Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Daniel Cormier Part 2

Episode Date: August 20, 2025

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier sits down with Shannon Sharpe at Club Shay Shay for an unfiltered conversation about his legendary journey — from Lafayette, Louisiana to becoming one of the greatest fighters to ever step in the octagon. DC reflects on his humble beginnings, being bullied as a kid, arrested for street fighting in college, and even trying and failing at selling fake crack before finding his path through wrestling. He explains how his wrestling background shaped his fighting style, why his 5’10” height gave him an advantage grappling, and how his first love of boxing through Wide World of Sports laid the foundation for his combat career. Despite not going to school for media, he became one of the most respected voices in sports, proving fans want authenticity and lived experience. Cormier opens up about starting MMA at 30, fighting into his 40s because the money was too good, and joining the UFC without ever throwing a punch. He talks about cutting massive amounts of weight — even avoiding Thanksgiving seasoning to drop from 255 to 205 in just weeks — and why so many fighters struggle with drugs after retirement, chasing the high of walking through an electric UFC crowd. He even shares the secret of sleeping before fights, baffling his coaches and teammates. DC relives his iconic rivalry with Jon Jones, from brawling at their first press conference to being knocked out for the first time in his life. He recalls not remembering anything from the knockout to the ambulance ride, and Dana White sending him $1 million afterward. He details how Jones set him up with body kicks before the head-kick KO, why Jones is the most talented fighter ever but not the GOAT because of steroids, and why finding out about Jones’ failed tests felt like losing his first girlfriend. He says Jones wouldn’t beat him at heavyweight, wonders why he won’t fight Tom Aspinall, and insists Jon should fight at the White House so an American can actually win. Cormier doesn’t hold back on today’s stars: praising Tom Aspinall, calling Derrick Lewis the “Knockout King,” and saying Francis Ngannou looks like the perfect heavyweight champion. He recalls Cyril Gane being starstruck in the ring with Jon Jones, predicts Jake Paul’s boxing ceiling, and weighs in on matchups like Jake Paul vs. Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, and Mike Tyson. He even explains why boxers can’t beat MMA fighters in a street fight. On his personal Mount Rushmore, DC picks Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture — leaving off Anderson Silva and Jon Jones because of steroids. He shares why Khabib is the greatest fighter ever, how their friendship formed, and why Dagestan fighters like Khabib and Islam Makhachev are so dominant. He recalls Khabib turning down $40 million to fight again, explains why Conor McGregor’s money ruined his career, and calls Khabib vs. McGregor the biggest fight in UFC history. Outside the octagon, DC talks about nearly playing football at LSU, cornering Herschel Walker, his run-ins with fighters like Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Brock Lesnar (who he says he’d beat easily), and why he never wanted to join WWE despite the money. He also touches on his friendships with athletes across sports — from Christian McCaffrey, the Manning brothers, and Bronny James to Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Tom Brady — and whether athletes’ kids can ever surpass their famous fathers. Cormier also opens up about his darkest chapters: his biological father being killed by his stepmother, losing his young daughter in an 18-wheeler accident, and how tragedy shaped him as a father and husband. He explains how his stepfather stepped in as the best role model of his life, how he bought his mom a house, and how money changed his perspective. Finally, DC gives Shannon insight into fight preparation, the science of recovery, and competing into his 40s like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He reveals how a simple sneeze before the Derrick Lewis fight ended his career, why even LeBron could face the same fate from one freak injury, and why a fighter’s legacy can change in a single moment. From rivalries and weight cuts to family, fatherhood, and fighting for legacy — this is Daniel Cormier like you’ve never heard him before.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thank you for coming back. Part two is underway. You and Connor went back and forth on social media. But you said it's over for Connor. I mean, the money, the money that he made from Floyd, the money that he's made off his alcohol, the money that he's making now, to go back into, I mean, you're worth $300 million, to go in there and it's like, you know what, I want to get kicked in my face, hitting my face, elbowed in my face, need.

Yeah, there's no need there. Yeah. He doesn't need that. He doesn't need this anymore. Marvin Hackler said it's hard to get up in the morning when you're sleeping on sudden sheets, right? Way back in the day. Yes, yes. There are a few sayings in the world that are untrue.

Yeah. That was. Right. Like, you know that one where it's like to be the champion, you got to defend the belt? That's bullshit. Rick Flair started that. To beat the man, you got to beat the man. Yeah, Rick Flair started dead, man.

I'll beat the man that beat the man and be just as happy. Give me one belt. The moment they put that belt on you, you're the champion. But fighters have actually believed that. Connor, it's the, and he's one of the biggest superstars in the world. He can't walk into any room without everybody knowing who he is. So the access he has, how's he going to look past all of that to go into a training camp to fight? Right.

Especially if he wants to do it right. Francis and Gano He was in the UFC He left Yeah, it seems to be There's some speculation That he might be wanting to come back There was this talk about Francis

Fighting John Yep Would you like to see that fight? I would have I would have Not now I would now still Back then I wanted to

Because Francis in his last fight against Cyril His wrestling looked better But I do believe that If he fought John that's a more serviceable fight for John because John can wrestle man and he probably would just take Francis down Yeah you don't want to stay to toe with it

No and dude do you remember when he would elbow people In the back in the day like he just I think Francis would have to knock him out But Francis could knock people out man I've never seen anybody hit harder than Francis and God Yeah he got power He's got the most power I've seen in my life he'd be knocking dudes

He hit Alice to overreem in his head The back of his head touched between his shoulders He hit him with an uppercut. The back of his head touched between his shoulders as he was falling down. I've never seen anything like it. But Francis Bach's because, okay,

he tied some fury and gave him some confidence, and then he ended up fighting Anthony Joshua. He got knocked out, but he made some money. I mean... Yep. He's the only one that's actually done that and it worked out

because he was the heavyweight champ. Right. And Shannon, he looks like the heavyweight champ. Yeah. When he became the champion, I was like, okay, look at him. Now you look like you're looking at the baddest man on the plane. Yes, absolutely. You're looking like, this dude, Francongano, looks like he can walk into any place,

and you go, well, that's a dude I'm not trying to tell him. Yeah, I ain't messing with him. And he had it. So when he moved over, it worked. He was the heavyweight champ. Yeah. But shit, he dropped Tyson Fury. Yeah.

Remember he knocked him out? I thought it was over. Yeah. Man, you should, I exploded out of my chair. But then Anthony Joshua beat him bad. Right. And you saw when Joshua dropped. dropped him. The difference in a boxer and the guy that, because Francis was like this, he needed to grab him, then he got flatline.

And the thing is that boxers understand how to faint. Yep. And when he gave him that faint, when he gave him that faint, Francis went, boom. I was like, oh my God. And a boxer throwing a punch in the MMA, look, I understand that, you know, they both hit hard. But boxers is just something about that punch and where it's coming from. I mean, it's... Shannon, I went train one time in Oakland when I first started. Boxing gym. They hit you with a jab, and it's like, what the hell was that? Because they know out of punch.

Yeah. And they sit on everything. Yeah. Boom. It's not jab, jab touch. You try to take you down. Yeah, yeah. I'm just mad in there, getting my ass with... I'm like, I want, I can beat everybody up in here.

I'll start wrestling every one of you fools. They were like, pissed off. Because the dude's just putting it on you. They just put it on you. Because there's nothing you can do. Why do you fight Brock Lesnar? The WWE got him. The WWE took him back.

That was my golden goose, man. We had that moment in the ring. I pushed him. He pushed me. WWE paid him back. They were paying Brock like $6, $7 million a year, maybe $10. Right. You're telling me, Brock.

You can go fight D.C. and lose. Or you can come back here with you. Who's saying you're going to lose? I'm beating Brock Lesnar, man. I was beating Brock That was a big dude man Six coach Don't matter

Doug Shay I was beating Brock Leslie it was one of the safest fights I could have had I'm telling you

dog it's the truth it's just the truth I like Brock too he's a great guy but I watch what Kane did to her I watch how he would react to getting punched

and I was gonna punch him he would have to take me down to win the fight and I can wrestle yeah but he's not a wrestler I mean he was a wrestler but if he shoots on me

I'm going to make it so hard for him to get that takedown that by the time he gets it, he's exhausted. Now I'm up to my feet and then you're done. That's why I'm with Kane. He took Kane down. Kane got up, started kneeing him in his face. I saw Brock recently he still has that scar on his eye from when Kane knead him in the face.

Yep. Still got that big scar on his eye. Damn. It's crazy. Is it true you got a scholarship to LSU? I got like offers back then. But I had bad grades and I just was not going to college to play football. Right.

It was hard to, it was hard for me in the school that I was in to, first off, there's way too much pressure on football down there in Louisiana. Yeah, for sure. It's bad. Yeah. And we weren't very good. But, I mean, I was the Allstate MVP defensively. I was pretty much missed to everything in football because I was a good little lineback.

Right. But I was small. Right. And they were talking about me playing with cornerback or three safe, strong safety. I was like, I'm supposed to trade. How much chase Randy Moss? I mean, I didn't you, though. So, like, I'm not smart.

Right. I didn't really know the difference between strong safety is more like a linebacker. Yes, yeah, that's in the boss. But I was thinking I'm going to be chasing dudes like Randy Moss. Right. Because he was graduating the same year. I was like, there's no way. No, I'm good.

Yeah, I was like, I'm just go wrestle, man. I'm good. I did. I got an offer to go play football. You were in Hershal Walker's corner, or corner, MMA. Yes. Could Hirshund made a career out of that? Or he did what are you supposed to do?

Have one fight and move it along. Shannon, I got to tell you, man. Was he really the great? He was one of the greatest athletes, it wasn't it? Yeah, he was, yeah. Shannon, this man was so strong. But I don't think I've ever seen anybody like he was very stiff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

He had no flexibility. Oh, he was even in football? Yeah, he's stiff, yeah. Bro, he was so stiff, but when he hit you, oh, in his shape. he would like move his feet he would move his feet but they never left the ground they never left the ground bro hersch would be walking towards you like this so when this man would hit you sometimes he shock you you know how you run your feet yeah sometimes hers was shocking dudes hey and then we're in the back i swear to god it was the most

hershal walker is a different individual mm-hmm hersher walker has had some stuff in his life where it's like his anger but if you meet him you've been I'm for sure yeah for sure he is the nicest person we are all broke back in the day Herschel was staying at the intercontinental or what's the name of the hotel

downtown San Jose no but it was called something else before it was a nice one but Hersch owned a chicken company you know Hersch owned that chicken company Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah one of the biggest in the country yes he does But because of that, they serve as that restaurant down there.

So Herschel got free rooms at this beautiful hotel downtown San Jose. He would feed us all. But he wouldn't eat. He would eat one time a day, bro. He would eat soup and bread and some eggs. So I'm like, yo, this is the nicest guy ever. Multi-millionaire, rich, nice, football hall of favor. We got at the ring or in the hallway to walk and, bro, something flipped on him.

I said, this is this, this dude is dark. I was like, it's a dark son of a gun, bro. He started talking to himself, talking about, I'm going to kill this. Damn, dude, yeah, right. Talk about killing this dude. Wow. To get himself there. Right.

He went there. I was like, yo, I've heard people like talk to himself to hype himself up. Hershal was on a whole other level. It was the most intense thing I've ever seen in my life. And he went out there, he won. Wow. He was four, he was over 40. Yeah.

he was over 40 retired from football for many many years went in there did his thing and want to fight in strike force which at the time was the second biggest organization of all time but bro they see him go to that place Shannon yeah you'd be like yo this dude is crazy I look back at the other dudes I was like are y'all seeing this everybody acting normal hers was just all about killing him off hers though I killing people did you ever think about doing WWE so I thought about it right after I was wrestling but then

it's hard people talk about that stuff being fake amen it's scripted yeah but it ain't it hurts yeah oh those falls hurt you cause you gotta throw your arms back yeah so every time it's it's like it's like slapping against the ring yeah or when you run the ropes those robes they burn you like it's it's hard man and that's why you see them all break down like that yeah like they're all like they're all like messed up like their knees don't work they're they're like football players than us. Y'all got it hard. Yeah. Football's hard, man.

The wear and tear on the body is crazy. And so is M. M.A. in wrestling. I'm one of the lucky ones. I feel like I got out pretty clean. Right. Derek Lewis. Yeah, backbeas. Bro. He's coming

there to do one thing. You already know, he ain't trying to take you down. He tried to kick you. He didn't try to knee you. He didn't try to elbow you. He tried to knock you out. He tried to knock out. The knockout kick. That's it. He got more knockouts than anybody in the history of U.S. He hits hard. I fought him. He hits hard. When he hit me, I was

holding his leg up. Yeah. And he just kind of went like this. And it skimmed down my eye. Next day, I woke up with a big old black eye. Wow. He kicked me. I had knots all in my out, my forums. He was tough. But he knocks these dudes out, man. He knows exactly. Hey, yo, did you see him a couple weeks ago? Did you see his poor wife in there, man? Did you see her? Did you see his wife? She was in there so embarrassed. There's a camera pans to her.

I'm in there interviewing this man. I'm like, this dude, Derek, I'm about to say some crazy stuff. And I go, what do you want to fight next? Like, what do you want next? He looks over at his wife like this. There's going to be a lot of grounding pond going. I was like, boy. And she got to stand there and try to stay composed,

knowing that Derek's out of his mind. But you were the first man to submit him. I did. Yeah. He couldn't wrestle. It was why I fought him. They called me three weeks before the fight to fight him. Right.

And, uh... You're like, sure. Yeah. Easy money. Yeah, I knew. I knew he couldn't wrestle, so I knew. And his, uh, his cardio. And if I can extend him, he would get tired.

Right. But yeah, just, if you couldn't wrestle, like I was fighting you. Yeah, but you got to get past those three rounds because you let him get you in the first round. Yeah, he hit you and knock you out. Yeah, he got it. But I just shot on him right away. Right. Right, because he was so inexperienced with his wrestling that I,

I, like, backed him up and just grabbed his leg. Right. That's one thing I learned fighting the heavier guys. Yeah. They don't balance well on their feet. Right. So I would just kind of move around until they fell down. Wow.

Learn something new. Who's the hardest puncher? What's the hardest puncher? What's the hardest punch you've taken? Who hit you? Probably Dan Henderson. That little dude, he was like, he was made of concrete. Damn. Hendo.

He hit so hard. He hit me. He was on his back. Mm-hmm. And he hit me. and he knocked out one of my bottom teeth I had to go to like an emergency dentist on Labor Day, a Memorial Day

after he hit me from the bottom. He hit hard. Even from him close, he would just and it was just crazy. Obviously there are things that you can't do but are there dirty things that God, you know, you're not supposed to eye gouge somebody and you're not, obviously you can't buy it or you can't do certain things, but if there's certain things that guys do that the rev can't see i always had a trick where when i would get on top of them i'd always

cover their mouth i would literally try to smother them damn dc yeah i know nasty josh bornet that's not dirty it's like i'm just trying to like josh bornette would like always like kind of if you let him go behind you his hand was going like yeah yeah yeah them dudes they they try to do his life they're trying to his life at death out there shannon his life He's like, I saw, hey, I fought Josh Barnett. I was trying to take him down. He was elbowing me. Boom, boom.

Cut me wide open here. First fight I'd ever had a black eye. He need me in the eye. Cutting my head open. When I was a kid, I was playing football with the older kids. One dude, clothes lined me, broke my collarbone. Yeah, it was bad at the park. I walked to my mama house because I'm trying to be tough.

I'm a young kid. I can't cry. So when I saw my mom, I fall on the ground. They put me in the cast, broken collarbone. I fought Josh Barnett. My mom passed in 2022. When I fought Josh Barnett, I had won my first big world title, Strike Force. I was bloodied, man.

My eye was open, everything. They put stitches for the first time. I walked into the hotel, and I'm good, taking pictures, everybody. Oh, champ. The moment I saw my mama. I start crying like a baby man. I felt I'm in her lap like a seven-year-old kid again. Please make me feel better.

Right. That's how nasty he was in there, dude. He was elbowing, he was grabbing me, he was doing everything he could to just like inflict pain on me. He does that. Jones does that. Certain guys just no matter where you are, they're just trying to hurt you.

Right. And like that's a, yeah. But you got to be so well-rounded to do this thing now. Yeah. If you aren't, you're screwed. Look at Ilya to pour you. He's a monster. He's a monster.

He's one of the best fighters of all time, and he's only fought eight times in the UFC. Wow. These guys are amazing. What does it feel like to knock someone out? What does it feel like to get knocked out? And I know exactly what you're saying, because I've been knocked out.

And I can't remember anything. I don't remember driving to the stadium. I don't remember what I had to eat. I don't remember anything. I just remember looking up at the school board and asking my teammate, Rod Smith, I was like, we call him Putz. I say, Futz, how do we get to leave?

Because I don't want to laugh, though. No, no, but I'm like, how do we, because I just remember like we were losing before this happened. And now it's the fourth quarter, and I'm like, what happens if we win this game? He said, boom, we go to the Super Bowl. I was like, yeah, yeah, we go to the Super Bowl. But it's a funny feeling.

to get knocked out because you really don't remember anything. Hey, my coach told me, that's just bad. I'm laughing because my coach told me, was that the last time you asked him? You probably asked him again. No, no, that was, I was like, no, you probably asked him again. I started jumping up and down on the side.

I let him get out. Because we over have 14 with like three minutes to go and we got the ball. This dude, so I get knocked out, right? That was John when he kicked you. When John kicked me and he hit him with the follow-up shots, right? The only time I'm knocked out, I'm crying, right? Yeah. I go to my corner, I ask my coach, I say, what happened?

He tells me. I break down crying, right? Yeah. Rogan interviews me. As we're walking out of the octagon, I look to him and I go, hey, what happened? He tells me, I break down crying. He told me I did that seven times. He had to keep explaining it to me, and then every time he explained it,

I would have the exact same reaction, like it was the first thing. first time, I heard that shit, man. That's bad. Yo, Jenna, that's bad. He said he told me seven times. And then I'm in the, I'm in the ambulance, because they're trying to give me the ambulance, I'm refusing. Right.

Finally, I get in the ambulance and I wake up. And I was present, like, nothing had happened. I was like, I lost. They were like, yeah. Yeah. He lost. I was like, God, damn it. I swear to God, I woke up and I woke up

in the, and I'm an ambulance. It was like, and realized like, I lost. Did you not, because obviously, so how did he set the head kick up? It was, it was beautiful. It was beautiful, man. It was beautiful. He kept body kicking me. That's what he did in the first fight too.

And I kept check. I kept blocking. I kept blocking. But then in the second round, I was fighting good. First round, real good. Second round, real good. So now I'm feeling good because I feel great. My cardio is great.

Yeah. Third round, but the whole time he's just kicking me in the body. third time he tries to kick me in the head and the third round was one of the first attempts and I was like nah nah but then he actually gave me one that looked like he was going to the body

and so I did this and you're supposed to lean yeah right you're supposed to kind of lean to kind of take some of the impact off but when I leaned he was not going low he was going high caught you

boom right on the side of the head so then I started doing the chicken dance right like you know when your legs Yeah, give up, yeah. And this is where, and this is why I can't stand this dude. Because somebody else that's not as good would have let me off the hook. Right. Because I was still there.

And again, that's me. Football neck, big neck, you know, short neck. Yeah. Can take, most people just fall down from a head kick like that. I was still there. So I'm like doing this thing running away from him. You know, he kicks my leg to spin me. Yes.

Yes, I remember. So he kicks my... Kick your leg out from... Yeah, so I spin. Yeah. It's like that shit, you put the kids where they go serve and serve you're drunk. Then you don't know where you're at. When I did that, I fell.

And that was it. I couldn't, my body was gone. Right. But like, if I was on my feet, I might have been able to grab him. I might have been able to hold him. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon,

Megan Rapino to the show. and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete?

The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk.

We've got more incredible guests, like the lead. legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. I'm Jake Hofer, and this is Back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode, I'll be asking eight wide-tail hunting pros, a focused, thought-provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm

with less than ideal access? Should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand. Listen to Back 40 on IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Dan. He's Ty. Hello.

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make sense of all the chaos, and, of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. We don't just love college football, tie. We live it. Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Behind the Flow, a podcast.

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you get your podcasts. By the shot, I would have done something, but because he's such a great finisher, he kicks my leg out from under me. So then I spin, and when I spin, I'm like seeing all these lights and all of a sudden your body starts falling. It was like a kid trying to hit a pinata.

It was crazy, man. Then I fall on my stomach. Of all times in my world, to fall on my stomach. Like fall on your back to where you could see him coming, maybe get my feet up to try to block him. But instead, I fell on my stomach, and then he jumped on me and started finishing. And I know this from watching it.

Right. So you watch, when you lost that fight, you watched it over. Not for a long time. I didn't watch the fight. I, but it's on highlights and stuff. Right. The UFC don't shield us from the, if you lost, if you lost, you're going to see yourself getting beat at some point.

Right. That's why when Steve A fought, it was the worst. The whole week I'm just out there. I was like, damn, did I ever want to fight? I'm just getting beat the whole time. Right. It was terrible. I mean, that, I mean, you, like you,

said, I mean, his toolbox, the way he can finish a fight with an elbow, he could submit you. He elbowed me bad. And then that back, that spinning. That spinning back, he got steep going on. He called steepe perfect. Poor Stepe, man. And he doesn't telegraph it.

Well, the heavyweights are boxing or wrestling? They're not doing all that. Right. You could tell right away when he needs Stepe, Stepe was like, what is this? They're kneeing now? Normally a guy is trying to either take me out of a box with me. Maybe a couple leg kicks here. there, John was hitting him with all kinds of stuff.

John hit him with knees, elbows, spinning kicks. When he hit him with that spinning kick, Steepa, you could tell, Steve A looked like a guy that hadn't fought for three and a half years and was 42. He looked and he just turned down. I was like, oh, John got him. But he is very good at setting everything up. That's why he didn't have to cheat. He did not have to cheat.

That's where my biggest issue is. You don't need to cheat. You got all that. keep that use what you have and he always get mad at me you're going to be on me now if it is I'll live I live the other day he said he lived rent free in my house

in my brain or something like that I'm like man shut up I don't care about you obviously you were there when Anderson Silver was that uh rock hole or was that uh what

Chale Sunning no when he checked him when he went oh that was Chris Wydman Wideman had you ever seen have you ever said Had you ever seen that before? I... Because it happened again,

so another fighter got checked. Hey, Chris Wyden checked Anderson's broke his leg. Yeah. Then Chris Wydenman kicked somebody else and he broke his leg. Weidman kicked a guy named Eariah Hall, broke his leg.

So the same thing that happened to Anderson, Chris did it to himself. I can't watch it. Did you watch it? I watched it. Can you actually watch the... I can't, it looked like his leg. Yeah, it's like broke half it.

Yeah. You watched it. I can't watch it. Even next to the octave... But I watched it. I was watching it live at the time. But all those replays, I was like, Joe, how did it look? Because when you see it, you're like,

damn, that looked. And then he's like, you try to, you know, you try to balance yourself. And you just, I'm like, damn. Look like his leg, bro. Yes. Dude, I had to ask Rogan and Annick. I'm like, did it break?

Did it break? Did it break? They're like, oh, it broke. It was like, do not watch it. That was a throw up. I mean, because you guys know how to check because it's called, you know, you check.

You check the kick. Yeah, you put, you either lean into it or you pick your, you pick your knee up. Right. And what they were doing were kicking on the inside. That's why when you kick on the inside, they just turn their knee in. Right.

If you kick too hard, man, you break your leg. That's why I don't kick too much. Hey, that's why I was on that boxing, just like everybody else. What's the worst injury you sustained in the fight? In a fight, just more damage like facial stuff

like black eye cut out cut face I never got hurt really bad in fights but in training ribs torn ACL uh torn ACL ribs

I tore some sort of a this this ligament in my shin one time kicking uh broken broken hand like I couldn't I couldn't punch

I didn't know how to punch like remember he's had this idea that Floyd had like braille hand Yes. That was me. Like, I broke my hand five times when I started fighting.

Wow. Every time I would land right, I would break my hand. So then I have a doctor, Carl Stimm, he did a great job with my, with this, and it never broke again. He put a plate with like eight screws because it just kept breaking. But when knocking someone out, you don't feel nothing. You literally don't feel anything. If you knock them out with a punch, yeah.

It's like sometimes you feel and it's like that loud impact. When you land the right way, sometimes, it's like you don't even punch him. It's like you go right through him. But you know it. Well, they fall. They fall. When I hit Steepa with that one that put him down to become the double champ, I had just thrown that punch so many times.

And it just so happened to hit him and he went down. I didn't even feel nothing. Yeah, like with Usman called the dude. George Osbadol. Yeah, Jose Masma. Yeah. Yeah, when he called him with... His chin went all the way.

I was like, oh, my goodness. Mazzvedo was mad at me one time because I... I was on NFL, NFL live, and I said, uh, with a mug, when you... You called the mug. Yeah, I put him in the concussion pro call, though. He got to go in the tent because his chin went all the way back there. Yeah. He went down bad.

That was... Camaro punched through him and he just crumbled. Yeah. That was nasty. Camaro looked good coming back. Let me ask you this. When you saw Anderson Silver, he could box a little bit,

but he fought Jake Paul. See, I have a problem with all that. I don't know how you all feel. I don't know how you guys feel about the Jake Paul Anderson, the Jake Paul. I was wanting to see a fight boxers. Boxes that's his age. Yes.

I don't think that's asking too much. No, Mike Tyson. Yeah, Mike Tyson's, what, 60? He beat up on Mike. Mike's 60, man. Right. Mike did make like 27 mil, so I get it. Yeah.

60 years old. I want Jake Paul to fight guys that... He said he wants to fight Canello. Canelo fights 154 or 160. That's one of his best weights. He'll fight heavy a cure. He fought the guy at 175. Yeah.

And got beat. Bivel, yeah, but like, it's like, fight, Jake weighs 210, 215. Yeah, but I mean, so that means he'd be a heavyweight. Yeah, he's like a heavyweight. And he said he wants to fight Anthony Joshua. that he's if he fights Anthony Joshua everybody's wish and dream

of him getting finished will come to fruition But I think the thing is He's better now Yeah Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah No he takes it serious He can fight

You can appreciate that You can tell that he spends time in the gym You tell that he has serious coaches And he's taking this craft serious He ain't just getting in there And people like oh it's just He's a YouTuber No he ain't

He's a box No no no no no no no So Jake Paul's a millionaire Yeah. Jake Paul's not training at the local YMCA. No. He's got real coaches on salary. He got real coaching.

He's got high-level coaches. Yes. And he lives to box now. Yes. Even boxing seriously now, so he should be able to compete. Yes. He's a boxer. He's not that same kid.

That's why I keep telling those MMA guys. Every time they tell me, I got a chance to fight Jake Paul. I'm like, man, don't do it because. He boxed. He's a boxer. You're not a box? No. Like my friend Ben Ascran.

Yeah. Ben went and fought and Ben should have never. fought him. Yeah, no. Because he was going to get, Ben never could wrestle. He could never box. No. He's a wrestler. Tyrone Woodley. I was so sad when Tyrone Woodley kept losing to him. I love T. Wood, man. And I was like T. Wood. Well, you don't see the butt

dead luck. You don't see the punches, bro. You're not, that's not what you do. That's not what we do. I can't box these guys. No. He tried, Jake Paul tried to mess with me for a while until I went up to him in Orlando. I said, I don't play like these kids. I said, stop playing with me. His body

go. I said, I'm going to slap you, too. I said, I don't play like that, man. Don't leave me alone. I swear to God. I was at the commentary desk, yeah. I'm sitting there. He in the back making faces at me. I took my head set off. I put it down. I got up, walked right to way he was in the stands. I point right in his face. I said, man, I don't play. Leave me alone. I said, I'm not doing children that you're messing around with. I'm not going to play with you. Leave me alone. His body goes, yeah, I don't do nothing. I said, I'm going to slap me. shit out of you, too. Both of y'all can get it.

The security, UFC security can't get me. Because you know, man, come on. We're growing up, man. I'm not playing all that. Everybody don't play like that. No, man, leave me alone, unless you really want to fight. John Jones, I respect because he fights me. Right.

But leave me alone. I'm not playing those childish games. Right. Yeah, leave me alone. Do you think you see the guys in MMA going to fight, go in the box? For the money. For the money. They do it for the money.

Look, man. Can you blame him, though? No. No. No, no. There's only a select few people that make the big money in the UFC. Correct. It's the God honest truth.

I mean, champions make money. Yes. Lorenzo Fertito was the best. When Lorenzo Fertito was there, he would do these discretionary bonuses. Yeah. Where they would just give you money. He had an idea of when he wanted a champion to make, and he would make sure you got it. Right.

So when I fought John Jones, my contract was $85,000. I lost the first time. On Monday, Dana called me and goes, you did a great job. we're going to send you a check for a million dollars. What? Swear to God. Eighty-five and did you got... He gave me a million dollars.

They gave me a million dollars. Wow. A check for the first time, ever made that, obviously, as a wrestler. It was the first time I'd ever made seven figures. They called me and said, you did a great job. Here you go. Then I fought again. A few months later, and I had got a new contract.

Right. And it might have been 300,000. And then we sold a few hundred thousand pay-per-views. And they called me and said, hey, we're going to give you X amount of to get you back to a million dollars. Wow. They would do that, man. They were like, because that's what people don't understand.

Like, I know they're talking, well, this guy, these guys are underpaid, but it's like, when you become a champion and then you're benefiting the business, they take care of you. Yeah. But even, even the lowest boxers make are so low, bro. Yeah. Like the lower level. That makes it seem like everybody making Floyd made with the money. They're not. And they're not.

They are not all making it. that money, bro. They're making $1,000. Right. I mean, they make good look. But like you said. But the good guys will make good money. Yeah. What does a guy make that? So tank and all them dudes are getting paid right now.

They're in the millions. Yeah. But they're the equivalent of the Iliot to Porius. Right. And the Israel Adasanias. Yes. There are those guys. Right.

But as you go down, as you go down the card and you go down the pay scale, I bet it's all pretty equivalent. are very equal. So, yeah, people talk like all boxers make money. They don't. You work for the company now in the commentary. But how is it negotiating with Dana as a fighter? Or did you negotiate with you?

I've managed. I've managers. But I was always really good about that. I would stand on what I believed. You know, one time I got, he was like, that didn't happen. I was like, but it did, boss. I was like, of course it did, boss. I said,

we were negotiating my contract when I first came over and I wanted like a certain amount of money. Didn't want to do it. Dana was like kind of throwing a fit. Lorenzo goes, it's fine, we'll figure it out. And by the time I got to the airport, it was figured out. Right.

Right. And he was like, that didn't happen. I was like, it's not a big deal because I understand you have to protect your business. Right. And I have to protect myself as a business because I have a small window to happen. But then when I was retiring,

right, Hunter Campbell, who now does a lot of the stuff with the guys he calls my manager and he goes so guys what do you think same as he made his champ plus pay-per-view like yeah even though I wasn't a champ they still gave me the same pay I made as the champion

and the pay-per-view so I was like I have nothing negative to say because I've had all great experience you've had great experience with it the worst experience I had was that when he said I don't want to give you that and I was like well okay then I'll just fight

and then I won't have a contract and then we can negotiate after that and they're like uh-uh, we ain't doing that we ain't gonna let you get to Francis we ain't letting you get to undefeated heavyweight or light heavyweight with no contract where other people can start going hey we want you

right right so then eventually I just re-signed the company if Dana were to ever step down would you run to UFC that would be a dream job for anybody but of course I would love to do something if they ever if they ever trusted me with that

I would do the best job I ever could do because it's one of the greatest organizations in the world. It's one of the biggest sports organizations in the world. Yep. And they've done such a great job of building it that the job itself is just don't

fuck it up. Don't mess it up. Don't mess it up. Right. Because Dana does, what he does is he's so passionate about it. Yeah, he is. That I can't imagine the UFC without him. But if not, but Dana's stand on business now. He's standing on business. You can be his best friend, he's going to get you. He's going to put you going to walk you out the door and say,

Amen, give me a little bit. Get that a little bit. I'm running out. You can give me a little small pour right there. Yeah, hit me up. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, let me get that. That's pretty good, man.

It's great. I'm taking that bottle. You can take it. That's coming with me. No, but we'll get your address. We'll send you to your dad. My father's passed away, but. Oh, my bad.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's okay. But we make sure you, we'll make sure you take it. Yeah, you take it. Then I will drink it in his honor. I'm going to do exactly like him. My father's a show home. Yeah.

My father's had them hard days, man. Really? My pops was working the hard. Well, if you sleep in Louisiana, he grew up hard. Grew hard and working outside. My dad used to show up sitting that truck for two hours because he knew hard day at work. Got to come deal with us. Yeah.

Yeah, he probably had to help somebody drains to come in the house. Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Joe Rogan. Now, I didn't know a whole lot about Joe Rogan. I just knew him as the guy that Fear Factor. So I didn't know that. He became Joe Rosen.

Yeah. Because that's what I mean, because I love Fear Factor. And then they just got too, they just got too ridiculous with it. I just like, I can't do this no more. I mean, it was really good. The first couple of seasons was really, really good. And to see what he's turned into as a podcaster. But in the MMA and UFC, he's your Howard Cosell.

Yes, he is. He's very good. I mean, he is very, very good. I've never met a person that actually remembers more than Rogan. We go to dinner after the fights. Yeah. And he'll be talking about events at UFC 15. And I'm like, UFC 15? Was that in 2004?

Bro, we're at 300 now. You're talking about 15. He's like, I'm telling you like this. But his memory, to recall all these things, I've never seen anything like it. Right. But yeah, and Shannon, it says something when you do a job just for the love of doing the job, when you don't have to do it. Right. Joe doesn't have to do UFC.

No, he don't. With the Spotify thing that he has going on and everything. And Dana said that when he first started doing it, he did it for free. Yeah. He called a fight for free. They're like, and, you know, then they worked it out something later. But just because he loved the sport so much. And, you know, he fights.

And obviously, you know, he works at it. And, uh, but he does an unbelievable job. Yeah, he's tremendous, man. I think he does a great job. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast.

We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final. And the locker room.

I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar A.Z. Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

I'm Jake Hofer, and this is Back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eat Eater's podcast network. Each episode, I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros, a focused, thought-provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access? Should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand. Listen to Back40 on IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Dan, he's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast. College football season is here, and you know what that means. Your team is going to break your heart three times, probably before Halloween. Uh-huh, but fear not. The Solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul-crushing loss, an impossible comeback. Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous

sport. Whether you're a die-heart fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and, of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. We don't just love college football tie. We live it. Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved. San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team.

We need veteran players and we need young players. Like you're building a team from scratch. And so the succession plan of long-term success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community. When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier, and we watched Ottawa against Chile, pouring rain, just watching the fans jumping up and down. I think that was definitely a watershed moment for me.

Not only was that going to be my game, but it was going to be my life. Listen to San Diego FC Behind the Flow. Now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The job of calling the fights, and I think that he, you could tell his passion for it. Yes. And everything. I mean, you guys do so, you guys do like, I mean, hours and hours of TV a week. You got to love this too.

You do. Or you can't do it. Yeah, and you can feel it. I can see it in you too. I've watched you from afar. Yeah. And I've admired how well you've done and how you've really broke through the glass ceiling. Because there was an idea of who you were so.

supposed to be at Fox. Yeah. And then eventually you said this idea is not, it doesn't work for me. Right. And you became bigger than that idea. Yeah. And now it's like so,

I'm so happy. I don't really know you well. Right. I'm proud of you. I appreciate that. But I'm happy for what you've done and what you've accomplished because you deserve it, man.

Hard work deserves to get, uh, credit for it and I appreciate that. Yeah. Let me ask you this. What have you most learned about money? Because growing up how you grew up, um,

you know, living out $1,500 bucks a month and you got a $1,200 a lot of rent and then basically I got to eat for the next 29 days, I got to live up 150 bucks. Now that you have, you make decent money. Yep. What have you learned about it? Money's hard to keep. Money's very hard to keep.

That's what people don't understand. Money's hard to keep. You pay a lot, pay a lot of taxes, you pay a lot of other things. It just gives you an opportunity. I feel like money gives you the ability, one, you're going to be exactly who you ever wanted to be. Yes. So if a person's ugly because they have money, they always were ugly.

They just didn't have the ability to be ugly. You're going to be exactly who you want to be, and you have access to more things that you have to have. And I also learned that because you have the ability to pay for stuff, most things are free. Isn't that the craziest thing? People have the most money, they get the most stuff for free. When you are living off that $1,500, you want to go buy,

you want something you got to pay for it. But when you have the money that you have and you can pay for it, everybody's like, could you please just take this? And I just want to see you have it. Hold it. Shannon, could you just hold it? Right. And you're like,

mm-hmm. And most times you're like, I'd rather pay for it instead of hold it for you. It's like, it's just that, but also just that it gives you a free, it's freedom. It really is just freedom. Like, it's a freedom to do things

and take care of the people that you love more than anything. I bought my mom a house. Wow. That was one of my greatest accomplishment. Yes. To have her get a big house, right? And then my mom was a house.

house cleaner whenever I was growing up. So she would take us to these people's houses. And while she worked, the people were beautiful. One family I still remember to this day called the Lowe family in Louisiana, Lafayette. She'd go Monday and Wednesday there. They gave us a car. They gave us like a brand new car.

Just this wonderful family of people. I made sure she had house cleaners when she was older. So instead of going to clean people's houses, like those are the things that I'm so proud of in my life and my career. that you were able to do for your mom. I mean, you know that. You do for you.

Absolutely. It's like there are people in your life that mean more than anything. And that's, you take care of them. Finding a mate. Obviously, wrestling, you know, ain't it like they come in to lose like they beat and down your door.

I say, oh yeah, I want, I want to wrestle. Because it's not like, you know, you're not on television. It's a hard job. It's a grimy job. You moody's some days are better than others. when you found a wife, how did you know? I've had multiple.

So, yeah, you can't really, I'm not the best in love. You know what? And I tell, someone was telling me this other day, they said, Shannon, the best and worst decision. When you made the best decision, do you know it was the best decision at the time? No. No. When you made the worst decision, did you know it was the worst decision at the time?

No. You just live with the decisions you make. That's all you can really do. But you, uh, part of being great is being selfish. You got to be. And when you're so selfish, it's hard for relationships to work. Absolutely. And I think that is like probably the thing that athletes need to worry about the most.

Because. Got to find somebody that understands that. Yes. And not many people do. They don't. It's really hard. Everybody say they can be, oh, I understand. Everybody can be second until they actually have to be second.

Until also until everybody can be. second when they don't have the moment there's a comfortability to life it's like wait a minute everything that we hoped would happen has now happened now worry about but it's not done yet the job's never done no i feel like for high thinkers like you and myself to just retire could you imagine that as life you die i was like a part of you would die yes and so for me it's like I need to be chasing career. I need to be chasing. I've a worker.

Got to work. It's what I was put on this earth to do. But that can be seen as selfish. It is. Yeah. And but that's the only way you can become great. It's the only way. And greatness is not a sometime thing.

It's an all the time thing. It's an all the time thing. You don't get to be great just when you want to be great in front of people. You got to be willing to do that work behind closed doors. Yeah. But you don't never know. Anything. Your biological father was shot and killed by his second wife's. Yep. Yep. Father in self-defense. Dude. You remember that? Oh, yeah. I remember, I remember watching Thanksgiving Day of 1986. We're at my aunt's house, Marjorie. We're all sitting down. We ate. We're all watching the color purple. And, uh, My mom getting a call, and she goes crazy.

It was hysterical. I was a seven-year-old kid. I had no idea what was going on. Then they told her, your dad's just been killed. Your ex has just been killed. Your ex has been killed. She goes crazy. She has to sit down now and tell me that.

My older brother is 12 years older than me. Imagine a 19-year-old kid learning that his father's been killed. I'm at seven just crying because I don't have the greatest memories. I don't have the memories of my dad. Like the night, like your brother does. Like my brother does. But I also don't have like, Shannon, I can retain one real vivid memory of my father. Okay.

And that was we were at a truck stop because he drove trucks. Okay. That's it. That's the only real vivid memory I have of my father. But my dad, Percy, has already moved. into my life when I was three. Right. So I'm four years into that relationship with my mother.

Great. And it was just sad, man. I remember going to that funeral, and I see my dad in that casket. He's got two families, right? Because while my mom is not with him anymore, they have kids. Her reaction told me that she still loved your dad. I don't think they ever fall out of love. It's like something that they don't really let go, especially that first one.

But my mom's sitting there with my dad. And let me tell you, you know how I knew my mom still loved my dad? One time, I don't know if my dad, I don't quite understand if my dad was cheating. I don't know what it was, Shannon. But my mom took the car at a four-way stop. The other woman was driving the other car. She hit her. What?

She hit her. My mom was an angel. You better hold. My mom was an angel. Your mama playing bubble. Audrey was an angel. He's playing bumper cars and real cars, though. The cops said, why did you hit her?

She goes, that's my car too. This is my call? That's my car. I want a wrecking my record. I said, oh, my God. But it was out of little red light. It was a bump. Yeah, it wasn't like a hard hit, but she like, she hit her.

But yes. But yes, so she's, she must have still loved my dad. But yeah, it was awful. You mentioned that your stepfather, and Levine came in your life at a very young age. Yes. What did you learn from him? Everything.

Everything. Percy Benoit was, man, he was the best. He was the best. He, uh, he worked so hard. He made decisions, him and my mother, that made me appreciate them more than,

I don't know if I ever could appreciate anyone in my life. When we were like seven, eight years old at that time when my dad got passed, they decided not to take government assistance anymore. We want to make it on our own. We were struggling. But they did. They took no help.

They just made it on their own. Then they bought their first house together. And then I watched that man, get up in the morning, and he would go and work for the city of Lafayette. It was hot, man. It was 95, 100 degrees, 100 degree humidity. You know what Louisiana's like. He would take the lime and make the baseball fields.

You would cut the fields and the grass. and he would come home at 5.30. Eat real quick. And he would get a bath because we didn't have a shower jumping his truck and go to a pizza parlor and wash dishes

to make an extra 60 bucks every time he did that. And he did that constantly. And then when I got old enough, I realized more what he was doing. When the days that he wasn't going back to there, he was going to the cemetery and he was cutting it.

And he was weaving. need next to the graves to make more money. So when I got old enough, he started taking me with him. And he's like, you get $35 a month. So every time you do this, I guess I made $8 or $10, right? Because it would take us a little bit of time. I learned to work. He taught me to work.

And I think by him teaching me to work, it has defined my life. It's defined my life. I don't, I was the captain of the Olympic. wrestling team. And it's because I worked hard. They saw me. They saw me and said, I want this guy to lead our team. Is that the type of father you are? You try to be what Percy was to do to your own. That's what I try to be for my kids. I try to be present and show them. I'm working, man. I'm making a life for you guys that can be. And I hope that you see and appreciate what I'm doing. Because while I don't see the struggle. They don't see the struggle that I saw. They do see that their dad is willing to

just, I took my daughters to a photo shoot I did for Monster Energy the other day. And they were like, dad, you work hard. I was like, I wanted to give you a, just kind of see what dad does when he gets up at 5 a.m. and he's back home by 6 to make sure you guys have dinner. Right. Right. It's like those types of things, they mean the world of me. My dad was the best. You lost your daughter. I did, man. That was 18-wheel accident. Yeah, that was the worst. That was the worst.

I've had a lot of things happen in my life that, that, I try not to let define me. Like, I try not to let, like, certain things define me, like, the bad. But, yeah, that was the worst. I was 23 years old. I had a daughter named Caden Emory. And we were in college or just finishing college. So her mom was from Kaleen, Texas. And they were driving home to see her parents.

But her car didn't have air conditioning. And she was like, I'm going to put my kid in the car with my friend because they have a newer car. Right. And he got rear-ended by 18-wheel. That was the worst, right? If she was with her mom, she would have been fine, but you make these decisions at times that we think are the right decision. And it has killed her mom's life.

You know what, D.C., I was about to ask you, I bet she beat herself up. Bro. I should have just rolled the window down. She should have been with me. Yeah. Her mom's life is. It hasn't been the same, has it? No.

That girl was on a track team at Oklahoma State. went to school and she had such a big future and now it's like she's at home taking care of her mother. That losing our kid, losing our kid, like it killed her. I was able to, I was able to spin it and say that every time I wrestle, every time I fight, I have an angel sitting on the cage to watch over me. Her mom was never able to do that. It's sad, man. That was the worst thing that's ever happened because as parents we expect our kids to bury us yes we don't expect to bury a child not that young not that young man she's three and a half months old so like to put her in a casket yeah that shit sucks yeah i even thinking just thinking about it like it sucks

has it changed the relationship that you had with subsequent kids that you hold them tighter that you like you realize how just how fragile life is yeah that tomorrow is not promise Even three hours from right now isn't promised. No, I know. Yeah, it's, it's bad to the point that Shannon, at times you've got to like, you have to, I have to like, I have to like consciously try not to be as much of a like a helicopter parent. I'm trying to like, because I know how important it is for them to experience things. But it is scary. Like my son is getting older now. I just started, I let him ride his bike to the barbershop now to get a haircut.

That was something I could have never done. Like never. You're talking about a bicycle or a motorcycle or a motorcycle? No, no, like one of those electric bikes. Electric bike, okay, okay. So I let him, but I always, but I make him put his location on. The moment he leaves the house, location on. So I'm trying, dude, but yeah, it's hard.

It really has a, it really has. it really has changed me in terms of parenting. You try, you try. It's important. Like, I did a lot growing up. I had a lot of freedom. Yeah.

And it gave me a little bit of, like, street smarts and ability to adjust and make my way around life. I mean, people probably wouldn't know this about you, but you've had a, I mean, you've had a lot of death in your family, your grandmother, your cousin, you lost a child at a very young age.

people ask me because they know how close I am with my grandmother they were saying Shannon how did you get over I said you never get over it no you just get better at dealing with it yeah how have you been able to get better at dealing with loss well at 20 when you lose a kid at that age right

like you feel like nothing ever is going to feel worse but I've done I've managed to I've managed to learn how to take those things and try to make them push me forward. Okay. So with my daughter, like I had never made a United States team. After my daughter passed, I made six in a row.

Wow. I swear to God. My daughter passed in June or in May of May of 20, yes. That you didn't know. Yes. And by August, I wrestled in the world championships. first time than the Olympic Games and all the way through my mom when she passed a couple years ago obviously I don't do anything competitively more but in terms of my media careers just

gotten bigger yep because I work harder now because I know that even though I don't have to provide for her in the way that I did before I still need to work because she was proud of that work yes I want to do more TV because she watched everything right so even though she's not there watching now like I know she watched it also I try to I try to spin it that's the only way because otherwise it cripples you it does it really does cripple you like you and you like I've heard stories about you and your grandmother and it's like an all special little lady she was to you yep but yeah you don't you don't ever get over losing somebody you love that much you can't this cutting weight thing you said that and this Thanksgiving you weighed 27 yeah

And basically 45, 50 days, you were down to 204. Yep. Obviously, that's very taxing on the body. Yes, it is. Very taxing. To cut that kind of water weight, because that's not all just, you know, good weight. Yeah. And you went to arena failure at one time, right?

I did at the Olympic Games. Yeah, but I wasn't that big at the time. I was just in wrestling, I didn't have the access to the, I didn't have the access to the resources. I couldn't have done that without my, My chef. Right. I had like Tyler Minton, was working for me at the time. He, every meal, every meal, every drink, he would feed me, then he would write it down.

He would feed me, then he would write it down. I got to drink a kombucha every day. That was it. Outside of water, that's all I had. And some sort of like electrolytes stuff to make sure I wasn't cramping when I went to the cage to train. But outside of, like, that I had water and eat every meal. Here you go.

And at the right times. When I was wrestling, I would eat until Wednesday. And I just would not eat until I weighed in on Friday or Saturday. I'd go three days without anything. My Rob DeWallis will, he still does that. The champ at 135. He just will not eat. I don't, you don't have to do it that way anymore.

You don't. He's got money. But, yeah, I would. my kidneys quit on me at the Olympic Games. It ended up in the hospital. I was in a dime, man. Because they don't let you take diuretics, does it? Can't take diuretics, can't take IVs, can't do nothing.

If I could have took an IV after weigh-ins, I'd have been fine. Right. It was right before the Olympic Games that they did away with IVs. I didn't want to cheat. I didn't want to cheat. My body, dude, that was a... What's the most weight you've had to cut? So, by design, if I was fighting on, if I was fighting on Saturday,

when I showed up to Vegas on Tuesday, I probably was like 220, if it was good. But I remember one time I, in New York against Rumble and Buffalo, I was like 231 on Sunday. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations,

co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just can't replicate, you can't get back.

showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. I'm Jake Hofer, and this is Back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eat Eaters podcast network. Each episode, I'll be asking eight wide-tail hunting pros, a focused, thought-provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access? Should you, that's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand.

Listen to Back40 on IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Dan, he's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast. College football season is here, and you know what that means. Your team is going to break your heart three times, probably before Halloween. Uh-huh, but fear not. The Solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul-crushing loss, an impossible comeback.

Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport. Whether you're a die-heart fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and, of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. We don't just love college football tie. We live it. Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved.

San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team. We need veteran players and we need young players. Like you're building a team from scratch. And so the succession plan of long-term success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community. When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier, and we watched Ottawa against Chile, pouring rain, just watching the fans jumping up and down.

I think that was definitely a watershed moment for me. Not only was that going to be my game, but it was going to be my life. Listen to San Diego FC Behind the Flow. Now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. before the fight on Saturday. What? 2.31. And you got to get down to 205?

Yeah. But I was like, I was heavy. So I'd go run, lose like five pounds. You lose a lot of weight, Shannon. Yeah. And you drink a lot of water. Right. These nutritionists are so good at manipulating weight now.

Yeah. You have no idea. So like, if I'm like 217, 218, 2.20, like 220. Oh, you're in a sweet spot. You're in your wheel out. Yeah. Because now I've got that with two gallons of water in a day. Right.

right that's 16 pounds at minimum so by the time i get in that song i'm like it all comes off but it's only for a short period of time right like i'm at 204 and a half for maybe an hour when you when you rehydrate yeah what are you what are you going back up to you go rebound to what 220 25 when john jones for when i fought john jones and i was in peak physical condition yes there was nothing i could do to get over 222 like i mean literally trained there for the last four weeks of camp. Because I was so locked in. Right.

When I fought Rumble Johnson, I weighed 231 on Saturday night when I fought him the next day. Wow. I weighed 205. Yeah, I gained 26 pounds overnight. That's too much. I felt so sluggish and horrible. Right.

But yeah, I've cut a lot of weight. You lose like 10 pounds an hour, though, when you do those weight cuts. Wow. Do you feel your height? I mean, because, like, you, little, but probably your 10, under six foot tall.

I'm five, I've gotten shorter. I'm like five, ten, and a half. I've shrunk, Shannon. Have you shrunk, I've gotten shorter? Yeah, I think so, too. I think as we get older than, we shrink it. I believe I have. But when you, when you use, like, for you, I would think somebody, your height would be

ideal, is ideal for wrestling. Oh, for wrestling. Because you got a short torso, but you got long legs. Compact, yeah. and I'm good at getting close. Once I get, once I get, if I get, if I get, they say I'm sticky. Right.

If I get close to you, I'm sticking to you, like, you're stuck in a fly trap. Right. Like, seriously, it's like. So you're trying to close the distance. Oh, if I got close, you're in trouble. If I can grab you by the head, I'm punching you uppercuts. If I can grab you a leg,

then you're really in trouble. Because I had a thousand ways to finish a takedown. The moment I got your leg, you're in a lot of trouble. Yeah. Because I'm either looking to move here, left, right, up, down. It's all subtleties. There's the same thing.

So, like, Shannon, I could actually try to guard you right now, and I could not. Because even if you might not be able to run as fast as you did, you're going to give me something in the shoulders or something in the eyes. They're going to get some separation. Correct. That's me or wrestling. I'm just like here, here, here, here, and they get lost. Do you, like, it's funny, like, when you grab somebody here, because I'm watching these boxes and you're watching close up, he'll throw a punt and he put it. his hand up because he know what's coming.

And he'll do this and he'll throw that. Oh, he'll do this and he'll do that. So you know, like, if I got this, I know what he's going to do. Absolutely. I'll manipulate you to do what I want you to do. Wow. Yeah, I'll manipulate you. That's why, like, my takedown offense, I think I might have landed 50% of my

takedown's 40. Wow. They're like, dude, he only landed 40%. Like, yeah, but the first few aren't designed to take you down. Right. They're to set you up for number four, five, and six. When I really want to get you down. Then you get up in the air, I flip you, or I trip you, or it's like, yeah, it's like, it's all setups.

You mentioned boxing was your first love, though. Yep, I did. Because it's all I knew. It's what we knew. Like, they would watch, my uncles all watch the Wild War of Sports every weekend, and we'd watch, like, George Foreman clips and Baham and Ali clips, Mike Tyson. So it's like, we're watching this greatness, and it looks like us. Right. That is where the difference was.

You watch that greatness, and it's like, wow, this dude looks like he can be where I'm from. And he's making, he's the man. Right. He's a superstar. That's what drew me in the boxing. Because every story was about a kid from a tough neighborhood. Yes. He was from Michigan.

He was from Louisville, Kentucky. He was from like, just all these places, Philly. The main streets, yeah. The main streets, like, wait a minute, this looks very familiar. And look at him today. Right. So, yeah, it just drew me in, like. Bud and Canelo.

that's a tough fight I saw Bud recently he's big bud big and you fake yeah he's strong too you know Bud's son is ridiculous we had WrestleMania right up the street he got a belt

he walked past me and he was looking at me the whole time he looked at me he said you're the wrestler I knocked you out on UFC I was like boy you crazy but he told me he had to whip him Bud said he went to Sean

what's his name Sean Crawford Sean, uh, Sean, uh, Sean Porter. Sean Porter. Buzz said, Sean Porter said, what Sean Porter said. My dad knocked you out. Sean Porter had to call him and be like, well, your son's crazy. Butts, I had to spake him.

He's crazy. But yes, he's bigger. It's a big time fight. Canello better have his game ready. Yeah. Because if not, he's going to get beat by Bud. Yeah. I mean, like I said, Bud, I mean, Bud walks, Bud fought at, you know, last part of, you know,

junior middleweight at 154, but Bud walks around in like 180. He's big man, and he's tall, too. Yeah. He's very tall. He looked big. I saw him inside the apex of training. Yep, he looked big. You went to watch him training, too? No, we did an interview with him, and I said

he's stronger than you think. He's stronger than you can tell. Yeah, he's stronger than you. I don't look at his hands full. He does. You were bullied as a kid. If that why you got into wrestling and fighting him because you were bullied, you're like, I ain't taking this it anymore. So, I was bullied bad, Shannon. Okay.

Like this guy used to beat me up all the time. He would beat me up for no reason. It was like no reason to fight me. He would just pick off me. They could have three other kids fight. He would show up to watch the fight. Then once that fight was over, he's like, I might as well give me one.

Did they get a dog? I was scared, too. I was so scared of him. And then I learned to wrestle. Once I got him, it was over, man. Once I got him once, it was over. But yeah, yeah, it gave me self-defense. I think wrestling is so important for kids

because then you learn to defend your stuff. And also it gives you a confidence. I got this academy in my, in Gilroy, the Daniel Corrie Wrestling Academy. Kids walk in and they're hunched over, looking like, scared. Because the ones that have been doing it for a while have this

intensity about them, they're strong and they're confident. Six months later, they're like walking in with some, I'm like, okay, this is what I need. That's what wrestling gives you. I think it's the best. Right. Have you ever been arrested for a street fighting? One time. I got arrested in college.

And I was a freshman. I punched the guy, man. What do you do? So I went to a junior college in Kansas. And one of the biggest mistakes that young black men make when they go to different places is they almost try to recreate themselves. You can be a great kid,

but you will portray yourself as a gangster or a bad guy. Because you want people to not only respect you, you want to make sure you fit in and they kind of fear you a little bit. It's like very important. So I did that. this party, and we go to this party, and the guy comes out, it's his house, and he starts talking, and he said something that I viewed as disrespectful when he came

charges toward me. So I punched him. Bro, he, he, he, I don't know if his jaw was like super, like, loose. Because he went, he went down, and his jaw broke really bad. So blood's like everywhere. We run off me and all my wrestler friends. The cops come to get us. We're in Kansas. I was like, well, me, we saw, I saw this Mexican dude do it and run away. They said, nah, man, it was you. It was you, Eric. You don't try to put it off on somebody. I tried to put it over a Mexican dude, man.

I was like, yeah, oh, they ain't got many brown people out here. They ain't got many brown people out here. They said, no, it was you. They put me in jail. I was crying, dude. Then they put me in jail on the Friday night, Shannon. And in those little towns... Oh, you don't get you to Monday.

And then once Monday come, they got 72 hours to see you. Yeah. And they kept me in jail until Wednesday. Damn. I was crying. My mom actually, to pay to get me out, she had to take, like, put it up against her house. Wow. To get me out of jail, she put her house on the line as a, as counter for the bail.

For the bail. Yep. And then I was like, this one will do anything for me. I'm the one that messed up. Right. I ran her phone bill up, calling her every day, thousands of dollars. They ain't had nothing to pay that, but she answered it every time. That's why she was the best to me.

everybody like oh you love your mama more than you'll love anybody in the world i was like you saw what she did for me she she was the best you tried some everything you sold drugs as a kid you tried to chanan i was a bad drug dealer what's the what so you don't want to hear this story shanan we made horrible we made fake drugs one time oh my shadow we so when you cut grass and just put this was when i was a kid no no no back when i was growing up it wasn't weed it was crack. I tried to sell crack, Shannon.

I was broke. I needed $20. Bro, you don't know how to cook. I don't know how to cook. I don't know nothing about it. But listen to what we did, though. We took some wax. Yeah.

And put ore gel on it. Because I guess that it must numb the face or something. One of my friends told me that one. He was, yeah. So I gave it to the drug. I gave it to the dude. You gave me the money. He, he's dark.

He looked up. I took off running. I took off man man he called me man I gave the money back I gave a

here you go man you got me now you know you're ain't the crack now you're out of this that was the last time that was the last time

I was the last time I ever tried some stupid shit like that I was like man sports for me it was bad could a boxer ever be the

an MMA fighter in a street fight no no they would get taken no it would happen too fast

I saw James Tony fight Randy Couture James Tony was one of the slickest best boxers of all the time He tapped without actually tapping Randy He just waved at the ref, like, save me That's what happens when boxers fight The baddest man on the planet The baddest man on the planet is a mixed martial arts fighter Nothing else

In terms of hand-to-hand combat Right Yeah, the baddest man on the planet Is the UFC Heavyweight champion Every time Unless Francis, and Gano was out there fighting for someone else. Right.

And there's a chance that he's the baddest man on the planet. There's a chance it might be somebody else. He might beat whoever we have because he's that good. But if not, it's either Tom Aspinall, Francis, Gano, and John Jones. Right now, those are the baddest men on the planet, nobody else. We come back and have a conversation five years, ten years from now. Yep. What's D.C. doing?

Probably the same thing. Probably doing the same thing. working UFC fights. I love my job. I love calling fights. I think I have the best job in the world. Yep. Podcasting, doing television.

Same. Because I don't think that right now, I don't think that right now I'm willing to stop me. Like we said earlier, you're a worker, I'm a worker. I just might be living in the town wherever my son or my daughter goes to college.

I just can't let it go. I told my daughter the other day, I said, pick a school close and I'll pay everything. He wants to get far away. She said, I mean, you think of college as yet? She goes, what? No, she goes, dad, I'm 13. I go, could you go to Cal?

Like, stay close. I go, I'll pay your rent. I'll give you a stipend. I'll do everything. She was like, no, you don't have to. You're good. She wants to get away from my ass. My man.

Cornere. Yes, you're the man. Is it Cormir or Cormiere? Cormier. Cormier. Cormier. Cormier. D.C.

That was good. Sacrifice, hustle paid the price, want a slice, got the roll of dice, that's why, all my life, I've been grinding on my life, look, all my life, been grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle paid the price, want a slice, got to roll a dice, that's why, all my life, all my life. I'm Jake Hofer, and this is Back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode, I'll be asking eight wide-tail hunting pros, a focused, thought-provoking question about hunting and land management.

How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access? Should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand. Listen to Back 40 on Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Dan. He's Ty. Hello.

And we're the solid verbal college football football. podcast. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. Join us all season long as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport. Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We don't just love college football, tie.

We live it. Check out Behind the Flow. A podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team. We need to embrace this community. Listen to San Diego FC, behind the flow. On the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Get fired up, y'all. season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people, an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast. Take a listen. Sue and I were like riding the lime bikes the other day, and we're like, we're like, people ride bikes because it's fun. We got more incredible guests like Megan in store, plus news of the day and more.

So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network. This is an IHeart podcast.