This Past Weekend with Theo Von - E324 Cory Sandhagen

00:00:00.000 Today's guest is a one-of-a-kind, he is a traveler and an adventurer in the physical realms and in the mental realms as well.

00:00:16.540 You know, this is a man that is trying to divide himself and conquer the different parts that make us up as humans.

00:00:25.480 He is the number two ranked bantamweight fighter in the world.

00:00:32.260 We are honored to have Mr. Corey Sandhagen.

00:00:55.480 I've been stinging just for a while.

00:01:03.260 And now I've been moving way too fast on the runaway trains in a heavy place.

00:01:08.480 Taste it.

00:01:09.560 Yeah.

00:01:11.020 It's a good water.

00:01:15.340 It's a good water.

00:01:17.120 Dude, it's from the mountains, bro.

00:01:19.300 From the mountains like you, bro.

00:01:21.420 Great question.

00:01:22.440 Great question.

00:01:23.060 Fucking Death Mountain, bro?

00:01:24.680 Yeah, that's a good question.

00:01:25.800 Fucking Mordor?

00:01:26.720 Yeah, that's true.

00:01:27.840 Mordor Mountain?

00:01:28.980 This shit could be from a questionable mountain, man.

00:01:31.760 I didn't think about that, man.

00:01:34.080 They don't really tell you what mountain.

00:01:36.440 This shit could be from West Virginia.

00:01:39.320 This shit could have illiteracy in it, man.

00:01:40.940 Is that where you're from?

00:01:42.420 Virginia?

00:01:43.080 I'm from Louisiana.

00:01:43.980 Louisiana.

00:01:44.600 Oh, yeah, yeah.

00:01:45.220 That's right.

00:01:46.120 Yeah, man.

00:01:46.620 I'm from down in Louisiana, man.

00:01:48.340 Got the kid in here today right there.

00:01:56.860 There you go.

00:01:58.360 Oh, shit.

00:02:02.880 Sugar Sean gave me those.

00:02:04.280 Oh, nice.

00:02:04.880 You had him on, too?

00:02:05.940 He came on a while back before he hurt himself.

00:02:08.680 Yeah, nice.

00:02:09.600 Before he got hurtened.

00:02:14.320 Hurtened up, man.

00:02:15.480 He's a cool dude.

00:02:16.260 I met him a couple times.

00:02:17.780 Yeah, he's a super nice dude.

00:02:20.040 And now he's a family guy, you know?

00:02:23.400 He sprouted that kid out of nowhere, I think.

00:02:25.740 He's got, like, a gym in his garage and everything, yeah.

00:02:28.320 His house does look cool when you're kind of watching him.

00:02:30.220 It seems like he's on, like, a...

00:02:32.440 He's either in witness protection program at a really nice place.

00:02:35.860 Yeah, he kind of does.

00:02:36.860 Or he just has, like, a really cool, like, domicile, you know?

00:02:39.840 It's like a fantasy factory.

00:02:41.600 Yeah, it seems like he's got some real space to him.

00:02:44.940 Corey Sanhagen, man.

00:02:45.900 Dude, thanks for being here, bro.

00:02:46.800 Yeah, man.

00:02:47.400 Absolutely.

00:02:47.840 Thank you, bro.

00:02:48.580 That's crazy, dude.

00:02:49.920 It's crazy to be around, uh...

00:02:52.720 Because I feel like when I was a kid, I would be so afraid to be around somebody that could

00:02:56.160 fight, you know?

00:02:57.380 Like, unless they were my friend.

00:02:58.700 Like, otherwise, it was...

00:03:00.140 Like, fighter dudes, you always, like...

00:03:02.360 Like, if you were, like, in the hall at school and somebody could fight, you always had to,

00:03:05.840 like, kind of keep a beam out of the side of your eye.

00:03:08.500 Yep, yep.

00:03:09.260 When you were in high school, was there, like, a fight?

00:03:11.980 Was there, like, a kid you remember growing up with, like, oh, that dude can fight?

00:03:17.540 Not really, man.

00:03:18.560 Like, I would say that...

00:03:20.900 So, I grew up in Aurora, Colorado, which is, like, you know, not, like, a rough area because

00:03:25.740 it's Colorado or whatever, but, like, as far as Colorado goes, it's maybe, like, one of

00:03:29.400 the more, you know, like, rougher areas or whatever.

00:03:31.800 But, dude, I had this friend, Thomas Johnson, who...

00:03:35.340 He was about my size.

00:03:36.180 I was really little growing up, too.

00:03:37.740 Like, I was...

00:03:38.480 I was supposed to be 5'2", the doctor told me, my whole life.

00:03:41.440 Yeah.

00:03:41.860 And you beat it?

00:03:42.700 I beat it, man.

00:03:43.380 Fuck yeah, dog.

00:03:44.140 Fuck.

00:03:44.960 Thank you.

00:03:45.500 That's awesome, bro.

00:03:46.600 Nick was premature baby, man.

00:03:48.060 He's doing great.

00:03:49.040 Damn, nice, Nick.

00:03:49.900 So, we got a lot of comeback kids up in here, baby.

00:03:52.200 That's what's up.

00:03:52.860 No, bro, but this dude, Thomas Johnson, I never seen him throw a punch once in his life

00:03:58.260 because anytime he would get in an altercation with someone, the move he would do, because

00:04:02.740 he was little also, is he would start looking around, bro.

00:04:05.860 Like, he would start looking around and it would freak people out because he'd be, like...

00:04:09.360 Oh, wow.

00:04:09.860 Because he'd think that, you know, the other person thought that he was going to smoke

00:04:12.980 him, like, because no teachers were watching or anything.

00:04:15.140 Oh, so it was a bit of a kind of pomp and circumstance, kind of.

00:04:18.640 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:04:19.360 When you're little, man, you got to have, like, little tactics.

00:04:22.060 Oh, you got to have game plans.

00:04:23.080 Like, I would look on the ground for stuff.

00:04:24.780 If I felt someone was going to, you know, go off on me, I'd start to, like, look at

00:04:28.680 a stick or look at a cone or something, you know?

00:04:30.960 So, what you can do, strategize a little bit or something or just have some, like, maybe,

00:04:35.100 oh, he's not looking at me right now.

00:04:36.340 Like, he must be thinking something.

00:04:37.820 Like, just something.

00:04:38.820 Or, like, or, yeah, just confusing, bro.

00:04:41.240 It's the art of war, you know?

00:04:42.440 Yeah.

00:04:42.560 Like, anytime you can create some chaos in the other person's mind, you do it.

00:04:46.100 Damn.

00:04:46.600 Yeah.

00:04:46.800 Do you use, like, is that something that you still kind of go on today?

00:04:50.820 Like, because some guys do a lot of, like, peacock.

00:04:54.380 You know, Sean's kind of a peacock kind of guy.

00:04:57.380 Sugar Sean and Connor actually is one of the more famous ones.

00:05:02.720 Do you, that doesn't really seem to be your vibe as much.

00:05:06.480 Do you feel like there's stuff like that when you get right into the octagon that you're

00:05:11.140 doing?

00:05:12.300 Or is there subtle things that maybe that we wouldn't notice unless you told us?

00:05:17.940 I think that people carry around energy, obviously.

00:05:21.880 And, like, pretty much the entire time I'm in fight week or definitely when we're facing

00:05:27.720 off or anything, in my head, I'm thinking, I'm going to kill you, you know?

00:05:33.440 Next time we see each other, I'm going to try to kill you, you know?

00:05:36.580 So I try to carry that energy with me all the time because, you know, I think that while

00:05:41.580 it's subtle, I think, like, you know, people pick up on that for sure.

00:05:45.480 Oh, I can feel it right now, dude.

00:05:46.760 Even though you're just kind of, like, you know, putting it in the air just to kind of

00:05:49.480 show it, it's kind of crazy because I really can feel, like, not that you're trying to

00:05:53.060 kill me, but just that you're putting that thing out there like this force field almost.

00:05:57.800 You know, this thing, like, I'm going to let this sit in the air because it's an ambiance

00:06:02.060 that I've built inside of me and it has fucking arms that can reach out into the air.

00:06:05.820 That's crazy, bro.

00:06:06.980 Yep, yep, it does.

00:06:08.400 I think one of the, you know, most interesting things that one of my buddies said to me one

00:06:12.600 time is he goes, man, like, you're a really nice, like, quiet guy, you know, soft-spoken,

00:06:17.640 but, like, it wouldn't surprise me if you were out there, like, being a serial killer or something.

00:06:21.920 I was like, thank you, bro.

00:06:24.340 Thank you, man.

00:06:25.020 And that's what I'm trying to put out there, you know?

00:06:27.580 Dang, man.

00:06:29.580 Did anybody, when you were growing up, was there anybody that had that, like, a vibe that

00:06:33.480 you didn't ever know how they were feeling?

00:06:38.180 Like, they, I'm just trying to wonder where some of that comes from, if that's just like

00:06:42.760 a thing that you choose as a fighter or were there growing up, was there ever?

00:06:49.440 Like, I never knew how my mom felt growing up.

00:06:51.400 Like, she was always just working real hard, but I never knew when she got home if she was

00:06:55.820 going to be, like, in a good mood.

00:06:58.420 I just never knew really what was going on with her.

00:07:00.900 Did you have, like, was there anybody in your life like that growing up where you just

00:07:03.800 kind of, and there doesn't have to be.

00:07:06.580 I'm just trying to.

00:07:07.120 I don't think so.

00:07:08.360 I don't even really think that, you know, you can definitely pick up on energy when

00:07:12.140 you're about to fight someone, you know?

00:07:13.640 Like, where they are in their headspace.

00:07:15.640 I think that your body goes through some type of, like, survival mechanism also where,

00:07:19.960 like, it's reading the other person a little bit closer than I think that, you know, like

00:07:23.780 right now when we're just having a conversation, I think when you're about to fight, you're

00:07:27.500 able to read body language a little bit easier, and I think that they're able to read

00:07:31.520 theirs a little bit easier.

00:07:32.740 So, as, you know, I think that that's a big part of the sport, though, is, like, yeah,

00:07:37.760 that, like, body language reading, you know, that energy type of reading, and, but no, growing

00:07:42.920 up, I definitely didn't have that skill, so I don't really have to have grown up.

00:07:46.060 Yeah.

00:07:46.420 So, it wasn't something, so did you think of yourself as, like, a tough kid growing up?

00:07:51.200 I knew that I was tough.

00:07:52.460 Like, I was a very, like, physical kid.

00:07:54.360 Like, I was really aggressive, but like I said, man, like, I had to be humble because I

00:07:57.980 was so little, you know?

00:07:59.240 I think that the people in the smaller weight classes have to be humble because, look, man,

00:08:03.700 I'm a 135er, and, like, I noticed that there's a different way that 35ers act and, like, the

00:08:09.600 littler weight classes act versus, like, the 170 and up because, like, us, even though we

00:08:15.460 can be more skilled than a lot of the other people or the heavier weight classes, like,

00:08:21.540 those people, you know, like, the law of nature is the bigger animal usually beats the smaller

00:08:25.500 animal.

00:08:25.860 So, like, I think just growing up smaller, you have to be a little bit more humble in

00:08:29.840 those ways.

00:08:30.560 Right.

00:08:31.340 Yeah, I could see that.

00:08:32.380 Yeah, it's just kind of like, yeah, even the wrestlers in school had a different energy

00:08:38.920 than the foot, had to have a different energy than the football team.

00:08:42.240 Like, the football team kind of got all the, a lot of the looks and the accolades and, like,

00:08:48.020 they got to really be boastful and wear the Letterman jackets.

00:08:50.720 But the wrestlers had to have almost this more, like, quiet, uh, be a-

00:08:58.700 Hungry vibe.

00:08:59.720 Yeah, yeah, literally a hungry vibe.

00:09:01.620 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:09:02.680 And be more like a quiet commander of themselves kind of, you know?

00:09:05.680 Yeah, yeah.

00:09:06.160 Did you play anything?

00:09:07.100 You're a big dude, man.

00:09:08.060 I didn't expect you to be that big, bro.

00:09:09.940 I'm just pretty much regular size, man.

00:09:11.520 You look dense, bro.

00:09:12.520 Yeah, I'm fucking dense.

00:09:13.580 Yeah, you look dense.

00:09:13.900 I'm built like a, um, like a, uh, gingerbread man.

00:09:17.640 When you pull up a gingerbread cookie, man, I'm definitely built like a gingerbread cookie.

00:09:22.200 Uh, that hair looks way better in real person, too.

00:09:25.760 Oh, thanks, bro.

00:09:26.460 Yeah, man.

00:09:27.320 Yeah, I'm probably-

00:09:27.680 I was gonna try to grow one out, but you messaged me too late, bro.

00:09:30.200 You gotta give me a couple months next time.

00:09:32.640 I have a rat tail next time.

00:09:34.220 Dude, I could see you maybe with a rat tail.

00:09:35.920 That's how I'm built.

00:09:36.720 See, that, I got that body physique like a gingerbread man without the, uh, the, the sugar art on it.

00:09:41.700 But, uh, yeah, I'm really just close-knit, bro.

00:09:45.000 Not a ton of dexterity.

00:09:46.320 I'm built like a Conestoga wagon right there, right?

00:09:48.980 That's exactly how I'm built.

00:09:50.680 Narrow body, dude.

00:09:51.820 Not a, like, you know, um, yeah, like, I can go over some bumps, dude, but I'll easily go off a cliff, you know, if I get a little too close to the edge.

00:10:00.680 What'd you play, bro?

00:10:01.760 I played basketball.

00:10:02.820 Oh, nice.

00:10:03.300 I played basketball growing up, too.

00:10:04.460 Oh, you did?

00:10:04.840 Yeah, yeah.

00:10:05.140 Oh, yeah, that's right.

00:10:05.780 I read that somewhere.

00:10:06.720 Yep, yep, yep.

00:10:07.140 Um, so, I gotta ask this, man.

00:10:10.840 We'll bring it, we'll show this picture that we show a lot of me playing some hoops right here.

00:10:16.400 Um, there we go right there.

00:10:18.740 That's me on the squad right there, bottom left.

00:10:23.660 And a lot of these men, dude, had children, had a lot of these men had jobs.

00:10:30.320 What, is this like a college team?

00:10:31.900 Is this like a D3?

00:10:33.480 No, no, this is fucking, this is seventh grade, baby, right there.

00:10:37.700 Bro, you were big back then, too.

00:10:40.080 Dude, I was a fucking long guy, bro.

00:10:41.880 I was doing a good, carried a lot of weight in my ears back then, dude.

00:10:45.020 Ears and nose.

00:10:46.100 Bro, that's what my, yeah, my ears only got bigger after the cauliflower ear.

00:10:49.860 That's crazy.

00:10:50.480 So, how long did it take to start that cauliflower ear?

00:10:52.780 How long did it take to really sprout?

00:10:54.080 It's like a, you know, it's like, because it's the skin and then like your cartilage, the skin gets away from the cartilage by getting like banged up or whatever.

00:11:02.500 Fills up with blood.

00:11:03.940 And then, you know, depending on how well you take care of it, depends on like how much you have.

00:11:09.120 So, like some guys you see have like nice cauliflower ear.

00:11:11.960 This one, bro, was like the size of a ping pong ball in there.

00:11:15.680 And I would just drain it and drain it and drain it because I didn't want to stop training and I definitely didn't want to wear headgear.

00:11:22.120 So, I would just keep draining it and draining it.

00:11:24.080 And then one day I wasn't able to drain it anymore because the King Soopers I used to go to to get the syringes because you do it with the syringe.

00:11:30.900 Oh, damn.

00:11:31.680 Just quit giving me syringes.

00:11:33.060 No, they're like, no, kid.

00:11:34.700 Yeah.

00:11:35.420 They're like, no, kid.

00:11:36.800 Like, you've been here every day for the last two months.

00:11:39.980 You don't get any more needles, you know?

00:11:41.940 Like this kid's putting heroin into his ears.

00:11:44.000 Or maybe they were doing it for the drug addicts, actually, now that I think about it.

00:11:47.520 Maybe they're like, hey, man, we're running out of needles, man.

00:11:49.440 Some people need those.

00:11:50.480 Yeah, it could have been, man.

00:11:51.780 Maybe, yeah, maybe people, the wire might have been put back on HBO.

00:11:55.560 I remember using steroids and we'd have to go to like a place and convince them to give us the needles when I was in high school.

00:12:02.220 And that shit was always awkward.

00:12:04.000 The lies we would make up.

00:12:05.040 It's for a dog.

00:12:05.740 That's what we would always say, dude.

00:12:08.400 We'd be like, one kid said it was for, this is the worst, dude.

00:12:11.060 My friend was such an idiot.

00:12:12.420 He said it was for his voodoo doll.

00:12:15.680 The lady's like, well, fucking just get some regular needles.

00:12:19.740 You don't need fucking hypodermic syringes.

00:12:23.040 Unless your voodoo doll's fucking really going through some tough shit, you know?

00:12:29.420 Dude, you're really becoming like a star in your sport.

00:12:33.520 Have you always felt – what are some of the things that happen with ego and stuff like that that start to happen that come with popularity?

00:12:42.860 Because that's a real thing and it's out of your control.

00:12:46.820 Some of it's out of your control like that more eyes start to see you and more people are curious about you.

00:12:51.860 Like, there's nothing you as a person can do about that.

00:12:54.420 You're just achieving your goals.

00:12:57.020 What's it been like kind of like noticing some of that and responding to it?

00:13:03.140 Yeah.

00:13:03.540 I mean, I'll answer and then I would actually like to hear your answer to the same thing, to be honest.

00:13:07.900 Because I don't feel like, you know, I'm near the caliber of something that you're at, you know, but one day I would like to be too.

00:13:13.480 But I think, man, like I got, you know, really fortunate in one, the coach that I'm with right now who – his name is Christian Allen.

00:13:23.280 Who taught me a lot about all of that way, way from the beginning where I was kind of being, you know, prepped and primed in order to kind of like – not deal with success but just to deal with the everyday egos of life and stuff.

00:13:37.580 So, man, I lost my first fight maybe like five years ago now.

00:13:42.600 And when I lost that fight, I had to do a lot of soul searching because I had put a lot of my identity in being a fighter and being this like, you know, prospect and, you know, up and – like I was supposed to win.

00:13:56.700 Every single fight I went into, I was supposed to win because I was supposed to be the guy.

00:14:00.060 And I had always come from a really good gym.

00:14:02.080 Like I came from Grudge where like some really, really top level guys came from.

00:14:05.540 Brendan used to train there, all of those guys.

00:14:08.380 So when I lost my first fight, I had to really do some searching, you know.

00:14:12.600 I spent about six months probably, you know, Thursday to Sunday every day in the mountains either camping or hiking or both.

00:14:21.200 And that's kind of where I learned to like meditate, learn to silent my mind and just kind of, you know, like listen to that little ego that's inside your head because it'll chirp off, you know.

00:14:31.640 Like it still chirps off no matter how much I feel like I do still, you know, of course.

00:14:37.820 So, man, like I know that it's in there, right?

00:14:40.540 Like I know that, you know, it's in there.

00:14:44.260 Like it wants power.

00:14:45.340 It wants to conquer.

00:14:46.300 It wants things, you know.

00:14:48.200 Like every need is the ego to feed.

00:14:50.420 There's, you know, a Bob Marley from a Bob Marley song.

00:14:53.600 But it's still in there, man.

00:14:55.360 But I think it's just more about like how do you respond to it best in a way where it doesn't impact relationships with yourself and with other people.

00:15:03.940 Because, I mean, at the end of the day, man, like we're humans, we're social animals.

00:15:07.820 Like I think that that's more or less why we're on the planet is to interact and to love each other and all of that jazz.

00:15:15.080 And I think that if you let your ego get in the way of those types of things, that's where the ego really is taking over your life.

00:15:21.000 You know, so I just try to keep it right underneath that.

00:15:23.180 But right at the level where it's like, nah, but when I go in the cage, I'm still trying to, you know, win and get all the things I want because I want a lot of things in my life.

00:15:31.920 Right.

00:15:32.360 Yeah.

00:15:32.860 So still able to like just kind of almost corral it, like at least have some control over it.

00:15:37.840 Sure.

00:15:38.260 That's interesting.

00:15:38.800 Yeah, I think meditation is probably really, really key to that kind of stuff, you know.

00:15:42.020 Do you do it?

00:15:43.160 I don't do it as much as I should.

00:15:45.220 And I can feel when I'm not doing it.

00:15:46.880 Yeah.

00:15:47.080 I can feel like, like the uneasiness inside of me, the uncertainty.

00:15:54.900 Yes.

00:15:55.100 And I can feel it start to push from the inside of me out towards onto my, like the inside of my skin.

00:16:01.000 Yep.

00:16:01.320 Yep.

00:16:01.580 So it's funny when I know I have more control over that, like things roll off my shoulders easier.

00:16:07.600 I don't give in to like a lot of the traps of my brain and of society.

00:16:12.760 And I'm a little bit more in control of myself.

00:16:16.060 And then I feel like I can also do my best work then just as a human.

00:16:19.520 Yeah.

00:16:19.700 Not even as like a comedian or a podcaster, but just as a human, as a brother, as a son,

00:16:27.060 as a friend, as a coworker, all that kind of stuff, you know.

00:16:30.980 What, how do you make the clutter go away then?

00:16:34.400 I think a lot of times I'll use yoga right now.

00:16:37.160 And then I just started getting into doing jujitsu.

00:16:40.000 Nice.

00:16:40.340 I'm white belt.

00:16:41.480 Hell yeah.

00:16:42.240 So they give it to you when you get there.

00:16:43.520 But I am, I'm certified white belt.

00:16:46.820 So, yeah.

00:16:48.820 So that's been cool, man.

00:16:49.880 I never realized how much anger I had.

00:16:54.440 And this goes back to what you were asking me about.

00:16:57.140 My answer to that question was, man, when I, like about two years ago, I kind of got into

00:17:03.000 a space where I was just getting more popular and, um, and I think something, I had a lot

00:17:11.740 of anger.

00:17:12.360 I got a lot of anger because I, I, I think I always thought inside of myself when I got

00:17:16.980 to a certain level of achievement, whatever we view achievement as or success, whatever.

00:17:23.840 And it doesn't have to be monetary success, but it could just be a platform or finally

00:17:29.120 having your voice heard or, um, finally achieving your physical potential.

00:17:34.580 Like just if, when I got to a certain level of success that I was going to feel a level

00:17:40.580 of accomplishment that, that matched it or that, I don't know that, that the world was

00:17:45.540 going to be different.

00:17:46.300 Yeah.

00:17:46.440 Suddenly the problems, the uncertainties, the, the low self-worth, all that shit would

00:17:51.500 be completely gone.

00:17:53.160 And I think when I started to arrive at some of those places, it wasn't.

00:17:57.980 And I realized you're still just stuck with just, just life.

00:18:02.300 Yeah.

00:18:02.880 That, you know, like it still pisses you off when someone cuts you off in traffic.

00:18:06.580 Yeah.

00:18:06.640 Everything's still never going to go away.

00:18:08.480 Yeah.

00:18:08.700 You're still life.

00:18:09.920 Life doesn't come out and say there's nothing that there's not like a magical waterfall that

00:18:13.660 opens up and a man or woman walks out and says, congratulations.

00:18:16.700 You did it.

00:18:17.380 Yeah.

00:18:17.720 There's never that thank you for your effort.

00:18:21.440 Um, I think there's something inside of me.

00:18:24.260 I think it got so angry because there wasn't like a, you know, you don't get the golden

00:18:30.040 orb or whatever that Quidditch ball you don't get, you know, there's no big thank you for

00:18:34.120 your effort.

00:18:34.740 Yeah.

00:18:35.620 And, uh, and that made you angry.

00:18:37.380 It made me angry.

00:18:38.200 I didn't know it was going to, it was just inside of me.

00:18:40.820 And so I think I got so angry and I was having trouble finding a place to put it.

00:18:45.660 And then since I started going to the jujitsu gym, man, I get, it literally has to come

00:18:53.260 out of me because I'm fucking caged up by some 50 or 60 year old man.

00:18:57.540 Yeah.

00:18:57.820 And I can't fucking do anything, you know, or they put me against some fucking, you know,

00:19:02.600 spastic Adderall out six, five guy.

00:19:06.000 The white belts are the most dangerous guys, bro.

00:19:08.280 They're the most dangerous dudes.

00:19:10.020 I'm fighting a guy that drives a bread truck, dude, all night.

00:19:13.300 He hasn't even slept and he's in there.

00:19:15.620 The guy's fucking jacked out of his breath.

00:19:17.220 Just taking caffeine pills before, bro.

00:19:19.620 That's a real thing, man.

00:19:20.720 We got a couple of guys like that too at the gym.

00:19:22.600 It's crazy, bro.

00:19:24.360 So, but just my, me wanting, wanting something and not having any control over it.

00:19:30.100 Like that's those moments where I'm just caged up.

00:19:32.600 I can't move somebody.

00:19:33.720 I can't.

00:19:34.300 And I'm trying with part muscles in my nut muscles.

00:19:37.260 I didn't even know where in my body I'm trying with and having no, and, and there's no return

00:19:42.840 from the world.

00:19:43.880 Yeah.

00:19:44.160 And it's like, it kind of answered that, that question that I had where I wanted some return.

00:19:49.840 And then it's like jujitsu shows you that there's just, there's no return, but it's kind

00:19:54.000 of okay.

00:19:54.980 Yeah.

00:19:55.240 And you go back to a place where you each shake each other's hand and it's all good

00:19:59.640 and, and you try and learn a different way next time.

00:20:04.820 Yeah.

00:20:05.180 So anyway.

00:20:05.660 Jujitsu is good for that, man.

00:20:06.500 Jujitsu is good because I think that, you know, like, so I don't know how closely you've

00:20:11.140 followed all of my fighting and stuff, but in the, in the last two fights I've really like

00:20:15.220 come to find, you know, I don't want to call it like anger, but that place where like,

00:20:19.760 I know that I have to go out and be a different person than like when I'm walking day to

00:20:23.680 day.

00:20:23.920 Oh, your confidence has changed.

00:20:25.240 Even from the Algeist fight, your confidence seems different when you are in there, when

00:20:31.560 you're entering as a viewer, it seems different.

00:20:35.640 Yeah.

00:20:36.120 What do you attribute that to kind of?

00:20:37.900 I upped the meditations.

00:20:39.500 I upped the visualizations.

00:20:41.020 I started feeding my brain different things because like I said, man, like I like to think

00:20:49.580 that, you know, a lot of life is about relationships and loving each other and this and that, you

00:20:53.340 know, and, uh, you know, I've read, I've done my fair share of reading on like Eastern philosophy

00:20:57.460 and, you know, eliminating the ego, eliminating desires and, you know, all of that jazz.

00:21:02.200 And I realized that that's really great to like be able to like, you know, conquer, conquer

00:21:07.520 like some peace inside of you, you know, and be able to like do that.

00:21:10.560 And I think after you do that though, if you're going to be in the world that I'm in, you need

00:21:15.360 to, you need to also like conquer war, you know, and you need to learn a lot about that

00:21:19.560 and you need to, and you need to know how to get there, you know?

00:21:23.080 So, um, the point that I was bringing up, man, is that like, that's inside of everyone,

00:21:29.080 you know, like the same type of anger and like, you know, like, let me get this out type

00:21:32.800 of feeling I think is inside of everyone.

00:21:34.640 I don't think everyone gets to experience it.

00:21:36.800 And I don't think that everyone gets to see it as a positive thing.

00:21:40.500 And because I always saw it as not a positive thing.

00:21:42.920 And when, when someone would walk out or after a fight, act like a, you know, like an arrogant

00:21:46.920 idiot, you know, like I would judge that person, you know?

00:21:50.560 And then I got to thinking after I lost, I was like, man, like there is a level of peacocking

00:21:56.340 happening.

00:21:57.060 There is a level of intimidation.

00:21:58.960 Like there is a level of manipulation.

00:22:00.960 Like, uh, there's a reason that like warriors in the past used to torture each other.

00:22:05.860 It's not because they liked it.

00:22:07.440 It's because if I torture this person and I peacock because I was kind of their version

00:22:11.900 of peacocking, that's going to scare the other side.

00:22:14.840 Right.

00:22:15.120 The other guys sitting around the ring who are fighting me next or who I might run around

00:22:18.420 the next corner, they're going to see me differently.

00:22:21.060 Yep.

00:22:21.240 They're going to see me differently.

00:22:22.560 And, uh, it's true, man.

00:22:24.180 It's true, man.

00:22:24.780 And I think, uh, there's a lot, that's like a separate art in itself is just like the being able

00:22:29.840 to get yourself to a state where it's like, nothing else matters except for beating this

00:22:34.660 person.

00:22:35.400 Nothing else matters.

00:22:36.760 Uh, and that's where I've been going in, in the, in the last couple of times, you know,

00:22:40.620 and I attribute it to a lot of meditations, but I'm doing different kinds of meditations.

00:22:44.260 I know everyone kind of throws that word around and I'm not a guru or anything, so I don't know

00:22:48.740 the terminology or whatever, but in my experience, there's a lot of different kinds.

00:22:52.640 So now I'll do some where it's like, instead of making myself really peaceful, now it's

00:22:57.940 time to go on the other end of the spectrum and be able to, you know, if I can quiet my

00:23:01.880 mind, great, but now let's kind of like wake it up, you know, or not wake up the mind,

00:23:05.640 but wake up the body to a point where it's like, when it's go time, like I can actually

00:23:09.700 go, you know?

00:23:10.840 And, uh, so a lot of it is that man and just figuring that out.

00:23:14.740 Yeah.

00:23:14.820 It's an interesting philosophy really, um, to create that angst in you.

00:23:20.000 Cause there's one thing about getting ready for something, getting hype.

00:23:23.180 There's a, there's one thing about getting hype for something like you could play basketball

00:23:27.300 in high school and stuff and get hype for it.

00:23:29.140 That's a different, let's go.

00:23:30.680 You know, you're excited.

00:23:31.600 You got, you know, you've done some warmups.

00:23:34.100 There's a different thing about how do I make myself like that a victory is a necessity.

00:23:45.120 You know, how do I get the part of me that when someone does something to me and I can't

00:23:52.800 do something back to them, that vitriol that arises, how do you create that in a moment?

00:23:59.100 Because the power of that is so much more tangible and real and vicious than the power of, okay,

00:24:09.060 let's just get hype.

00:24:10.420 Let me fucking high five my buddies.

00:24:12.220 You know, it's just, that's a different world.

00:24:14.440 So to have a meditation for war, that's kind of fascinating.

00:24:19.520 And I hadn't, I never even thought about that.

00:24:21.460 It's all survival, man.

00:24:22.640 You know, it's all survival and survival.

00:24:24.340 That's a great word.

00:24:25.140 I think that all of our lives, man, because, um, I used to work at a trauma facility too,

00:24:29.920 for like, uh, for kids that had like histories of trauma and stuff.

00:24:33.640 And so, and I went to school for psychology, uh, at CU Boulder.

00:24:37.380 So, you know, I'm, I'm no expert by any means, you know, I was just on call.

00:24:40.800 I would just fill in or whatever, like for, for the, the people that were actually doing

00:24:44.740 a lot of the work at, at this place called Mount St.

00:24:46.900 Vincent's.

00:24:47.460 But wow.

00:24:48.300 It's a pretty powerful place.

00:24:49.580 It's a super powerful place, man.

00:24:51.000 I think that I would attribute a lot of like what I've learned in life to that facility.

00:24:55.040 Wow.

00:24:55.360 Um, I used to be there a lot more, man.

00:24:57.160 Like, like I said, it was on call position.

00:24:59.000 So it was like, I pretty much would make my own hours.

00:25:02.020 So, uh, back before I was in the UFC and even while I was in the UFC, actually, I just

00:25:06.240 resigned maybe a couple months ago, uh, just because I still liked having it, uh, be a part

00:25:10.740 of my life.

00:25:11.380 Yeah.

00:25:12.020 Um, but yeah, I was working there for a while.

00:25:16.100 Uh, and you, you know, like you learn a lot.

00:25:19.260 About just like how the brain works, obviously, but you learn that like, man, we're all just

00:25:24.800 doing things in order for us to be able to survive better.

00:25:28.980 You know, like the kids that I was working with, they developed a certain amount of behaviors

00:25:33.720 because in, because in their environments, they needed them, you know, and you're preaching

00:25:39.500 to the choir.

00:25:40.000 This is like, we talk about this all the time on this podcast.

00:25:42.440 I still suffer from survival skills that I needed from trauma as a kid that I still use

00:25:47.260 today that affect me negatively now.

00:25:49.920 Yep.

00:25:50.160 And that becomes a problem is when you have a certain survival set in this environment,

00:25:54.760 but now you're living in this environment and it's like, man, I don't need those anymore.

00:25:58.920 But for me, man, like I need a different level of survival techniques in order for me to go

00:26:05.100 out into the cage and to be able to perform at the highest level that I can.

00:26:08.480 And like, I've, I've learned what those survival techniques are, you know, and, and I, and

00:26:13.120 I'm still figuring it out, man.

00:26:14.200 Like even in the last fight that I had against Frankie, like I felt way more like, uh, powerful,

00:26:20.200 you know, when I was like, I felt way more powerful than even I did when I was going against

00:26:24.200 Marlon, uh, which was another really good fight of mine.

00:26:27.020 So you have Marlon Moreas.

00:26:28.480 Yep.

00:26:28.900 People say his last name different.

00:26:30.120 People should meet before and decide how they're going to say his last name.

00:26:33.700 You know what I'm saying?

00:26:34.220 Let's fucking do that next time.

00:26:36.960 Uh, but no, man, great boat.

00:26:38.880 I mean, both of them were great fights, but no, it's interesting to see.

00:26:42.080 So, so starting to recognize that there's other skills you can still master outside of

00:26:47.960 and not even master, but start, start to learn and navigate outside of just the ones that

00:26:53.600 would seem like the most, uh, the most popular for fighters.

00:26:58.140 Yeah.

00:26:58.380 That that's everything to me, man.

00:26:59.780 Like, uh, everyone's good, bro.

00:27:01.940 Like everyone that I'm going to fight for the rest of my career is going to be good.

00:27:05.860 It's going to be good, bro.

00:27:07.080 I know, bro.

00:27:07.500 I had that moment.

00:27:08.380 I had that moment.

00:27:09.280 I forget when it was, dude.

00:27:10.520 I think it was like, dude, it must've been, uh, I was like, I'm not wrecking anyone anymore,

00:27:19.780 bro.

00:27:20.320 I remember I had the moment I was sitting there and I was thinking, I was like, man, I need

00:27:23.720 to just get used to this shit, bro.

00:27:25.380 I was like, I like had an internal battle, bro.

00:27:27.880 I was like, man, every single dude for the next probably 10 years is going to like be

00:27:33.340 at this level.

00:27:34.660 You know, that's crazy.

00:27:35.960 Yeah.

00:27:36.180 It sucked to come to that conclusion, but I, you know, I've settled into it.

00:27:40.460 Um, it was, let's get that question up of Nick about the hours, minutes, and months before

00:27:45.920 and you're Chris challenge here.

00:27:48.060 That's your coach.

00:27:48.860 Yep.

00:27:49.120 Yep.

00:27:49.440 That's awesome, man.

00:27:50.380 Yeah.

00:27:50.800 That's cool of him to come out.

00:27:51.840 Yeah.

00:27:51.980 Yeah.

00:27:52.120 Me and him are best friends too.

00:27:53.360 He's just my coach.

00:27:54.440 Yeah.

00:27:54.600 Yeah.

00:27:54.880 He's dude.

00:27:55.240 I would like to see you guys do a tag team versus fricking, uh, sugar Sean and Tim Welch

00:27:59.620 one day for charity.

00:28:02.040 That'd be fun.

00:28:02.820 Yeah.

00:28:03.160 What kind of match?

00:28:04.180 Like a slap box?

00:28:05.160 I don't know.

00:28:05.560 It could be whatever.

00:28:06.500 Like it could just be video games.

00:28:07.840 What are those things?

00:28:08.560 What are those things you take to the pool?

00:28:10.860 Um, yeah, it could be noodles.

00:28:14.980 Yeah.

00:28:15.340 Noodles.

00:28:15.840 There we go.

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00:31:12.780 But here's a guy right here who's sending a question, man.

00:31:15.540 Nice. All right.

00:31:15.740 Here we go.

00:31:16.480 Theo Vaughn, I'm taking a shit for you.

00:31:18.380 And this question is coming from the shitter.

00:31:20.580 Corey Sanhagen, what's going on, man?

00:31:22.540 Much love.

00:31:24.200 What's the mindset?

00:31:25.720 Quick question.

00:31:26.380 What's the mindset going into a fight, going into a UFC world-class fight against world-class

00:31:32.980 fighters?

00:31:33.360 What's the steps that you take weeks before the fight, months before the fight, and hours

00:31:39.260 or minutes right before you walk out to prepare your mind, whether that's meditation or I don't

00:31:44.420 even reading type of warrior books or I don't really know, learning about conquistadors.

00:31:49.580 I think that's what Mike Tyson used to do.

00:31:51.560 So I'm very curious into what your mental state is and how you try to keep a strong, positive,

00:31:57.920 but motivated, very focused mental state going into a fight.

00:32:01.300 So gang, gang, thank you so much.

00:32:03.720 Corey, what's going on?

00:32:04.860 Gang, bro, thanks for the question.

00:32:06.420 And you already answered some of it with the meditation and some of the trying to perfect

00:32:11.680 a different mindset outside of the fighting exact fist, the body set and more of a mindset.

00:32:20.980 But yeah, going into like once you learn what the fight is, what's kind of the process from

00:32:26.100 like, okay, this is who I'm fighting.

00:32:29.400 Now it's a week before and now it's the day of.

00:32:31.800 Yeah.

00:32:32.120 Yeah.

00:32:33.600 So I usually do 10 week camps.

00:32:35.560 Okay.

00:32:35.940 And this is actually something that my training partner, Carrington Banks helped me a lot with.

00:32:41.260 He's also in my corner too.

00:32:42.520 He's my wrestling, you know, helper.

00:32:44.060 I don't call him a coach because, you know, he's still fighting himself, but it's like

00:32:48.300 a peaking process, man.

00:32:49.420 Like as you get closer to the fight, it's, it's a peaking process.

00:32:51.900 So 10 weeks out, I'm still doing, you know, meditations every day.

00:32:55.760 I'm still doing like breathing exercises, uh, either before, because before sparring, I'll

00:33:00.480 do a lot of breathing exercises to, to get to that level of like, you know, body awareness

00:33:06.040 and stuff.

00:33:06.680 Will you load up on, uh, on, will you do that?

00:33:09.540 Like, will you load up and she can hold your breath for a long time?

00:33:12.300 No, no.

00:33:12.940 Uh, I, it's similar to Wim Hof type of breathing where it's like really big, uh, or really big

00:33:19.020 long inhale and then quick exhale.

00:33:20.860 Yeah.

00:33:20.980 It's pretty similar to that.

00:33:22.360 Okay.

00:33:22.580 Uh, have you ever tried that?

00:33:23.800 Yeah, I have, man.

00:33:24.460 I held my breath one time for like three and a half minutes.

00:33:26.180 Yeah.

00:33:26.240 It makes it like all tingly and stuff.

00:33:27.760 Yeah.

00:33:28.200 Yeah.

00:33:28.400 Yeah.

00:33:28.640 Yeah.

00:33:28.860 I'm a fish.

00:33:29.780 Yeah.

00:33:30.960 It's pretty much like that though, because it wakes your body up, man.

00:33:33.880 It gets like oxygen all around or whatever.

00:33:35.840 So it's that, uh, like I said, man, it's feeding your brain, the right stuff.

00:33:40.340 That's funny that he brought up Mike Tyson because I'll watch a lot of Mike Tyson's interviews

00:33:43.600 too.

00:33:44.040 And, uh, just cause I like seeing how really high level competitors think.

00:33:47.740 Uh, and he'll talk about like Napoleon, uh, you know, like, um, all, all of those like

00:33:53.880 generals and, and back in the day.

00:33:56.100 And that's what I was talking about too, is the feed in the mind, like feed in the mind

00:33:59.900 war stuff is, you know, part of my survival now.

00:34:02.400 So I do a lot of that.

00:34:03.820 Um, did he ask something else?

00:34:07.280 Okay.

00:34:07.380 So that was kind of like in it.

00:34:08.600 So that's early in advance.

00:34:10.100 So then once you get like, you're going through camp, you're getting close to a few weeks out.

00:34:14.340 Is there, does anything change or does camp just stay the same up until like the day of

00:34:17.960 the fight?

00:34:18.420 I would say about three weeks out.

00:34:20.640 And I don't know that I really do it on purpose.

00:34:22.240 I think that when you stay like connected with like, you know, you're, you're, you're

00:34:26.560 you inside of you, you know, uh, I think that things just happen naturally the way that

00:34:30.640 you, you want it to.

00:34:32.140 So about three weeks out, man, I don't, for whatever reason, every single stressor in

00:34:36.780 my life doesn't matter anymore.

00:34:38.340 Wow.

00:34:38.660 But up until then, like I'll, I'll still, you know, cause I'm hungry, I'm training hard.

00:34:42.520 So I'll be like pissed off about like little shit, you know, like I'll come home.

00:34:46.320 Uh, I have, uh, a roommate that lives downstairs and my girlfriend that lives with me and I'll

00:34:52.140 get home sometimes, man.

00:34:53.300 And they'll be in the kitchen, like, you know, going flirting, flirting with each other, bro.

00:34:58.580 I'll walk in and get so mad because the energy is just like too high, you know?

00:35:02.820 Oh, like that's, that's why I'm mad about like, about like three weeks before I'm just

00:35:07.440 like, I'm going on a walk.

00:35:10.560 I'm walking this out.

00:35:11.660 You just got home.

00:35:13.040 Yeah.

00:35:13.760 Like turn this energy down, you know, it's too happy in here, bro.

00:35:17.080 Are you guys fucking happy in here?

00:35:19.260 Okay, we need, I'll knock some shit over.

00:35:22.940 Yeah, Jesus, can we fucking put Apocalypto on or something?

00:35:25.600 This shit is too hype right now.

00:35:26.960 I do start watching a little bit more violent stuff as it gets closer to, but yeah, man,

00:35:31.240 about three weeks away, for whatever reason, things stop mattering to me and it's all just

00:35:37.040 like, let's, let's get this done, you know, let's get this done.

00:35:40.600 And so, but I think that that comes just from, you know, staying checked in, not letting

00:35:44.100 myself get cluttered.

00:35:45.520 You know, the more I feel cluttered, the less I just feel connected to myself.

00:35:51.140 And so, yeah, man, it's that stuff.

00:35:54.140 Okay.

00:35:54.620 Yeah.

00:35:54.980 Yeah.

00:35:55.200 You know, I can really, it's in a weird way, sometimes some of that reminds me of what

00:35:59.440 you're saying, like with comedy, when I'm on stage, if I, if I, if I'm in a space where

00:36:03.480 I'm not tied to a bunch of other shit that day before I get on a stage or something, and

00:36:07.960 I'm really just feeling like part of the universe a little bit and like, like locked in and wanting

00:36:13.500 to have a good show and make sure these people have fun.

00:36:16.520 It's not exactly the same, but it's just on the same like wavelength of like, um, I'm not

00:36:21.140 attached to too many other things, man.

00:36:23.600 Then I'm almost, I'm almost just, my skills are already there, are there, you know, they

00:36:29.040 definitely can always be better, but I'm just working off this energy that's in the world.

00:36:33.280 And it's just a fucking, yeah, it's like, I'm just juggling this dope shit that fucking

00:36:37.000 God put out.

00:36:37.680 Yeah.

00:36:37.880 Yeah.

00:36:38.020 It's like, you know, like you're just where you're supposed to be.

00:36:40.700 Yeah.

00:36:41.180 Dude, I saw you in Denver not too long ago, man, I have to say, just cause I'm a fanboy

00:36:44.760 too, bro.

00:36:45.900 Uh, it was probably like last year, bro.

00:36:48.240 Yeah.

00:36:48.640 Um, cause I hadn't seen your standup until probably your comedy centrals or did you have

00:36:53.140 anything on Netflix too?

00:36:54.360 Yeah.

00:36:54.520 I did a Netflix special about five years ago.

00:36:56.100 Yeah.

00:36:56.280 Yeah.

00:36:56.440 I think that was the last one that I watched and then I watched you in Denver and it was

00:36:59.460 like way different than the standup that you were doing before.

00:37:02.960 Oh, sweet.

00:37:03.560 Dude, it was sick, man.

00:37:04.380 Was it good?

00:37:04.860 Yeah, bro.

00:37:05.340 It was so creative.

00:37:06.480 Oh, thanks.

00:37:07.060 It was like, I don't know.

00:37:08.300 I don't know.

00:37:08.680 Yeah.

00:37:08.820 I want, cause, cause I'm really interested in comedy.

00:37:10.900 I'm like a big fan of comedy too.

00:37:12.760 Oh, sweet.

00:37:13.260 I like like all the different styles that all of you guys have and stuff and like, yeah,

00:37:17.580 man, I was just like, whoa, that was weird.

00:37:19.620 And it was like so good, you know?

00:37:21.360 Thanks, bro.

00:37:21.820 Dude, it was super good, man.

00:37:23.140 Yeah.

00:37:23.320 Was that at, uh, the something North or whatever that place was?

00:37:26.680 No.

00:37:26.960 Uh, yeah.

00:37:27.800 Uh.

00:37:28.140 The one that's outside of town a little?

00:37:29.800 Uh, yeah.

00:37:30.300 Outside of Denver?

00:37:30.780 Yep, yep, yep.

00:37:31.360 Yeah.

00:37:31.800 Yep, yep, yep.

00:37:32.160 That's a fun, that room is really funny.

00:37:34.000 You're almost like in the round kind of?

00:37:35.360 Yeah.

00:37:35.600 That's what everyone says.

00:37:36.400 Dude, thanks for coming out, bro.

00:37:37.440 That's awesome.

00:37:38.320 Yeah, man.

00:37:38.840 Yeah, man.

00:37:39.300 That's cool, man.

00:37:40.240 Uh, yeah, dude.

00:37:42.180 Um, yeah, that's awesome, man.

00:37:45.120 I appreciate you.

00:37:45.900 I appreciate you coming out.

00:37:46.640 You know who I got to meet at a show one time too?

00:37:48.460 Was, uh, Anthony Lionheart Smith came out to a show, which was pretty cool, dude.

00:37:53.120 He's a cool dude, huh?

00:37:53.840 Yeah, this was like three or four years ago.

00:37:55.160 Yeah.

00:37:55.480 Such the nicest dude.

00:37:56.840 And then Poirier came and I had a show in New Orleans about three years ago and he came

00:38:00.360 and literally the whole time he was, this was back when he was still like, he's definitely

00:38:04.000 like, still can be as angry as he wants to be, but he was almost like posted up at the

00:38:08.520 edge of the, at the edge of the, he's the only person not in a seat, bro.

00:38:12.160 Just ready to fucking go to war.

00:38:15.200 Back against the wall, bro.

00:38:16.080 Oh, totally back against the wall.

00:38:17.300 Check in, bro.

00:38:17.940 Check in, bro.

00:38:17.960 Check in.

00:38:18.420 Like, like, like, uh, Thomas used to do, dude.

00:38:20.920 Yeah, yeah.

00:38:21.820 It was like, it was pretty, it was pretty, it was interesting, man.

00:38:25.200 Hey, he's a cool dude too, huh?

00:38:26.740 He's a nice guy, man.

00:38:27.500 Is his hot sauce good?

00:38:28.740 It is good, bro.

00:38:29.680 I'll see, I'll get you some, I'll get you some of his scent, man.

00:38:31.600 How many are there?

00:38:32.280 Like 10 different flavors?

00:38:33.340 There's a lot.

00:38:33.860 No, he just has one, his own one flavor, but it is good.

00:38:37.320 He's cool, man.

00:38:38.060 I think, uh, he was talking about some anger after his last fight.

00:38:41.240 Remember after seeing him in the cage against Conor, he was like, he was happy, obviously

00:38:46.100 because he'd won, but he was like upset.

00:38:48.120 He's like, I don't love this shit no more and stuff.

00:38:50.240 I think a lot of it was, yeah, I think a lot of it was like, um, I think first, I don't

00:38:56.840 know, um, this is all speculation.

00:38:58.380 I think some of it was like that belt in their weight division, it's kind of become this ornament

00:39:06.320 and not a real reflection of who is at the top.

00:39:11.380 Dude, I've almost always felt like chasing a belt is kind of, it's, you know, it's a

00:39:18.380 goal, but it's like, man, you can only control so much in that world, man.

00:39:23.360 Like, what if, you know, what if Dustin doesn't fight for the belt next, you know?

00:39:26.660 Right.

00:39:26.940 What if I don't control?

00:39:28.420 Yeah.

00:39:28.700 Or what if I don't, you know, like that, that doesn't feel like as in control as maybe

00:39:33.880 it used to be, or maybe it was an illusion.

00:39:35.560 And now that I'm here, it's like, oh no, there's like a lot of other factors that go

00:39:38.920 into winning a belt other than just me beating people.

00:39:42.740 Right.

00:39:43.080 So it's kind of weird, man.

00:39:44.140 And it's just a weird place in the sport too, where it's like, you know, uh, it's kind

00:39:50.880 of the fame game a little bit, you know, like you got to be a little bit up in like your

00:39:56.000 social media account and all of that jazz in order to kind of get what you want.

00:40:00.040 Or at least to be able to call a little bit of the shots, which is fine.

00:40:04.080 That's the world that we live in now.

00:40:05.540 So yeah, it's a business.

00:40:06.480 I think in you guys' business too, in you guys' I think the longer you're in it, it's

00:40:11.700 longer you're in anything, it's more of a business.

00:40:15.320 Like I used to go to the comedy clubs and I was just excited if people were there.

00:40:19.100 And then you do it, doing it for 15 years, you're like, well, did we sell tickets?

00:40:23.240 You know, it's like some of that gets in your head somewhere, you know, like is, is the

00:40:28.240 audience happy?

00:40:29.040 Like you just, you're just, you start to have more concerns.

00:40:32.620 I just think some of that's just life.

00:40:35.120 But yeah, I mean, you guys are in a business that was like, everything's a business.

00:40:39.840 It's a society is just kind of like this structure of, of things that were put together by people,

00:40:46.460 you know, um, when you, we, we got a question right here from a young fellow.

00:40:54.400 What's up Theo?

00:40:55.240 What's up Corey?

00:40:56.200 Dallas from Staten Island, New York here.

00:40:57.600 Huge fan of both of you guys.

00:40:59.640 Theo, me and my wife got to see you about a year ago out in Red Bank, New Jersey.

00:41:03.440 The show was crazy.

00:41:04.620 Hoping we can see you again real soon.

00:41:06.320 Oh, thanks brother.

00:41:07.000 Corey, my question for you is how well do you really know Brendan Schaub?

00:41:11.020 Because he's always talking about, he's texting you, he's talking to you after your fights.

00:41:14.320 Besides Food Truck Diary, I know you guys are from Aurora, Colorado.

00:41:18.120 Let them know.

00:41:18.740 People are doubting.

00:41:19.440 I'm not a doubter.

00:41:20.340 I know you guys know each other.

00:41:21.720 Let the world know.

00:41:23.100 Gang, gang, send me.

00:41:25.580 There you go, dog.

00:41:26.880 Are people doubting that?

00:41:28.460 What is there to doubt?

00:41:29.640 People doubt.

00:41:30.720 Brendan gets doubted a lot, I think.

00:41:33.000 But, so, I think people want to know.

00:41:35.340 Yeah, he has that look, bro.

00:41:36.760 Yeah, I think Brendan just has that.

00:41:38.360 Yeah, he has, and he has nine different shows.

00:41:40.760 I think people just start to doubt him, you know?

00:41:43.260 He's a chef.

00:41:44.220 He runs a food truck.

00:41:45.020 He says something different on each one.

00:41:46.800 Just to accommodate to each different audience, bro.

00:41:49.720 So, I think people are like, what is the truth here, Brendan?

00:41:52.780 You guys never fought each other, right?

00:41:54.340 No, no, no.

00:41:55.220 Hell no.

00:41:56.680 No.

00:41:57.240 When I was 17 or 18 years old, we were all training at this gym called Grudge.

00:42:03.220 And it's like where all the really good guys train, like Shab was there, Ludwig was there,

00:42:08.660 Marquardt was there, GSP would stop in, Rashad Evans, like all of those really, really big

00:42:13.980 names.

00:42:14.360 And so, I used to train there when I was like, you know, like 140 pounds, like soaking wet,

00:42:21.480 you know?

00:42:23.000 And probably, you know, maybe shouldn't have been in that room at that time.

00:42:26.000 But, yeah, I mean, we were all in that room together.

00:42:28.900 And I think that, you know, while me and Brendan were never like, you know, I was 17 years old,

00:42:32.940 he was fighting in the UFC.

00:42:34.100 It's not like we were hanging out.

00:42:35.480 Right.

00:42:35.980 That would be a little weird, actually.

00:42:37.760 Yeah, because he would be an adult.

00:42:40.280 That would be illegal also, probably.

00:42:44.360 But, I mean, nah, man, we share that, like, those same Aurora roots, you know?

00:42:47.920 Like, it's just, like I said, man, it's like a community.

00:42:50.920 Aurora feels like a community.

00:42:52.200 Yeah?

00:42:52.520 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:42:53.380 Was he the kind of guy, if you went and asked him for a suggestion, like advice or something,

00:42:56.800 he would share it?

00:42:57.360 He was definitely...

00:42:58.240 I think so, yeah.

00:42:59.800 Everyone was pretty cool at Grudge.

00:43:03.060 Yeah, Brendan was definitely, like, one of the superstars there, for sure, during that

00:43:06.940 time.

00:43:07.380 It's so funny, because I don't know, like, to me, I don't know him as that at all.

00:43:11.380 Like, I don't ever even see that look in his eyes anymore.

00:43:13.820 Like, you know, what it takes to be a fight.

00:43:15.660 Like, not that he doesn't have it.

00:43:16.760 I'm not saying that.

00:43:17.820 But he doesn't ever turn that on in any environment that he and I are ever in.

00:43:21.320 It's no longer part of his survival.

00:43:23.140 Yeah, it's probably true.

00:43:24.200 Yeah.

00:43:25.060 Yeah, it's probably no longer part of his survival, man.

00:43:29.520 Dude, this was heartbreaking, man.

00:43:31.240 I even...

00:43:31.720 I remember I put a comment on your IG after your last fight, and it was barely even, like...

00:43:35.860 I was like, way to go.

00:43:37.020 Good job.

00:43:37.460 It was so, like...

00:43:38.880 I know.

00:43:39.720 Bro, that's how I felt, too, man.

00:43:41.120 It was so support...

00:43:41.580 I was trying to be supportive, but also, it was, like, Frank Yeager's just, like, beloved

00:43:46.220 by humanity.

00:43:46.800 And I know by you, as well.

00:43:48.860 How hard is that, man?

00:43:50.440 Like, is...

00:43:52.320 Because no other...

00:43:53.580 Like, I guess there's other sports where that kind of stuff happens, but how hard is

00:43:57.680 it to go out there and fight, like, a guy...

00:44:00.960 Well, here, is he asking it right here?

00:44:02.260 We'll let this guy ask it, so...

00:44:04.160 Because he sent it in.

00:44:06.540 Hey, Corey.

00:44:07.880 Being a fighter, you know, you go into every fight trying to win, of course.

00:44:11.640 But, as a human...

00:44:13.400 As a human being, how did it feel knocking a legend like Frank Yeager out?

00:44:22.560 That shit would shook me, for sure.

00:44:24.360 I know.

00:44:24.760 A lot of people were going to Harper.

00:44:26.740 He's still shook, bro.

00:44:28.420 Gang, gang.

00:44:29.940 Gang, bro.

00:44:30.580 Yeah, man, there's...

00:44:32.500 Like I said, man, there's two different people for me, man.

00:44:34.780 Like, there's, you know...

00:44:35.640 I gotta be a type of way when I go in the cage, and I can be a different type of way when

00:44:39.220 I'm out.

00:44:39.680 But, you know what?

00:44:41.720 The craziest part of...

00:44:44.060 And I'm not trying to put you on the spot, man.

00:44:45.100 No, no, no.

00:44:45.540 It's okay.

00:44:46.000 No, no.

00:44:46.340 I don't mind at all, bro.

00:44:47.320 I'm not curious about, like, you...

00:44:48.760 I'm just generally curious about the sides of it.

00:44:52.100 Yeah, yeah.

00:44:52.540 So, once I'm done, you know, with that adrenaline dump that happens, I mean, I almost felt like crying

00:44:58.060 when I was in there.

00:44:58.880 Well, one, because, yeah, man, like, Frankie's a legend.

00:45:02.940 I know he's a good dude, you know, and I know that he's trying to provide for his family

00:45:09.100 and stuff, and so that sucks.

00:45:10.640 What trips me out the most about something like that is that, not because I'm worried

00:45:15.940 about Frankie, because I know that we're all really tough dudes, you know, like, we can

00:45:19.440 handle it.

00:45:19.960 But just, like, knowing that he has loved ones that are watching...

00:45:24.680 Oh, yeah.

00:45:25.300 ...and that I was a part of that, and that I probably created, you know, like, some definite

00:45:29.780 sadness in that, that's what, like, you know, makes you want to cry.

00:45:34.280 Yeah.

00:45:34.640 Because we're all tough dudes, man, but, like, I remember having that thought when they

00:45:38.800 were raising my hand where it's like, man, like, his kids saw it, you know?

00:45:42.380 Right.

00:45:42.560 Like, his kids are probably worried about him.

00:45:43.760 His wife is probably worried about him.

00:45:45.120 And, like, that, that part really sucks.

00:45:46.960 Yeah.

00:45:47.300 That part really, really sucks.

00:45:48.600 You know, there's no getting around how much that sucks.

00:45:50.920 Yeah.

00:45:51.980 But you know what sucks worse?

00:45:53.380 Huh?

00:45:54.120 Is that happening to me.

00:45:55.420 Right.

00:45:56.240 Damn.

00:45:56.680 That's what sucks worse.

00:45:58.520 And that's some of the truth of it.

00:46:00.080 That's the truth, and that's, I mean, that's kind of like, you know, Poirier always talks

00:46:05.400 about that's, like, the beautiful thing about it.

00:46:07.400 He's like, there's this, it's just this, it's this inescapable, like, it's almost

00:46:14.940 like how the world started, like, this big bang theory, like, you know, things broke

00:46:19.620 apart for something to be made.

00:46:22.160 Like, it's just, I don't know, it's just.

00:46:25.440 It's sad, man.

00:46:26.320 It's sad when you lose.

00:46:27.160 I know what it feels like, man.

00:46:28.180 Like, I was choked out by Sterling.

00:46:29.520 Like, I know, I know what it feels like, man, to open your eyes, see the person running

00:46:34.220 around the cage, excited, like, you know, pumped that he won, and to have the doctor lift

00:46:39.560 you up and sit you on the stool.

00:46:40.960 Like, I know how that feels, man.

00:46:42.440 Like, it sucks.

00:46:43.460 And who was y'all's ref, No Nonsense Keith Peterson?

00:46:46.040 For the last one?

00:46:46.920 Yeah.

00:46:47.960 I think, I think so, yeah.

00:46:49.480 Why you like him the most?

00:46:50.620 I would fight him.

00:46:52.620 You're a lot bigger than him, bro.

00:46:53.980 Well, look, dog, I'll fucking lose weight.

00:46:56.000 I'll cut a leg off.

00:46:56.500 What would you do, bro?

00:46:58.020 What would be the strategy if you had to fight someone?

00:47:00.160 If I went in against No Nonsense in NKP, first, I would probably, I would try, I'll probably

00:47:07.300 try to wear him down, dude.

00:47:08.580 Yeah.

00:47:08.920 I'd probably try to wear him down.

00:47:10.100 How would you do that?

00:47:11.200 I'd get him up against the cage.

00:47:12.660 Oh, oh.

00:47:13.260 First, I'd run him.

00:47:14.120 I'd run him until I got tired.

00:47:15.380 Oh, okay.

00:47:15.960 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:47:16.860 Make him chase you a little?

00:47:17.840 Yeah, I'd run him until I got tired.

00:47:19.980 And then, I would get him up against the cage, bro.

00:47:23.100 And I'd probably...

00:47:24.560 Would you foot stomp or knee or...

00:47:26.620 I'd do a little bit of that Kamaru fucking method.

00:47:29.020 Stomp on his feet.

00:47:29.780 Hold him against the cage and stomp on his feet.

00:47:31.800 Until he can barely move his feet.

00:47:33.260 And then, I'd fucking hard scarf him, dude.

00:47:36.420 I'd sneak up behind him.

00:47:38.320 I'd get him distracted.

00:47:39.720 And I'd sneak up behind him.

00:47:41.220 Have somebody wave a cigarette or something in the distance.

00:47:43.600 Sneak up behind him.

00:47:45.400 And put him in the hard scarf, bro.

00:47:47.420 What's a hard scarf, bro?

00:47:48.660 What's that fucking...

00:47:49.500 Oh, yeah.

00:47:50.020 Until you finish him out, bro.

00:47:51.340 Yeah, yeah.

00:47:53.240 But anyway...

00:47:54.520 And look, I'm just joking, Keith Peterson.

00:47:56.660 Unless we're like raising money for charity.

00:47:59.000 I'm a big...

00:47:59.520 I'm a Keith Peterson fan.

00:48:00.780 Yeah, me too.

00:48:01.300 He's a good ref, man.

00:48:02.980 I like the refs that don't say anything.

00:48:05.100 The refs that talk, man.

00:48:06.200 I can't stand the refs that talk.

00:48:07.620 Really?

00:48:08.040 Yeah.

00:48:08.320 I can't stand it, man.

00:48:09.380 Just because it's like, man.

00:48:10.940 No one came to watch you, bro.

00:48:13.120 It's nonsense.

00:48:14.240 No one.

00:48:14.760 You know that's nonsense, man.

00:48:16.320 Yeah.

00:48:16.680 That's what I think about Keith, baby.

00:48:18.020 It's just zero nonsense, bro.

00:48:19.040 Zero nonsense.

00:48:20.980 Zilch.

00:48:22.720 Do bigger fights get bigger...

00:48:25.040 Is there like a ref order that feels like out there?

00:48:27.280 I think that there is.

00:48:28.520 There definitely is.

00:48:30.460 Because Herb Dean gets a lot of the big ones, right?

00:48:32.520 Yeah.

00:48:32.720 He gets a lot of big ones.

00:48:34.120 No nonsense gets a lot of the big ones.

00:48:37.000 I like most of the refs, but there's a couple of refs where I'll be watching on the TV and

00:48:40.640 I'm just like, just shut up.

00:48:41.720 Yeah.

00:48:41.820 Like, he's not doing what you're saying.

00:48:43.800 Because I've been on the other end of that where a ref has been like, quit grabbing his

00:48:47.460 shorts.

00:48:47.980 And it's like, in my head, I got to be like, I'm not grabbing his shorts.

00:48:50.460 What's he talking about?

00:48:51.240 And then that just distracts you.

00:48:52.560 And when it's like a game of inches, it's like, dude, shut up.

00:48:55.100 Right.

00:48:55.540 Yeah.

00:48:55.900 Yeah.

00:48:56.120 Shut up, dude.

00:48:56.720 Nobody came...

00:48:57.120 Yeah.

00:48:57.460 No one came to watch.

00:48:58.240 Yeah.

00:48:58.420 You weren't there training with this.

00:48:59.660 You don't know anything about it.

00:49:01.060 Yeah.

00:49:01.320 I could see that.

00:49:01.980 That's interesting.

00:49:03.000 Yeah.

00:49:04.740 Yeah.

00:49:05.060 So that's, yeah, that's interesting, man.

00:49:06.780 It's an, it's kind of a, it's, it's a, I think it's definitely a different and comforting

00:49:10.360 thought though, to know that there's some level of that within the fighters that there's

00:49:14.960 all like, yes, that could also be me.

00:49:17.780 And we both came into this knowing that that kind of thing can happen and that there's some

00:49:22.380 sense of like, like, um, care or concern for the person's family, you know, or for the

00:49:27.960 people that are caring about them watching him, you know?

00:49:30.620 I think you have to be a little bit on the other side or at least have had to experience

00:49:35.120 it to kind of like fully understand that.

00:49:37.300 Yeah.

00:49:37.460 Because like, if you look at ancient samurais, like ancient samurais, you know, they're known

00:49:41.600 for like, you know, obviously being like badass fighters, but they're also known for like

00:49:45.260 the way that they used to live.

00:49:46.500 And the way that they used to live is like very honorable, very respectful to, to everyone

00:49:50.620 else.

00:49:50.940 And like, it got me thinking, it's like, man, like how can these really brutal soldiers

00:49:55.680 who slash people up with swords also live in a way where it's like, okay, I have, I

00:50:02.620 have honor and I have respect for fellow human beings and, and I'll, and I'll do this, this

00:50:08.360 and this to show that, or, or I'll, or I'll even like go as far as to stab myself to keep

00:50:12.840 honor of whatever, you know?

00:50:14.420 Like, I think it takes a level of like having to go through all of those brutal feelings

00:50:19.640 and understand that like, you know, this is not always fun in games.

00:50:24.100 Like Poirier said, uh, in order to kind of like fully respect the other side of it, which

00:50:30.100 is like life.

00:50:30.860 And, you know, and like when you actually win, like how to be a winner because you know what

00:50:36.060 it's like to be the loser.

00:50:37.260 And, uh, I think that that's important, you know, but that's interesting that Poirier

00:50:41.100 said that, uh, it's not fun to him anymore.

00:50:43.660 He actually says a lot of interesting stuff.

00:50:45.960 Dude, that's a funny thing.

00:50:46.740 And that's one thing I always liked about Dustin since I met him was that there's so

00:50:50.040 much more to him than a fighter, you know?

00:50:52.080 And I think for a lot of guys, it's interesting to see them get to come into whatever else they

00:51:02.420 are as humans.

00:51:03.600 And I think the world has really gotten a witness that of Dustin over the past few years, you

00:51:08.560 know, like just through his charity and through, um, you know, through his journey to get paid

00:51:14.440 through the organization, like just, um, you know, like I know when he and Tony let that

00:51:19.840 fight go, it was because of money.

00:51:21.260 I believe I think he said that I don't want to be talking out of school, but, um, so yeah,

00:51:27.800 to try and stand on some sense of honor and still, you know, grow up and yeah, I just think

00:51:34.520 it's interesting.

00:51:35.000 I think it's interesting why people fight, you know, I was always like afraid to fight

00:51:39.560 as a kid.

00:51:40.140 So I'm like, like, and then, but then we're all fighting for something in some way, you

00:51:45.500 know, we're all trying to like find some way to express ourselves.

00:51:48.500 So I guess sometimes I wonder if fighting is just a way that you guys express yourself.

00:51:55.560 I always, does it feel like that?

00:51:57.500 I always wonder this.

00:51:58.460 I always wonder like, okay, am I working harder than other people in other professions

00:52:03.780 and, or, or is me winning feel better because of, you know, it's fighting or does it, does

00:52:09.820 it feel worse to lose because it's fighting or whatever?

00:52:11.980 And I think that anything that you try to do at like your best, if you don't reach that,

00:52:17.760 like it's still going to suck for everyone, you know?

00:52:19.880 So I, I think that it's like, yeah, it's like this expression of yourself or whatever,

00:52:24.040 but I think that, yeah, man, it's just like, I don't know why people want to play

00:52:27.560 the piano all day, but there's some people out there that want to play the piano all

00:52:31.340 day.

00:52:31.560 And then there's like some people that want to like do math equations all day.

00:52:34.960 And like, to me, that seems like hell, but like, I don't, you know, I don't, I don't

00:52:38.860 know what that is in different people or what, but like I, that crosses my mind all the time.

00:52:43.320 It's like, man, you couldn't have chosen something different for me, bro.

00:52:47.520 Podcasting or something.

00:52:47.980 Can I have done drywall?

00:52:50.120 Have you ever drywalled, bro?

00:52:51.600 That shit's worse than fighting, bro.

00:52:53.440 That's true.

00:52:53.660 It's a gateway drug too, dude.

00:52:55.020 There's no way you start drywall and don't end up doing drugs, bro.

00:52:59.700 That's true.

00:53:01.980 Here's a question right here.

00:53:03.480 Wait, is this my, is this, what's this guy's name?

00:53:09.900 Yo, Theo, Nick, Corey, what's going on guys?

00:53:12.420 It's your boy Chico from St. Louis, Missouri here.

00:53:14.100 Chico Bean.

00:53:14.460 Got a couple quick questions for the Sandman.

00:53:16.700 Corey, first off, congrats on the huge knockout of Frankie D'Answer, Edgar.

00:53:20.040 Had to have felt fucking crazy knocking out a legend like that.

00:53:22.300 But congrats again.

00:53:23.960 I'd love to know what you think of the matchup between Aljermaine Sterling and Peter Yan.

00:53:28.940 I know you lost to Aljermaine, you know, a couple months ago and that was your first loss in 2017.

00:53:33.540 So what do you think of that matchup?

00:53:35.380 And also, are you itching to get a rematch at Aljermaine?

00:53:37.760 So who do you think is going to win that fight and who do you want to win in that fight?

00:53:41.580 Much love to you guys.

00:53:42.800 Gang, gang.

00:53:43.420 Take care.

00:53:43.780 Yeah, how do you feel like that?

00:53:46.440 Aljermaine's such a nice guy too, man.

00:53:47.860 How do you feel about their fight coming up?

00:53:50.600 Are you excited to watch it?

00:53:51.580 Yeah, I'm super pumped to watch it.

00:53:53.320 I think it's going to go like the entire five rounds.

00:53:55.940 So like from a strategic standpoint, I like to like, you know, I think that I'll get like a lot of intel.

00:54:00.240 Knowledge.

00:54:00.760 Yep.

00:54:02.520 But I don't know, man.

00:54:03.960 I flip a coin every single time.

00:54:05.380 Like every time I get asked, I just change my answer depending on the day.

00:54:08.380 So I think stylistically and like technically better, I think Jan's probably maybe the better technical fighter.

00:54:16.820 But being a technical fighter doesn't mean that you're the better fighter.

00:54:20.700 You know, I've been in the cage with Aljermaine and he has a level of intensity like we were talking about before with the energy.

00:54:26.500 That's a lot different than everyone else that I fought.

00:54:31.320 So, you know, I think that he really has that going for him.

00:54:33.980 And I think, you know, Aljermaine's been really open about his strategy about this.

00:54:38.480 Like he keeps talking about how he's going to wrestle the guy for five rounds.

00:54:42.300 I don't know how smart it is to reveal your strategy like that, but he must be really confident in it.

00:54:48.500 So, you know, and I do think that his grappling and just him in general is really underrated.

00:54:52.980 Like I think he's definitely way up there as far as fighters go in the UFC.

00:54:57.680 And I don't know, man.

00:54:59.220 If you had to ask me for whatever reason, I kind of I just like I like Aljermaine a little bit.

00:55:03.840 So, like I always, you know, I root for people, not for fighters.

00:55:07.020 He's fun to cheer for.

00:55:07.680 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:55:08.320 There's something about him that's very fun to cheer for.

00:55:12.620 Yeah, that's going to be interesting, man.

00:55:15.000 Y'all's division is getting so interesting.

00:55:17.300 They're good too, man.

00:55:18.340 Everyone's really like we're talking about, man.

00:55:20.340 Everyone's good, bro.

00:55:21.320 Yeah.

00:55:21.960 Everyone's good.

00:55:22.540 It's crazy.

00:55:22.880 Does it start to get scary to think that you might have to fight for the next 10 years?

00:55:26.240 Does that start to ever get spooky?

00:55:27.980 It was spooky, bro.

00:55:29.480 It was pretty spooky until I like until I accepted it, man.

00:55:33.160 Like I told you, it was just like this moment where I was like, I think it was after I fought this guy.

00:55:38.440 Do you know who John Lineker is?

00:55:39.780 He don't fight in the UFC anymore, bro.

00:55:41.380 But he's like five foot two built like a brick.

00:55:44.100 And like his head is, you know, like this big.

00:55:47.280 And he like cracks, bro.

00:55:49.220 Like he cracks.

00:55:50.100 It was my third fight in the UFC.

00:55:52.020 I was so scared to fight that dude.

00:55:54.820 And then after I beat John Lineker, I was like, damn, man, like every single fight.

00:56:00.400 Yeah, that's John.

00:56:01.520 Oh, yeah, dude.

00:56:02.060 I've definitely seen him at Panama City Spring Break before.

00:56:05.020 And he was not happy when I saw him.

00:56:06.860 He's the one running sprints in the sand, bro.

00:56:09.760 Yeah, dude.

00:56:10.280 He's doing fucking sprints at the bar.

00:56:13.040 There's always that guy, man.

00:56:14.720 I'm just joking, John.

00:56:15.460 He's doing push-ups in the bathroom, bro.

00:56:16.520 I'm just joking, dude.

00:56:18.680 Wow.

00:56:19.180 Yeah, so after I fought him, because he was in the top 10 for my third UFC fight.

00:56:24.860 And after I fought John, that's when it kind of hit me where I was like, yep, this is

00:56:29.040 going to be hard for the next 10 years of my life, you know.

00:56:31.580 It's kind of like playing punch out after you beat or like a boxing after you beat a hard

00:56:35.520 guy.

00:56:36.080 You have to pause it.

00:56:36.960 And then like you kind of go get some water or something.

00:56:38.900 You come back.

00:56:39.240 You're like, fuck, man.

00:56:40.480 They're all going to be really hard from now on.

00:56:42.180 Yeah.

00:56:42.560 And dude, you know what else, too, is like everyone will be like, ah, like, cool.

00:56:47.100 You get to like take a little break after your win, blah, blah, blah.

00:56:49.540 It's like, no, I don't.

00:56:50.600 You know, like I kind of do just from like the warrior part of me.

00:56:55.460 Like I can be a lot less competitive now.

00:56:57.340 But as far as like me getting better, man, like this shit only gets harder, bro.

00:57:01.960 Like it only gets harder.

00:57:03.120 The better people I beat, the harder I got to work.

00:57:05.360 It's like I thought it'd be the opposite.

00:57:07.060 I thought I'd get into the UFC.

00:57:08.300 See, I'd start, you know, I'd start winning and like I'd get into a groove and shit would

00:57:12.160 be easier and more routine.

00:57:15.120 But like, man, like it's just harder.

00:57:16.720 Every every time I win, I'm just like, all right, well, that was the last easiest fight

00:57:20.100 of your life.

00:57:20.920 Yeah, that's crazy.

00:57:22.400 That sucks.

00:57:23.520 But that's that I just said it.

00:57:24.720 That sucks.

00:57:25.220 But that's but hearing that to me, it makes perfect sense because that's the thing inside

00:57:29.600 of you that makes you what you are anyway.

00:57:31.840 It's that thing.

00:57:32.740 It's like the next there's always something else.

00:57:36.920 Yeah, you know, I'm always going to have to learn.

00:57:39.100 There's always more to learn or more to do.

00:57:41.960 It's always.

00:57:42.340 Yeah, it's the challenge, bro.

00:57:43.540 It's like when this is why it interested me when Poirier said this isn't even fun for

00:57:49.660 me anymore.

00:57:50.040 Like I almost feel the same way depending on how you define fun.

00:57:54.080 Right.

00:57:54.360 If fun means like, oh, I'm enjoying myself.

00:57:58.240 It's not fun.

00:58:00.060 I'm not enjoying any part of that process.

00:58:02.240 Like I see people even the week of the fight.

00:58:04.180 It's like, oh, like, OK, this is my taper week.

00:58:06.040 Like I can I can kick back and like I can enjoy my fight week and I'll go like jet ski

00:58:10.940 or, you know, visit this or visit that or whatever.

00:58:14.080 And it's like, dude, during fight week, I lay in bed and I just think about the fight

00:58:21.500 and what I'm supposed to do.

00:58:23.500 And that's all I do.

00:58:25.320 Like I watch maybe one or two hours of TV.

00:58:28.700 I maybe if I'm getting a little overwhelmed in my head, we'll go like hang out with my coaches

00:58:32.840 and stuff.

00:58:33.300 But other than that, man, I'm laying in bed, resting my mind and like getting myself ready

00:58:38.100 to like do this.

00:58:39.200 It's like not enjoyable, bro.

00:58:40.920 Yeah.

00:58:41.640 Even camp camp isn't even that enjoyable.

00:58:44.060 I would say the most enjoyable part for me in this whole thing is just coming up with

00:58:48.780 my own shit and me and Christian working together and me and Carrington working together and

00:58:52.740 me and some of the jiu jitsu guys that I work with like inventing or like at least like trying

00:58:59.160 to get really good at like the things that we're doing.

00:59:02.240 Like that's enjoyable for me.

00:59:04.140 But like and like the winning part is enjoyable.

00:59:06.560 But man, like everything else is just challenge.

00:59:09.480 It's not like fun.

00:59:10.960 Right.

00:59:11.500 Yeah.

00:59:12.460 I think there's something that happens with in success, man, where some things kind of

00:59:16.880 become like that and that starts to become the next battle in some ways is any more

00:59:22.120 water.

00:59:22.560 No, I'm good.

00:59:23.180 That starts to become the next battle in some ways is like, how do I make where I'm

00:59:28.960 at now as enjoyable as an experience as possible?

00:59:36.520 Did you go through that?

00:59:37.820 Yeah, man.

00:59:38.500 I think it's still enjoyable.

00:59:40.020 It's there's moments that are enjoyable, but it was I had a lot more like I remember

00:59:44.120 dude, when we were so when we were getting Dustin Poirier on, dude, we were so excited.

00:59:47.980 Remember that?

00:59:49.160 Dude, we were so excited.

00:59:50.820 He had salon quality.

00:59:52.000 Hairstyle was his nickname.

00:59:53.540 And he was again, we were so fired up, dude.

00:59:58.880 And and I still get wakes.

01:00:01.720 It's not that things aren't exciting.

01:00:03.760 It's like I think some of it is you just get used to some stuff and there's nothing

01:00:09.940 you can do.

01:00:11.160 That's just experience.

01:00:12.300 There's nothing you can do to kind of go back to that level of excitement you had,

01:00:16.780 like when you were probably first training and doing well against a guy at grudge.

01:00:21.840 Yeah.

01:00:22.240 I mean, my scariest fight was my first fight.

01:00:25.180 Yeah.

01:00:25.700 My scariest like fight was my first fight.

01:00:28.140 Really?

01:00:28.640 Yeah, probably.

01:00:29.500 You know, because, you know, you know, it's like your first one was was your white belt.

01:00:33.120 Like, uh, or what was it?

01:00:35.740 Or is it not even like that?

01:00:36.820 Dude, uh, the white belt is just jujitsu.

01:00:39.840 Yeah.

01:00:40.060 Yeah.

01:00:40.260 So I don't.

01:00:40.840 Yeah.

01:00:41.040 So I don't consider jujitsu matches fights.

01:00:43.580 Uh, seven years of my life.

01:00:48.200 But no, respect, bro.

01:00:50.420 Yeah.

01:00:50.660 For real, bro.

01:00:51.680 I'm just fucking around, bro.

01:00:53.360 You know?

01:00:54.120 But no, no, no.

01:00:54.720 Totally.

01:00:55.080 I feel you.

01:00:55.660 But so.

01:00:56.720 Dude, I fought, uh, in this place, um, bro, I'm pretty sure it was like a house, dude.

01:01:02.020 Like, like a gutted house, bro.

01:01:04.840 I'm almost positive.

01:01:05.800 It was like a gutted house.

01:01:06.820 It was in a neighborhood, bro.

01:01:08.360 Oh, dude.

01:01:09.140 That's bad.

01:01:10.040 When you pull up to the fight and the driveway's full.

01:01:15.120 So, dude, uh, it was this, uh, more.

01:01:17.940 It was sanctioned?

01:01:19.060 No.

01:01:19.560 Okay.

01:01:19.920 It was a, it was a more tight tournament.

01:01:22.060 I was, I think I was 18 years old.

01:01:24.540 Dude, I'm not kidding you, bro.

01:01:26.360 The ring was probably much smaller.

01:01:28.300 Actually, the ring was probably about this size, bro.

01:01:30.840 It was probably like an eight by eight, dude.

01:01:32.900 In like this gutted house.

01:01:35.200 And like, uh, it was matted.

01:01:38.640 Eight by eight ring.

01:01:40.660 Everyone was warming up.

01:01:41.940 You like, you sat on the floor.

01:01:43.440 If you wanted to watch the fights, you just crowded around.

01:01:45.820 You watch the fights.

01:01:46.580 And, uh, yeah, that was my first fight, uh, or first tournament.

01:01:51.460 And so that was one of the scariest moments?

01:01:53.340 Yeah, that was one of the scariest moments.

01:01:54.840 Because it's just like, you know, I, I'd never really been in a fight against, you know,

01:01:59.160 like, like a actual real fight I had never been in before.

01:02:01.660 So, yeah.

01:02:02.800 How real is this stuff they talk about ring rust?

01:02:04.720 Is that a real thing?

01:02:05.980 I don't know.

01:02:07.160 I, I don't think I've ever been out long enough to like have experienced that.

01:02:10.280 But I do think though, that like when I fight, you know, four months apart, three months apart,

01:02:15.820 I can kind of, I feel a little bit different.

01:02:17.540 Like I feel a lot more comfortable than I, than I do if I'm like on an eight, eight month break.

01:02:23.160 So with the, with the upcoming match, you have to wait to see what happens with one of these guys.

01:02:27.320 If that's the guy you choose to fight or that's the guy that they want to match you with?

01:02:31.380 I hope so.

01:02:32.440 Okay.

01:02:33.200 Um, but there's not somebody else from, would they try and offer you somebody from, uh,

01:02:37.620 that's, that is in the rankings that's beneath you currently?

01:02:40.860 I think that, uh, me and Dillashaw, if they don't do, yeah.

01:02:44.420 Ooh, fucking Dillashaw.

01:02:46.140 Yeah.

01:02:46.380 I forgot about him.

01:02:48.240 They're bringing him back.

01:02:49.160 They got a cheat code or something.

01:02:51.780 Uh, yeah.

01:02:53.060 Wow, that would be crazy, huh?

01:02:55.340 Yeah.

01:02:55.720 I mean, I, I think if it's not the winner of their fight, then it's, I mean, it's gotta be Dillashaw

01:02:59.700 because, I mean, Garbrandt's going down, uh, I, I, I don't know what Aldo's doing.

01:03:07.780 Font's really good, but he's kind of in the same position I was in maybe like three fights

01:03:11.380 ago where, uh, you know, I think that he, Font's really good, but I think he needs to

01:03:16.640 string like, you know, some top five wins together before I think they start considering

01:03:20.700 him for a title shot too.

01:03:22.800 Um, is there somebody from the past that you wish was like, uh, somebody you would like

01:03:28.600 to have fought or fought, not even out of anger, just out of like pure, like it would

01:03:32.860 be awesome.

01:03:33.400 Like somebody from the past that you grew up watching or anything like that?

01:03:36.320 Oh yeah.

01:03:36.740 Yeah.

01:03:37.020 Uh, well, Cruz, Cruz was definitely in that conversation for a long time.

01:03:42.020 Uh, he might fight.

01:03:43.040 He looks like you've climbed over the cage and fight any day most of the time.

01:03:46.600 Who?

01:03:47.100 Cruz?

01:03:47.480 Dominic Cruz?

01:03:48.020 Yeah.

01:03:48.260 Yeah.

01:03:48.400 Yeah.

01:03:48.880 I mean, he's always pretty good.

01:03:50.320 Did he retire?

01:03:51.160 What happened?

01:03:51.740 I think he might actually have something scheduled.

01:03:54.060 Casey Kenny.

01:03:54.620 Yeah.

01:03:54.780 He's fighting Casey Kenny.

01:03:55.760 When is that one?

01:03:56.400 In March?

01:03:57.060 Uh, I think it's sometime in March.

01:03:58.520 I like him, man.

01:03:59.240 I like watching, yeah, when he, when he's, cause you always, you kind of never know what

01:04:02.540 he's going to say.

01:04:03.420 Sometimes he'll get a little bit angsty with the other, uh, sportscasters and shit.

01:04:07.720 He's, you know, like he has something about him that's, you know, intimidating.

01:04:11.700 Yeah.

01:04:11.960 You know?

01:04:12.360 I like that.

01:04:12.920 It's cool.

01:04:13.320 Yeah.

01:04:13.640 Yeah.

01:04:13.780 Yeah.

01:04:14.080 He's on two 59.

01:04:15.640 Nice.

01:04:16.160 Wow.

01:04:16.680 That's the 13th?

01:04:17.660 Uh, six.

01:04:18.480 Oh, oh, he's on that one.

01:04:19.680 Yeah.

01:04:19.780 He's on that card?

01:04:20.760 Yeah.

01:04:20.960 That card is, that card is insane.

01:04:23.240 Yeah.

01:04:23.440 My teammate Dober's fighting on that card too.

01:04:26.220 Um, yeah.

01:04:27.180 Who's on that card, man?

01:04:28.060 That's bananas.

01:04:31.400 Um.

01:04:32.220 Three title fights.

01:04:33.260 God.

01:04:34.760 Santos, Rakic.

01:04:36.140 Oh, Maka.

01:04:37.620 Yeah.

01:04:38.080 This, this fight is, or card is insane.

01:04:40.080 What do you think about that, uh, Blakovich fight and Adesanya?

01:04:44.760 I'm going to go with Adesanya just because.

01:04:47.860 I mean, I think, I think honestly, I, I mean, Blakovich definitely has power, bro.

01:04:52.200 Like that's different.

01:04:53.560 And Adesanya is going up a weight class?

01:04:55.120 He's going up a weight class to 205, I think.

01:04:56.960 So what can happen when you go up a weight class?

01:04:59.140 What, what are some things that can happen, not even specifically to them, but what are

01:05:03.040 some things that could be good or bad?

01:05:05.760 Uh, I mean, the bigger animal, it's like the law of nature, the bigger animal usually beats

01:05:11.420 the littler animal.

01:05:13.460 Um, but I think, uh.

01:05:15.420 So that's kind of a, a little bit of a natural kind of pitfall.

01:05:19.000 Yeah.

01:05:19.200 I mean, dude, there's weight classes for a reason.

01:05:21.080 Like, uh, if someone has 30 pounds on me and they're, you know, not nearly as good as

01:05:27.900 me, you know, they have a better chance against someone who's my weight for sure.

01:05:32.420 You know, just cause they're bigger, you know?

01:05:33.720 Right.

01:05:33.840 They could lay on you and hold you down.

01:05:35.040 Yeah.

01:05:35.260 And it's harder to move them.

01:05:36.480 Like, I think that there's two types of strength in jujitsu.

01:05:39.160 This might help you a little bit too, but there's the type of strength where I can move you really

01:05:44.040 easy.

01:05:44.560 And then there's the type of strength where I make it so that you can't move me very easy.

01:05:49.080 There's those two types of strength.

01:05:50.560 And, um, at my weight, I can move people, you know, but if someone's 30 pounds heavier

01:05:56.680 than me, like it's, uh, you know, I can't move them as easy and like that makes things

01:06:01.300 a little bit harder.

01:06:01.940 So, yeah, so that's one thing.

01:06:03.720 But, uh, I think, I think that that dude has different level of power that I think Israel

01:06:10.760 is not dumb enough to overlook.

01:06:14.420 You know, I think that Israel is like a super smart dude and I don't think he, I don't think

01:06:18.000 he's going to leave any stone unturned or like lie to himself in his head.

01:06:21.360 Like I see people do that all the time in fighting just because I like going back to the ego stuff.

01:06:25.940 Like I'll see them say some stuff where I'm just like, you're only saying that because

01:06:30.120 it helps you sleep at night, you know, like, oh, this guy's slow or, oh, this guy can't

01:06:34.700 grapple.

01:06:35.140 It's like, man, you're only saying that so that you can feel a little bit better about

01:06:38.240 yourself.

01:06:38.860 Right.

01:06:39.080 And I noticed that right away, you know, uh, Israel, I don't notice that in, you know,

01:06:44.020 where Israel doesn't, he's not like, oh, this guy's slow.

01:06:47.040 It's like, or no, he doesn't have power.

01:06:48.900 He like acknowledges the strengths and the other person.

01:06:51.420 And I think that that's a really obvious sign that like the person is intelligent, you

01:06:57.380 know, I think it's really unintelligent to just overlook everything that your, that your

01:07:02.820 opponent has that they do well and just create an excuse for it.

01:07:06.280 Yeah.

01:07:06.600 But I think Israel's smart enough, man.

01:07:07.920 And I think he has enough experience and I'm sure that he's had plenty of fights in kickboxing

01:07:11.940 where he's fought really big dudes too that like we have never even heard of.

01:07:15.460 Cause the dude has like a million kickboxing fights, especially in New Zealand.

01:07:18.600 Yeah.

01:07:18.860 Like everybody there is a pretty big dude.

01:07:21.080 Yeah, bro.

01:07:21.500 Hooker used to fight at like heavyweight or something.

01:07:23.280 Did he really?

01:07:23.780 Yeah.

01:07:24.180 Oh.

01:07:24.960 I used to train with Hooker, bro.

01:07:26.260 He like demoralized me.

01:07:27.560 Did you?

01:07:28.100 Yeah.

01:07:28.480 He was funny, isn't he?

01:07:29.760 Yeah.

01:07:30.040 He's funny.

01:07:30.880 He used to, uh.

01:07:32.100 Like humorous.

01:07:32.800 I'm not saying then, Hooker, that there's anything wrong with you.

01:07:35.560 You're funny.

01:07:36.600 I just mean he's an entertaining guy.

01:07:38.440 Yeah.

01:07:38.660 Yeah.

01:07:38.920 Yeah.

01:07:39.240 Yeah.

01:07:39.520 He used to, uh, he's actually a really quiet guy, I think, in person.

01:07:42.880 Is he?

01:07:43.260 Yeah.

01:07:43.500 Yeah.

01:07:43.760 He's.

01:07:44.200 I'm a fan.

01:07:44.780 I'm a fan.

01:07:45.480 Yeah.

01:07:45.700 Yeah.

01:07:45.900 Yeah.

01:07:45.960 When he used to train with us or whatever, uh, dude, he would whoop me, bro.

01:07:50.340 Really?

01:07:50.860 Whoop me, dude.

01:07:51.360 Why were we guys, we guys sparring for fun?

01:07:53.900 No, he was like on, he was like training with our team and stuff.

01:07:56.840 Oh, but not at the same weight.

01:07:58.400 I was a 45er back then.

01:07:59.940 And he was a 45er back then, bro.

01:08:02.080 Yeah.

01:08:02.780 And I was like, that's why it demoralized me is because I was like, dude, I'm never

01:08:05.940 going to be fucking able to fight these guys, dude.

01:08:09.160 What?

01:08:09.300 Are you kidding me?

01:08:10.440 It's like, it's like, I got to be a 25er to beat these guys if they're going to be

01:08:15.040 this size.

01:08:15.920 He's wearing you like a backpack.

01:08:16.620 He's putting pencils and pens in your pants.

01:08:18.840 Yeah.

01:08:19.120 He's fucking putting his school books in there.

01:08:21.160 They used to tell me though, like hooker was never used to break his diet.

01:08:25.140 I don't know.

01:08:25.480 I mean, I'm sure at 55, it's maybe a little bit different, but yeah, some guys on the

01:08:28.960 team that like knew him a little bit better would be like, yeah, man, like he never breaks

01:08:32.420 his diet.

01:08:32.800 And I was like, fuck man, he needs to go up so that I can feel a little better about myself,

01:08:38.200 man.

01:08:38.420 And so that's when you were at one 45.

01:08:40.180 Yeah.

01:08:40.460 I used to, I, my, my debut is at 45 because I didn't want to, I know how the UFC works.

01:08:45.460 Like you get a short notice call and that's how you get into the UFC.

01:08:48.760 Like very rarely do guys ever get into the UFC by, you know, like, Hey, here's an eight

01:08:54.460 week camp and here's your first date in the UFC.

01:08:56.980 That's not how it works, bro.

01:08:57.860 Like someone pulls out and then, and then, so actually I fought in Phoenix a week before

01:09:03.920 my UFC debut.

01:09:05.180 So I fought on a Friday and then I, I won that fight as I'm taking off my hand wraps.

01:09:11.920 Uh, someone from the commission is like, Hey man, like UFC is on the phone.

01:09:16.100 They're like, Hey, can you fight next week?

01:09:17.680 And I'm like, I guess I'm not partying tonight, but yeah, I mean, I'll definitely, you know,

01:09:22.060 I'll definitely do that.

01:09:23.220 And was that an exciting call to get?

01:09:24.480 Oh dude, it was so exciting, man.

01:09:26.140 So exciting.

01:09:26.780 Like, uh, was that like the best, was that like the call?

01:09:29.320 It was the call, bro.

01:09:30.380 It was the call.

01:09:31.160 And like, uh, for whatever reason, man, like, uh, I get really pumped, like knowing that

01:09:37.980 I made my loved ones like really proud, you know?

01:09:41.000 Uh, and I remember like, it's one of my favorite parts.

01:09:43.860 Like when I do the visualizations, I do a lot of visualizations of like what happens after

01:09:47.580 the fight too, because it really motivates me, you know?

01:09:49.780 And it makes me feel nice.

01:09:50.760 Like I'll, I'll imagine like FaceTime and my family and my girlfriend and, you know, and

01:09:55.340 like, you know, they're super pumped for me and stuff.

01:09:58.160 So that's what that was for me is it was, I remember I was on the phone with my sister

01:10:02.580 and for whatever, for whatever reason, like it was my sister, but I was, I like called

01:10:06.740 my sister and I was like, Hey, like I did it.

01:10:08.460 Like they want me, you know, next week.

01:10:10.740 And then I was like, yeah.

01:10:12.480 And then I remember talking to Christian and I was like, I was like watching his film.

01:10:16.160 Cause I was like, fuck it.

01:10:16.960 If I get a contract, I don't care how tough the guy is.

01:10:19.080 I don't care if he beats my ass as long as I get a contract and I watch the guy, this

01:10:22.140 is when, you know, my confidence wasn't like where it is now.

01:10:25.340 And I was like, Oh shit, I think I'm really going to beat this guy.

01:10:28.180 Like it was like some surprise, you know, Christian was like, yeah, dude, what?

01:10:32.000 Like they're calling you for a reason, dumb ass.

01:10:34.000 Like, Oh, so you think they called, you think they thought you would beat the guy?

01:10:38.020 I don't know if they did or not, but that dude fought on the contender series.

01:10:42.520 Uh, and they just needed like a replacement fight.

01:10:44.740 Like they have to put a certain amount of fights to fill their TV slot or whatever.

01:10:48.380 And yeah, that's how you get signed to the UFC pretty much is like some short notice

01:10:52.220 like that.

01:10:52.800 Damn.

01:10:53.060 Yeah, it was cool.

01:10:54.700 Dude.

01:10:55.080 I remember, I remember the time I got a text from Joe Rogan to come be on his podcast and

01:10:59.080 that was, that was that for me.

01:11:01.280 Nice.

01:11:01.720 It was like the best thing.

01:11:03.140 Like I'd assure me, I'm like, what am I going to do?

01:11:07.300 I brought him a bag of oranges, dude.

01:11:08.860 I didn't know what to do.

01:11:10.700 People said he likes like diet or something.

01:11:12.660 So I fucking got a bag of diet.

01:11:14.500 Diet.

01:11:15.420 So I bought him like a bag of clementines and brought him over there.

01:11:19.760 Nice.

01:11:20.220 The little ones?

01:11:20.760 I thought I was retarded, bro.

01:11:23.640 I fucking showed up with a bag of oranges.

01:11:25.800 How'd it go?

01:11:26.960 It went fine, I guess.

01:11:27.940 Was it scary?

01:11:28.900 It was so scary, bro.

01:11:30.260 Really?

01:11:30.540 Well, I was scary.

01:11:30.900 It was like, dude, honestly, I think going in, that would almost be like going in and

01:11:35.200 being in a fight, man.

01:11:36.920 Yeah?

01:11:37.440 It was so scary.

01:11:38.240 Were you like, were you more like, were you like, don't fuck this up type of?

01:11:42.140 I was just scared.

01:11:43.580 It was like, um, I knew other people that had been on it, like famous people, educators,

01:11:52.100 like that was the part that really, yeah.

01:11:55.280 I don't know.

01:11:56.540 Joe doesn't care if you like say that you're going to be on his show either, right?

01:12:00.320 Uh-uh.

01:12:00.860 Yeah, I'm going on his show next week.

01:12:02.680 No way.

01:12:03.520 Bro.

01:12:04.140 Bro.

01:12:04.620 So I got a text from him or an Instagram message.

01:12:07.660 I know, bro.

01:12:08.320 And it was.

01:12:08.740 It just came randomly from him.

01:12:10.160 Yeah, yeah.

01:12:10.780 Fuck.

01:12:11.060 And I was like.

01:12:11.640 You know what I'm talking about.

01:12:12.420 Yeah, dude.

01:12:12.920 I was like, yes, you text me, you know, like I was super pumped, but I was like, uh, in

01:12:19.880 my head though, I'm just like, yeah, man, there's fucking real legit people, you know?

01:12:24.760 Yeah.

01:12:25.100 Like smart, you know, like legit people that are like.

01:12:27.700 There's UFOs on there.

01:12:28.420 I think you had a fucking alien on there last week.

01:12:30.860 Yeah.

01:12:31.060 They're like changing the world and shit.

01:12:33.020 Yeah.

01:12:33.480 I'll be honest.

01:12:34.200 I just had a sip of Diet Coke.

01:12:35.500 And I'll also be honest that I have mental health issues and, you know, it's, we're all

01:12:41.420 fighting something and sometimes we're fighting demons from the past.

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01:15:55.000 That's awesome, man.

01:15:56.060 Yeah, dude.

01:15:58.380 It was so much fun.

01:15:59.680 And then also, I think for you to be able to go in there and talk to a guy that just

01:16:03.660 knows so much about what you guys do.

01:16:08.060 And yeah, that's awesome.

01:16:10.600 Yeah.

01:16:10.820 I think I was just, I'm intimidated by Joe as a person.

01:16:15.720 And it's nothing he does.

01:16:16.680 It's just who, kind of who I am and where I, where I kind of come into huge, like relationships

01:16:21.680 at sometimes, I think.

01:16:23.560 But, um, so I think I was probably kind of nervous about that, maybe.

01:16:29.640 What else?

01:16:30.440 Do you still feel that way?

01:16:31.840 Like even being where you are?

01:16:32.620 If I went back on still, I would feel that way.

01:16:34.440 Yeah.

01:16:34.900 Yeah.

01:16:35.060 I think some things make me feel a little bit, it was live then also.

01:16:41.160 Oh, yeah.

01:16:42.220 Live feels very nervous, you know?

01:16:44.100 Like I wish you guys at least, that's what I feel bad for you guys.

01:16:47.500 Like, damn, this is live.

01:16:48.580 Like if you can't fucking hit, you can't ask them to edit it.

01:16:51.340 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:16:53.080 Like, hey, can you just edit this so it just looks like a square dance between two people?

01:16:56.880 So, um, that's, but, uh, that's awesome, man.

01:17:01.320 I feel like in, like being alive, that's like the call to get, like getting to go there.

01:17:06.100 And you get to go to Austin too?

01:17:07.400 Yeah.

01:17:07.700 And see the new place?

01:17:08.600 That's fucking cool.

01:17:09.840 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:17:10.700 Dude, that's so cool.

01:17:11.660 Yeah, man, I don't really, you know, I was, I don't, I don't see myself as someone that's

01:17:16.420 like, uh, you know, I, I don't know if this is the advice that I would give every fighter

01:17:21.760 or whatever.

01:17:22.640 Um, but like, man, I remind myself all the time how much I suck at this.

01:17:27.220 You know, like I remind myself that all the time.

01:17:29.120 So like when, when you messaged me and was like, Hey, can I come on your, I was like

01:17:33.080 pumped because like to me in my head still, I think cause of the, you know, what helps

01:17:37.440 me survive is that like, I still don't think I'm like any good, you know, like I know that

01:17:43.300 I'm good comparatively to everyone else, but I still don't feel like I'm like good because

01:17:48.700 I understand like what good actually means in my brain.

01:17:52.980 And so like when I get a text from you or like Joe or whatever, and that happens and

01:17:57.820 I was like, Oh shit, dude, I don't really think I'm good enough for that.

01:18:01.320 Right.

01:18:01.660 You know, but yeah, maybe there's probably some of that when I'm thinking back on that.

01:18:05.520 Well, I'm trying to think if I had some of that.

01:18:07.860 Yeah.

01:18:08.240 I think, well, it's also interesting cause a lot of the, a lot of life is bandwagon.

01:18:13.700 A lot of people are bandwagon as much as we don't want to think that we are or that other

01:18:17.780 like, you know, it's like, but also some of it is you have to get, it's so hard to get

01:18:24.000 people's attention.

01:18:25.160 Yeah.

01:18:25.420 So it's not like that people didn't care.

01:18:28.660 A lot of times it's like people's attention is divided by a million.

01:18:33.220 So to get 5% of that for, you know, for a day or whatever, it's like, it's just hard

01:18:38.380 to get people to see you in the world because there's so many people.

01:18:42.000 Yeah.

01:18:42.260 Yeah.

01:18:42.380 Um, but dang, that's awesome though, dude.

01:18:46.100 That's really cool.

01:18:47.180 Just because yeah, Joe introduced actually the first fighter I ever met, I think was

01:18:53.060 from Joe and it was Al Jermaine Sterling at the comedy store.

01:18:55.980 Nice.

01:18:56.480 Nice.

01:18:56.860 And I remember thinking that this guy's a fighter.

01:18:58.920 Like not thinking that he wasn't, you always think fighters of like, you know, these big

01:19:02.200 like from 300 or something.

01:19:03.740 And then they're just kind of like, um, in stature from sight.

01:19:08.880 But he seemed like a totally normal, nice guy.

01:19:13.300 Yeah.

01:19:13.620 Yeah.

01:19:13.860 When, uh, so I used to go to alpha male a little bit, you know, team alpha male, like

01:19:17.680 where Garbrandt, Faber, all of those dudes.

01:19:19.720 Oh, damn.

01:19:20.080 Garbrandt, Faber, uh, Dillashaw used to train there.

01:19:22.600 Uh, Benavidez used to train there.

01:19:24.480 So like some really good names.

01:19:25.820 So anyways.

01:19:26.640 Faber has the heaviest handshake, dude.

01:19:28.180 He's trying to shake his hand.

01:19:29.600 Who, Faber?

01:19:30.180 He better work for logging.

01:19:31.400 Yeah.

01:19:32.140 The dude has got fucking, my God, bro.

01:19:34.700 It's like you had four hands in each hand.

01:19:36.660 I was like, how many hands do you have, dude?

01:19:39.580 Uh, dude.

01:19:40.760 So I went out to there because for whatever reason on our team, it's like a bunch of tall

01:19:44.540 lanky guys.

01:19:45.180 Like we don't have that build where it's like short, stocky, strong guys.

01:19:49.420 So I go out.

01:19:50.560 I wasn't even a professional yet.

01:19:52.420 I had just gone out to help Dillashaw train for, uh, his fight against Burrell.

01:19:57.040 Yeah.

01:19:57.440 I was still an amateur actually back then.

01:19:59.020 But, um, I go out to help him, bro.

01:20:01.180 And I like get there and everyone's this tall, bro.

01:20:04.520 I was like, I was like, what is going on?

01:20:07.180 Like, because the cage, so bro, the cage at, the cage at most of our gyms are like six

01:20:12.140 feet high, you know, but the UFC cage must be like five foot eight or something, whatever

01:20:18.280 it is.

01:20:18.620 So like when I walk into the UFC cage, I feel like a monster, you know, because I can,

01:20:22.600 yeah.

01:20:22.740 Cause I can kind of like look over the cage a little bit, you know, but the cages that

01:20:28.840 we all use to train in are much higher.

01:20:30.900 So like, I thought that all of those people were like the size of that cage, you know?

01:20:36.120 So when I got there, I was like, all these little guys jumping rope, like, you know,

01:20:41.340 I was like, what are these guys?

01:20:42.700 You know?

01:20:43.280 Yeah.

01:20:43.560 Yeah.

01:20:43.740 Yeah.

01:20:43.840 Yeah.

01:20:44.140 That's fun.

01:20:44.600 But yeah, the UFC cage is actually pretty cool.

01:20:46.520 Cause I like squad right there.

01:20:48.340 Yeah.

01:20:48.740 Oh, damn.

01:20:49.600 Yeah, dude.

01:20:50.320 This is like Minuto.

01:20:51.440 This is like a Latino boy.

01:20:54.520 No offense either.

01:20:56.240 Uh, no offense.

01:20:56.840 Just everyone's jacked too, bro.

01:20:58.980 Yeah.

01:20:59.320 Yeah.

01:20:59.620 Yeah.

01:20:59.940 It was funny.

01:21:00.580 It was funny.

01:21:01.380 My first time out.

01:21:02.300 I was like, God, Dillashaw's in y'all's weight division.

01:21:04.800 Yeah.

01:21:05.100 He's a 35.

01:21:06.040 And what about Henry Cejudo?

01:21:07.540 He is.

01:21:08.540 He's.

01:21:08.840 Yeah.

01:21:08.940 He won the 35 belt.

01:21:10.280 And he's gone.

01:21:11.020 What happened to him?

01:21:11.520 He went to fight where he went to another planet or somewhere.

01:21:14.080 Is he?

01:21:14.680 He might be on another planet.

01:21:16.220 I think he's retired.

01:21:17.100 I think he wants a lot of money, man.

01:21:18.820 Oh, really?

01:21:19.400 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:21:20.780 Well, Dan doesn't pay those men, bro.

01:21:22.760 Nah, man.

01:21:23.100 That's the facts, dude.

01:21:24.140 Yeah.

01:21:24.400 You gotta be, you know, you gotta be a McGregor, I think, to get the money that he's asking

01:21:28.920 for.

01:21:29.940 Wow.

01:21:30.540 But.

01:21:31.040 But at a certain level, you gotta decide, yeah, is it worth me doing this again?

01:21:35.460 Yeah.

01:21:36.040 But you also know what's cool in MMA too is that like Cejudo could come back in a couple

01:21:40.300 of years.

01:21:40.800 Yeah.

01:21:40.960 Like that's a real thing.

01:21:41.940 Yeah.

01:21:42.200 Like what sport is like that?

01:21:44.200 You know?

01:21:44.820 It's true.

01:21:45.180 Where it's just like, yeah, I'm back.

01:21:48.060 You know, guess what?

01:21:49.500 Yeah, like Troy Aikman just comes back and they put him in a game.

01:21:52.480 Fuck no.

01:21:53.800 That's really true, bro.

01:21:55.200 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:21:55.540 Yeah, there's no other sport like that.

01:21:57.080 Yeah.

01:21:57.260 And it's been fascinating that during this pandemic that, that they were able, you guys

01:22:01.780 were able to get it done.

01:22:02.800 I mean, it's really because it's like the sport has progressed so much, so many new eyes

01:22:07.860 on the sport.

01:22:08.440 I mean, the amount of like followers and supporters that people are getting now.

01:22:15.060 I mean, it's huge and it's allowing.

01:22:17.860 And I feel like this is one of the ways that God evens things out is that a lot of guys

01:22:24.680 not getting paid fairly via the organization.

01:22:28.460 And you don't have to agree with that.

01:22:29.380 That's my own summation of it.

01:22:30.560 And I'm just a fan and I don't know very much, but now a lot of them are able to do other

01:22:35.600 marketing things and do other things where they're able to make some extra money because

01:22:40.440 their followings are also getting so big.

01:22:42.400 Sure, sure.

01:22:42.900 So that's really like such a blessing for those guys, you know, because to go out there

01:22:46.860 and put your, I mean, a guy comes out of the one eye, you know, it's like, and he's

01:22:51.420 got fucking $11,000, you know, like Jesus Christ.

01:22:54.980 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:22:55.940 Yeah, you're right.

01:22:56.600 You know, dude, if I wasn't able to fight in the last year because the UFC had to shut

01:23:03.560 down, I don't know what I would do, man.

01:23:06.400 I would be half crazy, bro.

01:23:07.940 What would you have done?

01:23:08.680 What's the job you would have gone into?

01:23:09.720 And we'll pull that question up right now.

01:23:10.860 Is this it, Nick?

01:23:11.840 Boom.

01:23:13.020 This question's for Corey, but Theo, you can answer it too if you want.

01:23:18.240 I was wondering what would you do as an occupation if you weren't an MMA fighter for the UFC?

01:23:25.840 Thanks.

01:23:26.600 Gang, gang.

01:23:27.360 Gang, bro.

01:23:28.000 So that would have been it, man.

01:23:29.160 What would you have done, you think, in this time if shit would have gone away?

01:23:31.960 You got to do something.

01:23:33.460 I mean, I told you I was working at that residential treatment facility.

01:23:37.800 Yeah, so I was working there.

01:23:39.840 I mean, I probably would still be doing that, you know, like before the UFC when I was actually

01:23:45.000 getting paid.

01:23:45.640 Like, I was doing that, bro.

01:23:48.460 Like, overnights, Saturdays, Sundays.

01:23:50.940 Wow.

01:23:52.260 I was working 12s.

01:23:53.800 You know, I'm not going to say it was like I was grinding a 60-hour week.

01:23:57.480 You know, like it was probably like 20 to 25 hours a week, but that was on top of maybe

01:24:01.480 like 20, 25 hours of training and then like another probably 10 or 15 hours of like holding

01:24:07.720 mitts for people and trying to make money that way too.

01:24:09.620 So I'd probably be doing something in social work is my guess.

01:24:12.840 You know, like kids, bro, I'd much rather have a conversation with a kid than I would

01:24:18.360 like an adult any day of the week.

01:24:20.180 Like, I just get along with them better.

01:24:21.760 I think that they have more, you know, advice that maybe is a little bit better than a lot

01:24:28.000 of adults' advice, you know, and I like learning from kids, man.

01:24:31.700 Like, that's my second thing in life.

01:24:34.640 You know, it's fighting and then it's probably, you know, just hanging out with kids in any type

01:24:38.820 of setting.

01:24:40.600 I think when I was 16, even, I used to work at this daycare center.

01:24:45.140 I would leave high school, boom, go to there.

01:24:48.300 It was at the elementary school that I was with.

01:24:50.140 I would work there until six and I was doing that five days a week.

01:24:53.420 And then I went off to college and then right after college, I went and got that treatment

01:24:57.860 facility gig.

01:24:59.060 And then, yeah, so I've been around kids.

01:25:00.780 I'm teaching the kids program at High Altitude Martial Arts in Aurora.

01:25:03.440 Oh, really?

01:25:04.200 Yep.

01:25:04.720 Dude, that's dope, bro.

01:25:06.060 Yeah, man.

01:25:06.440 They must be so psyched for you.

01:25:08.580 Dude, they only started giving me respect when I got into the video game, bro.

01:25:11.740 Oh, really?

01:25:12.540 Yeah, bro.

01:25:12.920 You're in the video game now?

01:25:14.180 Yeah.

01:25:14.800 Damn.

01:25:15.260 Yeah, that's what, bro, all of them come up to me.

01:25:18.880 They don't know, you know, like they watch my fights now.

01:25:21.980 But before it was just like, you fighting John Cena?

01:25:24.580 When are you fighting John Cena?

01:25:25.880 I'm like, shut up.

01:25:27.860 And then now, and they wouldn't, you know, like they would listen, but they wouldn't really

01:25:31.280 listen.

01:25:31.600 And now that I'm in a game and now they all chirp to each other that I'm in a video game, like

01:25:35.820 now it's like, you know, I got some juice.

01:25:37.860 Yeah.

01:25:38.300 Now I get to call the shots a little bit.

01:25:40.340 Yeah.

01:25:40.920 The guy's fucking, he's got a hologram, dude.

01:25:43.980 That, uh, it brings you up to those top notch.

01:25:46.320 Have you seen those basketball cards that are out now?

01:25:47.940 Oh, yeah, yeah.

01:25:48.880 You see this?

01:25:49.620 Uh-uh.

01:25:50.580 Let's bring this up.

01:25:51.520 Top notch?

01:25:52.600 So there's a new, so we grew up collecting the regular cards.

01:25:55.400 Christian, I'm sure you probably did too, man.

01:25:57.300 Collecting some type of a card, baseball, basketball, football.

01:26:00.640 Now the cards are virtual.

01:26:02.400 It's a-

01:26:02.820 Top shot.

01:26:03.760 Top shop.

01:26:04.420 Oh, bro, I heard of, uh, I heard that they're doing like virtual art also where you can earn

01:26:09.080 or buy virtual art.

01:26:12.140 Really?

01:26:12.880 I think so.

01:26:13.940 I sometimes just make stuff up though.

01:26:16.060 I would believe something like that.

01:26:17.940 I mean, this is, you get a card.

01:26:19.300 Can you show us what one of the cards is, Nick?

01:26:20.760 Yeah, this is it.

01:26:21.740 This is it right here.

01:26:22.580 So just an example.

01:26:23.400 You can get a Tyler Harrow top shot and it's basically just a play.

01:26:27.840 You own, they have a limited number of these that they make and if you get that in your

01:26:33.980 pack, then you get that.

01:26:35.580 You buy it like a pack of cards for a certain amount of money.

01:26:37.780 You open it up and it has a certain number of these in it and instead of just an image

01:26:42.300 of them doing something, you have a video of them doing something.

01:26:46.560 So you could eventually, at some point, you could have a top shot.

01:26:49.160 How do you feel about this?

01:26:51.300 You know, I will admit that I set an alarm this morning to get up and buy some and slept

01:26:55.160 through it.

01:26:57.260 Or you got to wake up to get them?

01:26:59.280 Well, yeah, they only release it at 9 a.m.

01:27:01.340 That's what they're doing right now.

01:27:02.480 So I think that's where I'm at with it.

01:27:05.280 I'm curious, but I'm also willing to continue to get some rest.

01:27:10.200 And he's eventually going to lose $5,000.

01:27:11.880 You still watch basketball?

01:27:13.740 I don't watch basketball anymore.

01:27:15.180 No, me neither.

01:27:16.080 It got away from me, I think.

01:27:17.860 It was one of the sports that got away from me during the pandemic.

01:27:20.200 Even before that, I wasn't that into it.

01:27:22.100 So what are you buying then?

01:27:24.280 That's a good point.

01:27:24.980 I would just be buying just for the novelty.

01:27:27.200 Oh, yeah.

01:27:27.600 That's what I would do is just for the novelty.

01:27:29.560 I think, yeah, during this pandemic, I got a lot more into watching you guys' sport.

01:27:34.140 It's weird now, right, to not have a fight on a Saturday.

01:27:37.860 Like, I don't know when that happened.

01:27:39.180 But for me, at least in my life, it's like, oh, there's no fight this Saturday.

01:27:42.960 Like, that's like a weird.

01:27:43.780 Oh, yeah.

01:27:43.920 It's become almost like a weekly thing.

01:27:45.200 That's a good point.

01:27:45.880 Yeah, it's like a weekly thing a little bit to me.

01:27:47.240 Yeah.

01:27:47.640 From end of December to, like, January 22nd, it was three Saturdays in a row.

01:27:53.840 It was fucking horrible.

01:27:54.460 Yeah, it was weird, right?

01:27:55.760 And there's, like, little things that are just kind of funny.

01:27:57.540 Like, I'll remember every time he fights, I'll remember that it's Glover to share, not Glover.

01:28:02.180 And that always fucking blows my mind.

01:28:04.240 Just, like, little things that kind of keep me excited about the sport, you know?

01:28:07.640 But it's fun to, like, see guys and then go back and watch their old fights and just kind of learn, like, just some of the history of what goes on.

01:28:16.580 It's fun to go to classes and then, like, and, like, kind of get to have a better idea of, like, why people are kind of doing little things inside of y'all's ring.

01:28:28.340 The punching part still kind of really spooks me out.

01:28:32.280 But the...

01:28:32.720 You flinchy?

01:28:33.700 Yeah, it just makes me a little fucking nervous, you know?

01:28:36.120 You flinchy, bro.

01:28:36.440 Yeah, I just don't know if I'm ready for that.

01:28:38.660 But I think part of me wants eventually to get out there and really just get beat up, you know?

01:28:42.760 And just fucking go through that, you know?

01:28:44.620 Yeah, dude, yeah.

01:28:45.100 Because I think there's something, there's a more unique me on the other side of that.

01:28:50.400 Yeah.

01:28:51.040 And so, you know, that's, yeah, like, I think some of that's kind of intriguing to me.

01:28:57.460 And it's funny because three, four, five years ago, that never would have been something that would come out of my mouth.

01:29:02.340 So it's interesting to see an effect.

01:29:04.960 Like, somebody like Joe Rogan has had an effect on so many comedians of wanting to learn about mixed martial arts and just bringing eyeballs to it.

01:29:14.120 And then also, I think it helps with a lot of trauma.

01:29:16.820 I think it helps people get rid of, like, just deep-rooted, like, uncomfort and anger.

01:29:23.180 It makes me realize that I can interact with another man and be okay.

01:29:27.980 I'm not going to, like, I can fight, technically fight, but still also be okay.

01:29:33.260 And there's going to be a level of respect, which I think when I was growing up, nobody was teaching me any kind of lesson of, like, you know, you can hit somebody or hit them.

01:29:43.100 They can hit you back and you can still then be, you know, there was nobody was teaching me any level of human interaction that had to do with or how to manage any kind of anger.

01:29:53.000 So I just think as an adult, it's, like, it kind of sucks because I'm having to learn, like, a lot of, like, stuff from childhood late in life.

01:30:01.300 But that's – there's nothing I can do about that.

01:30:04.340 That's just my life.

01:30:06.000 And – but I do think it's fascinating how going and getting on the mats and, like, there's a level of camaraderie.

01:30:14.580 There's a level of tough guys that accept you, whereas when you're growing up, the tough guys are always, like, it's the – that's the bully.

01:30:21.040 That's the guy you're afraid to be around or at least you think you are, you know.

01:30:25.460 So I think there's so many little levels of, like, helpful human interaction that go along with it.

01:30:34.140 That's fascinating.

01:30:35.040 That's why I think it's fascinating that the childhood trauma, I bet that that kind of stuff can probably be so helpful to those kids.

01:30:41.040 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:30:42.120 I mean, I don't do any of that with the kids.

01:30:44.360 But, yeah, man, I think – I mean, it's interesting to listen to you talk because I think everyone does it for, like, a different reason, you know.

01:30:49.900 And I think that that's part of, like, the really cool part is that there could be a number of different things and different paths or whatever.

01:30:57.560 And, like, like you said, man, it's, like – it can help with, like, a lot of things.

01:31:01.560 And, like, there's a level of camaraderie to it and, yeah, all of that good stuff, man.

01:31:05.100 It's good.

01:31:05.820 I think, bro, and, like, you watch any animal –

01:31:09.740 But they're all doing it.

01:31:10.580 They're all little – when they're puppies, bro, they're all fighting each other.

01:31:13.380 Like, puppies fight each other.

01:31:14.740 Little baby anythings are always, like, wrestling and fighting each other, you know.

01:31:18.760 Yeah, it's funny.

01:31:19.440 And we take our kids and fucking let them just sit there and eat cookies.

01:31:22.200 Fight these motherfuckers.

01:31:23.940 Even little kids, though.

01:31:25.160 Even little kids.

01:31:25.900 If you put two little kids in a room together and you leave nothing else in there, they'll probably start wrestling each other, you know.

01:31:31.560 We need to fucking encourage it, dude.

01:31:33.500 It's inside of everyone, bro.

01:31:34.840 Like, that's a – I'm a big believer of, like, us, bro.

01:31:38.220 We're just an animal species that is, like, this much smarter than all the other animal species, bro.

01:31:43.800 But we're still that animal species.

01:31:46.020 And, like, we still do – like, we still want more.

01:31:50.040 Like, we still want to take territory just like every other animal.

01:31:53.220 We still want to gather more resources and more food just like every other animal, you know.

01:31:58.060 And we still want to fight just like every other animal.

01:32:01.660 Yeah, dude.

01:32:02.280 It's weird, too.

01:32:02.900 I don't know.

01:32:03.240 You said you haven't started, like, punching and stuff?

01:32:06.340 No, no, no, no.

01:32:07.220 So –

01:32:07.800 They got Irv.

01:32:08.800 Irv over there is a coach that teaches that.

01:32:11.700 So let me know after you do that.

01:32:14.520 How I feel, man.

01:32:15.240 Well, I just want to know if you're able to hit someone.

01:32:17.420 Okay.

01:32:17.800 Because I have a lot of people that I coach where they're like, man, like, it's so weird to, like –

01:32:22.140 like, I don't want to hit someone, you know.

01:32:23.980 It's, like, weird for me to hit someone.

01:32:25.460 And I'm like, yeah, because we were told not to do it our whole lives.

01:32:28.320 You're told not to hit someone your entire life.

01:32:30.400 Like, it's not going to feel normal to, like, throw –

01:32:33.040 Have you ever had a dream like that where you go to punch someone in a dream and you, like, can't –

01:32:36.500 I was just about to tell you that.

01:32:36.860 And you can't do it.

01:32:37.540 Yeah, everyone has that dream.

01:32:38.620 I've had a million dreams where I can't even –

01:32:40.700 I can literally get my fist to right here and it won't go anymore.

01:32:44.480 I've had it probably 200 times.

01:32:46.500 It's weird, huh?

01:32:47.200 And it's weird, yeah.

01:32:48.000 And I'll feel like I'm trying it again and it will not do it.

01:32:51.220 It's weird, man.

01:32:52.020 And there's some, like, it's, like, a wall that's, like, connected to, like, my feeling.

01:32:56.560 I don't know what it is, but there's some –

01:32:58.680 Yeah.

01:32:58.860 That's crazy you said that.

01:32:59.960 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:33:00.520 I think everyone has that dream or at least –

01:33:03.120 A lot of people that I've talked to, at least at the gym, and it's like, yeah, because we're told not to do this.

01:33:07.640 Or maybe we're, like, innately really nice creatures and we don't want to hurt people.

01:33:12.200 Right.

01:33:12.460 But also I think that it's, like, we're told not to do it our whole lives.

01:33:16.740 Like, it's weird hitting someone, man.

01:33:18.260 Like, it's weird.

01:33:19.180 Yeah.

01:33:20.220 Yeah, I think it would be interesting, man.

01:33:22.420 I'll have to update you, dude.

01:33:23.740 Yeah.

01:33:25.720 But I'm trying to think if we covered everything, Nick.

01:33:28.940 Yeah, I think so.

01:33:30.040 I did actually – did you plan – you probably planned the knee because, like, everybody was saying, like, Frankie bobs his head when he's –

01:33:37.440 Well, you – go on.

01:33:38.520 Sorry.

01:33:38.680 I'm sorry.

01:33:38.880 Did you plan the wheel kick?

01:33:40.380 Was that something you guys talked about or did you just do that in the moment against Marais?

01:33:43.780 Yeah, that was just in the moment.

01:33:45.420 Everything was kind of just in the moment with – yeah, it's a lot of not thinking and just letting, like, the system play out.

01:33:54.320 I think a little bit with Frankie is there was maybe a little bit more, like, quick thinking going on where I didn't know how – what he was going to do when we were fighting.

01:34:03.340 Like, I knew that he'd be eager to wrestle because everyone likely thinks that my wrestling is terrible just based off of, you know, my fight with Sterling, which is really the only wrestling exchange that I've had in the UFC.

01:34:14.960 So, I thought he'd be a little bit quick to wrestle and then he threw, like, a couple combinations and I was like, oh, this guy, you know, he's going to, you know, at least throw a few punches.

01:34:25.660 And then I threw the kick and I heard his corner say, that's it, Frankie, that's it.

01:34:32.280 Like, and he was excited that he got out of the way of something that I threw, you know, because not that – and I don't mean to sound arrogant, but if I'm Frankie fighting me after I beat Marais that way and just based off of my other performances, I'm probably a little bit, you know, maybe not the most confident guy in the world being that Frankie got knocked out a couple times before his fight with Munoz or whatever.

01:34:54.660 So, anyways, when I heard his coach praise him for him missing, I saw, like, a little bit of spunk in him, you know, and I was like, ah, he's either going to try to shoot or he's going to try to attack again and then –

01:35:09.040 Because that's a reaction when people get a little bit of heightened energy.

01:35:12.380 It's one of the first reactions is to then do something.

01:35:14.500 Yep, yep.

01:35:14.980 He's like, oh, I'm doing good.

01:35:16.240 And then – and I noticed every time he got close to me, he was trying to do something, you know.

01:35:22.600 He was trying to hit – I think he kicked me one time too, but there was no, like – there was no playing there or seeing what I was going to do.

01:35:31.920 It was just like, hey, when we get close enough to this guy, try to hit him.

01:35:34.440 And, like, he did that twice, and then I was like, okay, he's probably going to do it a third time, and that's when I threw that.

01:35:40.180 Because you'd thrown it against Marais, but it didn't land, right?

01:35:42.620 I've thrown it a number of times.

01:35:44.140 You know, because, I mean, I fight everyone that's shorter than me, so, like, it'd be stupid for me not to, you know, throw something like that.

01:35:50.300 It's really just like an uppercut with your leg.

01:35:51.940 Yeah, pretty much.

01:35:52.900 Yeah, uppercut with your leg.

01:35:54.000 But, damn, man.

01:35:55.920 Yeah.

01:35:56.320 Oh, so that's how that happened.

01:35:57.500 It just looked dramatic.

01:35:58.980 Yeah, it was vicious.

01:36:00.120 Yeah, it was nasty.

01:36:01.480 Fuck.

01:36:01.960 Jesus Christ.

01:36:03.960 Still fucking makes me sad, bro.

01:36:07.220 I mean, I think, yeah, maybe that's why I can't punch people.

01:36:09.840 I think that just fucking makes me sad.

01:36:11.980 Hey, is it hard for Christian to keep challenging you?

01:36:13.860 I know your coach is here, so I'm going to give you one question about him.

01:36:16.380 Is it hard for him to keep challenging you?

01:36:18.040 Like, what do you guys do?

01:36:19.740 Like, what's kind of different about as you evolve as a fighter and as you kind of put some wins together?

01:36:27.000 What does coaching look like?

01:36:29.140 Is it harder for you to learn?

01:36:30.340 Do you feel like less of a pupil?

01:36:32.460 Any of those questions laying with you?

01:36:34.600 Yeah, I think it's a little bit more cooperative, the way that we work together.

01:36:38.280 It's more of like an interaction opposed to him telling me what to do.

01:36:42.360 But it was never really like that in any ways.

01:36:44.680 I will say, like, Christian's a really interesting guy, you know, and I think that he lives by his own set of rules.

01:36:53.400 He's like a super don't think, just don't think.

01:36:58.480 You know, he's very radical in the idea of, like, just be present and don't think.

01:37:03.700 And I think that that makes him super, super creative.

01:37:09.160 And I think that it makes it so that he doesn't view things in a way that is old or is damaged by any other way of doing things.

01:37:18.900 You know, it'd be like if you went out and did a comedy stand-up and hadn't watched any stand-up before and you just tried to make people laugh.

01:37:25.780 Like, I feel like that's how he approaches a lot of things.

01:37:28.680 And obviously that's more or less impossible.

01:37:30.700 No, but that's kind of fascinating.

01:37:31.800 Yeah, but that's how he looks at stuff.

01:37:33.740 So, like, man, like, I'm totally grateful.

01:37:36.460 Like I said, man, he's one of my best friends.

01:37:39.180 You know, like, he's taught me how to be the way that I am and to view things in the exact same way.

01:37:44.460 And I've worked with, like, a lot of coaches.

01:37:46.880 And, I mean, he's, you know, he's the most creative guy in martial arts that I've ever met.

01:37:51.960 It's interesting and it really fits your style, I think, in your sense of capabilities, you know.

01:37:57.500 Even Sugar Sean's kind of that same way.

01:37:59.280 You guys are both such kind of malleable, capable, almost, like, cool to see on a video game type of fighters.

01:38:07.060 Because you have moves that are kind of a little bit unorthodox or unique or rare.

01:38:12.380 Yeah.

01:38:13.380 Like, when I watch your fights, I'm always like, I wonder what, if there's going to be something new that I'll see out of him that I haven't seen before.

01:38:21.820 And that's kind of interesting because you don't always think that about different fighters, you know.

01:38:26.780 Yeah.

01:38:27.540 That's good, man.

01:38:28.460 Because every time I want to look different, bro.

01:38:30.180 Like, I was actually really excited in the last one to show off a bunch of the wrestling and grappling stuff that I had been working.

01:38:35.080 Because it's really cool.

01:38:36.860 Like, it's really, really cool.

01:38:38.580 Like, some of the stuff that I've, I don't know how much he wants me to say his name or whatever.

01:38:43.560 But Ryan Hall.

01:38:44.480 Do you know who Ryan Hall is?

01:38:45.620 I know Kyle Hall, but I don't think they're, that's a different, I mean, obviously it's a different guy, but I don't even know each other.

01:38:53.240 So Ryan also fights in the UFC.

01:38:54.820 He hasn't fought in a couple of years.

01:38:56.100 Okay.

01:38:56.120 But, man, some of the grappling stuff that I'm doing with him is just so cool, bro.

01:39:02.500 And, like, I think it's going to be super exciting when I actually get to do it against, like, hopefully for a world title.

01:39:09.420 You know, like, I'm pumped for that.

01:39:10.980 Is it kind of disappointing sometimes because you guys have all these plans, you go into the fight,

01:39:14.420 and then sometimes the fight ends so quick, and you're like, fuck, dude.

01:39:16.780 Never, bro.

01:39:17.120 We didn't even get to do that.

01:39:18.160 Never, dude.

01:39:19.000 Really?

01:39:19.360 Never.

01:39:19.680 No, no, no, no.

01:39:20.720 Bro, any time it can go like how it went last time, dude, sign me up for that shit every single time, dude.

01:39:27.620 Every single time.

01:39:29.340 Yeah, I guess because I would always be bummed.

01:39:30.980 Like, damn, dude, we didn't get to do any of the freaking headlocks, you know?

01:39:34.480 That's how I feel like I would be.

01:39:36.000 But, yeah, maybe you're right, dude.

01:39:37.840 Maybe you're right, man.

01:39:39.940 Corey Sanhagen, man, bro, thank you so much for coming in, dude,

01:39:42.920 and for just letting somebody who doesn't know much about fighting just kind of freely talk about you guys' sport, you know,

01:39:48.480 and not, like, you know, it's just nice to be able to, you know, if I get things wrong or not get them right or something,

01:39:55.020 to not, like, feel like I'm, you know, being disrespectful to what you guys do, you know,

01:40:00.900 because it's hard to learn and talk about things at the same time.

01:40:04.460 But it's exciting, man.

01:40:05.680 So thank you guys.

01:40:06.460 Congrats on all your success, bro.

01:40:07.760 Thanks, man.

01:40:08.320 Yeah, excited to keep watching it, dude.

01:40:09.940 Yeah, cool.

01:40:10.360 Well, thank you.

01:40:10.940 Yeah, thanks a lot for having me on, bro.

01:40:12.400 You bet, man.

01:40:12.940 Yep, yep.

01:40:13.360 Now I'm just floating on the breeze

01:40:16.220 And I feel I'm falling like these leaves

01:40:19.180 I must be cornerstone

01:40:22.520 Oh, but when I reach that ground

01:40:27.060 I'll share this peace of mind

01:40:29.220 I found I can feel it

01:40:31.280 In my bones

01:40:33.380 But it's gonna take a little time

01:40:39.040 For me to set that parking brake

01:40:42.940 And let myself unwind

01:40:45.680 Shine that light on me

01:40:49.760 I'll sit and tell you my stories

01:40:55.380 Shine on me

01:41:00.340 And I will find a song

01:41:04.580 I will sing it

01:41:06.140 Just for me

01:41:07.980 And now I've been moving way too fast

01:41:15.540 On the runaway train

01:41:16.920 With a heavy load of my past

01:41:20.400 And these rails

01:41:24.320 That I've been riding on

01:41:26.000 They're worn so thin

01:41:27.420 That they're damn near gone

01:41:28.740 I guess now they just weren't

01:41:30.680 Built to live

01:41:31.720 I구 case

01:41:48.140 Igasm

01:41:48.700 I'm

01:41:49.660 Iquis

01:41:50.800 I

01:41:51.340 I

01:41:51.760 I

01:41:52.100 I

01:41:52.180 I

01:41:53.320 I

01:41:54.400 I

01:41:55.180 I

01:41:56.240 I

01:41:57.280 I

This Past Weekend with Theo Von - February 26, 2021

E324 Cory Sandhagen

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