#880 - Jon Jones

[0] Got a publicist with you, huh?

[1] Yeah, she didn't want me to do this without, at least.

[2] Definitely don't chew that on the air.

[3] Boom, we're live.

[4] People are going to get mad at you, you're chewing out on the air.

[5] They're hearing it right now.

[6] They're like, God damn it, John Jones.

[7] Almost finished.

[8] You had all this time.

[9] Almost finished.

[10] You're going to finish that fucking thing.

[11] That's an athlete.

[12] That's someone who works out a lot.

[13] There's like there's imperatives, right?

[14] You've got to get that food in there.

[15] Nutrition is key.

[16] It is key, but that's shit.

[17] What are you eating?

[18] What is that?

[19] A cane bar or thing?

[20] That's a bullshit.

[21] Oh, it is.

[22] Is that a good one?

[23] Is that one, ones with a five grams of sugar or one of them Carmel fake candy bar type dammies?

[24] Yeah, five gram of sugar, definitely.

[25] A little closer to that.

[26] John Jones, how you doing, brother?

[27] I'm on the road, you know.

[28] I understand.

[29] I've got to get you some stuff to bring with you, man. Bring some good ones.

[30] You ever fuck with that guy, Primal Kitchen, his stuff?

[31] He's got some great stuff.

[32] I'll give you something before you leave.

[33] I'll love to try it.

[34] Yeah.

[35] You're doing the number one thing that people get mad at on this podcast when we do fight companion podcast is chewing people get furious so sorry there's something about being in someone's ear like my daughter was in my ear last night and she was chewing she's trying to sit in my lap and she was chewing in my ear and i'm like this should not be bothering me like why is this bother me i was having an internal dialogue i'm like honey you're eating in my ear and to her she's like what do you give a fuck so i'm eating in your ear i'm your baby asshole what do you give a shit how old was your kid uh this one that was on my lap of six Oh.

[36] How many do you have?

[37] I have three.

[38] Oh, great.

[39] I got a 20, I got an 8, and I got a 6.

[40] Yeah.

[41] Good for you.

[42] How many you got?

[43] I have four.

[44] Whoa.

[45] John Jones.

[46] I what, 9, 8, 6, and 3.

[47] All girls.

[48] It's crazy, right?

[49] Yeah, I want to sound so bad.

[50] Jeremy Stevens says it's the fighter's curse.

[51] I've heard that.

[52] Yeah.

[53] Badasses get all girls?

[54] Mark Coleman, all girls.

[55] Yep.

[56] I think Don Fry's got all girls.

[57] Yeah, I want to.

[58] son so there's a surgery that you can do oh um where i guess they take um my semen and they take out all the girl um like all the girl hormones or whatever chromosomes injected into the wife gives you like a 90 something percent chance of getting a little boy really uh -huh is that legit have you googled it uh i've heard a lot about it i haven't looted but if it's a possibility i think we're going in that direction for the next one yeah see that's one of those things that i would google i would make sure that it's not some horseshit created by some dude who just want to collect your sperm I feel like I think I heard Kanye did that to get a boy the second time.

[59] Oh, yeah?

[60] In Kim, yeah.

[61] I don't know.

[62] I was going to look into it extensively before even trying to go in that direction.

[63] But that's the plan.

[64] Hopefully it's real.

[65] Wouldn't you think in some way, now I'm not really too much of a spiritual.

[66] Well, I wouldn't say I'm spiritual, but I don't believe in, I don't, how do I phrase this?

[67] Would you worry that you would anger the gods by trying to fuck with deep?

[68] DNA.

[69] That's so funny that that's a great question.

[70] So I actually thought that, you know, because obviously I'm a religious guy.

[71] I thought that my theory has always been, God is going to give me a son when I am mature enough to raise a man, a teacher man, how to be a man. So that was always my thing.

[72] And I felt like, I felt like God was waiting for me to get married before giving me and my fiancee of this boy.

[73] That's deep.

[74] And, yeah, that was my whole theory.

[75] I was just like, when I'm mature enough and we're married, you know, and when we're married, you know, God feels like we're in this good place.

[76] He's going to give us a boy.

[77] And then I'm thinking, you know, but if we have another girl, that trial and error is so expensive.

[78] That's 18 more years of raising some, another girl, you know, so because me and my wife, I already had three.

[79] I call her my wife and my fiance.

[80] She's pretty much my wife for being together forever.

[81] So I'm like, I don't want to risk.

[82] I don't want to risk.

[83] But you think about it in terms of a financial risk?

[84] I can afford to have a thousand kids Yeah, that's what I'm saying What are you doing?

[85] But that's something that gets ingrained in your head People always say that Oh, the cost of raising kids And you start thinking about man The cost of raising kids It's more the time Yes That time that you got to put in Like, you know You're raising another little girl It's all trawling there So I'm thinking let's just Put a little science in there And I feel like God gives people The intelligence to come up with these ideas and these different you know surgeries or whatever to be able to you got what I'm saying like God gives someone the idea to be able to do this so maybe he's okay with you choose a boy or girl well they didn't have the foresight when they were right in the Bible to take out genetic diversity testing or whatever the fuck they're doing what would they be doing like some sort of DNA chromosomal jazz I don't know what they're doing I don't know, I don't know what the process is, but, yeah.

[86] Well, people, I mean, wouldn't you say personally that, like, people who are religious, almost all of them sort of pick and choose what they decide to agree with and not agree with?

[87] I mean, you're a religious person, but you have a tattoo.

[88] Right.

[89] You have a religious tattoo, which is double ironic.

[90] That's funny.

[91] Because it says in the Bible, not to get tattooed.

[92] Right, not to mess with a temple.

[93] Right.

[94] But then you got to pick and choose, right?

[95] What you want to listen to.

[96] Yeah.

[97] It's not the way it's supposed to go.

[98] but you know we're imperfect and he knows that do you think when you were talking about like wanting to wait until or that god would give you this opportunity when you were more mature when you're mature enough to raise a man do you think about that like man why do I have to wait like why am I not mature enough right now like if if I can internalize that and if I can understand that like what is the difference between me in the future when I am mature enough to have a man and me right now.

[99] Like, why have I not learned enough lessons?

[100] Why have I not balanced myself out enough?

[101] I feel like I'm learning lessons every year, you know, every month, every day.

[102] I feel like I'm growing as a person as a man, but I only, I know about some demons that I still struggle with, and I feel as if when I'm over those, I'll feel ready to be able to raise a man and teach you man how to be a proper man. But you don't feel like you're over those yet.

[103] You're in the middle of it.

[104] You're in the struggle.

[105] Yeah, definitely kind of still in the struggle of some things, you know.

[106] But I've definitely got over a lot of things that I used to struggle with, which I'm excited about.

[107] But, you know, life is a work in progress.

[108] Well, you were telling me before the show that you don't do Instagram anymore.

[109] You're not doing anything.

[110] You're just sort of laying low.

[111] You're not doing any interviews.

[112] So, like, before you were about to do this, you're like, oh, shit, I haven't done anything like this in a while.

[113] Yeah.

[114] Yeah, the main reason why I decided to come on your show was I'm getting ready to do this grappling match against Stan Henderson on the 11th.

[115] And there's going to be a lot of media surrounding it.

[116] And there was a lot of, you know, I got to do like a one -hour phoneer with a bunch of different media guys.

[117] And then there's a few reporters that's going to be there physically to do some interviews with me. And I feel like there's kind of just like a lot of things kind of untalked about.

[118] And, you know, people are just wondering how I'm feeling and what I've been up to and stuff like that.

[119] And I didn't want to have to answer the same exact questions over and over for 1 ,000 people.

[120] So I was just like, you know what, Joe Rogan has a lot of respect amongst the MMA community.

[121] You know, his follow goes obviously beyond the MMA community.

[122] He's a smart guy.

[123] And I was just like, you know, I'd rather – let me just talk with Joe about kind of everything and get it out of the way.

[124] But, yeah, outside of this interview with you, I have not really done anything publicly since July when the UFC 200 was canceled.

[125] on a crazy ride just not just through july but for the last couple of years you've been you've been involved in a lot of crazy shit you know what are you have you are you disappointed in yourself with a lot of this stuff yeah i am i totally am i totally am yeah what does it feel like like like like give me the thought like we can go through all of them but give me the thought like probably the most i was disappointed in you and i love you as a person i think you're a great guy oh you too joe thanks i really do i've always had a good time hanging out with you.

[126] But I was very disappointed with you with that car accident thing.

[127] Yeah.

[128] When you ran away from that car accident, that to me was like, God damn, John's in a bad place.

[129] Yeah, I was at a bad place.

[130] It was a messed up situation, man. I literally, I was in a point in my life then when I was winning all these fights, I was the It Boy in the UFC, sponsored by Nike and Gatorade and, you know, greatest of all time, finishing legends after legend.

[131] after legend just really in this position where I felt so untouchable and I just felt like I just felt like everything was meant to go my way in that time of my life started to I was smoking pot the majority of my career I'm drinking me too shit maybe it's happening to me drinking you know every weekend pretty much you know to the point of blacking out just blacking out yeah just being hammered you know and just being a total party boy but still training my butt off.

[132] You know, I'm working really hard, believing really higher.

[133] I have big goals, big dreams, but just being a party boy.

[134] And I think I just took everything that I had for granted because everything for the majority of my career has gone my way.

[135] And that morning I got in a car accident, man, I just, it was just, it was a huge reality check.

[136] And it was, you know, I think in some people's mind they envision me, you know, hitting this car and running up and seeing that it was a pregnant lady and then taking off running.

[137] And then people said that I came back and grabbed a load of money, which is the stupidest thing ever.

[138] Why was a millionaire need to grab cash, right?

[139] Did you run back to the car?

[140] So I literally, I went through a light.

[141] It was like a green light that said that I could turn left, but are you supposed to yield for the right -of -way, right?

[142] to turn left and um um person came through and i i just assumed it was my green light to go obviously being um not completely clear -headed and i ended up running into a car um i was definitely disoriented um disoriented from the accident from the accident for sure just kind of like what the hell just happened it was a really big hit um but i was fine i had no injuries and i just felt like Well, maybe it wasn't that bad of a hit.

[143] So I literally step out of the car, and I realized, like, seconds later, I realize my bull's in the car.

[144] So...

[145] Your bowl.

[146] My bowl.

[147] Yeah, my pot bowl.

[148] Yeah, my pot, pot.

[149] Yeah.

[150] And I wasn't smoking weed in the car or anything like that.

[151] But it was in the car.

[152] But my bull, the residue, was in the car.

[153] So I literally, I opened my car door.

[154] I'd, like, take two steps away from the car.

[155] and then I go back to the car and I like search the car because I had it in my cup holder and when I hit the bowl fell somewhere who knows where it flew to but I knew I knew shit like if I can't find that bull that's gonna get me in trouble just having a bowl in my car so I looked for like two seconds couldn't find the bowl and I just took off running Did you look at the other person in the other car?

[156] No I had no clue that it was a woman I had no clue that it was a pregnant woman How much time would we talking about like from the time was literally the but from the time that I hit I had I had I had I was over a fence probably eight seconds later it was it was literally a super reactionary like just I just felt I hadn't been home yet I stayed at a friend's house I wasn't drinking and driving I you know my decision was to sleep at my friend's house because I knew I couldn't drive home he woke up early the next morning to go to work and he's like John feel free to stay here and uh you know You can make yourself breakfast or whatever, whatever.

[157] And the guy has a family.

[158] He has a wife, and he has a newborn baby, and I didn't want to stay at his house while he's at work.

[159] So I was just like, no, I think I'm okay.

[160] But really, I had maybe like two hours of sleep, and I didn't realize that I still wasn't ready to drive.

[161] So, you know, I wake up and get in my car, and, you know, I just wasn't ready to drive or whatnot.

[162] But why didn't you look at the other car?

[163] because it all happened so fast yeah sorry yeah so it all happened so fast and um i just knew i was uh i know i knew i smelled like alcohol and um i just felt like if the police came i would be a bad situation for me and um i just thought the person that i had to have been okay because i was totally okay i was like maybe this collision wasn't that hard um so i just feel like in a lot of people's minds they see me as like I knew it was this woman I saw this woman hanging out the window crying and bleeding or something like that and like I just chose the lever and I didn't know what I had.

[164] I didn't know if I hit a truck I didn't know if I hit a punch bug I didn't know what it was that I had I just knew it was another vehicle.

[165] But you didn't even look?

[166] No I didn't look.

[167] Wow.

[168] And I didn't go back for cash but it doesn't make it doesn't make what I did okay the fact that you know I didn't go back for cash and I really went back for my boy that's no better right um the whole situation was just a shitty situation I was in a really bad point in my life taken like I said everything for granted if you wanted to have a situation come up with just like worst case scenario that is the worst case scenario pregnant woman oh yeah it makes me like a monster yeah it makes me like a monster when you found I was a pregnant woman what was what was going through your mind I thought Man, I'm done.

[169] I'm done.

[170] First, I was afraid that there would be some type of problems with her baby.

[171] Because, you know, obviously, if she had a difficult pregnancy, then that's a whole different level of being in trouble.

[172] God forbid if she would have a miscarriage.

[173] You know, I would imagine that that would be 1 ,000 % put on me. So I thought about the fact that I went from just partying and enjoying this career and this amazing fairytale life.

[174] I thought I was going from that to like literally being in jail being labeled as a murderer.

[175] So that was my number one thing, was just hoping that the baby was okay.

[176] What about, what were you thinking about yourself?

[177] Like when you did that, when you ran, I mean, there's no way you could be happy with yourself that you did that.

[178] No, I felt terrible.

[179] What were you thinking?

[180] Well, I, I, me and my mom have a great relationship.

[181] I'm a mom's boy.

[182] And then I'm the father of four daughters.

[183] So, you know, if anything, my respect for women is, I have tremendous respect for a woman.

[184] And I tried to, like, obviously, being a father, I like, I tried to, I just felt like a monster.

[185] I felt like a monster.

[186] You know what I mean?

[187] I just felt terrible.

[188] I felt really bad.

[189] I was mainly just concerned with this woman's health and safety, and I'm really glad that she ended up being.

[190] okay.

[191] I felt really bad.

[192] I was just like, dude, even in the public's eyes, like, you just heard a pregnant woman.

[193] Like, doesn't really get worse than that.

[194] But, but, yeah, I had no clue.

[195] I had no clue that it was even a woman that I hit.

[196] And, you know, I felt terrible.

[197] And what was the, what was, not just the, what was the reaction from your family and friends?

[198] Um, you know, surprisingly, it was, it was okay, you know, um, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, They support me so much, and they love me so much, and they know that, you know, that I have a really, I believe I have a good heart.

[199] They know that I have a good heart.

[200] And they were just, they were just thinking, man, like.

[201] Did anybody step in and say, hey, man, you got to get your shit together?

[202] Oh, I've had a lot of people tell me I need to get my shit together.

[203] And what was it about?

[204] Like, what besides that?

[205] What do you mean?

[206] Like, besides this one instance, what other things have people come to you and say, hey, John, you got to get your shit together?

[207] Well, kind of all of it, everything that's happened over the last, you know, two years or whatnot, makes people feel like they can tell me that I need to get my shit together.

[208] I recently went outside to my garbage, my garbage man was coming up, and I was late getting one of the garbage out to the side of the road, so he waited for me, and he even told me, he was like, he was dumping my garbage, and he was like, hey man, like, I'm waiting to see you fight again.

[209] It was like, you really need to get it together.

[210] I'm like, man, this dude's parked outside of my little mansion pretty much telling me to get my shit together.

[211] Everybody feels like they have the right to tell me to get my shit together.

[212] And at the end of the day, you know, I sit there and I humbly take it because they're right.

[213] Yeah, they're right.

[214] But at the same time, you know how many motherfuckers there are in the world, you know what I mean?

[215] Like so many people are into all types of crazy.

[216] shit.

[217] Yeah, but you can't compare yourself to the losers of the losers.

[218] I know what you're talking about.

[219] You know what I mean?

[220] You can say, hey, well, compared the dudes to go out and fuck goats, I'm fine.

[221] Exactly.

[222] Who knows what weird shit?

[223] This guy's right.

[224] He's telling me to get my shit together.

[225] It's like, just because my shit's publicly, don't mean you're any better than I am.

[226] That's true, but you know what, that conflict is never ending and you can't get involved in it.

[227] Like that, that conflict that you're starting up in your own brain right now, it's a rationalization conflict.

[228] You start rationalizing your behavior versus well, a lot of other people do worse.

[229] Well, a lot of that is a dead end.

[230] It's a bad road that a lot of people go down to make themselves feel better.

[231] Right.

[232] The only thing that can make you feel better is to be pure or to be clean of it.

[233] Yeah, because like if someone comes up to me and says, hey man, you've been ripping off old ladies and stealing money from the church, I'd be like, what fuck are you talking about?

[234] It doesn't make any sense.

[235] That's not true at all.

[236] So if someone says something to you that's rude, that's not true, it doesn't have any impact on you.

[237] But when someone says something to you that's rude but true, then you have to rationalize.

[238] And then you have to go, well, what about you, man?

[239] What's going on with your life?

[240] Maybe you're into some dark shit, you know?

[241] Right.

[242] That's a bad road.

[243] And it's a defensive road.

[244] And as a fighter, it's a natural instinct.

[245] Somebody hits you, you want to hit him back.

[246] Right.

[247] Somebody attacks you, you won't, yeah, well, what about your weaknesses?

[248] And you want to try to search them out.

[249] And I'm sure a lot of people go through that when they read social media and they see these anonymous eggs on Twitter saying mean shit to you.

[250] You start thinking, oh, I want to know who this fucking guy is and what's going on in his fucking life.

[251] That is a trap, man. That's a trap.

[252] Well, you know, like I said, I do respectfully take it.

[253] Like I've never had someone say, hey, you know, get it together, John.

[254] And then I sit there and be like, oh, you know, I always, you know, thank you so much for caring.

[255] Thank you so much for, you know, rooting for me still.

[256] And I really appreciate it.

[257] And I'm working at it.

[258] And I seriously have been working on my personal life tremendously.

[259] And as of right now, I feel amazing.

[260] I feel better now today than I did when I was.

[261] uh beating everybody's ass and you know sponsored by the world and like i i literally feel better today because i i feel like i've conquered a lot of demons in my personal life so you feel better meaning you feel more at peace you feel more at peace you know like not worried about social media all the time like that that has brought a lot of peace to me not worried about what people are saying not even worrying about what's going on in the ufc like who has the builder or or you know just just just just being Jonathan Jones and having my group of friends across the country who genuinely love me focusing on my kids every day taking my girls to cheerleading practice picking them up from school, dropping them up from school basic stuff like me and my fiance you know just live in life being the type of stuff yeah being the type of stuff you know I've got no debts you know everything's caught up everything's spot on you know things I wanted to get fixed around the house you know that paint chip is painted now you know everything's just everything's going to everything is so put together right now in my life um outside of sports and and uh obviously haven't having the clear mind something that I haven't had in a long time you know I just feel I just feel really good right now so um as far as and then and then also being in a position where I don't really need to fight again either you know financially you mean financially but don't you though don't you though in your mind oh yeah I have to fight because I have to fight because the story can't end like this yeah well it's like the financial thing is beautiful and everything like that it's wonderful that you're set for life and you can just kick back and your children will be taken care of and your wife be taken care of that's all beautiful but you have a responsibility of greatness there's there's very few people that ever get to the position that you not just we're in when you won the title when you were the youngest ever UFC heavyweight or light heavyweight champion not just that the youngest ever UFC champion not just that there's there's also a responsibility that comes with potential right it's not it's not just like what you've done and you know it's what you could have done right you you fought alexander gusufson be honest about that how much did you train for that fight i trained i trained for the fight but But I definitely had this thing where I just felt invincible.

[262] And I did a lot of wild stuff leading up to the fight.

[263] I definitely didn't give it my all.

[264] As far as partying and not sleeping right.

[265] Mainly partying, yes.

[266] Drinking, stand up all night.

[267] Yeah.

[268] Yeah, I mean, when you win a fight like that where you weren't 100%, does that sort of almost reinforce this idea that you could do anything you want?

[269] And then, man, imagine if I trained next time if it's someone big, I'll train.

[270] Yeah.

[271] So I have this.

[272] I'm going to share something.

[273] I'm not sure if I've ever shared this with anyone else before, but I had this crazy thing that I would do where I would party one week before every fight.

[274] And I did it throughout my whole career.

[275] And this was stupid, but it was this mental crutch that I had.

[276] I literally would, one week before every fight, I would go out and I would get blacked out wasted.

[277] And my logic was, if this guy were to beat me somehow, um i i can look myself in the mirror and say that well i lost because i got hammered the week before the fight so so it was a built -in safety net it was a safety net yeah exactly so i did it my whole career i would i would go out and get hammered one week before every fight have you ever worked with a sports psychologist no but now but now i don't um my my open st peru fight was the first fight that I did not do that.

[278] It was my worst performance.

[279] I see, I don't think it was your worst performance.

[280] I think you were very unjustly criticized for that fight because I think Ovin St. Prue is a very tough guy.

[281] He's a very difficult fight.

[282] He's very strong.

[283] He's got a brutal left kick.

[284] He's athletic.

[285] He moves well.

[286] I believe it was a good performance, but it was still my worst performance.

[287] See, I think Ovin St. Prue's a really tough guy, and it was a tough fight, and you hadn't fought in a long time.

[288] You were off for, how long?

[289] How many months?

[290] 16 months or something?

[291] Um, yeah, it was over a year.

[292] Yeah, it was a long time.

[293] Over a year.

[294] I had a lot of stuff, yeah, a lot of pressure.

[295] And then you're fighting a guy who'd been pretty active and fought some good guys.

[296] Had a great victory over Shogun and looked real good in a lot of his fights and wasn't up -and -comer.

[297] The main thing about Ovents that really bothered me was he was the most, well, he was season.

[298] He actually has been fighting longer than I have, and a lot of people don't realize that.

[299] But he was just so green and raw still, like, skill -wise.

[300] wise like I don't um I study everybody extensively and then I come up with their patterns um I figure out the way they flinch I figure out their first favorite punch their second favorite punch their third their favorite combinations their setups to their takedowns when they clinch what side of their head's going to be in literally everything I know everything about every opponent what side they're going to shoot whether it's going to be a head inside head outside what am I going to do about that you know I figure out everything why they shoot where what area the cage they like to shoot everything um And with Ovin St. Prue, he doesn't know what he's going to do.

[301] He's so unorthodox.

[302] Unorthodox.

[303] You know, and he gets these random knockouts from these weird angles, and he just winks up, and he almost closes his eyes.

[304] And next thing you know, he's knocked somebody out, you know.

[305] So the scary thing about him was he's so unpredictable.

[306] And I had a lot on the line.

[307] So I just said, you know what?

[308] This guy is, he's in a shell pretty much the whole fight.

[309] He was defensive of the whole fight.

[310] and I just thought I coast through the fight and not really risk anything which I felt like I let myself down because normally I would just I mean normally when you get someone like that you just take them out you know I should have just been able to take them out but I was content with winning and I think that was one of the first fights where I actually just wanted to get the win get my money go back to what I my actual goal which was DC instead of wanting to finish this guy like normal.

[311] So I had to really question myself on why I was like that, why I was concerned with coasting.

[312] Well, that was a fight where you, that had the most pressure on you and any fight you've had before, as far as, like, people wanting to see how you respond to the adversity outside of the octagon.

[313] Right, right.

[314] I agree.

[315] I agree.

[316] I had a lot of pressure.

[317] And I feel like I responded great to my adversity.

[318] You know, I did all the things I had to do to get back to the stage.

[319] You know, I handled all my probation obligations, and I stayed healthy.

[320] I started powerlifting, and I hired a nutritionist.

[321] I looked better than ever.

[322] I felt better than ever physically.

[323] I did everything I had to do.

[324] I manned it up and was responsible for my actions.

[325] Yeah, was it Greg Jackson that thought that the power lifting might have had of a bit of an effect on your performance?

[326] He thought that you were doing too much of that?

[327] Yeah, well, I was doing too much of it.

[328] So I literally, I started powerlifting and I took off seven months of martialized training.

[329] I didn't show up to Jackson's for seven months.

[330] And I showed up to this place called Zia Strength Systems, a powerlifting gym, four days a week.

[331] Just getting jacked.

[332] Getting jacked.

[333] I became obsessed with lifting heavy weight.

[334] And I literally did no martial arts training.

[335] And then about four months out from the fight, I started to come into the room a little bit more.

[336] And then only three months before the fight did I actually start a training camp.

[337] Now, why did you do that as far as, like, cardio and things like that?

[338] Wouldn't you think that your cardio would dramatically suffer from just lifting weights?

[339] Well, I did a lot.

[340] I had a lot of weight to lose because I had gotten big.

[341] and I actually did a lot of cardio training.

[342] But I was also, I had these new coaches, new strength and condition coaches who specialized in powerlifting.

[343] So I had to almost, we had to come up with a plan together of how we were going to start not weightlifting and doing all cardio.

[344] And even at the beginning stages, it was like, okay, well, let's just lift lighter weights more.

[345] And I was like, no, no, no, I need, like, cardio, cardio.

[346] And so it was just a big learning thing that we had to do together.

[347] So these guys, were they involved in martial, Art's at all?

[348] These, my powerlifting coaches?

[349] No, no, they weren't.

[350] And they were giving you advice about martial arts training?

[351] So they're like sort of learning on the job?

[352] Yeah, kind of learning on job, but they weren't giving me advice about martial arts training.

[353] They, they, um, it was just a learning curve.

[354] I don't think they had ever worked with an endurance athlete the way that I am.

[355] And so, um, mostly they work with football players or power lifters.

[356] They work with a Philadelphia Eagle and a lot of power lifters, yeah.

[357] Um, but these guys, to their credit, they were really humble and they listened and they were able to, and they quit.

[358] quickly adjusted what we were doing every day to make it more about endurance and not about maintaining muscle or strength and things like that.

[359] And I felt like I got in really good shape with these guys.

[360] And now we're at a place, because I'm still working with these same guys, now we're at a place where we realize the importance of endurance and we're going to start way farther out.

[361] And like I said, these guys are humble enough to do what I need them to do, put me through some strenuous workouts that I think are a great ideal, make sure my endurance is in the right place.

[362] So other than the fact that you did so much strength and conditioning or so much power lifting, what else, like, what did you feel when you got into the octagon when you fought over in St. Prue?

[363] Did you feel stronger?

[364] Did you feel like your endurance had been diminished slightly because of all this power lifting?

[365] Well, so, so like I was saying, I took off seven months of martial arts and then I did a three -month camp.

[366] And so if you, like anything, if you take off seven months of anything, your game is going to change a little bit.

[367] So literally throughout my training camp, I found myself trying to get, learn how to fight again, pretty much.

[368] I felt like my timing was off.

[369] My timing was off, my creativity was off.

[370] The things that I, the go -to moves that I used to do weren't quite there.

[371] I would watch some of my old training practices or my old fights, and I'm like, man, I'm not doing this stuff that I was doing before.

[372] So I was really nervous going into, I knew that I was ready to beat D .C. because I was so well rehearsed and like the drills and everything were so well rehearsed to beat D .C. But as far as going in the fight with Ovin St. Peru, I just felt like my creativity was kind of gone and my ability to improvise where it wasn't quite there.

[373] And that was just from taking off so much time for martial arts.

[374] So in the fight with Ovin St. Prue, I felt really strong.

[375] I felt really, really strong.

[376] Like picking them up against the cage and taking them down felt effortless.

[377] as opposed to the way you used to feel.

[378] You felt stronger.

[379] I felt really strong, yeah, stronger.

[380] What else?

[381] Endurance felt good.

[382] It felt good.

[383] It wasn't as sharp as normal.

[384] Like a few times when I took him down, I remember I wound up in a punch, and I threw a big punch, and then I wound up, and then I hit him again in D .C. He said it was in the back of the head, which it wasn't.

[385] It was on the neck.

[386] But I was throwing big shots.

[387] shots on ovens instead of throwing a whole bunch of shots.

[388] And that was because I was feeling lactic acid in my arms.

[389] So that kind of made me nervous that I didn't have the normal level of endurance that I normally have.

[390] Do you think that's because you had more muscle bulk?

[391] I think it was, yeah, I think it is because I had more muscle bulk.

[392] But on the bright side, and not that this is a good thing to injure someone, but I did break or fracture his arm with a kick, and that's something that I've never done before.

[393] So that showed me that definitely came.

[394] that has to be connected to just developing so much power of my hips into my legs.

[395] It's a point of, there's like a balancing tipping point, right?

[396] Where it's like strength versus endurance and trying to find that perfect line.

[397] Right, and right now, as I say here today, I'm using my past experience and, you know, to measure what I'm doing as we speak.

[398] So right now I'm strong as hell, but my endurance is actually in a really good place right now.

[399] I'm not fighting until you're a lie, so I'm figuring it out right now as we speak.

[400] When you got really big, were you doing that?

[401] Were you thinking, hey, you know, one day I'm going to fight heavyweight?

[402] Let's see what I would be like as a heavyweight.

[403] You know, I didn't know what I was going to do at that point.

[404] I just needed something to be passionate about, something to be competitive about.

[405] While you were suspended?

[406] Yeah.

[407] And, you know, I went through a real self -destructive state right after the car accident.

[408] And then I just started to party more.

[409] I was really depressed.

[410] Yeah, the belt had been stripped from me. And not until Anthony Johnson and D .C. fought that first time did I join the gym and get myself together.

[411] Why was that?

[412] Just watching that fight, watch these guys competing for your belt.

[413] Yeah, just seeing them compete for the belt.

[414] I thought to myself, man, I am wasting, I'm wasting talent.

[415] I'm wasting everything.

[416] Like, you know, I believe I can be both of these guys.

[417] And they're up there and on TV where I should be and I'm sitting here at home kind of, you know, living in this depression.

[418] And so literally the next day I called the, I walked down there, stoned, right?

[419] And it's just like, hey, I need to get my life together.

[420] I need something to be excited about, something to to inspire me, motivate me, get me up, get me out of the house, and I just completely turned everything around from that day for it and just started to, to find a new passion, and that was weightlifting, and I got so strong, so fast, and it became, it became everything to me, like, just for my numbers to go up every week.

[421] which they did, and I found myself really happy again.

[422] Like, you know, squat and 500 pounds being 6 '4 and only weighing, you know, 225, you know, with these really skinny legs.

[423] 500 pounds is a lot of weight, like deadlift in 600 pounds.

[424] You know, there were guys who have been training at that gym for years who still can't do those type of numbers.

[425] And I was able to do it.

[426] So I was just like, man, you know, I can do anything I put my mind to.

[427] And I just thought I was going to become one of the strongest motherfuckers in Albuquerque.

[428] Like, that was my plan.

[429] Well, powerlifting gyms are very competitive, and guys get super hung up on the idea of, like, lifting heavier and heavier weights.

[430] Yeah, it's hooked.

[431] I've had Mark Bell on the podcast before, and we also did a podcast in Columbus with Louis Simmons, who's a world -famous powerlifting guru, and he's a fucking maniac.

[432] And it's all, with all those guys, it's all just about putting up big numbers, keep it going, keep it going, keep it going, heavier numbers, you know?

[433] Yeah.

[434] Yeah, I fell in love with it.

[435] It's crazy sort of discipline.

[436] It is, yeah.

[437] It's so simple, too.

[438] You just lift it up.

[439] But it's very satisfying.

[440] For people looking at it, like, who gives the fuck if you can squat 500 pounds?

[441] Right.

[442] But when you're doing it, like, you're screaming.

[443] Yeah, exactly.

[444] Clink.

[445] Yes.

[446] Everybody high fives, chalks flying in the air.

[447] It's the best, dude.

[448] I'm telling you, I love it.

[449] I really love powerlifting a lot.

[450] Were you worried at all about getting injured, though?

[451] Because that's a big part of power lifting, too.

[452] Well, I have pretty good trainers, and they teach me the right way to do things, but they also allow me to be out of position a lot of times, too, because a lot of times people focus on the perfect form at everything.

[453] But when you lift in real big weight, you're not always going to be in the perfect form.

[454] So they almost allow me to be out of position sometimes, or not in the perfect form, and still power through positions.

[455] That way you're strong.

[456] In a grappling sense.

[457] Yeah, you're strong in every, you're strong in everybody.

[458] I'm a part of the movement, whether you're in good form or bad form, you're still able to lift big weight.

[459] Well, that's the big theory behind functional strength, right?

[460] That's why people like doing things like power cleans and presses, because it's such an awkward thing to do with the weight, and you're in weird movements, and you're doing things with your whole body.

[461] Right.

[462] Right.

[463] Now, what are you doing these days?

[464] So these days, I have just been doing a...

[465] Are you back to Jackson's?

[466] A bunch of power lifting and a bunch of wrestling and jiu -jitsu.

[467] That's been my thing lately.

[468] No striking?

[469] No, I haven't done any striking.

[470] My whole goal is to not get punched in the head at all.

[471] That's your goal?

[472] Well, that's what my plan is, yeah.

[473] I'm going to eventually alter my workout routine to where I'm doing a lot of myths and working on my versatility, working on my versatility and just my abilities on my feet.

[474] So you're not throwing any punches these days, not throwing any kick?

[475] That sounds crazy to me. But my plan is to get into that.

[476] that's not going to last for too long but I won't be doing too much sparring especially heavy sparring.

[477] Right but even without doing any sparring you don't hit the bag you don't go in it?

[478] No lately I've been doing a whole bunch of wrestling in jiu jitsu.

[479] Wow.

[480] And I'm really starting to love it too just jihitsu.

[481] Really?

[482] Yeah I'm really starting to love jihitsu and the jih Tjitsu has been the art that I've neglected the most over my entire career and surprisingly I have the most submissions in light heavyweight history I think Ken Shamrock is right behind me with maybe five, and I have six.

[483] Ken Shamrock?

[484] Or Frank, one of them.

[485] One of the Shamrock brothers are behind me for most submissions.

[486] Well, Ken was never a light heavyweight, right?

[487] I mean, Ken went to light heavyweight when he fought Tito, but in the early days, like, when he was a heavyweight.

[488] I'm sure someone who figured out.

[489] Then he was a light heavyweight in the Tito days, but that was Ken, you know, later on in his career.

[490] How many submissions to Frank?

[491] have maybe it's frank i don't know ken or frank i think one of the shamrock brothers are right behind me that's interesting legends legends of the sport yeah no pioneers man but now i love jujitsu man well you're built for it that's for fuck sure uh these long arms man i'm i'm i'm becoming a choke i just i'm shocked like i would assume that someone who's a professional mixed martial arts fighter has to at least maintain uh a maintenance level striking all right constantly and my plan is to get back in and July is still very far away.

[492] Now when it's July how does that work?

[493] When you're suspended, because this is a question that I've always wanted to know, like if you're suspended for a PED or something along those lines, aren't you not supposed to train with other fighters that are in the UFC or is that bullshit?

[494] I haven't heard anything about about not being able.

[495] Because that sounds crazy, right?

[496] That does sound crazy.

[497] Especially if you're trying to help friends.

[498] Right.

[499] Which would be very therapeutic for someone who's on the outside.

[500] And that's, you know, I spend a lot of time helping other fighters.

[501] Does that help you a lot when you're trying to get back into things and to sort of just be there for my house studying their opponents yeah that's a that is one of the best parts about MMA and martial arts in general I think is helping friends giving back yeah something that's new to me too because martial arts can be a very selfish sport you know it's a it's a team sport but if you're not putting yourself first then you're not going to make it to a certain level right I've been really selfish my entire career and that's one thing my coaches have always gotten on me about, hey, John, I know you live in New York, I know you got a family, but you need to get back down here and help these guys.

[502] They have a fight coming up.

[503] And now that I live in Albuquerque, I'm constantly giving back and helping other fighters, especially, you know, since I have all these suspensions happen.

[504] Do you surround yourself with too many people that like to party?

[505] I used to.

[506] You used to?

[507] I used to, for sure.

[508] Yeah, I used to have a lot of wild friends.

[509] And when did you stop hanging out with these people for the car accident?

[510] or like yesterday no after the car accident when I decided that I was going to be completely sober I uh I lost a lot of friends and it was crazy because um I used to my phone used to blow up on Friday nights because everybody knew that John was going to be buying everything that people needed you know like I literally I was the guy who went to the bar and um I would just buy like 40 shots of Right.

[511] And I'm just like, and literally if you're standing around me, you're getting a shot of just passing them out, right?

[512] And next thing you know, people who don't even know each other, they're all hugging.

[513] I'm really good at merging people together and having strangers and having a great time.

[514] And that was my thing, like, walking to a bar where I know five people and now I have 20 new homies and like everybody's just hanging out.

[515] And so when you're like that, you know, Friday nights come around 8 o 'clock.

[516] Everybody's like, yeah, where are you going to be tonight, you know?

[517] If I'm out, there's going to be more people around.

[518] You're going to have a way better time.

[519] Your chances of getting lays going up because you're hanging out with me. It's just the truth.

[520] So I just had a bunch of people around me. And since I became sober, a lot of those phone calls, they slowly stopped.

[521] They slowly stopped, you know.

[522] And so now I've been sober for almost 16 months.

[523] and now I'm I have I have the best times of the best times I remember everything that happens um my friends don't try to ever encourage me to drink or anything and and uh they know I'm not going to right and um I just have the best times I have the best times and I'm and I have how were you able to make that transition did did you follow any program I stopped being no I didn't I just stopped I stopped answering my phone call for a lot of people um and i um i just kind of went into hiding for a while i just um i just stayed away from the scene until i felt like i was strong enough to just not do it and um and and it and it it helped a lot and now do you ever go to bars now and order of water or anything like that yeah yeah i go out i go um and uh i'll drink red bull i'll drink red bull whatever i'm in a situation where a lot people are drinking.

[524] Sometimes I feel like I'm just kind of chilling and like a little bit too chilled out.

[525] So like in order to like keep up with a bunch of drunk people who are talking.

[526] You drink Red Bull?

[527] I'll drink a Red Bull.

[528] Yeah.

[529] It's funny because...

[530] Can't drink too many of those though, man. That's not bad for you.

[531] Yeah, it's terrible for you.

[532] But I mean, it's way better than just getting turned up.

[533] Right, right.

[534] So it's funny because I've developed this way of just having so much fun completely sober where a lot of times when I'm leaving like a place, someone's like, hey, how are you getting home?

[535] I'm like, I don't know.

[536] dude.

[537] I don't drink.

[538] Yeah.

[539] So it's great.

[540] I really do appreciate my sobriety.

[541] I love it.

[542] Now, you were saying you were having a problem with pot, too.

[543] Yeah, dude.

[544] I've been a stoner since high school.

[545] Is that, like, stopping that?

[546] Was that as easy as stopping drinking?

[547] Or is it, what's more difficult?

[548] It was, it was, it was.

[549] I think stopping pot was really tough because I literally didn't associate with too many people who didn't smoke.

[550] That's the way I kind of like a lot of people on my own team.

[551] I didn't hang out with them because I was kind of one of the hardest working guys on the team, but a little bit of a bad boy, and none of my teammates were really...

[552] A bad boy meaning you smoke pot?

[553] Just meaning I was just always down for a good time.

[554] Right.

[555] You know what I mean?

[556] So I just kind of, a lot of my friends with people who weren't martial arts had anything to do with martial arts, and I would always kind of associate with just party people, people who would like to have fun.

[557] So I realized once I quit smoking that I really didn't know too many people who didn't smoke.

[558] So I had to kind of start hanging out with people who didn't smoke, which I kind of found I thought I was just like, oh, look, it was.

[559] People are boring.

[560] You said it, Joe.

[561] They don't talk about cool shit.

[562] They don't like to stare up at space.

[563] They don't want to go to the mountains and meditate and fucking cross -legged position.

[564] Yeah, I had to find people who were just straight, you know, who were always just straight.

[565] And I had to find different activities, too.

[566] Right.

[567] And, you know, because when you're hanging out with people who don't party, you know, they have certain ways that they have fun.

[568] And it's usually based around a lot more activities, I feel like.

[569] So I got into mountain biking and, you know, jogging more and fitness, you know, fitness and things like that.

[570] So now, you know, fitness is like my drug.

[571] I really love being strong and being healthy.

[572] And, like, I do mountain biking and jiu -jitsu.

[573] I do a lot of jih Tzu these days.

[574] And so that's kind of, like, that's, you know, what I live for outside of family, of course.

[575] Well, it sounds to me that you've done an audit of your life.

[576] And you've looked at all the issues that you're dealing with and you've decided to not engage in them anymore.

[577] Do you write things down?

[578] Do you write, like, goals down?

[579] or things that you demand of yourself.

[580] Do you ever do that?

[581] I do.

[582] I have a list of my phone of different ways of thinking that I want to stand for.

[583] Different things you're thankful for?

[584] No, different ways of thinking that I...

[585] Oh, different ways of thinking?

[586] Yeah, that I want to stand for.

[587] Yeah, I do.

[588] Like how so?

[589] Just little things that help me be patient and to be loving and to appreciate.

[590] I just how I had to look through my phone to kind of I just write down a lot of reminders of what I stand for you know and how I view things and yeah but I do write things down yeah now when you look at the future and you see you see yourself from here on it do you feel like from now on from my time on this earth no more drinking no more pot no more partying Um, I do believe that I would drink.

[591] Really?

[592] Why is that?

[593] Um, just because I, coming out of high school, I started drinking in high school, and I always felt like I needed alcohol to, to be cool or to, um, put myself in certain situations to, to conquer anxiety or whatever, um, to be a part of the, the crowd and to have fun and to relax.

[594] Yeah, I always thought I needed alcohol.

[595] And, um, so I got to a point where I could.

[596] I didn't just go out and have a drink.

[597] I would always get to the point where everyone's getting crazy and things are getting wild, you know.

[598] And I never really had the opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with it.

[599] It just went from high school to college when you party even more to being famous and being able to afford to buy everybody drinks every night.

[600] Right.

[601] So my relationship with alcohol, it became unhealthy, and I never went through a period of time where I had a healthy, mature, responsible relationship with it.

[602] Now being sober for so long, I know that I can have one drink and feel a little bit of a buzz and catch an Uber home or whatnot.

[603] Or I know that I can go out and not have a drink at all and be the life of the party.

[604] I know that I can go out and not have a drink at all and approach someone and talk to someone with zero anxiety or feeling like, oh, you know, I can sit amongst a group of drunk people and know that.

[605] that I'm cool in my own skin, just the way that I am.

[606] And that's something I never really had the opportunity to experience until now.

[607] And so now I feel like I'm a mature enough place where if I wanted to have a drink in the future to celebrate a victory or something like that or a glass of wine at home with my fiance, I know that I could do that now.

[608] So I just, my relationship with it has completely changed.

[609] And I believe that I could drink in the future and not run into some of the white.

[610] you know, crashing a Bentley into a pole.

[611] Right.

[612] Stuff like that that I was doing before.

[613] When you say you believe you could, you know, it's interesting, I'm kind of talking out to my ass here because I've never had a problem with alcohol, but I know people that have, and the people that have had a problem with alcohol, they, the way they describe it, they're like, I can't do it.

[614] Like, if I go back, I will go all the way.

[615] Right.

[616] It's like that there's a thing that alcohol does to you where it says, or drugs.

[617] You know, like, just a little bit, man, just a little bit.

[618] Come on, we're just going to get a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit, just a little shot, just a little beer.

[619] What's a beer?

[620] Everybody has a beer, come on, man. Right.

[621] And then that's the siren song that leads you back to the rocks.

[622] I feel like I had a problem with alcohol, but I never wanted to admit it.

[623] When you say you had a problem, did you have a physical problem?

[624] No. Like when you got off to alcohol, did you have withdrawals?

[625] Did you feel weird?

[626] No, I didn't feel weird, no. I wasn't waking up and drinking every day.

[627] So it's a psychological thing?

[628] Yeah, I was getting hit.

[629] hammered on the weekends right right um i wasn't waking up in and like i didn't need alcohol but i always said to myself i don't have a problem with alcohol but then when you uh run into a pregnant woman you have a problem the day that uh something affects you the first dw i you know it's a problem you weren't thinking straight yeah it's like something was causing you to not think straight and it was your actions and what you chose to take into your body and then you just said all right i'm done with that right but you feel like you could get back to the that i feel i feel like um i feel like alcohol was never really like i was never really addicted to alcohol i was addicted to um i just really enjoy partying a lot and i made a lot of bad decisions with alcohol so now i i really have had the time to see clearly um where i went wrong with alcohol obviously getting being a public figure i living in a small town i never need to be getting blacked out in public again anyways it's just something that i look back and i hear stories my boy's He's like, you remember the time you did this and we were at that, you know, I'm like, I can't believe I used to get blacked out in public and living in this small town that I live in.

[630] It's like, so I've just, I've had a lot of times they evaluate.

[631] Marijuana actually is something that I don't think I want to go back to.

[632] Really?

[633] I don't think I want to go back to it.

[634] You feel like you have an unhealthy relationship or had an unhealthy relationship with marijuana?

[635] I was smoking way too much pot.

[636] I was smoking way too much pot.

[637] Literally, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in between workouts, to study film, to do everything.

[638] I was just, I was just, and for me, there's some functional smokers who can wake up and they have eight things they're going to do that day and they do all eight things like me. I would wake up and I had eight things I needed to do that day and I'd be like, oh, I've got three of them done today.

[639] Like, I'm good with that.

[640] Like, I just, it slowed me down.

[641] It slowed me down.

[642] And now that I haven't been smoking, I just feel a lot better.

[643] I feel a lot better.

[644] I feel more on my game.

[645] I feel sharper.

[646] I'm thinking it's sparking up a joint right now.

[647] Go ahead.

[648] I'm like, what are you saying?

[649] I know.

[650] It's probably hard for you to hear it.

[651] I know.

[652] It's probably...

[653] Well, no, I mean, honestly.

[654] It hits everybody differently.

[655] It absolutely does.

[656] It absolutely does.

[657] And so does Red Bull, and so does alcohol, and so does everything else.

[658] Yeah.

[659] You know, there's a...

[660] It was all day, every day for me?

[661] But do you think that you...

[662] Was it all day every day because you were looking for an escape?

[663] Or was it all day every day because it had formed a habit, and you just That's what you were used to doing.

[664] It just became a way of life.

[665] It became a way of life for me. When you're dealing with the amount of stress and just the amount of pressure is probably a better word of being, you know, one of the great fighters of all time.

[666] I mean, you're without a doubt, one of the best fighters that's ever fought in MMA.

[667] And there's so many eyes on you.

[668] And there's so much pressure and there's so much money involved and accolades and all these different things.

[669] These, you know, hey John, we've got a business meeting for you.

[670] Hey, John, this company wants to talk to you about doing this.

[671] And hey, John, and there's just so much coming your way.

[672] Do you feel like it's almost like you had set yourself up in a position where you needed, like, some escape?

[673] You needed an escape valve.

[674] And that's what you had found through the drinking.

[675] That's you had found through the pot.

[676] You'd found these ways where you could not be John Jones for a while.

[677] You could be this blacked out dude at a bar.

[678] All of a sudden, you feel normal as you can feel by being a 20 -whatever -year -old millionaire fucking throwing shots around in Albuquerque, you'd found a valve to release you from some of the intense pressure of being one of the baddest motherfuckers on the plan.

[679] Yeah, yeah, I agree with you.

[680] Yeah, absolutely.

[681] It definitely made you feel for those moments.

[682] Take your hands away from you, so good.

[683] It's all right.

[684] So you're just blocking the microphone.

[685] It's just sound weird.

[686] It was wrong.

[687] It was going on here.

[688] There's an issue going on.

[689] Here you're going to have.

[690] I, um, yeah, I do agree that it, it, for those moments made me kind of feel, um, normal, like, like, normal.

[691] Yeah, for sure, especially the bar thing, especially the bar thing, like, going out and just having a good time.

[692] Like, sometimes I, I forgot that I was a celebrity and that there was a lot of eyes on me. And, but for those moments.

[693] I feel like I was like, I think that was one of my biggest problems I felt as if I was amongst, I didn't really hold myself to a higher standard because of who I was and what I did, I, and even to this day, I just feel like I'm one of the guys, like.

[694] Right, well, you are?

[695] Yeah, I am one of the guys.

[696] Like, I don't try to, I don't really seek hanging out with other celebrities.

[697] All my friends are like, um, just normal average goal Joe Geisen.

[698] And, um, back when I used to party, I used to feel like that was me just not being John Bone's challenge and just being one of the guys like just doing the wild shit that everybody does and then when something bad happens it's like you quickly remind it that millions of people around the world know exactly who you are so it's just it's like but isn't it's a two -edged sword too because the people that get completely lost in the idea that they are this unique and special person you eliminate yourself from all those other folks and you separate yourself and then it's extremely hard to relate right and there's a lot of celebrities that go into a shell and everywhere they go, they have security that take some places and they get delusional.

[699] They have a completely distorted perception of how people interact with them because they don't just go hang with people.

[700] Right, yeah, and that's definitely not me. I meet a lot of people and people say, man, you just, you don't act like a, you don't act famous.

[701] I'm just like, oh, I don't know.

[702] Like, I really have a lot of pride in just doing what, like, just normal shit, like going to places that most people, even fighters in Albuquerque, You don't go just being amongst the people.

[703] And I think a big part of me long to just kind of just be not famous sometimes.

[704] Now, my question, the reason why I ask you that is, how do you plan on handling that now?

[705] Because if you're not going to be drinking and you're not going to be smoking pot and you're going to – I mean, right now you're living life as just John Jones, the person, and happy with your family and happy with your life and just working out and having a good time doing Jiu -Jitsu and all that stuff.

[706] but eventually everything's going to ramp back up again.

[707] Media obligation is going to ramp back up again.

[708] All these things are going to happen and the pressure is going to be back on you again.

[709] What are you going to use as that escape valve then?

[710] Have you considered that?

[711] No, I haven't really.

[712] No. That's very important.

[713] I feel like I have matured in a way where I don't think it will affect me the way it used to.

[714] I've really got to have the opportunity to step away from it all.

[715] I realize what I had and who I am and what I was and I don't know and I just feel above what you used to be yeah I feel above the way I used to like let so much consume me like even right now like I don't know it's just so hard to explain I just I don't feel like I'm in the same I don't feel like I look at things the same well I'm sure you don't I mean that's the thing about growth And that's one of the things that when people are haters, what they try to do is lock you down to the old you.

[716] Right.

[717] They try to lock you down to you at your very worst.

[718] Yeah, man, you remember that shit in 2010?

[719] Right.

[720] When you said that fucked up thing when you were blacked out, that's you, bro.

[721] And you're like, I don't even remember that.

[722] I was blacked out.

[723] Right.

[724] What did I say?

[725] You tell me. You know, and someone can, you know, someone can believe that they are their past.

[726] Yeah, but we're not.

[727] No, you're you.

[728] Yeah.

[729] You're you.

[730] And if you have not had fuckups, then you don't understand the consequences.

[731] Yeah.

[732] I mean, you've had considerable amount of fuck -ups and a lot more than the average person in a public sense.

[733] There's a lot of people that have done a lot of fucked up things, but no one knows about it.

[734] And the repercussions they feel, it's not the same as yours.

[735] You feel the repercussions of millions of, first of all, millions of people that loved you that were disappointed, millions of people that were jealous of you.

[736] They're like, I fucking told you was going to throw it all away.

[737] There's a lot of that, too.

[738] A lot of people's psyched that you fucked up.

[739] It's far from throwing it all the way.

[740] Sometimes I get people who write me and say, do.

[741] say things like, oh, you ruined a great career or like you like people have this mindset that it's all over.

[742] Yeah, I saw a lot of people saying that.

[743] People that I like said that.

[744] And it's like, you're crazy.

[745] You're an idiot.

[746] You're crazy.

[747] He hasn't thrown it away.

[748] I haven't thrown it away.

[749] Right now there's a pause going on.

[750] But as far as it being all over or whatever, it's just so far from being true.

[751] Do you follow boxing?

[752] A little bit.

[753] A little bit.

[754] Do you know Bernard Hopkins story?

[755] No. Bernard Hopkins, one of the greatest boxes of all time for sure, and he'll fight December 17th for his last fight at 51 years old because he's a goddamn defensive wizard.

[756] He still does commentary for HBO, still sharp as attack.

[757] But Bernard Hopkins went to jail, and he decided when he went to jail, when he was a young man, he decided that from that point on he was going to be disciplined and that there's no more bullshit in his life, no more robbery or assault or any of the shit that got him into the position where he's in.

[758] and then he was going to dedicate his life to being a world champion boxer.

[759] And from that point on, he became one of the most disciplined boxers ever.

[760] Never ate bad food, never drank, never did anything stupid, always was in shape.

[761] And we'll go down in history as one of the all -time greats, guaranteed shoe -in Hall of Famer.

[762] And I feel like Bernard Hopkins was created by the darkest moment of him being arrested and him doing time in jail.

[763] And when he came out of that jail, one of the first things that one of the corrections officers said to him was you'll be back and he he used that as fuel and he knew that like there's no fucking way i'm going to look at that dude again there's no way there's no way he's right there's no way and ultimately bernard hopkins escaped his demons by facing them by being in hell by being in hell i think he was in jail for i forget how many years but just enough just enough to to cement in his eyes to harden him to the fact that what he needed was discipline and control over his own destiny.

[764] And I think that for a guy like you, you can take all those dark moments that you've experienced over this.

[765] And fuck, man, you think about it, man. You got away pretty light.

[766] That girl could have died, you know?

[767] Horrible things could have happened while you were drunk driving when you slammed into that Bentley into the tree.

[768] Although all these terrible things could have gone wrong that you kind of got away with.

[769] I mean, boy, I mean, if you wanted to think that someone's looking out for you, got all the evidence in the world that points to someone actually looking out for you.

[770] Yeah, that's great for sure.

[771] Something out there, whether it's luck or whether it's intention or whether it's God or whatever the fuck it is, man, the bottom line is right now at this moment, you are still in your athletic prime.

[772] You're still only six months away from a suspension.

[773] When is your suspension, George?

[774] About eight months, yeah.

[775] Eight months away from a suspension being released.

[776] And, I mean, that's, this is all a great thing.

[777] How old do you know?

[778] You're 30?

[779] That's 29.

[780] 29?

[781] When's your birthday?

[782] July 19.

[783] So you'd be 30 when you come back?

[784] I'll be 29 still when I come back.

[785] It's your fucking athletic prime.

[786] Yeah.

[787] That's at your best.

[788] Really, your prime is like 32.

[789] That's what I like, I put the, I put the Jordan meme up, the Jordan crying face as my Twitter picture.

[790] Have you seen that?

[791] No. I put that up.

[792] Is it with you with the belt on, the Jordan face?

[793] Yeah, yeah.

[794] The reason I put that up is because I know that right now I'm in a position to do some magnificent and extraordinary things.

[795] I know that because I've made so many mistakes, I make the perfect role model.

[796] I make the perfect person to still be able to inspire millions of people.

[797] there's very few people who are who are perfect and flawless and just that clean cut never did anything wrong athlete there's way more people who are like me who has struggled with drugs or just being an idiot or just doing wild shit way more people who have let their parents down let their families down let their friends down let themselves down and because I made so many mistakes on such a public you know such a big scale and so public, I feel like all the great things that I do from here and out are going to be that much greater because of where I came from to do it.

[798] I feel like my best is yet to come, and there's just, I feel like I'm in a position to really touch a lot of people and inspire a lot of people because of where I came from.

[799] So I'm really excited.

[800] Is that something you concentrate on more than you concentrate?

[801] Do you concentrate on that as much as you concentrate on, just doing it for yourself?

[802] Doing it for other people motivates me probably more than doing it for myself.

[803] Why is that?

[804] Is that from all of the accolades that you receive from all the fans and you just realize that you have all this love out there from all these people?

[805] Yeah, I just feel like I don't need it.

[806] I don't need any more.

[807] I feel like I feel like I've done everything already.

[808] I've been in all the wildest situations already.

[809] I've had all the craziest experiences.

[810] I've stayed at the nicest hotel.

[811] I've seen the world.

[812] I've ate at the nicest rest.

[813] There's nothing else that I really need out of this thing.

[814] I've literally been there and done that already.

[815] I feel like, I just feel like ultimately I've already gotten so much out of the sport.

[816] And what I need to do is to truly get something.

[817] What I really need is to know that I'm changing lives.

[818] Like that motivates me more than anything else right now.

[819] the story, the legacy.

[820] And so the reason why I put that laughing meme up is because I'm laughing at my pain and my struggles right now.

[821] I'm laughing at what I'm going through right now because I know my future is just so incredibly bright.

[822] And I know the impact that I have, I know what I can do and what I'm going to do.

[823] Like right now I'm just, I'm in a waiting period where I have to wait before I can show the world what I'm actually capable of what I can be and what I'm going to do for someone else one day.

[824] And it's also laughing at, like, people who actually think that I'm out, down and out.

[825] Like, people who actually think that my story is over.

[826] Or, you know, it's just, like, I'm just laughing at it all because what I've done is, like, I've seen some athletes come back from way worse stuff, rape charges and murder and attempted murder and, you know, all this type of crazy shit.

[827] You know, I've anything I've done, I have a party too much and I've done a lot of stupid stuff like from being a party boy I know I'm not a bad person I'm not like this evil athlete You know Does it bother you when people think you are Because people No no I don't Because when I ask people You know it's like No I don't It's people who wants to believe that I'm this terrible You know It's just one of the worst things That's ever happened in sports You know People want to I believe that because they just don't want me to be all that I can be.

[828] And I'm still laughing at them.

[829] Well, it's also because people look at the worst case scenario.

[830] They look at the worst possibility.

[831] You know, they look at you as this guy's had so much success, so many things handed to him that maybe he thinks he's better than everybody else.

[832] Nothing's been handy.

[833] Of course.

[834] Right.

[835] Of course.

[836] Yeah.

[837] But they don't think, you know, they don't think about it that way.

[838] I know, I know that.

[839] But they don't think about it that way.

[840] And they see the worst case scenario.

[841] I mean, the way it was played out, a pregnant woman in a car and you get.

[842] In a car accident and you took up.

[843] Yeah.

[844] I mean, it is like for the haters.

[845] It's like a dream come true.

[846] Yeah, it is.

[847] But I can, man, one thing I've learned about myself is that I can't be held down.

[848] I don't, I'm not held down very easily unless you, I just can't be held down, man. I deal with adversity very well, man. I always find a way to get my shit together and, and dig myself out of situations and, like, and ultimately rise above situations.

[849] That's beautiful, as long as you don't count.

[850] on it right oh well I'm at a position now where I'm sick of getting in my own way and like like UFC 200 let's talk about that I literally what happened I did everything that I could to be back in the position to win that belt back I was getting ready to just show this triumphant amazing story of someone who just made it through a hit -and -run situation had almost had everything taken from him and got it all back and then um and then um I'm sorry I'm I'm thinking about so many things I want to happen.

[851] So let's just talk about what happened.

[852] You tested positive for some estrogen inhibitors.

[853] Yeah, estrogen blockers.

[854] Estrogen blockers that a lot of people associate with people who take steroids.

[855] If people take steroids, they want to restart their system, or if you want a testosterone boost, you take Clomid or Clomaphene.

[856] These are standard drugs in the steroid users world.

[857] Yeah, this is all new for me. What did you take?

[858] So I took an off -brand, Seales bill.

[859] Off -brand.

[860] It wasn't actual Seales, but it was described to me as being a Seales, and so I thought it was a C -A -Lis, and I just took it.

[861] Why is a guy like you need Seahilis?

[862] I have a huge guy, Joe.

[863] It's too big?

[864] It's too big.

[865] That's a good answer.

[866] We don't have the resources to get it normally.

[867] Yeah, you know, I You're a party No, I wasn't even necessarily partying, no, I've taken like Mel An enhancement before And for people who haven't taken it You literally, you know, you go from being like that to just, it puts the twist at the end of a punch.

[868] You know what I mean?

[869] It's, like, it's it's a good time, you know?

[870] It's a good time.

[871] That's going to be a quote, It's a good time.

[872] Now, what was this?

[873] Like one of them was gas station, rhino pills?

[874] It's one of those things?

[875] No, I had a teammate basically tell me, hey, he was talking about how his girlfriend's a pharmacist and he's capable of getting all this stuff and all that type of stuff.

[876] And I was like, well, I don't do drugs or anything like that.

[877] And he's like, you ever take a Seattleist?

[878] And I was like, yeah, he's like, I got a Seattleist.

[879] And I was like.

[880] But you said you don't do drugs or anything like that, but you had done drugs.

[881] Well, yeah, yeah.

[882] Yeah, but no, he was talking about all these painkillers and all this different shit that he...

[883] Oh, those other things on top.

[884] Yeah.

[885] That he has because his girlfriend's a pharmacist.

[886] And he was...

[887] Where is she getting this off -brand stuff from?

[888] It's like...

[889] I don't know.

[890] People get a lot of stuff from China.

[891] I mean, that's what happened with Anderson.

[892] Yeah.

[893] Anderson got liquid C. Alice from China, and it was tainted.

[894] Yeah.

[895] Wow.

[896] Look, this happens.

[897] I know for a fact that...

[898] I mean, everyone knows for a fact that happens.

[899] Yeah.

[900] The supplement industry has a giant issue with the people that mix the stuff.

[901] Like, if you have a vat and you...

[902] You're mixing up whatever, creatine or something like that.

[903] And right before, I mean, if this is done in some country or some place, it doesn't have excellent standards.

[904] It's not scrupulous.

[905] You could have been scooping up steroids in the batch before that, and you just throw the creatine in it, and some of it gets contaminated if they don't clean it.

[906] Yeah, and that's pretty much, well, I'll get to that.

[907] Okay.

[908] So you take this off -brand, Seales.

[909] Yeah, the guys, like, you ever do, like, Seales, Viagoras and all that stuff?

[910] And I'm like, yeah, I've had Melanchancement pills before, and he's like, oh, I got Sealis.

[911] And I'm like, oh, this is great.

[912] So I ended up taking one of the Seattle's bills.

[913] And I thought everything was fine and dandy.

[914] I had no clue that I was now having something else in me that was illegal.

[915] I took the Seattle bill on June the 14th, June 16th.

[916] You saw it came over to my house 6 o 'clock in the morning.

[917] Hey, what's up, guys?

[918] Got coffee going.

[919] offering everybody water bottles super nice hospitable come in laughing and joking with them i had no clue that that test was going to be the test that derailed my life and um you know right before uxc 200 my manager malky calls me over to his hotel room and he's like hey i want to talk to you man i'm like what's going on he's like hey you're not going to be fighting i was like what you're talking about it's like you know you didn't feel you didn't pass your drug test and uh the level of hurt and just and confusion and i literally had an anxiety attack and i had never had one of those before what does that feel like i felt like the whole room just came in on me like the whole room came down on me and i was just i couldn't breathe i remember opening up his hotel window looking for a balcony so i could just breathe and realize that i'm like not trapped um there's literally the window opened that much i was like what the fuck so you don't trump out i'm like i right Is a hotel in Vegas?

[920] Yeah, in Vegas.

[921] I'm breathing.

[922] They don't want gamblers leaping.

[923] Through the feck and I'm breathing through the thing.

[924] I calmed myself down and I instantly started thinking about the weight of the, I had the weight of the world literally on my back.

[925] I knew that I knew that I wasn't going to be fighting a few hours before everyone else knew.

[926] The public knew and I was just, I could already start hearing everything.

[927] Even my own coaches have been looking at me like just their hearts were on the floor.

[928] I had done so much to get back to fighting at UFC 200, like getting my life in order, getting the people around me in order, getting my health, my mind, you know, just being in order to beat D .C. And like literally right now, I've done so much, so much of the right things to be back in a good position.

[929] And right now, you know, people look at me as if I still don't have my shit together.

[930] But the only thing that I did was I took appeal.

[931] that I thought was going to give me a boner.

[932] And literally it's caused me a lot of heartache and a lot of disappointment and a lot of, you know, just threw me back a year.

[933] Did you think in any way, shape, or form when someone gives you this pill, and you don't know where it came from, you don't know what?

[934] Did you think, man, I don't know what's in this?

[935] No, I didn't think of it because I have been dealing with the athletic commission.

[936] I've been in the UFC for a long time.

[937] And I've taken a little gas station take pills before, like, you know, like and I've never failed the drug test ever But did you ever think that you might have got lucky?

[938] No, I didn't think I got lucky I thought that you fell drug test when you're doing sketchy shit Right, but didn't you think there might be some sketchy shit Some Chinese castation rhino dick pill?

[939] What do you know about the rhinos?

[940] My friend Ryan, my friend Brian called it He was on the podcast He said, you know, John likes to party I bet he took one of them dick pills No, that's funny He called it Yeah Yeah.

[941] Well, he was on.

[942] I've taken them several times before.

[943] And with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, I always pass my drug test.

[944] And I know that I would never do anything to cheat this sport.

[945] I have a lot of pride in my work ethic.

[946] And knowing that, dude, I've been skinny my whole career, whipping people's ass.

[947] I'm not a knockout artist.

[948] I win because I'm smart.

[949] And, you know, I work hard.

[950] But with the Nevada Athletic Commission, I never had an issue.

[951] And then I was suspended when Usada came.

[952] So I was never really educated on how serious Ushada really was.

[953] Like I came back into the game and there's like, oh, we got this new company named Usada instead of Nevada.

[954] What were you suspended for when Yusada came?

[955] Oh, you mean when they came into the sport?

[956] I understand what you said.

[957] Not when they came into your house.

[958] No, when you saw it came into the sport.

[959] I got confused for a second.

[960] I was suspended because of my hit and run.

[961] And so I never had even met anyone who worked for Usada.

[962] I had never been set down on a Usada seminar, what to do and what not to do, and how serious it is, and what could happen if you do this.

[963] And the only thing I knew is I had to report where I was at.

[964] Like, if I go to L .A. for the weekend, I got to let L .S .A. Because they could drug test me at any time.

[965] That's the only thing I really knew about Yusada.

[966] I didn't know that doing something that I had done several times before could ultimately lose me a fight.

[967] So the only difference was, I had taken, like, little gas station pills, and I've taken Viagra before.

[968] This teammate gave me something that was Seattle's.

[969] I thought the only thing that it would do was make me bigger and stronger, but longer.

[970] That's all I thought was going to be happening.

[971] Right.

[972] And then when I find out that I just felt a drug test.

[973] Do you know that Viagra is actually illegal in the Olympics?

[974] I didn't know that.

[975] Yeah.

[976] You can't take that stuff.

[977] Viagra is a performance enhancer.

[978] It's a vasodilator, I believe.

[979] I believe that's how they describe it, and it actually has athletic performance -enhancing properties to it.

[980] How does it help you?

[981] I don't know.

[982] We'd have to look into that, but I think it's similar in a lot of ways to nitric oxide supplements.

[983] Like a pre -workout?

[984] Get your blood cells open?

[985] It does something to open up your blood cells and get you pumped.

[986] I mean, it does something not just to your dick, but to all of your muscle.

[987] Yeah.

[988] I don't know if I would want to be pumped up during a fight.

[989] I don't think it works that way.

[990] I mean, I think it actually can possibly potentially help endurance.

[991] Well.

[992] Yeah, but I know that athletes take it for that reason.

[993] That's why it's spanned from the Olympics.

[994] Yeah.

[995] But, yeah, you know.

[996] I understand that it wasn't your intention.

[997] It was not my intention.

[998] I had no clue that I needed to report this to your side of because I thought, you know, literally I was reporting everything else.

[999] What supplements, what pre -workout, what, you know, my amino acids, my protein powder like you saw it had all my stuff so what happens once you find out did you how'd you narrow it down to this pill i literally i i went through my supplements and i um handed it to i hired a private lab and a lawyer and we started handing it giving them everything that i took which isn't really a lot of stuff at all you know stuff that everyone should take fish oil basic basic supplements protein protein powder fish oil um you know liver cleansed it like or whatever um just grape seed extract that kind of stuff yeah just very you know multivitamins for men basic very basic stuff okay and um and then and then gat nutrition was like you know we've scanned all of our stuff we know it's not from that gat nutrition website though is fucking hilarious we went to the gat nutrition website the moment we found out about that someone said john sponsored by gat nutrition so we go okay let's check that out Gat nutrition Some fucking dude is just Jack to the tent They have a lot of great products If you want to get big and strong Then you can definitely go to them You know But as soon as we saw that We were like What in the holy fuck is he taken Oh no No I mean but people saw you You got gigantic I got huge Ironically Completely completely Completely Completely natural That's why I have great pride In being a natural athlete But But so They got all the Gats stuff it and clear, right?

[1000] Everything was clear.

[1001] Does guests have other things that you side of don't regulate?

[1002] Absolutely.

[1003] But the things that they gave me, they were super smart about, and all the products I was thinking were clear.

[1004] And so my manager was like, think outside of the box.

[1005] Like, did you take anything that could have possibly been?

[1006] And I was like, I don't think so.

[1007] Then I was like, well, one of my teammates did give me this dick pill.

[1008] And he's like, I need those.

[1009] So we got those pills tested, and sure enough, they, in their ingredients, they listed about five products in their ingredients, and they actually, there was actually like seven products, two that weren't listed in the ingredients.

[1010] The two estrogen blockers were never in their ingredients.

[1011] So it was a tainted pill.

[1012] You understand what I'm saying?

[1013] Yes.

[1014] so um so the usada was able to tell okay this was totally in attention there's no way in no way in hell um john would take these estrogen blockers first of all there was very small traces so it wasn't like i was loaded up with estrogen blockers right and um why the fuck would they put estrogen blockers in a dick pill in a dick pill we believe that uh the factory that created these thick pills were maybe manufacturing these pills in a dirty laboratory or whatever and they were because it's just tainted yes because each pill that we that we had tested some of them had more estrogen blockers some had almost no estrogen blockers some had small traces actually none of the pills were consistent so it was obvious that and we started we tested several different packages so it was obviously that that these pills were probably getting made in the same machine and there was just traces.

[1015] Right.

[1016] Which is enough to show up in your system when you get drug tested.

[1017] Literally, we found some of these dick pills that had none, no estrogen blockers.

[1018] You're like, damn, why did I get that one?

[1019] Yeah, exactly.

[1020] So I took one that was just contaminated enough, and literally I got tested two days later, and it was in my system.

[1021] So it was obvious that it was complete accident.

[1022] Right.

[1023] And even if I would have reported the dick pill to Yusada, they would have read the label, and the label would have never said that it was an estrogen blocker in there and I still would have had a dirty because of the contaminated.

[1024] Where does that leave you?

[1025] How much time did they suspend you for?

[1026] I got suspended for a year starting from back in July.

[1027] So now I fight in July of 2000.

[1028] I love you, Sada.

[1029] I love what they're doing.

[1030] I don't agree with things like that.

[1031] I don't agree with things like that because what you took does not enhance your performance.

[1032] No, it doesn't.

[1033] Especially in such a trace amount.

[1034] I feel like in certain circumstances like there's been several fighters like Chad Mendez he has I believe he has eczema and he was taking an eczema cream that had some sort of was it a hormone precursor or a hormone peptide I believe some sort of hormone peptide I think that enhances the the use of this cream I don't know the full I'm obviously not a doctor or a scientist But there's something about suspending someone for something like that that seems ridiculous.

[1035] Yeah.

[1036] Well, in my situation, they, they, the, the, even your side of his lawyer, he showed a little bit of remorse.

[1037] I could, I could feel that he felt bad about what was happening to me because I think he could really, even the arbitrators, they could tell what had actually happened.

[1038] Right.

[1039] But their problem was, they said, John, it was just negligent.

[1040] Like, you didn't, you should have reported this pill.

[1041] But it seems to me that's silly.

[1042] But even if I would have reported the pill, they would have read the ingredients, and they would have never saw that there was a trace of something that wasn't advertised.

[1043] So why suspend someone for something like that?

[1044] Because they said it.

[1045] They have a zero tolerance policy.

[1046] It was just like I was the first fighter to ever take them into arbitration, and they were more upset that I didn't let them know that I took the pill than what actually happened.

[1047] There's like the rule is you tell us what you take, and we can point you in a different direction but I never told them what I took my whole argument was even if I told you what I took it still was never on the label so unless you guys were going to spend all the money to take it to a private lot or take it to a laboratory to test this individual appeal you know what I'm saying I still would have ran into the same situation I think it's great to protect people from people that are cheating I don't think it's great to punish someone for taking something that has a trace amount of something that does them absolutely no benefit whatsoever and clearly...

[1048] And wasn't supposed to be in that pill.

[1049] And wasn't supposed to be in that pill and clearly wasn't being taken to enhance athletic performance.

[1050] Right.

[1051] That seems silly.

[1052] It seems like a mess.

[1053] Right.

[1054] It seems like a mess that...

[1055] I mean, I understand there's zero tolerance policy.

[1056] I don't agree with it in this...

[1057] Or the Chad Mendes situation.

[1058] You know, there's weird ones like Yoel Romero.

[1059] He tested positive for something.

[1060] They found out that it was in one of the protein powders or something he was taken.

[1061] It wasn't supposed to be in there.

[1062] It wasn't listed that way.

[1063] And they gave him an abbreviated sentence.

[1064] You should have had no punishment whatsoever.

[1065] But, I mean...

[1066] My whole thing, Joe, is I'm so grateful.

[1067] I'm so optimistic, man. And I'm always looking for light in every situation.

[1068] And I think that's the way I deal with things.

[1069] I just...

[1070] I always believe there's going to be good at the end of the day.

[1071] That's just how I am.

[1072] I'm just so grateful where most people will be so upset with themselves and all this type of stuff.

[1073] I'm really not.

[1074] I'm upset about the fans that I let down who flew out to UFC 200 and things like that.

[1075] But as far as the whole situation, I'm just glad that my name would no longer be associated with steroids.

[1076] I'd rather be Boner Boy or whatever you want to call me, you know, whatever you want to call me. But steroids, that would have really, that was really bothering me. So I'm just glad that it's out what actually happened.

[1077] Why do they choose to suspend you for so long?

[1078] Just because of the negligence behind it.

[1079] They didn't like the fact that I was handed a sex pill, and I never turned it into.

[1080] them to check it out.

[1081] And if they did, they still would have kicked you off of UFC 200.

[1082] Yeah, exactly.

[1083] So I don't know.

[1084] I mean, they would have given you maybe a more abbreviated suspension, but still, it's just, it just seems ridiculous.

[1085] I wonder when we hand pills into Yosada or hand anything into the Ysadah, do they read the label and say, oh, yeah, you can take this.

[1086] Do they actually take it somewhere and test it?

[1087] I'm sure they read the label.

[1088] I mean, if they did that.

[1089] So we still would have been in the same position.

[1090] Yeah, they're not going to test things.

[1091] I mean, that's, that's expensive.

[1092] And if it doesn't say it's on there, there's no reason.

[1093] I mean, if somebody gives you way protein powder, well, hey, let's test this and make sure that it doesn't have clom it in it or whatever.

[1094] It would take weeks to get it back.

[1095] It would cost thousands of dollars.

[1096] And if you're doing that for every UFC fighter.

[1097] So, yeah, that's my whole thing.

[1098] I'm like, even if I would have told you guys, I took it, you guys would have read the label and gave me the okay.

[1099] Right?

[1100] Because we're allowed to have what's in, Viagra and Seattle and us.

[1101] Those are actually allowed to.

[1102] But because mine was tainted and I didn't ask, they were just like, well, you never asked, so we're going to suspend you.

[1103] So I don't really know why they decided to go ahead with the full maximum punishment.

[1104] But I tend not to just question things that I'm so, I'm really young.

[1105] And, you know, I believe that my best year is my prime is even still ahead of me. So I'm not even tripping about it.

[1106] I'm like, you know, whatever.

[1107] Like, you know, I believe in God.

[1108] So I try to always point things back towards God.

[1109] And I'm just saying, you know, maybe this is just God's plan for me. Maybe I need this time away from the sport just to continue working on my own personal development and growth as it.

[1110] and I do believe I'm in a good place right now, so I'm excited to see where I'll be in July when it's time for me to actually compete again.

[1111] When in July are you released?

[1112] I think around July, when was UFC 200?

[1113] July 8th, July 5th?

[1114] No, GFC 200 was December 10th or 11th, December 11th?

[1115] No, no, that was, I'm sorry.

[1116] That was UFC 205.

[1117] UFC 200 was July 9th.

[1118] July 9th, okay, so July 7th, I'll be eligible to fight.

[1119] two days before U .S .C. 200, July 7th, 2017, I'll be able to compete.

[1120] And I'd like to fight right in July.

[1121] Yeah, there's a big UFC July 4th card that we put on every year, but you're going to miss that.

[1122] Hmm.

[1123] What do you think now when you look at the UFC title picture?

[1124] Cormier just had a pull out.

[1125] He injured himself, and Rumble Johnson decided not to fight Moussasi.

[1126] He decided to step back and wait for Cormier.

[1127] I don't blame him.

[1128] Yeah.

[1129] I don't blame him.

[1130] I think that's a smart idea.

[1131] musasi is capable he's a very smart fighter of beating rumble johnson and um it's a high risk low low return yeah low return why why do you need to beat musasi yeah yeah the title fight fight picture is sort of waiting a lot of it is waiting on you that's a big part of it yeah waiting on you to return yeah i'm excited to go back and get my baby have they had conversations with you about when you do return what kind of fight you would have would you go right to a title fight Would you fight a contender?

[1132] No one has spoken to me about whether I get an immediate shot or whether they make me fight at least once or twice before or no, I have no clue what they're actually planning on doing.

[1133] How often do you communicate with the UFC?

[1134] I literally haven't spoken to Dana White since like a week before UFC 200.

[1135] Now that the UFC's been sold.

[1136] Actually, not a week before, a fight week of USC 200, yes.

[1137] anyways now the uc's been sold and there's these new owners what's your thoughts on all this i'm excited to um to get to know the new owners of the uc i don't i've had a few interactions with r ari before um but um obviously i've never dealt with him on a business level um but i'm excited i do miss lorenzo fortita i think i had a great relationship with him um he was always the calm cool collected one the one i actually you know like leave a motion behind and and like really have a good conversation with.

[1138] So, you know, we had a great relationship in that way.

[1139] But I'm excited about the new leadership.

[1140] Yeah, it's interesting, right?

[1141] It's a new chapter, and it's a lot of who knows.

[1142] That's what gets exciting.

[1143] And they're obviously very entertainment, business savvy, and see where it leads to.

[1144] When you look at the state of mixed martial arts today, what problems do you see in in MMA.

[1145] Do you see anything that stands out glaringly?

[1146] Like, here's some things that I think about.

[1147] Weight cutting is a giant issue.

[1148] When you see all this work that's being put in by USADA to make sure that people aren't taking things to the point where someone like you, who's taking something that's not a performance enhancer, gets suspended for a year, and the idea is that you're supposed to be protecting fighters from someone who's doing something that's dangerous, right?

[1149] That's the take behind it.

[1150] cheating and somehow it could cause potential danger or damage to people but what about weight cutting man is me i mean it isn't extreme weight cutting one of the most dangerous things um so we're gonna put this on pause i have to peace oh okay go ahead go ahead go ahead p i'm drinking these water and coffee one second go ahead talk about weight cutting john's gonna be right back go right to that door take the eggs on the light and don't let your publicist talk yet are coming back in here she's probably listening interesting very forthcoming with the boner pill talk I think that's important I mean if anyone's gonna believe him that's the only way to really get it out there I fucking hate weight cutting I do I had a conversation with Ari Emanuel about it and I'm gonna have a conversation soon with Novitsky about it I just think is the most it's the most unnecessary and dangerous aspect in fighting the most important aspect in fighting is fighters being healthy and in shape and competing to the best their ability And if there's anything that inhibits that other than not training, it's the dehydration effect of weight cutting.

[1151] I think weight cutting is terrible.

[1152] And now that they can't use IVs, I'm obviously again, I hate to have to say this again.

[1153] I'm not a doctor.

[1154] So I don't know what is the most effective method of rehydrating.

[1155] But I've talked to doctors, and I guess they vary in their opinions because some people say it's orally is the best way through, you know, drinking water slowly.

[1156] Some people say it's not.

[1157] Some doctors say no. IV is a far superior method, especially when it comes to rehydrating the brain, which could take as much as 72 hours.

[1158] I think it's interesting that in boxing, most of the deaths have come from the lighter weight divisions, and they attribute that also to weight cutting and dehydration.

[1159] So yeah, my policies have to say that I'm talking way too much, and we're going to have to end this thing.

[1160] I knew it.

[1161] I knew it.

[1162] She's like, you said too much about the dick pills?

[1163] Mom on the dick pills Longer, faster, harder, Jones, really?

[1164] How much weight do you cut?

[1165] I don't really cut a lot of weight at all.

[1166] I get myself down to about 220 on fight week.

[1167] And then...

[1168] What do you weigh right now?

[1169] Right now I'm 2 .30.

[1170] 2 .32 .2.

[1171] But I get myself down to about 220 during fight week.

[1172] and then I make sure that the day of weigh -ins, I cut about five pounds of water.

[1173] That's nothing.

[1174] No, it's nothing.

[1175] But that's a testament to just, you know.

[1176] Preparation.

[1177] Yeah, I've been doing it for so long now.

[1178] I know my job is to be, you know, to have my weight together.

[1179] When you see Connor McGregor weighing at 1 .45 and he looks like death.

[1180] Right.

[1181] You know, when I see those, that's what scares the shit out of me. Yeah.

[1182] When I see people that are just clearly cutting way too much weight.

[1183] Or the worst one I ever saw was Travis Luter when he fought Anderson Silva.

[1184] Travis Luter, he had, like, his lips were dried up and cracked, and he was shuffling to the scale.

[1185] Like, he couldn't walk.

[1186] He didn't have the strength to pick his feet up and walk.

[1187] He was, like, just shuffling towards it, and he still didn't make the weight.

[1188] Yeah, it's shitty.

[1189] It scares me the most because there's not a lot of options when he comes to weight classes.

[1190] If someone's 185, and they go, you know, man, I'm having a hard time fighting 185, then they look at you.

[1191] And they're like, fuck that.

[1192] this is 205, that's a 20 -pound jump.

[1193] Right.

[1194] 20 pounds is a big jump.

[1195] It's huge.

[1196] Yeah.

[1197] Yeah, as far as weight cutting for me, I just, you know, it's never really been an issue.

[1198] For me, I've always made weight.

[1199] I've never come close to missing weight.

[1200] I just think.

[1201] But aren't you lucky, though, that you're in the neighborhood of 205?

[1202] Like, what if you were just a little bigger and, you know, and you're in the heavyweight division?

[1203] If I was a little bigger, then I would go to heavyweight.

[1204] But, you know, a part of our job is to keep our weight under control.

[1205] Right.

[1206] You know, if you know you're going to be fighting at 205, you have no business walking around at, you know, $250.

[1207] Right.

[1208] You know what I mean?

[1209] So, you know, you just, you know.

[1210] Do you think there's enough weight classes?

[1211] No, I would like there to be at least another weight class when it comes to one's big boys.

[1212] You know what I mean?

[1213] I would love it if there was a $2 .25?

[1214] Like a $2 .25, yeah.

[1215] I believe if there was a $2 .25 on weight class, I'd be a two belt holder myself.

[1216] Do you feel like that would be a better weight class for you?

[1217] I love 205.

[1218] I make 205 just fine.

[1219] But 225, I compete against the 225 founder in the day.

[1220] You know, face the guy who's showing up fight night at, you know, 240 or whatever.

[1221] You know, I spar against heavyweights pretty much every, you know, I've been doing it my whole career anyway.

[1222] So it'd be great to see something that bridges that gap a little bit from 205 to 265.

[1223] Yeah, I would like to see it.

[1224] I would like to see between 55 and 70, 70 and 85.

[1225] It's just 15 pounds is a giant leap, 20 pounds from 85 to 205.

[1226] And then, of course, 205 to heavyweight.

[1227] That's a huge leap.

[1228] That's 65 pounds.

[1229] That's gigantic.

[1230] Yeah.

[1231] A lot of people are like, why don't you go up to heavyweight and try to win the belt there?

[1232] I'm just like, you realize what you're asking me to do?

[1233] These guys are very skilled.

[1234] These guys are very skilled.

[1235] And they can weigh, what, 60 pounds more to me?

[1236] That's very dangerous.

[1237] But have you thought?

[1238] about doing heavyweight?

[1239] I do want to challenge for the heavyweight title but I'm waiting for the perfect opponent.

[1240] And when you do do that, when you challenge for the heavyweight title are you going to gain weight or are you going to fight the weight you're at?

[1241] I'll fight right around 2 .30.

[1242] So you'll just not lose any weight at all?

[1243] Yeah, I would try to eat a lot and make sure my endurance and speed and agility is where it needs to be and I've beaten up a lot of heavy weights, man. You know, only people who are at Jackson's have seen that.

[1244] I've submitted a lot of heavyweights.

[1245] I've slammed a lot of heavy weights.

[1246] I've handled a lot of heavy weights.

[1247] But, and I've done it right at the weight I am now.

[1248] So I know that I'm capable.

[1249] I just want to make sure that I compete against the right stylistic matchup for me when I do go to heavyweight and challenge for that title.

[1250] One of the things you said earlier that I thought was really interesting is you said you're not going to spar hard again.

[1251] Yeah, no. not until it was time.

[1252] I feel like I've been majorly preserving myself.

[1253] So leading up to the Ovin -St.

[1254] Peru fight, I took no concussions whatsoever.

[1255] And then I've been suspended now for another year, and I've taken no concussions.

[1256] So while I feel like a lot of these guys are in this race to get better, I'm getting a lot better.

[1257] I'm getting a lot stronger.

[1258] My wrestling my brain is feeling great right now.

[1259] I haven't been polluting it with shit and I haven't damaged it.

[1260] And so I just feel like you got the best fighter in light heavyweight history who's still the youngest guy in the division who hasn't taken any damage whatsoever and it's completely regenerating himself and I'm going to come back and have this explosive second half of career.

[1261] Now there's a lot of guys that are doing that now where they're not sparring hard.

[1262] boy barely spars at all.

[1263] I don't think he even spars.

[1264] He does like some tactical sparring where you know, just tap, touch, just move around, but he's mostly just doing drills.

[1265] That's what I'm going to get into.

[1266] He said he changed that after the Dosangios fight.

[1267] He said when he lost to Hafeel Dosangros, he just felt like maybe he had diminished himself too much with hard sparring.

[1268] Do a lot of these guys, they leave their career in the gym, you know, like you get no points.

[1269] There's a few guys that come to mind right now at Jackson's who who get punched in the head.

[1270] I'm sitting there watching them spar.

[1271] I watch a lot of fighting and I'm still a huge student of the game, but I'm not doing it myself.

[1272] These guys laugh, and, like, you know, they get punched and they start giggling, or are they just, and that's the dumbest shit to me ever, like, you know, getting punched in the head pisses me off.

[1273] If I leave practice with a headache, I'm pissed.

[1274] You know, I feel like I just took away for myself, or just, that was one more punch I could have saved for an actual event.

[1275] So, right now, you know, I have a great chin.

[1276] I've never been rocked or wobble, and I want to keep it that way.

[1277] I'm going to preserve myself because the skills will come.

[1278] But, you know, that brain once is jello is jello forever.

[1279] It is jello forever.

[1280] And that's a scary thing.

[1281] When you see guys go, when you see a guy like maybe Chuck Liddell is one of the best examples ever because he had an iron jaw at one point in time.

[1282] He was just indestructible.

[1283] And then he saw him just get wobbled by shots that normally he would just eat like a tic -tac.

[1284] Yeah, yeah.

[1285] And when it goes, it just goes and it does not come back.

[1286] Yeah, I'm saving him.

[1287] shit, Joe.

[1288] I hear you.

[1289] I'm saving it.

[1290] I want you to.

[1291] Yeah.

[1292] Now, Jackson's is such a crazy place because it's a hotbed of MMA talent and it's a magnet for talented people to come there to get better because they know they're going to be training with a bunch of animals there.

[1293] But I'm here and now with the opening of the new place.

[1294] You guys just got so many tough dudes coming there trying to make a name.

[1295] Right.

[1296] Do you have an issue with that when it comes to sparring where guys want to try to make a name sparring you?

[1297] I personally don't have an issue with it.

[1298] So me, uh, since we've had our new gym.

[1299] It's a gigantic facility and we need people to pay the bill.

[1300] So we literally we allow a lot of people to come into the gym who I don't think are always qualified to be in the gym.

[1301] But we allow everybody to come.

[1302] So anybody off the street, like any normal person?

[1303] No, you can't.

[1304] No. So our gym manager, he does have an extensive like a tryout thing that he does where he puts you through his jiu -jitsu, wrestling and kicking and striking and make sure you are knowledgeable about the game.

[1305] So you have to have experience.

[1306] Like how much?

[1307] experience do they have to have?

[1308] Do they have to be like an amateur MMA fighter?

[1309] There's a lot of amateur guys.

[1310] You just, you can't be a guy off the street who don't know shit.

[1311] Who does no shit.

[1312] But outside of that, you know, if you have a general idea of martial arts and, you know, that we're opening the door to a lot of people right now.

[1313] So is it like a pro fight gym or do they offer classes for beginners?

[1314] There's amateur classes.

[1315] So if you, you know, know almost nothing, you're in the amateur classes.

[1316] And then there's the pro, pro practices where you literally get, you know, guys who aren't very, very knowledgeable training next to me and Holly home, Cowboy Seroni, and, you know, all of us.

[1317] So it's a fan experience for sure, and it's an experience of a lifetime for a lot of people.

[1318] And I'm happy for a lot of these guys who come in here, inspiring martial arts and gets to train with me and the rest of us, because I can only imagine wanting to, you know, you get to play ball with LeBron James and you just got out of college or you've never went to college.

[1319] I am happy for them as long as they don't get in my way.

[1320] That is the big difference, though.

[1321] Someone who wants to come and play with LeBron James, you know, you want to make a name for yourself.

[1322] So with me. You could dunk on LeBron James and everybody was like, oh, I can't believe you did that.

[1323] But it's a big difference between that and fighting.

[1324] I have a way of not letting this affect my game personally.

[1325] I'm a decent judge.

[1326] Like, I can read people's character a little bit.

[1327] And if I see you for the first time, you are obviously about 260, 205, whatever, 220.

[1328] and it's all about the way you look at me so if you come in the gym and you even look like you have an ounce of a chip on your shoulder or like an ounce of holy shit that's John Jones I'm getting ready to to spar him today or like anything weird that's going on with your eye contact with me then I'm just not going to mess with you I'll say hi to you and welcome to Jackson's and what have to say hey man do you want to spar?

[1329] I'm like hey I don't know I just I don't have any room for people trying to prove anything with me. There's a lot of that there, isn't there?

[1330] Yeah, it happens.

[1331] So me, the best way you can work with me when you come to Jackson is come up, introduce yourself, be kind, be polite, be respectful, and show me that you are here to get better and that you're not here to, you know, even some guys, they come in and ask for a picture their first day here, and I'm just like, do, earn, like, how much you come here, work your ass off for a few days, for your weeks or whatever and then get to this place where you feel like you're comfortable expert picture instead of just being here and being a fan people want those fucking pictures instantaneously yeah it's like bro you're here you're in the church right now you're in the me like you don't take a picture here like if you know yeah I don't know what you mean no yeah I know what you mean like yeah you should that's not where your mind should be at yeah earn this Facebook page right yo look at look I train with today I just like told you I was a bad motherfucker yeah uh huh yeah or yeah you'll see that they'll tag you in picture and it's like yeah just train with with the goat and really we didn't even train together like you were just in the room right you know a little stuff like that but but um but i do see the benefits of having so many new people coming in i mean everyone has something to teach and and you know you can learn from from anybody from any country if you have an open mind enough and a lot of the guys come in with a great attitude and they're just really grateful to be there and they they go with a lot of the top dogs and you know we we can kind of beat them up a little bit bit, you know, because they're the new guy or whatever.

[1332] But every once in a while you get that one guy with something to prove, and I've really fun, came up with a great way to protect myself from those type of people.

[1333] But you've run into those.

[1334] Most people, like, I'm always very defensive when I'm going with a guy who I feel like he could be trying to prove something.

[1335] Like, even when we're drilling, my defense is always on.

[1336] I don't give someone the opportunity to take a swing or take a punch.

[1337] I've had one guy hit me with a monster's overhand.

[1338] hand right while we were drilling and that was intentionally to knock me out and uh instead of retaliating i just as i said uh i said man you okay and he's like uh yeah i'm right i'm sorry i just i don't know what happened and i was that was fun man nice working with you just would never ever work with you again at one guy punched me in the balls intentionally too not too long ago and uh and that was his last time ever trained with me as well so it's smart that's a smart strategy yeah it's a very smart way you yeah but you do find those disturbed people that get involved in fighting and um they do want to take a chance at a guy like john jones just take a swing at you man what if i connect and knock them out i knocked out john jones right i go like uh the few times that it has happened to i'll i'll let my teammates know i'm going to match what you're trying to do to me so you know don't be surprised if i fuck you up with something that's a little bit more than what you would do to a training partner if I realize you're trying to hurt me. Do you meditate, John?

[1339] I used to meditate a lot.

[1340] Now I'm more big into visualization.

[1341] When did you used to meditate?

[1342] Right around 2010, 2011, I went through this huge spiritual thing where I became obsessed with the power of the mind.

[1343] And I got into a deep, like really deep, just meditation, visualization, and just realizing how powerful our minds actually are, like how we really do paint our world with our thoughts and our level of self -belief.

[1344] And so right around 2010, I just took myself to this different mental level where I took myself on being an average Joe kind of, you probably hate average Joe, huh?

[1345] Doesn't bother me. I took myself.

[1346] You're like, what's it about, what's the average?

[1347] I'm so used to that name.

[1348] It's like a goofy name.

[1349] It's good.

[1350] It's like a blank.

[1351] It's like cardboard.

[1352] It's like there's nothing to it.

[1353] Yeah.

[1354] So I took myself from being very average -minded to actually believing that I was the shit and believing that I could be the shit and that I could be the goat and be the greatest and never lose.

[1355] And to, like, I took myself to a different place mentally.

[1356] And a lot of it came from mental practice and meditation and visualization and just seeking knowledge from people who are strong believers.

[1357] like Les Brown and Tony Robbins and guys like that I just became really obsessed with just learning about the power of the mind.

[1358] So I used to meditate.

[1359] Now I just kind of, I have a lot of things that stuck with me, a lot of ways of believing that stuck with me that just subconsciously I know who I am, what I'm capable of, and how I believe and how powerful my mind actually is.

[1360] I'm a firm believer in meditation because I believe that human beings can get caught up especially someone involved in a very difficult endeavor like you are, you can get caught up in the momentum of your life.

[1361] And sometimes it's very hard to reset.

[1362] It's very hard to separate yourself from it and get a balanced and as much as you can, objective perspective.

[1363] And I think one of the best ways to do that is to take time where you sit and you close your eyes and you do nothing and just concentrate on your breathing and just set it all aside.

[1364] and extract yourself.

[1365] Extract your consciousness from the momentum of your life.

[1366] And I think a lot of people don't do that, and they get caught up in this hurricane of existence, where everything is just constantly going on.

[1367] Your phone won't stop ringing.

[1368] There's fucking people knocking at your door.

[1369] You've got this going on, that going on.

[1370] You've got to go catch this flight, and oh, shit, you've got a fight coming up, and oh, shit, you've got this and that.

[1371] And sometimes you lose yourself.

[1372] You lose yourself in that wave of life.

[1373] I definitely lost myself at one point in my life and I feel like right now I'm at this position where I am myself and I can see John Bones Jones and I'm like I can like look at my career from a fan perspective you get what I'm saying and actually make fun of myself like damn you're fucking idiot like what have you done Like, you know what I mean?

[1374] Like, I have a good way of detaching something inside of me and seeing what's happening.

[1375] And, okay, oh, no, it's not over.

[1376] All you got to do is just do this, do that, do that.

[1377] You get what I'm saying?

[1378] Yeah.

[1379] So I'm not, I don't, I'm not necessarily meditating these days, but I do have the capability of taking away who I actually am at this point and realizing that this is just a part of me or there's just a situation in my life.

[1380] This isn't my actual life.

[1381] This isn't my final destination.

[1382] This is just a small moment in time that I'm going through right now.

[1383] You get what I'm saying?

[1384] Right.

[1385] I get what you're saying.

[1386] So that's my form of meditation.

[1387] I step away from terrible situations and look at myself as if it's the future.

[1388] And I'm looking back on what's happened to me or what's happening.

[1389] And I say, okay, how can I get myself out of this?

[1390] How can I make this better?

[1391] What do I need to do to turn this around?

[1392] What do I, you get what I'm saying?

[1393] Instead of being completely emerged in the moment and thinking that, oh, I can't get out of.

[1394] Like, you know, so.

[1395] Now, I said earlier that UFC 205 was in December.

[1396] I know it's November.

[1397] That's what I fucked up.

[1398] Do it, 205?

[1399] Oh, 205, yeah.

[1400] Oh, 205, right.

[1401] Yeah, but what I'm thinking of in December, when is your grappling match with Dan Henderson?

[1402] December 11th.

[1403] That's December 11th.

[1404] Okay, that's what I'm fucked up on.

[1405] What is this?

[1406] Is this EBI rules?

[1407] So this is Seals, Sondon?

[1408] This is Chales, Sunnis.

[1409] I think he's the president of it or something like that.

[1410] Do you have the information for all that?

[1411] Let's put it up to tell people how they could see that.

[1412] What made you decide to do this, just to mix it up while you're off?

[1413] Yeah, they reached out to me. I did like a small grappling event.

[1414] Like, I was at an autograph sign -in.

[1415] I saw that.

[1416] Yeah, some guy was like, hey, you have a role competitively?

[1417] And I was like, no, actually, I haven't since 2009 or something.

[1418] Like, I did one jiu -jitsu match for my whole career.

[1419] and I won it with force and missions against these guys or whatever.

[1420] He's like, man, you should come over and roll with me. And I'm like, what belt are you?

[1421] And he's like, I think the guy who challenged me was like a purple belt or something.

[1422] And I'm like, you know, I really don't do that type of stuff.

[1423] You know, I would have to go home.

[1424] I don't have any clothes or anything.

[1425] And he's like, oh, we're selling geese over here and rash guards.

[1426] And I'm like, I was like, I don't think I'm going to roll, man. Like I, you know.

[1427] And so he's like, well, at least come over and say hi.

[1428] There's a lot of kids over there.

[1429] a lot of people who would just love to see you come so some support to the jutsu community.

[1430] I'm like, all right, I could do that.

[1431] And so when I went over there after my autograph signing, there was a bunch of people standing around, and I was greeting everybody.

[1432] And the guy was like, hey, like, are you going to roll with me or what?

[1433] And I was just like, and a lot of people heard them.

[1434] And I was just like, I feel like when someone's trying to, I feel like someone wins when they call you out and you don't oblige them.

[1435] Right.

[1436] You know what I mean?

[1437] So I was just like, and then.

[1438] this guy's head, it's a small victory knowing that I backed down.

[1439] And we're not punching.

[1440] It's, it's jih Tzu, right?

[1441] So no one's going to get hurt.

[1442] And it's like, you know what?

[1443] Let me live a little and just do this.

[1444] You know, I'm sure the kids are going to love it and people are going to love it.

[1445] So I was like, all right, give me a rash guard.

[1446] So they gave me a rash guard.

[1447] And I literally, I didn't even warm up.

[1448] I just kind of deal one of these.

[1449] And then I ended up tapping these two guys out fairly quick.

[1450] And I think some these people from submission undergrad, they saw those videos and they're starting this new promotion where they're actually paying fighters pretty well they're taking care of the athletes you know really yeah and do people watch it on pay -per -view is that what it is so i think you can watch it online you can stream it online for a price okay um so here it is uh oh okay it's flowgrapling com fllo grappling dot com sunday to 711th at 2 30 um and i think this is eBI rules if this is the Shale Sondon thing.

[1451] So, see if that, if you could see that in there, Jamie, scroll up and see what the rules are.

[1452] I still don't even know what the rules are.

[1453] I think it's submission only.

[1454] Yeah, it's submission only, but I think EBI rules is a, EBI rules is a very interesting.

[1455] Educate me, but.

[1456] EBI is Eddie Bravo invitational rules.

[1457] What he did is he figured out a way to avoid draws.

[1458] And what he does is he has guys, they fight for, or they, they grapple for a determined time period.

[1459] Then at the end of the time period.

[1460] Eight minutes, I heard.

[1461] Yeah, they exchange bad positions.

[1462] Like one guy will start off.

[1463] Well, you start off in what's called Spiderweb.

[1464] So SpiderWeb is side control with not the arm bar locked up, but the arm hooked.

[1465] You know, the arm hooked.

[1466] So you have your legs across.

[1467] The arm's trapped.

[1468] And ready to go.

[1469] So the guy on the bottom is trying to escape.

[1470] You're trying to hold them down.

[1471] Or you can start off with the over under from back control.

[1472] So you don't like have a choke locked in, but you have over under.

[1473] You have both hooks in and you're on the back.

[1474] And they say, ready, go.

[1475] So it's how fast the person can escape versus how fast you could submit him.

[1476] At the end of the exchange back and forth, say if you submit your guy and then he has an opportunity to try to submit you, if you submit him faster than he submitted you, you win.

[1477] If you submit him and he doesn't submit you, you win.

[1478] What if you escape faster?

[1479] You both escape and you do it again.

[1480] And then if you both escape again, you do it one more time.

[1481] And then they calculate all the time it took for each one to escape, and the person who has the least amount of time and escape the quickest winds up winning.

[1482] Oh, I'm winning this.

[1483] More than this shit.

[1484] Dan Henderson.

[1485] Dan Henderson's quite a bit smaller than you, too.

[1486] Yeah, I would imagine.

[1487] Yeah.

[1488] I wonder how much he weighs right now.

[1489] Well, he fought it in 185, and I don't think he's cutting a whole lot of weight.

[1490] He's not a big guy.

[1491] Yeah.

[1492] You know, and it's interesting, like, him fighting Michael Bisping.

[1493] I think that's probably going to be his last fight.

[1494] A lot of people thought he should have won that fight, super close fight.

[1495] He retired, didn't he?

[1496] I think he did.

[1497] Yeah, I think he did.

[1498] I think he decided that's it.

[1499] Yeah.

[1500] So I'm sure this means a lot to him to be able to be able to be able to be a lot.

[1501] to beat me even in a grappler match that's quite the way to end your career yeah so i don't know how hard he's training but i'm putting a little effort into it for sure yeah well you tell me before you're just getting really in love with jiu jihitsu i do i do love jihitsu yeah my my professor has uh he's a great coach man uh they call him tusa um as i think it's portuguese for like buck tooth or something like that.

[1502] But his real name is Roberto Alacar.

[1503] He's a several -time world champion in Jujitsu.

[1504] I think he's beat Vinnie Magalans quite a few times.

[1505] Wow.

[1506] He's won all these.

[1507] That's huge.

[1508] Yeah, all these world champions.

[1509] I think he's five -time world champion.

[1510] Wow.

[1511] And he literally is right there with me every practice.

[1512] And, you know, he knows that I've never done geek training, but he, he doesn't settle.

[1513] Like, I'm technically a white belt, but he's, he, every position, he's like, you know, you got to do this right.

[1514] You got to put your hand.

[1515] hand here, you know, make this tighter.

[1516] Super technical.

[1517] Yeah, super technical.

[1518] That's great.

[1519] I feel like I'm getting pretty good right now.

[1520] That's awesome, man. If you just dedicate yourself to that before, you know, you come back, you should, guy like you have a big jump.

[1521] People are going to hate me, bro.

[1522] I'm going to, my style's going to be like, Maya, I'm just going to take people down and freaking ride your ass out and forget you.

[1523] Like, don't expect any more stand -up striking for me. Really?

[1524] I'm joking.

[1525] Yeah, you can't.

[1526] I'm telling you.

[1527] Who knows what you're going to do, right?

[1528] No, no. know what I'm going to do at this point, but I'm getting better and I'm preserving myself.

[1529] Listen, man, it's good to see you smile.

[1530] It's good to see you laugh.

[1531] It's good to see you happy.

[1532] It's good to see you optimistic about your future.

[1533] And I think you've got a great perspective right now, and I really hope you keep it together, man. I'm a big fan.

[1534] As a person, as a fighter, I'm glad we did this.

[1535] I am too.

[1536] I am too.

[1537] All right.

[1538] All right, brother.

[1539] That's it.

[1540] Folks.

[1541] We're done for today.

[1542] See ya.

[1543] Bye.

[1544] John Jones!

[1545] That was fun.

[1546] That was.

[1547] That was good.

[1548] Uh -huh.

[1549] Talk about it.