry about Juliana.

[1041] My focus was all I have to do is worry about Amanda.

[1042] That's it.

[1043] That was my only fight.

[1044] That was my sole focus.

[1045] Her sole focus is I got to be miserable for the next three months because I got to make weight and make sure that I'm, you know, up to par.

[1046] And me, I've been grinding the whole time.

[1047] So I was like, all I got to focus on is just her.

[1048] And everybody was aware of the Kayla fight.

[1049] Everybody was aware that Kayla was in the audience and they were trying to set that fight up.

[1050] And how dare they, right?

[1051] Because Kayla is like talking about how she's training partners with Amanda and how she learns so much from Amanda and how amazing Amanda is as a training partner and how, you know, she has just learned so much from the champ.

[1052] And so I'm so confused because you want Amanda to win so that you can fight your friend.

[1053] Well, they just want to get paid.

[1054] Yeah.

[1055] Well, she's getting paid millions.

[1056] She's getting paid more than I am at the making the millions over there at the PFL.

[1057] I think the idea was that.

[1058] And I'm just guessing that Amanda, you know, when this worldwide recognition is the greatest women fighter of all time.

[1059] And then you get, if she beat you, then you get this giant super fight with this Olympic judo medalist who seems like, you know, when you look at Kayla, she seems like a threat.

[1060] Like you go, okay, well, Amanda's this like super strong, like really good grappler, knockout puncher.

[1061] Kayla is such an elite judoka.

[1062] She's so good.

[1063] And she's so fucking strong.

[1064] You'd think that could be a giant super fight.

[1065] Yeah.

[1066] I think they probably thought if she came over to the UFC, they would have like the biggest female fight of all time.

[1067] Yeah.

[1068] Well, I really mess that up, didn't I?

[1069] You fucked that thing up, good.

[1070] Who needs friends with, who needs enemies with friends like these, you know, especially with Kayla and Amanda being like training partners and like hugging each other and now they're going to fight each other.

[1071] Like, come on.

[1072] Like, it's ridiculous.

[1073] But if Kayla wants to come over to the UFC and make weight, let's pack your lunch.

[1074] Make 35, you mean?

[1075] 35, 45, whatever you guys want to do.

[1076] Your fighter at 45?

[1077] Yeah, I mean, all I can say, like we already established, if it don't make money, it don't make sense.

[1078] And what's the job of a fighter, especially with the window being this small and your opportunity being this small?

[1079] I've got to jump through a window this little.

[1080] My job is to make as much money as possible.

[1081] Right.

[1082] So pay me. I'll fight whoever you.

[1083] I'll fight Fador.

[1084] Pay me. Just pay me. I hear you.

[1085] You know, I feel like I'm not asking for too much, especially now that I'm champion.

[1086] I've been saving my silver bullets this entire time.

[1087] And now that I got it, it's like, I want to get paid.

[1088] Is that too much to ask?

[1089] I mean, as a professional, don't you feel like you should, of course, there's flip side.

[1090] No one's holding a gun up to your head.

[1091] No one's making you fight.

[1092] No, but I'm a professional.

[1093] Yeah.

[1094] You know, and I'm at the height of my game.

[1095] I'm the champion.

[1096] I'm at the top of my league, you know, pay me. Also, you have a child.

[1097] You have a future.

[1098] Sure.

[1099] You know, you have a window of opportunity with fighting that doesn't last very long.

[1100] I mean, it's one of the smallest windows of opportunity for an elite professional athlete.

[1101] I got to hold on to this little chunk of money that I have for the rest of my life, you know?

[1102] And it's like, what do you want?

[1103] I feel like I'm not asking for too much.

[1104] You know what I mean?

[1105] I just want what's fair.

[1106] I think if you beat Amanda again at 35, excuse me, when?

[1107] Yes.

[1108] At 35.

[1109] And then you fight her for the 45 pound title.

[1110] Yes.

[1111] That would be crazy.

[1112] That would be like bullying.

[1113] Well, somebody suggested, well, what if she doesn't decide to take the fight with you and decides to take an easier fight at 45?

[1114] and retires off into the sunset like she can't she can't do that she would look like the biggest coward on earth sometimes people just get worn out by the pressure too though that's a that's a factor how hard is it to go do your road work when you're waking up in silk pajamas every morning it's Marvin haggler you know he's another guy walked away in his prime yeah good for Marvin good for Marvin but I mean it's got to be difficult you're sitting on 10 mil in the bank it's it's motivation is just not there I guess it depends on what your motivation is because it never stopped Floyd Mayweather.

[1115] I know, isn't he incredible?

[1116] He's incredible.

[1117] He's still trains and stuff, and he's still doing it.

[1118] He still never got fat, always fit.

[1119] You know, Floyd would go to a nightclub and then leave the nightclub and have his drivers drive the car home and he would run behind the car.

[1120] That's awesome.

[1121] Run miles in his fucking jeans and sneakers and shit.

[1122] That's one guy I would just die to meet.

[1123] I would love to meet him.

[1124] His motivation apparently, I mean, obviously he loves money.

[1125] His motivation is most certainly money.

[1126] I think that's why I love him is because he loves money.

[1127] so much like and he does it good you know what I mean he's styling and profiling yeah yeah but he's always involved in like these strange thing like he's in Dubai all the time like involved in these weird NFT deals and stuff like yeah he's a fascinating character because he literally never lost his motivation yeah even though he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars yeah he's still and he's just been so brilliant in taking these fights against guys like connor mcgregor logan paul yeah no he's intelligent he knows what he's doing absolutely if I could pick his brain man that would be awesome yeah well you know he became money Mayweather when he used to be pretty boy Floyd like he was a different fighter when you first saw him fight yeah and it became more exciting with like less exciting performances because he was smarter defensively yeah but he talks so much shit that everybody wanted him to lose yeah well and boxing is a very particular thing too right so they build these guys up 30 and oh and they make sure everything's got to be like tailor -made.

[1128] It's perfect for your fighter, you know, and that's where I think real MMA fighting differs from boxing.

[1129] It's like you get thrown to the lions den right away, you know.

[1130] There's no, like they...

[1131] Especially in the UFC, right?

[1132] Yeah, no F's giving.

[1133] It's like, we're giving you a fight.

[1134] You don't want to take it.

[1135] No problem.

[1136] There's a thousand other people that will take it.

[1137] How many fights did you have outside the UFC before you came to the UFC?

[1138] Like five.

[1139] Five.

[1140] Wow.

[1141] That is wild.

[1142] Yeah.

[1143] So your entire professional career other than those five fights have all been in the biggest.

[1144] organization.

[1145] I think five.

[1146] I'm not.

[1147] Yeah, yeah, very little.

[1148] I went pro after two amateur fights and then I think I took like three pro fights and then and then that was that was it.

[1149] How old were you when you first started martial arts training?

[1150] 19 years old.

[1151] I threw my first punch at 19, well I threw my first official punch at 19 years old.

[1152] And what what style was that?

[1153] It was a woman's cardio kickboxing class.

[1154] And this is a god honest truth.

[1155] I was like, I'll just be honest with you.

[1156] I was fat.

[1157] I was overweight and I needed to lose some way and my sister didn't want to go to the class by herself and so she invited me and I wasn't doing anything so I was like I mean I was working obviously um and at that time I was a know at all I was moved out at 17 like I can't tell me nothing mom and dad and then and then I was a bowling alley server at nighttime and I worked in the casino alley so I would start my shift at 10 o 'clock at night and get off at like six o 'clock in the morning and I was overweight and so my sister invited me to a woman's cardio kickboxing class and I met I met Rick Little and kind of threw my first punch and it's been over since but that's wild I started in the UFC at 2013 so how many years after cardio kickboxing was that uh so I started in 2008 and uh in 2016 was your first UFC fight 2013 oh wow yeah horrible with numbers I can't sing and dance I'm a fighter I'm not good at numbers either horrible yeah that's pretty crazy then So it's five years And most people get like Their daughters in wrestling at a young age Or they put them in karate or judo or anything like that Like I've just been defensive my whole life Because I was always getting an attack from all sides For my brothers and sisters You know what I mean?

[1158] So it was like it wasn't like you know My mom put me in judo or you know I literally just was defending myself all my life And then when I got into actual cardio kickboxing class To lose weight is when I threw my first punch So I actually started pretty late compared to the age that kids are starting now, especially young girls.

[1159] Very late.

[1160] Yeah.

[1161] I mean, it's getting more and more mainstream.

[1162] But back then, in 2008, there was no one.

[1163] You know, there wasn't a lot of girls fighting.

[1164] When was the first UFC women's fight?

[1165] What year was that?

[1166] 2013.

[1167] Wow.

[1168] Yeah.

[1169] So I've been in the division just as long as Rhonda and Misha and everything like that.

[1170] Amanda, like when they were starting the division, I was on the ultimate fighter.

[1171] So instead of them fighting one time, I was fighting for.

[1172] times.

[1173] Wow.

[1174] Yeah.

[1175] And they just gave a belt to Rhonda.

[1176] You know what I mean?

[1177] They're just like, hey, welcome to the U .S .C. Here's your belt.

[1178] I'm like, I've got to fight this girl, this girl, this girl, this girl.

[1179] And you still won't let me fight the champ after this.

[1180] This is ridiculous.

[1181] What do I got to do?

[1182] Well, it was a weird situation where there wasn't a lot of standouts in that 135 pound division where it like marketing wise, where it looked like someone that everybody wanted to see fight Amanda.

[1183] And two truths.

[1184] Ronda was a star.

[1185] She was winning in 10 seconds, you know.

[1186] She was in incredible.

[1187] credible she put it on the map and opened up that door and blew the doors right open so so props to her for that and the other second truth is I mess myself up I tore four out of five ligaments you know the delays that I've had in life have been injuries or pregnancy or more injuries you know what I mean so I there's half to blame them not letting me have the title shot and then the other half to blame is like quit messing up yourself you know how long did it take you to recover from the knee surgery uh at least 15 or 16 months I think wow yeah yeah well to each hour four out of five ligaments have the doctors is gonna tell you're never gonna fight again really yeah the other half are like you get a really good surgeon which I had dr. Cavitney in LA who did Kobe Bryant um John Jones George Campierre like he's done the who's who all the LA Lakers he was like you absolutely will fight again wow and he gave me that confidence did you have meniscus damage as well so is everything yeah did they do a cut on the meniscus or they just leave it alone no I don't I think they might have like sewn it.

[1188] I'm not sure I don't really recall.

[1189] I just know that I tore four out of five.

[1190] The only one that I didn't tear is the PCL.

[1191] How's it feel now?

[1192] Fine.

[1193] I mean, I, my goal in recovery is to attack your recovery like you would a fight.

[1194] So being diligent and disciplined and making sure you're doing this rehab and going home and doing your rehab.

[1195] And so I have strengthened both of my legs because I've done them both to the point where I don't really notice, notice it because I'm, and I'm, and I I take the collagen, making sure my joints are well oil.

[1196] If I don't take that collagen, I feel like the tin man. Really?

[1197] Yeah.

[1198] I have to take this collagen to make sure that my joints and everything's feeling good.

[1199] If I don't, it's messed up.

[1200] But I do a really good job of strengthening my knees.

[1201] And I would argue that my one that I tore is better than the other one, you know?

[1202] Really?

[1203] But they're both competing with each other, right?

[1204] Because I've done them both.

[1205] Right.

[1206] Yeah.

[1207] So I just make sure that I strength.

[1208] It's a focus area for me. And you were telling me before we got here that your strength and conditioning program, like you went several camps where you didn't have any strength and conditioning program.

[1209] Right.

[1210] Yeah.

[1211] Because my original trainer, Chris Grayson, he moved from Chicago and he went to South Carolina.

[1212] And I didn't have anybody.

[1213] So I was just doing my roadwork on my own, pushups, pull -ups and sit -ups and just kind of like lifting, just touching the weights on my own in my vanity room.

[1214] Just touching the weights?

[1215] Yeah, just touching the weights.

[1216] Yeah.

[1217] What do you mean by It's not like I'm like trying to, you know, be this gigantic, you know, Hulk mania and be lifting every day.

[1218] Like, I know how to lift if you point me in the direction and show me what you want me to do.

[1219] But like, if I were to go by myself, I'd be like, I would be so, like, overwhelmed, you know?

[1220] Like, I know how to lift.

[1221] And I'm learning more, you know, but I'm just more of like the you point and I go, you know.

[1222] And so I shoot whatever my trainer tells me to do.

[1223] But when I didn't have a trainer, I was just like, you've been doing this long enough.

[1224] You know that at the end of the day, it's.

[1225] not about how much you can lift or how much you can bench press.

[1226] It's about fighting.

[1227] And so just do your road work, touch the weights, get that, you know, body calisthenics, the pushups the pull -ups and stuff like that, and you'll be fine.

[1228] Did you put your camps together, or did you have somebody that's structured them for you?

[1229] So Rick Little is my head coach, and he kind of is in communication with all my other coaches in Chicago.

[1230] He'll, you know, call them, tell them what he wants me to work on and then, you know, trusting in their expertise because they're all experts in their own field he'll call coach mike and then coach mike will obviously run me through his own practice but then he'll put attention to the detail that rick said to and so they all all kind of in communication with what rick is saying as far as what we're going to do in the camp and how we're going to win the fight and game plan so but rick is not there physically he's not there he's in spokane but when i have a fight he'll come out stay with me for a month he'll stay with me for two weeks he'll go back to spokane and then i'll come back out again and then we'll always leave together to the fight so he's always making that trip to come over and be with me and make sure that, you know, as long as he stays for a week or two weeks and sees that I got it, then he'll go back and then he'll come, you know, a couple weeks later again.

[1231] How important is that for you?

[1232] Because for a lot of fighters, the development process is like so intense that the relationship between the coach and the athlete, it's almost inseparable.

[1233] And then for other people, they go jump from camp to camp and they never have that sort of like deep intimacy with the person that trains him and I'll tell you two things number one that he knows me better than anybody on this planet and he is somebody that I trust with my life this man will take a bullet for me and he is he'll take a beating if it means that I'm gonna win he has my back 110 % and the flip side to that is these people are gym jumpers because they don't have a coach that cares they don't have somebody that's invested in them you have to find a coach that cares about you.

[1234] You have to have that.

[1235] And they don't even have to be that good.

[1236] They don't have to be some world -renowned coach.

[1237] As long as they care and they're checking and they're putting you through what you need, that's all you need.

[1238] But that's why these people are always jumping gyms because they can't find a coach that is invested in them.

[1239] And Rick has always been invested in me. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.

[1240] And he told me that I was going to be a champion.

[1241] He told me that Dana White was going to open the doors to the women in the UFC.

[1242] He told me, stick with this, you know.

[1243] And he's the only one that has been like.

[1244] that constant voice of reason and guiding me and I mean he taught me how to fight so without Rick like where would I be well that's awesome that you're still with them yeah really is 13 years it's going to be 14 here that's awesome in September I love hearing that I think loyalty is everything it's so important I'm loyal to the soil I'm a Leo lion loyalty for me is like top tier you know when's your birthday August 19th I'm August 11th no uh you're Leo too see I was born on a cusp day so like I'm like have Virgo tendencies what's a Virgo tendency see i don't even know that much about it because i feel like my leo side is just so dominant but my sister is a virgo and you know she's also the type of person that knows me like the back of her hand we're very we have similar tendencies sometimes she's a little bit in a sense more feisty than me in some regard really more feisty than you well i'll be like i'll joke with her and she thinks i'm being serious and so they're like get out of this house you know what i mean and it's like dude i'm kidding you know like and she's the one who dragged you into cardio kickbox Did she ever think, God damn it, I could have done that too.

[1245] She was a better, and if she, obviously, she's got five kids, so she's very busy.

[1246] But if she would have stuck with it, she was a better kicker than me. This girl could kick like a mule.

[1247] And she was a soccer player.

[1248] And she had incredible kicks.

[1249] And she was so good at kicking.

[1250] So I definitely think that she could have stuck with it.

[1251] But it was important to have her because her beating me up and knowing me my whole life.

[1252] When my sisters was in my corner in the early amateur days and stuff, I was like, I'll take on anybody because my sister believes in me, you know, and even Rick, you know.

[1253] So the two of them together, they'd be like, let's go, you can do it.

[1254] I'm like, I know I can because I know that she knows who I am through and through.

[1255] We share the same blood, and she's not lying.

[1256] If she's telling me I can do it, then I know I can do it.

[1257] That's awesome.

[1258] Yeah.

[1259] I think there's something to soccer players.

[1260] There's something about, first of all, the conditioning that soccer players have is off the charts.

[1261] There's some of the best and the most fit athletes in the world.

[1262] There's no other sport where you run as much besides.

[1263] that maybe running.

[1264] Yeah.

[1265] And so also like the strength of their legs, because it's sprinting.

[1266] It's like you're sprinting all the time.

[1267] Like you're not just running.

[1268] You're running as fast as you can and you're trying to move the ball around.

[1269] So you have two things in coordination.

[1270] You have dexterity.

[1271] And then you have this endurance aspect and strength aspect as well.

[1272] And so like if you look at Jose Aldo is one of the best kickers ever, the best leg kicker ever in the UFC, like one of them.

[1273] Soccer player started out in soccer.

[1274] Kenny Florian started out in soccer too.

[1275] Like quite a few people that were like elite soccer players that if you think about how much they kick and kicking a ball like it's not much different than throwing a kick like a body kick or a roundhouse kick.

[1276] Yeah.

[1277] Or you even see like gymnasts like girl gymnasts that have like come into fighting.

[1278] They just, it's very similar.

[1279] Oh yeah.

[1280] Well, the strength that they have.

[1281] The strength in the like.

[1282] Or I guess we've even found out like stripping too.

[1283] Like you just the other day you're holding up that girl.

[1284] Like she's like.

[1285] Yeah.

[1286] She's like my stripping has helped me. has helped me in fighting.

[1287] I mean, you could find a similarity in any sport or any physical activity that you do and apply it into fighting.

[1288] Oh, she's a little firecracker.

[1289] Oh, yeah, she's great.

[1290] I loved that.

[1291] I was like, that's great, man. She's pretty funny.

[1292] You go, girl.

[1293] Yeah, you go girl all day.

[1294] Yeah, get your money.

[1295] Yeah, well, you found that in jujitsu with breakdancing, you know, with Richie Martinez and Gio Martinez at 10th Planet.

[1296] They came over and they were these break dancers and they were so fucking strong and so mobile and agile and that Eddie Bravo started like incorporating breakdancing training.

[1297] He was like, there's something to that.

[1298] Like it's obviously, look how these guys can manipulate their body.

[1299] Like, do you ever watch break dancing?

[1300] Well, I'm really good friends with Fee from the Jabalakis.

[1301] And one of their older guys, he doesn't go there anymore.

[1302] His name is Ricky too.

[1303] And they would always tell me that they love fighting.

[1304] And they also like kind of their similarities there between their breakdancing and their moves as there is in fighting and so I didn't realize that by any means but maybe I don't know I'm like what the isolation holds are like what do you mean you know but they would say that there's similarities between their dancing and being a jabawaki and fighting and I'm like that's very interesting well if you ever go to stance elements on Instagram okay stance elements go to that page it's like these people are the biggest fucking physical freaks like some of the shit they do it's like it should be in the Olympics well they're probably so good they're They don't need to fight, so good for them.

[1305] But it's just, when you think about, like, give me a, do that one in the far right.

[1306] That one looks pretty crazy.

[1307] These dudes, the shit that they can do is like they're defying gravity in physics.

[1308] Like, the amount of strength that it takes, like, look.

[1309] How is he spinning on his hands like that?

[1310] Because he's a fucking awesome freak.

[1311] Like, his head.

[1312] Like, what is this guy's name?

[1313] He just looks like a little 10 -year -old.

[1314] 13 Maxo Max M -M -X -O -O -F -K He's from France Yeah, there's a lot of them from Korea A lot of them from Japan That little boy's from Korea, you can tell Look at that little fella Yeah So these are young kids And look how good that guy is As a young kid.

[1315] Go to that guy right there Oh, here's a little tiny kid Yeah Look at this little kid Jesus Christ, that's insane That is insane Does I say where he's from?

[1316] That kind of body...

[1317] Japanese.

[1318] I apologize to anybody I might have offended.

[1319] He's Japanese.

[1320] There's a lot of them from Japan.

[1321] That's incredible.

[1322] Yeah.

[1323] I mean, it's just what they can do physically at such a young age.

[1324] And that these guys, they do this...

[1325] Go to that...

[1326] What's his name?

[1327] B -boy Pocket Kim?

[1328] He's the freak of all freaks.

[1329] Look, there's a chick, dude.

[1330] She's got some moves there.

[1331] Oh, there's a lot of them that are chicks.

[1332] Let me see.

[1333] And this is break dancing.

[1334] That's what they call it.

[1335] Yeah That's the style Give me some music So I can hear What they're doing it to Some Missy Elliott Probably I watch it I get tired I mean I watch it And I'm like Oh that's it looks exhausting It's kind of like A moving dance gymnastics Right I love that Yeah it's pretty wild Who's that guy In the far right there That's not that B -Boy Pocket Kim guy Is it?

[1336] No That guy's...

[1337] Japanese.

[1338] There's so many of them.

[1339] It's just that culture, the culture of breakdancing is so strong.

[1340] And the athletes that do it, like this, I don't think most people know how crazy what they're doing is.

[1341] Like, most people on the outside, they don't know how wild the sport or this art form has gotten.

[1342] It takes a lot of athleticism, that's for sure.

[1343] And coordination.

[1344] A video of this guy.

[1345] He's incredible.

[1346] There's a video right there, Jamie on the Grass.

[1347] Kill that fucking music immediately.

[1348] Jesus.

[1349] You know, they look like gymnast.

[1350] You know those guys that hold onto the bars and they do the thing on the bar?

[1351] Like, they're holding on to the bars.

[1352] Like, that's what it looks like, but no bars.

[1353] Exactly.

[1354] And, you know, and obviously, look at this fucking Ariel he's doing.

[1355] That is nuts.

[1356] These guys got to be like stunt doubles for like movies in Hollywood, right?

[1357] Like those martial art movies.

[1358] Yeah.

[1359] Well, look how crazy that is.

[1360] And everything, like the flexibility.

[1361] the athleticism, just the physical strength to distort or contort your body, I would appreciate if you take that mask off while you're doing it, those are.

[1362] Totally.

[1363] How dare you?

[1364] Well, it's gone to a point where people, like, want to keep them on, right?

[1365] Yeah.

[1366] Like, they don't want to show their real faces or maybe they didn't brush their teeth or something.

[1367] Their bad breath.

[1368] Yeah.

[1369] I think it's also like a signal that you're a good person.

[1370] Like, hey, I'm doing the right thing.

[1371] I'm wearing my mask.

[1372] I would be considered very disrespectful then.

[1373] No, just logical.

[1374] Yeah, exactly.

[1375] Exactly.

[1376] It's not, you know, it's just silly at this point.

[1377] It's like, I just, that's not protecting you.

[1378] I know.

[1379] Have you seen that guy where you takes a pool from a vape pen on the outside and then just like clouds and plumes of smoke coming out?

[1380] It's like, what is it really protecting?

[1381] Well, that's what happens with air.

[1382] I mean, that's when you breathe.

[1383] The reason why you can breathe is the reason why the mass doesn't work.

[1384] Yeah.

[1385] And then also like the filter, it's going through there.

[1386] The particles of COVID are smaller.

[1387] Now, can it stop some of the virus?

[1388] from getting to you?

[1389] Maybe.

[1390] I don't know.

[1391] Maybe can it stop some of your virus from getting out to other people?

[1392] Maybe.

[1393] I mean, do you remember when we used to like blow out candles on birthday cakes?

[1394] Like we were wild back then.

[1395] Like that was nuts.

[1396] Yeah.

[1397] That's a super spreader event now.

[1398] Yeah, exactly.

[1399] So when you do like walk me through like a typical camp.

[1400] Like if you're, say you're going to defend your title against Amanda.

[1401] Yeah.

[1402] What how much time do you want to give yourself and like how do you prepare?

[1403] I've already started.

[1404] You've already started?

[1405] You've already started?

[1406] Yeah.

[1407] I just got to keep the foundation first off.

[1408] So that means going to the gym.

[1409] Not three times a day anymore, but at least showing up at least a few times a week and getting that foundation with the strength and conditioning and the conditioning and everything like that.

[1410] So you just stay in a good place.

[1411] Yeah.

[1412] I'm not as aggressive with, you know, training six days a week.

[1413] And I will once I get into like official camp.

[1414] But it's important now to keep the foundation.

[1415] and to keep the base.

[1416] And that means lifting still and running still and making sure that, you know, I'm not turning back into the tin man, you know, because nothing is harder than getting out of shape and then trying to get back in shape again.

[1417] It's brutal.

[1418] Talk about a mental F. Like, ugh, how did I even do this before?

[1419] Like, you got to just stay consistent.

[1420] Is that one of the hardest things about getting off or a knee injury like yours?

[1421] Staying consistent?

[1422] No, getting over the fact that you're out of condition too.

[1423] Like, not only are you recovered.

[1424] Well, not even just a knee injury.

[1425] It's like go to any, you know, I think it's changing, but like typical fighter after a fight.

[1426] What do they do?

[1427] They get fat, they eat whatever they want, and they don't, you know, step into the gym until their next fight again.

[1428] Not everybody, but I have, I'm not going to lie, have been that fighter before where I'm just like chilling, you know, until I go to the next camp.

[1429] How much time would you give yourself off?

[1430] I mean, so fighters fight like two times is a lot.

[1431] I don't think it's that much, yeah.

[1432] But when you're at that high of a level, you know, that's plenty.

[1433] And so if you had a fight after the fight and back in the day, you would just kind of fuck off?

[1434] Yep.

[1435] For how long?

[1436] Weeks, sometimes even months.

[1437] Not do shit.

[1438] Yeah.

[1439] But I was in a younger stage where I would just be like partying and living it up and I didn't have any, let's say, little lives depending on me. So I was like, single living the life, you know, and enjoying myself.

[1440] Now it's like you can't do that.

[1441] And especially with her being in school, it's forced me to get on more of a routine.

[1442] Do you think also, though, that the progress that you've made from not doing that has made you more disciplined because you've recognized the value in that discipline?

[1443] Well, not only that, but just staying consistent and active.

[1444] Staying active, I think, is a very important thing, especially as a fighter.

[1445] And I never used to think like that.

[1446] You take a loss, I won't fight again for a year because I'm so depressed and F fighting, you know.

[1447] But when I took a loss to Germain, I was like, I'm going to, you know, disappear off the face of the planet and cry myself to sleep again like I did with Valentina.

[1448] My coach Wayne was like, no, you need to take another fight immediately.

[1449] You need to stay active.

[1450] You have to stay active.

[1451] And I took another fight about a month and a half later against Sarah McMahon.

[1452] And so staying active and disciplined and grinding, it's tiresome and it kind of gets, you know, like, but then once it becomes your norm, it's like this is what I do.

[1453] And then you think, what else do you got to do today?

[1454] You know what I mean?

[1455] You're a fighter.

[1456] You're a professional fighter.

[1457] What else you got going on?

[1458] You know, you should be in the gym.

[1459] You should be training.

[1460] You should be, you know, eating right and doing the right things.

[1461] That's your job.

[1462] So once I kind of had that realization, I was like, okay, it's time to grow up a little bit.

[1463] And this is my craft, and I have to keep honing in on my craft.

[1464] I have to keep evolving.

[1465] I have to keep adding.

[1466] I have to stay consistent.

[1467] And I have to apply that discipline every single day, you know?

[1468] So was the, with Valentina fight, was the hardest loss for you?

[1469] Absolutely.

[1470] Yeah.

[1471] Why?

[1472] Because I hadn't lost in the UFC at that point.

[1473] And I think I had, it was a big, gigantic lesson in underestimating your opponent.

[1474] You know, I thought, Valentina, 17 -time Muay Thai world champion, I got to do is take this chick to the ground.

[1475] It's over, you know.

[1476] I was winning that fight, but I got overzealous.

[1477] I was trying to punch a hole through her face, and I ended up getting caught on top, her on her back, in an arm bar.

[1478] And I'm just like, out of all the ways, I absolutely didn't think that that was.

[1479] going to be the case, you know, but they was like, hello, you're fighting at the highest level.

[1480] You have to assume everybody is well -rounded.

[1481] Just because she's a 17 -time Muay Thai world champion doesn't mean she doesn't know Jiu -Jitsu, you know.

[1482] So that one was something that I was beating myself up for for so long because I was absolutely certain that I was going to stomp a mud hole in her.

[1483] And I was up until I wasn't, you know.

[1484] So that's one that I took very, very difficult.

[1485] When you think about defending your title, does she pop into your mind about somehow or not they're getting a rematch?

[1486] Do you think you can make 125?

[1487] I have in the past.

[1488] I fought twice at 125.

[1489] How hard is it?

[1490] Well, when I had the notice, the first time, I made it no problem.

[1491] Literally, no problem.

[1492] The second time, I absolutely did not make, I was off by one pound, and I didn't make weight by one pound because I took that fight on such short notice.

[1493] And it's not something that I would like to entertain because I have the, you know, a gigantic love for food.

[1494] And I don't want to live miserably.

[1495] Like, I truly feel, and this is going to sound weird, I truly feel like I'm a natural 135er.

[1496] What do you walk around at?

[1497] I'm like at 145.

[1498] You know, I walk around like 145.

[1499] On a bad day, catch me on a bad day.

[1500] I walk around like 148, 150, okay?

[1501] But I walk normally at 145.

[1502] When I'm in camp, I can't get any higher than 143.

[1503] Not because for anything other than the fact that like I'm training so much that like I wake up consistently, 142, 143.

[1504] but I feel like I'm a true natural 135 or 25 of course I can make but is it going to be annoying yes and is it something that I feel like doing no not really but again what did I say yeah you pay me I'll go down to 115 if you want me to you know I'll go to 155 I don't care I'll fight anybody as long as if it don't make money it don't make sense well I was just thinking that like maybe even a catch weight between the two of you two champs yeah depending upon what Amanda wants to do now have they made some sort of a Have they started negotiations or discussions or brought up?

[1505] I can only speak from what I would do personally.

[1506] And she thinks it was a flu.

[1507] She thinks she mentally checked out.

[1508] She thinks that she was just, you know, had to go see a sports psychologist to figure out why her brain stopped ticking, you know, at the moment in that she just gave up and quit on herself.

[1509] Whatever her reasoning is, she's probably a little embarrassed.

[1510] She's probably a little stung.

[1511] And she probably wants to stay active and go and get her belt back and show everybody that it was a fluke, you know.

[1512] That's probably what she's thinking.

[1513] That's probably what her camp is probably telling her, you know.

[1514] And that's the big money fight anyway right now.

[1515] What did he say, Dana White?

[1516] The biggest women's fight in history, in history.

[1517] So, I mean, make sense.

[1518] You got to have a dance partner.

[1519] You have to, you know, it takes two to tango.

[1520] It's not just a one -stop shop here.

[1521] Like, you have to have somebody that's going to want to dance with you and what not better opponent than somebody that just beat you and just, you know, put a blemish in.

[1522] your gigantic record of being the greatest of all time.

[1523] Oh, there's no question.

[1524] And there's no question.

[1525] I mean, it's going to be huge.

[1526] Yeah.

[1527] It's going to be huge.

[1528] Yeah, well, that's what they said.

[1529] Biggest fight in women's history sounds pretty big to me. And he said that Kayla Harrison fight and Amanda Nunes was like a mega million dollar fight.

[1530] He's quoted as saying mega million dollars fight.

[1531] So if that's the case, then what is this?

[1532] Yeah.

[1533] You know, I think it's bigger.

[1534] Yeah.

[1535] That's just me, though.

[1536] Of course I'm going to advocate for myself.

[1537] Of course.

[1538] Well, how can you not?

[1539] Listen, that's always been a hot topic is, you know, the subject of fight or pay.

[1540] I'm always on the side that fighters should get paid the most amount possible and I think that without fighters there's no sport this is where the money should be and also you have this small window it's a slippery slope right because oh you don't want to fight for 10 and 10 well there's a thousand other people that can't wait to put these UFC shorts on that are going to fight for that and no one's holding a gun up to your head but then there's that flip side that like I said those silver bullets I've been saving these silver bullets so that when I'm the champion I can finally advocate for myself with confidence to say, I'm the champion now and you must pay me. And then you get into that bad guy, good cop, bad cop type of scenario.

[1541] It's like, well, I've been establishing these relationships with the UFC since 2013.

[1542] I love these guys.

[1543] They're great.

[1544] Like, I'll go have a drink with them any old day.

[1545] And then there's the other side where it's like, you can't keep advocating for yourself because you're screwing yourself when you've got to have a middleman.

[1546] You can't, it's business.

[1547] Yes.

[1548] But then once you do business, then they hate you, you know?

[1549] And I'm, yeah, and I'm like, how do I, how do I do this?

[1550] You know what I mean?

[1551] Because I want these people to still, you know, rep for me. But then I don't want them to hate me because I'm asking for more money.

[1552] But how many times does that bother them where then they end up not putting the belt on you and not showing up to the press conference?

[1553] You know what I mean?

[1554] That's the thing, right?

[1555] It's like you got to, first of all, someone else has to do the talking.

[1556] You don't do the talking.

[1557] You just do the fighting.

[1558] But the problem is when you're talking to them too.

[1559] Yeah.

[1560] Yeah, and that is the problem because every deal that I've ever done, it's been me. And it's been like me going in there and be like, all right, yeah, sure, you know.

[1561] Oh, you feed me this awesome meal.

[1562] Yeah, yeah, I'll fight whoever you want.

[1563] Just give me the pen, you know, and I'll do it.

[1564] And any time I go back to, you know, somebody else, like, you idiot, why would you do that?

[1565] I'm like, it was really good.

[1566] He was so nice.

[1567] You know, it's like, and I love those guys.

[1568] I love Sean Shelby.

[1569] I love Dana White.

[1570] Like, I really do.

[1571] Like, I think they're awesome.

[1572] But there's other people that are like more on the business side where they're like, you just made the biggest mistake of your life.

[1573] So do you have a business manager that handles those things now?

[1574] Yes, Chad Bronstein.

[1575] He's the owner of Philo.

[1576] He's the owner of Wiesana.

[1577] He's got me all these awesome sponsors.

[1578] Okay.

[1579] He's got me the most money that I've ever made pre -champ, you know?

[1580] Beautiful.

[1581] Yeah, I just started work with him, and he's legitimately changed my life, him and Aristotle Loomis.

[1582] Yes.

[1583] Well, I can't imagine how much money the new fight is going to generate.

[1584] The rematch is going to be gigantic.

[1585] I mean, that's what they, I'm just using his own words.

[1586] against he said mega million dollar fight he said biggest fight in women's history well I think the idea was that Amanda was undefeated and she was the goat and this would be the big challenge to her but also that's you know big challenge you guys even you that's how I came here to have a bone to pick with you even you were like the week or the two weeks before the fight it'd be another UFC and they'd be like oh yeah UFC 269's coming up Amanda Nunes defending her belt against the juliana anyways Valentina is the only one that can pose a threat to Amanda Nunes you know I'm like I'm fighting her.

[1587] You guys won't even say my name.

[1588] I'm fighting.

[1589] You're talking about somebody who's in another division who's lost to her two times.

[1590] You guys won't even give me any credit in the world.

[1591] It's like nobody was giving me credit for that fight.

[1592] Not even you.

[1593] Listen, reality is if you look at your record and if you look at the people that you lost to and you look at what she's done, it looked like she had a massive advantage over you.

[1594] She was being called the greatest woman of all time.

[1595] You lost it Germain Durand to me. You had one.

[1596] Who'd you beat?

[1597] after that?

[1598] Sarah McMahon.

[1599] He beat Sam McMahon and then was where one more fight after that?

[1600] I was supposed to fight Holly but she pulled out for injury and then since Holly pulled out.

[1601] And then Amanda.

[1602] It was Amanda.

[1603] So that's one loss.

[1604] Yeah.

[1605] So you had one loss, one win and then fight for the title.

[1606] It's, it's not doubting your abilities.

[1607] Weirder things have happened.

[1608] Weirder things have happened, but you can't say that when you're talking about the future of fighting.

[1609] If you're looking at like the rankings and you're looking at what's who's going to challenge who and how things line up.

[1610] It's not a disrespect to you.

[1611] It's just the reality of your record.

[1612] Misha was 0 and 2 when she got a title shot.

[1613] There was other people that like did absolutely nothing that were getting title shots.

[1614] Yeah, but that was when Misha had lost to him, that would Misha had lost to Ronda over in, uh, strike force.

[1615] So it was like there was history behind it.

[1616] And the division was very shallow back then.

[1617] The division when Ronda first won the title or came over and became the champ.

[1618] Yeah.

[1619] The division is night and day.

[1620] different yeah and there's so much talent right it's so much talent 25 there's so much talent 35 yeah so when we're doing that we're just trying to think of like what's the biggest hype up fight right valentine is one of the greatest martial arts practitioners period yep and when you look at her being a threat to amanda you would say that would be the biggest threat to amanda and you so you're trying to set things up and talk about the future yeah it's just talk about realistically based on accomplishments yeah but now yeah obviously you've accomplished something that nobody did so it's a different animal now.

[1621] So now going into this fight, I'll talk about you very differently.

[1622] Don't worry about it.

[1623] I'm like, I got to go to Texas, man. I got to clear my name.

[1624] I'm sick of this.

[1625] No respect.

[1626] Listen, I'm not, I'm not here to disparage you.

[1627] I'm here to pump you up.

[1628] No, I know.

[1629] I'm pumped up.

[1630] I love that win.

[1631] I loved it.

[1632] I went crazy.

[1633] I know.

[1634] The whole, everybody did.

[1635] I think the highlight for me, honestly, was hearing D .C. scream like that.

[1636] Oh, my God.

[1637] He's like a little girl.

[1638] We were both screaming.

[1639] octagon like his the range that he hit he was like yeah i'll show you the text he sent me he was like look at the noises we're making i know because you're both like oh my god oh my god oh my god yeah because it was so crazy no when you took her down i remember screaming like oh my god i'm blowing people's ear drums out yeah well it was crazy because leading up to the fight you know you do the fighter interviews and uh dc was just not giving me the time of days i'll turn in his chair rolling his eyes and i'm just like Am I bothering you?

[1640] Like, are you okay?

[1641] Like, how are you doing today, D .C.?

[1642] And he was like, turning his chair and rolling his eyes?

[1643] Well, I get a Zoom call with Megan and John and D .C. And like, I'm trying to talk to them.

[1644] But, like, he just didn't look like he was having a good time of paying attention, you know.

[1645] So I asked him in the fighter interview.

[1646] I said, how they want to know, like, how are you feeling going into this fight?

[1647] I said, well, how did you feel?

[1648] You know, when you were in my position and fighting for, you know, a championship.

[1649] And he was like, well, sometimes it went my way and sometimes it didn't.

[1650] Sometimes I lost and sometimes it didn't.

[1651] It was very like, you're fucked, you know?

[1652] So that's the sentiment that I got.

[1653] And so then we went to the ESPN desk and he asked me on air.

[1654] Like, you know, you asked me in the fighter interviews, you know, how I felt or what you were asking me for advice.

[1655] And, you know, to some people when you're in your position and you ask somebody else for their advice, it looks like weakness, you know?

[1656] And I'm like, I'm only asking you, D .C. because how many title shots did you get?

[1657] And he was like, I fought in the UFC.

[1658] I think, don't quote me, 13 or 14 times.

[1659] Out of the 13 and 14 times that DC fought in the UFC, 11 of them were title fights.

[1660] Wow.

[1661] That's crazy.

[1662] Yes.

[1663] So I'm like, of course I'm asking you.

[1664] Right.

[1665] Of course I want to pick your brain on this.

[1666] I need to know because you've been there.

[1667] I'm looking to you as a guide that can give me a nugget, anything, anything I'll take, you know.

[1668] It's not weakness.

[1669] It's just because you've been there 11 times.

[1670] It's respect.

[1671] Yeah.

[1672] Yeah.

[1673] Yeah, so I was really happy to hear him scream it, and he's like, she's telling me right now, I told you so.

[1674] I'm like, I did tell you so.

[1675] I told you.

[1676] But that I told you so is, look at us going crazy.

[1677] Do it from the beginning.

[1678] Oh, okay.

[1679] In the beginning, if you turn it up, you can hear D .C. scream, like, a little girl.

[1680] Look at Sean Shelby's mouth over there on the left.

[1681] I can't believe it happened.

[1682] Wow, it's the first time I've ever been on the octagon in my entire career.

[1683] Oh, you deserve it.

[1684] They tell you not to climb up there, right?

[1685] Look, my coach, like, boosted me up like a little child.

[1686] He, like, was holding my shirt the entire time to make sure that I didn't fall down.

[1687] He made me get on the cage.

[1688] Like, I was absolutely like, no, I'm not going to get on.

[1689] He's like, get on the cage!

[1690] Like, okay.

[1691] Okay.

[1692] How does that feel looking at that?

[1693] It was, I felt bad.

[1694] You see that bald head right there?

[1695] Where?

[1696] The guy in the left?

[1697] Yeah.

[1698] I kicked him in the back of the head when I got up there on accident.

[1699] He'll be okay.

[1700] Yeah, no, he'll be fine.

[1701] But it was, it felt great, right?

[1702] Because Wayne was like, look it out there.

[1703] Look at all those people, you know?

[1704] And the Rick's like, get on the cage.

[1705] And so they boosted me up there.

[1706] I kicked that guy in the head.

[1707] And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm up here.

[1708] Like, this is my first time ever being on the cage.

[1709] This is nuts.

[1710] Does it feel crazy just seeing that?

[1711] It does.

[1712] It does.

[1713] You know what's even crazier?

[1714] That thrill and agony came out.

[1715] And so my sister, she's got to be like, what, 125.

[1716] She's just a little thing.

[1717] And my strength and conditioning trainer, too, he's jacked, you know, this big guy.

[1718] Both of them after the fight were like, oh, I was holding Issa.

[1719] My daughter, I was holding Issa the whole time.

[1720] I was like, oh, that's great.

[1721] I went and watched the thrill and agony and paused the frame on my family.

[1722] There is a complete stranger holding my kid.

[1723] And I'm like, Grace, I thought you were holding Issa.

[1724] She's like, she's really heavy.

[1725] and she was squirming all over the place.

[1726] I set her down for a second.

[1727] And then I was like, Alex, I thought you were holding.

[1728] He's like, well, I was.

[1729] And then, like, when you pause the frame on the thrill and agony, it's just some random guy.

[1730] And I'm like, mom, who is this guy holding my daughter?

[1731] I thought she was supposed to be with you guys.

[1732] And they're like, that's your train.

[1733] That's your friend.

[1734] And I'm like, what are you talking about?

[1735] That's my friend.

[1736] They're like, yeah, he's a part of your camp.

[1737] I'm like, no, he's not.

[1738] And they're like, yeah, his wife's in a wheelchair.

[1739] I'm like, I don't know anybody whose wife is in a wheelchair.

[1740] and I'm telling him looking at this guy's face right now, I don't know who that is.

[1741] And I still haven't figured out who it is.

[1742] Whoever you are, thanks.

[1743] Thanks for holding my kid up, dude, literally.

[1744] Yeah, because he's holding her, he's grabbing her.

[1745] He's, he was cheering for me. He was happy, but it was so funny.

[1746] And the thrill and agony, I'm just like, I don't.

[1747] Who's that rando?

[1748] Yeah, all these people are claiming that they were holding my kid the whole time.

[1749] And then when it cuts back, it's like some stranger holding her.

[1750] Oh, my God.

[1751] That's hilarious.

[1752] That's so funny.

[1753] Yeah, it was funny.

[1754] Yeah, it was funny.

[1755] It was great.

[1756] When you watch the video of it, does it seem, surreal?

[1757] It does.

[1758] A little bit it does.

[1759] I will say on the flip side, I knew I was going to win and I expected it of myself and I absolutely expected, you know, whether I was going to walk away with one leg or one arm, I was going to walk away with the belt that night no matter what.

[1760] So I knew that.

[1761] And I expected it of myself.

[1762] But there was that surreal moment of like, okay, this is checked off.

[1763] We did this.

[1764] We got this.

[1765] And the also part, people ask me that all the time, like, yeah, It's awesome.

[1766] I won.

[1767] That's great.

[1768] But I don't want to keep focusing on this.

[1769] I want to talk about the future and what's next and how I'm going to, you know, move on to the next thing, which is retaining the belt and defending and getting on to the next thing.

[1770] Because I had already known in my head that I will be a champion one day and that it's going to happen.

[1771] So it's like, that's great.

[1772] I want to always remember this moment.

[1773] And I always will.

[1774] I think the moment speaks for itself as far as being very big.

[1775] But now I'm ready to go and do the next thing.

[1776] That's a champion's mentality.

[1777] Yeah.

[1778] Yeah.

[1779] Move forward.

[1780] And now when you think about your future, how old do you know?

[1781] I don't know.

[1782] I'm just getting old.

[1783] I think I'm 32.

[1784] You don't know?

[1785] I'm either 32 or 33.

[1786] You don't know?

[1787] 89.

[1788] I was born in 89.

[1789] And I mean, I could tell you, but I don't.

[1790] Well, when in, what, August of 89?

[1791] August of 89.

[1792] What year are we in?

[1793] 2022?

[1794] You're 32 about to be 33, right?

[1795] Yeah.

[1796] You're 32 about to be 33.

[1797] No, I think I'm 30.

[1798] Wait, I'm going 2020.

[1799] 22 subtract 1989, right?

[1800] Yes.

[1801] It says 33, but is, am I going to be 33 in August?

[1802] You don't even know?

[1803] I'm 32.

[1804] I'm old, dude.

[1805] She busted out a calculator.

[1806] I'm old, it sucks, dude.

[1807] I'm 54.

[1808] Yeah, but you're not fighting, you know?

[1809] These girls are coming in here like 18 years old, hot off the press, you know?

[1810] Like.

[1811] How old do you think you'll be when you stop?

[1812] Well, that was the question, right?

[1813] My brother's like, do you really want to be fighting when you're 40?

[1814] That's embarrassing.

[1815] And I'm like, but women are so.

[1816] Yeah, he told me that one time.

[1817] He's trying to fuck with you.

[1818] Oh, he's always been trying to mess with me my entire life.

[1819] That's what brothers do, right?

[1820] That's embarrassing.

[1821] What if you're winning at 40?

[1822] Yeah, but that's what I'm saying is, is that women are so incredible that, like, why not be fighting when I'm 40, right?

[1823] Because women are awesome and we can do everything.

[1824] So I don't necessarily, yeah, I don't necessarily think that fighting at that age is a bad thing.

[1825] It's absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about by any means, but do I want to be fighting when I'm for?

[1826] I don't know.

[1827] Well, Bernard Hopkins was in his prime at 40.

[1828] Yeah.

[1829] He really was.

[1830] He was destroying people at 40.

[1831] He fought all the way up until he was 50 at a world -class level.

[1832] Wow.

[1833] And see, that's what people are telling me. now.

[1834] I'm in my prime now.

[1835] So like, am I going to be in my 40 now?

[1836] Wait when I'm 40?

[1837] I don't know.

[1838] I think that primes today are different because of nutrition and because of strength and conditioning methods and because of recovery methods.

[1839] I think people are able to maintain their prime longer.

[1840] However, when it comes to strengthen conditioning and all these different things, like one thing that you have to take into account with fighting is damage.

[1841] And so many fighters, by the time they get to a certain age, their neck's fucked, their back's fucked, their knees are fucked.

[1842] There's something wrong.

[1843] And then they're just not 100 % ever.

[1844] They're always going to be a shadow of what they were five years ago, six years ago.

[1845] And you see it in fights.

[1846] You see the deterioration.

[1847] And a lot of it's just based on the amount of damage they take in training in fights.

[1848] Yeah.

[1849] That's why, again, it's very important that you try to capitalize on every opportunity that you get.

[1850] And that means monetary -wise because I'm pretty sure I'm going to need knee replacement when I'm like 50 or 60.

[1851] You think so?

[1852] Probably.

[1853] Why do I think that?

[1854] Because I've had two knee surgeries, right?

[1855] And like don't people get knee replacements or hip replacements and stuff like that?

[1856] I'm going to have to have pulled money from somewhere to have this type of surgery.

[1857] I mean, my surgeon, he told me, you know, when I talked to ask him that question, he says, you know, by the time you're going to have to be worrying about that, we'll be living on the moon.

[1858] So technology will be have advanced way before, like by the time you get there, you know.

[1859] Michael Bisping has two fake knees now.

[1860] See?

[1861] Yeah.

[1862] See?

[1863] But he was an animal.

[1864] Like, Bispin, when he was training, he was in agony.

[1865] His knees were chewed up, and he'd still run 10 vials.

[1866] Yeah.

[1867] Just mangled his fucking knees.

[1868] Yeah.

[1869] Well, road work is super important.

[1870] Yeah.

[1871] You know, he's just one of those guys, just all grit.

[1872] Not just all grit.

[1873] Obviously, talent, intelligence as well, but just so much fucking grit that he wore his knees out.

[1874] But the knee replacement thing is a scary one.

[1875] Totally.

[1876] Because I feel like we're so close to being able to figure it out with bio.

[1877] They're so close with like stem cells and different things that are regenerating tissue that you might be able to fix it.

[1878] Yeah.

[1879] Without having to put some sort of a plastic version of a kneecap in there.

[1880] Well, and I've had those treatments.

[1881] I had PRP injections and I can tell you, okay, first off, the most pain I've ever been in was coming out of that knee surgery.

[1882] The second most pain that I've ever been in is when I got the PRP.

[1883] I was in excruciating pain.

[1884] I was going to stab that doctor with my.

[1885] little pen I had I was screaming I begged her to stop I was like I don't want this anymore um I was like do you hate me that's how I felt like why are you doing this to me because I know um after my fight I think Sarah McMan had told me with when when I fought Sarah that she had got it and it wasn't painful for her so she's like I don't really know what you're talking about but the PRP injection that I experienced was the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life and I will never get it again because I was in so much pain really that's weird I've had um Regenicine, which is a very similar process to PRP, where they take your platelets.

[1886] They take your blood out and they spin it in a centerfuge, just like PRP, but they add a bunch of stuff to it.

[1887] It's really effective.

[1888] Is it Usada safe?

[1889] Yeah, it's Usada safe.

[1890] A lot of fighters have gotten it.

[1891] In fact, a lot of fighters used to have to go over to Germany to get it.

[1892] Oh, I see them going to Columbia lately.

[1893] Yes, that's bioaccelerator.

[1894] That's stem cells.

[1895] A lot of guys go over there.

[1896] That's a good thing, too.

[1897] But anyway, I've had regenericine done a bunch of times.

[1898] and I never felt that kind of pain.

[1899] So I don't know, maybe that lady did hate you.

[1900] I think, yeah, I was like, she told me that she has her NFL guys, the Bears players.

[1901] She says that they cry.

[1902] She says that I handled it better because she's done it to some of the Bears players and they cried.

[1903] Really?

[1904] I thought she was just spinning, spinning tails there because I was going to throttle that chick.

[1905] I don't know why it would be so painful.

[1906] That's weird.

[1907] It was really painful.

[1908] But I do hope that, like Dr. Cavitney says, that we'll be living on the moon by the time I have to worry about that type of situation.

[1909] However, when I do get to that point, I'm going to need to pull some money from somewhere to get it done, you know?

[1910] Yeah.

[1911] What do you think you're going to do when you stop fighting?

[1912] It's a really good question.

[1913] So I wanted to talk to you about something.

[1914] Campbell McLaren.

[1915] Love him.

[1916] I love Campbell.

[1917] Love Campbell.

[1918] Campbell's the reason why I got into the UFC.

[1919] I know.

[1920] He told me he hired you.

[1921] He hired me to be the backstage interviewer.

[1922] Yes.

[1923] Yes.

[1924] I actually saw an interview of you and him the other day he sent it to me. And you guys are talking about cars.

[1925] Like he was going to start a car show or something.

[1926] something like that.

[1927] It was going to be like about fast cars and you're young, you got all this head full of hair.

[1928] It's hilarious.

[1929] But Campbell McLaren hired me as his color commentator for Combate Global.

[1930] Oh, nice.

[1931] So I was during this camp with Amanda flying down to Miami every Friday and I was going to the Univision Studios and I was there on -air commentator for streaming on Paramount Plus.

[1932] So I've dabbled it a little bit in commentating.

[1933] I love commentating.

[1934] I mean, I could talk about MMA all day.

[1935] I could talk to a rock about this stuff.

[1936] Like I, I, I love commentating and I love MMA.

[1937] Well, what about doing a podcast on MMA?

[1938] The beautiful thing about that is you would control it.

[1939] Yeah.

[1940] Like, so it doesn't matter if it's Bellator, PFL, one championship.

[1941] You could do a podcast on MMA.

[1942] And like, obviously, you're great at talking and you, you're very opinionated.

[1943] Yeah.

[1944] It's perfect for you.

[1945] Well, and Chad, my agent was just telling me about this.

[1946] Like, we've got to get you on a podcast.

[1947] I feel two ways about it.

[1948] Number one, I don't even know how to use TikTok.

[1949] I don't.

[1950] I don't have a TikTok.

[1951] I don't know how to use it.

[1952] But you won't have to.

[1953] You're doing a podcast right now and you're killing it right now.

[1954] You're doing great.

[1955] So if you did what you're doing right now by yourself, you could do that.

[1956] So the second part of that is tiny.

[1957] Everyone wants to, are you ready to go to Hollywood to make movies?

[1958] Are you ready to do this?

[1959] And like all I want to talk about or do is fighting and focus on my career right now.

[1960] So I feel like doing a podcast, especially being a single mom, it's taking away from training and being a mom.

[1961] Like it's hours, you know?

[1962] Sometimes your podcast are about three hours long.

[1963] Yeah, but you don't have to do that.

[1964] You don't have to do hours.

[1965] You could use your two one hour.

[1966] And what you could do is like have it set up where you have some sort of a room that's got a table and a microphone, a camera on you.

[1967] And you just talk about how you feel about upcoming matchups, you know, or after the fight.

[1968] You can talk.

[1969] That's a great one right away.

[1970] Campbell gave me all the equipment.

[1971] I have a Yeti microphone and I got the headset.

[1972] He sent me the camera.

[1973] I just don't know how to do anything.

[1974] I'm just don't.

[1975] You can learn.

[1976] You're smart.

[1977] Yeah, no, I am.

[1978] I just, I think I probably haven't done it because I feel like every Tom Dick and Harry has a podcast.

[1979] Every day you wake up is like a new guy starting a podcast.

[1980] And then I also feel like timing is an issue for me. Every Tom Dick and Harry is not the UFC Bantamway champion of the world.

[1981] True.

[1982] True.

[1983] That means a lot.

[1984] Yeah, yeah.

[1985] Dude, you beat the goat.

[1986] And I feel this way about myself.

[1987] I'm like, nobody really cares, do they?

[1988] They do care.

[1989] No. They do.

[1990] Well, also, you're an engaging person.

[1991] You're interesting.

[1992] You're funny.

[1993] You're smart.

[1994] And you can do something like that.

[1995] If someone has a camera on you and you start talking about the UFC, people would go like, oh, what does Juliana think about this?

[1996] Yeah.

[1997] And they'll tune in.

[1998] Yeah.

[1999] You know, that's, I think it's a great way for you to set up what you could do in the future.

[2000] I'm like, look at Brandon Scha.

[2001] He makes infinitely.

[2002] more money now than he ever did when he was doing fighting.

[2003] He doesn't have to fight ever again in his life.

[2004] Yeah, he's a great crossover in that regard, absolutely.

[2005] Yeah, and other guys are doing that now too.

[2006] You know, Josh Thompson has a great podcast and he does a big John McCarthy.

[2007] Yeah.

[2008] Another excellent example.

[2009] And those guys, I mean, who better to learn about or listen to talk about fights than Josh?

[2010] He's been around forever.

[2011] He was one of the best in the world at one point in time.

[2012] Yeah.

[2013] Big John McCarthy, veteran, been around, seen everything.

[2014] Those two guys together are perfect.

[2015] Yeah, but doesn't that also require?

[2016] more homework and study on my end you're talking about after fighting or during fighting because yeah after fighting I could see that all day long but like for the most part people ask me about fights and stuff and I'm like this is going to sound horrible super selfish I don't care about anybody but myself and I have no idea you probably know more about it than I do because all I care about is this fighter right here like that's the only one that I'm concerned about so I would have to do study I would have to like you know know these guys more and I already do that on the side with Combate.

[2017] So that's hard enough as it is because every week I'm flying down on the other Friday to have to talk about these fighters.

[2018] I mean, it's work.

[2019] I get it, but I think that sets you up for a podcast, doing the Combate stuff, that that allows you to get a base under you.

[2020] Just like a base of training from cardio kickboxing, that's a base of training to eventually go do a podcast.

[2021] Yeah, and thank God for Campbell McLaren for giving me that opportunity.

[2022] Shout out to Campbell.

[2023] Yeah, for giving me that opportunity.

[2024] He's so funny, isn't he?

[2025] What you could do, though, is you could do a post -fighter.

[2026] thing it'd be much easier yeah so just I mean imagine just two big fights like look at Cyril Ghan and Francis and Ghanu and Brandon Marino Davis and Figuero just just from watching those fights you'll have so many opinions just those and it doesn't even have to be a whole hour yeah but the idea is like get used to doing it yeah get used to doing it do it put it out there and then eventually it could be a business that's really profitable yeah yeah I I think you're right and I think that Chad's been telling me that and I just have to find and figure out a way to facilitate it because like I said I do have all the equipment I just need to learn how to use it like I don't I have a Mac I just don't know how to use it that won't be hard to do that's not hard part is having a fucking personality and you have that yeah you know that's the hard part you already have the hard part yeah you got that shit dialed in yeah but the other thing to do for you and I would like to see a lot of fighters do that is commentary on you know UFC broadcast yeah I mean DC is obviously the big over there, but Paul Felder does an amazing job.

[2027] Dominic Cruz isn't fantastic at it.

[2028] It was one of those things where I was falling on deaf ears again.

[2029] I've asked, I've told them.

[2030] I've wanted to do it, and I'm just talking to a wall.

[2031] Like, that'd be great, but nobody's listening to me. Maybe they'll listen now that you're the champ.

[2032] You know, maybe it's more likely.

[2033] Because I think that, you know, we need a woman's perspective, especially a veteran woman's fighting perspective on, you know, big fights.

[2034] You know, there's not much difference between, men and women when it comes to fighting, but there's enough that I would want to hear from a championship woman's perspective.

[2035] Yeah.

[2036] And when it comes to a big fight, like say, you know, if Valentina is fighting someone, you fought Valentina and doing commentary, like that happens all the time in boxing, right?

[2037] People who fought people will do commentary.

[2038] That would be fantastic.

[2039] Yeah.

[2040] And that also reminds me of I thought for a long time, and that's refreshing to hear you say that actually, because I thought for a long time, they just don't want to hear what a chick has to say about fighting maybe.

[2041] Well, Megan O 'Leavy does it.

[2042] Yeah, but Megan O 'Leavy is not, you know, sitting on the booth with you guys and walking through the fight as like call a commentator.

[2043] She's kind of providing, she could, but she's just kind of providing information about who's about to go get into the octagon.

[2044] It's different.

[2045] I'm like, they must not like respect what a woman's opinion would be because it's been how long that they have never allowed a woman to like sit next to you guys and do what you guys do like together, you three.

[2046] Well, other than you, who would it be?

[2047] But other than you, who would it be right you know what i'm saying like you you want someone like dc's got a big personality sure you know and dc and i are tight yeah so when we do it together with john annick it's like we love each other totally it comes out and megan i love megan too totally but we you know you could do that too like 100 % i have 100 % faith in you i would i would 100 % hire you to do that yeah i mean i would do but again i'm just my own advocate here just trying to i think i'm my biggest fan a big professional fight that involved women, not even just women.

[2048] I mean, the only thing about Let's talk about men's fight for a second.

[2049] What did you think about the Moreno and Figuerreto fight?

[2050] I would have to go watch it again.

[2051] But after it was over, I thought Moreno had done to win a decision.

[2052] And the thing that drives me crazy is they always say, in order, what do they have they said forever?

[2053] In order to be the champ, you got to beat the champ, decisively, definitively.

[2054] You know, I don't feel like he was definitively, you know, leaps and bounds above Moreno.

[2055] I'm just like, I was shocked because I figured, you know, he had done enough to retain his belt.

[2056] So I was like, that's, I was not a happy camper about that.

[2057] I'd have to watch it again because sometimes when you watch a fight live, you, you know, you're just so caught up in the fight.

[2058] I always say that if you're doing commentary, you're not really scoring a fight because when you're doing commentary, you're just trying to give life.

[2059] Right.

[2060] You're trying to like, you're trying to express things that enhance the people's opinion or the people's enjoyment of the fight.

[2061] I'm doing it for fans where they realize that I'm one of them.

[2062] I'm a fan too.

[2063] I'm so pumped and excited about this that I hope it enhances their viewing pleasure.

[2064] That's what I'm trying to do.

[2065] But you can't do that and score.

[2066] Yeah.

[2067] So if I was going to score really accurately, I would have a piece of paper and I would shut my fucking mouth.

[2068] And I would just watch.

[2069] I would have like two.

[2070] Like when Eddie Bravo used to score fights, he would do like in between round scoring, like Harold Letterman does unboxing.

[2071] And we would have, he would have two pieces of paper with two sides to it.

[2072] And he would write down, take downs, this, that, you know, submission attempts, kicks, punches.

[2073] He'd mark all those things down.

[2074] And then afterwards, he would, like, add in, like, what did more damage, like, think about in his set.

[2075] And then he would give a perspective.

[2076] And it was pretty accurate that way.

[2077] Yeah.

[2078] But when you're doing that, you're not talking.

[2079] Yeah.

[2080] When you're doing that, you're sitting and watching.

[2081] When I'm talking, I'm trying to make it exciting.

[2082] Sure.

[2083] I'm trying to I'm trying to You're adding color Yes I'm adding color I'm trying to make it exciting And and I'm trying to honor their performances Right Like even though I was like making a lot of goofy noises When you're fighting Yeah I was trying to honor your performance Because I was like this is I wanted everyone to know how I really felt This is fucking amazing And I want I want to That to be contagious Right And I'll segue that by saying that I think that obviously I'm biased Towards Marino winning the fight Because he's Mexican He's Hispanic like I am And he's fighting a Brazilian like I did.

[2084] And then he also, in some regard, did the impossible too.

[2085] Because nobody counted him out.

[2086] This guy's last seat on the ultimate fighter.

[2087] You know, he took a fight on short notice the first time they fought.

[2088] Second time, it wasn't even close.

[2089] He just closed, figured out.

[2090] And then the third time, I'm trying to, like, look at his fight and relate it to my own career.

[2091] And being like, this guy is not supposed to win.

[2092] This guy is not supposed to have the belt, but he made it happen anyways.

[2093] And so, of course, I'm biased towards Moreno because, you know, I feel like we're in the same position.

[2094] We're the underdogs.

[2095] And so that's where I think my bias comes into play.

[2096] But I also think he did great.

[2097] You know, yeah, you got knocked down, but you didn't stop him.

[2098] And he came back and he hurt you too, you know.

[2099] So it was a close fight.

[2100] I would have to watch it.

[2101] It was a close fight.

[2102] It wasn't, you know, it didn't seem like a robbery to me. But it did seem like, again, I'd have to watch it.

[2103] Right.

[2104] I thought I was surprised.

[2105] I thought Marino had done enough.

[2106] Well, my question is this.

[2107] Aren't you like, how is, how do you, for example, you've been doing this since the UFC started?

[2108] you know or pretty damn close UFC 12 is the first one I worked at sure you've been doing it for a long time don't you get burn out sometimes like don't like how many you say I would have to rewatch it like wouldn't that be like such a taxing chore for you to have to do because you already watched it and you already had to call it like that?

[2109] That's hilarious I don't think like that at all no I'd get pumped to watch that fight again no I rewatch fights all the time do you I love them yeah oh I'm not burned out even a little yeah that would be hard right no the only thing that was hard for me was travel The only thing was hard to me, like the flights to England, Australia, and, you know, Brazil, I loved being there when the fights were on.

[2110] It was just physically, I do so many other things.

[2111] The problem is if you fly back from Brazil, Brazil is awesome.

[2112] But when you fly back, I'm wrecked for days.

[2113] So that means my performance and everything else is off.

[2114] So my performance in training is off when I do jiu -jitsu, my performance in doing comedy is off because I'm tired.

[2115] My performance in podcasting is off because my brain is fucking flat.

[2116] That's all that is.

[2117] having to be like up to speed with every single fighter.

[2118] I mean, they're just filtering these guys in left and right and like having to like have that knowledge on who's fighting every time.

[2119] It's got to be like taxing.

[2120] I love it.

[2121] No, no problem at all.

[2122] Yeah.

[2123] No, no. It's my favorite thing.

[2124] I think for me I would say because I've been commentating with Combate that the struggle has been that I'm trying to be on my own thing and then having to travel every week to be talking about these guys and of course I love doing it.

[2125] But like my brain, especially leading up to Amanda, I had to tell them a month ahead of time that I had to quit because I needed to focus on myself.

[2126] It was hard for me to be present calling these fights when I'm like, I'm making a mistake by being here because I should be training right now.

[2127] Yeah.

[2128] No, that completely makes sense.

[2129] Yeah.

[2130] But that's a different animal than me. You know, I'm so thankful that I have that gig.

[2131] Oh, yeah.

[2132] And I'm so thankful that I was there early on.

[2133] You know, when I first started working for the UFC, I was on news radio, which is a sitcom.

[2134] Kathy Griffin.

[2135] Yeah, no. No. Redhead.

[2136] She's in that show.

[2137] Is she not?

[2138] No, it was Vicki Lewis.

[2139] Kathy Griffin was on Suddenly Susan.

[2140] Oh, I think you're right.

[2141] I'm so sorry.

[2142] No, no, no. It was the same era, I feel like.

[2143] Kathy's great, but Vicky, Vicki is the original.

[2144] She was the O .G. Okay.

[2145] She's the O .G. My bad.

[2146] My bad.

[2147] But anyway, when I was on that sitcom, I was doing the UFC and flying these fucking puddle jumper planes like, like, weird spots.

[2148] You're like this thing's going down.

[2149] Yeah, like in Dothan, Alabama in weird spots.

[2150] But people would act like I was doing porn or something.

[2151] They're like, why are you doing that?

[2152] Yeah.

[2153] And I'd be like, I love it.

[2154] And they're like, bro, it's like, you think it's smart that you do cage fighting commentary?

[2155] Yeah.

[2156] Like, what the fuck are you doing?

[2157] Why are you doing backstage interviews at cage fights?

[2158] Yeah.

[2159] And I'd be like, I don't know what to tell you.

[2160] I love it.

[2161] Yeah.

[2162] I'm like, I'm not going to stop doing it.

[2163] Yeah.

[2164] And so it was a thing where I was like, I was wondering if this is like damaging my career.

[2165] But I was like, I don't care.

[2166] I love doing it.

[2167] Yeah.

[2168] And then it got.

[2169] To the point where it was costing me too much money because I would make more money doing stand -up on a weekend than I would do in the UFC.

[2170] And it was hard because I was flying all over the place, so I quit in like 98.

[2171] Yeah, so I did it from 97 to 98.

[2172] Oh, no way.

[2173] So I did it for two years, essentially.

[2174] At the end of 98, it was like, ah.

[2175] They had one in Japan.

[2176] I was like, I can't go to Japan, man. I'm busy.

[2177] Yeah.

[2178] And so then the UFC was sold to Zufa, and then in 2001, I met Dana.

[2179] and it became friends with him and then he's the one to talk me to doing commentary.

[2180] The first time ever did commentary was UFC 37 and a half that was the Vitor Belfort versus Chuck Liddell fight and that was on Best Damn Sports Show period so it was a big deal that they were on Best Damn Sport Show period and I was on Fear Factor and so he was like would you do my favor and do commentary so I did like the first 15 shows I did for them for free.

[2181] I didn't even have a contract.

[2182] I was just doing it for fun I said listen I don't even need any money I said just give my friends tickets so like my friends could watch the fights and I'll go do commentaries no big deal they weren't making any money they were they were hemaging money and I was my dream like Eddie Bravo and I would always talk back before Zouf had bought the UFC like you know what the UFC needs because we thought it was the greatest sport in the world but no one else did everyone else thought it was like porn yeah what did John McCain say they were like trying to get this like human cock fighting yes So, like, we were like, you know what the sport needs?

[2183] The sport needs some crazy billionaire who's a fan to just dump a bunch of money into it and make it so that, like, everybody could see what we see.

[2184] Yeah.

[2185] And just put it out there.

[2186] And that's what happened.

[2187] Yeah.

[2188] The Fertitas.

[2189] The Fertitas.

[2190] Frank and Lorenzo Fertita came along, and they literally did exactly what we were saying.

[2191] They were giant fans who did martial arts.

[2192] They practiced martial arts.

[2193] And then they hired Dana, who was their high school buddy.

[2194] And then they turned it into what it is today.

[2195] But it was literally like a dream come true for me. So I just wanted to help.

[2196] Yeah.

[2197] So I was willing to do it for free.

[2198] So I did the first 15 shows for free.

[2199] That's nuts.

[2200] And then it got to be the point, that's me. Oh, so cute.

[2201] Look at all my hair.

[2202] So then it got to the point where when it became, I was doing a lot of them.

[2203] Yeah.

[2204] And I was like, look, I'm doing this all the time.

[2205] And then they said, I think we should start paying you money.

[2206] Were you like, yeah, I will graciously take that?

[2207] Well, you know, it was, they were very generous, but it was a weird situation where it was like, I'm doing a job, but I'm doing a job for free, but I've been doing it for free for so long.

[2208] Yeah, this is a spy says, Camel McClearn was born entrepreneur at UFC 17.

[2209] He spoke to Joe Rogan about a new program called Street Legal.

[2210] Do you remember this?

[2211] I do.

[2212] He had like some racing show.

[2213] Camel's always got something going on.

[2214] Yeah, like that's you and him back in the day.

[2215] Yeah.

[2216] Oh, that's hilarious.

[2217] Yeah.

[2218] Well, Campbell's the reason why I got hired.

[2219] Yeah.

[2220] Yeah, he's friends with my manager from the Comedy Club days.

[2221] And Campbell was involved in this comedy club that my manager was involved with, like, way back in the day.

[2222] Yeah.

[2223] And then, you know, they had a conversation, I think, a casual conversation.

[2224] I don't think he was even asking about me. They had a conversation like Campbell was like, I need to get a new backstage interviewer where we need to hire a new guy.

[2225] And they were talking, and he goes, well, I think Joe's really interesting.

[2226] to the UFC.

[2227] He goes, you think he would do it?

[2228] It was like, well, let's calm up.

[2229] So they called me up.

[2230] I'm like, fuck, yeah.

[2231] And they're like, you're going to have to fly to the middle of, it was supposed to be Albany, but then New York State canceled it.

[2232] And then I had to fly to Dothan.

[2233] But, I mean, I got to be there for a Vitor's debut.

[2234] I got to see Randy Couture's debut.

[2235] I got to see so many historical Tito Ortiz's debut, Guy Metzger's debut.

[2236] I got to see so many historical fights.

[2237] Mikey Burnett when he was in his prime.

[2238] I got to see Pat Militich when he was defending his title.

[2239] I mean, I feel very honored and privileged.

[2240] It was for me, it was like, God, this is incredible to be there.

[2241] And these are like fucking high school auditoriums and shit that these fights would take place in.

[2242] And there was no rules.

[2243] There was nut shots.

[2244] You could pull hair.

[2245] Everybody wore shoes.

[2246] You didn't have to have gloves.

[2247] When I started, it was bare knuckle.

[2248] That's crazy.

[2249] I saw Mark Coleman.

[2250] You know, Mark Coleman beat Dan Severin to become the first ever UFC heavyweight champion that was the first time I did a post -fight interview shit in my pants talking to the hammer yeah I met him I got I got some pictures with him before I actually sat next to Chuck Ladell for this fight or fights on Saturday oh really yeah but I was so like I didn't know how to feel and maybe you can help me out with this because like two UFCs before I sat right behind him and it was the first time I'd ever seen him before and valentina was fighting Warren Murphy and he was just like not happy you know he's like women's fighting is and I was like you're breaking my heart Chuck because he said that he was like the whole fight and I was just not I'm not going to repeat but I was like you you literally said that to you no he's talking in front of me but like he's watching the fight and you can just tell he's just you know upset so I don't know how anybody could watch Valentina perform right perform against Lauren Murphy who she put on a fucking show clinic yeah and then I sat next to him at the UFC this last time.

[2251] And I think that I was trying to be like, you know, give him a chance, you know, because maybe he was just having a bad night that night.

[2252] And I think, you know, the second time meeting him was more pleasant.

[2253] And I was thinking to myself, this is so weird because his generation back when he was starting is just so different from this generation.

[2254] But what's interesting is that you've seen like all the generations.

[2255] You know what I mean?

[2256] You've seen those Mark Coleman moments, those Dan Severn moments, those Chocolate L moments, like, all the way up to current day, and that's nuts.

[2257] It just also goes to show you how new the sport is, but, like, how much more mainstream it's getting.

[2258] It's getting very mainstream.

[2259] But, yeah, when I started, the difference between the skill level then versus now is there's not another sport where you can go back to, I mean, when I started, was 97.

[2260] Yeah.

[2261] There's not another sport where you go back to 97 and then look at the difference in the caliber of the athletes, and it's so night and day.

[2262] What other sport is like that?

[2263] I mean, not just what the difference in the caliber of the athletes, but the difference in the sport itself.

[2264] Yeah.

[2265] Like what's recognized and respected as sport?

[2266] It's so different.

[2267] Yeah.

[2268] It's infinitely evolved.

[2269] Right.

[2270] What are your thoughts on those like scoring systems like I think in Kansas City where it's like round by round, they give the live scoring, they show the live scoring?

[2271] I think that's, I think they should do that.

[2272] You do?

[2273] Yeah.

[2274] I think round by round is the best way to go because then you hold the.

[2275] judge is accountable.

[2276] How do we get rid of these problems that we're having with these judges?

[2277] I think you need to hire fighters for judges.

[2278] And I know some fighters like Ricardo Almeda, he's done some judging and some other, you know, we had Frank Trigg was in the Octagon during this.

[2279] And so he was as a referee.

[2280] I think that's, you have to really know martial arts to be a judge.

[2281] Yeah.

[2282] You know, and then I think it's also very subjective.

[2283] I think there's some very good judges.

[2284] Don't get me wrong yes but I think there's some scoring that's just a little fucking one and it's a real problem you go to regional uh judging yeah so like if you go to a town that's not used to having a UFC and then they have regional judges or regional referees and they fuck up the fights that be that does become a problem yeah that becomes a real issue yeah you know like they separate fighters too quickly they stand people up too quickly they don't let people work you know maybe they hear the booze of the crowd and they give into it unlike a guy like herb dean who's not going to he He's going to judge, he's going to referee that fight based on what he knows to be the right way to referee a fight.

[2285] He's not booze and shit.

[2286] Don't mean nothing to Herb Dean.

[2287] He knows what he's doing.

[2288] There's other people that aren't like that.

[2289] And people will boo when someone's clinching against a cage, kneeing legs, and they'll just separate them right away.

[2290] Like, hey, man, you got to let them fight.

[2291] Yeah.

[2292] Like that's, I don't think they should be stood up ever.

[2293] Me, I'm the same.

[2294] I'm with you.

[2295] Good.

[2296] I feel like sometimes when they do that, I'm like, what do you just want to be a part of?

[2297] the show or something let them go like what are you doing you know you're not the star of the show here let the guys fight i know people love baseball but it's so fucking boring yeah and it's boring for hours right you don't you don't you can't let someone be boring for a couple minutes while someone's smushed underneath yeah if someone gets taken down right and someone like dc or someone can hold you down and punch you in the face right and and do that for five minutes tough shit yeah whose fault is that that you can't get up it's your fault if you want to get up you should get up right figure out to get up and if you can't get up That means this person's doing a better job than you.

[2298] Maybe it's not effective enough.

[2299] Look, we've had people win fights off their back.

[2300] Kevin Randleman and Boss Routin fought.

[2301] Boss Routin was on the bottom.

[2302] Yeah.

[2303] And throwing elbows and punches, and they gave him the decision from the bottom.

[2304] Yeah.

[2305] You know, and a lot of people agree with it because he did more damage.

[2306] Yeah.

[2307] Landed more strikes.

[2308] Well, I think that too.

[2309] If you're on your back and you're causing damage or even those attacking submissions, like just because you're on your back doesn't mean that you're losing, but sometimes to the naked eye, they're like, this guy sucks, you know, he's on his back and he can't do anything.

[2310] It's like, you don't even know what's going on.

[2311] Royah Hall knocks someone out from his guard.

[2312] Yeah.

[2313] He knocks him out with punches from his guard.

[2314] I forget who he did it too.

[2315] I even just saw Kevin Holland to do that against Jacques -Are.

[2316] Oh, yeah!

[2317] Yeah.

[2318] Kevin Holland fought Joaquin Buckley.

[2319] He said to him, you got a bugger in your nose, and then he knocked him out afterwards.

[2320] He pointed to his nose.

[2321] Yeah.

[2322] He said, you got a bugger in your nose.

[2323] And then he knocked him out.

[2324] Yeah, he's a character.

[2325] He's a wild man. He really is.

[2326] And he's also like really talented.

[2327] He's got so many different levels to his game.

[2328] I had him on with Travis what's wrong with my brain today?

[2329] I had him on with Travis Luter, who's his his jiu -scoach, who's been with him forever.

[2330] Sure.

[2331] It was a fun conversation.

[2332] Yeah.

[2333] He's working on his wrestling.

[2334] That was a flaw that he had in his game.

[2335] But when it comes to knock out power, the way he knocked Jacaree out from his back like that, it's crazy.

[2336] Yeah.

[2337] I took page out of that book when I fought Sarah McMahon.

[2338] Like, I was on my back, but I was still doing damage.

[2339] You could 100 % do damage for me back.

[2340] I think it was I think Dwayne Ludwig broke someone's eye socket from his back.

[2341] Yeah.

[2342] I think it was Eve Edwards.

[2343] I think he said, Eve Edwards said that Dwayne Ludwig landed a shot from his back that hurt him.

[2344] Like, you can land shots from your back.

[2345] It is possible to do.

[2346] Now, let me ask you, and all of the time, obviously you were doing news radio and then the fear factor and now you've been doing this but like have you ever fought ever like amateur or had kickboxing fights you had kickboxing fights you had kickboxing fights but not like ever in the octagon there was no no no no no no there was no no no no there was no MMA when I was fighting I had retired in 89 I'd stop fighting that's the year I was born yeah no fighting didn't come around to like 1993 there was fighting back then but it was only kickboxing and so I was Massachusetts State Taekwon Joe champion four years in a row and then I won the U .S. Open and I won a bunch of other tournaments of national tournaments.

[2347] That's all I did from age 15 to 21 was compete.

[2348] Did your parents get you in that or you wanted to do it?

[2349] Yeah, 100 % of me. My parents did not want me fighting.

[2350] They never even went to one of my fights.

[2351] Oh, wow.

[2352] Yeah, I fought probably like a hundred times.

[2353] I traveled all over the country.

[2354] No way.

[2355] That's all I did.

[2356] I had like a socially stunted high school year, like the high school time because all the time in high school, all I was doing was fighting.

[2357] I was just traveling around the country and competing in tournaments.

[2358] And were you like really popular?

[2359] Do people know that you're a fighter?

[2360] I mean, I wasn't, I was a weirdo.

[2361] Do you think?

[2362] Yeah, I was a socially awkward weirdo.

[2363] I mean, I was popular in some ways because it was kind of cute.

[2364] Yeah.

[2365] And also like people are a little weirded out by the fact that there's this kid that goes to our school that, you know, travels around and kicks people in the face.

[2366] Yeah.

[2367] And I was pretty good.

[2368] I was really good at Tyco Window.

[2369] Yeah.

[2370] It was the first thing that I'd ever done where I realized that I wasn't a loser.

[2371] It's like, because I thought I was, you know, we moved around a lot when I was a kid.

[2372] Why?

[2373] Well, my mom got divorced when I was young.

[2374] She separated from my dad and then married my stepdad and we moved to San Francisco.

[2375] We lived because he was going to school there.

[2376] We lived there from age seven to 11.

[2377] And then I was born in New Jersey, lived there until 7, then San Francisco, 7 to 11, then Florida, 11 to 13.

[2378] and then Boston, 13 to 24.

[2379] So it was like all of this moving and not having friends and then getting picked on a lot.

[2380] I got bullied.

[2381] You did?

[2382] Yeah.

[2383] So I was like, I don't like this.

[2384] So I'm like, I got to take a martial art. I got to learn how to fight.

[2385] And are you still, like, in contact or, like, know the people that you started with?

[2386] A few of them, yeah.

[2387] Oh, really?

[2388] One of my very good friends is a guy named Steve Graham.

[2389] And I've been friends with him since I was 15.

[2390] Oh, wow.

[2391] And he is the guy who talked me to doing stand -up.

[2392] Oh, really?

[2393] Yeah, because I would make people laugh because we would all be nervous.

[2394] Like, we would be on a bus or something like headed to a tournament, and everybody would be nervous.

[2395] And I would be the guy talking shit.

[2396] I would make everybody laugh because we were all fucking freaking out.

[2397] Yeah.

[2398] Like, because the thing about Taekwondo is it's definitely less damage than MMA or kickboxing.

[2399] But when people get knocked out, it's horrible.

[2400] Brutal.

[2401] It's ugly.

[2402] because it's kicks, kicks to the head.

[2403] Yes.

[2404] And so we're all nervous.

[2405] Yeah.

[2406] And so I would be the one who broke it up.

[2407] And also I needed a lot of attention back then.

[2408] So I was always like demanding attention.

[2409] Yeah.

[2410] And so when we got to these tournaments, it was, you know, the back room, like, warming up area was like my stage.

[2411] Yeah.

[2412] And I would be just talking shit and getting everybody, getting everybody to laugh.

[2413] And then my friend Steve was like, you should be a comedian.

[2414] I'm like, listen, you think I'm funny because you know me. I go, think about the things that I'm laughing at.

[2415] Like, these are horrible things.

[2416] Like, everybody else is going to think I'm a fucking asshole.

[2417] Yeah, that reminds me, actually, because, you know, my friend, he's one of my really good friends, Adam Hunter.

[2418] Yeah.

[2419] Yeah, Adam Greenberg.

[2420] He's hilarious.

[2421] So funny.

[2422] And.

[2423] Really good comic.

[2424] He just texted me the other day and asked me if I would be willing to do, like, a five or seven minute set for, I don't know, I think they were doing something on Fight Pass where, you know, they got like Shale Sunnet in.

[2425] Oh, yeah, he just did that.

[2426] He just did that.

[2427] I was, I was, I was growing up, I always, the three things that I wanted to be, rapper, boxer and comedian.

[2428] Like, I remember, I remember growing up and be like, I want to be either of these three things.

[2429] And so I love comedy.

[2430] I'm a massive comedy fan.

[2431] Why don't you fucking do it?

[2432] I told them, I think I will.

[2433] You could totally do it.

[2434] But that was my next question to you.

[2435] Like, okay, you went into comedy.

[2436] Like, how do you, you obviously have to write your own jokes, right?

[2437] Isn't that the most difficult part?

[2438] Like, that's got to be hard.

[2439] It's definitely hard.

[2440] Yeah.

[2441] Yeah, it's hard.

[2442] To have that material and keep coming back with it, you know?

[2443] It's also hard to find a premise that interests you.

[2444] Like, the thing, it has to be, like, if you start, you start on, like, you start what your material is going to be based on what interests you?

[2445] Yeah, what you think is funny.

[2446] Okay.

[2447] Because if you don't think it's funny, the audience is not going to laugh as much.

[2448] I mean, they might laugh because it's good.

[2449] But if you, you got to, when I know that I have a subject that is really going to work well, It's like what I'm interested in.

[2450] Like when I start talking about things that, like, mean a lot to me or that make me laugh or that I think are weird, something that makes me pay attention.

[2451] Yeah.

[2452] So that's a big part of it.

[2453] Because sometimes people just do things that they think are going to work.

[2454] Yeah.

[2455] And those are like trades people, I feel like, more than they're really like an artist.

[2456] Like they're just saying a thing they think the audience will laugh at.

[2457] Yeah.

[2458] Like if they have a nail and they have a hammer and they hit the nail with the hammer, They're just doing a job.

[2459] Whereas other people, like, you go to see some comics, their personality comes out when they're in their performances and in their subjects.

[2460] And so you get addicted to, like, the way they think about things and look at the world.

[2461] Yeah.

[2462] So you're obviously funny.

[2463] You're obviously smart, and you're really good at talking.

[2464] You could 100 % do stand -up.

[2465] Yeah.

[2466] But you would have to think about things that you think that make you laugh and then realize that it is a long, brutal process to become.

[2467] good at comedy.

[2468] Right.

[2469] It takes like 10 years to become like a legit headliner.

[2470] Right.

[2471] And it's a long 10 years and you're going to eat shit and there's going to be hostile crowds and you're going to have days where like you have off training days.

[2472] Yeah.

[2473] You're going to have off show days.

[2474] Yeah.

[2475] And I think about that.

[2476] I think about I don't think I could handle that, right?

[2477] Get some heckler in the crowd.

[2478] I'd be like, let's step outside guy.

[2479] You know, you got something to say to me. You know, like I. And then that's the thing too is like the fine line, right, of like what's offensive and what's funny.

[2480] Like I think masks are hilarious but you start talking about masks and people wearing masks and then people are going to get offended because all these people have died and yada yada yada you know so like so you dance around it you just got to know how to dance around it's like there's like topics that you can't touch and topics that you can't touch and i feel like that's one of a topic that you can't touch but right now i find hilarious but it's not a topic you can't touch there's no topic you can't touch but here's what it's like it's like if you want to fight and you want to punch someone you can't just run up and punch them because they're going to move you got to set it up right you got to set it up it's the same thing with comedy.

[2481] The same thing with comedy.

[2482] And I think every subject can be discussed.

[2483] Every subject can be discussed.

[2484] But it's like, how do you discuss it?

[2485] Like, what do you say?

[2486] What is, what's your take on it?

[2487] What's interesting about your take?

[2488] How do you get that take across in the least amount of words possible, but with the clearest impact on people?

[2489] It's complicated.

[2490] There's a lot to it yeah but if you love comedy and you enjoy it then you gotta probably already have a sense of how it works yeah it's just like watching fights and you're like god i love fights i wish i could be a fighter yeah well you can yeah but you ain't gonna be great immediately yeah it's a fucking bloody road yeah gotta take your licks yeah you can do it yeah you can do it yeah and that would be a great thing to do along with a podcast yeah but i'm just putting this things in your head because you know there's so many fighters that focus entirely on their career and that's great.

[2491] But until there's no more career.

[2492] Yeah.

[2493] And then they're lost.

[2494] And their identity is completely wrapped up in the fact that they're a fighter.

[2495] They retire and then they come back to fighting because what else are going to do?

[2496] Yeah.

[2497] And because it's exciting.

[2498] You know, and that was the thing that like Chuck did recently, right?

[2499] He came back and he fought Tito and it's like, oh, it's hard to watch, you know?

[2500] You don't want to see that.

[2501] Yeah.

[2502] Love Tito.

[2503] Yeah.

[2504] I mean, I'm sure I would love Chuck too.

[2505] I didn't mean to say that.

[2506] I'd be just...

[2507] I get it.

[2508] You're a girl.

[2509] He wasn't into girl fighting.

[2510] Maybe he was drunk.

[2511] He was...

[2512] I don't know.

[2513] I don't know Yeah He didn't look like He didn't look like he was having a good time that night Well that's unfortunate Some of the best fights I've ever seen in women fights I remember there was a tough enough event in Las Vegas Eddie Bravo and I went to back when Tough Enough does those amateur fights Yeah my training partner she's fighting on Tough Enough In March 4th I think And the first one That was like one of the first women fights that I'd ever saw This is before women fights were in the UFC Yeah And it was fucking awesome It was a barn burner of a fight.

[2514] Who was it?

[2515] Like Aaron Tuffield?

[2516] I do not remember.

[2517] But I know Aaron, yeah.

[2518] She's awesome.

[2519] I do not remember who was fighting.

[2520] There was two young ladies that I don't know whatever happened to them because this was like 2002 or three or something like that.

[2521] Extremely ready to see a chick fight at that point.

[2522] I remember we were talking afterwards.

[2523] We went to dinner.

[2524] Eddie and I were talking like, that was the best fight of the night.

[2525] And it's like anybody who thinks that girl fights aren't good.

[2526] That was the best fucking fight of night.

[2527] When Amanda knocked out Cyborg, that was one of the wildest fights I've ever seen in my life.

[2528] When you beat Amanda, one of the best fights I've ever seen in my life.

[2529] Because what do you want out of fighting?

[2530] Like I said, you want this moment where it's so exciting that while you're in the middle of it, you're going, I can't believe this is really happening.

[2531] And that's all you're thinking of.

[2532] All your troubles go away.

[2533] All you're thinking about is, oh, my God, she's going to win.

[2534] Oh, my God.

[2535] she's busting her up oh my god she got her down oh my god she's got her back oh my god she tapped and we were it was wild yeah i mean that's what everybody wants out of the ufc that's what everybody wants out of fighting you want this this moment where someone just rises to the occasion yeah and i've always been a fighter that has been able to rise to the occasion i've always found a way to i'll quote ronda rousey fight above myself in in times yeah when the rubber meets the road i mean I can, I'll bet on myself every time.

[2536] Well, that's not above yourself.

[2537] That is yourself.

[2538] That's what you're capable of.

[2539] You just have confidence.

[2540] You just have like, there's people that are killers.

[2541] They just have a killer mentality.

[2542] They know how they, they know they can get shit done.

[2543] Yeah.

[2544] They might be nervous.

[2545] They might be excited.

[2546] They might, you know, it's a lot.

[2547] But they know they can get shit done.

[2548] Yeah.

[2549] Yeah.

[2550] And I also think that, like you said, women's fights are some of the best fights ever.

[2551] Yeah.

[2552] Yeah.

[2553] And I think that.

[2554] that's just a credit to women and how incredible women are and what they can do, you know, like we're givers of life.

[2555] We give life.

[2556] Like, no doubt about that.

[2557] We're strong.

[2558] We're so strong.

[2559] That's the most incredible thing.

[2560] You're making people inside your body.

[2561] Yeah.

[2562] That is the most bananas thing in the world.

[2563] Isn't it weird?

[2564] I don't feel like it gets enough credit.

[2565] It doesn't.

[2566] When you think about your life pre -mother and then post -mother, how much, how different are you?

[2567] It's extremely different because I was a weirdo back before I had a kid in the sense that like, they'd be like, well, how important is this to you and I'd be like I'm a mama bear and I got to protect my cub and my cubs got to eat but like I didn't have a kid and they'd be like what are you talking about like this doesn't make any sense you know and I'm like well you know what I mean I'm gonna defend as if I did have a kid you know and as if I did have to defend for my cub now that I'm actually a mom like it's it puts a whole other level of meaning on top of it I feel like I have more to fight for now like yeah my kid's a star and I need to make sure that she has the best life possible and everything that she could ever dream and desire, you know.

[2568] And so I want to make sure now I'm actually quite literally the mama bear and making sure that, you know, I do everything to defend my, my real cub.

[2569] So it's just, it's a whole different element now.

[2570] What is it like?

[2571] Because your daughter was in the crowd when you fought.

[2572] Is that the first time she's seen you fight?

[2573] No, no. She came with me when I, so I had, I gave birth.

[2574] I had my baby.

[2575] And then And I took a fight on two weeks notice against Nico Montano.

[2576] And she was with me the entire time.

[2577] Wow.

[2578] And she was just a little baby.

[2579] She stepped on the scale with me and she was there.

[2580] How old was she?

[2581] She was like a year and some change.

[2582] So there's recovery post giving birth.

[2583] Yes.

[2584] What was that?

[2585] How long was that?

[2586] I have to shout out Jennifer Mercier from St. Charles.

[2587] Jennifer Mercier changed my life.

[2588] She is, like she's a doctor.

[2589] She's got her PhD.

[2590] and she has invented this type of therapy.

[2591] It's called Merci A Therapy.

[2592] And first and foremost, what she does is women spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on IVF treatments or all sorts of different ways in order to conceive and give childbirth or have kids.

[2593] Jennifer, her method is alternative to say, before you do that, just hear me out and let me try to work on you.

[2594] And then if I can't get you pregnant, then go ahead and spend your, you know, tens of thousands of dollars getting pregnant.

[2595] she manipulates the body so that your body can be ready to receive and so that you can get pregnant she has an astronaut she has a very high rate of getting women pregnant so basically she's a miracle worker what does she do she works on your body so that you can if you're wanting to have children she works on your body so that you can get pregnant and she gets women pregnant but she also heals women from pregnancies and um but what is the method it's like this massage type of like deep type of type of massage um and she also teaches workshops she also massage yes massage can help you get pregnant yes but i don't know how she does like i said she's a miracle she's got these techniques and she she works on you and she works on it hurts he's like you're getting your pelvic area worked on is it puts you out to sleep it's like very very intensive type of massage it's different than like a regular body massage but she has a very high rate of getting women pregnant how did she figure that out um i would say her own experience she has a demetriosis she couldn't get pregnant and she would manipulate and massage and have her you know husband ex -husband now manipulate and work on her and then she realized that there wasn't this type of therapy and then and she was a midwife too for a long time and then she just kind of geared it into this you know treatment plan that she does and she gets women pregnant from all over the world people come in from Ireland from Denmark they come from all over the world to get pregnant by her.

[2596] So yeah, Jennifer Mercier.

[2597] But what I heard was one of my friends in California, she's a chiropractor.

[2598] She was like, this girl's on a podcast.

[2599] She's in the Chicago land area.

[2600] You should check her out.

[2601] And it was Jennifer.

[2602] So I had a traumatic birthing experience, you know, especially being an alpha female, I was like, I'm ready to give birth.

[2603] I'm ready to, you know, give birth naturally.

[2604] I'm not going to take the shot.

[2605] Like, I was ready to do that.

[2606] My right of passage as a mother is to give birth, you know.

[2607] And then I found out that I was like 42 weeks baby.

[2608] hadn't dropped, you're not giving birth naturally.

[2609] You have to get this baby out right now.

[2610] It's an emergency C -section.

[2611] Whoa.

[2612] And so they took the baby out.

[2613] They, you know, they cut you open.

[2614] They rip out your guts.

[2615] They throw it back in.

[2616] So you're up giving your baby until you have a nice day.

[2617] Most women just go on and have a nice day.

[2618] And then when they laugh, they pee their pants a little bit.

[2619] What Jennifer does is she helps your body recover so that your organs are no longer fused together.

[2620] The blood flow can go through again.

[2621] And then you can get back under normal life your abs can heal back together and everything like that so i luckily found her through um one of my chiropractor friends brittany and um i went and she worked on me she worked on me as a trade and uh i was able to get back to fighting because of the the healing work that she she was doing on me because if you don't get this work done your abs don't heal the same way together you'd never you're never quite the same because your organs are fused together there's no blood flow going through there fused together why they're fused together Like, I feel like they get stuck, you know, because there's not that, it's almost like cartilage, you know what I mean?

[2622] Like, like when you get a scar or something like that.

[2623] Oh, okay, so scarring.

[2624] Yes, the scarring.

[2625] Does they have to cut you open and move everything around like that?

[2626] Yes.

[2627] Yeah, that's got to be brutal.

[2628] It is.

[2629] What is it like after a C -section when you got this like, you're opened up and you got this giant scar down there?

[2630] Yeah.

[2631] I felt, in a sense, depressed because I was like I didn't get to give birth the way that I wanted to.

[2632] They're like having a C -section is still giving birth.

[2633] And so I was like, but in that moment, I'm literally like, I'm never fighting again.

[2634] You know what I mean?

[2635] Because it cut you open like that?

[2636] Yeah, like I wasn't expecting it.

[2637] I absolutely didn't think that was going to happen.

[2638] I got gutted like a fish and then just have a nice day, you know?

[2639] And so I was like, yeah, there's no way I'm ever fighting again.

[2640] I just didn't think it was possible.

[2641] But Jenny helped me realize, again, having great doctors and great people around you, giving me that confidence that I would absolutely be back.

[2642] How long did it take before you could train again?

[2643] after that?

[2644] I mean, at least, like, I want to say, like, 12, maybe 10 to 12 weeks.

[2645] Oh, wow.

[2646] I think it's, like, typical six weeks after a C -section, but I don't think I was comfortable training until I felt, like, absolutely better.

[2647] And I'll also say that, shoot, I lost my train of thought.

[2648] Oh, yeah, people want to rush to get back to fighting right away after having a kid.

[2649] I didn't feel that sense of rush.

[2650] I didn't feel like, I got to fight right away.

[2651] You know, I was like, I just had a baby, I want to enjoy her.

[2652] You know what I mean?

[2653] So there was no rush for me to get back into the gym and train right away because I just wanted to enjoy my baby.

[2654] You know, they're only so small for such a short amount of time.

[2655] Do you get extra motivation knowing that she's watching you?

[2656] Yes.

[2657] I mean, I see her, she comes, she's been literally, and since I went into the gym after having her, she's been in a car seat as a tiny little baby up until now, four years old, coming to every single training session that I have, you know, like we're a packaged deal.

[2658] And since I moved to Chicago, I don't have my parents.

[2659] I don't have anybody family or sisters, anybody that can watch my kid.

[2660] Like, everywhere you go, I go, champ.

[2661] And so she goes with me everywhere I go.

[2662] We're a packaged deal.

[2663] And she has seen me train every single day.

[2664] So she'll hang out on the cage and she'll start cheering for me, you know.

[2665] And I can hear her.

[2666] And she's excited.

[2667] And she knows, you know, she knows what's up.

[2668] And so, yes, absolutely.

[2669] I'm like, my baby's out there.

[2670] That's got to be wild to be a four -year -old and your mom is the champion of the world.

[2671] I know.

[2672] I kind of want to know how she feels.

[2673] But like when somebody comes to ask for a picture, it's like, forget it.

[2674] Like you might as well just, you know, just take the picture with her because she is not going to let me take the picture on my own.

[2675] She'll be like, I want the picture, you know.

[2676] And she's four, but she's like 14.

[2677] Like she's advanced, I feel like.

[2678] And she's the type of person where it's like, say the Pledge of Allegiance.

[2679] It'll be a whole crowd full of people.

[2680] She'll tell you the Pledge of Allegiance at the top of her lungs or she'll sing, you know, you are my sunshine.

[2681] Or, you know, she's just very outgoing.

[2682] very sociable.

[2683] She's a little social butterfly.

[2684] Do you think she's going to want to do martial arts?

[2685] So she has no choice.

[2686] Her dad owns a jiu -tsu gym, and so she trains, and it's hard.

[2687] The tension span of a little kid is very difficult, so I know that sometimes he has a hard time raining her in.

[2688] She can be more of a distraction than a help on the mat as far as a little training partner goes.

[2689] She's only four, but she absolutely has to learn how to defend herself.

[2690] She's got to know jiu -jitsu.

[2691] With that being said, they ask me, oh, what are you going to do when she wants to fight and I'm like she's not she's absolutely not gonna fight because oh we're gonna play this back later well that's the thing too like listen take it for me I've dislocated both my elbows I've broken every finger and thumb that you can think of I've torn both my knees out like I've done every horrible thing it's a fighter's life is very difficult it's hard it's hard on your body and do I want that for my kid and her to have to experience that no no but if she were to come to me and be passionate and dedicated and, you know, showing me that she's disciplined and wanting to do it for real and that's what her heart truly desires, then of course I'm not going to say, no, I'm going to back her.

[2692] As long as she's happy, she can do whatever she wants.

[2693] I want her to be happy.

[2694] So as long as she's happy, whatever that is and brings her happiness to all support.

[2695] But is that the life that I want for my kid?

[2696] No, absolutely not.

[2697] Well, nobody wants that life for their kid.

[2698] But nobody wants their kid to be pissed that you didn't let them live that life, too.

[2699] Yeah, but then she's going to have to show me some...

[2700] That she wants it.

[2701] That she wants it.

[2702] Yeah.

[2703] Yeah.

[2704] And I don't want her to feel like there's any sort of, you know, competition or that she has to do it to make me proud or anything like that.

[2705] I just, in my opinion, what do I want her to do?

[2706] Especially because I see her singing.

[2707] Like, when I ask her to sing in front of other people, she'll sing.

[2708] I'm like, dude, I'm pretty sure this is like how Ariana Grande got her start, right?

[2709] There's little videos of her as a little bit.

[2710] baby like singing songs like this is my little baby like i think she could be it i think she's a star i do i'm like this girl's gonna be in movies in hollywood and like she's gonna be a movie star like she's not gonna be a fighter she's gonna be something better than that who knows will you say better than that but i don't think there's a better than that yeah i don't not to say not to discredit fighting or fighters i'm fighting is amazing and i'm very happy and fortunate and blessed to do what i do but i mean better in a sense where you're not going to have to you know go take punches to the face to make some good money that's yeah but the thing is it's like the reward right it's not just your your reward that you've got me you could speak this better than I could but I think your reward that you get from being who you are now is not just money but it's also like holy shit look what you did like you could do anything yeah now that you beat Amanda like you can't nobody could tell you that you can't do something right you've you've accomplished something that's spectacular and that they said was impossible.

[2711] Yeah.

[2712] That's, you could do anything.

[2713] Yeah.

[2714] If you decided to go do something else, you could do that too.

[2715] Yeah.

[2716] Like no, you, you've already have the, the mental fortitude to get through that.

[2717] And it's also the entertainment value.

[2718] There's no higher entertainment value.

[2719] In terms of like the amount of joy that you gave the world.

[2720] Yeah.

[2721] That night, that moment when you beat Amanda and she tapped and you went crazy and everyone went crazy and that is a, that very few human beings ever affect people that way.

[2722] Especially large numbers of people that are watching you.

[2723] It's such a small group of people that get that window in life where they, they break through with some performance, some thing they did, some effort, some accomplishment that they achieved that literally changes everyone's life who watched it.

[2724] Yeah.

[2725] And that's why fighting gets me excited because I just, I just want to go do it again.

[2726] You know what I mean?

[2727] I just want to go do it again.

[2728] And I am so blessed and fortunate that I get to live this life and give these people this inspiration and this hope and this realization that, hey, hey, look at me. I'm a mom, I'm a single mom.

[2729] I'm doing it, you know?

[2730] If I can do it, you can do it.

[2731] You know, I'm not saying that you can go be a world champion and be a fighter all of a sudden overnight.

[2732] No, I've been grinding at this for 13 years.

[2733] This isn't something that just happened overnight.

[2734] But I've been putting in my time.

[2735] I've been putting in my licks.

[2736] And, you know, this is something that is, I deserve every little bit of success that I have now been able to attain because I've been putting in my time.

[2737] And so that feels really great.

[2738] No one can ever take that away from me. And to be that voice of hope and inspiration is an honor.

[2739] And it makes me excited about fighting.

[2740] It makes me, that's what makes me passionate about fighting.

[2741] This makes me want to do it all over again.

[2742] I can't wait to do it all over again.

[2743] but if she could experience that in a different facet without brain damage yeah exactly then that would make me very happy yeah well that's awesome but whatever makes her happy yeah well listen uh congratulations on everything what you did like realistically changed the face of women's fighting forever really did yeah because you change the landscape yeah you know you're the you're the new champion in the world.

[2744] Thank you.

[2745] Isn't this wild?

[2746] Yeah, it is.

[2747] Thank you.

[2748] So wild.

[2749] And I can't wait to see a fight again, and whether it's with Amanda or Valentina or whoever, I can't wait to see a fight again.

[2750] Thank you.

[2751] Thanks for being here.

[2752] Yeah, thank you for this time.

[2753] Tell everybody how to get a hold of you in social media, what your accounts are.

[2754] Yes, at Venezuelan Vixen Vixen is my handle on Instagram and on Twitter.

[2755] You can find my name, Juliana, the Venezuelan Vixen Peña on Facebook.

[2756] I do have a TikTok.

[2757] I don't know how to use it.

[2758] I don't have anything posted up there.

[2759] The website?

[2760] Yeah, so I have a link in bio.

[2761] You can buy my shirts.

[2762] You can buy designs for sport, which is what I would definitely suggest.

[2763] You can buy a cameo.

[2764] I'll sing you happy birthday.

[2765] And I think that's all I got up there right now.

[2766] But my shirt, it says too fast, too sexy, too, no, too fast, too strong, too sexy to Peña.

[2767] And then on the front it says the Peña Power.

[2768] So I love that shirt.

[2769] I think it's great.

[2770] It's my little knockoff Nike version of my shirt.

[2771] So I love it.

[2772] Yes.

[2773] Well, thank you very much.

[2774] Thank you.

[2775] Thank you.

[2776] Thank you.

[2777] All right.

[2778] Bye, everybody.

[2779] Bye -bye.