ANDREW CHAPADOS ｜ From BLM to MAGA： Politics in the UFC ｜ TJ Laramie (UFC featherweight) Andrew Says 32
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Summary
T.J. Laramie is a UFC featherweight from Windsor, Ontario who vaulted his way into the UFC through the Dana White Contender Series. He has been outspoken about sweeping lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the treatment certain professional athletes receive from the government compared to others.
Transcript
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I love savages. I love guys that fight like this kid fights.
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T.J. Laramie is a UFC featherweight from Windsor, Ontario,
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who vaulted his way into the UFC through the Dana White Contender Series,
00:00:40.240
and he has been outspoken about sweeping lockdowns, travel restrictions,
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and the treatment certain professional athletes are receiving from the government compared to others.
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T.J., how are you doing, man? It's been a while since we spoke.
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Happy to be in the situation I am right now with you guys and everything that's been going on with COVID
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and the things I've had to deal with so far, you know?
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Yeah, for those of you, you're going to see coming up that T.J. is actually one of our new Fight the Fines recipients.
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He got a crazy fine, and we'll talk about that later on in the show.
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But the first thing I want to talk to you about is we had an interview a few months ago about the travel
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and the restrictions you've been dealing with, having to train in secret.
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Gyms still aren't open. I think it's the last place in North America where you can't train anything indoors.
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I've become the beast and monster you see before you without the gym being open.
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Tell me how it's been having to travel back and forth for your training.
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So, really, I've been doing the majority of my training in the U.S.
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because Ontario's been closed for months, and it's too wishy-washy, right?
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Or it's like, oh, we're open, but only a certain amount of people are out in the gym,
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But luckily, from what I'm noticing now in this last lockdown is most gyms are kind of just whatever.
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They're kind of just doing whatever, and they're finding little loopholes away around the restrictions.
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So, I mean, that's great, but I mean, it's still not ideal for me.
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I'd rather just go in Vegas where I can get all the training I want, all the training partners,
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where I don't have to worry about somebody knocking on the door with a badge
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You got a training camp down there, or how's it going down there?
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So, the three main places I train at, or two, I would say, is Extreme Couture, 10th Planet, Las Vegas,
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Yeah, a lot of fancy stuff in the UFC Performance Institute there.
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Has it been harder to travel to Canada than you expected?
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I mean, you mentioned it's not worth it to go back and forth and do all this stuff,
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but did you really predict that it was going to be this bad,
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especially considering all the exemptions that are handed out for almost everything?
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But you can't come back into the country pre-approved or anything like that?
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I mean, honestly, it's pretty ridiculous, especially somebody like me who has a visa to work in the U.S.,
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And given the restrictions that are put in place here in Ontario and in Canada in general,
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for them to not exempt me to at least travel back and forth every day to Detroit or Michigan,
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so that way I can work and do, like, I have a construction company in Windsor,
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So, to not, like, it's either one or the other at this point.
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Either I'm going to train full-time or I have to come home and work and make money,
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because the way the government's put it is I can't get the ideal training here at home and work and make money,
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Because the UFC is only a couple fights a year, two or three fights max, you know?
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And that's only a lump sum of money every so often, right?
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So, I need to work, I need to make money, I need to keep my company going.
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So, the fact that I don't have the exemption to cross back and forth every day to get what I need
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or to even come home from Vegas so I can stay for a week or two and then fly back
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without getting a huge fine or discipline in some way, it's crazy.
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You've got to jump through hoops to just get back home.
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Well, there's a decent amount of UFC players off the top of my head.
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There's yourself, Charles Jourdain, Tanner Boser.
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Has any commission or anybody of any association or governing body offered you guys help?
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Being like, here's a place where all the, it might only be one location,
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but here's a place where all the Canadian fighters can train, maybe in Ontario or one for each coast.
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Has anybody offered you guys any help or assistance with this at all?
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I mean, there are, like I said, there are some gyms trying to find loopholes
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as far as, so amateur, like high-level amateur sports or Olympic sports,
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which obviously MMA is not an Olympic sport, Jiu-Jitsu is not an Olympic sport,
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but luckily wrestling and boxing is an Olympic sport.
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So, I mean, if you're signed up with an association that goes with that
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and you're training for the Olympic trials, you know, there's been loopholes that way.
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But even then, you know, they're still trying to crack down on gyms
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that are trying to, you know, I guess in their eyes abuse the exemption.
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Yeah, there is one gym that I try to convince to open based on that exemption for professional athlete training,
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A lot of the places, I get these emails from Good Life Fitness.
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please talk to your government, tell them to open up the gyms.
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And it's like, Good Life, why don't you do something?
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Do fighters from other countries or any of the other regions
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talk about any of their shared experiences through the travel and the training about this with you?
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Well, for me personally, I know I'm not the first person who's gotten a fine.
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I know, unfortunately, some people have had to go and do the hotels.
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I know Israel Adesanya, being from New Zealand, he actually does 14 days in a hotel.
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That's how they do it over there, which is, I mean, this is the UFC champ we're talking about.
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And it's like, how many negative tests do you need to show?
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It's like, if I present you a negative test, you don't trust the test enough for me to go home
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or at least quarantine at home, not be in a hotel.
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Like, we're talking about, this is this guy's livelihood.
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And you expect me to stay in a hotel where I have no access to training facilities or
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the ability to go outside for a run at that, you know?
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New Zealand is governed by a communist leader, however.
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The lady who's the prime minister there used to be a part of the socialist group.
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And then Vegas, while it was still closed, of course, they were doing the fights there
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in the Performance Institute or the Apex Center, whichever one has the actual octagon, the smaller
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Or what do they have in place for fighters still fighting in the United States?
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So, what they are currently still doing, they still do the COVID tests.
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I mean, they're obviously lenient with the masks.
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I don't believe people have to wear masks as much anymore.
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Maybe the coaches and corners, but the fighters don't.
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Before, around the facility, you'd have to wear a mask, right?
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The biggest thing for me was fighting without a crowd.
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The crowd is a terrible experience, especially when you're supposed to be at the pinnacle
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I mean, obviously, I'm grateful for the opportunity.
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I actually got to earn a spot in the UFC during COVID with no crowd.
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So, I mean, I'm grateful for the opportunity, of course.
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But, I mean, at the end of the day, this is the UFC.
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I fought in crowds larger in Windsor, you know, or in Ontario, or in some little gym in Detroit.
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You know, I fought in front of more people there than I did at the pinnacle of MMA and
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So, I feel like athletes aren't really getting their fair shake, especially, you know, it's
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I mean, they're a lot more lax, especially when they go out of state, when they're not
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They pretty much get to interact with fans again, all of that.
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So, I'm excited for my next bout because I truly believe there's going to be a crowd
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I think they're doing a couple more events at the apex, and then it's done.
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Well, yeah, they're sort of going back from east to west.
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They started in Florida, then Texas, then Arizona, and now they're back in Vegas for
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The Conor McGregor fight was in Vegas, you guys.
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So, I wanted to ask you about the environment, just a little bit of politics.
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I'm not sure if you're familiar with Vlad Kazbekow.
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He's also a fighter in the lower leagues right now.
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And he's mentioned to me that the UFC and sort of the, and you can see this reflected
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Whereas if you work in an office in downtown Toronto or Los Angeles, you're surrounded with
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extremely liberal people, for better or for worse.
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He has explained it that in the UFC environment and working with the teams there, it's pretty
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much reversed where most people have, you know, they're not pro lockdowns.
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You know, I think deep down inside, nobody in that realm supports like what they have
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It's more like what they, to make the government happy.
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So, and at the end of the day, I mean, it's things that people, you know, make fans happy
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So, if they do abide by any of these rules, it's less of a personal decision and more
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of a, you know, I mean political, like a political decision a little bit.
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I mean, for the most part, when you talk to them and their personal views, they agree
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with what I agree with, what Vlad agrees with, and what most of, you know, people with a
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So, I mean, yeah, it is good to work for a company like that with like-minded individuals.
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And I mean, the whole, the only reason they were able to run fights or the reason they
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were the, basically the only sport at the time doing any events was because of that mindset.
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And this was at the peak of the pandemic when people were afraid to even go to the grocery
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And Dana White really, he even encouraged people to vote out the people who were putting
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Two extremes of the spectrum, I would say, would be Tyron Woodley, who's wearing, saying
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Then, of course, Colby Covington, who's wearing MAGA hats in the octagon and hanging out with
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Has anyone tried to encourage you to, you know, make a statement using your name or
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using the UFC platform maybe before or after a fight?
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Has anybody been like, TJ, we need you to speak out.
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I mean, not using my UFC platform as much and not until recently, not at an actual UFC event
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or UFC media yet, but I've been reached out to my local Windsor, someone who is running
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for a member of parliament through the PPC actually there, has reached out to me and wants
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to get me out speaking at some of these events that she plans on hosting.
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I think you didn't mention the name, but you narrowed it down pretty much there for that
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I mean, I don't have a problem expressing my views when it comes to things.
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Obviously, you look at my Twitter and my Facebook and stuff like that, you know, I feel like
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like even if there's probably some things I lean, whatever people might want to call
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left on some things, majority of the stuff is more right wing viewed in the big picture.
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But I mean, I'm not afraid to say I don't feel like I'm saying anything wrong.
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And I don't think anybody should feel wrong with that.
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You know, I accept people for what they believe, whether I think it's right or wrong.
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Uh, as long as you show that same energy back towards me, you know, you're respectful
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Does the UFC PR team ever give anybody talks about anything or is it just general what to
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Do they ever tell and get, does anybody ever get in trouble?
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You mentioned that Kobe Covington and Tyron Woodley, cause I fought on the card that he,
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he wore the, the BLM shirt at the conference and, uh, when he was fighting Covington and
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actually in the back, uh, after weigh-ins, it was Donald Cerrone.
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But Hey, at the end of the day, if that's what he believes, he's entitled to that opinion.
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And if that's what Woodley wants to preach, he has to, you know what I mean?
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Be prepared for people to also to talk back like that, you know, as well.
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And Tyron Woodley was there when he was, uh, yeah, he was.
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I, I tend to not really believe Tyron Woodley believed in a lot of that stuff.
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He tends to, you know, use it as a, use him being, you know, overlooked or overshadowed
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as a way to get more attention come fight time.
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I'd have more of a problem with somebody and I'm willing to name Angela Hill as somebody
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who really is, I'm oppressed, uh, feel sorry for me.
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And, and I don't really, I don't really enjoy that.
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Um, I want to talk to you now about the fine you got coming back.
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Can you tell people a little bit more what happened, why you were coming back to Canada,
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even though it's been this headache, um, and, and you got a fine trying to come over the
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So, uh, coming back, uh, obviously from what I know, and just to avoid the whole airport,
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hotel quarantine, them trying to throw me in a bus and drive me to a hotel, uh, to avoid
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that whole thing, you know, I flew back and it's much closer to my house.
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Anyways, I flew into Detroit and, uh, taxied over to Windsor.
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Um, and, uh, so basically you need the 72 hour, uh, a PCR test within 72 hours upon your
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Uh, I got the test done, uh, traveling across back to Canada, uh, but the results were not
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Um, and, uh, ironically enough, they ended up coming two or three hours after I got the
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Um, and, but, uh, getting across the border, uh, we tell the agent, he's about to let us
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He's like, Oh, but do you guys have the PCR test?
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Uh, we're like, Oh, you know, we got it done, but we just don't have the results.
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When I scheduled the appointment, when I went and got the test and the confirmation that I
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got the test done and are, is awaiting results.
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And, uh, basically he said, man, I'm going to try my best.
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He tried his best, but at the end of the day, it came down to dealing with, uh, the health
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I mean, I'm sure she has a job to do whether she believes in it or not.
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I mean, I don't know the, what, what they, what, what control they have or what power they
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So I don't want to, you know, speak out on that too much, but, uh, basically, uh, she
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So spend more money on the cab, uh, go spend 200 or 250 us on a rapid test, rapid PCR test,
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and then come back and then show the results and then go.
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You know, I'm, I'd rather just, uh, you know, just go home, like just write me the fine.
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Cause I knew, uh, there was the option of the fight, the fines that, uh, rebel news you guys
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So, uh, I was kind of leaning on that and leaning on the fact that I know a couple of
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people that have gotten quarantine act tickets and it hasn't really, uh, like they haven't
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really gone through or they haven't even gone into the system.
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So, um, I kept trying to just press that and she's like, oh, you know, it's going to be
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Cause honestly, I felt like she was, uh, just trying to, um, save herself some paperwork
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And then we wait in the cab for an hour finally, and she comes back with a ticket and then I
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And then, uh, they're trying to, uh, get me to do these tests at home while I'm quarantining
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Um, and I mean, this is, this is what kills me the most is that it's supposed to be this
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serious, you know, pandemic, it's a health risk.
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Uh, I didn't have one person check on me the whole time.
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I didn't have one phone call to ask if I have any symptoms.
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Um, I did the test, but it's like, man, what, you know what I mean?
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And even if my, uh, test would have came back positive, the original one while crossing
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the border, I still would have had to quarantine at home.
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So, I mean, you're just, the only time the, uh, government really cared was when it came
00:16:53.040
down to writing me a ticket and making me spend money, you know?
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So, I mean, if it really was about public health, they would have checked in on me.
00:17:00.840
They would have made sure I was quarantining or they would have at least called me and
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asked if I was having any symptoms, but I mean, it's pretty unprofessional on their
00:17:08.180
If you ask me when I had to quarantine for 14 days, they called twice.
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This is a year ago, coming back from a Trump rally.
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Second call was a week later with a, was a robo call.
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Sounds like to me, they just have given up on that.
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It's too much effort, but I wanted to ask you, and I'm going somewhere with this.
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How long did you spend at the border waiting there?
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Cause it was about an hour of, uh, convincing me to try to go back to, uh, Detroit and do it.
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Cause it was about 48 hours since I've gotten the test done.
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I called the lab as soon as they opened, uh, and they said, yeah, sorry, we don't have your
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And I said, I'm like, okay, just write me the ticket then, please.
00:18:03.000
So I would say about two, two and a half hours at the border waiting.
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Now, the reason I asked that, because I think it's really weird that instead of spent, we've
00:18:11.200
spent billions upon billions of dollars on all this, instead of spending the extra money
00:18:15.400
to get rapid tests, I mean, we know they exist.
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We know that there's rapid saliva tests and there's other tests that will get you results
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in a couple hours, if not immediately, but Canada won't seem to spend the money on that.
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Now you can go to Florida, for example, and get a much better test.
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And it's still not valid here because it's not the same test.
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I guess they only have a certain system in place to check it.
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But isn't it weird that they'll, instead of just testing a person at the border, which
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may take, let's say, give them the benefit of the day once they have words of 30 minutes.
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They're still, they're willing to keep you there for two hours.
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I mean, isn't this strange to all, to, to people?
00:18:54.860
I guess what I'm getting at is why aren't the people at the border and the, and the
00:19:01.820
And I, and I pose the same question to like police and, and medical professionals at the
00:19:06.460
How long does it have to go on until people start questioning like the logic behind all
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And I feel like the population pretty much is coming to the conclusion, you know, they're kind
00:19:18.360
of getting fed up with it and they're kind of seeing that, oh, okay.
00:19:25.960
Cause now obviously as soon as we reach these stage three goalposts, they're coming out
00:19:37.960
So, uh, for the first time in a long time, I actually watched, um, like TV news, uh, the
00:19:43.880
other night and I couldn't believe, like, it's no wonder that the older generation, the
00:19:48.040
people who don't really go on the internet as much are like surely convinced that this
00:19:54.920
Um, and I tell everyone I see now, I'm like, go to the U S any open state for just 48 hours.
00:20:01.200
And you tell me if you think there's a pandemic going on.
00:20:04.280
And the, the reality is people would be genuinely scared.
00:20:10.620
People would have, uh, personal experiences, but like less than 3% of all of Ontario has
00:20:16.440
even caught in COVID, let alone had any serious effects from it.
00:20:20.100
So it's like for P for the whole population to be scared, it's all, Oh, I heard this.
00:20:29.360
Uh, it must be a miracle that I'm alive at this point, seeing as I've had no mask in
00:20:37.840
Um, nobody in my family is even caught in COVID, let alone, uh, had anything serious
00:20:42.400
And I know my experiences and everybody else's, but, uh, for somebody who's traveled as much
00:20:46.760
as me, I could have at least came down with a cough at some point.
00:20:50.040
This one's, I don't think is going on YouTube producer.
00:20:54.820
So we've gone so far down the band topics list.
00:21:01.080
Um, you guys are going to see a video of fight the fines video with TJ coming up.
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I hope the fight is, Oh my God, we just touched.
00:21:12.880
Um, and we want to see you back in front of fans.
00:21:15.740
And it's not that you're not fighting that old guy anymore.
00:21:22.700
I think he was like 32 or 33, but his hairline, his hairline was about 50 or 60, you know?
00:21:30.380
Anything else you want to say to the audience before we let you go?
00:21:32.960
Uh, man, I just want to, uh, thank, uh, rebel news and fight the fines for dealing with
00:21:37.520
my situation and really helping me out here and giving me the confidence to actually be
00:21:42.460
able to come back to my own house and my own home, you know, um, and getting the, the
00:21:48.220
fine rather than traveling back, you know, and spending a lot more money than I had to.
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TJ Laramie, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
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And of course, uh, you'll see him on the UFC website.
00:21:59.320
If you go there, watch his highlights on from TKO, we'll go all the way back to, uh, your
00:22:04.780
championship there rebel news plus.com you guys and check out elevate.farm while you're