In this episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, UFC welterweight champion Conor Mcgregor joins the show to talk about his recent victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 246. Conor talks about his preparation for the fight, how he dealt with the flu before the fight and what he did to recover from it. He also talks about the importance of keeping your hands down and how important it is to keep them there.
00:05:21.000So when I achieved this attitude, that's why I don't need to keep my hands up because this for me means, and for everybody, that means defending.
00:05:34.000I don't need to defend myself when I see everything, when I feel everything.
00:05:41.000But like I understand in this preparation, where I tried, where I did.
00:05:48.000All the camp, hands up, like this gives you the calm in a close distance.
00:08:54.000It's such an easy routine to keep in the mornings.
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00:10:36.000It means a lot, you know, and when people worked really hard to get you to a certain level.
00:10:40.000What I like is there's some coaches that they recognize that maybe there's other skill sets they can bring in, so they work with other people as well, you know, but always stay with the people that brought you.
00:10:52.000As long as the relationship is good, always stay with the people that brought you to the game.
00:10:55.000Sure, sure, because in the end, you can change whoever, but you have to...
00:11:03.000Start again with the same people and go.
00:11:06.000And again, you will go to the same level, to the same problems with these people because it's not about them.
00:11:15.000It's always about you to recognize what's in you.
00:12:57.000How he's reacting for, not just for opponent, for the many situations, for slipping and movement, but everything, like personal and studying that guy.
00:13:14.000His energy, his vibe, how he's reacting, how he's reacting.
00:13:22.000in some situation like these eye pokes and all these things like some breaks in the fight every time because it shows you how he has under control himself all the time all the time and this is something what Alex Pereira I don't know what is his story behind but He handled that.
00:13:52.000He handled that, and that's how he is.
00:13:55.000Now he's starting to be more relaxed, and I wish him to stay sharp.
00:14:02.000Well, I think he's more relaxed outside the fight, but in the fight, he's always very calm.
00:16:15.000Know to keep all these weights on the top, what there is.
00:16:26.000Yeah, defending the title is more difficult even than getting the title.
00:16:32.000And then it's improving while you're champion.
00:16:36.000Daniel Cormier always says that every champion improves significantly once they become champion because you have the confidence of being champion.
00:16:43.000And it's just how long can you maintain the kind of energy that's required to constantly get better?
00:16:51.000Because it's not just about maintaining, right?
00:16:53.000It's about constantly improving, constant analysis of all your movements and what you're doing right, mistakes that were made, what the thought process was before the mistake and how to eliminate that.
00:20:02.000If you have the reason why and you can not just you want it like your ego just want it, but you feel it like it's your destiny, these moments, and it's yours.
00:24:00.000And right now, after watching Ong Bak, I'm just still realizing what is the best style, what is the best movements, best deadly techniques, what to do.
00:24:20.000And right now, after I watch the long back, I see the Muay Boran, like my next chapter to what I want to see real, like in Thailand, to see really how to use that and how to...
00:24:37.000Because I'm the man who's like taking the piece here, taking the piece here and making...
00:26:30.000I fall in love with the fighting, with looking for, finding my biggest strength.
00:26:39.000And that's why I'm going every time to the nature, to sleeping in the mountains.
00:26:50.000That's why I'm living in the cottage, to be in contact with the nature, to feel the present moment and the rare natural power of the water, fire, of all these things, of the sun.
00:27:06.000Yeah, I was going to ask you about that.
00:27:08.000Like, when did you start this training in nature?
00:27:10.000Because when you look at your setup that you have at your place and everything's outside, you know, you put pads over trees and you punch and kick trees.
00:27:20.000Sometimes it looks weird, but, you know, wow, I don't like to...
00:27:34.000Right now I want to overcome the people, the men, the sparring partners in the training.
00:27:40.000But in my personal way, I was inspired by...
00:27:47.000Once I was inspired by Masutatsu Oyama.
00:27:52.000He was the founder of Kyokushin Kai Karate.
00:27:55.000And I saw his movie and how he spent...
00:28:00.000More than one year one and a half year in the mountains and he trained just in the mountains under the waterfall in the winter in the winter and He made from himself a really Really something like unshakable mind Self-confidence so deep because he he found a way how to overcome How
00:28:34.000He's describing that in his book like the mind without the thinking, like without the thoughts, pure mind, pure focus, pure consciousness right here, right now.
00:30:08.000And as deeper you can go in this uncomfortable environment and all these things, that deep you can understand the life Be a philosopher about that.
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00:32:40.000Well, you're obviously very physically talented, but I think one of the things that does separate you from other fighters is this mindset that you've cultivated and that you embrace.
00:33:36.000What to destroy, how to punch other guy, how to show the strength above others.
00:33:48.000And when there was, when there started, okay, like I said, when on these parties started the level of like, it was really dangerous, a fire and...
00:34:04.000Firearms and the cars and the fire and it was not safe.
00:34:12.000Then I said, guys, okay, we are a man.
00:35:02.000Choose the hardest way and go through overcome whatever and show you are the you are the boss yeah and and this is this is it this is why i'm i came from that place where we are trying to to show each other this one and i trying to carry that energy and put it In the calm
00:35:47.000And then you feel that in training in nature and then experiencing the wild and getting it out there, it becomes even more pure because you recognize that all around you is survival.
00:36:09.000So what year did you start doing this training in the wild?
00:36:12.000Like I said, in 2014. I was inspired by Masutatsu Oyama.
00:36:21.000Then I realized it's not about opponents, man, it's about just your body, just about rule your body, how much you can rule your body, rule your mind, rule your emotions, logical state of thinking, to find the way how to not overcome,
00:36:45.000how to rule your breath, because this is the This is it.
00:38:19.000to 17 to 18 yeah something like that and uh yeah I realized that man there is a there is a way in the rising yet yeah so I need I need to no I need to I want to take a title here I want to prove that I'm the how to say like the the king of Japan like yeah to to rule rule these guys Yeah,
00:40:09.000I'm just a watcher of my progress, of the situation.
00:40:14.000Think about that, how to plan it, how to see that not personally, just to see yourself as another person and put it in myself in a way where it will be the best for these targets.
00:41:02.000When you look at your first fight with Volkan Ozdemir, and then you look at your fight with Jamal Hill, do you see significant improvement?
00:41:10.000When you look at your first fight in the UFC, when you fought Volkan Ozdemir, and now you look at yourself now, in the most spectacular performance against Jamal Hill, do you see the improvement?
00:45:41.000One of the things that we were talking about, Daniel and I were talking about when we were doing the commentary, was your head movement was so good.
00:46:07.000Before I stepped in the UF. Since my title fight, I really exactly know when I started to work especially on that because I realized that this is my game.
00:48:36.000So yes, to be here and now, to be, like I said, to be everything, but still to not be pushed by this feeling like to be so nice, not too much aggressive, but something in the middle, still control that.
00:49:19.000Yes, and the bad for fighting is when you really realize we are doing this, we are doing...
00:49:29.000We are fighting each other and right now I'm going to hurt other person and you don't see really the difference between you and him so you know you are doing to yourself but this is the game what we chose and we are here to have a fun so not just have a fun to To live this experience.
00:51:33.000Because I have no other chance than to stop doing bullshit, stop doing just pure inspirational training in the garden, stop doing all these things.
00:51:55.000And start doing just things that really matter, what have a real effect, how you can feel, how you want to be.
00:52:13.000The power of true self-talking, the power of true overcoming the mistakes in the life.
00:52:24.000And be the boss of your mind because sometimes it's...
00:53:33.000It was me, but, man, you show yourself your worst, your worst to the world, man.
00:53:42.000But then you came after that and showed your best.
00:53:46.000So this is the thing about overcoming a loss like that, is that I'm sure it was awful, but because of it, the pain that you felt from it caused you to rise to another level.
00:55:44.000And only one reason, only one thing what I realized, like, maybe the one thing, the step up will be like, take us two steps back and understand the true life.
00:56:00.000I think we'll realize that the people that live this way are living disastrous lives and people will learn from that mistake because this level of comfort that most people have is very new historically.
00:56:47.000And I don't mean it's too easy like you don't have to work and I'm sure everybody has to work and your work sucks and it's hard and you gotta get up every day.
00:57:42.000Like, whatever you want to do in life, if you want to be an artist, if you want to be a musician, whatever you want to be, you want to be an author, it will hinder your development if you live the comfort life.
00:58:12.000I'm curious about that because I'm trying to...
00:58:18.000This is my true motivation, the human evolution, the evolution of myself, how to fight better, how to overcome the opponent better, how to show him that I am everywhere and you have no chance around me.
00:58:39.000Please hold your head down and tell the other I'm the winner.
00:58:48.000My ego wants this but the way to this there is but still in some humble way to show it peacefully.
01:01:02.000Because that's why I like to keep same word, same attitude before the fight, in the preparation and after the fight, in the fight, after the fight, all the time, like the same.
01:01:26.000Just for the sake of promotion, they talk a lot of shit and they're just trying to stir things up and make the fight more exciting by insulting people, insulting their families.
01:01:55.000You could talk all the shit you want, get everything hyped up.
01:01:58.000What really matters is how you perform inside the octagon.
01:02:02.000When you perform inside the octagon, like Alex has, like you have, there's no need for shit-talking.
01:02:09.000People love you, and they love you just by the style of your fighting, and you're expressing your soul inside that cage, like who you are as a man inside that cage.
01:02:20.000You don't have to talk shit about someone's wife or all that crap.
01:02:23.000Yeah, that's why many people around me, like my manager team, try to be more focused for a promo and all these things.
01:03:38.000But when leading up to the fight, the most important thing is that you're 100% prepared and anything that distracts from that should be eliminated.
01:04:49.000Now imagine if instead, if Jose Aldo fought that fight and dragged it into the fourth and fifth round and started using the leg kicks that he used on Uriah Faber and started picking him apart from be careful in the beginning, but stay inside the game plan.
01:08:25.000That's the game, and this is something what is for me, I can't forget for myself, because I want to show really true myself, so I can't talk shit.
01:10:36.000Well, you know, it's interesting because weight cutting is, in my opinion, the worst aspect of the sport.
01:10:44.000Josh Barnett was just talking about this.
01:10:47.000He was on the Ariel Helwani show and he was talking about the dangers of weight cutting in reference to Armand Saroukian's having to pull out of that fight.
01:12:02.000So instead of having a full 24 plus hours, so if you're weighing in at 10 o'clock in the morning now, what time did you weigh in in Los Angeles?
01:14:35.000And I know this is not an easy thing to do.
01:14:38.000But I do think it's just like getting steroids out of fighting.
01:14:42.000When they brought in USADA, when USADA came in, you saw people's physiques melt.
01:14:47.000You saw people that were doing steroids on a regular basis and gaming the system and testing negative on the day of the fight, but all throughout their camp they were using, you saw their bodies change.
01:14:58.000They had started looking like doughy and flabby because they didn't have any testosterone anymore because they had fucked up their endocrine systems.
01:15:07.000Allowing that they brought in USADA and USADA started randomly testing and a lot of people fell off.
01:16:22.000Yes, they should evolve that because for the safety of the fighters, for the safety of the fighters, it's not good to dehydrate your brain 24 hours before a cage fight.
01:19:22.000In this fight there can happen something what after that fight we will not can nobody can change right right so we will like the fighters we will speak better perform better train better be prepared to die right and not like just in our mind just to die To show the best performance.
01:20:40.000We are living in the age where the laws and the system is working.
01:20:47.000So we have to put some system on the fighting too.
01:20:54.000Eddie Bravo actually came up with an idea.
01:20:57.000He was joking around, but he wanted to call it ultimate sack fighting, where you would allow to kick a guy in the balls and your balls would be exposed.
01:21:07.000It's like when the balls are in play, the game changes.
01:21:09.000And the idea was that your balls are so vulnerable, but yet you cover them like a tie cup.
01:21:15.000And that if they didn't, if the balls were hanging out, like your chin is hanging out, that it would change everything.
01:24:56.000Yeah, it's not gonna help you be a better fighter It's there's a lot of ancient movements that are probably good for the development of your consciousness And they're probably good overall for your ability to be a better martial artist because they teach you certain movements Which are almost like a form like kata a lot of people talk about forms and they say it's a waste of time But I think it's a moving meditation I used to think it was a waste of time when I was a young man.
01:25:21.000When I got my black belt, I just learned the katas and then afterwards I had forgotten them.
01:25:26.000I just learned them so that I could pass the next test and then once I knew all the forms and the katas, I didn't care anymore.
01:27:24.000That they think they're going to be able to utilize.
01:27:26.000Scientists use matrix-style learning to write skills into human brains, see, non-invasively.
01:27:32.000So they don't have to inject anything, put a wire in your brain.
01:27:37.000Techniques use real-time brain imagery and neurofeedback.
01:27:40.000It bypasses learning processes that require effort, study, or practice.
01:27:46.000With our method, not only can we nudge complex patterns around in the brain towards known ones, but also, for the first time, write directly a new pattern into the brain and measure what effect that has on a person's behavior, said Dr. Coraline Lorden, lead author of the study and assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester.
01:33:50.000You sit right now at the top of the heap.
01:33:54.000Like, after Ankulaev, especially after that performance, it's very likely that either you or a lot of people, forgetting about Jan Bochowicz, always like to give him his props because Jan Bochowicz is still one of the best fighters in the world.
01:34:08.000And I would like to see him get another shot because he's also 41 or 42, I think, now.
01:34:13.000And, you know, he doesn't have much time left in his prime.
01:34:17.000Jan has maintained, like, even at 40 years old, still, it doesn't show any signs of deterioration.
01:36:04.000I think we need, because there's too many times where two judges get it wrong, and the crowd is like, what the fuck?
01:36:09.000I think if you had five judges, then you have two judges that would counterbalance that other, and there'd be three-two in the right direction, and you'd get a good result.
01:36:18.000I think you're more likely to get a good result, an accurate result of what the fans and the experts see about the result of a fight, than you would if there was only three judges.
01:39:59.000If somebody mounts you, there was a guy that I used to train with, Amir Renovardi, and he used to get on top of you and mount you and drive his cup, drive his dick in your solar plexus, and you'd want to tap.
01:41:49.000Ryzen allowed knees to the head to a grounded opponent and kicking.
01:41:54.000Did you get accustomed to that and have to, like, get that out of your system when you came to the UFC? Was there any moments where you thought about throwing a soccer kick?
01:42:01.000No, no, I didn't thought about that, but when you are still in the control, in the fighting, what's, I think, the biggest...
01:42:12.000Biggest thing of the fighter in the fighting to stay in, in the control.
01:42:17.000So you know what to do, what can't to do.
01:42:21.000But there's moments when you don't control yourself too much.
01:45:01.000But the Book of Five Rings, he talks about that because Miyamoto Musashi was such a great sword fighter that he believed the only way to fight at your best is you have to be a balanced person.
01:45:19.000And he believed in that so strongly and taught that so strongly in the Book of Five Rings that if you think about how he applied it to sword fighting, it makes sense.
01:45:30.000Everything what you're saying makes sense.
01:45:31.000Because you have to be completely pure when it's just two men and swords.
01:50:05.000Do you wait for Anka Live and Pereira to fight to see what happens next?
01:50:09.000This is what I am right now, not expecting what I want to do, to see the fight.
01:50:16.000If the fight will happen because they are...
01:50:19.000Translating that so much this their fight so so let's see let's see who's the best and my attitude and right now I know that how I what to do to not to get better to do a real serious preparation to get prepared for Both of them,
01:50:49.000doesn't matter who, and be ready for negotiation about the next fight.
01:50:55.000I won a title, but I will let the life to give me who's before me right now.
01:51:04.000Who's the challenge right now before me.
01:51:06.000So it's just about whatever the challenge is, accept it, and then try to find your best self for this next performance as well.
01:51:44.000Since I decide I want to go this way of the warrior, of a true man, to feel the true power and take it to my life and live with that, not just to feel that and go away, but to keep it in a daily life.
01:52:35.000And that's what I like to do in my meditations, to take a step up.
01:52:42.000Watch yourself, watch where you're going, who you spend time with, where is your daily, what's your daily routines, how it makes it better, and then go into the deepest level of the present moment and live that.
01:53:07.000And stay with these, your best ideas, what you are connected with.
01:53:17.000Yes, so, yes, you ask me, yes, I live that.
01:53:23.000But I didn't in the time, right now, I can say it right now, I didn't expect it will cost you.
01:55:29.000For ideas which I started with, like the martial arts and all these things, and just be in the gym and train.
01:55:39.000Don't do another of this bullshit, because with Pereira, I really get lost, and I started to believe to another people, to not just myself.
01:55:56.000This is something, this is the way to the hell, when you start, stop believing yourself, your true yourself.
01:56:04.000And when you start believing some spiritual guys who's trying to protect you or giving you something and trying to lead you and they know what's the best for you.
01:56:21.000And that was my biggest school in this life, I think.
01:56:28.000So yeah, that was my last preparation.
02:01:25.000Yeah, that's why I had to go back to Japan, where my old belief started to go really deep, because there I started to be, I don't know how to say, not just inspired, but to live it, really live it, without no...
02:01:59.000In managing your mind, I'm sure one of the most important things is to not have a lot of negative influences, not have a lot of negative thoughts.
02:02:10.000Do you spend any time on social media when you're in camp?
02:02:14.000Yeah, but I'm doing just some posts and that's all.
02:03:24.000So, meditation, observing mind, follow your and find the best, the best of your, what you can, what you can achieve in this life, what you can If you can, if you want, really.
02:03:51.000And this is the question what everybody have to answer to ourselves.
02:04:07.000Which I need to let go and which I want to keep in my life?
02:04:16.000And so it's just a deep exploration of your own mind.
02:04:20.000Yes, maybe because there is a lot of levels like imagination, see some visualizations, some life dreams.
02:04:37.000All these things, because after three days there is an opening, the third eye is opening, and you can see truly who you are, and maybe sometimes somebody needs more days without food, so without food it's going to be more intensive.
02:05:15.000And to understand me, all these things I'm doing because I really decide to use everything like a weapon in a fighting to use my mind, use my visualization, use everything.
02:05:36.000And that's why I went to do this trip of the spirituality so deep because I thought there will be some special weapons that I can use in the fighting.
02:05:51.000And the biggest special weapon is to be yourself, the realest yourself.