The Joe Rogan Experience - JRE MMA Show #23 with Alexander Gustafsson

00:00:00.000 Come down here hunting sometimes.

00:00:01.000 Yeah, man!

00:00:02.000 Come down! 0.97

00:00:03.000 A lot of wild pigs out here. 0.96

00:00:06.000 Alexander Gustafson, ladies and gentlemen, we're live. 0.81

00:00:09.000 Good to see you buddy.

00:00:09.000 What's happening?

00:00:10.000 It's good to be here.

00:00:10.000 I'm good.

00:00:11.000 I'm good.

00:00:11.000 You just recovering from shoulder surgery?

00:00:14.000 Yeah.

00:00:14.000 What did you have done?

00:00:16.000 I was wrestling.

00:00:18.000 I wrestling practice.

00:00:19.000 I got taken down, believe it or not.

00:00:22.000 I got actually slammed.

00:00:24.000 I was trying to pose with my arm and I was slammed.

00:00:28.000 I just felt something in my shoulder basically.

00:00:31.000 It didn't hurt at first.

00:00:33.000 I was trying to stand up, and I felt it was just a mess in there.

00:00:36.000 And after that, I went to the hospital, and from there, I've been rehabbing.

00:00:41.000 I got a plate inside.

00:00:43.000 Oh, wow.

00:00:43.000 A plate?

00:00:44.000 Yeah, I took it out now in, like, end of last year.

00:00:48.000 But I had a plate for a couple of months, yeah.

00:00:50.000 What was the extent of the injury?

00:00:53.000 Nothing was broken.

00:00:55.000 It was more like the collarbone, just...

00:00:59.000 Dislocated?

00:00:59.000 Dislocated, ripped apart from my shoulder, so they had to put it back in, put the plate on, three screws down.

00:01:04.000 That's the first real injury I had for my whole career.

00:01:07.000 I had bruises, stitches and all that, but this is the first real, probably my back, but Pull this thing right in front of your face there.

00:01:14.000 It's under your viking beard.

00:01:17.000 It's getting muffled up.

00:01:19.000 So were there tendons torn or ligaments?

00:01:22.000 Yeah, ligaments, tendons, everything just torn apart.

00:01:25.000 Wow.

00:01:26.000 So they stitched it all back together again, put a plate in there.

00:01:28.000 Yeah.

00:01:29.000 And now I've just been rehabbing.

00:01:31.000 I feel fine.

00:01:31.000 I'm 100% now.

00:01:32.000 I'm in training.

00:01:33.000 So how many months was it?

00:01:36.000 Well, this happened in August, and I took away the plate end of last year, and I've been rehabbing for a couple of months.

00:01:48.000 Six months, totally, maybe.

00:01:50.000 When you grabbed the bow and you were pulling it back, I'm like, maybe I shouldn't have him do that.

00:01:55.000 That's like, you know, that kind of movement is like bench pressing.

00:01:58.000 Yeah, but I'm fine now.

00:01:59.000 I'm good.

00:02:00.000 I'm good.

00:02:00.000 It's all good.

00:02:01.000 That bow was powerful, though.

00:02:03.000 I didn't expect that.

00:02:05.000 Yeah, it's no joke.

00:02:06.000 It's good.

00:02:08.000 It's definitely good back training if you wanted to work on those muscles.

00:02:13.000 They're very specific.

00:02:14.000 100%.

00:02:15.000 So when you do that, are you doing platelet-rich plasma and all sorts of different therapies to try to accelerate the healing?

00:02:27.000 Well, I've done my physical rehab.

00:02:33.000 I've done a lot of like...

00:02:38.000 I don't know the word in English, but a lot of acupuncture, a lot of massage, a lot of rehab and lifting small weights.

00:02:49.000 Really boring stuff.

00:02:50.000 I hate that stuff.

00:02:51.000 I hate it so much, but you just have to do it.

00:02:54.000 It's just tiny weights.

00:02:55.000 I started with that and then I've just been increasing and that's it.

00:03:01.000 Boring as rehabbing.

00:03:02.000 You know, obviously I'm a big fan of yours, and I was very worried when, after the Glover Teixeira fight, which I thought was like your masterpiece so far in your career.

00:03:13.000 Appreciate that.

00:03:13.000 Thank you.

00:03:14.000 Well, it's just, you've always been a very, very good fighter, but when you see a guy hit this new level, and that's what I felt like you were in the Glover fight, I was like, Jesus Christ. 0.94

00:03:23.000 Like, that combination that you finished him off with, that was some video game shit. 0.97

00:03:26.000 That was crazy. 0.99

00:03:28.000 Like for yourself too, right?

00:03:29.000 Yeah, no, he was just standing there.

00:03:32.000 He ate my uppercuts.

00:03:35.000 I ate uppercuts all night.

00:03:37.000 It was crazy. 1.00

00:03:38.000 So then when I heard that you were injured after that, I'm like, ah, shit. 0.99

00:03:42.000 Like you were just catching your stride. 0.99

00:03:44.000 It was just a perfect performance.

00:03:46.000 No, I know.

00:03:46.000 That's what I felt because I felt like, like you said, I had everything going.

00:03:50.000 I had such a flow in training, in life generally.

00:03:54.000 Everything felt really good.

00:03:57.000 I'm hungry.

00:03:58.000 I was motivated.

00:03:59.000 I'm very motivated.

00:04:01.000 But that time, after that win, and Glover is a tough opponent and everything went so well with the fight and everything.

00:04:11.000 I felt really good.

00:04:12.000 And then this happened.

00:04:14.000 It was a big setback.

00:04:17.000 What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

00:04:19.000 So I just kept working on it.

00:04:22.000 I just looked forward and I got a goal in my sight.

00:04:29.000 That's it.

00:04:30.000 Well, the one thing that is good about something like that is it really gives you time to pause and reflect and pay attention to all the other aspects of your game.

00:04:38.000 You're such a footwork-heavy, movement-heavy guy as it is.

00:04:42.000 That's my thing, footwork.

00:04:44.000 But it's so unusual for a guy as tall and as big as you to be so agile and have so much footwork and movement.

00:04:51.000 I mean, it must be a giant asset for you in fighting.

00:04:54.000 It is.

00:04:54.000 And for the Glover fight, I could do that for turnarounds.

00:04:58.000 You know, I wasn't tired at all.

00:05:01.000 I did my thing and I was out of there.

00:05:03.000 I wasn't in his pocket.

00:05:04.000 I wasn't in his range.

00:05:06.000 Then I did my thing again and I was out of there.

00:05:07.000 I could do that all night, all night long.

00:05:11.000 That's also a thing, like, I knew I always had it, but after that fight I really felt that this is working, this is my thing, and this is what I'm gonna use, and I'm gonna get better at it.

00:05:20.000 I'm gonna get better at everything, the whole game, but this is my...

00:05:22.000 This is my key thing.

00:05:24.000 This is it.

00:05:25.000 And I know...

00:05:26.000 Movement and footwork.

00:05:27.000 If I fought DC, like I fought Glover, I'll beat him.

00:05:32.000 I'll beat him all day long, I'm telling you. 0.87

00:05:33.000 I'll beat him.

00:05:35.000 Well, it was a very close fight the first time you guys fought.

00:05:37.000 Yeah, but I still didn't.

00:05:40.000 I didn't do it enough, man.

00:05:41.000 I was in his pocket too much.

00:05:43.000 One of the things that I really like about you, Alex, is that when you talk about yourself, you're very hard on yourself.

00:05:50.000 You know, like, I like that.

00:05:52.000 One of the things that you said is that you're never satisfied.

00:05:55.000 This is the life of a high-level athlete.

00:05:57.000 Never satisfied.

00:05:58.000 Never, never.

00:06:00.000 I just wanted to improve all the time.

00:06:02.000 And I've always been that guy, always been that person, always had to take the hard way in stuff.

00:06:08.000 Learning new stuff, I have to all the time take the hard way, you know.

00:06:14.000 I always had to take a beating first before I win.

00:06:17.000 That's how it's been and that just makes me stronger and I got that fire in me and it just grows.

00:06:24.000 Yeah, well, you're still young.

00:06:25.000 I mean, how old are you now?

00:06:26.000 31. Not that young.

00:06:28.000 That's young, though.

00:06:29.000 I mean, consider how long you've been fighting in the UFC. I mean, how old were you when you had your first fight in the UFC? 21, 22. That's crazy.

00:06:36.000 It's 10 years now.

00:06:36.000 That's crazy.

00:06:37.000 It's 10 years.

00:06:38.000 Do you think about yourself as 21 fighting in the UFC? Like, what?

00:06:41.000 Yeah, no.

00:06:42.000 It feels like...

00:06:43.000 But I think it's 10 years.

00:06:46.000 It's always 10 years, but it feels like it was yesterday.

00:06:48.000 I'm sure.

00:06:48.000 Time runs.

00:06:49.000 In particular in this business, because your life is all about the next fight.

00:06:53.000 It's always about planning for the next fight, the next fight.

00:06:55.000 So...

00:06:57.000 Well, you also have constant growth and improvement, but it gets tested in these big jumps, like every three times a year, two times a year, whatever it is your schedule that you're fighting on, you get these big tests, and you get to find out how applicable everything that you've worked on is.

00:07:16.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:07:18.000 That's how it is.

00:07:20.000 And after that test, you just feel like, what's next?

00:07:26.000 What should I do next?

00:07:28.000 What's the next improvement?

00:07:30.000 What's the next opponent?

00:07:32.000 Where's the belt?

00:07:33.000 Stuff like that.

00:07:37.000 You had one of the most spectacular fights with Jon Jones, down to the wire, as close as it gets.

00:07:44.000 When you get out of a fight like that where you almost won the title against the greatest of all time, what is that feeling like and where do you go from there?

00:07:57.000 You know, it was tough.

00:07:59.000 It was really tough.

00:08:01.000 Everybody was saying, you're winning this fight.

00:08:04.000 You're winning this fight.

00:08:05.000 You had three rounds against him.

00:08:07.000 You're winning this fight.

00:08:08.000 It felt like...

00:08:09.000 Like you said, it was just...

00:08:13.000 It was just right there at the goal line.

00:08:15.000 You know, I didn't really pass that goal line at all.

00:08:18.000 I just felt like that...

00:08:21.000 It was tough.

00:08:23.000 It was tough.

00:08:23.000 But like now, sitting here now talking to you, it's a really good experience for me.

00:08:29.000 And, you know, I really...

00:08:31.000 It was a good time for me.

00:08:33.000 The fight was a highlight in my career for sure, in my life for sure.

00:08:37.000 It was such a close fight.

00:08:38.000 When the scorecards are being tabbed and you're just sitting there waiting for the decision, did you think you had it?

00:08:47.000 I didn't know.

00:08:48.000 I didn't know.

00:08:49.000 So much chaos.

00:08:50.000 Could you even remember what had happened over the last five rounds?

00:08:53.000 I remember the fight.

00:08:58.000 I remember almost the whole fight, but it was just...

00:09:03.000 John Jones is such a beast.

00:09:05.000 He's...

00:09:06.000 You know, I'm telling you, just for me, Jon Jones, winning over Jon Jones is bigger than taking the belt.

00:09:13.000 I'm telling you, that guy is such a beast and...

00:09:19.000 Yeah, what was the question?

00:09:21.000 No, it's okay.

00:09:22.000 I mean, express yourself.

00:09:23.000 That's fine.

00:09:24.000 I mean, I agree with you. 0.98

00:09:25.000 He is a beast.

00:09:26.000 I'm very disappointed with all the stuff that's happened to him, obviously, and especially the most recent one, which I really believe, based on the evidence, is a mistake.

00:09:34.000 I think he got a hold of something tainted, because they tested him before that, he was negative.

00:09:40.000 They tested him after that, he was negative.

00:09:42.000 And what he tested for was such a minuscule amount.

00:09:45.000 There's no way.

00:09:46.000 I think so?

00:09:47.000 Yeah, there's no way.

00:09:48.000 According to Novitski and according to USADA, according to how they test people, whatever he consumed must have been an extremely small amount.

00:09:58.000 It wasn't an amount that would have had any benefit whatsoever in terms of performance enhancing.

00:10:05.000 Well, they know the thing.

00:10:06.000 So, you know, just let the expert handle that.

00:10:10.000 I don't know what to say.

00:10:11.000 I know for a fact that He's been in that same situation a couple of times.

00:10:16.000 This is not the first time, so, you know, it's... 1.00

00:10:19.000 Well, he definitely is a wild motherfucker. 1.00

00:10:21.000 He is. 1.00

00:10:23.000 He is. 1.00

00:10:25.000 He definitely does some shit he probably shouldn't do, but... 1.00

00:10:27.000 Yeah, 100%, man. 1.00

00:10:29.000 But, I mean... 1.00

00:10:30.000 But the thing is, it's so stupid because he's what he is. 1.00

00:10:33.000 He's the best guy, pound for pound. 1.00

00:10:37.000 Out there.

00:10:38.000 He's done things nobody else has done. 0.99

00:10:41.000 He's just a beast. 1.00

00:10:42.000 And still, shit just comes up all the time. 1.00

00:10:46.000 He doesn't even need that steroids. 1.00

00:10:48.000 He doesn't even need that shit in him. 1.00

00:10:50.000 He's still the best guy out there. 1.00

00:10:51.000 I don't think he took anything.

00:10:52.000 I really don't.

00:10:53.000 But I agree with you on that.

00:10:55.000 And I think you need a guy like that.

00:10:58.000 You need a guy like that out there.

00:11:00.000 To bring you to your full potential.

00:11:03.000 Do you agree?

00:11:04.000 Yeah, I agree with you.

00:11:05.000 Like I said to you.

00:11:07.000 Fighting him and beating him, that's bigger than taking the belt right now.

00:11:11.000 That's how I feel.

00:11:13.000 Look what he did to D.C., man.

00:11:14.000 D.C. is tough.

00:11:16.000 He finished D.C. That's just insane.

00:11:19.000 It is just insane.

00:11:20.000 And he finished him with a kick that D.C. said he's never going to hit him with.

00:11:24.000 That's crazy.

00:11:26.000 That's insane.

00:11:27.000 He's like, you're never going to hit me with that left eye kick?

00:11:28.000 Oh, wow!

00:11:30.000 Just look for the opportunity he takes it.

00:11:33.000 Yeah, tendencies are crazy.

00:11:35.000 It's just some of them just get so ingrained in the way your body moves and the way you operate.

00:11:40.000 No, he's an expert, of course, what he's doing and he's studying his opponent very well.

00:11:47.000 Everything is just such planted in details for the fights and he knows exactly when he should go for that or that or that and staying creative and using his fantasy and it's amazing to see.

00:11:59.000 Yeah, that Jackson-Winklejohn team is a truly exceptional team.

00:12:03.000 I mean, they really do phenomenal with him.

00:12:05.000 Now, where you're at now is a very interesting situation because John is in exile.

00:12:11.000 No one knows what's going to happen in terms of how long he's going to be suspended.

00:12:14.000 DC is now fighting Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title, and who knows what's happening there.

00:12:20.000 I mean, does that bother you?

00:12:22.000 Because it seems like it kind of puts the 205 title in limbo.

00:12:26.000 It does.

00:12:27.000 Yeah.

00:12:27.000 It does.

00:12:29.000 I didn't see that coming at all.

00:12:33.000 It's a great fight for them and for the fans and for the sport.

00:12:38.000 But for us standing in line, we're just sitting there waiting for an opportunity and it's not going to come.

00:12:48.000 It's not going to be there.

00:12:49.000 So, you know, and, and, you know, I will, that's also a thing that has been motivating me a lot because after the fight with Glove, I got injured and all that.

00:13:02.000 And I was really looking forward to come back and make a really strong performance, you know, very strong next performance.

00:13:12.000 I had my eyes on that goal.

00:13:15.000 And then I actually counted almost, you know, fighting DC. But then it was all gone by him going up the steepest.

00:13:25.000 So it's a crazy situation.

00:13:27.000 The whole division is just crazy right now.

00:13:30.000 Yeah, it really is because that fight is not even going to take place until July.

00:13:34.000 So here we are in April, May, June, July.

00:13:37.000 We have three months until that fight takes place.

00:13:40.000 I know.

00:13:40.000 So that fight and then obviously at least three months, most likely more, before the title could be challenged again.

00:13:48.000 We don't even know if he comes back again.

00:13:50.000 Right, he might not.

00:13:51.000 Who knows what happens in that fight.

00:13:52.000 Plus once he gets used to eating again?

00:13:55.000 It's going to be tough.

00:13:56.000 If DC wins?

00:13:57.000 I see it in pictures now.

00:13:59.000 I'm going to meet him a couple of days.

00:14:01.000 He looks a little bit, you know, heavy right now.

00:14:04.000 Well, he was on TV the other day eating potato chips.

00:14:06.000 Like, man, you're in camp. 1.00

00:14:08.000 What the fuck are you eating? 1.00

00:14:09.000 No, he loved that. 1.00

00:14:10.000 Yeah, he loves food, that's for sure.

00:14:12.000 I mean, and I, you know, you look back at his performance in Strikeforce as a heavyweight and it was phenomenal.

00:14:18.000 He did good.

00:14:19.000 Phenomenal, yeah.

00:14:19.000 He didn't lose.

00:14:20.000 No, he didn't lose that heavyweight and tossed around gorillas like Josh Barnett. 1.00

00:14:25.000 Yeah, lift him up like nothing.

00:14:27.000 Crazy, right?

00:14:28.000 You know, this fight against Tippi, if he would be against another heavyweight, I'd probably say Tippi was going to win this fight.

00:14:37.000 But you see, like you said, he's a really good heavyweight, so who knows what happens.

00:14:42.000 Well, his wrestling is just so next level.

00:14:44.000 It's an interesting position because Stipe is a very good wrestler, but of course DC is world class.

00:14:51.000 He is world class and he doesn't take one step back.

00:14:54.000 He just comes at you.

00:14:55.000 He's just in your face.

00:14:58.000 But it's tough to count out Stipe, too, because Stipe is the pound-for-pound consensus best heavyweight ever.

00:15:04.000 I mean, the guy has defended the title more than anybody.

00:15:06.000 You look at his resume, it's impeccable.

00:15:08.000 Knocks out Junior Dos Santos, knocks out Overeem, beats Francis Ngannou, who everybody's scared of.

00:15:14.000 I mean, phenomenal.

00:15:16.000 No, he's a badass.

00:15:16.000 He's a badass.

00:15:17.000 Yeah.

00:15:18.000 So, you know, but DC, he's such a competitive guy.

00:15:22.000 He doesn't take a step back and he just goes for it.

00:15:25.000 Even in a tough situation, he just eats it and comes back and do what he do always.

00:15:31.000 And for being a fat guy, that guy works.

00:15:37.000 He's screaming at you right now, hey man, settle down! 0.95

00:15:39.000 But that guy is doing five rounds like nothing.

00:15:43.000 So the conditioning is on top.

00:15:46.000 Yeah, he just eats the wrong food.

00:15:48.000 That's all it is.

00:15:50.000 I mean, maybe some of it's genetic.

00:15:52.000 I just think he's just eating the wrong food.

00:15:54.000 I mean, there's evidence.

00:15:56.000 He's eating potato chips.

00:15:58.000 I mean, there's evidence. 1.00

00:15:59.000 It's not like I'm just talking out of my ass. 0.99

00:16:01.000 I've seen him eat the wrong food. 1.00

00:16:02.000 Me too.

00:16:04.000 But yeah, nothing but respect for that guy.

00:16:06.000 He's an awesome human being, too.

00:16:07.000 Yeah, he's a great guy.

00:16:08.000 He's a fantastic guy.

00:16:10.000 Have you ever thought about fighting heavyweight?

00:16:13.000 It crossed my mind from time to time, but I feel I'm not done in light heavyweight yet.

00:16:20.000 I have still things to do.

00:16:22.000 What do you walk around at?

00:16:23.000 I'm heavy.

00:16:24.000 I'm heavy.

00:16:25.000 I'm calling DC fat, but I probably shouldn't say anything.

00:16:29.000 Yeah, but you have an excuse.

00:16:31.000 I've been in America for two days.

00:16:33.000 I gained directly 10 pounds, not just being here. 0.95

00:16:35.000 All our GMO food fucks you up.

00:16:37.000 So when you normally are getting down to 205, what do you walk around at? 0.92

00:16:47.000 Maybe I'll stop my camps at 2.35.

00:16:50.000 Really?

00:16:50.000 Wow.

00:16:51.000 Yeah.

00:16:52.000 I'll go up to 2.40 sometimes.

00:16:53.000 No kidding.

00:16:54.000 Wow.

00:16:55.000 Are you healthy at 2.40?

00:16:57.000 I move like never before.

00:16:58.000 It's crazy.

00:16:59.000 Really?

00:17:00.000 Yeah, I do.

00:17:01.000 I got some speed in my footwork.

00:17:03.000 Do you feel good at 240?

00:17:04.000 I feel pretty good being heavy.

00:17:06.000 I do.

00:17:07.000 And I feel strong.

00:17:08.000 I feel strong.

00:17:09.000 I'm sparring big guys.

00:17:10.000 I'm sparring heavy guys.

00:17:11.000 And I feel really strong in being a heavyweight.

00:17:15.000 But like I told you, man, I'm not finishing light yet.

00:17:19.000 I understand.

00:17:20.000 But how much of you gets diminished in that cut to 205?

00:17:24.000 Not that bad, no?

00:17:25.000 It's like, you know, when I start, because off-season I do maybe, off-season I do, I do eight to ten sessions a week. 0.99

00:17:35.000 I don't stress, you know, I don't eat shit food.

00:17:40.000 I, of course, sometimes I drink a couple of beers or I have a pizza or whatever, you know, I'm a, I have to live some time, but it's good regular meals, doing a little bit of lifting, some weights. 0.97

00:17:59.000 When I stop my camps, it's like my body feels like it's time now to start working here.

00:18:04.000 I start doing my sprints, my miles on the treadmill.

00:18:09.000 You know, from one week to another, I maybe lose like 10 pounds.

00:18:12.000 It's crazy.

00:18:13.000 It's like my body just knows, okay, it's time to work, and then I just drop like nothing.

00:18:18.000 Wow, so your body's just accustomed to the drop.

00:18:20.000 Yeah, and I feel it's because, you know, I've done it many times, so it's just like, you know, the routines.

00:18:27.000 Now, I know you do a lot of hunting, and you were showing me some photos before the podcast.

00:18:31.000 Do you incorporate wild game into your diet?

00:18:33.000 That's all I do.

00:18:34.000 Yeah.

00:18:35.000 That's all I do.

00:18:36.000 I wouldn't say never, but I barely buy anything from the store when it comes to meat or all that.

00:18:43.000 I just hunt everything I eat.

00:18:45.000 I try to support my family with what I'm hunting.

00:18:50.000 I'm hunting a lot of wild boars.

00:18:52.000 We have a lot of wild boars in Sweden.

00:18:54.000 I'm hunting deers.

00:18:56.000 We have red deer, fallow deers.

00:18:57.000 We got mousse.

00:19:00.000 You can't compare the meat.

00:19:03.000 It's a science just to cook it right, but if you cook it right and you know what you're doing, it's the best thing ever.

00:19:11.000 Yeah, I agree.

00:19:11.000 And I've always wondered, as a professional athlete, what it would be like.

00:19:15.000 Whether or not you see the benefit in eating such protein-rich, nutrient-dense meat as opposed to pasture-raised or farm cattle.

00:19:23.000 Yeah, you can compare it.

00:19:24.000 You can compare it.

00:19:28.000 And everything around it, too.

00:19:30.000 They're suffering.

00:19:31.000 It's not a good business.

00:19:33.000 I don't like that business.

00:19:34.000 I don't want to support it all.

00:19:35.000 So I'd rather do my hunting.

00:19:37.000 No, I agree.

00:19:39.000 To me, it's the best way.

00:19:41.000 If you're going to eat meat, it's absolutely the best way.

00:19:44.000 But what I'm thinking is, I don't know a lot of pro athletes that only eat wild game and only hunt wild game.

00:19:50.000 But I would think that there would be a great benefit in that.

00:19:52.000 100%.

00:19:53.000 100%.

00:19:53.000 You can get better...

00:19:55.000 Nutrition to your body than eating that meat.

00:19:58.000 It's the best thing there is.

00:20:01.000 How do you feel after eating like a 400 gram steak after eating like a 400 gram whatever deer it is you've been hunting?

00:20:17.000 You don't feel the same.

00:20:18.000 You don't feel tired.

00:20:19.000 You don't feel like you're getting this food coma and stuff like that.

00:20:22.000 You feel fresh.

00:20:24.000 It's weird, right?

00:20:26.000 Wild game has almost an invigorating sensation to it when you eat it.

00:20:30.000 It actually feels good.

00:20:32.000 You feel strong.

00:20:33.000 You feel good about doing it.

00:20:34.000 How long have you been hunting?

00:20:37.000 I've been hunting since a kid.

00:20:38.000 I grew up on a farm and my dad was hunting a lot when I was a kid and then I didn't hunt for a long time and I get back to 2012 actually.

00:20:48.000 I took my license and after that I've been hunting.

00:20:54.000 If I don't train, I'm outdoors.

00:20:57.000 If I don't train, I'm outdoors.

00:20:58.000 And we have seasons in Sweden, so it's not like you're hunting all year round.

00:21:02.000 Right.

00:21:02.000 But I make sure I fill the freezer under those seasons.

00:21:08.000 So, yeah.

00:21:09.000 And I'm not training, I'm hunting.

00:21:10.000 That's awesome, man.

00:21:11.000 Well, you don't use bows there, though.

00:21:12.000 It's not legal.

00:21:12.000 It's not legal, right?

00:21:14.000 Yeah.

00:21:14.000 Only guns.

00:21:14.000 A lot of European countries.

00:21:16.000 I know in Spain it's legal.

00:21:18.000 Yeah, in Spain where you said you hunted those red deer.

00:21:21.000 I have a friend of mine who lives in Spain.

00:21:23.000 He's a big bow hunter.

00:21:24.000 No, it's only rifles in Sweden.

00:21:27.000 But that works too, man.

00:21:29.000 It works.

00:21:29.000 I mean, it's the most effective way for sure.

00:21:32.000 And obviously you can shoot them at a higher distance and a lot of people think it's more humane too.

00:21:36.000 If you're not good with a bow, they're right. 0.90

00:21:39.000 Yeah.

00:21:40.000 But when it comes to the feeling of being outdoors, being close to the animal and stuff like that, I don't even think you can compare it to actually the bow hunting.

00:21:51.000 No.

00:21:51.000 It's a whole lot of technique.

00:21:52.000 It's a whole way to hunt.

00:21:54.000 Well, a guy like you, who loves challenges, who thrives off of that, you would thrive off a football hunter.

00:21:58.000 No, I haven't done it, but if I tried, I'd probably love it.

00:22:01.000 Listen, man, I'll hook you up.

00:22:02.000 I appreciate that.

00:22:03.000 I'll set it all up.

00:22:04.000 I'll be back.

00:22:05.000 My friend John Dudley is tall like you, too, so he'd be the perfect guy to coach you.

00:22:09.000 He could explain it to you and take you out on a hunt.

00:22:12.000 Yeah, no, I can't wait, man.

00:22:13.000 I love that. 0.55

00:22:13.000 Well, especially wild pigs. 0.55

00:22:15.000 There's a place that he has in Oklahoma that they hunt a lot of wild pigs. 0.74

00:22:19.000 I mean, they just have to eradicate them.

00:22:21.000 There's so many of them.

00:22:21.000 I heard about it.

00:22:23.000 It's too many.

00:22:25.000 And how they hunt them too is kind of crazy.

00:22:29.000 Oh, the ones in Texas where they do it from helicopters?

00:22:30.000 Yeah, I saw that on YouTube channels and stuff like that.

00:22:33.000 Going crazy down there.

00:22:35.000 They just have to. 1.00

00:22:36.000 Texas is so big and there's so many pigs. 0.98

00:22:39.000 There's millions and millions of pigs there and they're constantly breeding. 0.99

00:22:42.000 Yeah.

00:22:43.000 They'll have like three, four littles a year, and each litter they'll have four, six piglets, and they just keep going and going and going and going, and there's just no end.

00:22:50.000 Wow.

00:22:50.000 And they don't have very many predators.

00:22:52.000 A few mount lions take them out occasionally, but for the most part, they're just running and gunning, and they keep breeding.

00:22:57.000 Do they get big in here?

00:22:58.000 Yeah, they get big.

00:22:59.000 They do?

00:22:59.000 Yeah, they get big.

00:23:00.000 Several hundred pounds, yeah.

00:23:02.000 That's crazy.

00:23:03.000 Yeah, it's common to see three, four hundred pound pigs.

00:23:05.000 Wow.

00:23:06.000 In Sweden, we have a couple of them, but they don't get that big, though.

00:23:11.000 The thing is how we hunt them in Sweden is when the farmers, when they have all their acres and all their lands, they actually call us in.

00:23:21.000 Yeah, to help them out.

00:23:23.000 And we're just out there all night.

00:23:24.000 The sun never goes down in Sweden in the summertime.

00:23:27.000 Oh, really?

00:23:27.000 Now we have like a midnight sun.

00:23:29.000 So it's so cozy being out there.

00:23:32.000 It's kind of warm.

00:23:33.000 It's nice.

00:23:34.000 You're going around, you're checking the lands, and it's pretty good, man.

00:23:38.000 You will like it.

00:23:39.000 I'm sure I would.

00:23:40.000 I've only been to Sweden once for the UFC when I was there, but I loved it.

00:23:43.000 Stockholm is a beautiful city.

00:23:44.000 Fantastic.

00:23:45.000 Really enjoyed it there.

00:23:46.000 Thank you.

00:23:46.000 Very nice people, too.

00:23:48.000 Oh, they are.

00:23:48.000 They are.

00:23:49.000 They are.

00:23:50.000 So how did you get aligned with Alliance?

00:23:53.000 How did that wind up happening where you started coming to America to Train and how far into your career was that?

00:23:59.000 Right after Phil fight.

00:24:01.000 Really?

00:24:02.000 Yeah, right after Phil fight.

00:24:04.000 And back then we didn't have those resources in Stockholm at all.

00:24:09.000 And you say Phil Davis, we're talking about Phil, Mr. Wonderful.

00:24:12.000 Yeah, Mr. Wonderful.

00:24:13.000 Who is also an alliance fighter.

00:24:15.000 Yeah.

00:24:15.000 Which is pretty cool, man, that you guys fought and then you went to train with him.

00:24:19.000 Yeah.

00:24:20.000 How'd that work out?

00:24:21.000 It went good. 0.98

00:24:22.000 You know, he just kicked my ass the first couple of times before I started learning the whole wrestling part and how even to defend a takedown. 0.98

00:24:30.000 And after that, I just become good at it. 0.99

00:24:33.000 And I really enjoy coming down here, meeting the guys and training.

00:24:38.000 It's a whole other type of life.

00:24:39.000 Well, it's so cool that he, you know, accepted you after you were an opponent too and had you come and learn with them.

00:24:48.000 Yeah, you know, we just talked after the fight right away and I just swallowed my pride and I just talked to him after the fight and he invited me over and We just came meeting my coach.

00:25:05.000 We just came over and we had no idea what to expect.

00:25:08.000 I remember we just landed at night time.

00:25:12.000 So we went to the gym to sleep.

00:25:13.000 I woke up the day after and I was hitting someone hitting the bags down there, like in the mat area.

00:25:21.000 Like early now, super early.

00:25:23.000 I'm like, who is this?

00:25:24.000 I went down, it was Phil.

00:25:25.000 It was hitting the bags. 0.99

00:25:26.000 And I felt so like, oh damn, I have to do this too. 0.92

00:25:29.000 Then we started to like, you know, train together. 0.92

00:25:33.000 So it was a really good time.

00:25:34.000 And then he came actually down to us to help me out with Glover Teixeira too.

00:25:39.000 So you went to Sweden?

00:25:40.000 Yeah, I went to Sweden for a couple of weeks.

00:25:44.000 And he fought, loved it too.

00:25:46.000 It means so much to me to have these guys training with me, you know, with Phil, Ili Latifi, we have Jimmy Manoa and all those guys.

00:25:55.000 Such great guys and love training with them.

00:25:58.000 And it makes my training just, it just steps up.

00:26:02.000 You know, steps up even more.

00:26:03.000 We have a bunch of guys.

00:26:05.000 We have, like, Russian communists. 0.75

00:26:06.000 We established a really good place now at All-Stars in Sweden and Europe, around Europe, and getting so much good guys.

00:26:15.000 And my level of fighting just...

00:26:18.000 Rises through the top, man.

00:26:19.000 I'm telling you.

00:26:20.000 If I spar with Phil, Jimmy, or Ailer, I just feel like every day is a fight. 0.97

00:26:27.000 You can't be relaxed.

00:26:28.000 You can't just throw a jab and don't care about the counter.

00:26:31.000 You have to...

00:26:32.000 Such amazing training.

00:26:34.000 Well, it's so fantastic, too, over the last decade, the level of talent that's coming out of Europe has just escalated.

00:26:39.000 It's been so different.

00:26:41.000 It's so big.

00:26:42.000 And the wrestling, too, which is a big part of it.

00:26:44.000 So much more wrestling.

00:26:45.000 So much more talent.

00:26:47.000 Exactly.

00:26:47.000 We have guys coming from Uzbekistan, we have different Russian countries down there, they're coming in and those guys are beasts, I'm telling you, they're beasts.

00:26:59.000 And they're driving, they're double legs, they take downs, and they eat shots though.

00:27:05.000 They eat shots, they take it like nothing and it just comes at you.

00:27:08.000 So they make me work a lot.

00:27:10.000 And yeah, that's exactly what I need.

00:27:14.000 Exactly what I need.

00:27:15.000 Yeah, that's been one of the more interesting things over the last five or six years is the rise of the Russians. 0.89

00:27:19.000 There's been so many from the former Soviet Union.

00:27:23.000 They have such a working capacity.

00:27:28.000 They work a lot.

00:27:29.000 We have a couple of guys down at the gym now.

00:27:33.000 They're at the gym when I come to the gym, they're at the gym when I leave the gym.

00:27:36.000 They never leave.

00:27:37.000 They live in there, though, so they never leave, basically.

00:27:40.000 They live there, so they actually do live there.

00:27:42.000 We have a facility so people can stay and train.

00:27:48.000 Oh, that's excellent.

00:27:49.000 Yeah.

00:27:50.000 But they just work, man.

00:27:53.000 They work all day long.

00:27:54.000 That's a great asset to have a facility where people can train and live there.

00:27:59.000 I know American Top Team put something like that in.

00:28:01.000 Winkle John and Greg Jackson put something like that in.

00:28:06.000 That's got to help so much where young guys who don't have much money but want a place to train.

00:28:12.000 100%.

00:28:12.000 It's a really good way to...

00:28:14.000 Also to give something back, man.

00:28:17.000 They have their rooms to sleep in.

00:28:20.000 We manage so they have really good food to bring lunches and stuff.

00:28:28.000 And we also got it from here.

00:28:30.000 Because at the beginning when we came to San Diego, like I told you, it was another type of training, another type of lifestyle.

00:28:36.000 And we saw that, me and my coach, Andreas Michael.

00:28:40.000 We just, after doing this years and years and years, we now manage to do it at home.

00:28:49.000 And I just love it.

00:28:50.000 You know, I've been traveling all my career to America to train and around the place.

00:28:59.000 So, now we've established a good training system that works, and we've established it good, and I feel great to be home, you know, when you're getting a family and stuff.

00:29:10.000 I'm 31 years old, and it works, man, it works.

00:29:14.000 I've never been in that shape of my life than I've been training at home and feeling good.

00:29:19.000 That's fantastic where you don't have to drain yourself by flying over across the country and staying somewhere you don't know.

00:29:25.000 Exactly.

00:29:25.000 Yeah.

00:29:26.000 You were a real pioneer in terms of like European mixed martial arts.

00:29:31.000 What is it like now seeing all this sort of explode around you?

00:29:35.000 I mean, it's become so popular all over the world now.

00:29:38.000 I mean, MMA from when you started 10 years ago to now, it's barely recognizable.

00:29:43.000 No, you were a gangster back then.

00:29:45.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:29:45.000 Or you were a psychopath. 1.00

00:29:46.000 Either one or two of those when you're training like... 0.86

00:29:50.000 But nowadays, it's amazing.

00:29:52.000 I walk around in Stockholm and people are young kids.

00:29:56.000 They know even more than I know about the techniques, about the sport.

00:30:01.000 We have all ladies and all gentlemen coming in, one on an autograph or a picture.

00:30:08.000 It's grown so much.

00:30:11.000 Like you said, it's been exploded all over the world.

00:30:13.000 Now, what I was getting at was that when you first started out, how much of a structure was in place in terms of how much strength and conditioning you should do, how much sparring you should do, how much drilling you should do?

00:30:26.000 You know, I let Andreas Michaels handle that to me.

00:30:30.000 He's a mastermind of coaching.

00:30:36.000 He puts me in situations where I hate him.

00:30:40.000 He's the worst ever.

00:30:43.000 We've always been fighting sometimes.

00:30:47.000 But he has this old mentality of training.

00:30:51.000 We don't do too much of the scientific thing.

00:30:55.000 You watch your pulse, you measure your thing.

00:30:57.000 We just do the hardcore things.

00:30:59.000 Of course we do that too, the scientific a little bit, but not too much.

00:31:02.000 So we try to balance it out.

00:31:06.000 He plans everything out.

00:31:08.000 He's a mastermind of coaching and he knows me in and out and I know him.

00:31:12.000 That's another very important part in the development of young fighters is having someone that they can entrust that has knowledge where it's an Eric Del Fiero or Andreas or you know Jackson Winklejohn like whoever it is like having someone who really understands the sport who can guide you yeah and that's just such a giant resource for a guy yeah it is it is and you know as the sport explodes and get bigger you have those Fake ones coming in and think they know everything.

00:31:40.000 They want to have a piece of the cake, basically.

00:31:43.000 But we have these guys like Eric Delfiero and Andreas Michael and they're masterminds, man.

00:31:50.000 What is Andreas?

00:31:51.000 What is his background?

00:31:52.000 Boxing.

00:31:53.000 He was a professional boxer back then.

00:31:56.000 He has like 19 or 20 now in his boxing record.

00:32:00.000 And then he broke his arm and he had to finish his career because of his arm.

00:32:05.000 But no, that's his background.

00:32:08.000 That's where I got my footwork from.

00:32:11.000 That's where I got my foundation in fighting from.

00:32:17.000 Also one thing about a coach, like for Andreas, for example, or Eric Tufiero, they don't They don't care about the glory.

00:32:27.000 They don't care about the attention.

00:32:29.000 They don't care about...

00:32:30.000 They're the head coaches, but they take in...

00:32:33.000 If they are honest to me and to themselves, I don't know these things.

00:32:38.000 I don't know the grappling things.

00:32:40.000 I don't know the wrestling things.

00:32:41.000 They learn too, as it grows.

00:32:45.000 And they learn with me.

00:32:46.000 But they take in people that...

00:32:48.000 So we cover the whole thing.

00:32:50.000 We cover the whole...

00:32:51.000 All the aspects of the game, basically.

00:32:54.000 So...

00:32:54.000 Yeah, Eric is one of the most important, but yet the most humble guys.

00:33:00.000 Yeah, he's super humble.

00:33:01.000 He's very in the background.

00:33:02.000 There's a few guys like that that I really respect.

00:33:04.000 John Crouch from the MMA Lab, he's very similar to.

00:33:08.000 They're not looking for attention, just laying back.

00:33:11.000 And there's a lot of guys that aren't looking for attention.

00:33:14.000 They just get it because they're so good.

00:33:15.000 Like Farah Sahabi.

00:33:16.000 You can keep going on and on.

00:33:18.000 There's a lot of them.

00:33:19.000 But those guys are so important.

00:33:21.000 I mean, it's so critical.

00:33:23.000 Like, finding a big camp with great fighters and a fantastic coaching staff.

00:33:29.000 The difference between you realizing your full potential and not, that sometimes is the difference.

00:33:36.000 Having the right coach is the key, basically.

00:33:38.000 That's the key.

00:33:39.000 Coaches and training partners.

00:33:41.000 Yeah, 100%.

00:33:41.000 So you give him full reign in terms of everything you do?

00:33:48.000 And we discuss it all the time.

00:33:50.000 We argue sometimes.

00:33:51.000 We're hugging sometimes.

00:33:53.000 It's like a relationship, man.

00:33:55.000 It's my family, too.

00:33:59.000 That's all it is.

00:34:00.000 I remember we had a really good...

00:34:02.000 We were in Vegas, actually, for a camp.

00:34:05.000 I thought I was fighting Thiago Silva.

00:34:07.000 And he was putting me in there in the cage with some big-ass wrestlers. 0.97

00:34:12.000 And I wasn't 235 back then.

00:34:15.000 I was like 220, 219, walking around with...

00:34:18.000 These guys was heavy.

00:34:20.000 Big American heavyweights.

00:34:22.000 Good wrestling guys.

00:34:23.000 And they were just taking me down, taking me down.

00:34:25.000 Like...

00:34:26.000 Submitting me and I was like, I stand up in the cage, I throw over my thing.

00:34:30.000 I'm like, it's enough.

00:34:30.000 I can't take it enough.

00:34:31.000 Let me out.

00:34:32.000 Let me out of the cage. 0.58

00:34:33.000 So I was hitting the door.

00:34:34.000 I wanted out of the cage.

00:34:35.000 And the gym was full of people now.

00:34:37.000 So everybody just froze.

00:34:39.000 Look at me like this.

00:34:39.000 And the cage was like on a pedestal so everybody could see me.

00:34:44.000 So I was hitting the door and I see Andreas outside the door.

00:34:48.000 He's like doing this.

00:34:50.000 Nope.

00:34:50.000 He's staying in there.

00:34:51.000 One more round.

00:34:52.000 I'm telling you, I was so close to... 0.97

00:34:54.000 Meanwhile, when you took Jon Jones down, you had to be thinking, God damn, I'm glad he didn't open up that door. 0.93

00:35:02.000 Exactly. 0.87

00:35:04.000 I was surprised when I ended up in that position on top of him. 0.96

00:35:08.000 You shocked the shit out of me. 0.97

00:35:10.000 Did this really happen? 0.99

00:35:11.000 I didn't think you were going to go for it. 0.99

00:35:12.000 So when you went for it and then took him down, we were like, Oh, shit! 0.99

00:35:17.000 No, I was shocked. 0.98

00:35:18.000 I was laying on top, and I'm like, wow, I'm actually on top of this guy.

00:35:24.000 I didn't even think that was possible, but it wasn't that too hard to take down, you know?

00:35:29.000 I think you caught him by surprise.

00:35:30.000 Yeah, yeah, I did.

00:35:30.000 It was pretty awesome.

00:35:31.000 I think he was a surprise, too.

00:35:33.000 Yeah, yeah. 0.86

00:35:34.000 Well, it was pretty fucking awesome.

00:35:36.000 Now, what is a typical day in your camp?

00:35:41.000 Do you break up conditioning days with skill work days?

00:35:45.000 Do you do conditioning in the morning?

00:35:46.000 Do you do it after you're done with your skill work?

00:35:48.000 How do you work that?

00:35:50.000 I do from 10 to 12 sessions a week when I'm in camp.

00:35:55.000 We have actually the group workouts with the whole group, the whole elite group, in the mornings.

00:36:05.000 And then we do everything from sparring to good kickboxing drills to whatever.

00:36:12.000 That's when the group is training.

00:36:14.000 It's all the time.

00:36:16.000 It's the same group at the same time, every morning.

00:36:18.000 And then the night time is more like individual.

00:36:20.000 Okay, what I'm doing today.

00:36:22.000 Yeah, you maybe do five rounds of pads and then you do the sprints.

00:36:25.000 Or it could be either one.

00:36:28.000 Or strength.

00:36:29.000 Yeah, it could be either one.

00:36:31.000 So that's how we do it, basically.

00:36:33.000 So do you have a separate jiu-jitsu coach, a separate Muay Thai coach?

00:36:37.000 How do you work all that stuff out?

00:36:39.000 Yeah, the guy that's with me now, Joakim Karlsson, he's actually the national coach of Thai boxing.

00:36:48.000 And he's coaching me in my kicks, in my knees, in my kickboxing.

00:36:54.000 Alan Nascimento, he's a Brazilian, he's been living in Sweden for many years, he's a family and everything.

00:37:02.000 He has my jiu-jitsu and my grappling.

00:37:05.000 He's such a competitive guy.

00:37:07.000 He still competes.

00:37:08.000 He beats me up and he spars with me basically.

00:37:11.000 He spars with me and he makes me learn the hard way.

00:37:14.000 So you've got just an amazing staff over there.

00:37:17.000 Amazing staff.

00:37:18.000 It's amazing staff.

00:37:19.000 That's fantastic.

00:37:20.000 Yeah, I love it.

00:37:21.000 And so when you say you do these 10 to 12 sessions per week, do you have like a board up on the wall where you outline the week ahead?

00:37:29.000 Or do you do it day by day?

00:37:31.000 How do you do that?

00:37:31.000 No, I get a text from Andreas.

00:37:33.000 That's it.

00:37:33.000 This is the week.

00:37:34.000 Today we're doing this.

00:37:35.000 I'm just waiting for that text, man.

00:37:37.000 I put my phone like that.

00:37:38.000 I don't want to see it, man.

00:37:41.000 But I have to, man.

00:37:42.000 So that's how it works.

00:37:43.000 He gives me a text.

00:37:45.000 It could be on the board.

00:37:47.000 We have a big board on the wall.

00:37:50.000 It could be on the wall, too.

00:37:51.000 He puts down the session.

00:37:52.000 If it's something particular.

00:37:53.000 We have maybe sparring coming in.

00:37:55.000 We have to adapt the schedule a little bit.

00:37:58.000 It's different.

00:37:59.000 It's different from every week.

00:38:02.000 Yeah, I can imagine.

00:38:04.000 Are you still training?

00:38:06.000 Yeah, I still train.

00:38:07.000 I've got some serious injuries that I'm trying to heal up right now.

00:38:10.000 What's the injuries?

00:38:11.000 Two problems.

00:38:13.000 One big one is I got tendinitis in my elbow.

00:38:17.000 I've never had tendinitis before.

00:38:19.000 I don't know what that is though. 0.98

00:38:20.000 It's fucking strain in the tendon. 0.98

00:38:24.000 Tendons have low blood supply, so the problem with tendonitis is it takes forever to heal. 0.98

00:38:29.000 You overstretched the arm?

00:38:31.000 It was from pulling, from cleans, and from chin-ups. 0.99

00:38:35.000 This one on the inside, this muscle right here, or this tendon right here, Man, I fucked it up. 0.98

00:38:42.000 I kept training with it. 0.86

00:38:43.000 You got the inflammation in it?

00:38:45.000 Yeah, real bad.

00:38:45.000 To the point where it wasn't healing.

00:38:48.000 And I did stem cells and PRP. I finally got a hold of it.

00:38:52.000 But this thing right here, I keep it with me all the time.

00:38:54.000 This helped me more than anything.

00:38:56.000 It's a thing called the TheraBand.

00:38:58.000 And what you do is you hold it.

00:38:59.000 This is the elbow that's injured.

00:39:02.000 So I hold it out like this, I twist it, and then I slowly untwist it with this side.

00:39:08.000 And that therapy, just doing this, I do this like five, six times a day, I'll do like 10 reps.

00:39:13.000 That's been like the best thing.

00:39:14.000 That's helped me more than anything.

00:39:15.000 Will you be able to train now or you've been just now?

00:39:19.000 Pretty soon.

00:39:20.000 Pretty soon.

00:39:21.000 I think I'm good in about two weeks.

00:39:23.000 I'm gonna give myself two more weeks.

00:39:25.000 You have some badass kicks.

00:39:26.000 Oh, thank you.

00:39:27.000 That's what I heard.

00:39:28.000 I'll show you.

00:39:29.000 I can still kick.

00:39:30.000 I have no problem with my kick.

00:39:32.000 Flexible?

00:39:32.000 Yeah, I'm very flexible.

00:39:34.000 I did Taekwondo when I was a little kid.

00:39:36.000 I started out with that and then got into Muay Thai later.

00:39:41.000 I'm not flexible at all.

00:39:43.000 I have to stretch for an hour before the workouts.

00:39:46.000 Really?

00:39:46.000 I think it's from my genetics or something.

00:39:50.000 I'm just a stiff...

00:39:51.000 Vikings.

00:39:52.000 I'm telling you.

00:39:53.000 Carrying swords, swinging swords all the time. 0.99

00:39:55.000 I should be happy if I kick over your knees. 1.00

00:39:57.000 I can only move fast with my feet, that's all.

00:39:59.000 Yeah, but I guarantee you, you could improve that flexibility if you really, really concentrate.

00:40:03.000 That's the thing I have through my whole career.

00:40:07.000 I'm just working on my flexibility.

00:40:09.000 And when I'm stepping in that octagon, I'm flexible as hell.

00:40:13.000 But that's just two times a year, though.

00:40:15.000 So once you get to the full peak of camp, then you're flexible.

00:40:20.000 As soon as I leave the cage, it's gone.

00:40:23.000 Are you doing a lot of weightlifting?

00:40:25.000 Is that what it is?

00:40:26.000 You're doing a lot of squats or deadlifts?

00:40:28.000 No, it's in my genetics, I think.

00:40:31.000 I'm super stiff.

00:40:33.000 I'm not stiff everywhere.

00:40:34.000 It's just my hamstrings are stiff.

00:40:36.000 When did you start martial arts?

00:40:39.000 For real, when I was starting MMA, end of 2006. Really?

00:40:45.000 Okay, so it was fairly late in life.

00:40:47.000 It was.

00:40:47.000 I've been boxing and stuff, but that's just been an amateur level.

00:40:49.000 I don't even count that as a series doing sport thing.

00:40:54.000 It was just... 0.99

00:40:55.000 Fucking around? 0.98

00:40:56.000 Yeah, just been playing around. 0.96

00:40:57.000 So you were basically like 18, 19 when you really got into it?

00:41:00.000 Around there.

00:41:01.000 Yeah.

00:41:01.000 So your body already matured.

00:41:03.000 See, one of the things that you see about kicking in particular is...

00:41:07.000 When you get young fighters before their body is matured, then their flexibility usually stays.

00:41:13.000 Yeah.

00:41:13.000 You know, like if you start karate or something like that.

00:41:15.000 And you look at Phil Davis, for example.

00:41:17.000 That guy is massive, but still he's flexible as...

00:41:20.000 He's great. 0.99

00:41:21.000 That guy's a fucking stud athlete, too. 0.99

00:41:23.000 He looks like a superhero. 0.99

00:41:24.000 I know.

00:41:25.000 His waist to shoulder ratio.

00:41:27.000 I know.

00:41:27.000 It's same with Jimmy though.

00:41:29.000 I don't put up my t-shirt when I'm training with him.

00:41:31.000 Just keep my hoodie on me.

00:41:34.000 Just keep my hoodie on me.

00:41:35.000 Same with Phil. 0.64

00:41:35.000 Yeah, those guys are jacked. 0.64

00:41:37.000 Yeah, I know.

00:41:38.000 Even if they're off-season, that's the thing. 0.92

00:41:40.000 I'm just getting chubby, like a big, big-ass reformer body.

00:41:47.000 These guys look like athletes all year round.

00:41:50.000 Man, is that frustrating?

00:41:51.000 Sometimes.

00:41:53.000 But is that just genetics?

00:41:54.000 But it feels good though when I'm winning the rounds sometimes. 0.96

00:41:56.000 Right, when you're winning the rounds as a fat guy. 0.97

00:41:58.000 Fat guys all over the world. 0.98

00:41:59.000 Yeah.

00:42:01.000 So do you watch your diet at all outside of camp?

00:42:06.000 I do.

00:42:07.000 I do, actually.

00:42:08.000 I do.

00:42:08.000 I try to stay away from sugar.

00:42:12.000 When I do sugar, if I do like sodas and stuff like that, candy, whatever, I gain a lot of weight.

00:42:20.000 But as soon as I quit it, I just...

00:42:21.000 It's crazy, isn't it?

00:42:22.000 Yeah, I drop in weight.

00:42:23.000 Sugar's the devil. 0.89

00:42:24.000 It is.

00:42:25.000 I hate sugar.

00:42:26.000 That's the worst.

00:42:26.000 Yeah.

00:42:27.000 When you realize what it's actually doing to your body, and then you realize it's everywhere, and that most people that you run into are just eating sugar all day long.

00:42:34.000 Yeah, and it actually doesn't taste that good if you don't do it.

00:42:36.000 Right, that's the weird thing, right? 0.98

00:42:38.000 Once your gut bacteria becomes acclimated to eating healthy food, you start craving salads and shit. 0.99

00:42:43.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:42:43.000 It's weird, right? 0.99

00:42:44.000 Yeah.

00:42:45.000 Now, when you talk about flexibility, do you ever do yoga?

00:42:48.000 I don't.

00:42:49.000 You don't?

00:42:49.000 No, I don't like that.

00:42:51.000 No.

00:42:52.000 Vikings and yoga don't mix.

00:42:55.000 No, I think it's just because I'm so bad at it.

00:42:59.000 You need patience.

00:43:00.000 You need a lot of patience.

00:43:02.000 I wish I liked it.

00:43:05.000 Because I would probably need it more than ever.

00:43:09.000 Don't get me wrong.

00:43:11.000 I stretch.

00:43:12.000 I do my flexible things in my training and all that.

00:43:16.000 But...

00:43:17.000 Put a whole workout in just to stretch your body.

00:43:21.000 I don't know.

00:43:22.000 I don't have the patience for it.

00:43:23.000 It's not just that, though.

00:43:24.000 That's what's interesting about it.

00:43:26.000 It's a strengthening thing, too.

00:43:27.000 It just strengthens your body in an unusual way.

00:43:30.000 I've seen a lot more fighters getting involved in it and really seeing benefits.

00:43:35.000 One of them was Nathan Corbett.

00:43:37.000 You know Nathan Corbett, the Muay Thai champion?

00:43:39.000 Yeah, I heard about it.

00:43:40.000 He was doing some interview recently talking about how much yoga he does and how much it's helped his power and helped his movement.

00:43:45.000 No, I believe it does.

00:43:46.000 I believe it does.

00:43:47.000 But you're still not interested?

00:43:49.000 I probably have to think about it.

00:43:52.000 Well, I was thinking a guy like you who's so driven at trying to succeed at all costs, trying to figure out what's the best way to succeed.

00:44:02.000 You might want to investigate that.

00:44:03.000 I should.

00:44:04.000 I should actually do it.

00:44:05.000 I should do it.

00:44:06.000 I think I will...

00:44:08.000 You know, people are telling me my kicks.

00:44:11.000 I have to work on my kicks more.

00:44:13.000 I have to use my kicks more in the fights.

00:44:14.000 They're all right.

00:44:15.000 I need to start doing my kicks more.

00:44:17.000 The thing I kick, but I kick with a certain maybe insecurity.

00:44:23.000 I don't know.

00:44:25.000 I think it is from back in the days when I was getting taken down all the time doing my kicks.

00:44:31.000 But nowadays, people are taking me down, but they can't hold me down.

00:44:35.000 If they take me down, nobody can hold me down.

00:44:38.000 So that's something I need to start doing even more.

00:44:41.000 Not just kicking to the legs or more powerful kicks to the body.

00:44:45.000 My knees are good.

00:44:46.000 I work on my knees all the time and I'm putting more in my fights.

00:44:51.000 I love my knees.

00:44:53.000 I'm getting really high with my knees.

00:44:55.000 That's one of the beautiful things about MMA and martial arts in general is that there's always room for improvement.

00:45:01.000 There's always things to work on.

00:45:02.000 No one is the best at everything.

00:45:04.000 Even if you're 31 years old, you're doing this for 10 years, you still have so much to learn.

00:45:09.000 That's the good thing with the sport.

00:45:10.000 No, it's such a comprehensive sport.

00:45:13.000 I mean, I really don't think people appreciate how much thought is involved in the preparation.

00:45:18.000 Yeah.

00:45:18.000 No, it's a lot.

00:45:20.000 It's a lot.

00:45:23.000 How long do you think you'll be doing it?

00:45:26.000 You say 31 like you're old, but you're not.

00:45:29.000 But it seems like you've been doing it a long time, right?

00:45:32.000 Yeah.

00:45:32.000 How many years do you think you have left?

00:45:37.000 I feel really hungry and motivated.

00:45:40.000 I don't think the age is going to be...

00:45:42.000 I don't think my age in terms of, you know, have pain in your body or injuries or anything like that is going to stop me.

00:45:51.000 It's more like as long as I'm having fun...

00:45:53.000 As long as I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I'll do it.

00:45:57.000 I'll do it.

00:45:57.000 You have guys that are doing it late in the 40s.

00:46:02.000 That's also a good thing with the sport.

00:46:06.000 It's such an old age of peaking if you compare it to other sports.

00:46:12.000 I have a lot more to gain.

00:46:14.000 I can't give you a number, but I have a lot more to give.

00:46:17.000 You've had moments in your career though that you were kind of down, right?

00:46:21.000 Like moments in your career where you're thinking, how much longer am I going to do this?

00:46:24.000 Exactly.

00:46:24.000 Now after Anthony Johnson lost, that was a tough one.

00:46:30.000 You know, but I always told myself like, you know, either I just put my, either I just I just love my life as it is.

00:46:48.000 I'm so flexible in my schedule, in my time with the family.

00:46:52.000 I gain everything from the sport.

00:46:57.000 I have to do it more, and I'm going to do it more.

00:47:00.000 That's what I... If I would, for example, say, you know, fuck it, after I lost against something, for example, I regret myself a lot in the late fours, maybe. 0.98

00:47:15.000 Right. 0.99

00:47:15.000 Well, because you had your finest performance after that. 0.99

00:47:19.000 Yeah.

00:47:19.000 I mean, the Glover Teixeira fight.

00:47:21.000 And I just feel like that's the thing.

00:47:23.000 You know, I just feel like I'm just keep going like this.

00:47:26.000 Then I had a couple of setbacks, but I'm still seeing those marginals.

00:47:31.000 I see the numbers going up.

00:47:32.000 I see myself doing better.

00:47:34.000 So I believe in myself 100%.

00:47:38.000 And I believe I have what it takes to take that belt.

00:47:40.000 I believe I have what it takes.

00:47:42.000 And I believe I can beat Jon Jones.

00:47:45.000 I believe 100%.

00:47:46.000 I have what it takes to beat Jon Jones.

00:47:48.000 And I have what it takes to beat DC. So I'm just looking for that opportunity.

00:47:54.000 I want to, you know, step in there.

00:47:56.000 People say I'm not active enough.

00:47:57.000 I don't say enough.

00:47:58.000 But that's never been my thing.

00:48:00.000 I've never been like a Conor McGregor. 0.99

00:48:02.000 And if I should start doing what he's doing, people are going to tell me, like, shut the fuck up. 0.99

00:48:05.000 You know, I see right through you. 0.99

00:48:07.000 You're not that guy. 0.95

00:48:07.000 I was just, like, silly myself. 0.95

00:48:10.000 So I just, you know, doing what I do.

00:48:12.000 I'm always going to do what I do.

00:48:14.000 And I show what I have when I fight.

00:48:17.000 And I've been a little bit inactive because of my injury now and because of all that.

00:48:22.000 But, you know, whatever people say, I'm...

00:48:25.000 I'm down and I'm just waiting for the next opportunity basically.

00:48:29.000 I can't wait.

00:48:29.000 The Rumble Johnson fight was a tough one for you to swallow too because it was in Stockholm.

00:48:34.000 It was this enormous event.

00:48:36.000 Everybody was there to see you.

00:48:39.000 In that fight, we didn't pick it up while the fight was going on, but you guys collided heads.

00:48:44.000 Yeah, it was a headbutt.

00:48:46.000 I'm not taking anything away from Anthony Johnson.

00:48:48.000 That guy is a beast. 0.99

00:48:49.000 And he's one of the hardest hitters in the fucking sport. 1.00

00:48:54.000 No doubt. 0.99

00:48:55.000 I mean, no one's taken anything away from him.

00:48:56.000 He's truly exceptional.

00:48:57.000 But the thing is, I was throwing my kick there and he just came in there and his forehead hit my chin.

00:49:06.000 Yeah.

00:49:07.000 And I just blacked out.

00:49:10.000 I went down.

00:49:11.000 I went up again.

00:49:12.000 I was in the match again.

00:49:15.000 When he gets a taste of blood, he just goes for it.

00:49:18.000 I should just keep my guard up.

00:49:19.000 I'm very like this.

00:49:21.000 I'm very lengthy and he just caught me as I'm doing all that.

00:49:25.000 But isn't that one of those situations where until you've been there...

00:49:29.000 And you've been that hurt in a big fight like that.

00:49:32.000 It's like the experience is...

00:49:34.000 It's an alien experience.

00:49:36.000 It is.

00:49:37.000 It is.

00:49:37.000 You don't recognize any of it.

00:49:40.000 It's like you can't...

00:49:42.000 Nothing controls your mind trying to control your legs, your arms, like this and that, but...

00:49:48.000 I was just disorientated, man.

00:49:51.000 It was four in the morning in one of the big stadiums in Sweden, four in the morning.

00:49:56.000 We filled it up.

00:49:58.000 It was a huge place.

00:49:59.000 It was huge, man.

00:50:01.000 And like I said, four in the morning, when the people told me, oh, we're going to do this, I'm like, no, it's not going to happen.

00:50:09.000 How should we manage to fill this place up?

00:50:11.000 But still, people went there to see it, and it was just an amazing feeling stepping out there.

00:50:15.000 Well, for people who don't understand why, they did it to coordinate it with American pay-per-view.

00:50:19.000 Yeah, exactly.

00:50:22.000 So, yeah, that was it.

00:50:24.000 That was it.

00:50:25.000 Yeah, it was rough, man.

00:50:26.000 It was a rough loss.

00:50:27.000 And now Rumble just decided he doesn't want to fight anymore, which is kind of crazy.

00:50:31.000 Yeah.

00:50:31.000 Every now and then he thinks about it.

00:50:33.000 He says he wants to come back as a heavyweight.

00:50:34.000 Yeah, I don't think he's even going to make it to light heavy anymore.

00:50:38.000 No.

00:50:40.000 It's so crazy to think that that guy fought at 170 at one point in his career.

00:50:44.000 I can't even see that now.

00:50:47.000 Yeah, I don't understand how he even did it.

00:50:49.000 Such a massive guy.

00:50:51.000 His neck is like the size of his head.

00:50:53.000 He has not a small head. 0.77

00:50:54.000 He has like this big round head.

00:50:55.000 Yeah.

00:50:56.000 And the neck is the size of his head.

00:50:58.000 No, he's a big guy.

00:50:59.000 A really big guy.

00:51:00.000 I ran into him once while he was fighting 170. He was in the lobby of a hotel.

00:51:05.000 I came downstairs and I go, Anthony!

00:51:08.000 How much do you weigh?

00:51:09.000 And he starts laughing.

00:51:10.000 He's like, 230?

00:51:11.000 I was like, 230?

00:51:13.000 You weighed 230?

00:51:14.000 You gotta get down to 170?

00:51:16.000 That makes my weight cut easy, man.

00:51:18.000 I'm telling you.

00:51:18.000 That makes my weight cut easy.

00:51:22.000 His weight cut was horrific. 0.99

00:51:24.000 He used to, his whole, his cheeks used to suck. 0.94

00:51:26.000 He has prominent cheekbones, right? 0.88

00:51:28.000 So like when his weight cut was fully dehydrated, when his body was like really, really thin, it was like horrible.

00:51:36.000 It was like a skeleton.

00:51:37.000 It's like, man, that guy, he missed weight a bunch of times too.

00:51:42.000 Now going up to like table weights is probably the best thing he's ever done in his career.

00:51:45.000 I agree.

00:51:46.000 I was kind of stunned when he decided to retire, but what he said was interesting.

00:51:49.000 He said, I'm not a fighter.

00:51:52.000 He goes, I'm an athlete.

00:51:53.000 He goes, I'm just really good at fighting.

00:51:55.000 I don't like fighting.

00:51:56.000 I don't know if that's correct, though.

00:51:58.000 I would see him more like a fighter.

00:52:01.000 He's a great athlete, but I see him more like a hardcore fighter.

00:52:06.000 Of course, we all are athletes doing this, but he's more like the fighter.

00:52:12.000 You know, Phil Davis is an athlete.

00:52:14.000 He's an athlete, but this guy, he's just like, he's a fighter, man, I'm telling you.

00:52:18.000 You've got to tell him, man. 0.99

00:52:19.000 I mean, if you watch his fight with Glover Teixeira, or you watch his fight with Little Nog, yeah, that motherfucker's a destroyer. 1.00

00:52:26.000 He does. 0.99

00:52:26.000 He's a destroyer. 0.99

00:52:27.000 You don't want to be in front of him. 0.98

00:52:29.000 And that shows you how fucking tough DC is. 0.98

00:52:31.000 Yeah. 0.98

00:52:32.000 DC beat that guy twice.

00:52:33.000 I throwed everything I had at him.

00:52:35.000 Everything I had. 0.99

00:52:36.000 I need him in the face. 1.00

00:52:38.000 I kicked him in his body. 1.00

00:52:39.000 Sometimes I hit him and I saw his eyes go like this. 0.85

00:52:42.000 And he just kept going. 0.90

00:52:44.000 DC's an animal.

00:52:45.000 Yeah.

00:52:45.000 A four-week drive just kept on going.

00:52:48.000 He's a fucking animal, man. 1.00

00:52:49.000 Whatever I throw. 1.00

00:52:50.000 And he just, same pace, same pace.

00:52:53.000 Yeah.

00:52:54.000 You know, if I fight him again, I will not stand in his pocket.

00:52:57.000 I will not stand in front of him.

00:52:58.000 So you think that was the critical error, like being right in front of him?

00:53:01.000 Yeah, 100%.

00:53:01.000 Especially when you have such a reach advantage.

00:53:04.000 Yeah, I respect his wrestling too much.

00:53:08.000 So yeah, if I fight him again, I would do it a way different way.

00:53:12.000 Yeah, I'm sure he'd do something different too, though, right?

00:53:14.000 He'd probably do.

00:53:15.000 He'd probably do, but he'd still do one thing all the time.

00:53:19.000 He just keeps moving forward.

00:53:20.000 That's what he does.

00:53:21.000 What you got to do is you got to catch him when he's coming down from heavyweight.

00:53:24.000 Yeah.

00:53:25.000 You remember the towel when he was pushing down?

00:53:28.000 I saw that.

00:53:30.000 I saw that.

00:53:32.000 I want him to come down.

00:53:33.000 I hope he's coming down.

00:53:35.000 Yeah.

00:53:35.000 He can't just like...

00:53:38.000 Take that fight now.

00:53:39.000 Even if he wins, he has to come down and...

00:53:43.000 Defend?

00:53:44.000 Defend and fight.

00:53:45.000 Listen, if he beats Stipe, he might fight Francis again.

00:53:48.000 Who knows?

00:53:48.000 He might fight Volkov, who could fight...

00:53:51.000 No, he has to fight me.

00:53:52.000 He doesn't want to fight me, but he has to fight me.

00:53:54.000 He has to, in your mind.

00:53:55.000 He has to fight me.

00:53:56.000 That's what you need.

00:53:56.000 Yeah, that's what I need.

00:53:58.000 Yeah.

00:53:58.000 That's my...

00:53:58.000 It's him or John.

00:53:59.000 So if John's back first, you would like to be the first guy to fight John.

00:54:03.000 I will come back right away.

00:54:05.000 Yeah.

00:54:06.000 I'm in camp.

00:54:08.000 I'm not in camp, sorry.

00:54:10.000 I'm training.

00:54:10.000 I'm feeling great.

00:54:12.000 My shoulder is good.

00:54:13.000 And I'm just waiting for an opportunity.

00:54:16.000 The light heavyweight is pretty wide open right now.

00:54:18.000 It is.

00:54:19.000 Particularly with this decision for DC to fight against Stipe.

00:54:23.000 It's interesting.

00:54:25.000 You have Ozdemir, who just lost.

00:54:29.000 You got your friend Jimmy Manoa.

00:54:31.000 You have a few guys who are at the top of the heap.

00:54:35.000 But you're the standout right now.

00:54:37.000 I am.

00:54:38.000 With John being in limbo.

00:54:40.000 Yeah, he's gone.

00:54:41.000 Nobody knows what's happening with him.

00:54:43.000 Who else stands out to you in that division?

00:54:49.000 Yeah, I wouldn't fight my teammates.

00:54:51.000 I don't fight my teammates.

00:54:52.000 I've been training with him since I started my career.

00:54:55.000 Jimmy and Ilyar, we've been saying to each other that whatever happens, we're not fighting each other.

00:55:05.000 Yeah, the only fight that makes sense for me right now is fighting the top guys.

00:55:12.000 I'm ranked number one right now, so I can't look back.

00:55:14.000 I can't look down.

00:55:15.000 I have to look up.

00:55:16.000 What's the next up here?

00:55:18.000 And we take it from there.

00:55:21.000 We take it from there.

00:55:22.000 And like you said with Jon Jones, he's in limbo.

00:55:25.000 I hope he comes back.

00:55:26.000 If he doesn't come back, Maybe I'll fight him in boxing.

00:55:31.000 I'll fight him in boxing too.

00:55:33.000 Why?

00:55:33.000 Does he want to box?

00:55:34.000 He's been boxing on his Instagram.

00:55:36.000 That's all he do is boxing right now.

00:55:38.000 Really?

00:55:38.000 Yeah.

00:55:39.000 I haven't been paying attention to his Instagram.

00:55:41.000 Nah, he's boxing all the time.

00:55:42.000 Yeah.

00:55:43.000 I don't see him coming back as a boxer though.

00:55:47.000 Maybe he just sees that Conor McGregor money.

00:55:50.000 Yeah, that's another thing.

00:55:51.000 But we can take it like, you know, maybe a sideshow here.

00:55:55.000 We can box him.

00:55:55.000 Whatever.

00:55:56.000 So you just want to get in there with them somehow or another.

00:55:58.000 Yeah, somehow or another.

00:56:00.000 Your competitive drive wants to get in there with them.

00:56:02.000 That's my...

00:56:03.000 Like I told you, it's bigger than winning the belt.

00:56:06.000 That's your Mount Everest.

00:56:07.000 Yeah, it is.

00:56:07.000 John Jones.

00:56:08.000 It is.

00:56:09.000 John's out there going, yeah.

00:56:11.000 He knows that.

00:56:12.000 He knows that.

00:56:14.000 There he is.

00:56:14.000 Yeah, there he is.

00:56:15.000 He's still got that Corvette.

00:56:17.000 Yo, sell that thing. 1.00

00:56:17.000 Get a minivan. 1.00

00:56:19.000 Drive slow.

00:56:20.000 It looks good, man.

00:56:21.000 It looks real good.

00:56:21.000 Yeah, it does.

00:56:23.000 It's got to be so frustrating for him to be in a situation that he's in.

00:56:26.000 Yeah, I can't even imagine.

00:56:27.000 Yeah, I can't imagine either. 1.00

00:56:28.000 It's fucked up. 0.99

00:56:29.000 It's a crazy situation to be in. 1.00

00:56:32.000 Did you see the article, Colby Covington?

00:56:35.000 No, what did he say?

00:56:36.000 What he said about Jon Jones?

00:56:38.000 I don't even want to hear it.

00:56:39.000 No, okay, we shouldn't even go there.

00:56:41.000 I mean, you could bring it up if you want to, but Colby...

00:56:42.000 No, he was talking. 1.00

00:56:43.000 It was like a text like this, just about Jon Jones, how a piece of shit he is. 1.00

00:56:51.000 Now, I was even surprised when I saw it myself. 0.99

00:56:54.000 You know, I was like, is this right or wrong?

00:56:57.000 I don't know.

00:56:58.000 Jon Jones gonna be in front of you one day.

00:57:00.000 Gotta be careful. 1.00

00:57:01.000 Watch your fucking words. 1.00

00:57:03.000 You're gonna get slapped in the face by a guy who can kill you with his hands. 1.00

00:57:07.000 That's a bad move. 1.00

00:57:08.000 I get what Colby's doing.

00:57:10.000 He's making a lot of noise and trying to do business.

00:57:13.000 And if you fight him, you're going to make a lot of money. 1.00

00:57:15.000 Because a lot of people are going to come to see him get his ass kicked. 0.99

00:57:18.000 He's not probably on the popular list. 1.00

00:57:22.000 He's probably on the I want to see you get knocked out list.

00:57:26.000 He's in a dangerous situation right now.

00:57:28.000 He's going to fight Dos Anjos.

00:57:29.000 Rafael dos Anjos is Brazilian. 0.98

00:57:31.000 He talked crazy shit about Brazil and they were gonna fight in Brazil. 0.95

00:57:35.000 But they moved the fight to Chicago. 0.99

00:57:37.000 Which, for Kobe, thank the baby Jesus.

00:57:40.000 Exactly.

00:57:41.000 I would say the same thing.

00:57:43.000 Fighting Rafael dos Anjos, Brazilian.

00:57:46.000 You don't even want to be close to Brazilian right now. 1.00

00:57:48.000 You don't even want to be close to him.

00:57:50.000 No, I would not go if I was him.

00:57:52.000 He'd probably go anyway, man. 1.00

00:57:53.000 He doesn't give a fuck. 0.99

00:57:54.000 He'll go if the money's right. 0.99

00:57:55.000 I'm sure he would. 0.66

00:57:56.000 But dos Anjos right now at welterweight, I think, is a murderer. 1.00

00:58:00.000 He's a fucking killer at welterweight. 1.00

00:58:02.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:58:03.000 For him, that cut down to 55 was just too big.

00:58:07.000 He's a big guy.

00:58:08.000 He's big.

00:58:08.000 I mean, it's just too much of a cut, too draining on his body.

00:58:11.000 And then you see the way he beat Robbie Lawler in his last fight. 0.99

00:58:13.000 You're like, holy shit. 0.96

00:58:14.000 It goes through Neil Magny, Robbie Lawler, and you look at how good he looks at 170. It's a tough fight. 0.99

00:58:20.000 It's a good fight.

00:58:21.000 It's a very good fight.

00:58:22.000 It's a really good fight.

00:58:23.000 Particularly stand-up.

00:58:24.000 He has a big advantage, I think, over Colby.

00:58:26.000 Yeah.

00:58:27.000 Stand-up.

00:58:27.000 What does he do, Colby?

00:58:28.000 Is he a wrestler?

00:58:29.000 He's a wrestler.

00:58:30.000 He's a wrestler.

00:58:30.000 Okay.

00:58:31.000 His stand-up is good.

00:58:32.000 I mean, he beat Damian Maia.

00:58:33.000 He beat him up.

00:58:34.000 But I feel like Maia is, you know, I mean, Maia was coming off of that very, very hard fight against Tyron Woodley.

00:58:41.000 Five hard rounds, got beat up.

00:58:43.000 And then he's going to go five, I think he went three rounds with Colby.

00:58:47.000 But I just don't think he's the same guy anymore.

00:58:49.000 I think he's 41, I think, Maia.

00:58:51.000 He's been in the game for a very long time.

00:58:53.000 Long time.

00:58:53.000 He's been in the game for a very long time.

00:58:55.000 Yeah, and I think those long, hard five-round wars like he did with Woody.

00:58:59.000 It takes a toll on you, yeah.

00:59:00.000 It takes a toll on you.

00:59:01.000 Not taking anything away from Colby, but I also think Colby's style is probably tailor-married for a guy like Maia.

00:59:08.000 Yeah.

00:59:08.000 You know, wrestling is very strong.

00:59:10.000 That's what you usually see.

00:59:11.000 Like wrestling against Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys.

00:59:15.000 Yeah. 0.99

00:59:16.000 Now, you're a fucking decent guy. 1.00

00:59:19.000 You don't get in any bullshit. 1.00

00:59:21.000 You're not involved in any brawls. 1.00

00:59:23.000 You don't get involved in any stupidity. 1.00

00:59:25.000 You're an excellent representative of a professional athlete. 0.99

00:59:27.000 Thanks. 0.98

00:59:28.000 What do you think about all this Conor McGregor bullshit? 0.99

00:59:30.000 Like you see someone throwing a dolly at a bus and shattering a window? 1.00

00:59:35.000 No, I don't even have words for it, man.

00:59:38.000 I have no words for it.

00:59:40.000 What did you think of when you heard the news?

00:59:42.000 I heard the news when I landed.

00:59:43.000 I was in the plane when it was all happening, flying to New York, and when I landed, my phone was like... 0.93

00:59:49.000 All these text messages coming in going, what the fuck is wrong with Conor?

00:59:53.000 I'm like, what happened? 0.98

00:59:55.000 And then I checked the news and I was like, oh Christ!

00:59:59.000 And then I hear that two fights were pulled from the card, then three fights were pulled from the card.

01:00:04.000 Conor McGregor, he's just losing it right now.

01:00:07.000 It feels like he's lost it.

01:00:09.000 I feel like...

01:00:11.000 You know, I've never really been...

01:00:17.000 You know, I respect all the things that he does.

01:00:19.000 He's a great businessman.

01:00:22.000 He does what it takes to make money.

01:00:23.000 He knows what it takes to get money.

01:00:25.000 And he does really good. 0.63

01:00:26.000 He's a masterman when it comes to trash talking, man.

01:00:29.000 He takes it to another level. 0.93

01:00:33.000 But, like, this thing he did now, it's just crazy.

01:00:38.000 You don't do that.

01:00:39.000 You don't do that at all.

01:00:40.000 I don't know what it is.

01:00:42.000 Why is he doing it?

01:00:43.000 Yeah, I don't know either. 1.00

01:00:44.000 Is he drunk as fuck or is he just... 1.00

01:00:48.000 I wouldn't say it's booze. 1.00

01:00:49.000 I wouldn't think that's a booze move.

01:00:51.000 That seems more like a coke move.

01:00:53.000 Could be.

01:00:53.000 I don't know.

01:00:54.000 Or it just could be part of his act.

01:00:56.000 Yeah, but that's the thing.

01:00:57.000 Do you really take it that far?

01:00:59.000 Do you really take it that far to just...

01:01:01.000 Make some noise.

01:01:02.000 I don't know.

01:01:03.000 My thing is, what if that dolly hit the car where Rose was sitting and cut Rose's face up?

01:01:10.000 That would just be... 1.00

01:01:11.000 Fuck, man. 1.00

01:01:12.000 That would be crazy. 1.00

01:01:13.000 Michael Chiesa, I'm sad that he got cut, but Chiesa's a tough bastard. 0.99

01:01:16.000 He'll be fine. 0.98

01:01:17.000 He's probably pissed off and he's going to sue Connor and he'll probably make a shitload of money suing him.

01:01:21.000 But what if it hit Rose?

01:01:23.000 No.

01:01:23.000 That would be bad.

01:01:24.000 That would be really bad.

01:01:25.000 I would feel terrible. 1.00

01:01:26.000 The fucking world would hate him. 1.00

01:01:28.000 Oh yeah. 1.00

01:01:28.000 Like what if Rose was blinded in one eye because of that. 1.00

01:01:31.000 Oh no.

01:01:31.000 For real.

01:01:32.000 What the fuck. 1.00

01:01:33.000 Look, look. 1.00

01:01:34.000 Ray Borg got cuts in his eyes.

01:01:35.000 Yeah.

01:01:36.000 I mean, it's entirely possible.

01:01:37.000 Yeah, he got glass cuts in his eyes.

01:01:40.000 Yeah, yeah.

01:01:40.000 He got glass shards.

01:01:41.000 He got a scratched cornea.

01:01:43.000 Are they all suing Conor now?

01:01:45.000 They should be.

01:01:46.000 I don't know.

01:01:47.000 Find out how many lawsuits.

01:01:48.000 I know Chiesa filed.

01:01:50.000 Chiesa definitely filed a lawsuit or filed a complaint which will lead to a lawsuit, I imagine. 0.99

01:01:56.000 Look, I imagine if I was Conor, I would settle the fucking every single thing outside of court because if he loses, if he loses and he gets a felony, he's fucked. 0.98

01:02:05.000 He probably won't even be able to come into the country. 0.99

01:02:07.000 No, exactly.

01:02:08.000 No.

01:02:09.000 Here's my thing.

01:02:10.000 Imagine, switch it around.

01:02:12.000 Imagine if Ray Borg threw that dolly at the bus and Conor was inside.

01:02:17.000 Yeah, he will smoke.

01:02:18.000 Be gone.

01:02:18.000 His career will be over.

01:02:19.000 He will be gone, for sure. 0.99

01:02:21.000 That's one of the more fucked up things about this. 0.99

01:02:23.000 Yeah, he will be gone. 0.97

01:02:24.000 Is that you know Conor's getting special treatment.

01:02:26.000 Of course.

01:02:27.000 He is.

01:02:28.000 Yeah, of course.

01:02:29.000 That's not good for anybody.

01:02:30.000 No, it's not.

01:02:31.000 It's not.

01:02:32.000 Like I told you, he's just losing his mind right now.

01:02:36.000 You do it to a certain level, and then you just chill.

01:02:41.000 You don't take it further than what it just did.

01:02:45.000 I don't have any words for it, man.

01:02:47.000 I just feel like it's terrible for everybody in the sport, man.

01:02:52.000 No, it's terrible.

01:02:53.000 It's terrible for Conor even, because you don't want to be in a position like that.

01:02:56.000 Yeah, he's making money. 0.97

01:02:57.000 I don't know what he made for that Mayweather fight, but I'm telling you, if he keep doing what he's doing, that money is not going to be enough to pay all that shit he has to pay. 0.99

01:03:06.000 No, no. 0.99

01:03:07.000 He'll burn right through that money.

01:03:08.000 But he's probably burning through that money anyway.

01:03:10.000 Every time you see him, he's got a new Bentley.

01:03:11.000 He probably lives in a mansion now.

01:03:13.000 Oh yeah, he does.

01:03:15.000 100%.

01:03:15.000 He has his private jet.

01:03:17.000 I don't know how many...

01:03:18.000 I don't know how many...

01:03:19.000 What do you call it?

01:03:21.000 Bodyguards you had when he hit that guy in Ireland.

01:03:25.000 The gangster guy he hit in Ireland.

01:03:28.000 He had a bunch of bodyguards I had around him.

01:03:30.000 But they cost every day.

01:03:32.000 They're not cheap though.

01:03:34.000 Yeah, that money piles up.

01:03:36.000 But when you're 29 years old like Conor, you don't even think about it.

01:03:39.000 No, you don't.

01:03:40.000 He's thinking about now, not the future.

01:03:41.000 And he probably thinks he's going to make hundreds of millions more.

01:03:43.000 That's the sad part of it, man.

01:03:44.000 That's the sad part of it, man.

01:03:46.000 Whatever it is, a billion or whatever it is, it's not a lot of money.

01:03:51.000 It's going to run through you.

01:03:52.000 Well, there's that.

01:03:54.000 And then there's the thing that really gets me, is that...

01:03:58.000 What Conor is, is an exceptional world championship fighter.

01:04:02.000 I mean, that's what he really is. 0.87

01:04:03.000 All this other stuff The bullshit is going to get in the way of his legacy. 0.95

01:04:08.000 I mean, his legacy shouldn't be a boxing match where he was TKO'd by the greatest boxer ever. 1.00

01:04:13.000 That's fucking stupid. 1.00

01:04:14.000 Yeah, I know. 1.00

01:04:15.000 His legacy should be the next fight after Eddie Alvarez.

01:04:17.000 I know what you mean, man.

01:04:18.000 I know what you mean.

01:04:19.000 Eddie Alvarez, that was a masterful performance.

01:04:22.000 He's been smashing beasts.

01:04:24.000 Yeah.

01:04:24.000 He's been taking two belts.

01:04:26.000 Yeah.

01:04:26.000 He's a...

01:04:28.000 He's just a regular guy from Ireland who comes to America and just lives the American dream.

01:04:37.000 Nobody's done before.

01:04:38.000 So it's terrible. 1.00

01:04:40.000 It's terrible to see all this shit happen. 0.99

01:04:42.000 Yeah, because I'm saying that all these things that are happening, it's bad for him. 1.00

01:04:47.000 Yeah, of course.

01:04:47.000 It's not just bad for the sport to let him get away with it.

01:04:50.000 It's bad for him.

01:04:51.000 With all this happening, you don't even think of what he's been doing in Octagon.

01:04:55.000 Right, exactly.

01:04:56.000 Exactly.

01:04:56.000 I mean, just think about setting him up with Khabib, you know, having that fight.

01:05:02.000 Like, Jesus fucking Christ, that would be a giant fight. 0.97

01:05:05.000 That might be one of the biggest MMA fights ever to make. 0.99

01:05:08.000 Him versus Khabib? 0.99

01:05:09.000 Yeah, Khabib is, what's his record?

01:05:11.000 25 and 0?

01:05:11.000 26 now.

01:05:12.000 26 and 0. 26 and 0. That's amazing.

01:05:14.000 And he's barely tested.

01:05:16.000 Yeah.

01:05:16.000 He barely gets tested.

01:05:17.000 Yeah, that's amazing.

01:05:18.000 You see one little flaw in him, you get all excited.

01:05:20.000 Yeah.

01:05:21.000 Because it's like, ooh, look, he's keeping his chin up.

01:05:23.000 What do you think wins that fight?

01:05:24.000 What's that?

01:05:24.000 Who do you think wins that fight?

01:05:25.000 It's a good question.

01:05:26.000 Well, the question is, can Conor catch him?

01:05:29.000 Can Conor catch him while he's coming in?

01:05:31.000 Yeah.

01:05:31.000 And if Conor can catch him, look, Conor can knock anybody out.

01:05:34.000 Yeah.

01:05:34.000 I mean, you see what he did to Eddie Alvarez.

01:05:36.000 You see what he did to Aldo.

01:05:37.000 Nobody had ever done that to Aldo before.

01:05:39.000 That's the best strikers in the division.

01:05:43.000 Yeah.

01:05:44.000 And what Conor has is incredible precision and the ability to...

01:05:48.000 He's so fast.

01:05:50.000 So fast. 0.97

01:05:51.000 His speed, his angles, he moves, create an angle, and he just counter the shit out of the guys. 0.98

01:05:56.000 And yeah, that's all he needs. 0.63

01:05:58.000 He also moves unusual.

01:06:00.000 Almost like a karate guy.

01:06:01.000 Yeah, he does.

01:06:01.000 Wide stance, but then knocks you out like a real pro boxer.

01:06:06.000 The only thing I'm doubting on Conor, he's the best striker and all of that, but does he have the conditioning for Khabib?

01:06:14.000 That's a good question.

01:06:15.000 Khabib, he just keeps going.

01:06:17.000 Different animal.

01:06:18.000 Yeah.

01:06:18.000 And there's also the wrestling.

01:06:20.000 Yeah.

01:06:20.000 Khabib's wrestling is not just a level above everybody else, but multiple levels.

01:06:25.000 Yeah.

01:06:25.000 I heard like heavy guys, not talking about heavyweights, talking about Khabib's pressure on the ground being on top.

01:06:31.000 Yeah.

01:06:32.000 Yeah.

01:06:33.000 Taking that seatbelt around, taking his hands, moving that leg up.

01:06:38.000 Just neutrals the guy totally.

01:06:40.000 Luke Rockhold said he never loses a round in training.

01:06:44.000 Oh, he said?

01:06:44.000 He said he doesn't lose a round.

01:06:46.000 Yeah, Khabib. 0.99

01:06:46.000 Khabib doesn't lose a round. 0.99

01:06:47.000 He just smashes everybody.

01:06:49.000 That's insane. 1.00

01:06:49.000 Everybody who wrestles with him are like, fuck, here we go. 1.00

01:06:52.000 Time to go through the grinder. 1.00

01:06:53.000 It's like those fucking guys in Dagestan, man. 0.99

01:06:56.000 New York Times had an article about Dagestan wrestling and about how these guys, they have very few options. 0.99

01:07:02.000 And so a lot of them, you know, they go towards the dark side and get involved in terrorism, all these other things.

01:07:08.000 And this is the way to go towards the light side.

01:07:10.000 Yeah.

01:07:10.000 They compete.

01:07:12.000 And they have a different mindset there too.

01:07:14.000 If you're doing good, if you win the World Games or whatever, they take care of you.

01:07:19.000 They really support you.

01:07:20.000 The whole government, the whole country is carrying you out from the mat. 0.65

01:07:24.000 You're a king there.

01:07:27.000 It's a great motivation, man. 0.63

01:07:30.000 They're animals, man.

01:07:32.000 They're animals.

01:07:33.000 Did you see Zabit fight?

01:07:36.000 Who?

01:07:37.000 Zabit Magomed Sharapov.

01:07:38.000 He fought on the undercard of...

01:07:41.000 No, I don't think so. 1.00

01:07:42.000 Holy shit. 1.00

01:07:42.000 He's another one from Dagestan. 1.00

01:07:44.000 Another one of those.

01:07:45.000 Another one, but he's totally different.

01:07:47.000 He's like six foot one, fights at 145. Yeah, that guy.

01:07:51.000 The karate guy.

01:07:52.000 Yeah, that guy, yeah.

01:07:53.000 I think his background is actually like...

01:07:55.000 I'm going to say it's wushu or something like that.

01:07:58.000 I think he started off as a kung fu guy.

01:08:00.000 Who did he go?

01:08:02.000 He won that fight.

01:08:02.000 Kyle Bokniak.

01:08:03.000 Great fight.

01:08:04.000 Crazy three-round fight.

01:08:06.000 Bokniak just kept coming at him.

01:08:08.000 Kept coming at him.

01:08:09.000 And then at the end of the third round, Bokniak finally has him cornered up against a cage and he's teeing off on him.

01:08:14.000 Phenomenal fight.

01:08:16.000 I mean, phenomenal fight for the toughness of Bokniak and the skill of Zabit. 0.98

01:08:21.000 Fucking phenomenal. 0.99

01:08:23.000 Just ridiculous technique. 1.00

01:08:24.000 And this guy is not even a wrestler. 0.97

01:08:25.000 He's a striker.

01:08:26.000 He's a striker, but he's got wrestling, too.

01:08:28.000 I mean, his wrestling is good, too, and his takedown defense is very good. 0.99

01:08:31.000 And his jiu-jitsu is very good too, but his fucking striking, crazy shit, wheel kicks, front leg roundhouse kicks to the face, switch kicks, just everything, lightning fast, perfect technique. 0.98

01:08:44.000 And here's a big thing too, is his footwork. 0.99

01:08:47.000 When he lands, he's always in perfect position.

01:08:49.000 Everything he does, when he comes down, he's never awkward, he's never like, his legs are never crossed up, nothing.

01:08:56.000 Phenomenal technique.

01:08:57.000 That's impressive to see.

01:08:58.000 It's impressive to see when guys are like good strike, guys with good kicks.

01:09:04.000 For example, John Jones, for example.

01:09:05.000 They kick high.

01:09:06.000 They kick from different angles.

01:09:08.000 And they just land like they haven't kicked.

01:09:12.000 They land like really good base.

01:09:15.000 They're ready for another.

01:09:16.000 They're ready for a counter.

01:09:17.000 They're ready for this.

01:09:17.000 It's impressive to see.

01:09:19.000 So for you as a guy who, if you had to say you have one area in your game that needs the most work, you'd say that's your kicking?

01:09:28.000 Wow.

01:09:29.000 I think, you know, I don't know.

01:09:31.000 Yeah.

01:09:32.000 Of course, kicking is one of the things.

01:09:35.000 I think I have to work on a lot, man.

01:09:38.000 I'm far from...

01:09:40.000 I will probably never be a complete fighter.

01:09:45.000 I have to work on everything.

01:09:46.000 I need to keep working on my boxing.

01:09:49.000 I have to keep working on my footwork.

01:09:51.000 I have to keep working on my kicks, my knees, my elbows, my grappling, my... 0.99

01:09:54.000 My wrestling, keep my chin down, guard up, all that shit. 0.99

01:09:59.000 It never ends. 0.99

01:10:00.000 It never ends.

01:10:01.000 It just keeps going.

01:10:02.000 Just keeps going.

01:10:03.000 Who do you like to watch fight?

01:10:06.000 I like to watch my teammates fight.

01:10:08.000 I like seeing guys in my division.

01:10:12.000 I should be honest to you.

01:10:13.000 I'm not a guy that really watches fights.

01:10:21.000 I don't watch all the fights.

01:10:23.000 I barely watch any fights.

01:10:25.000 If I know either my teammates or Competition fights.

01:10:31.000 My competition is fighting.

01:10:33.000 I look at fights.

01:10:36.000 Good title defenses and stuff like that, but I don't barely watch fights.

01:10:42.000 Do you think it's because it's just too much a part of your life?

01:10:44.000 I think it's important that you have some distance to To your work.

01:10:50.000 It is a work.

01:10:51.000 Even if it's your hobby and your lifestyle and your passion, it's a work.

01:10:54.000 And you need some distance.

01:10:56.000 And my distance, like I told you, is being outdoors.

01:10:58.000 My distance is being outdoors, hunting, family and friends.

01:11:05.000 So it doesn't interest me to watch the fights.

01:11:08.000 It's getting too much of it.

01:11:10.000 Particularly when I'm in camp.

01:11:12.000 I don't watch fights at all.

01:11:13.000 It gets too much.

01:11:14.000 I would imagine.

01:11:15.000 I mean, you're probably spending five hours a day just training, right?

01:11:18.000 Yeah, yeah.

01:11:18.000 No, it gets too much, man.

01:11:20.000 But like I thought, if I know Jon Jones is fighting, DC is fighting, Vulcan is fighting, I'm watching those fights.

01:11:27.000 Do you have a guy that's like your favorite guy to watch?

01:11:30.000 Like a Mighty Mouse or someone or Anderson Silva or someone?

01:11:35.000 Yeah, those guys.

01:11:36.000 I watch those guys.

01:11:37.000 Yeah, I watch Mighty Mouse.

01:11:39.000 That guy is incredible.

01:11:40.000 Yeah.

01:11:42.000 Hands down, he's the best guy out there right now competing.

01:11:46.000 Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like if you were that light?

01:11:49.000 Wonder what it would be like if you only weighed 125 pounds?

01:11:51.000 No, I would be so fast.

01:11:54.000 I'm fast and light heavy.

01:11:55.000 I would be...

01:11:56.000 You'll see my shadow in there.

01:11:58.000 Running around like this.

01:11:59.000 I know.

01:12:00.000 It would be crazy, right?

01:12:01.000 I mean, Mighty Mouse is so fast.

01:12:03.000 One time, I've told this story before, but one time I grabbed him just playing around from behind.

01:12:07.000 I'm like, what's up?

01:12:08.000 I grabbed him.

01:12:08.000 He turned and kneed me in the body two times before I even knew he did anything, man.

01:12:13.000 He went, da-da!

01:12:14.000 And I went, oh, dude. 0.99

01:12:16.000 That was ridiculous. 1.00

01:12:17.000 I'm like, how the fuck did you move that quick? 0.99

01:12:19.000 Like, you know, his fights is amazing to see. 0.99

01:12:22.000 And the way he finished his fights, the one he's like throwing the guy, taking that armbar in the air.

01:12:31.000 Yeah, it was just amazing to see.

01:12:35.000 Yeah, he suplexed him and took the armbar in the air on the way down. 1.00

01:12:37.000 I mean, that is fucking video game shit. 1.00

01:12:39.000 It is, it is. 1.00

01:12:40.000 He said he drills that.

01:12:41.000 No, it's insane.

01:12:42.000 He said that's something he drills all the time.

01:12:44.000 He plays video games a lot, so he probably gets it from the video.

01:12:47.000 I have to try this.

01:12:48.000 We do something in the video, I have to try this, and then he goes and do it.

01:12:51.000 Yeah, that's crazy.

01:12:52.000 Now, do you watch a lot of boxing?

01:12:55.000 Well, yeah, I watch the big fights.

01:12:57.000 I watch the big fights.

01:12:59.000 I do.

01:13:00.000 But I'm not really a guy that watches a lot of fights overall.

01:13:07.000 You see, it's just because, like you said, you need distance?

01:13:10.000 Distance.

01:13:10.000 It's not in my interest.

01:13:13.000 You know, I got guys in my team.

01:13:15.000 They're like such a nerds. 0.97

01:13:17.000 They know everything about everyone.

01:13:22.000 They don't even train themselves.

01:13:23.000 They just know everything about everyone and that's enough for me.

01:13:25.000 They just tell me, who's this?

01:13:26.000 I asked them.

01:13:27.000 They're like, oh, don't you know?

01:13:28.000 I'm like, no.

01:13:29.000 Who's this?

01:13:29.000 Oh, this is this?

01:13:30.000 He has the skills.

01:13:31.000 Okay, good.

01:13:33.000 So, yeah.

01:13:35.000 So, like when you're in camp, what do you do to try to relax, like for downtime?

01:13:40.000 Do you try to read books?

01:13:41.000 Do you watch TV? Do you play video games?

01:13:43.000 Like, what do you do?

01:13:46.000 I'm actually spending time outdoors.

01:13:49.000 During camp?

01:13:50.000 During camp.

01:13:51.000 That's what I do.

01:13:52.000 That's my way to get away from everything.

01:13:57.000 You know, watch a series, hanging out with my family and stuff.

01:14:02.000 But for me, the real distance I get when I'm outdoors, hunting or I don't even have to hunt.

01:14:12.000 I just go out there.

01:14:14.000 Hike? 1.00

01:14:14.000 Yeah, hike. 1.00

01:14:15.000 I got some lands not far from Stockholm.

01:14:19.000 I go out there and just hanging out.

01:14:21.000 Sometimes I'm just tracking.

01:14:23.000 Oh, what's this?

01:14:24.000 Oh, that's a wild bird.

01:14:25.000 And I just follow it where it goes.

01:14:28.000 Could be anything.

01:14:31.000 I like to be outdoors.

01:14:32.000 Even if it's like 10 minus degrees or if it's summertime.

01:14:38.000 I'm out all the time.

01:14:40.000 That's awesome.

01:14:41.000 That's a great way to put things into perspective too, right?

01:14:44.000 Yeah, and the guys are telling me, they're like, if you put that much time, like you're doing in hunting, you did that in training, not time, but just having that interest.

01:14:56.000 Yeah.

01:14:57.000 You know, they all the time tell me that.

01:14:59.000 But don't you think that those interests, things like hunting, are a relief for your mind?

01:15:03.000 But it is.

01:15:04.000 I wish everybody could see that.

01:15:07.000 It's a healthy way of living, I think.

01:15:10.000 Yeah, I think...

01:15:11.000 I think, especially to a guy who has such an intense pursuit, it's probably good to have another thing that you're interested in so that it gives you a relief from not always thinking about fighting all the time.

01:15:24.000 There's a break.

01:15:25.000 Obviously, hunting is not competitive, so what you're doing when you're hunting is more primal and natural, but also very difficult and time-consuming.

01:15:36.000 It's like you train, you compete at the gym, you compete in the octagon, you're competing in business, you're competing in...

01:15:44.000 Everything is just a competitive way of...

01:15:47.000 You live a competitive way of...

01:15:49.000 It's a competitive way of living, basically, and it gets a toll on you after a while.

01:15:55.000 When I was young, when I started this sport, I was just...

01:15:58.000 That was, you know, I was just like, I wanted to smash everybody at the gym.

01:16:05.000 But now, you know, nowadays I'm like, I know my body better.

01:16:10.000 I know what my body needs.

01:16:12.000 I know, okay, this is, I found a way where I, even if I was doing what I was doing six, seven years ago, I wouldn't, I wouldn't, even if I do that in training wise, being such a nerd in training and just training, training seven days a week, 24 hours a day, I wouldn't be a better competitor.

01:16:36.000 I wouldn't do better in fights.

01:16:39.000 Now I found a way of...

01:16:41.000 I basically found a way of, okay, this is what I need to make my life better and make my competition better.

01:16:50.000 I perform much better doing this.

01:16:52.000 I perform much better having that distance from all that competitive things.

01:17:00.000 So, yeah, I need it, man.

01:17:02.000 I need it.

01:17:04.000 So, where are you staying right now?

01:17:06.000 You're healed up.

01:17:07.000 You're ready to go.

01:17:08.000 Do you just sit and wait for a call?

01:17:10.000 Your manager informs the UFC that you're ready to go into camp?

01:17:15.000 I'm ready.

01:17:16.000 I'm ready to go in camp.

01:17:19.000 I'm training right now.

01:17:21.000 I'm healed up.

01:17:22.000 I'm 100%.

01:17:23.000 But how does that work?

01:17:25.000 Do you contact the UFC and try to negotiate something to try to get something going?

01:17:30.000 Do you wait for them to contact you?

01:17:31.000 Or do you wait for this Stipe Miocic DC fight?

01:17:36.000 Basically, I'm just waiting for them to come with something that makes sense for me.

01:17:40.000 And so there's been no discussion so far?

01:17:44.000 Not really.

01:17:45.000 Not really, no.

01:17:46.000 That's got to be kind of frustrating.

01:17:48.000 Yeah, you know, it's been some discussions, but nothing that really I count on or anything like that.

01:18:00.000 It's just been up in the air and I'm just waiting for something on the table that makes sense.

01:18:07.000 I'm ready to go, man.

01:18:08.000 So what would make sense?

01:18:10.000 Other than Jon Jones, other than DC, what would make sense?

01:18:12.000 You as the number one contender right now, Jon's unranked because right now he's currently suspended, but as soon as they put him back in, he's likely to be right up there with you, and then you have DC. I mean, who else in your division makes any sense now?

01:18:24.000 If they were to offer you a fight now, if Jon Jones is going to be suspended still for another six months or whatever it's going to be, who makes sense in your division for you, other than DC? Well, I wish I had an answer to that right now, but I really don't.

01:18:39.000 I just, you know, I just feel like it has to be an unmeaningful offer.

01:18:44.000 It has to be something that I feel, this is right.

01:18:45.000 This is what I want.

01:18:48.000 I feel like, man, in my position, in my career right now, every fight has to mean something.

01:18:56.000 Yeah, that's what I'm getting at.

01:18:58.000 With you at the top, really the fight to make is one of two, DC or John.

01:19:02.000 Those are the two fights.

01:19:03.000 Yeah, or it could be something else too, Joe, but it has to be...

01:19:08.000 It has to feel right, though.

01:19:11.000 It has to feel right and it has to be something meaningful.

01:19:14.000 Like a big main event on Fox or something like that?

01:19:18.000 Yeah.

01:19:18.000 Something where it's a big fight to showcase.

01:19:20.000 Something good, man.

01:19:21.000 Something good.

01:19:22.000 And, you know, everybody knows that when I'm stepping up in that octagon, I'm going to perform and I'm going to make a show.

01:19:27.000 And I'm looking for that goal.

01:19:29.000 That's all I'm seeing.

01:19:31.000 Well, listen man, I'm a fan.

01:19:33.000 It's been a pleasure to be able to commentate your fights.

01:19:35.000 I really enjoy watching you fight.

01:19:37.000 I really enjoy watching you develop the whole process.

01:19:39.000 And I really appreciate you coming on here, man.

01:19:41.000 Appreciate it, Joe.

01:19:42.000 I appreciate that.

01:19:43.000 Thank you very much, man.

01:19:43.000 Thanks for having me, man.

01:19:44.000 And good luck to you.

01:19:45.000 Appreciate that.

The Joe Rogan Experience - June 02, 2010

JRE MMA Show #23 with Alexander Gustafsson

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Transcript