JRE MMA Show #155 with Max Holloway
2024-04-26 02:38:29
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Have you ever had to deal with jet lag for a fight?
No, not really. I mean, we try to go up like early, that's why. So the first two days is whatever, but then after that, we're all good.
Where's the furthest that you had to fly to to fight?
I think. Abu Dhabi, Fight Island.
So how long does that take to adjust?
Brother, that one was weird, because you remember they had us fighting at weird times. So we had to sleep during the day and then train during the night. I remember going to sleep around like 8 or 9 o'clock a.m., because we was fighting around that time, early in the morning. So that was insane.
So you had to get your body acclimated to that.
Acclimated, yep.
Whew, that's got to play a factor, right? Like, if you live in Abu, Dhabi, that would be a big advantage.
Oh, for sure. For sure. I mean, did you not just see the July card that got announced in the UK? 3 a.m., brother.
Yeah, that's crazy.
It's the main card start. So they're saying whoever's main headline is fighting at 6 a.m.
That's crazy.
That's insane.
You know how drunk that audience is going to be.
Right there, you see. Great. You know what is funny? I saw a clip, I saw a clip, a meme of a video of like a UK fan, he's like living in the UK. He was like, he watched our fight, our fight just got done, mine's in.
Justin, he played our clip. And then he was like, great, now I can start my morning, he opened the door, it's light out and stuff. I'm like, holy shit.
That's funny. Yeah, they have to deal with different, I mean, it's funny, the American pay-per-view time schedule just trumps everything.
Oh, yeah. I mean, crazy.
I guess we're the ones who buy it the most. I wonder what the numbers are in the rest of the world.
I think UK is another hotspot, right? And UK is big. Yeah, it's pretty big. I mean, there are some fight fans to be doing that every, you know, once a month. They're planning, there's a pay-per-view card and they're like, look, honey,
3 a.
m. I'm probably going to be screaming, so please don't, you know, don't divorce me. So, it's pretty awesome.
Yeah, you just got to get one tolerant wife and have everybody go over to that house.
Yeah, and be like, hey, guys, or you get the single friend, you know, one of the guys that he's just single, you know, nothing going on, he's like, yeah, you come to my house.
Yeah, that's perfect. So what has it been like for you after 300?? I mean, it seems like, I think, for whatever reason, people go through phases of their career and with some fighters, if a fighter gets a loss or two, they start to think that that fighter has started to decline.
And with you, I think some people had written you off for some strange reason.
I don't get it. I heard the noise. I heard it.
I heard the noise. I'm like, listen, he's only 32.. Right? 32, right?
Yeah, exactly.
He's only 32.
. That's athletic prime. I'm like, there's not, no beatings. There's no knockouts. There's no, like, there's no decline in the expression of skills inside the octagon.
Everything looks the same and better every fight.
You know what the problem is? The problem is that I got, these guys got to see me grow up, you know, I got in the UFC when I was 20.. 20 years old. And a lot of people think I'm DC's old ass, like 42 years old or something, you know what I mean? And then I'm like, brother, I'm not DC.
I've been calling out DC, but I'm a young guy, you know, just because I've been harassing his potato looking butt, like, come on, his bag of potato looking ass.
You two together are hilarious.
Brother, I love that guy. I love that guy. Everybody loves that guy.
He's the best.
A lot of guys just think I'm old because I've been fighting since I was 20.
. And then, and it wasn't, and it's not like I've been fighting 20.. I've been fighting since I was 20 and I fought a who's who in, in, in my division, you know?
You've been fighting the best in the world since you were 20 years old. Just past teenager.
Yeah. So like, especially with the, you know, with the Vogue fights, you know, it's like, the first two fights was alright, and the third fight is what made everybody go, oh, he's done, for. I'm like, brother. Like. that was his Vogue's night.
He was on. You know what I mean? Like, it is what it is. Everybody's like, oh yeah, look. Look at Max.
He, he, Vogue, just did this. and now they're doing MMA math, because Ilya did that to Vogue. and even with Ilya doing MMA math, I beat a guy and I beat you too. I'm like, brother, this is not how it works. I lost to Dustin.
Dustin just got knocked out from, uh, from Justin. And now what? Now, what can I say? I beat Dustin now? No.
Right. It doesn't work that way. Yeah. You know, styles make fights. So.
It's also, look, what happens in camp? What, what kind of condition are you coming into the fight in? Did you, are you fighting injured?
How did. Oh, yeah.
Did you just fight Islam Makachev and get head kicked? I mean, that's a big factor, man.
Brother, that was crazy. You know, a lot of people was giving me a shit when, uh, cause Islam talked about our fight, about me, and Justin saying it was useless fight or whatever. And I'm like, bro, like, if you took the fight in February, when, like you should have, cause you came out clean. I think so. Justin would have, would have fought.
you, you know, but like, how the hell is someone that you just knocked? Like that was a scary knockout, brother. Like that was a scary knockout, ass knockout. And that guy turned around in a couple months, like, bro, you know, you're supposed to get hit for that long. Right.
And then now you're doing a camp. Even if you're doing, okay. Say you do a camp, you don't spar our camp, right? But then you still training hard or whatever. And like, maybe you just accidentally fall over, bump your head on something, you know, or like you're scratching your head, you know, or you're screaming or something.
Cause you're stressing out, you know, I'm like, I don't know what could happen, but.
You gotta, you have to have a long time.
Yeah. I mean, look at, look at Justin. I just saw Justin finally doing interviews after this fight. And he just said like, I'm not doing nothing for six months, like nothing. And I'm like, bro, that's smart.
When Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach made him wait a year.
One year. One year. That's crazy.
So you got to really heal up. That was a bad knockout.
Bro. You only got, I remember it was, it was you that talked about it, like that talked about our brain. This is like long time ago, when you was talking about the cotton candy thing and your brain and how it's a, how, once that disappear, you don't, that shit, don't grow back. Right. Exactly.
And I remember watching that. That was a long time ago. I didn't know how many years that was, that was ago. And, um, that really meant a lot. And everybody keep telling me like, Oh man, you get hit so much and blah, blah, this and that.
I'm like, yeah. Okay. In the fight, you might see me get hit, but I'm not, I'm not, I'm not sparring, you know, like I'm not sparring. I'm being smart. This Justin Gaethje, one brother.
I, was going to the gates of hell. We had to bring back sparring. Yeah. I mean, like I was, I was ready to be a crash dummy against the, we, I told my coaches, look, this is a man that is very dangerous. We need to get in, we need to get it in the thick of it and get it done.
So we bring back sparring for this one, but it still wasn't, it still wasn't crazy. You know, it wasn't crazy. Like we had a hard days out far outside of camp, like outside of camp, and it was fun. And then we kind of toned it out, but getting ready for Justin Gaethje, you had to, but then, with, with your brain health, you need to protect your brain. You know what I mean?
Like. there's so much movies like on concussions and the movie concussion, and, and we have so much, uh, what is it? Information now about the brain and how you can help yourself and how you can mentally and physically help yourself, get better and help the brain out. So why, why not use that? You know, a lot of people call me crazy.
A lot of people, I keep hearing the talk about his chin. gotta go this time, his chin. Like when the hell is my chin? My chin was supposed to go to the last 20 fights. You know what I mean?
Like. what are you guys talking about? You know? Yeah.
It's ridiculous. Someone either has a good chin or they don't have a good chin, but you're not getting hit clean a lot. One of the things that you do a lot is you, you roll with shots. You're very good at rolling with shots. when you're getting hit, you're getting hit and I see you turning your face.
I see you taking some steam off of a lot of shots and your style is so it's, it's, it's a fun style to watch, but it's also a nightmare to deal with. You're switching stances, you're, you're, you're constantly cutting angles, like the volume that you put on Justin. Like when Justin was having a hard time catching to you, it was, it was very evident early on that you were on it, but it was one of those fights where it's like, damn, Justin with one punch, can fuck people up. It's just like avoiding that one punch and then we start tuning him up. Then he dropped you.
He dropped you in. what round was that? Uh, third, third or fourth round. I forget. Fourth round.
It didn't count as a drop, which is crazy, you know what I mean? Like a lot of people.
It didn't count?
No, it didn't. So, so, like they're, they're, um, ESPN is like, uh, posting it and saying like in however many fights I'm with the UFC, right, I stayed, didn't get dropped, and that's, that's some bullshit. You know what I mean? That's bullshit. Get Justin down with you.
I'll take it. You know what I mean? But I'm not, I'll be a man to sit here and be, I wouldn't be a man sitting here and telling you that. Bro, he, bro, all I remember getting hit by that punch and then, like I, I sat and then I came back up. I was like, what the fuck did?
he just hit me with?
You know what I mean?
I was like, holy shit. I was like, that was a good punch. And then, when I rewatched it, he hit me like right on the top of my, my, my dome. I was like, holy smack, brother. This guy, this guy smacks.
And then I was fine. as soon as I got it was one of those like, boom, you know, like the legs, just give out, the legs, just give out. Like I was stood there, even when I was standing, I was looking at him, but that, that, I don't know how, that didn't count as a drop, but I don't know what they count as a drop, because.
that has to count.
Cause I, yeah, yeah. That was, that was crazy.
No, that's a hundred percent of knockdown. Somebody just made a mistake. But, like, um, did you ever see Ilya Toporia when he fought Jai Herbert?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I saw that. I saw that. I was funny. I'd never saw the fight, but then when people was, uh, when he was talking about fighting and we was fighting and saying, and he was, he said something about dropping me or killing me.
And then I see the comments of him getting that, that hit, that left high kick getting dropped. So I was like, oh yeah, I didn't see the fight, but I saw that part of it.
It was an amazing comeback cause he knocked him out in the second round, but man, he could take a shot because he got hit so clean with a switch kick off the left side, right shin to the chin. Just perfect. I mean, it was just whack. And then his whole body just goes out and then he grabbed a hold of a single. Check this out.
Watch this. Boom. I mean, dude, watch the head snap back. Look at the head snap back. I mean, that is just shin to the chin.
That is just a perfect Jai Herbert head kick, but he grabbed a hold of them and he managed to maintain his composure, got him to the ground, survives the round and actually was winning. The rest of the round, did a lot of wrestling, did a lot of wrestling. He's a very complete fighter.
Very good, bro. He's very good.
Very good. And his fucking boxing, man. His boxing is terrifying. I was, I was shocked that Volk wanted to take that fight so quickly after the Macha fight. And if I was his friend, I would have not recommended that, but I don't know if you could talk to him.
I mean, he's a champion.
He's him. You know?
Yeah.
I mean, he's an animal.
He's an animal.
But the human body, the vulnerabilities of the human body are real, despite the spirit of the man.
Yeah.
Despite the spirit of the man.
You got damage. No matter your spirit, you still have something. Your brain, your muscles are still hurting, so it's going to only protect itself when it feels something. When there's a warning sign going off, like, oh man, warning, did it shut off? Because it's like look, I'm gonna save me from myself like.
that's what Conor fought Dustin the last time. he had a broken shin. Yeah, he's, his leg was broken or his leg was a stress factor. Yeah, he had a fracture going into that fight and he knew it, and the body's just gonna. your body's gonna give up.
You know, no matter how strong the will is, think about like what that cost him a lot two years, two years, two years.
And who knows where he could have been if he hadn't taken that fight in the left. look, It's only eight weeks. Yeah, that you got a stress fracture like that. It's like eight weeks, and it's, and it's healed right, cuz, it's not all the way through. That's crazy.
It could have healed it, and then, you know, and you see, They didn't move mountains for that man, so why not? I don't know if they knew it was a fracture, though It definitely was, but they, I think they, had done MRIs on it. It was inconclusive. Turn, oh, but it was badly hurt. Yeah, you know you've had bone bruises.
Yeah, you're like. I don't know if this is broken. You got to get it looked at. yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, they suck.
No, they hurt, bro. How was your left shin by the militia? It's all right now, but they hurt, bro. I was about to talk about him, bro. It's got kick hard as shit.
Yeah, and his bow with the weight, his bones. I don't know what it was made out of. I think the titanium, Like. I like to say my chin is made out of vibranium. brother.
He had a vibranium leg, bro. I was like he went to Wakanda too. I was thinking to myself like how I Thought I only got to go to Wakanda. I guess he went to. you know, But you know, at the end of the day, bro.
It hurt like. I said my shin did bruise. It feels good. I can move it whatever it is like stiff after a fight in there. a lot of people always.
I always hear you talk About it in there and be like, oh yeah, it hurts. I don't really feel it like. I don't pay too much mind to it in in the fight. mm-hmm, I, I can feel when he hits it, and it's like, oh, I'm telling myself That's gonna hurt later, but you got 25 minutes. You know, we got to stay in here.
You know, and it's what's interesting is it doesn't seem to compromise your movement that much. it depends entirely upon the person. like some people get Calf kicked once real hard, and it swells up and you see immediately they're walking fucked up And they're trying to switch southpaw. yeah, they're trying to switch stances, Yeah, but you don't seem to have as much of a problem with it. Yeah, it wasn't really a problem.
I know it hurts. I know it's gonna be hurt after the fight. But then even that, like switching stances, the most craziest thing to me. well, well, after getting like completely landed nicely there, cuz, if I Switch that he screwed up to my legs. I'm gonna do crawl over to.
Yeah, I mean I rather be. I rather have one leg than two legs messed up. You know so.
You, you, I think you're particularly durable because some guys, like you've seen what happens with Pahita He brother a couple of times in that leg and that legs fucked up man, Messed up everybody, even Jan Bohovic, who's made out of rocks. Yeah, John's, like his bones are made out of stone. remember when he was going with uncle, I have. he went shin-to-shin with him. Yeah, he was just cracking shins with him and fucking his leg up.
Yeah, and then a guy like bro. Did you see that picture of me and Alex Alex? Yeah, did you guys see the picture of me and Alex? they face swapped them? No, they put my face on Alex for her to look it up.
brother. He looked like Thanos, bro. And money more econo, bro, money more econo is like yeah, fuck this guy, You know, you know. money more time is like yeah, fuck that guy, bro. You got to kill that.
Saw Twitter. he was like, yeah, people asking me to to fight maxes, He's nine and I'm ten or something or eight and nine or something like that. Are you fucking crazy? He's like, I'll fight him if he. if we have one rule no punch.
I Love money. my god, bro. He's a funny dude, man. He almost lost that Jalen Turner fight. That was brother.
What happened there?
Jalen Turner tried to look cool and get a walk-off kill, and it didn't happen. It didn't happen. You can't do that.
You got to follow up. That was the fight, like if he beat more Kano man and Jalen had him.
I had him. we was in. I was at the hotel room still watching that fight. I was watching it was watching it and Yeah, I was tripping. I and you know, it's funny.
as soon as that, as soon as that happened, I was like. I told my coach I was like, you know, it'd be funny if her money What kind of comes out and reneges in the next round and he finishes on the next. I was like damn. It wasn't funny, but it was like damn. That's amazing.
Well, Jalen is so long.
He's so dangerous to his knockout power, like at length. It's. he catches guys on the end of shots. You can't come close to him and he's cracking you and he's got nasty power. And you know that my Kano dude, he, he, it's tough.
He's very tough. The fact that he figured it out He's like fuck all this standing. I'm gonna grab that dude and drag him to the ground. smart, bro.
Yeah, yeah, I do. that's fine. That's fight. IQ. What a card that was.
Oh, brother, from the beginning, from the first number I had, I had a family and friends that came to the fight and they went to the first fight at Cody Garbrandt. You had to figure, you had to bro. You had, and you got two former world champions going at it in the first fight. Yeah, that's insane. and two guys that are still awesome, and and it was fighting.
Oh, it was a fight. It was a fight. Yeah, how crazy was it. when he went for the handstand kick? Imagine, he landed that kick on stuff's face.
when he went for the hands, that, and then he just Regular leg kick. Yeah, I almost kicked him in the head. That's crazy. Yeah, those cartwheel kicks are ridiculous, Crazy, crazy, you gotta set him up, brother. You can't be just trying to turn them freely like that, you know.
Well, Justin tried rolling thunder on you and yeah, the last round right? I knew, I knew he's gonna try it. I knew it.
Yeah, that's what Justin loaned for, you know, so I knew he's gonna do it. We knew he's gonna do a couple stuff. We knew power punches, leg kicks. I was thinking if we got later in the rounds or if he was getting comfortable. He's gonna try and do that thunder, the rolling thunder kick.
So who's ready for it?
You know, he's got this weird ability to kick your legs like in a close bro, close, bro.
Heard you talking about how his hip is so flexible that he can just kick he can. it was almost like. You know, you might, what a Ryan. it wasn't a high kick, of course, But you know what his leg kick. remind me of it.
remind me of your years high kick Like me, and your year could be nose to nose and a fucking kick comes up. I'm like, holy shit, like he did it to me one time. Yeah, and I was like what like? why you guys so flexible? and even like with, uh, With Justin with his leg kick, bro, with, like some of them, is even his angles that he take on his kick.
I'm like, you're not hitting me with this and, if I can, he cracks me his whole shin across my knee. I'm like, what is going on? How you landing? This is like, yeah, his angles is weird, bro.
He has some weird angles for it, for sure. Well, he's very unique in a lot of ways. It's a very unique style, very unique mentality. He's a unique guy, But that the leg kicks in the clinch. when he was, what was it?
was it still PFL back there?
Let me I know what you're talking about, the one that he was in the clinch and in the clinch.
And full power. He killed that guy. Oh, it's horrible to watch, because you're dealing with the clinch and you're thinking Oh, we're just clinching here and he's just killing your legs Like no one can. I don't know anybody else who kicks the legs from the clinch like Justin Gate.
She does full power clinch, you know how you do that heel kick. That's what people do. They usually grab that heel and they hit it right. everybody like this guy is like straight Jose Aldo running late, kicking to you in the clinch, you know, it's insane.
Think about all the guys you fought. max. I mean you have fought the best of the best. you fought everybody, Except market, Jeff. There's like everybody of your era, you fought.
Yeah, well, with the market, Jeff fight is not not too far off. So yeah, you know that never say never. I got a couple more years than me, for sure.
What do you think if you had a plan it out? Okay. So here we got. Poirier and Makachev are fighting. They're fighting next and that's gonna be what is that, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey.
So let's say Makachev wins if Makachev wins. Well, even if Poirier wins if Poirier wins.
55, we have 45 and make him make it a double belt, brother. I would love that, brother.
And the lightweight title on the line, every crazy Wow, that would be wild. but even if whoever wins. but then I really like No, here's the thing at 55.. You look fantastic. You look bigger.
You look stronger. I'm sure it felt better like.
Good brother. The cut was the. the cut was a cut. don't get me wrong, but it was. it was beautiful, brother.
I was eating sushi all week, Eating more, so I eat sushi when I go to 45 too, but I was eating more sushi all week.
Well, I was loving it. Do you think that that's better for you?
We see what happens, you know, I feel like I still have unfinished business, for if I want to get the time, I mean before this fight. before this fight, you know, we only had like a couple of options. After this fight, we the whole main goal with this fight was like just have all the options. That was the me that was going down.
Despite was, the mentality was let's have all the options. we we put, we go out there, We do something spectacular, you know, I'm right up there with the top 55 errs, I'm right up. Um, I still have my spotted with the 45 errs. And then I know, to my surprise after the fight they announced a corner, a corner versus Chandler fight. So it's like me and Connor have some history.
So there's options, you know.
And they're talking about doing something at 65.
. I know DC's been saying this. I don't know what he knows. I have impressed him.
I'm sure DC knows something. that guy, when he talks about stuff, when he knows.
He tries to. this is what DC acts about that, you know, DC, you've been. you call a lot of fights with him. Well, he don't talk about nothing unless he knows something is going on. brother, It's either something.
Yeah, it's either he knows something going on or he's just bullshitting. So it's either they said, it's one or the other.
Middle, exactly with the, with that. with that, you know, I mean, I know he doesn't bullshit, I know he sees all this stuff. It's like it's crazy, like, because I saw him talking about The BMF. I did you see that one with head, that bit with RC, When he told our CEO that he should who should else it fight for the BMF. and I know, no disrespect to him, But like, come on, DC, what telly like, he's just so off off line on that side, you know.
Yeah, he's so out of pocket, like calling that, you know, well, he's out of pocket because he says so Biased towards wrestling. Yeah. Yeah, he wants. he's like there's been no takedowns in the BMF fights.
Like. I think that's what a BMF belt is, you know.
Well, they can be takedowns if it happens, but it, you know, just have it, just because you want takedowns. Yeah, bring a wrestler in. Yeah, that belt is a special belt. You know, it's. it's.
it's a wild belt. It's like it's wild.
These are wild fights, right? You know, you know, it's funny, like a lot of them. It's funny because I see a lot of these guys, These MMA guys, guys, some guys who's just like even doing MMA. I see everything brother from, like low level MMA guys, That's trying to come up to mid to high and I, and before this fight, Everybody was shitting on the BMF, whatever blah blah, and then, now that I got it, I'm happy to see that it's actually getting its worth. You know, I mean at the end of the day, everybody's saying Oh, no, undisputed.
Well, I was undisputed champion. I have the BMF belt. now. What is it? You know, you cannot talk.
Well, I'm fighting number one contenders and keep fighting these number and champions. what? now you tell me what it is. You know, at the end of day, the belt is cool, The boat is cool, but you guys gotta understand it's What brings with the belt, what, what the emotions it brings and what kind of fight it brings to a card, you know? Like yeah, that that our fight a lot of people were saying could have been the main event of 300.
It's insane, you know hundred percent. and the crazy thing is there was two insane fights after your fight. Your fight was so good that two insane world title fights after.
Still, people talk about your fight and I felt so bad for the girls because that I was watching that fight in the back. I have to do my media and it was such a crazy fight, brother, amazing But but but I think so. people was just. they just had a adrenaline dump because of what happened in the last place.
You know, I lost my voice, bro. I lost my voice. I really did. I've never lost my voice, ever. Yeah, UFC fight.
Yeah, I dropped him. I the first time I ever stood up. I couldn't sit down.
It was just what Dana had. the greatest quote in the post fight press conference. He said I sell holy shit. moments when people ask me. What do I do for a living?
Look at this. I couldn't even sit down. I had to get up. I'd hold on to those guys. I'm holding on to them.
That's awesome.
It's funny when they started putting cameras on us, because we've been doing that forever. DC and I go crazy. we hug each other, we go nuts. Yeah, what's something crazy? I was like what, what, I'm glad.
I'm glad they did cuz to see you got to see like, see fans and and Reactions to the fight is cool, but they're fans. but then when you see, like our peers and guys like you and I'm my fight and other fighters and Commentators of the sport, that you've been around forever, So to see you do that, that was like that brings a humongous a smile to my face, like holy shit, I didn't.
You know I say to this day and I do it based on my reaction obviously this is personal I say it's the greatest knockout of all time. The reason why I say it's the greatest knockout of all time was because everybody thought that Justin was gonna be overpowering you. He was a bigger guy. He had just knocked out Dustin Poirier. You had lost the last fight to Volkanovski.
You hadn't been in title contention since then. you had a bunch of great wins. But here you're gonna fight this bigger guy and all these people were writing you off. all these people were saying that it did and You're tuning him up, and you did have to overcome getting knocked down And you did have adversity. yet deal with that leg and then for you to stand, Winning four rounds to one in the middle of the octagon, a point at the ground, with ten seconds left, And then didn't knock him out with one second left.
the way I reacted, the way I jumped up. I've never done that before of all, even when Leon Edwards knocked out Usman. that was another crazy. For that I would said that was the greatest knockout of all time, because he was down. Yeah, he was down four rounds and John Anik just had the perfect call.
He said that is not the cloth from which he is coming. Yeah, so that was number one before, but you are number one now, thank you, brother, that's number one. cuz just Impact all time like complete polar shift of how people think about the BMF belt They don't think about as a gimmick. No. Yeah.
Yeah, because it was the wildest crazy fight with an undeniable Number one contender in Justin versus you. it's wild how it happened. Yeah, the whole thing was wild. Yeah, I mean.
You only as good as your last fight, right? That's, that's. that's what it is, this sport. I I like to tell everybody you know, this is not like basketball, This is not. this is not like baseball or like hockey, where?
You can just shit the bed on a Tuesday and then you come back out on a Friday and then you, you're just a man Of the world again, you know, I like you. shit like like this stuff happen. You have a bad fight like what Alex. that fight don't get erased off until I have something great. and even if you have a good Fight, you know, I mean like.
I had a good fight with Arnold, but they still like Alex. he did that and then I did it with Koreans on and then I Knock out over Korean zombie and then they're like, yeah, but Korean is old and blah, blah. and finally, now with this Justin, Now, everybody forgets, you know, like it takes us a while to me to forget about your last fight, you know. So it was this. it was amazing, bro, You know, like to see everybody go crazy, like in my mind, like a lot of people.
actually, what's going to your mind when you're Doing that? you're up for one. I'm like brother. That was that was in my mind the whole time. I'm like, oh, we wanted 10 seconds.
I was like, I remember calling the. I remember it being a minute. I remember my coach yelling a minute max. They clean. and then I was like a minute.
I was like, oh hell, Yeah, 50 more seconds until we go to the center. We're gonna swing in my man in. he's like 40 seconds. I was like, holy shit. This clock is slow.
30 seconds and then he's like, okay, 20 seconds in, and he does and he goes. He got right after the 20 seconds mark underneath, couple seconds after he does his rolling thunder and then it pushed me to a point Of perfectly circle out, and and that's when I said I did the like, oh, come here, you know, Let's, let's go here. Let's throw it, cuz that was just everybody's losing their mind. But in this, to me, I just this is normal. You know, this is a good time.
This is the second time. I did it, you know, of course, the second time I'm doing it. I heard you guys say if the first time was a Ricardo, but this ain't. no, Justin Justin Gaethje, you know, but you know, why not? Why not if he, if he was to put, if he was gonna put me out then?
Then so be it, you know, live by the sword. Well, it was a wild and there's a rolling thunder. Damn, That was a nice rolling thunder. That was nice. It was close Now right here.
Oh, this is so crazy, max.
Oh, That was crazy, yeah, it's the greatest. it has to be the greatest knockout it has to be.
And then you Walk around. come on, man. That's the greatest.
They got the sickest picture of me, bro. They had the sickest picture of me when I'm flexing and I'm over. I like, I love Justin, bro. I freaking love the man, but they have like that, you know, like the Muhammad, the Muhammad Ali picture. Yeah.
Yeah, they got a moment of me like that. So I got a painting for you. I told you I got a brass veins. He's an amazing artist. He made an incredible painting, and it's it's on the way.
Someone, go back to my house, go grab it sick. It's all the way. Yeah, that was a. there's a wild moment, man. It just complete shift of what people care about in upcoming fights like you are the fucking man.
You, you're in holy shit. That's gonna be big. and if it's you and Micah chav, or if it's you and Ilya, you and Ilya would be.
Crazy brother. So much fun, brother. I know is that Spain?
It was that 304. when is there gonna be a UFC? Spurs Perth is 305, right?
I don't think they're gonna go Spain this year. I don't think I can. I think so. They know I'd said it said in the in the 200 conference. Mm-hmm after fight conference.
He said that We're going with Spain. It just takes a time because you got a book, something, and it's like gonna be like a year. now That fight, yeah, let's go. Yeah, I hope, I hope Vegas or Madison Square Garden. Yeah, or or or.
Vegas Allegiant Stadium, 66,000 brother, that's what it is. Did you use their 300 night, but did you not see all the Hawaiian flags? They were everywhere. That's the said that night by the 9th Island. brother.
Give me, you can't you, we can't go to UFC. Give me a legion stadium and let's, that's good, go crazy. Oh, my god. Oh my god, you can sell it.
Allegiant Stadium for a big UFC. 100% they could sell it. I mean every UFC sells out like that. They sell out so quick, There's so many scout tickets and a fight like that, Especially if they put together a banger of a card because you know, they're doing the sphere, which is gonna be wild.
Yeah, that's gonna be why we think, who we think will be in the sphere.
That's a good question, right? Cuz? that's, isn't it? It's Mexican Independence Day. Yes, it's September.
Yeah. Well, I don't think they have it set up like who Mexicans like to call me as their own.
So I might even be in the sphere, who know?
They count you. Yeah for your style. Yeah. Yes, sir. Fuck.
Yeah. Yeah. Fuck. What a crazy night. max, What a crazy night.
and did to have that happen again, like where there's two amazing fights after yours.
Oh, yeah, and everybody's still just talking about your. yeah. I know I was, I mean even with the.
Remember, as soon as the fight happened, you know, a couple minutes after My my agent, Tim Simpson, came in and he told me he's like brother. They just put your knockout on top of, on top of Instagram, on and YouTube and everything. I was like what. never do that. Yeah, there's like.
they never did that. They only did this for it. They only did it for sugar and I was like what? This is crazy. So we saw.
I thought it was lying, you know, and they saw. it was there three different angles and I reposted it.
Yeah, I was like. if UFC's posting this, I'm posting this shit too.
This is the craziest knockout of all time, for the craziest angle is the one when they did, they, they pause me and then They do a 360 view and then they play it again. I'm like that, that's, that's insane, bro. Yeah.
What does it feel like when it's all over? Does it feel like a dream?
Like, what does it feel like when it's over, brother? I said, I, you know, like I stood, I'm still getting used to it, I don't even know, you know, I feel normal. I said life stood normal, but like I'm getting, brother, walking down 6th Street last night to get my dinner. I was getting harassed, Like, nicely harassed, but like people like, yeah, like you're getting, I always get noticed. but like these guys, like it's, uh, It's out and about way more, you know.
And so it's just a mate, bro, even like guys who don't even look like they watch fighting, you know, Grandma's and grandpa's at airports like, hey, you're the guy.
Yeah, I'm the guy. Well, that clip got so viral too. You know that clip was so viral. It was everywhere. It was tick, tock and YouTube.
Yeah, bro.
My mother agent on our team, Daniel. he did like. he's like a numbers guy or whatever, and The Google, the Google search on me was like crazy, bro. I think so. I think so is in like the billions, Like after, after.
if I was insane, it was something stupid. I was like, oh wow.
I didn't even know you could look that up. I told him. Yeah, that's what makes it very interesting for your next fight, Because your next fight is gonna be huge. It's gonna be huge like you're a fucking bonafide superstar. now like your next fights gonna be nuts.
can't wait, bro.
Can't wait. I don't know who it is who it was. What, what the UFC want to do? But um, like you said, that option brought in this game.
You also have any options, and there's so many options in your area too, right? Like? sugar has been talking about fighting to Porya at 45, or sugar's willing to fight to Porya 45, He's willing to fight max at 45. Right, yeah, Crazy, you know. crazy matchups all over the place in a perfect world.
You actually in a perfect world, you know.
I mean, yeah. in a perfect world, If I could have in my way, I'd be stupid to not say to fight Connor, you know, I think that caught that Connor fight would be huge, whatever, but we don't know what he's gonna do. So like, if that's out in a perfect world, to me, it would be Fight Ilya, 45 title. get my hand raised and whoever's the next guy up at 55? fight them.
Try and go for double champ status, whatever it is. Oh, even cheap belts, you know, Like 45, the BMF, and put it. put the BMF in the 55 against whoever had 55, and I'd be that'd be surreal.
You know, I think I'd be crazy. Well, there's another option too, if they'd really do this. Connor 165 title.
There's an option of you being a three champ. That'd be insane. If they did the 165 be fun. It'll be fun You'd have to cut anyway. Oh, no, eat sushi every day.
I'd eat sushi. I'll do sushi, lady.
I'll eat on on the scale. What is what is your walk around? Wait, like what's right now me right now? I walk around like.
Before I used to get to a big boy, but now I walk around like 70, 75, nothing crazy. Oh, that's not too cool. Yeah, nothing crazy. Nothing crazy. I was in there against.
they make us check our weight now and I was only 172 when we, when we in and in against our Gaichi, when you were fighting a featherweight, What did you weigh in when you fought? I'd be around like 65.. I'd get a high 60s.
Maybe 68 at the highest. So did you? I know you did a lot of strength and conditioning your YouTube channels? great, by the way. Oh, thank you.
And it's really cool how you document pretty much everything. you're showing, all your training, all the stuff. So you did a lot of strength and conditioning. We did a lot of straight. We did a lot of strength.
So a lot of people is talking about Matching Gigi, strength and and and I, our team didn't want to. we wanted to be strong, but we still wanted to be fast. We knew we was faster than Gigi. So our main focus, everybody thought it was strength and getting big, to be strong and to, of course, endure his strikes, you know. but the main thing that we want to focus on was speed.
like I knew I could, I could. I'll Gun him in and in the fit wrong when we really hurt him, hurt him, I'll gun them with speed, you know, I hit like. I hit him with like five, five hits. and and the one that you don't see hurt, you know most, You know. and the last right hand on that in that little combination early in the fit round is what hurt him the most, You know, made him like I.
I stunned him a little bit. So, which is working on speed, brother, You know, like we had 12 weeks, you really can't. I wasn't willing to give, to put strength, to give up conditioning. So I was like, I'm gonna be speed and condition, and that's the way I fight, you know, if you go, look at it, a lot of people is looking at stats for minds in his fight about like How much he's chosen strikes and how much I I throw in strikes, how much, how much he gets hit, Which was less than how much I get hit. and I was like brother, I cannot be right.
and in the stats is you know, And I'm like no way. and then, when you look at the stats, this guy had 12 fights and I had like 20 plus fights And the UFC that's what come. our stats is so close to each other, because I had so much more fights than his And then, even that would, I had a lot of time in the octagon and he just didn't. cuz he would, he'd knock guys out, You know, I mean, yeah, he had that beautiful power, You know, at the end of the day, like, you know the number, some of the numbers that these guys is putting out there I was like brother. you guys need to do you guys homework, you know.
Yeah, you need stop looking at the surface level like start digging. Yeah into it. Yeah.
Um, when you. it was interesting that we just said about strength and conditioning. you you're not willing to give up conditioning for strength, Uh-huh. So what. so how do you approach that, like when you, when you made a decision to go to 55??
So the Poirier fight, you go to 55, but you did it. I'm pretty short notice. Yeah.
yeah, we had. we had like. So the way we train is. I always take two weeks off before fight, so it was like six weeks and then. so we actually had four weeks to train for him and I was like I mean put the picture of poor Punching me in my face.
There's a famous picture of poor punch in my face.
When you said do you take two weeks off before the fight? What do you mean?
So like like strength and conditioning, so I don't do no strength conditioning like the week before the fight, Like maybe we do like a little lift or whatever. But it's just something you maintain, like cuz you can't get faster or stronger two weeks before a fight or even a week, right? So even with cardio, it's not gonna. anything I do the week before the fight is not gonna help me and anything I do the week Of the fight is not gonna help me. you all the hard work is done, right?
And that's what these guys look. look. Oh, look how fat I was. Look at that top right one, that top right one right there. Look how fat I was.
Yeah, look at it. Yeah, that's muffin top max, brother. So you, just he zooms in. Wow, Wow, you're an asshole.
So you only had four weeks, and there's no way you could put on that amount of muscle in four weeks or anything.
You know, and I was like, and I I didn't know. I didn't have my beautiful wife at the time. So, you know, he meals was crazy before her. I ate out every night. I was terrible.
now, as you kiss me Now, she keep keeps me clean. So it is what it is. You know, I hate using experience, Excuses cuz. you know Dustin. I came out there and fought hard, and we fought hard and I ain't taking nothing away from Dustin.
So whatever I did was on me. and you know, If that fight, if we get a third one, then that I think would be a pretty fun one.
Oh, it'd be amazing. That would be a wild. a third fight between you guys be wild, Especially if he beats Islam. if he beats Islam, that'd be great. Yeah.
Yeah. I want to know burner.
How much is the? how much is the odds on betting on him jumping a ghillie?
He's gonna try. You know, I didn't know that he was referencing William Montgomery, the comedian, when he. I ain't never gonna stop.
From kill Tony. I didn't know, and I'm a friends with William Montgomery. I love that dude.
And you're not a good friend, then, Joe, what that you know?
I felt like a bad friend, but it really what it is is like when I'm doing an interview after such a crazy fight like that. you Interviews are complicated. You're locked in, bro. I'm trying to get this guy to express himself as much as possible. I'm trying to stay out of the way, but I'm also trying to ask questions.
And so I didn't pick up on it. Yeah, plus, I didn't. I was like no way. Yeah, you're locked in bro. You're not, but Tony, text me.
He goes, did he just quote William Montgomery? I'm like, no way. Really? Is that what that was?
And then, and then Willie texted you, fuck you.
No, they had been going back and forth. he. apparently Dustin told him he was gonna say it. Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, they've been DM at each. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, it's the man, bro. Yeah.
Now.
Guard and try to grab. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll never stop doing it.
Right, he's one of the good guys in our sport. He's a great guy. He's a great guy. I love Dustin.
I love Dustin and I was glad for him to get that that win over. Ben was sent to me as a monster monster killer. It's a monster killer, bro. Yeah, that's another fight, right? Same thing.
he get staff. Yeah, so he's got staff on his forehead. He's got to take antibiotics. drain, if you ever had staff.
No, bro.
Yeah,
brother.
I'm clean. I guess, I guess I guess Some guys are some dirty mother effers. I think you know, well, you get stuff easy, you get stuff easy. now I know I know some guys, uh, some, I mean once it's in your, in your system, You just it just got to get we awakened right? So it's one of our friends like he's pretty bad with it.
Like he's always got stuff like every other week feels like, oh really? Yeah, it's terrible. It's terrible. take showers, brother. He does, he does everything.
I don't know what it is. It is bad luck.
I think another thing is like people mistakenly use Antibacterial soap. like you don't want antibacterial soap. You want to keep your healthy gut flora. I tell everybody I don't Object. I know the guy owns a company.
I've no affiliation with it. But defense soap, if you're a grappler, it's the shit. Defense soap is all-natural. It's like tea tree oil, Eucalyptus oil, and he has all kinds of products, everything from stuff to clean, like wipes. If you can't like get to a shower quick enough, if you know if you're training in a place That's kind of dingy and doesn't have a shower.
They have wipes. until you get home. They have soaps and ointment.
That's the most crazy thing, bro. right when people like I see people like We train and then we have a shower at the gym and some of them just like change their clothes and I gotta go. I was like The, what the hell did you shower? I said no. No, I gotta leave.
I was like the hell. no way, You know, like I live like 45 minutes some day. some of them live like maybe 15 minutes. Yeah, 15 minutes is enough for a ringworm or something. if I can wake up, you know.
So it's like brother this jump in there, get a rinse off. Yeah, I've had ringworm. I've had staph twice.
I've had ringworm a couple of times. It's annoying. It's annoying. I remember the defense soap is the shit. I tell everybody get on that And it doesn't mess up because it's all natural.
It's like tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil and smells good, but it doesn't fuck up your skin, for I had it. I knew this dude who had ringworm and so he started using antibacterial soap and he got it everywhere. Oh, it's right, all over his chest. I know what it does to. it burns your skin.
Yeah, so like, so like when you use that kind of stuff with ringworm. I remember people used to like bleach them and then you'd be bleached. You'd have a bleach circle, Yeah.
Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, I'm saying, psycho dudes use bleach. That's a crazy move. poor bleach on an open wound. What the fuck are you?
What are you doing, man? so, um So for this fight, how much notice did you have that you were gonna fight at 55 and that you're gonna fight Justin brother?
There is an idea of maybe? maybe it doesn't happen for a while, But we didn't know and then we got. we got confirmed. I think was like 10 to 12 weeks. You know, like I don't know what it was.
I was like 10 to 12 weeks. So I was like more than enough time. This is right. Yeah, we had so much time, brother. We was planning.
I got the train. I got the lift. I was already. we was training a lot. My last time was in August.
So I was in. I was in the gym training, getting ready, brother. after the vote, after the Vogue and.
Islam to fight. I was like there is no way to land this guy turn around. So I I really thought they was gonna try and ask me me to go fight Ilya in January or something. I went to Toronto. I fought in Toronto twice.
I want to intro him. I defended the belt there. I have a following in Toronto. I call it a 10th Island, you know, I like to call it. I love the Canadians.
Well, they're, they're literally the best. so I was thinking like man. they would. they we're gonna get caught, you know, like there's, there's no way that he's gonna fight. and then He did.
if we did this, moved it from January to February. they put the other card, whatever did they switch it around. so We was. I was already training and then, Yeah, I couldn't tell you when, but I knew we had at least 12 weeks, at least 12 weeks.
When did you know that it was gonna be 55? and when did you know it was gonna be for the BMF felt? 12, 12 weeks. So weeks. had you already had a plan to put weight on?
Do you already had a plan like strength and conditioning plan?
For sure, as soon as we, as soon as the talks of maybe we might even fight Gaethje at all, was like We just got it. We, our plan was. what I said was like we got to put on size to endure damage. But then let's not lose this speed. That's my, my, my head coach, Darren.
Yeah, But I took a straight, the best training condition and all the way, and if somebody got a problem, then they can. they can meet Me somewhere, anywhere, you know. But you know, all jokes aside. He's the. he's the man, bro, and he's the one that was like, yeah, You know, like.
I like. look, I know you want to get strong max. He's the one that came up with it. I know you want to get stronger, but we still need your speed, bro, We still need your speed and we got our work. this guy, you know, like, oh, he always weaponized my cardio.
It was like brother, whoever we fight, you're gonna outwork him. So let's just get your speed up, stay fast, get a little bit bigger, without being too much to get to it. He didn't, he was the main one. He's like, I don't want to give up strength, I don't want to give up conditioning for strength, brother.
Like, because the idea is, the more you have, the more endurance. It's gonna require.
Yeah, and especially like even it with everybody like I train with bigger guys, you know, here and there, I never, ever, once felt like holy shit. This guy is so much stronger than me Like I never, ever, once felt that way, you know, you hear these talks of some people saying oh, this guy's pretty strong. So I try to go with him. I was like, he's alright, you know, it's not like. oh, my god, he's gonna be strong.
so I felt like I Know how to fight to my strengths, I guess, like yeah, He might be physically stronger than me, But I know certain techniques or certain ways to put my body That I can get away with how strong I am and not make him feel as strong as he is, you know, And that's what it is. You know, I keep telling a lot of these, a lot of these MMA guys are just people coming up, or even my amateur, Our amateur fighters that's coming up. I just keep telling them, like brother. There's no difference between me and you. The only difference is my experience, you know, like that, even with we, even with UFC fighters, you know, Like the only difference between top 15 and top 10 is experience and their mindset, you know top 10 to 5, experience mindset, 5 to championship, same thing, and then the champion, maybe like the top three guys after.
that is like it's just a mind. It's a mind thing, brother. This shit is easy. Most of these things that is hard is because you make it hard. a lot of guys make it hard for themselves.
I'm like, what are you doing? You're beating yourself up for what. this is just fucking practice. get better. Yeah, I mean, there's all you gotta do.
stop being yourself up, and but you have a great mentality for that.
You're able to like go past losses easily. It is what it is, and you keep moving and you're on the path. But for some people it's not. losses are devastating because their whole identity is based on success. Yeah, and if they don't get success, then they feel like they're a loser.
but even with that, the whole identity thing is. that's what it is like. even when, like you, see guys with retiring from other sports or our sport, like they have that identity crisis because they're so Known for one thing and that's gonna tell them like that's what I love, doing other stuff like people, bro, Oh, my god, I stream. I stream on kick. now.
I stream on kick. calm and Brother, I'm doing the whole fight. I'm streaming. They're like, yep. Thank you for this max.
I'm putting my house on gate. She now she's training while you're playing fucking video games. I'm like I need to be training for 24 hours of the day, like a fucking cyborg or something. What the hell? Yep.
Yep. Yep. You, yeah, look at you over here. I freaking. I do slots in there Like we play funny, like yep, look at you doing this shit, losing money.
you're gonna lose your fight, too. I'm like like you can't catch a break. Those are just losers.
Unfortunately, I don't mean anything bad to you guys out there. But if you're commenting to a guy like that, you're a loser. There's no way you're a winner. It's not possible, It's not possible that you're excelling at whatever you do. No one comes to you like that's Mike.
He's the best. No chance. if you're commenting like that on people, you're just, you're a loser, and that's unfortunate. I've been a loser in my life. You know, it's.
it's. uh, it's common. Yeah, it's common, but you're a loser.
Don't think that way. the idea that a guy can't play some video games and unwind while he's in the middle of camp, You're out of your fucking mind. You don't understand. Yeah, brother. Say what you're talking about.
I said like I like talking to mighty cuz. mighty mean mighty doing any of you might is the best. Yeah, he's a man. and he was just telling me like. it's so funny because every time I tell everybody like fighting is easy, Like a lot of people look at me crazy.
They're like what you mean? She's. I was like, bro. Anything you do in life is easy, is just that you make it hard. a lot of assholes make it hard for themselves.
Like it's actually pretty easy, you know, it's like if you look at the steps, these are the steps. Yeah, you might fall down in the sense of, in the sense of actually getting it done. It's gonna be hard work, But it's easy because you know what you got to do, right? And I told mighty when I told money about fighting, money was the first guy ever that said, like bro. That's what I tell everybody.
I tell fighting is easy. I was like, holy shit. If the MMA go is telling you fighting is easy. Stop harassing me, go harass him. You know, I mean go, tell him.
he said I think it's easy for you.
I think it's easy for mighty, because you guys are real champions. You have this champion mindset, and that's what people need to learn. They need to learn a mindset for improvement, a mindset for getting better at things and a mindset for staying positive 100%. That's what it's it. That's really what it's about.
You can apply that to anything in life. So a guy like you, that's a champion in MMA. you could do anything, man. All you need is, just like whatever. that thing is, focus on that thing, And if you put the same kind of attention on that thing that you put on your MMA career.
Oh, yeah, as I told I tell everybody. I told It's so funny whenever me and my wife she always, I was like you, so lucky I wasn't a surfer. I would have been a world champion surfer.
I'm bad at surfing. Okay, I'm bad, but you're lucky that I don't put my effort, because I want to be badass.
Yeah, I'm sure, and that's a fact. How did you get so good at that? jump spinning, back kick, brother? Just practice, bro.
I did anybody show you remember? do you remember me telling you it was here? It's a viral clip about me learning strikes in the game. I was one of the strikes. Yeah, that's one of the strikes, brother.
I saw the strikes in the game. I was like Head and barrel through it, through it, nice. I was like with Dustin Kimura. I told him, brother, We need to do this spinning back, kick, shit. Yeah, it's just so good and it's a secret weapon.
and and then the thing is funny, cuz in the game, I was throwing it close, like a lot of people throw it from distance, but I thought it real close, like almost in clinch. Yeah, and I told my bro, this is gonna be secret weapon, I remember Dustin Kimura. He was in the UFC for a little bit and and I and I was trying to make him practice it with me. He's, I remember him saying one time like fuck this kick, his kick is stupid as hell. And then we kept practicing, kept practicing.
Another guy, a big guy, came down, trained us and he dropped him when it's being back kicked and from the clinch, right? And I was like what I told you, brother. I told you, this fucking kick is a secret weapon. How are you practicing it? close up?
What's it? You just stand close. I was like, bro. like I was, I'd get my timing from from it being a distance first, and then we'd be like live it closer and be like Bro, we got it. All we got to focus on is bringing our knee up and and pushing it out at the last second.
The main thing was just bring your knee up and snapping your head around. snap your head around first. See where you land, so you don't kick each other in the frickin groin area, cuz it happened a couple times. Yes, to me and him, so, but yeah, I was like bringing me up. I look and it's and then push it.
Did you ever practice where you stand right next to the bag? Yeah, I.
Try, just jumps back, jump back, and I create my distance from jumping me, jumping away from the bag, and it's that.
If you can develop that. that is a secret weapon, because it's one of those techniques. It's like you remember when the calf kick came along everybody's gonna throw a cab. Yeah, if you could develop that, yeah, here has it. Yeah, you're, does it really well.
But this was a giant moment in the beginning. Look how close you are. Look how close you are to be able to get that off from there and to hit him in the nose. His nose was gone. Yeah, I mean you shattered his nose at the very end of the first round and from from then on.
What a fucking fight man, I watched that fight at least ten times. no bullshit, at least awesome.
I've watched it over and over again in the gym. I would lie to tell you if I didn't watch it.
I'm and look, dude. I always pause. I always pause, no matter what I'm doing. If I'm at the gym, I pause for that last ten seconds. Just like this.
Like, how is this real? How is this real? You got that jump, spinning back, kick down, dude. You got it down in the most unusual way, which is this hot back and then throw it like Raymond Daniels.
Does that really even you like? back in the day? What was the video game? and and I started looking at swing back kicks? I, there's a clip of you hitting a fucking kill in the back.
Oh, yeah. I was like, what the fuck do we get fight? I was like, what the hell is going on? This guy kill you with spinning back kick.
There's only one clip of me in a taekwondo fight. It's me not gonna do that with a spinning back kick, Holy shit, I'm flying. It was, but it's the same exact move the guys moving forward and I just jump and spin at the same time. It was the same move because I was like in the air when I landed it. That's great.
That was my favorite thing to do. So when I see a guy like you doing it from up close and I know You learned how to fucking strike from video games, which is so quick when you told me that the first time I was like what? I thought oh, we went to like a traditional karate school, and then he starts studying more time when he was 10.. No,
No, I saw cool stuff happening in the game was a cobra We could put this together in real life. and that, bro, Dustin, we never have striking coach, you know, I didn't have Ivan yet. and then, after their Connor fight is on, Ivan, I'm in Florida during my camp. so, and then with him, without bro, Ivan is a genius. like he's like real, like he really he like.
he loves the basic stuff. but then when I try to tell him or Short and fancy stuff, or I see Muay Thai doing shit like sweep the leg and my elbow and stuff, or whatever It's like it's crazy. You know, like even even this fight week, bro, like, if you watch the fight a bunch of times, I'm doing this a right kick. I do this right kick and then I just step over on my right hand or get sketchy. Yes, I just saw.
we saw that like we practice, that I threw that a bunch of times and out of fights. But then, like two weeks before the fight I, he sent me a clip on Instagram. Oh, look at this, watch this and was. I forget who it was? But the guy, the way, the Muay Thai guy, was right kicking.
He set up with a right low kick. next one right low kick right over him, like hurt and kills guys, But he's like downing guys with it. and I was like, holy shit. We know, we know Justin likes to like stay there after kicks to to throw. So I was like brother.
This is gonna work on Justin. So we just kind of added in our game. I told him, bro. I think I'm gonna throw this in the fight. He's like, yeah, let's practice it, you know.
So I haven't. I haven't. floors. is the man, bro. He's man.
You have an amazing camp.
All my coaches. the man really do have an amazing, amazing group of people, but you also. it's the argument that a lot of guys have been making that a smaller camp is Maybe better for some athletes because there's a lot of guys who want to go to, like ATT. But you know the guy like. I talked to Jim Miller about this and he said that he really started improving Much more when he concentrated on himself and had a smaller camp and he stopped teaching.
Yeah.
And at the end of the day, these big camps, you know, like even even in Vegas, bro, Like, I hear everybody going to Vegas and training, Training and, and like bro, like one of the guys out there, was time. It's like the wild west. So, like, how do you get better? every day? You're going to train and just knowing I might fight this guy, I mean, I might, I might have to fight this guy.
You know, like I have, I have guys, my weight some, some guys, my weight in my, in my class and and I told him, brother, like, I would tell him like, if we ever got to the point where we vote in the UFC, We're fighting for freaking a lot of money. Like you, better sign that damn contract. We don't kill each other here, But you, my brother, you know, we don't kill each other and stuff for free. You'd be stupid as hell to not take a fight against me in the UFC or whatever. But that's different from going to a big gym and like yeah, and and actually being worried, like I'm not worried, You know, if we fight, we fight, but like some of these guys, you go in there and fighting your your life.
It's like a fight every day of the week and that shit is gonna fucking like a mentally brother That is gonna beat you down every day, going like, oh my god, I'm fighting for my life here. Oh my god, bro, I feel, I feel fight it like everybody can again not call me a liar and whatever. but, bro, in the fight I'm nervous as hell in the back. Oh wait, with the Justin fight. Um, this last one.
I was telling people I was like What the fuck am I doing here? Why am I fighting, Justin? What the hell are you doing? max? You know, like I'm not even lying, I'm in the back.
I'm in the back thing like, fucking, like. what are we doing? You told you told me, this is the last time. what they're like now, you and you see 300 be a fucking a million people. Gotta buy this pay-per-view.
What the hell are you doing? And then, as soon as the the lights come on, I started hearing my song. That's when it changes, you know. Then it's like it's school time is like. nah, max.
You can't be fucking working McDonald's, making this much money. Let's go get this paper.
You gotta own McDonald's if you're making this much money, brother, you know shit.
Multiple McDonald's with the next one. Yeah.
That was it, you know, so you guys switch, Flip the switch. and then I know a lot of my coaches They didn't know my walkout song was funny because they was like is he gonna do it? Cuz, there's waiting for me to walk up to Israel. song, right? Come on, Can we go on this?
Are you gonna do it? is gonna do it. and then we walked it to Hawaiian Hawaiian Superman. Maui Hawaiian Superman. So I loved it, but I think it was perfect.
They made the. you was out there in the crowd. I don't know if you could see. I owe you on your screen. They made it look like the ocean, bro.
They made. they made me look like it was the ocean, and that the way we had to turn in our song so early, bro. So, like usually, I can turn in my song like the week of the fight or a week before the fight. walk out song. But Heidi hit us up like eight, six weeks out.
It's like hey, We need you guys walk out song now because we're trying to do something. and then that was what they did. They, the lights. that was on the chairs that all the guys had. they made it.
They made it go to the song like they may mind and look like at the ocean. So it was like wavy. But then Justin one was sick. cuz, like every time the beat hit the lights on, the stuff went up, But like whatever, I was like, whoa, that's cool. So what was Justin's walkout song?
I I forget, but it was a really good song, but I liked it. It was a really good song.
Yeah, that's some banger walkout songs, man, but pull it on when that motherfucker walks out.
He's the scariest motherfucker when he walks out. cuz he stands there, he walks out like this
He throws a couple.
He doesn't want to, bro. So, you know, what is funny, you know, I don't know if you ever watch that kid of like he mimics, like he mimics fights. Yeah, fighters, He had a kid, so he was at the press conference, bro, and the whole fucking press conference. I've seen him and he's trying to one, two, three For the whole time. he got busted from from a security guard to sit down, But the whole time that I watched him, he was throwing it.
I was like, but I get it.
Have you said Mighty Mouse to everybody? No, no, no, Mighty Mouse. There's a video.
Yeah, I caught. I called him on. I said, why didn't you make mine? He's like, oh, I got you.
I got your next one. Yeah, he could do everybody. Yeah, he's good. But he's. he mimics everyone's style.
He does Khabib. He does Connor. He does a pseudo. He does everybody. He's a beast.
Mighty Mouse is the goat When I say, when I say the best martial artist that I've ever seen in terms of like, the expression of martial arts.
He's my favorite. If you don't have him, if you don't have him on top of your, your, your MMA, Rush, Mount War, whatever. Yeah, Mount Rushmore, Mount Rushmore. Yeah, I think of my son when I said rush, Mount Rushmore, But if you don't have him on it, you're just a hater. Yeah, you have to be a hater.
everybody, everybody keep talking about like, even that like. everybody keep talking about like, oh, he's only 125. No, no, no.
See it blinks.
What is that? I had this thing going? oh, so, here's my show, the Mighty Mouse one, because that was, that's incredible. So here's Mighty Mouse pretending to be so who'd? oh So, they switch about strickland.
It's crazy.
McGregor. that is good. Oh my god. It's amazing.
Mighty Mouse. he does Adesanya too. Oh, look at this. Wow, You hear Uri Prohaska's talking about going down to 85? Is he?
Yeah, he apparently didn't cut any weight for that fight.
Yeah, yeah, me name is managed by the same guy, and that's what I heard too. He's a wild boy. Oh, oh, did you not see that? He was outside of UFC 200.. Yeah, at four o'clock in the morning.
Yeah, Yeah, yeah, I started choosing on T-Mobile. Yeah, and the fans are looking scared as hell.
That dude's real.
He's so cool, bro. He's so bro. Did you not see? he just freaking wandered? You know, he's the other one that wanted to do any bonus.
right then this first post. I'm back home. I'm in my hut.
Like he actually lives in that hut in the forest. Yeah, bro.
He works out punching trees, dudes out there throwing front kicks at trees and shit.
The guy. the guy is unreal bro. The guy is unreal bro animal.
He's in there cuz Rockets was putting it on him, man, and he was just melting Rockets. There's some big dudes.
I like all fight. week when I, when I went to the PI, Rocket, was me racket and heel, and these month, bro. These guys are big guys, but I'm like, holy shit, Big.
Yeah, they're huge in URI at 185. be terrifying. He's got such a crazy style, man. I mean, there's no one that fights like that guy. Like, if you saw his silhouette, you'd be able to tell instantly.
That's pro Oscar. Yeah, he does have hands down chin forward, you know the fucking crazy hair. Yeah, he's samurai bun, right? He's.
He, he just a samurai spirit, but it's, it's not a facade. No, he, really a lot of guys think so. Yeah. No, he's like And he's a really bro. He's a really nice guy.
Like you. ever talk story to him. Yeah, I've talked to him, bro. He's so nice. He's very nice.
He's very quiet. Mm-hmm. Like he's a. his tone is very. I'm good brother.
Yeah, like, like bro. He's almost like. he's like the guy that you call to go kill somebody for you. He hit man, you know, he's like. I need him, man.
Okay, brother.
Yeah, exactly, Exactly. So. that fight was a wild fight, too. It's like there's so many fights that got lost. the the fight, your fight, especially that knockout, was so crazy that people forgot that you fucked Justin up the first part of the fifth round.
like I kind of Forgot about it until I watched it again. I was like, oh, yeah, Yeah.
Almost heard him, but you know, oh, you heard even, even, even even when I caught my dad, you know, and You're gonna love this one. But then I, I went like this. and then, when I was, when I was flirting on me, everybody in every round, every time I heard Um, I'd come in, I'll do a little bit, and if it didn't put him down or hurt him more, I just backed off. cuz everybody's like, why is he not attacking? Why is he not attacking?
I'm like brother. Every time I heard him, he had the craziest look in his eyes. And one time he said let's get it on. So I was okay, you know, I was like, I'm okay, brother. I'm here, I'm gonna keep picking you, you know He did.
he did well, just like he did have the craziest look in his eyes, brother, It was. it was crazy. Like I'd heard. I was like, why are you even standing, bro? You know like.
and then I just think, yeah, you're right. You're Justin Gaethje. Yeah, you're a freaking highlight, you know.
So he said the wildest shit before the fights, and I don't make plans after my fights. Yeah, plan on being here.
Yeah, when I saw that, I was like what the is this guy human? Yeah, I mean, how the hell did he get led into Wakanda? It's not very Wakanda mindset, you know.
Oh, There's one thing that has come up that I think we probably should talk about, and it's the pajada Jamal Hill knockout, uh-huh, And it is, it's an interesting thing that was brought up and I didn't think anything of it at the time, And then I watched it again. I was like, hmm. There's kind of a point there, and the point is, Jamal accidentally hits him low. He like kicks him in the hip and Herb Dean comes in to stop it and then
Super gangster thing. but in the meantime Jamal has stopped and relaxed after he threw the kick. He gives him a thumbs up like you, cool, and then pay. it doesn't pay, it advances, and then Herb is to the left. Yeah, so it's like he can't even move too much to the left and all of a sudden he's on him and he hits him With that left.
Yeah, and I think Jamal saying I would have never let him that close to me, Yeah, if it wasn't for that nut shot, and I didn't know exactly what was going on. So Herbert stopped it. herb is out of his field of vision. herb is over here. So when Herb's doing this, I don't know what he said.
I don't know if let's see, we can watch it. cuz he stayed, he stayed, I think so.
I think so I know what you're saying, cuz even they're like. he stands there and like, kind of like, Like half, half like touch gloves, with him, right? And then like and, and Alex is like using a touch glove to step in, see it, and then Alex chose the left.
I like. steps on his foot. Yeah. Yeah. steps on his friend.
That's the old. That's old boxing Ship.
So he steps on his front foot and then hits him with that left hook from hell. his left hook is a crazy weapon man.
I did that thing. don't even look hard. It's crazy. Tell me not. it just looks like.
and then, when did you not see the Joke that it sent down his body? He, he almost did a. Was he the one that knocked out Johnny Walker? Yeah. Yeah, He almost did the.
Johnny Walker like his body like kind of extended. It was kind of crazy, crazy. It is a glancing blow, glancing, brother. It was like it was even a hook, was like a.
shovel hook? Yeah, like a Mexican hook. the way he lands it, man, He's like you. don't give a shit about the fight that he got before he fought in the UFC. Did you ever see that one?
No, is the most vicious left hook knockout of all time? Oh, he hits a dude with a high kick. The guy blocks it. He steps, the guy stabs, whack He just cleanly his. you know, he's got that long frame.
He's so long and there's all this torque and he just torques his whole body and whips across. It sounds like a like a baseball bat hitting a watermelon. just whop, and the dude just drops face.
How are people just have that kind of power? Right? His power is crazy. He punched that the machine.
191.
With a roundhouse kick. I got to 152. that's crazy. But the difference between that and 190 with one day here it is, yeah, He clips it. No, let's, but let's back it up again, because let's make the argument.
Let's see what happens. So go all the way to the nut shot. So here's the nut shot. So now I watch, watch Jamal, Jamal stops, watch his legs. His legs lock up.
He's relaxed. He gives a thumbs up. We cool, we cool, and he touches herb. So now they're back at it. So look at his stance.
He's ready. Yeah, hey, hey, that has never relaxed. so this time has gone on with. this is a little. we're doing it in slow motion, Right, let's do it in real speed.
So here we see this.
So You know, the fight had restarted. The fight I restart, but would that have, with that position, have taken place if it wasn't for Jamal relaxing?
Yeah, you giving him the thumbs up. So, you know, like not his fight. So my fight, the number one thing, When I was going with Justin, was just beyond all the time, right, like just fucking max, that I was just in the back. Tell myself, mentally, physically, you need to be here every fucking second, right? Every millisecond, brother, which is a crazy thing.
Could you one once one millisecond off lights can turn off max. You need to be on. so that was the main thing that I was telling myself. the whole fight. You know, like with that like, if I was in a situation I don't go, fuck what the I would have fucking.
I would have told her, being the motherfucker, We going like I'm gonna be like, come on. I would have been ready, you know, like it's, protect yourself at all times.
You know, there is a weird Millisecond where no one knows what's going on. Yeah, and when pajera is still moving. I bet it is it. look at payda.
He's that millisecond. He's still like he's gonna born area. So watch it again. Watch it again.
so the low kick and then, as Jamal Stop it, go all the way from the beginning. watch this. So when Jamal lands the kick, He touches him and then he makes look at the distance. each closes.
Distance but back it up again. So you see the distance that Jamal's maintaining initially. then he throws the kick. now watch this. They pause the ball, thumbs up.
But pay, it has closed the gap. now right there. Yeah, look how close he is. He's closed the gap a lot more than Jamal probably would have. let him know.
It's a mistake by Jamal. protect yourself at all times. But also it does seem like there's a moment of confusion. there is there is because he does close that distance. he does Significantly, it's like a double step.
watch it from here to there. Yeah, he hops in. Yeah. Yeah, look right there. Hop up.
Yeah, and you're in the danger zone. Yeah, that's fucking Kenny Rogers or Kenny Loggins, high way to Danger zone. Oh, yeah, and so once he does that that little hop in, he takes advantage of that moment to close the gap.
The left hook is so clean, bro. Look at this. So he doesn't stop when herb stops him.
He closes, that when he puts her to us. He closes because this is and then.
Yeah, yeah, doing that.
Watch it this. Yeah, so he touches it. you hop, close the distance while Jamal's legs are straight. Yeah, so Jamal gives him the thumbs up and perheta had a double hop.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and and and Jamal didn't know. Yeah, this is a this is a real moment now.
I'm not making any excuses for Jamal, and Jamal can take a loss as good as anybody and after the Paul Craig fight He's like I fucked up. He got me. This is it, but he's got a point here. It's it's not a perfect point Because they had engaged again. Yeah, I know what you hate.
I had closed that gap to a point where Jamal was not letting us do that early.
But but then again, like, you know, playing devil advocate, you know, nothing. my love for for Jamal, but fuck, bro, You need to be locked in there, you know, like you're fighting, and another dangerous man, the man across you, that you know You each other. you guys land one good shot. You guys both can put each other away. It's like I Don't know, bro, because at the end of day, it's a mistake on his part With her like it sucks.
You know, I like. how much times do we hear? Our?
African judge or even a ref, screwing up the fight, you know, I mean, so it's like you need to, like Anybody fighters amateur level, pro level, the best fighters in the world, whatever it is. Don't, don't, don't put it in these guys hands, man. I mean, it's it's easier said than done, but don't leave it, you know, like it's. just Be aware, you know, like you do have a third man in there. They are supposed to be looking out for you, But how much time do we see?
was sometimes it? that's just not the case, or it's just too early, you know. so at the end of the day, Fuck it sucks. But what you gonna do there? you know, I mean like all we're gonna do is we're gonna have this kind of talks and Arguments and he's gonna have arguments and stuff, and nothing's gonna get changed.
Here's the question like what is the protocol when a referee steps in and says stop?
With him. tell him stop. the protocol should have been like, okay, separate, Okay, whatever, go back to the middle, like you push them against the cage, whatever, and we saw you hop. Okay, you want me to stuff back up a little bit? Let's let me go.
He needs to go in the middle of them and be okay, fight, right? You can't be like get stopped and then you moves off to the side. Okay, fight, fight to here, because if, if, if what's his name, Jamal couldn't see him, I can understand, like in his peripherals, like he's just focused, you know, And it may be stuff stays fight, and I'm just focused on you, like, okay, what's going on, you know, right?
There's there's definitely an argument that if you're going to do that and you're going to stop the fight Momentarily, even if you're gonna restart, you have to understand that the momentum is stopped. things have changed, and if one guy does this and hops in during that time, you kind of have to step and Separate them and then engage. so he does the engage, he goes off to the side. but now the argument against that that I've heard is that this happens all the times, where fighters get kicked and the Referee says hold on the fighters. I'm fine.
And then they let him keep going. so maybe That's a good argument to that. Jamal should have been more prepared, But it seems like he had actually told them to stop, and that's when Jamal did. So it's like or excuse me, Alex to this. So is that up to the fighter?
What are the rules? Yeah, what other moment like when the referee says stop, are the fighters allowed to say no, I'm fine, or are they supposed to address the referee and say I'm fine. Is it time? Yeah, it's time, and he puts his hand up. and now where's herb D heard herb D moves away.
Jamal does not have eyes on him. Yeah.
Jamal does it, but Alex is much closer to them, to him, Yeah.
Much closer and nobody. but look at the angle that he takes to, like Alex's, as you speak, He's cutting off the cage. Yeah, he's kind of right here. You can see him to his right to cut off the cage, and herb is right. Yeah, Jamal's.
Yeah, look at that. That was.
Yeah, it was beautiful, beautiful, that's crazy. He's a monster. Yeah, that guy's a monster. I was telling everybody about that guy when he was in glory. I remember when they were saying he was coming over to the UFC.
I was like I told DC I go, dude, Get ready for this motherfucker. Yeah, this motherfucker puts people into orbit, brother. He's got crazy power, brother.
the wormholes. bro. Universes, different universes. you wake up on the other side. He might have Actually, you know, so we're talking about Kanda.
He might be like a doctor, strange guy. He might have the ring on. brother, look underneath his glove or something. That's what's happening, bro.
Well, what he is is a real Amazon warrior. like that's his genie, his gene. Yeah, you see him, bro.
You see him, go back to village. Yeah, we're all painted up and stuff like like a leopard. Yeah, bro guys, a G bro.
He's a real deal. He's a real girl. He's a man. How the fuck was he ever making? 185 is the big question.
and how much do you think that compromised his chin when he went?
You know, you know what is crazy, you know, here's the walk.
Bro, that shit is terrifying. Look at his eyes, man.
And everybody just love. and he told Jamal, when I make my walk in, then you'll think about all these things. you said yeah.
I did.
Ha and the whole audience yells out haul with them.
Look at Jamal, though. He caught that. Did you see it? and the other angle? He caught the arrow.
He broke it.
Yeah, I was cool. Jamal was telling me when I talked to him about. he said he feels like he was winning that fight. He said he was implementing his strategy. He was.
he landed that one good right hook in the first round and he felt like he was on his way. He felt like he was doing everything he wanted to do, not letting that dude get close. But that thing fucked him up. Yeah, I mean that there's a real. there's a real sport there.
That's right. That's a sport, right?
Like, you know, it's funny brother, you know, like, you know, that's into Jamal, whatever. but what is crazy is that when I read, when I read, I see comments, I see people talking about our fight and, Like guys like bringing up, like, oh, yeah, just imagine, imagine, if Justin didn't break his nose, It would have been a whole different family. Well, thank the Lord. I land my spain back kick, cuz it was broken.
Yeah, or just imagine if I broke my ankle walking into the freaking octagon. brother, there's so much stuff I'm like, what are you like? people are so crazy. I'm like, oh my god, like. just enjoy it.
Why can't you guys enjoy it? Why can't you guys let have other people have stuff, you know, like?
We have nice stuff. This is why we can't have good thing again. It's just losers, you know, You think Michael Jordan's leaving YouTube comments? No, it's not. it's it's winners.
don't have time for that shit. But that's also part of the game. Yeah, you're gonna have to deal with those people.
that.
Anybody could say imagine if you didn't land something that you landed, that you planned for, that you executed. That's very hard to pull off. Yeah, Spinning back, kick where you literally right in front of each other like that, and you land it to his face.
Yeah, bro, we knew, we knew. he's on duck, looking for a time, you know, yeah, it was perfect.
It was perfect and it was such a great moment on that night. night because that night was magical three.
Do you, bro? UFC three? I can't. my head is still not wrapped around it, you know, Like how you said, how do I feel? I don't know how I feel.
yet, because it's didn't, I write like right to have that to To to to to be one of the guys to it started from all the way outside of fight, brother, Somebody asked me to get the the boat wrapped around Mark Coleman. like when they asked me who I think, and I said Mark Coleman, you know, I'm like, oh, he's the guy. He did his fight, his house with his fires and stuff just happened. So like, he's the man. and then to it being UFC 300, to to us getting axle.
What about the? how much should the freaking bonuses be? and I'm freaking, screaming? Okay, okay, And that's the dust, and I'm freaking Dana, to be like 300 K. I'm like, holy shit.
and to win both the bonuses. It was this crazy. and then tab the like you said, but that's a movie, finish brought to the to hit him with over to hit The. it was like a David versus Goliath kind of kind of story, going against him, you know. And then to hit him with that overhand is like me hitting, hitting him with the slingshot, you know.
So, and the rock at the perfect place, perfect time, The perfect bro. This is UFC 300.. Nobody's a Event getting put together. This is not gonna top nothing to 400, and we don't even know it for, and he's gonna top it.
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