MMA Fighting - The MMA Hour - Episode 182

Episode Date: August 25, 2014

Featuring Matt Serra, Benson Henderson, Pat Healy, Mike Dolce, Cathal Pendred, James Head, and Dave Meltzer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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On this Monday, May 27, 2013, if you're watching us in the great U.S. of A, I wish you a happy Memorial Day. It always felt weird to me to say happy Memorial Day. I hope you're having a nice and safe and relaxing Memorial Day. And I want to thank all the men and women out there who have sacrificed their lives, who have gone out there and fought for our freedom and allowed us to live our dreams and do things like shows like this here back home. We remember you, we salute you,

we tip our caps to you. You, in my opinion, are the true heroes in this great country. And I think it's great that there's a day to honor and remember these men and women. True heroes, true inspirations, in my opinion. So today is Memorial Day here in the United States. We celebrate and honor them, and we talk a little mixed martial arts

coming off UFC 160. We were in Las Vegas. Saturday night, the MGM Grand Garden Arena was rocking. It seems like every time Junior Dos Santos and Kane Velasca's fight there, that place gets very lively, and both of them won,

and we may be headed to a rubber match very soon between those two. It was a fun card. In my opinion, really, honestly, I left that show on Saturday, feeling like that was the most fun card of the year. I don't know why. Part of me liked it because it felt like we were setting things up.

We knew what was happening to some of the big winners next. T.J. Grant, number one contender. Who would have thunk it? We'll talk about him very shortly. Junior Kane. We obviously know that they're probably going to meet up. It just felt like a lot of the match, even Glover, while we don't know exactly what's next for him, he took a step up. Donald Seroni looked good.

It was just a fun card overall, a solid crowd in Las Vegas. Once again, a late arriving crowd in Las Vegas, but still a very fun card, in my opinion. and somewhat predictable, but the fights were fun. Three-round fight between JDS and Mark Hunt, the Kane Velascus win, the Soroni win, the T.J. Grant finished Glover. The fights may have been somewhat predictable,

save for T.J. Grant, but still overall, I thought, very fun. All right, who are we talking about and who are we talking to on this particular episode of the MMAR? Well, as always, we're joining the back by New York Rick, who advanced to round three of the RPI, the Rick's Picks Invitational. we will run down the entire situation post round two. There are four competitors left. They will meet at UFC on Fuel TV 10 in a couple of weeks.

We'll talk about what happened on Saturday night as far as the RPI is concerned. But congratulations to Mr. New York Rick for advancing. Also joining the back by Buzzkill Brendan, the mic who's growing the facial hair back, and Mr. Gunshow himself, Will the thrill, who is making everyone feel a little intimidated today. It is officially the start of summer because we'll the thrill is breaking out the guns. Very nice over there in the back. And in the third hour, we'll also hear from New York, Rick, as we run down questions and comments from you using the hashtag the MMA hour. Let us know what's on your mind.

What are you thinking about on this Memorial Day? We've got a great prize to give away, by the way. You heard Dana White talking about our little toys, right? Well, thank you very much to the good people at Round 5 for hooking us up with season, series 12 of their great collection. Brian Stan, B.J. Penn, the Korean zombie, Nate Diaz, Junior Dos Santos. And today's best question asker gets a Junior Dos Santos championship edition. Series 12 in honor of his big win on Saturday over Mark Hunt. This is a good one. This actually is one of their better ones. The ear is all funny. The face is great. Receding hairline and all. There you go. Junior dos Santos. Thank you very much

to the good people at round five. Okay. Also, in the third hour, We'll be talking to Pat Bam Bam Healy. Of course, he's been in the news after his positive marijuana test following UFC 159, and then he lost his two fight night bonuses and everything that happened after that with Nate Diaz, Brian Carraway. We'll talk to Pat Healy. He'll finally break his silence on this show at around 305 p.m. Eastern time. At around 245, we'll talk to Mike Dolce, who of course, nutritionist, trainer to many MMA fighters. part of UFC fit. We'll talk to him about this UFC fit deal and what it's all about and what it entails

and how he became part of it. Also in the second hour, we're going to talk to Kyle Pendred. It's funny, these Irish fans are just unbelievable. They're so loyal. They love to back their guys. And, you know, Kyle doesn't fight in the UFC. He's fighting for Cage Warriors this weekend. He is their welterweight champion. He faces former UFC fighter Chey Mills. And they are just so excited. I mean, For a guy who's not in the UFC, who's not a household name, they back their guys, and it's great to see. And looking forward to talking to him. Boston-born lives in Ireland now. And wouldn't it be great if the UFC had a big show in Boston coming up and where they can showcase a youngster who is both Irish and originally from the Boston area? We'll talk to him at around 225. 205. We'll talk to the newly retired Matt the Terra Sarah. And by the way, it seems like Forrest Griffin kind of stole his thunder. but also it seems fitting that they both retire the same week.

Forrest Griffin helped launch the Ultimate Fighter. Matt Serra's career was rejuvenated by the Ultimate Fighter. We'll talk to Matt Serra about retiring, or at least as he calls it, walking away from MMA at 205. 145. We'll talk to James Head, who is from the great state of Oklahoma, has been a part of the relief effort in that great state following last week's devastating tornado, doing a lot of good things over there is James Head,

so we will talk to him at around 145 and around 125. We'll talk to the UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. Smooth is now going to be facing T.J. Grant for the UFC Lightweight Championship. We know that because T.J. Grant finished Gray Maynard on Saturday night in Las Vegas. A great performance by T.J. Grant. And now, all of a sudden, we're getting T.J. Grant versus Benson Henderson. Who to thunk it? T.J. Grant, a guy who kind of flew under.

under the radar. I think he has 11 or so UFC wins, or at least UFC appearances, I should say, moves down to lightweight from 170, where he was all right and is now undefeated at 175, excuse me, but he needed that big win. He needed that

signature win, that win over a top three, four, or five guy. He got one over arguably a top tour in Gray Maynard, and he finished him. Something that Frankie Edgar couldn't do in that amount of time, something that many great fighters couldn't do. T.J. Grant went in there and it looked like to a degree gray, while he started very strong,

you know, came out aggressive and maybe didn't respect T.J. Grant, and then he caught him, much like he did, Matt Wyman in January. T.J. Grant is your number one contender in the UFC lightweight division. So we're supposed to be joined by Dave Meltzer in the first block here, but apparently we can't reach Dave Meltzer. You expect that from, you know, the fighter type guest, but not from a team player, so to speak, from a member of the MMM. Fighting.com team wanted to talk to Mr. Meltzer about UFC 160 and the aftermath of UFC 160. There's no sign of Mr. Meltzer? Have we tracked them down either by phone or Skype? No, not yet. Nothing yet. Nothing. None of the phone lines, nothing. No, sir.

Well, that's frustrating. But I'll keep plugging away and hopefully we can get him. Okay. Dave Meltzer is supposed to be joining us in the... How about... Who is supposed to? to be, yeah, I'm going to forget that. I was going to switch things around, but that's a little annoying to do at the top of the show. Forrest Griffin, big news on Saturday was that he retired following the event, and we spoke to him. You could see that on MMAfighting.com. Kind of out of nowhere, you know, I was trying to reach Forrest Griffin for the last three, four, five weeks. He claims I only texted him twice, but that's actually not true. Called him multiple times as well. It was trying to see what was up where he stood in his career. He was supposed to fight Chal.

He was supposed to fight John Jones. Then he was supposed to fight Phil Davis. And then he pulled out due to a knee injury. And it had been several weeks. We hadn't heard from him. And then all of a sudden he retires. And from what I understand, even the UFC PR staff didn't really know that this was happening. Dana White called him at 4 p.m. Pacific time just a couple hours before the show and said, hey, we're going to announce your retirement today. You cool with that? All right. And they did. He was actually wearing a Griffin versus Bonner t-shirt, and he then turned it inside out because he didn't want to feel like, as he put it, a D-bag for wearing a t-shirt with his face on it. But that still doesn't answer the question. Why was he wearing it in the first place if he felt that way about it? I think it's a cool shirt. It's a Roots of Fight shirt. It is the moment that helped catapult the UFC into at least begin the revolution.

so to speak, or the rejuvenation of the UFC brand, the finals of the Ultimate Fighter season one. And now he's gone. And it really seems to me like this is phase three of the UFC in the Zoufa era. Phase one was obviously when they bought it. Phase two was around 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, the ultimate fighter's explosion. And now phase three seems to be when all these guys are retiring.

Matt Zara, Chuck. Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, and you have other guys who are kind of on the fence. You have guys like BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, on the fence, right? I think in New York, Rick's actually wearing that shirt today, right? I think he is. Oh, he got Mr. Meltzer. I believe he is wearing that T-shirt right now. So in honor of Mr. Forrest Griffin, this feels like the era of the John Jones's, the Roy

McDonald's, even the GSP's, the Chris Wydemans, the mixed martial artists, the guys who came in after those guys laid the foundation. But Forrest is still, I mean, he's not a guy who's getting knocked out. He's not a guy who is getting beat up. He's coming off a win. How rare is that for a guy to retire coming off a win? Yet serious injuries, Dana White has been pushing for it. And now here we go. Forrest Griffin is retired. Let us go to the Skype machine and ask Mr. Meltzer, Why are you so late, Mr. Meltzer? Why am I so late? It's a long story, but the gist of it is that I forgot to take my computer out of my bag when I got home yesterday.

And I just was starting to get phone calls, and I just realized that I was waiting for the thing to beep and everything. And anyway, I just realized it ran down, took the computer out, set it up, and here I am. That is the worst excuse that I've ever heard. It is horrible. It is such a horrible excuse. I have no idea. I know. But we appreciate you stopping by.

Thank you very much. I was saying before you came on that I really enjoyed that show. And I think part of the reason why I enjoyed 160 so much was because it felt like the way it was booked. You know, I liked having the main event and co-main event guys. Now we know they're going to fight each other next. Great trilogy fight. T.J. Grant, we know what's next for him. Even Glover, while we don't know exactly what's next, it just felt like it's one of those.

fun shows where there were great performances, great post-fight interviews, feel-good stories, and we know what's next for a lot of the big winners. And I liked it. Do you share the same sentiment? This is one of my favorite shows of the year. Yeah, no, I mean, I tell you what, the thing was that was so much fun about it. And, you know, I really like the idea. And I know sometimes it's impossible, but I like the idea of having two or three fights in the same way class on the same show, because then when the show was over, you immediately go, hey, these two guys won, and they look good. And this is the fight I want to see. And it's right. there, and this was like the perfect example of that kind of a show.

And you're right, the thing, well, I mean, the thing that made the show so good is because the winners all look very impressive, and you just really couldn't wait to see them again against tougher competition, different competition, but it set up, like when it was over, it set up natural matches. We went to the press conference, and Dana White was talking about the same matches that we were all talking about. It wasn't like it's, oh, you know, like everyone's arguing, oh, this guy doesn't deserve a shot.

Like if T.J. Grant would have won a, you know, it worked out well. If T.J. Grant would want a boring fight. Then people would go, oh, did T.J. deserve it. Does Josh Thompson deserve it? But when that fight was over, my first feeling was, it's like, yeah, with that finish, DJ Grant deserves the title shot. And that's what everyone was saying. And with, again, with the two main events, you had the two winners. They both look great. Now we've got the heavyweight championship fight. And we've got a championship fight that no one's going to argue is not a good fight this time, or at least a good fight going in. Absolutely. Do you think that that fight? can sell out or at least draw very well in a stadium,

not only here in the U.S., in Brazil, or maybe in Mexico. Can it be a stadium show? I feel like they have very passionate and loyal fan bases following them, but what do you think? Can it be that big, a trilogy fight like that? I don't know enough about Brazil and where junior stands to make a good guess on that. I don't think it's big enough in the U.S.

I mean, I could see maybe what Houston at being the right building, because it have to be the right building you'd want it in a Hispanic market, maybe San Antonio at the Alamo Dome. I say it's possible, but I wouldn't risk it. As far as Mexico goes, if they could get into a stadium in Mexico, I think the combination of Kane headlining and the first show in Mexico City, yes, I believe that they would do really, really well, and it would be something, yeah, I could, I don't know whether they would risk

that, though. I think they might be afraid and go, we've never been to Mexico. Why don't we go to a 20,000-seat arena, as opposed to try 50,000. seat stadium, especially also for television, because they don't have the indoor thing, you'd have to do it outdoors. But I do believe that the first time in Mexico, the way Mexico is, I do believe they could go to a 50,000 seat bullring or something like that. What's your take on Kane? I find him to be so fascinating because he's not a flashy guy, no nickname, you know, his interviews aren't terribly flashy, but, you know, I was talking about him fighting in Vegas and the crowd and the way they respond to him,

and I was actually talking to him about this on Friday at the Wands. Every time he fights, obviously, we see a lot of Latino, Latina fans, a lot of young fans, a lot of young girls, a lot of young boys, teenage kids and high school kids. I always noticed that when he fights, especially now since he's become champion, and it feels to me like the reason why people like him, A, you know, Hispanic fans,

they've always been loyal combat sports fans. We know that in boxing, even in pro wrestling, but he seems very genuine, very authentic. While someone like John Jones may not, you know, connect with the audience for whatever, reason Kane does. Why do you think that is? You know, I think that there's still something lacking

in him in the Christmas standpoint. I think, I think, but the one thing is, is I do agree with you in the sense that Kane is real. You know, it's like, I know him a little bit from, you know, here and everything like that. And, and I mean, what you see is what you get. I mean, there's no phoniness, there's no pretentiousness.

And there's something kind of cool about a guy who is just, I mean, you have to really respect this guy in the sense that he's a quiet guy. He's a shy guy who just trains really, really hard at every single thing. And he's just a gifted, you know, he's just a great all-around fighter. And I think that maybe that is part of the appeal in the sense that you want all types. Do you mean?

It's like you, you don't, you wouldn't want a company filled with Kane Velazquez's. But he, because he's different from everybody else, I do think he's effective. But I do think also, like, I don't know how, I think that he needs, I think that Kane needs the right opponent. I think he's one of those guys where it really clicked. I think that like had Overeem had ended up in that position, just as an example. I think that Obrey and Cain, there would have been this great

emotional thing because O'Brien could have been kind of like the bad guy and things like that. And then Kane, as a contrast, would have been a great opponent. But I don't think I really saw that in Bigfoot Silva. And with Junior, it's a trilogy that each won, it's a good fight. I don't feel like it's a through the roof you know, Anderson Silva Chale's Sonnen fight

though to me. But I think it's, but it's, It's the fight you have to do, and it's a good one for sure because, you know, to me, the thing with that, that one, when you really look at it, and I actually wrote something about that this morning, is that when you look at this, the heavyweight division, I really see these guys fighting several more times because there's, I don't know if there's anybody else in their league. There's a few guys who are close, but when you look at like one, you know, juniors 28, Keynes 30, but when you look at guys under the age of 28, so you're up and comers, there's nobody there. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I mean, Stefan Stroob's 25, but I don't, you know, I haven't seen anything in Stefan Stroob that leads me to believe he's going to be at these guys level, although he could improve. He's got time to improve and he obviously has the gift of being so tall. Um, um, uh, Travis Brown is 30 and he's looked devastating, but, you know, he's untested against top competition. But I mean, as far as like the Josh Barnett's and, and Bredoom and all these guys, they're getting older. So the more time goes on, you know, the advantage shifts away from them being guys who could come in and beat one of these two. guys. Dana White talked about, actually, before we get to Dana White, let's just talk about, actually, you know, Dana White, he said that he's thinking of four matchups for UFC on Fox Sports 1-1, and one of them is Benson Henderson versus T.J. Grant. Is that big enough in your

opinion? I mean, it's a TV for a TV fight, and it's a world championship fight. It's a legitimate world championship fight. You got Obrim in the semi. I think that if you have, you know, Obrim and you have another big-time quality match, yeah, for a TV show, it's good enough. Is it a through the roof main event? No, but for TV, you know, it's Benson-Henderson and championship match. I think it's all right. I just feel like Benson has been on two straight Fox shows. You kind of have to elevate him in a sense to pay-per-view at this point. You can't keep putting him on television. And when he was talking about a pay-per-view level, you know, a worthy main event for that

first show on Fox Sports One, I expected something big. And by the way, I'm very excited. I'm very much looking forward to the TJ Grand Flight, much more. than it was maybe a week ago, and I'm kind of over the pettus thing, at least for now, but I feel like they needed something bigger, or they need something bigger, it's not official that it's going to be on that card. Yeah, but I mean, if they go in there, let's just say that they go in there and they also have Chal Sondon and in Vanderley, so, which is a good fight that both guys can talk up, and you've got Overim, and those are three top fights there, and we still probably have

room for, I think that they'll, you know, one more TV fight. That's a, that's a real strong television show. I mean, it's not, but I mean, as far as like the main event that you're talking, talking about to be bigger, you know, you would have to have St. Pierre, which they're not going to do on Fox Sports 1, I don't think. And then Jones, I don't even know if he would even be ready. Kane, it's too soon for Kane. So you're, you know, and then what's the other one is, you know, the middleweight, there's, you know, so it's like, you're, you're, they're really, as far as championship goes, there is no other, you know, all those already set for fighting a couple

weeks earlier. So as far as you're going to go for a championship fight, that's the only one that's going to fit on that night. Are you surprised Forrest Griffin retired on Saturday? I mean, not shocked surprised, but it wasn't like I was expecting it. I mean, after, it's interesting because we've had Sarah Griffin and Bonner, you know, although Bonner essentially already had retired. Right. But all kind of like in this retirement thing. And then Dana was talking about BJ Penn.

And it's just like, wow, it's kind of like we're all hitting it all at the same time. Yeah. kind of, you know, and it's, it's really a sign about the, uh, the fleetingness, so to speak, of these careers, um, you know, that they, uh, you know, we, you know, you really don't have like, I don't know, like, it doesn't seem that long ago when Forrest Griffin and Bonner were on ultimate fighter. I mean, it was eight years ago, but I mean, and that is, I guess in this, in this sport, that's going to be a long career, but, um, you know, it's, I mean, that's what, that's what the message is. It's like, you know, eight year career is a, is a pretty damn long career

in UFC. I said before you came on that this feels like phase three of Zufa. Phase one was obviously when they bought the company and they were trying to get their feet wet and dig it out of a whole. Phase two was the ultimate fighter. Now here comes phase three. Those guys are retiring. We're getting young guns like the John Joneses, the Roy McDonald's, the Wydenmans of the world. Do you feel like the UFC's in a good place? The detractors like to say they don't build enough stars. I know some of the wrestling guys like to say, oh, you know, you can have a guy who's champion, he'll lose the belt and, you know, what was the whole point of that? Do you feel like they're in a good place right now? Are they doing a good enough job, in your opinion, of building stars today?

You know, I think they do a good job of building stars, but at the same time, it's like, you have to have something to be a star, generally speaking, whether it's, you know, being a great fighter or just having something the public latches onto. And it's just, you know, sometimes they're going to have it and sometimes they're not. I see guys, I see plenty of guys, like you mentioned, that are coming up who can be there, but they're not quite there. They're not quite there yet. I mean, when we really talk about big time stars, we really only have a couple. Yeah.

And will, will Rory McDonald hit that level? Will Jake Ellenberger hit that level if they get to the championship level? If Wyden beats Anderson Silva. I mean, until they're there, I can't say for sure that they'll click. I mean, there's no, you know, there's certain guys where you would go. and I think Bisping is one and Chale is another one, where you would go like, you know, if these guys could get to the top, man,

these guys would just be awesome champions as far as, you know, being able to engage the public and everything like that, but they didn't get to the top. They got the one step and didn't quite get there. You know, so I don't know. You know, like, you know, Rory's a really interesting character, but we also don't know that he's ever going to become Walterway champion. It's too soon to say, we don't know if he's going to beat Ellenberger.

So much of this is, it's, I, I mean, what I find fascinating about this is it is unpredictable. And you can, you know, you can do as much as you can as far as building guys. But at the end of the day, you know, a show like Saturday made T.J. Grant more than a million things that they could have tried to do with them. But is it going to make, if T.J. Grant beats Benson Henderson and wins the championship, will T.J. Grant catch on? And it's like, I don't know. What's his interview going to be like? How devastating is he going to be if he wins? you know, you don't know until it basically happens. And then also it depends on, you know, the opponents.

If the guy's got a lot of really intriguing opponents, you know, he'll be good. If he's got no opponents anyone cares about, then it's tougher. One of the UFC stars right now has to be John Jones and him and Alexander Gustafson have been going back and forth. Do you like that matchup for him next as opposed to the Machita matchup? And if so, how much interest as opposed to the Machita matchup do you think there will be in that fight? you know, I was just thinking about that. I actually think that there'll be slightly more interested in a Gustafin fight than a Machita fight, and I like it because it's something different.

And also, you know, Machita has a lot of boring fights. And he hasn't convincingly won me over as far as earning a championship fight. I mean, the Dan Henderson win, he won, and then Dan's a tough guy, but it wasn't the kind of win, you know, that leads you to want a championship fight. So, you know, and again, I think that there's something. to John Jones, you know, fighting a guy who's six foot five. I think that there's something good for John Jones to do that. I don't think it's a blockbuster super big time fight,

but I think that it's, if I was John Jones, it's the fight I would want. If I was promoting UFC, I would, you know, given those two choices, it'd be the one I would go with. By the way, how about Dave Meltzer in the New York Times? Did you like it? Did you like the profile? Yeah, I'd be an idiot not to like it. It was very, really, really nice. and, you know what I'm going to say.

I mean, it was, it was, it was, it was pretty cool. You know, I think I mentioned to you that, there was, but I mentioned other people that, you know, I had two types of reactions and it was like older people just thought that it was the greatest thing in the world because we grew up with New York Times. And then a lot of younger people, it's no big deal. But to me, you know, to me, it was, it was really cool. I mean, of all the profiles that I've had done on me, it was by far the best. and I think it was the closest to getting who I really am. Because, I mean, they, they're years and years ago. Sports Illustrated did a story on me.

And I thought that they, it was absolutely, when I read it, it was like, this is just not me. It's not even close. They completely didn't understand who I was. You know, even though God, it's in Sports Illustrated. It's so cool. But this one was a lot cooler to me because when I read it, it was like the guy, you know, I felt that he, he understood me and I read it and I kind of learned a little bit about myself reading it, which is pretty amazing if you think about it.

The coolest part about it, in my opinion, was that room that you work. And that's actually your office with all that stuff everywhere? Yeah, and it's not the room that I'm in right now. But yeah, with all the Lucha Libre masks and all the posters of the boxing and the MMA and pro wrestling all over the place, yeah. One day I'd like to come there and maybe do a little video, something, a tour of a day in the life of Dave Meltzer. Well, hey, look, whenever they have a show in the Bay Area, you're always welcome here.

Thank you. So, I mean, and they'll be, and look, they're going to come. come to Oakland or San Jose or, you know, soon enough, you know, they better anyway, after that last show in San Jose, you know, so. Sure. Does Dave Meltzer deserve a Pulitzer Prize? No, no, no, no. I saw some, I saw some support for that.

You know, I mean, for volume, if there's a Pulitzer Prize for volume of work, you could make a pretty good case, but for quality of work, if I did less, I think my quality of work would, would do. I really believe that I can, well, I don't know. I mean, I, I mean, I, I, I, I mean, I, I, I, I mean, I, I, I mean, I, I, I mean, I, I mean, I, I mean, I, I mean, you're, I mean, you're, without a doubt, without a doubt, without a doubt, without a doubt, I wouldn't even consider it any, anything else. So why would I deserve a Pulitzer? If I'm not even the best in MMA, I mean, in pro wrestling, maybe I'm, maybe I am the best in pro wrestling, but I don't know. No. One day, we will sit down and seriously talk about all this. For now, we are at a time, Dave. Always a pleasure having you on. Appreciate you stopping by Memorial Day. And great stuff, as always, not only on MMAFighting.com,

but Wrestling Observer.com and with the newsletter as well. Yeah, and Ariel, I'm sorry about being... Oh, no problem. I was just... What about absolute stupidity on my point? No problem. There he is. Dave Meltzer, everyone.

Thank you so much to him. We appreciate his insight as always. Let us move along now. We were talking about T.J. Grant versus Benson Henderson. Well, we are lucky enough to have... the UFC lightweight champion. Benson Henderson on the line right now.

Benson, how are you? I'm good, Ariel. How are you doing that? I'm doing great. Thank you very much for stopping by, especially on this holiday. We appreciate it very, very much. You know, when you fought Gilbert Melendez last month in April in San Jose, up until that press conference,

we weren't quite sure what was next for you. Here we are, a month later, here talking to you, and it's T.J. Grant. Are you surprised you're fighting T.J. Grant next? I won't lie. I won't lie. I am a little bit surprised. I think most people had Gray winning. Most people picked Gray to win. And not only did, you know, TJ proved everybody wrong, but in the manner and the fashion, when she did it. Pretty impressive performance line. Do you thought Gray was going to win?

I did, yes, yeah. I thought Gray was definitely going to be the next guy at face. I was already trying to win. kind of mentally preparing for that. And now I got a new guy tremendously prepared for. Who do you think is a better matchup for you? Oh, I don't know a whole lot about TJ's. Wow. So he really was off your radar. I know he's, what, 5-0 at 1-3-5 now.

He could be a 70-pounder. From what I've seen of them, just like the quick little promos and some of the high things. It doesn't seem too flashy, but just one of those guys is a grinder, good fundamentals, you know, solid. It's going to be my job to learn all about him in the next month or so. I'm getting ready for him. So he was that much off your radar where you weren't even, because you seem like the kind of guy,

although actually last week there was a pretty big UFC card, you'd even know that it was happening. So do you not even follow MMA? No, I do. I try to pay attention to my weight class. So if there's a UFC card I forgot about or whatever, and I realized, oh, wait, there was UFC last weekend. I look up at 155 pot and who won, and I'll read a couple breakdowns about each guy and how they look.

But as far as, like, you know, following up to date on every single event and all, I don't do that too much, you know. T.J. Grant is known to be one of the best BJJ practitioners in the UFC has a great BJJ background, and I'm told that you will be finally promoted to Black Belt by your longtime coach John Crouch at the Lab. That's next Monday, right?

Yeah, next Monday we're going through the testing, and I have to make sure I'm on my P's and Q's and cross my keys and dot my eyes and go through testing and make it official. Congratulations. Early congratulations. hope you get it. How do you feel about the belts as far as how they're viewed in MMA these days? Because, of course, you know, no ghee.

And most guys, I wouldn't think, you know, as you're getting close to a fight, need to train in the Gede. Do you feel like it actually means any – I mean, for a long time, I considered you a black belt compared to some of the other guys who have black belts in the UFC. Does it really mean anything in MMA these days? Um, I wouldn't say it really means a whole lot for actual just MMA. But there's a lot of things, which it does mean, you know, quite a bit. But there are, like, tough guys.

You can have a judo guy, you know, put on a judo-to-ge-to-ge-a-ge. And he'll give, you know, as a white belt and shoot-to, like, a judo black belt will give anybody a hard time. And he'll give a brown belt a hard time, maybe even catch him once or twice. A lot of wrestlers are the same thing. You know, when I started doing juts, I, you know, caught a couple of brown belts when I was first first started training. It doesn't mean I was a brown belt worthy. It doesn't mean I was ready for my brown belt. It meant that I was kind of tough, and I managed to catch a brown belt.

But it's always the knowledge, knowing the sport, knowing the technical details. There's a lot more to it than just being tough and being able to catch other guys. Kind of the story for MMA. A lot of MMA fighters are tough. They don't train ghee. They're tough. It would be hard to catch. Good wrestlers, good deal guys, that sort of stuff.

but I don't know the details of Jiu-Too. If they had to teach, you know, Jiu-Jitsu was created in self-defense, if they had to teach the self-defense to, you know, to my mom, a 50-year-old lady who just started doing J-Jitsu and she wants to be safe, you know, walking through a bad neighborhood, you know, sort of stuff, they wouldn't be able to teach that actual, you know,

technical details of Jiu-Git-Siu, how to keep themselves safe and get out of sticky spots and that sort of stuff. So for me, that's what it's a lot more about. When would you like this fight against T.J. to take place? I have no idea. I have no idea. It's whenever, I think a lot of guys are misunderstood about how the UFC works. As far as my estimation, in my experience of the UFC, I don't really get a whole lot of what I asked for. I don't really ask for a whole lot in the first place. But it's not like, oh, yeah, hey, I got down on speed dial, hit them up and say, hey, man, I want to fight in this month.

I want to fight, you know, April 15th, or August 15th, it doesn't really work that way. They hit me up, and normally it's through Dan & White, through another intermediate, through another intermediate, then to my manager, and then to me, oh, hey, by the way, you're fighting in August 15th, oh, okay, cool, now I know. Thanks for letting me know, guys. But I don't have any say-so in that sort of stuff. But you don't have a preference? I mean, if it was up to you, do you want to return rather quickly?

Do you want a long time off? If it was your call, what would you like to do? I'm not really sure. I'm not really sure. Depending on how I imagine he's pretty healthy. He didn't, you know, a fight was pretty quick first round. I'm still pretty healthy. But wasn't he taken out a week ago, week and a half ago.

So I'd take a little bit of time off for that, but not too bad. But as long as he's healthy, I'm healthy. I'm ready to go, you know, whatever they want. If it's earlier, sure, no problem. If it's a little bit later, you know, August, September, whenever that is, no problem also. I'm pretty laid back. I'm pretty easy going.

Whatever, whatever they want, I'm good with. Have you watched your fight against Gilbert Melendez yet? I have, yes. I was able to watch that. I wasn't until maybe two weeks after the fight, and I was able to watch it. I was able to watch it, yeah. So when you got home, maybe even a couple days later,

you weren't curious to relive it and see if you... Because, you know, there are still a lot of people who do believe you didn't win that fight. Yeah, it's cool. No, I didn't watch it. I'm not too much in a hurry to watch it and to tell everybody, hey, I watch it myself, and I'm proving you guys wrong.

I thought I won. I don't care about their opinion. It's cool. But I don't have cable in my house. I couldn't watch it on Fox. So I had to catch it at my gym when it happened to be on at the time. I was at my gym.

And I was able to catch it, watched all five rounds. And, you know, the people who thought I did lose, cool. You know, good for you. Glad you have an opinion on the topic. Do you think you deserve to win, though? Oh, yeah, for sure.

Yeah. I definitely thought I earned a W. Was it close? Yeah. Am I tired of close decisions? Yeah, for sure. but like I said before all the time

I'll take it any way I can get it somebody slipped on a west bottom in the octagon and blows a knee out they're believe I'm taking my I'm taking my W to get my hand raised it's hard to get a W inside the U.S. inside the UFC so I'll take it.

Why do you think your last few decisions have been so close? Do you have any kind of theory as to why this is happening? I think the NAPDIA's fight wasn't too close. That's true, you're right? Gilbert was closed. Yeah, you know, People tend to kind of gloss over that one.

Whatever, it's fine. I don't care. You're 100% right, and I apologize for that. You're right. It feels like we forget about it. I don't care, dude. It's just no worries. But, yeah, a lot of people seem to gloss over that Nate Diaz won.

I think a lot of it is a stylish matchups. Gilbert played this in actually what's going to happen, I think, sadly, is a lot of guys that are going to do the Frankie Yeager game. We thought that Gilbert was going to be super aggressive, like hypergressions come by and go get me and be asking him the entire time. But if you watch the fight, he was a lot more elusive. He was bouncing around, kind of waited for his shots, waited, waited, waited, waited, and then, you know, spring forward and try to, you know, land a couple of combos, a couple of shots. But we think he had a lot more of Frankie game plan. He never threw any leg kicks before.

maybe like three or four leg kicks in an entire like three fights, four fights before we faced off. We think he got the leg kick from Frankie. Didn't really hurt or anything, but it scored him points. He knew he could land it because I'm on my right leg so far forward. He knew he could land it and score points the same way Frankie did and then be elusive.

So we think actually a lot of our fights are sadly going to be that way because the guys are going to see as far as game plan-wise how to be us, you know, my team, I'm going to have myself. How we're going to beat, you know, how we're going to beat them. The closest fight was probably that Frankie Yeager's second fight, you know, so guys are going to stick to that game plan. They're going to try and do what he did. Be elusive, be in and out, not giving me a whole chance to come forward, get my hands on them. If I can go forward and get my hand on somebody like me, like me days, I'll do that all day long.

Trust me, I like been on an entertaining fight. I like beating the crap out of people. but if they're not conducive to that, and, you know, it is what it is. I got to do what I got to do to make to get the W. If they don't want to come forward and scrap and just throw down the way Nate Dayton and I did, then, you know, what am I going to do? You know, I'm not going to just charge forward

and let them punch me so I can get my hands on them, you know. But it's a stylish and matchups. Somebody like Nate, who's going to, who's a, you know, a fighter, spider who walks forward and gets after it, you know, him and I, you know, put on a heck of an heck of an entertaining show. Gilbert, I think his camp, they're very smart. You know, hats off to him, a tough fighter. I got nothing to nothing to the bad say about the guy.

You know, went with more of a little bit of a Frankie Edgar game plan and made for that same kind of close decision. You know, it's interesting that you bring up the Nate Diaz thing. It got me thinking while you were just talking. You feel as though you are viewed in the same light as a John Jones, a George St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. Have people accepted you and embraced you as championed? Do you feel like you get that respect from the community?

Yeah. I think so, yeah, for sure. You know, I have my belt defending it how many times now it is. I feel secure in my manner. I feel secure the U.S.E.Chimp, yeah. I think I get the same recognition. Obviously, like St. Pierre and John Jones, those guys, even Los Santos, those guys, and Los Santos has a Nike deal with only in Brazil,

only in Brazil, he's not global. But those guys, I mean, we're talking about guys who are, you know, kind of crossed that mainstream. Maybe I haven't crossed the mainstream yet. It's cool with me, you know, whatever. I don't necessarily fight just for money. You know, proving that a bunch of times, choosing not to, you know, fight on pay-per-views.

Dan White-Lorne will ask me, hey, do you mind if I'm fired him this fox guard? I would love it. No problem. I don't get, I, in my contract, I do have a paper-view points, but, you know, when I fight for Fox for those guys, you know, they want me on there to be an ambassador for the sport, what I want to say. I have no problem with that. But at the same time, I know, maybe I haven't just crossed that mainstreamed at the way John Jones has St. Pierre. Maybe that are just better looking than me.

You know, maybe those guys are so good looking. That mainstream sponsors want those guys, you know, maybe maybe if I get some plastic surgery or have a better body or something like that, I don't know. maybe then I can get some of those main chain sponsors. You have more confidence than that. You're just playing with us. You're just fishing for compliments now, and I'm not going to give it to you, but you speak about your appearance. I'm not fishing for compliment.

I don't really do that, but I am being facetious, yes. I know, yes. The hair is very interesting because I feel like if you would have lost that fight against Gilbert Melendez, people would have blamed, at least in small part of your hair, because it looked like it was affecting you more than in your previous fights. There were times where it was completely

in front of your face. What are you going to do about the hair. At some point, I feel like it's going to butt you in the ass. You got to control this thing. What about Cornrose or something? Yeah. At this point, it's almost to the point where, like, so many people are saying, you have to do something to the air. You have to do something.

I'm like, screw you guys. Oh, I'm kind of touch the hair. The hair is fine, y'all. I'm kind of at that point right now. But yes, my fight against Gilbert, my hair was more in my way than any other fight I've ever had before. But, again, the fight against Nate Diaz.

my hair wasn't no problem at all. You know, no one said anything about the hair after that kind of performance. I think it's, you know, when you have a close performance, you know, and then people have more to pick from, more to choose from, oh, hey, he was a close fight, maybe it was because of your hair. But the Nadeas fight, you know, my hair wasn't in my way

or any problem at all behind that kind of performance. But I have been thinking about it. My fiancee is learning how to, corneral so that I can maybe go that route. We'll see if I succumb to the peer pressure of everybody, but not sure still. Speaking of your fiancé, in hindsight, how much did it bug you that people were booing while you were proposing to her in front of a live audience, not only in the crowd, but on television, if the people are booing, I mean, really?

That's a low blow, right? I actually, I didn't know it at all. No, I didn't notice at all. You were in the moment. You know, I was pretty in the moment, pretty totally. You know, I had my heart beating freaking, you know, 100 miles an hour, but didn't even know it at all. I just focused on making sure she said those three little letters.

But it was, for me, it couldn't have been any better. It was the perfect moment, perfect time, everything around it was awesome. So, yeah, I don't know. Any wedding date set? No, not yet. No, no wedding dates, right? We're still pretty up in the air. With my scheduling and everything, we kind of got to make sure we, you know, get a good time to do it. So nothing, nothing concrete yet.

Makes me feel better because I didn't get to save the date or anything, and I was getting a little worried. So now that you tell me there's no date said, and I feel better. I'll make sure you get one of the real. I heard a story that you were a basketball, you are. or a basketball player, right? Yeah, yeah. Are you surprised? Oh, I didn't even know that.

Because I'm not really a fighter. I'm not a wrestler. I was always called an athlete by my wrestling coach. He's like, oh, yeah, Anderson, he's an athlete. I was knowing to play some ball back today. So next time, next year, see, we're going to have to go find a court, you and I. Absolutely. You know, I played in the not to toot my own horn here, but I don't get to do so often.

There's something called the Jewish Olympics called the Maccabee Games. And I represented the great country of Canada. I was the captain of the team in 1999. We made it to the bronze medal game. Nice. The captain of the team, though, left. Captain, yeah. I have some leadership skills.

You know, I'm known to lead men. And, yeah, so I would love... All right, I can do it. I can do it. Yeah. You sound surprised, though. We'll have to make a friendly wager on our game. Why do you sound so surprised, though?

I read an interview you did. Oh, yeah. Where you're saying you are not known. as a once you start doing the MMA and the stuff. You took on a certain look

but before then you were known as like the bigger guy, the leader of men as you say. Yeah. So I was just kind of surprised. People think I'm a weakling

in this sport but really just because I don't wear a tight t-shirt and flex my muscles it doesn't mean I have it in here, right here, the heart.

That's what I have that a lot of people don't have. That's what matters, man. That's what matters. It's all about the heart. I got to say, Benson,

I'm still not quite over the fact that in 2013, we're not going to see you versus Anthony Pettis too. In my opinion, that was the most anticipated fight that the UFC could put on, and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Anthony, while it's a fun fight, is going down to 145

and may be stuck there if he wins the bell. Don't you feel like it's a shame? We're not going to see that rematch. Don't you want to avenge that fight, that loss? It's two part, twofold. First of all, will Anthony Pettis and I dance once again inside the dog, I guarantee it. Before I die, before I leave a plan,

I've already tired. Him and I will face off, that's for sure. I don't care if we're both 90. And I got 100,000 in retirement home up in Wisconsin. I'm going to find them. But that I understand. It's not something I have to have, you know. I don't live in the past.

I don't, oh, well, last guy to beat me was this guy, what, four years ago or whatever it was? I'm able to move on. I'm able to accept it. Hey, I lost. I gave my best effort. I didn't, I kind of came up short. I went with the wrong game plan. Got it.

I got it. Whatever you want to say. but I lost. I'm able to accept it, move on, get better from it. So it's not something I have to happen. It's not like, oh, I have to bait them off again, blah, blah, blah, you know.

Him and I, like, give him a chest. Guess what? I'm going to kick his butt in some chest. Him and I, you know, do, like, whatever. But I'm able to accept it, move on. I'm able to, you know, I have the UFC belt. I don't need to prove anything to anybody. I don't need to prove anything to myself.

I'm mad enough to, to accept it and I was able to move on and hey it's something to happen I lock everyone loses you know but yeah him and I will face off again all right well that is good to hear I feel a little bit better about the situation now last thing Benson before we let you go and we do appreciate the time it's a two-parter you talked about sort of the honor of fighting on fox do you care about headlining the first show on Fox Sports One in Boston in August is that something you want or do you feel like you've graduated back to pay-per-view and two do you feel like you need to finish TJ Grant to make all those people, the vocal minority, if you will,

stop talking about you, not finishing, not getting decisive wins. I know the D.S fight, but just kind of overall as a champion, you feel like you need that. No, not necessarily. Two bark, first of all, the Fox Sports One, I would love that. I'm not, again, people fight for different reasons. Some people want to fight strictly for money. They want to fight.

Oh, I only want to do it in Canada. I only want to do it in Brazil, and they want those pay-per-view numbers, and they want to want this. I don't fight for money. I really don't. I could, you know, have a couple other deals where I make a lot more money and be a little bit, you know, cheesier. I'm not going to be cheesier. I'm not going to be cheesier just for money. I'm not going to fight just on pay-per-view, you know, just so I get pay-per-view buys.

I actually love finding on a bigger stage. I love having a bigger audience, a broader audience, besides just the, the core demographic of males, you know, 18 to 34. I love having a broad audience guys who's sleeping to the channel. The last fight was, what, like 5.5 million people? Can't beat that. You know, that kind of stage, that kind of audience. Fox Sports 1, you know how big of a deal Fox is going to make that.

Fox is going to promote the crap now that. It's going to be a huge stage. It's going to be ginormous. So I would love to find the car. I'm not against it at all. I don't know when it is but if the timing works out

I'm for that so that was for your first part of question I was the second part of the question second about do you need to finish over T.J. Grant oh you know what? I don't think I need to finish.

I think I just need to have a great performance you know again hats off to Frankie hat off to Gilbert but both of those guys I don't think I had my best performance against the main ideas

I think I had a pretty darn good performance. I had like a 9 out of 10 or 8 of 10 of a performance against Frankie the first time, like I had like a 7 or 8, a pretty good performance against Frankie. The second time, he did a great job of making me not have a good performance. He did a good job of making me not do that well. That's his job. His job is to make me not look good. My job is to make him not look good.

Against Frankie the second time, like I had it a 4 out of 10 kind of a performance. I did not perform the way I wanted to. against Gilbert, and I think I'm probably a five or six out of a ten. I have my best performance. But I tapped off the Gilbert, though. He made me, you know, not have a big performance against T.J. Grant, as long as I have a good performance, as long as I have an eight or nine or ten out of a ten performance, the rest takes care of itself, whether it's a knockout or submission or whatever.

It doesn't matter to me. I don't care if I have 25 decisions in a row. It doesn't matter to me as long as I have great performances each of those times. I go out there and every day in my day life I try to get 1% better I always improve

and have a great practice great practices not just kind of eat by not just you know make it through the same thing for my fight I'm just after great performances

me doing my best if I work for you know five weeks for six weeks I dedicate myself to doing this move I want to do that move whatever it is during the fight you know on to perform well

so that's what it boils down to for me. I don't think I necessarily need a finish or a submission or anything like that. As long as I have a great performance, it'll all take care of itself. Benson, always a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you on the basketball court very soon. Look forward to that fight against T.J. Grant.

Good luck getting that black belt. Good luck in preparing for T.J. That's going to be fun. I think he presents an interesting-style's matchup for you. I'm looking forward to that very much. Thank you for stopping by. Yep. Thanks a luck.

I appreciate him. There he is. Benson, Smooth Henderson, the UFC lightweight champion. He's facing T.J. Grant, and while there may not have been a lot of buzz and excitement for that when it was first announced, I'm buying it. I'm very excited. I myself was saying, Pettis, you know, it's a shame, and I said it right here, but we'll put that aside for a second. T.J. Grant is on a role. He deserves it from a small town in Canada,

Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, home to Sydney Crosby. He put it on the map. T.J. Grant doing his part as well. you finish Graham Maynard, you deserve a title shot, and you're undefeated, the second longest winning streak at 155 pounds in the UFC. You deserve a title shot. Okay, let's move along now. Let's go to the Skype machine and welcome in James Head, who is sporting an amazing beard.

Wow, how about that? James, how are you? Believe it. I'm doing well. How are you doing, man? That's a, I like it. It's still going strong. You know, we were supposed to see you in New Jersey against Nick Coton.

He had to pull out. But before we get to all of that, let's talk about what's happening in your home state. of course, last week, around this time. Devastating tornado hit Oklahoma, Moore, Oklahoma in particular, heard very badly. And I know you're doing a lot of great things over there. First off, how far away do you live and work from where the devastation took place? I live about 30 miles north of Moore in Edmond, Oklahoma. But, you know, my gym was right in the path.

And it was scary for a while for some of the guys over there. down there in the Moore area. So, you know, we have several guys that I train with that live out of Moore and commute back and forth to the gym. Did we lose James? James, are you still there? Oh, there you are. Can you hear me?

Yes, sir. You kind of froze up on us, but you're back now. Everyone okay, though, part of the gym, family, friends, everyone's all right? Yeah, everybody's okay for the most part. You know, I had a few guys that I train with. that had some damage, but not a total loss. They're much more fortunate than a lot of the people and more. You have been a part of the relief effort.

You've helped out over there. What exactly are you doing over there to help the people who, like I said, their lives have been flipped turn upside down? Well, there's really three things that everybody in Oklahoma and the community has really been pulling together to do. you know, they're supplying all we can, you know, there's different phases of the relief effort where initially, you know, people needed water and supplies and, you know, people with small children needed, you know, diapers, such, stuff like that.

And just with the cleanup effort, you know, they really weren't allowing anybody other than emergency response people down in the area. So we're just kind of waiting, buying our time, helping all we can. right now, but, you know, next week I think they're going to open it up for some, you know, civilians to come and help, the people that need help cleaning up their area. And, you know, this is going to be a long process. The, you know, the media is going to be gone in a week or two, but the effort's going to be a long, long, slow one, and we'll be here as a community the whole way. You know, it's interesting you mentioned that because I remember Hurricane Sandy when it hit

this part of the country. A couple days later, the elections were taking place, and it felt like five, six days later, everyone forgot about what was happening in New Jersey here, Long Island, etc. And you just brought that up a very important point. And I think it's always interesting to see how the morale is in the particular state or the area that was hit. What's it like a week later? I mean, how are people feeling? Because it's kind of a process, right? At first, there's shock, and then reality starts to set in. So what are you feeling a week later as far as the morale in the state right now? I still think the morale is up.

You know, I think that in general, you know, there were 24 lives lost, and that's a very hard thing. But the size and devastation of the tornado, you know, wiping out so many homes, 24 is a pretty small number of initial reports. You know, they were thinking many more fatalities. initially. So as a whole, you know, they've rebuilt before, you know, they had this bad storm that went through almost the same area in 1999 and they rebuilt. And, you know, the Oklahomans, they're a resilient bunch and they inspire me. So I'm just going to be here along the way to

help any way I can. And I think the whole community feels the same way. You announced on Twitter last week that you will be donating your entire upcoming fight purse to the relief efforts. Why did you feel the need to do this? Really just, you know, I'm blessed. I have a time just because I like it. I love the competition. I'm blessed to do, to perform, you know, at such a high level. And, you know, I was just inspired by the people, you know, that everybody's donating what they can. And I think it's a great way to kind of get the word out. And, you know, hopefully people go on to Cage Fighters, site and buy the Pray for Oklahoma T-shirts and, you know, every little bit counts and I'm just trying to do my part.

We saw Daniel Cormier on Friday while he was doing the Q&A session in Las Vegas wearing this T-shirt. The proceeds from that shirt also going to the relief efforts? Yes, sir, that's right. So Cagefighter is doing that, and where can people get this shirt? They can find the shirt at shop.com. All I see is gold.com. and it's the hashtag pray for okay t-shirt.

You know, it's a pretty cool thing, and 100% of the proceeds are all going to help the families that were affected by the tornado. And let's just say, not to put you on the spot here, let's just say you get a $50,000 or $60,000 fight night bonus. Will that be going to the relief efforts as well? Sure. Again, don't mean to put you on the spot,

but that'd be a pretty good story, right? Yeah, that's fine. That gives you some motivation to really go out there knock someone out, submit someone. That's right. So do you even know when your next fight is? Because like I said, you were supposed to fight last month in Jersey, didn't work out.

Do you know when that's happening? I don't know, you know, just waiting to hear from Joe Sullivan the UFC. I'm hoping, you know, maybe late August sometime. But nothing's set in stone. So I'm just biding my time, turning, and waiting for them to call. What was that like for you? You come here, you come to Jersey, you cut the weight. you weigh in, you think you're going to have a fight, and then that morning, Coton, sick, bad weight cut, dehydration, can't fight.

They took care of you, I guess, but you don't get that same satisfaction of fighting. What was that like for you? You know, the rugs kind of pulled out from underneath you. It's like getting dressed up for prom and nobody to dance with, I guess. It was disappointing, you know. I woke up that morning thinking I was going to fight, kind of went through the routine, and ate breakfast, stretch, got to get a good. get a little workout in, and then I was just laying around and found out about a few hours before I was supposed to head to the venue. So, you know, you're shocked a little bit because, like you said, that's 12 weeks of training camp build up for no release.

But, you know, I'd never been to the East Coast before, and I had some friends and family that made the trip out to watch me fight. And we took a subway to Times Square and walked around New York and did all that and went and watched the fight. So we made the best of it. You know, it was disappointing not to get the fight. And I planned on shaving the beard after my fight, so it went from sheer the beard to the fear of the beard continues, I guess. So you're not going to shave it until your next fight. That's right. I'm going to trim it up, but as soon as that contract sign, it's going to get unruly.

Don't trim it. Let it go. Be proud of it. Oh, man. I trimmed it up, I guess about a week ago. It was getting pretty crazy. And this is a good time to let it go during the summer, and now you're really going to feel it. Oh yeah, that Oklahoma heat is really going to be nice.

So would you, I mean, obviously there are a lot of cards coming up. Because you were in shape and didn't get the payoff, would you be willing to step in on short notice if they call your number? Yeah, you know, and I talked to Joe the, you know, the Tuesday I got back, you know, asking him, you know, what was his plan? Did he want me to stay in shape? You know, I'm in shape ready to go. No injuries. Training camp was great. And all the cards, you know, get filled up.

so far in advance. He was booked up all the way through July. I tried to get on, you know, I tried to, I asked to get on the 4th of July card because, you know, with my full-time job, I get off that Thursday and Friday. I wouldn't have to take so much vacation to fight, you know, because of the fight that didn't happen ate up about a week of my vacation. Oh, man. So that, but we'll see, you know, it's all going to work out if they call me and I'm a pretty

big welterweight. So, you know, a week's notice isn't going to be able to happen. But, you know, if they give me, you know, four weeks or something or three weeks, then, no, I wouldn't be against stepping up on short notice. You mentioned your full-time job. You're a petroleum engineer for Chesapeake Energy, correct? Yes, sir. What exactly does that mean?

Sounds very smart. Oh, no, it's just, I just pump gas for people. No, I'm a drilling engineer for Chesapeake. So, you know, Chesapeake is a major, you know, the nation's largest drilling operating company. You know, we have the most drilling rigs running in the United States. So I have a couple of rigs running in western Oklahoma, and we drill, you know, both oil and natural gas wells. So that's predominantly my, you know, my full-time 9 to 5. So, and they're okay with you being a UFC fighter, but you have to take vacation days when you go and fight.

Yeah, you know, it's a juggling act. I, you know, work 7 a.m. to 4.30, 5 p.m. every day and get my training in around it. You know, I train before work, during work, and always after work. But they're okay with it. You know, as long as you're getting your job done and doing, you know, doing your job, they don't really mind. They're a very supportive company and I couldn't be more appreciative. Since you didn't get the fight at 159, are they going to give you those vacation days back? No, I don't think so. You know, I kind of keep it separate. You know, I don't try to ask for anything that any other employees, you know, don't get or whatever.

You know, I just keep the fight and fighting and I keep work-work, so I don't try to mix it too. How about it? When I think of Chesapeake, I don't hear much about it here on the East Coast, but I think of the Oklahoma City Thunder's Arena. It's called the Chesapeake Energy Arena. How about that Kevin Durant, right? In my opinion, one of the true good guys in all of sports, donating a million dollars to the relief efforts, he's unbelievable, right? He is unbelievable.

You know, Kevin Durant's donation of a million dollars is really, I mean, that's amazing in itself, but it's really spurred, you know, the Thunder matched his million dollars, the NBA matched his million dollars. Nike matches a million dollars. I saw a thing the other day that his million dollar donation has raised eight and a half million in the past five days.

So it's unbelievable in what he's doing for the community. And he doesn't like any attention for it. I mean, he just kind of goes under the radar. I mean, in this day and age, so many athletes kind of come off as not very likable. In my opinion, you know that story of him playing a flag football with the kids at the, I think, Oklahoma State? What a great guy, you know? He's freaking awesome. I'm the biggest Kevin Durant fan.

You know, he's so humble and he lets his play talk. for him and you know it's he that we just got knocked out of the playoffs you know a week ago and uh in this day and age everybody you know if you win a championship you're considered a hero but no one's talking about you know any you know us losing or falling short but he's definitely a hero around here and and uh he should be did he inspire you to do what you're doing uh it was You know, I decided it was weighing on my heart pretty heavy, just watching the devastation and stuff. And I actually was talking to my family about doing it before Kevin Durant came out. Okay.

It showed it, but, you know, it's a pretty amazing thing. Yeah, you deserve a hell of a lot of credit for that as well. So once you could get in there and start cleaning up, what exactly can someone, because what you want to do has nothing to do with your job, right? This is just something you're going to do in your spare time. What can you actually do? Well, it depends. You know, each family that suffered, you know, the devastation where, you know, took their house is different.

You know, there's going to be different needs for different people. You know, I think some people aren't even going to want to go through the rubble, but I think some people are going to want to rebuild and have to clean off, you know, their lots and they're trying to find their, you know, any kind of possessions. So really it's just, you know, the Red Cross and all the different organizations are doing. doing a really great job and organizing, you know, specific needs for specific victims and whatever we can do to help, you know, that, you know, R1MMA, the gym that I'm affiliated with down here, you know, we're going to come in full force and help out in any way we can.

So the website to get the KH Fighter T-shirt once again is? Shop.com. All I see is gold.com. And you mentioned Red Cross. Do you know of any other local organizations that are doing things that if people are inspired, they want to help out any ones that you can share? I know that the local Red Cross is really doing a lot.

I wish I knew that the number that you could text to donate and stuff like that, but if you search, you know, tornado relief online, there'll be 100 websites. The amount of support from all over the nation, not just

the community of Oklahoma has been overwhelming. Well, congratulations to you, on doing this. It's an amazing thing. I tip my cap to you. If I was wearing a cap, I would tip it, so I tip my proverbial cap. By the way, what's up with all the St. Louis stuff? You're wearing a St. Louis head? Bush Stadium. You're a big Cardinals fan?

It's huge Cardinals fan, man. I'm going back home to St. St. Louis. My hometown's 30 minutes from Bush Stadium, so I grew up a Birds on the Bat fan, and they've got a special place in my heart. All right. And I see the beard kind of matches. It's a red beard, right? That's right. The red beard.

Yeah, exactly. kind of matches the Cardinals logo. But again, you're doing great things over there, and I truly appreciate what you've done for the community, and that you're going to donate your entire fight person, maybe even your fight night bonus if you get one when you fight sometime in the near future. And if you want to follow James on Twitter,

it's Twitter.com slash the James Head. Get that T-shirt from Cagefighters, support what's going on over there, a horrible natural disaster. Good people like James are helping the families that were affected turn their lives around. kudos to you, my friend, and looking forward to seeing you back in action very soon. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

There he is. James Head doing amazing work, doing God's work over there in Oklahoma, a horrible, horrible story that unfolded just a week ago. Families losing loved ones, friends losing loved ones, little children passing away, and homes just being devastated. Good people like James Head, like Kevin Durand, people in the public eye, doing great things, hopefully inspiring others to do the same as well. So we tip our caps to them. An amazing story following a horrible story last week in Oklahoma. Okay, let's move along now.

We mentioned at the top of the show, an interesting week for MMA legends, former champions. As on Saturday, we found out that Forrest Griffin announced his retirement. And a couple of days earlier, he didn't actually say the R word, but he walked away from the sport, at least for now, Matt, Sarah, and he joins us on the show right now. Matt, how are you? you. Dude, what's up, man? What's up, Perry. What's your show?

It's an hour. What the fuck? Every hour, no? No, it's actually like three and a half these days. Oh, no, what the fuck? Why you call it the M. M.M.A. hour? Well, because it started as an hour.

Who said you used to make that shit off? That's deceiving is what that is. But isn't that great? You think you're just sitting for an hour and then we suck you in. Yeah, I don't know how we got a fucking three hours. You don't know, buddy? I thought it was an hour. I mean, listen to me.

Seriously, though. How many get to be you playing out in a row? We do like six in a row And then in the last hour We do some other fun things So I don't even take a break There are no commercials here I think this is one of the great

You're a fucking You're a marathon man dude You're a fucking stud You know it's funny First of all Did you pay any respects yet? I got all I didn't listen earlier

Did you know I just lose my kids Did you do any respect to the soldiers Before we get going? Absolutely I did I said I cool

I feel like it's weird To say happy Memorial Day You know what I mean But no They are true heroes In my opinion Yes me too Me too

much respect. And let me tell you, you know, it's funny with you because I'm, you go on our anime. dot TV,

the fucking, the, the, the, the UG. Yes. Do that? You go on there?

Because I, you know, I check out the internet news on there. I don't post on that shit because it's too many little fuckers and they want to,

you know, you know, disrespect you. But, you know, I'm a worker for sure. And it's so funny me because it's such an interesting interview.

I guess, and only that, it's a, I'm sore, okay, now's playing for a, a third installment of my interview with Allie O'Hawand.

What the fuck? Three sentences for your interview. What are you telling you, your autobiography? What the fuck is that? Hey, the guy asked me for an interview I didn't. What is that? What does that?

I don't see nobody fucking asking Harold Chris Lernerner into you. You're really something, buddy. You want something. You seem really bothered by my stardom, my little bit of stardom in the world. Do you think so? You think I'm a hater? Do you think I give you as much props as I post?

can. No, you're so good to me. It's really, that's what I thought about. See, I turn this shit right around on you. Yeah, but what? I mean, honestly, Newsday is good and all, but you got to come here to announce your, and I actually... You know what's funny? You know what's funny about this? I was talking to you that day. I know. And I think, and it's weird to this, you know, Mark Lamarica, you know, I'm not what a dick, I did listen, and they probably playing that shit with far as if you know, I am. I had a few days before. What a talk I am. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. Well, I actually thought Forrest stole your thunder.

I mean, just give you the week to be the guy who retired, and then a few days later he retired. You know, it's funny, man, because it's not like it's something. I was like, how do you got called my buddy and said, hey, man, let me put this out there, I'm retiring. It wasn't even like that, man. My buddy, Mark Lamonica, dude, if you see me stop and take a deep breath once in a lot because I talk a lot, it's not because I'm fucking, my ribs, my ribs.

I'm just a rib. I lose the rib. I realize that. I don't have a rib, so sometimes I'm like, what the fuck is that? Am I really getting shoving? I go, oh, no, fuck, man. I'm feeling that fucking surgery. But back to the retirement thing,

I talked to my buddy, Michael Monica, and he called me up, and it was the same day I talked to you. When I said, yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow or next day or whatever. Yeah. And he's like, so, I mean, it definitely could have been you, always had to break in news. I think you got enough fucking stories.

Calm down. I just read a three-part interview with you with you with him. So relax. I asked you, have you thought about your future? Oh, not yet, buddy. I just need to recover. I just had surgery totally understand. And then the next day, you announce your retirement.

I got a fucking rib taken out. God damn it. What happened? This is some serious shit. What exactly happened? So I talked to my buddy Mark and I just wanted to do a story to follow up and how you're feeling, just the words out about your health and what happened here. So it's starting with me and him just bullshitting because I know the guy. And then it turned into kind of like my retirement piece.

I was like, oh, what the fuck? All right. And it's cool. Listen, it's all good because I meant everything I said, you know? And, you know, it's not like I set out to do that, man. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't my mission that would day to wake up and say, you know what? The day I'd go, you know, walk away, you know?

So when did you actually retire in your mind then? Because if you weren't planning on doing it then, were you retired, like, for a year already? You just didn't tell anyone? It's so, let me tell you. It's so, it's always the contemplating on doing one more at least, you know? But you don't want to just do it to do it. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's like, if I watch the UFC and I see something, like, ah, like, fuck, man, I miss that.

Like, the feeling is, that's why you see all these guys, like, some of not all these guys, but, you know, especially like the real warriors, man, they stick around a lot of times longer than they should. Because it's, it's not even about the attention. It's not even about that. It's just that feeling of, of fighting in there is really, it's really something, man. So it's like, it's hard to, that's why I think fight is, you know, post-fight, you know, post-fight, they turn to. the drugs, they turn to this, they turn out, because they need, they're missing something, they need that high, you know what I mean? It is such a high.

You know, and it's such a, it's like when you win or just have a battle in there, whatever, just walking out, it really and I think that Dana White, and this is funny, because I said something in the Fight Magazine, um, it was like five minutes with me or something, the segment was called, whatever it was.

And then it gets big, because the guy almost looked like I stole fucking Dana's an analogy. Dana, I took to Dana a while ago, and we were discussing, it. This was a while ago. This was our I equipped his tough finale fight. A year ago. That was a little bit

ago. Yeah, so we talked about it. So we talked about stuff, me and Dana. This was a while ago, but I never made any, you know, commitment. He goes, you know, we were talking about the retirement thing and he was saying, you know, and I was telling him kind of the same shit I'm telling you. And he's like, nah, man, he's like, it's like telling a woman that she's never going to have a baby again.

I don't know. That's not my analogy. I can understand, though. when you break my balls? I didn't say that shit. It was Dana. No, no, no. I think it's a very good... It's an emotional...

It's an emotional thing, man. Do you think you'll get that... Like, you'll sort of Jones for that again, or do you really feel like you're done? You know where I... No way I should start going wrong. It's, uh... Like,

like, either you have it or you don't in a sense like wanting it. And if... Let me see if I could try to explain this shit. It's like, all right, the Hughes... After the GSP fight,

like the Hughes... The Hughes... The Hughes... was something obviously I was up for. I loved it. I was in free trade for that fight. And the trick fight, I enjoyed the trade fight because Trigg was always, Trig was a guy ever since he went with Hinto and Abu Dhabi

in like 99, I mean, and then he fought John Chak Machu. That was a guy, that's an old school guy, old school wrestler, and like I always thought about fighting him back when it was almost style over style days, you know what I'm saying? Because he always had that look of a villain and that excited me for some reason. I knew it would be fun leading up to it because he's, you know,

he's the way he is. And I like the guy, nothing to love for the guy, but you know what I'm saying. Sure. A little light for the guy, you know? Yes, yes. Anyway, that would be fun.

But at the end of the time, it came around the time and I really remember just being like, all right, I fought him once and I just really was into it. I was really like, you know, how am I going to make this exciting, man?

Like, I was so going to long ago, like, how am I going to make this exciting to me? How am I going to get up for this? because one, it was a fundamental line, like I really like Chris, and I'm not into that whole fighting guy. It's one thing if you're cool with a guy or whatever, but I don't know. I was really conflicted with fighting. I was in his hometown.

I didn't care about for me. People booing me and shit, but I'm like, ah, it was the best case scenario. I fucking, I destroy him, and then he's in this. I mean, I don't know. It was a weird, weird mental thing with me and that. But actually, I came for the conclusion where, you know what? He's been knocked down before. He has a chin, like, granted.

Because the guy has never been knocked out before. That could be exciting. Let's try to, let's try to, don't get me wrong. If I knocked them down, I'd follow them down. But that was almost like my game, that was a game plan. I'm like, let's just stand and look to, it's not, and that's not what you, I should have been looking to win, obviously, and I could have mixed up more with you chit-su. But I wanted to, like, excite myself.

So they're right there's a sign that, what the fuck am I doing? You know what I mean? But that was like three years ago. That was like three years ago. Yeah, that was a few years ago. I don't know. What the fuck? What are you?

So why did it take so long? Why did it take so long? Because I always, you know, there's always injuries, but then there's always, there's always a point. I don't know, man. I always just thinking about maybe getting back in. I don't know. I didn't want to put a nail on that closet.

What happened with the rip? It was my most active. Even when I was my most active, I'd say, what, three times a year? Like, the most I have a fort, like, once. And I usually fight a couple times a year, my whole career. So I was like, because I always did it hand in hand with my teaching.

I used my first two UFC checks to open up. my first storefront. And then, like, I upgraded my schools over the years. I mean, I always was equal part, both. And then there's obviously, all right, man, let's spice things up, man, let's get enough fight and boom. And then, like, then go back to teaching.

So it was always, like, something I did, like, both, you know, I was always, like, not just what the only thing I did, you know what I mean? I always did both with the teach, with what I do with my teaching chitizu and whatnot. So I don't know, man. So I didn't feel like I had to make a decision. decision right away, you know what I mean? What happened with the rib? Oh fuck. That sucks. That sucks, man. Why you gotta make a turn right to fucking negative bill? Well, I mean I got my rib fucking taken out. Totally taken out. You have no rib? Yeah, but you know what it is?

He would give him a quick long ago. He said I did that shit to make myself look thinner. What a brick. So do you have like a hole? Do you have like a hole in the side of your body? No, man, it's not what you think. It's not like Madeline Manson did to try to suck his own cock. It was basically, and I lost to Dr. was there any perks with this? No, I don't take him off. Like the door, sort of feed around the bush.

I'm only kidding. Do you're a sick fuck? But is this still on air? Yes, it's... Of course, it is. It's just going to fucking in an eight hours or three hours. Yeah. But, you know, it's up my rib that's up

near my collarbone. So it's on my chest, like up there. They went through my... So, you know, you think ribs, you think down by, you know, your side or whatnot. It's my first rib. What happens was I have a weird, a weird disorder, or whatever you want to fucking call it. It's some kind of... What was it called?

The Boom Boom Syndrome. I forgot the fucking able. My wife knows. But anyway, it was a newsday. Look that shit up. But it was basically my collarbone and my first rib was compressing a vein. and restricting blood flow. So it was like,

they get, like, power lifters get it. Some guys are like a diesel up top. You're probably never going to get this. Don't worry about it. But listen, it's guys who are like strong up top. But, you know,

and it was compressing a vein, and that was caused, that's what it was causing these blood clots, man. That shit was in my bicep. And then I got that shit my lung, man. I'm lucky I went when I did. Is it because you were eating so much in your retirement state?

What's that? Was it because you were eating so much that you got so big that this was happening? You know what's funny, dude? It's almost like it's not that you try to be a cock, but it just comes out that way. Absolutely not. And shit is that, dude, I actually been rolling a lot

that has nothing to do with eating or fucking Ferreel. It's so funny. It was one point when I actually said to you, I don't believe why anybody would want to smack you, but I totally understand. I totally get that. But the thing is, no, no fucking wise guy.

gonna do. You think, you don't like, because you think blood clots and you think, oh, people get that if you're on a plane too long, or if they're inactive. Dude, I've been, I've been fucking strangling people, dude. I've been rolling. I feel good. You know what I mean? You know, we were talking to Dana White about this on Thursday, and he said he called you up and he was like, why didn't you tell me we would have brought you out here, made a whole big ceremony for you? You seem like the kind of guy who would like that sort of thing. Why didn't you tell Dana? Why do you think I always need a spotlight? What do you think I'm going to be looking to be fucking DM in the Leman in the field? The what the fuck? You think I need a microphone in front of me? Come on. Because the shit comes natural. Because the shit comes natural to me. Yeah.

It's great. I don't need to do that. I'm actually more, no kidding you think, bro. I'm a boring motherfucker. You know what I do? I fucking, I go. I teach my,

I teach at my schools. I fuck. And then I come home. I hang out, my kids. And then sometimes I was play call of duty to three in the morning. That's what I do. That's my life. But you didn't want that?

You don't want them to bring you out there in front of a crowd. You know, Dana called me? No, I actually, you know what it is? My wife. First of all, like, I don't even know how it is going to be with traveling because I have fucking, I got to get, I don't know what I do. I got to take needles. I got to get needles. I'm on blood thinner, right?

So, like, I got a six to eight week recovery for this whole taking the rib-out thing. And then I'm able to be like 100%. If I go back to rolling, sparring, anything I want to do. But I got to stay like three months. I got to be basically bubble boys like August because I got going to be on blood thinners to dissolve the cloths I already have. You know what I'm saying? So, you can't do shit on blood dinners, man. It sucks, man.

You know what I mean? You think I can do your tooth, too, because it's not really getting struck. But if somebody waxed you in the head, you get bleeding on the brain, I mean, they freak out with it. So basically it sucks, man. I'm just basically bubble boy for a little bit. So does that mean you're not going to be in Las Vegas when your boy Chris Wyman gets ready to shock the world? I don't know, dude. I really don't.

Dude, he's listening. He's well-equipped. he's been working with John Danner in the city he's been working of course with the infamous cross father Ray Longo and I'm keeping I'm keeping tabs on his training man he's he's doing

he's looking phenomenal man he's looking great he's looking he sees everything's everything's going great I believe you'll be the next champion the timing I'm not alone in that I heard GSP thought the same thing

but he's come on you both of you are biased let's be honest I mean what do I expect do I expect you or GSP listen no but if you ask me if it's similar but you gotta but I'm not I'm sure bias of course positive for your guy of course

but at the same time I'm not being it's it's based in reality you know like in other words let's say I don't know the guy and I've witnessed his fucking training and I've seen I mean the guy is he's got everything it takes to to beat him I mean

that's not an easy test by any means but you know just a young tough fucking kid man and I and we're not getting it too much detail. Dude, he's... Well, let's see what happens, okay?

And then you can call me back and be like, oh, you know, I threw your bears, but who-oh-hoo? Well, I, okay, I'll admit, I mean, I know you're not here saying that Pete Sell is going to be the next Walterway champion in the UFC, so I know to a degree... I don't be a... Don't be a cock, dude.

You don't try... You don't try to be, but, you know, this is people. You don't fucking... Say, say Joe Schmoe. I got... I understand what I'm saying... He's like my little... He's like my little brother, dude.

Your friends. You're friends. I'm saying that you're not... It'll make you as chick. Ariel. I see you on that treadmill. You've been fucking using it. And you know, I...

Hey... Sprint and cock sucker. But here's the thing. It's a nice story, right? It's a nice story because you just retire. You were the guy who shocked the world from Long Island and now the new generation. The timing of it works out very nicely, I think. Oh, it's a beautiful thing, man.

I'm on Luchadamus, but I said that shit back in a... Like, yeah, it's funny because we're saying the bias... I did. I did it. I did it. ago. It's amazing. We and Chris,

we and Chris were pushing a truck. I think it was before my lightel fight a couple years ago. Yeah. And we were pushing

Longo's fucking Jaguar. And I was even saying back then, this kid could be next champ or whatever, future champ.

I mean it, dude. He's really a he's just, he's, he's a unique individual, Chris.

He's really, he's really talented and, and I think people have yet to see. I mean, people point to that Damian Maya

fight. But the guy literally, that's literally without a camp. That's not done. Nobody does that. I mean, it's not even like the guy was at a fight the next week, and then he switched opponents.

The guy didn't have a camp, dude. He got out of the couch basically and did that. You know, he doesn't walk around like a swab, but he was in, you know what I mean? But it's not fighting shape. It's totally two different things. So, yeah, the guy's going to look human, you know what I'm saying, and out a fight like that.

But look at him when he has a full camp. I mean, it's a guy. I mean, it's going to be good. And then you look at the closest guy to him. And it's different. I still believe it's way different, Because, like, you know, people say that about Chris would like to compare him to trail with whatever. But, like, I believe Chris is a different animal.

I mean, I really do. You know, I've witnessed it. How often? I think he's going to do phenomenal. How often do people come up to you and talk to you about UFC 69 when you knocked out George St.Pierre? How often do you hear about that? Are we trying to be friends again? I love you.

You know, I do. I don't take anything offense. I don't think I. All of a sudden, it went from the point. You were going to bring up his glory, dude. No, but it was almost like, at first you were kind of being, you were being joking about me being a cock, but then I really felt like you were mad at me.

No, no, no, I'm mad at you. I just love Pete Sally's my fucking... No, I know, but you got... I was just using him because he's your very good friend. That was all right, right, right. Sure. So back to... You know, I'm doing it after this? My kids wanted to go out and play, because of tonight's day,

we're going to go on the yard. But I'm seriously going to read the rest of your fucking three-part. I only got to the second part. You know, it's amazing. The last time you're on my show was Memorial Day last year. We were talking about Ally Quinta about the fight in the final.

Dude, that is disturbing. How come you don't have me on to all? I'm a local guy. I can go right in the city. Does that mean now you can come on the show? I tell my wife, I go, you know, I can go in the city and Sierra O. Would you come on?

Absolutely, dude. Really? Let's book it down. Next Memorial Day. I'm fucking in the studio. Remember that time I called you when there was a rumor online that you were dead?

Dude, I was in Puerto Rico I was in the time, dude. I picked up for you. I pick up for you. You do. You do. You do. You do.

You do. Yeah. I was surprised. Where did that come from? Longo tried to call me. Like the fucking voicemail. Who made that up? I can't be bothered on the Puerto Rico, but I remember.

I looked at my phone and I got like 10 tweets. Did you hear Matt Sarah? I was like, what? Yeah. What was that all about? It's all fucked up. And it was like died because he's a fat guy. It's, they're fucking wrong.

And they're going to think. And they're, Think, what I'm going back to thinking you're a brick. I think the blood clot, did I explain the situation I had. I explained the way it was unwired and the vein was getting squeezed into a pinhole. And still, is it because of your weight gain and eating so much since your retirement, since you're not in support it,

because you've been eating. So, I don't know what the fuck. You have anything written down before you as what I told you, but still have to squeeze that out. No, no, I don't write down anything. You look at my computer right now. There is not a single thing written down here. It's all off the top of my head.

Now, let's get back to GSP. I'm trying to put a bow on your career here. Let me tell you something that's being worse than five-foot-six and being a little chubby. You know what's worse than that? Knowing that a five-foot-six cubby guy could fucking kill you. Yeah? I'm sorry, dude. Say that's my face.

Now you're being a bully like Nick Diaz. Now you're being a bully like Rampage Jackson. You're being like Vitor Belford. Are you on the TRT, too? What's going on? Oh, yeah. You know what's funny? You know, all the things, all things, I'm trying to training, and I'm seeing everybody.

And I got buddies that are on. And that guy's a fight, but just regular guys that are going through midlife crises and they go on that shit. So they fuck. And I'm like, dude, I just can you walk around like this. Look at your fuck.

Guys are in shape. And I'm like, oh, it's great. Oh, boom, boom, you know. Working around like I'm a kid. Boom. So I'm like, man. I go, fuck, Stallone's on that shit.

Who else is on that? I guess he's off that shit. I guess he's on something. So fuck, you know, like, how is the loan more ripped and fucking expendable than he was for Rocky, too?

Does that make sense to you? This fucking movie came out of four fucking 40 years ago. Let's talk about GSP. Do you get that a lot? Are you okay with that being your legacy? I mean, it's a great moment. Are you okay with people remembering Matt Serra for the guy who won? What am I going to be offended by?

Of course, it's something I'm very proud of. Maybe you want your legacy to be something else. It's something you've done that everybody and their mother said you couldn't do, and that was like the impossible feat. Of course, that's awesome. They only compared it to Rocky one. But it's a movie. Now, Rocky, one, you know, you can't do it, Rocky,

oh, you know, who are you to go in there? Oh, I want to do is go to distance, and he goes the distance. Wonderful story. This is better, though, because, first, for the, MMA's way cool in the boxing, and two, I ended up finishing the guy, and it went out really good. Don't guy, know, yeah, he got revenge and yada, yada, beat my ass in Canada.

I know, but whatever. Fuck that. No one remembers that. They remember the moment. No, I think that was a rumor. I thought, that was a rumor. I thought bullshit. Yeah.

Listen, the first fight was way funter for me. What's the most fun. I don't think funner is a word. It's fine. We expect that out of you. Now, what do you think when you see a guy like junior... I'm...

If I was like, if this was like a... If this was like a... If this was Skype, if this was Skype, I have like a... Like, I got like a little, like, board. I remember, like, a fucking...

A piece of paper with the word cock on it with a stick. And every time you'd say something, I wouldn't even say, I wouldn't even say nothing. I wouldn't even say nothing. Anytime you put a little quip in, I would just lift up that little fucking thing,

car. What do you think when you see a guy like Junior Dos Santos come out to the Rocky song? You made the Rocky song famous, at least for UFC fighters to come out to, and then you see this big Brazilian guy. Is it a little weird? It doesn't really fit, but at the same time, you can't get mad at that guy. That guy's a fucking, that guy seems like a sweetheart of a guy.

He does. And what a great fight that was. Yeah, it really was. That was a fun. I'll tell you, that was a fun fight. I enjoyed that fight. I'm a fan. I'm a fan like you.

Will you be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame? who knows, probably not, but that's all right? Probably not. You're UFC World Trade Champion, greatest upset in UFC history. Ah, dude, come on. First guy to win profit and win a title. Go back as a coach. It moves nothing to the extreme of things.

For the best in the world, but who's counting? Do you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Not listen. I'm proud of everything I've done with the UFC. I'm proud to be a part of it. I had a very nice conversation with Dana the other day. And, and it would be a nice conversation about, you know, just about everything. I told him, listen, man, I kind of made it official with the whole walking away thing.

And that's when he was like, oh, man, I would have brought you out, blah, blah, blah, you know. But it's all good, man. I'm happy, just whatever. Whoever you talk to, I'd be to be underrated or overrated or anyway. It's all who you talk to. So it's all, I'm very secure with my career, and I had a great time, dude. Now it's time to sit back like Al Bundy You just talk about war stories

Hey but now that you're retired You're watching Game of Thrones No I don't watch that stuff I don't have time for that You don't have time for that You're so busy doing your fucking three Three piece fucking interview area Now that you're done

I can watch Game of Thrones Are we gonna see you on the road interviewing guys You know we saw four as shit That wasn't fun That was amazing I want to see a 30 minute show Because they could

The content didn't answer me If I wanted to try to do the like the post-fight thing on fuel or something. Oh, yeah. I actually got to call somebody back about it. But I don't know. I don't think that's made to it. I think you've got to be,

I think everybody needs their own type of vehicle. You know what I'm saying? Like, your own kind of, like, just because you're good at one thing. Like, take Norm McDonald's. You're a fan of Norm McDonald's? Yeah, he's not bad. I'm a big thing.

I like that guy's funny. I don't watch a lot of podcasts lately. I got more time than you. What about my podcast? You're watching mine? You don't even know how long it is. Let's get back to Norm McDonald's. The thing is this.

I watch Joe Rogan's always great, this and that. Sure. It's deep. Cool. But the normal McDonald's, you put that guy on, they tried to get that guy's a funny fuck.

You put that guy in a sitcom? He's going to do a sitcom, and I think it was fucking horrendous. I didn't see it, but I don't think it was too good. But then now I found this fucking podcast to him, dude, that's fucking funny, man.

It's because it's something, it was the right vehicle for him. They could fucking curse if you want her to give you sick shit. Like, he's just a funny. You're just a funny. You're just a funny. You need your own. I think I'm way more suited

for doing those fight camp insider things Like I get to go with the guys Basically do what I'm just bullshit with the guys And compared to like me doing a You throw me in a school I'm with fucking me and Dominic Coolems And whoever talking about Well this is what Cubs Swarmson needs to do

And I don't fuck I don't want to be that guy You know it's That fucking guy dude It's so funny you mention that Because I was just listening to a podcast Jim Gray The longtime broadcaster was on and he was talking about a story about how they wanted CBS wanted John Madden.

You remember John Madden from football? They wanted him to host the Olympics. And he was like, I'm not, I don't do that. That's not what a linebackers don't host the Olympics. And he said that sometimes you can devalue yourself by trying to take a step up, as opposed to just being content, knowing what you're good at and doing your own thing. I think that's a very, very, very good point. And that's exactly, like, we made you just said early like,

oh, I think that'd be up your alley to go to, you know, go to get the spotlight or whatever. it was to do the whole inducting for a lot of people, not inducting, um, retirement making a speech in front of people and dude, I believe in that, dude, and I really don't need that, dude. I'm a little to lay back dude than you know. And, and

doing those, like, those fight kept inside of the stuff like that, uh, it, like, that kind of stuff is just, that's just me and me, dude. If I have to sit with those guys at a post-fight or thing on fuel and discuss the last fight, or if you got me in Forrest's fucking kitchen,

Taking a fucking shit in my pants. I would take the fuck. I would take that one. I had such a good time with that, dude, doing that. You know, everything is traveling away from my kids. But, yeah. I thought that's why I'm way more suited towards that type of thing. But, you know, let's see if, who knows if, you know,

they want to do that type of thing, but we'll see what goes on. You may not think so, but I'm a pretty powerful guy. I got friends in high places. Let me put in a word. I'll make a couple phone calls. And I think you deserve it. I think you should have that show. Yeah, yeah.

We'll see what happens. Yeah, we'll see how far those. I'm sure I'll be okay. Matt, I want to say we have to go, but I want to thank you. Because honestly, all jokes aside, you sort of vouching for me and kind of giving me the rub, so to speak, really help my career a lot. You've always been so great to me, great on coming on these shows, doing the post-fight interviews, all that stuff. So it always meant a lot of a New York guy, helping out a transplanted New York guy. And I think you've had one of the great careers.

You have one of the greatest moments in UFC history. When I was watching that on my couch, I wasn't even doing this thing. That was so long ago. I was just sitting on my couch as a fan, and here you are walking away from the sport with your head held high. It's sad to see you go, but I think you're going to be a part of this sport for a long time, and I want to see you doing those shows. So I'm going to try to fight for that and push that. Oh, there you go.

Don't put yourself out for me, dude. I'll be fine, you know. If you're ever in Long Island, come down, don't do some long walk. Yeah. You might actually really need to defend yourself. I don't know what you got. We're going to do a walk in the park in Long Island. I'll just tell you some self-defense stuff, dude.

It's the, uh, don't worry. It's the gentle watch you get to. So, I'm coming to Long Island. I'm, listen, seriously, not to get all weird. I'm proud of your buddy. I've seen you, I've basically seen your, I see you blossom. And I say the word blossom on the show. But the thing is, I see you come from the beginning and just, boom, work your way up, man.

That's the way to do it. And now, look at you now. Three-part interviews on NMAXOT TV. It's amazing. Really proud of you, man. This year, I will definitely, this year. We'll definitely that come in

and shoot the shit with you inside the studio. Thank you, Matt. Congratulations on a great career. If I get really desperate, my schools end up diving or whatever, I'm going to have to become an MMA hour man in the field.

But I hope it does not come to that. You always have a home here. What a man, dude. I told you soon, brother. There he is. The one and only, the incomparable. Matt DeTarcerra, a one-time UFC Walterweight champion

walking away from the sport. What more can you say about that guy? one of a kind, a true legend of our sport. I don't care what you say. You talk about his record, anything like that. There will never be another Matt Serra. And the sport loses a true character, but hopefully he'll be around through his school

and through those flight camp shows. We need to bring those back. Those were great. All right, let's move along now. As I mentioned, a lot of people are very excited to have this man. I was bombarded beforehand. And then when I announced that he's going to be on,

fans were rejoicing in the streets of Ireland. and Kyle Penderet is the welterweight champion for Cage Warriors. He defends his title on June 1st this coming weekend against Shane Mills. Kyle, my friend, I'm very sorry that I'm late, but as you know, Matt Serra, it's hard to get that guy to stop talking. Yeah, that guy can talk. Thank you very much for stopping by. Are you aware that you have so many fans, so many loyal fans?

As I mentioned at the top of the show, you know, you're not a household name here in the United States. You haven't reached the UFC just yet, but there are a lot of people pulling for you. A lot of people wanted you on this show, a lot of people excited about your fight. Are you aware what kind of a loyal fan base you have? Yeah, no, I am.

It's nuts over here at the moment. The Irish fans are crazy and they're very proud of their fighters. You know, as you've seen back in the day with the Irish boxers and whatnot, the Irish fans really get behind their fighters. And it's, MMA has come to the forefront now and the country's getting behind us and it's amazing. Where did this come from? Obviously, you know, in the States,

Connor McGregor, you know, did great things just a couple of months ago. He got a lot of attention. You're getting a lot of attention. But where did this sort of boom? Because even on my show, you know, right now it's around 7 o'clock or so in Ireland. We have a ton of Irish viewers right now. Where did this sort of interest, this rise of Irish MMA come from? No, it's nuts.

It was really gradual. Like when I first got into the sport of MMA, no one in Ireland knew what it was. It explained to people and, you know, people thought it was doing pro wrestling and stuff. knowing the other was. It was kind of gradual. It got bigger and bigger, but about six months ago, around that time,

it was just, you know, it exploded, and it's just gotten huge. And, you know, Conner fighting in the U.S. C now. It's gotten even bigger. There's a lot of us at the top, you know, kind of fighting at an international level, and we're doing really well, and it's really caught on. And it's amazing. A year ago, you found it hard to get an inch in a tabloid paper in Ireland, and now you saw me and Connor

we were on the biggest talk show in Ireland it's like the equivalent of the American Conan O'Brien or something myself and Connor on that Connor had the MTV documentary made, I just had one made as well which I think is released this week

so actually you better tweet that out because I know you tweet of Connor Yes I will I saw the trailer for it then a lot of people some of the fans are expecting me they're like you better tweet that out they're like threatening me if I don't tweet it out they'll get mad at me over there.

Yeah, no, these Irish people, you know, you don't want to mess with them. They're passionate on that. You better look after me. Hey, that show, that appearance, I watched it live. It was a fascinating show. Like, one segment, they're talking to kids doing a high school science project. The next segment, they're talking to you and Connor there. How big of a deal was that for you to be, was it surreal?

Like you equated to Conan O'Brien or David Letterman here, you sitting there, a show that's been around for so many years, was that surreal for you? Yeah, a lot of people made more of a deal about it than I did myself and Carl approached it. You know, we thought it was real important because, you know, our MMA just kind of taken off here. There's still people like that, you know, have the common misconceptions that it's just, you know, cage fighting and to see the guys going in that are just brawling. And we wanted to come across really well and, you know, explain to people that didn't know what MMA was, what it is. It's a highly skilled sport, and it's the top combat sport in the world,

and we're a highly skilled athlete. So we wanted to get that point across, and myself and Connor prepared for, we talk to each other, we discuss what questions we might be asked and how we'd approach it, and, you know, like we do a fight, you know, we prepared and prepared for every situation. And it was weird then when we were walking out. out. We were kind of had that bit of adrenaline. They played a bit of music

before we came out and Connor actually turned to me before we walked out. He was like, man, this is like walking out for a fight. It was pretty cool. We enjoyed every moment of it and we were really happy with how we came across and how we put the sport across, so we were delighted. Like we said, it was a big

step for MMA in Ireland and we wanted to do well. And that show is called The Late Late Show, not to be confused with the one that we have here in the United States. Have you noticed that you you're getting more attention since you're on the show from maybe a sponsor perspective, fan perspective,

have things changed for you since you're on that show? Yeah, fan-wise and sponsorship-wise, things improved them, you know, you can always kind of see with your Twitter followers going up, you know, when you do something like that.

You know, it's gone really well, and then I've actually, it's weird, while I'm talking to you now, I've got cameras on me here as well. Oh. There's a, yeah,

there's a TV station here that are kind of looking into doing a documentary on a couple of guys from my gym. And they're over here at the moment. Well, can you tell them to leave us alone? I mean, we're trying to have a private conversation. I know. That's what I was trying to tell. I was sitting here waiting to do an interview,

and they were interviewing me while I'm waiting to do an interview. Oh, my gosh. But, you know, I'm getting used to life at the top is like this. So, you know, I've got to get prepared. You know, it's interesting about this fight. You know, it's a good fight against a guy that obviously people know he fought. in the UFC, you're defending your title that you won recently, but when I read interviews with you online, you're, you're open, you're saying, I want to, I don't want to

defend this title again after this weekend. I want to go to the UFC, I've done. Is Cage Warriors okay with that? Yeah, well, like, when I signed for, I was signed exclusively for Cage Warriors, and when I did, they, they, they, uh, what they said was they're, they're, like a, a growing promotion to, for the growth of, uh, fighters. in Europe and they wanted to be a step and stone. That's their position. They want to be a stepping stone for guys in Europe to move on, to progress on to the UFC.

That's why I had no interest in signing up exclusively to any promotion, but when they came about and said that and I said, yeah, that's great. This is my path to the UFC. I wanted to get in there, climb my way through the ranks and the welterweight rankings, get the belt and then move on to the UFC. That was all in the plan. I've done that, and I didn't take an easy route to that belt. I got in there, I fought UFC veterans, I fought BJ black belts,

I fought the top guys around Europe. And I'm defending my belt now against another UFC veteran, another top guy. So I know I'm ready to progress, but I'm just focusing on this fight for the moment and getting through that, and I know I'll be getting the call after that. Are you in a tricky spot? Like sometimes do you feel like some people have had to tell you, Don't look too far in advance, and we'll get to this in a second, but, you know, after Conner's win, they announced that he's going to fight in Boston, and I know that's something that you really want. You're originally from Boston. You're Irish. So, I mean, it makes total sense, especially to fight your first UFC card, you know, with your longtime teammate and friend Connor McGregor. But if you don't win this fight, that opportunity probably won't come. So how do you not, you know, look ahead and remain focused on what you have to do on Saturday, even though it might not be the end goal for you? Every time I have a fight

I'm completely focused on the fight To be honest with you For my last few fights I've always said to myself Right after this it's going to be the UFC 100% I get the win here I'll be the UFC So there's no different than my last few fights My last few fights I was convinced That I was going to be signed by the UFC afterwards

And I'm convinced this time I'm going to be signed by the UFC afterwards So it's no different Does the Boston thing approach And the Boston thing is something I think Dana announced that Towards the end of last year That there was going to be a car to Boston

and as soon as he said that, I, you know, said to myself right, and 100% got me on that card. I made that a goal. I said that as a goal. Like you said, I was born over there. I left Boston when I was five years of age, came back to my parents who are Irish.

They came back here. I haven't been back since, so I thought it would be pretty cool to, you know, go back to Boston for the first time as a professional fighter and make my USC debut. So that's, like I said, it's a goal. all I said and I'm 100% believing

that I'm going to achieve that but I'm not looking past my fight next week like you said if I don't win that fight next week then there's no chance I'm fighting on that so I'm just focusing on my fight for the moment and then the rest will take care of itself I mean the story is unbelievable you have to be on that Boston card if you beat Shane Mills have you been told by anyone

that this is it if you will beat him that you will move on to the UFC you know there's a few things been said There's nothing's set in stone, so, you know, you take everything with a pinch of salt. But, you know, there's been a few things said. That's all I can say. Well, that's good. Because it would seem like a no-brainer. Of course, yeah.

To be honest, I thought I honestly didn't think I would defend my belt. I thought the UFC would see it as a no-brainer beforehand. I was putting it out there. The Irish public were putting it out there. They were tweeting day and they were crazy. You've seen how crazy they get. Yeah. There was press people at UFC press conferences.

When Connor fought over in Sweden, in the press conference he was asked about me. So he's definitely heard my name. The UFC are well aware of me. It makes sense for them. It makes sense for me. They can make a lot of money out of it. I can make a bit of money out of it. And I get to fight with the best in the world, which is why I got into this sport.

I got into this sport to fight in the UFC. I'm a competitor. I want to compete against the best in the world, and that's where they are. So I'm just waiting to get the call. Were you disappointed? I mean, when you have your sight set on something and you think, okay, after this I'm going to the UFC, it doesn't happen. Were you bummed out? Yeah, well, a little bit.

What that's life, you know, you got to take it on the chin and get on with it. And then I got this fight, and I saw it was a great opportunity. I saw there's a guy who's been in the UFC for a couple of years. He has a big name, and I'm very confident I can beat him. So let's just get in there, do it, and then we'll reassess it after that. So, yeah, I was a bit disappointed at this. Like, I thought it would get signed after my last fight, but that's life. So let's bring on June 1st and bring on Chey Mills.

This fight against Mills, it's actually taking place where you went to school, right? I went to college. Yeah, it's in the campus, so I went to college. And I read this story where you actually were taking, like, one of your final exams took place in this facility and then you fought there like a week later. Yeah, yeah. It was actually this time last year. I fought David Bill Caden, who he fought in the USC for a few years as well.

I was fighting him and I was doing my final exams. I studied analytical science in DCU there. My last ever exam was on a Saturday the week before this fight. So I was in the actual complex that I was fighting a week later in and I was there sitting away doing my exam. and try not to think that shit I'm going to be fighting against the UFC veteran. So that was a bit of a weird one, but it's a cool story. Analytical science, what is that, I mean, what exactly does that mean?

What is that? The course is kind of like based around forensic science and pharmaceutical science. I got into it because I had a bit of an interest in forensics. It was a CSI font, but it's not a... me it's not as enjoyable as that. It's not as glamorous the job as Horatio made it out to be on CSI now. Did you actually think that you would pursue this or in the back of your mind did you always know what you wanted to be in? That's a fighter. Well, when I first started, when I first went to college, I, you know, I just, at the same

time, I took up MMA and my MMA career kind of just took off while I was in college. And I remember when I got to like, my course was four years. When I got to halfway through, after my second year, I was having serious debates about whether I should leave it or not because I, you know, I turned professional as an MMA fighter. I was doing really well. And I was, you know, I said to myself, this is what I want to do, this is what I love to do.

And I found my thing. I wanted to pursue as much as it could. But, you know, I never liked to. quit anything. I was two years true and I said it would be a bit of a waste of it was just to give up halfway true. So I said this and I was also just a smart thing to do. It was just to get it, just have it there in case I needed. But, you know, it was pretty tough. I was training full-time. I'm doing this full-time course. It was really tough going, but I got there in the end. That's one thing I'm really proud of doing.

You know, your team, the SBG team led by the great John Kavanaugh, you guys are on fire with yourself and Conner McGregor, also Gunner Nelson doing great things. What's the secret to your success over there? Well, why are you guys doing so well lately? It's crazy. And trust me, SPG is going to be, within the next 12 to 18 months, it's going to be known like ATT or AKA or TriStar or any. It's going to be huge. We're already known as one of the best in Europe.

It's going to be known, a gym known as one of the best in the world. I think it's down to, you know, John Kavanaugh is an amazing coach, like he said. He's a born teacher, and the guys we have in our team, we kind of assemble ourselves as a team within the last few years. We're all kind of in our mid-20s, and we're really coming to the forefront on the international stage. We kind of all started around the same age, in 19-20. We trained together the team form that's gotten bigger and bigger. And, you know, it's like a SPG is like a, it's not like a gym,

like an academic institution. We go and John teaches a class and then you know the guys who really progress the top fighters are the ones. We're like the nerds where the guys who, you know, we arrive to class early and we go over things and we stay behind and

afterwards and we discuss different techniques we've learned our different things we know. It's, you know, there's a really cool vibe there and it's a real learning atmosphere and we're just getting better and better every day and we're going to be a world for us soon. And what about for your yourself unbeaten in your last seven why have you gone on this streak is there

something in particular that you can pinpoint say this is why I've been doing so well lately you know I'm just a determined guy and I'm like I said I decided a hold a sec you feel that up him it's my brother there I'm just I'm water loading at the moment so anyway but you know I'm a determined guy and I I want to be one of the best of the world that's my I don't know I don't want to be be one of the best in the world. I want to be the best in the world and I'm training like crazy and I told you there I only finished I was doing a full-time course in college and training and it's only less than a year that I've been training full time now well train without the distraction

of college and it's making so much easier but I'm going to get to the top of the sport I know I will and I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing I'm just training hard and being disciplined being dedicated. You know, if they make a lot of sacrifices to get to the top, I don't have much of a social life. I don't get to see my friends too often. I've got to be disciplined with the food I eat

and stuff like that, you know. So it's not easy getting to the top, but I have the determination to do it. You know, it's interesting. I get the same vibe that I get from Connor when I talk to you. Obviously, you're very different than him. He's a lot more outlandish.

You're more kind of. kind of quiet and reserved, but you get that confidence, the confidence just sort of radiating. When you tell me that you're going to be a champion, I actually believe it. It's not like when I hear some fighters say, you know, they kind of just say the cliches. You have this sort of quiet confidence like you're in the zone right now. And I'm not quite sure how to exactly explain it, but I get the same vibe from when Connor was on my show for the first time. This guy feels like he is going to be a champion. And if I didn't believe it, I wouldn't say to you right now, so I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass.

Yeah, ma'o, I appreciate that company me. That's the thing. That's the thing in SPG. We were out, like you said, we're very different characters, but there's a vibe and there's a mentality in our team, and we're very confident in our skills, and we're true belief in ourselves. And that's the huge thing.

If you believe in it, you can't, you're not going to be a champion unless you believe it yourself first, you know. And I do believe I can be a champion. And that is a key to his success. Connor is one of the most, you know, confident people are in his own abilities and I've 100% fighting, he's going to be a champion as well.

So, you know, me and Connor aren't just two out of a gym, there's a whole pack of dogs like us in there and we're all ready to, you know, get the call and there's going to be, there's going to be an Irish invasion in the UFC very soon, trust me.

Like him, do you not have a pot to piss in as well? Yeah, no. Yeah, that's it. unless you're in the U.S. You're not making much of a living one. I haven't got much gone from me other than, you know,

I get a bit of money from Kajorias, but it's just about enough to keep me going. So I'm hungry. I'm hungry to get in there and, you know, make some proper money and make things a bit easier myself. Then the train will become even easier and I'll be able to train even harder.

I'm really looking forward to. Do you have to do something spectacular on June 1st to to finish and put kind of an exclamation point on your pre-UFC career. Have you instilled that in yourself leading up to this fight? Yeah, definitely. I want to go out there and make a statement. Che is a guy that was in the UFC for, you know, he was a couple of years.

He was in there for a couple of years. He did well. And, you know, he probably put a state in there and, you know, had a decent career, but he got shifted out. But I feel like there's the perfect opportunity for me to go in there. you know show how good I am show him on another level over him I believe that

I can hang with guys around the top ten in that division and he's nowhere near that so I want to prove that by going in there having a dominant performance showing the world what I believe myself is true that I'm one of the best in the world by the way where's your name from

what's your family history your nationality when my family are Irish Penderd comes from I'm not sure exactly I think it's originates somewhere from Cornwall or something

but my first name Cahill is an Irish name Oh it is? Yeah yeah It's that Every time I go to America People find it pretty hard to You know say

Because the tea is actually silent Right I got told there recently That Cahill means Mighty in Battle In the old Irish name That's where it came from so it's kind of fitting

what I do for a living Well, I'm... Go ahead, sorry? I remember what I was talking, I was over an Iceland training at Gunny and I was at dinner with his family and I was telling him that and then Gunny turned around to me

and told me that his name Gunner means warrior as well in Icelandic, so it's where it's like a parent's new before we did what we were going to be when we grew up. That's amazing. That's a great story. So I'm looking for, forward to it, my friend. It's June 1st this

Saturday in the United States you can watch it on M.m.com. Cage Warriors 55, Kyle Pendred versus Shane Mills for their welterweight belt. And this could be your last time watching him on the regional circuit, so to speak, giving us the little hint that if he wins this

fight, we may see him in Boston. That would be a tremendous story. I hope everything works out for you, my friend. I hope you get the Big W and then move on to the UFC as you've been dreaming. And good luck, most importantly, on Saturday against Shane Mills. Thanks for having me on And I'll be on to you about

When that MTV document You've got to tweet that's it for me Yeah You have my word my friend I saw I saw the trailer I liked it very much I want to see the real thing I will most definitely do that for you

Good man All right Thank you so much Good luck to you No problem There he is Walter Ray champion For the Cage Warriors promotion

Both Connor and Kyle Just obviously having their sights set on the UFC, not trying to belittle that organization. You always need it. Like RFA here, you need those organizations, but kind of in a way putting cage warriors back on the map. Two Irish lads, as they call them, doing great things. And I think he would be a nice addition to the UFC's Walter Rate Division.

Of course, with that story growing up in Boston, living there until he was five years old, and then his family moving back to Ireland, now, of course, a proud Irishman, but, you know, the Boston fans, when you have Bruce Buffer saying something like fighting out of Ireland by way of Boston, Massachusetts, the crowd is going to go insane. Even if they don't even know who he is before the fight, they will go insane. And I think that would be great for the first show. UFC on Fox Sports 1.1. I'm just calling it the UFC on Fox Sports 1 debut, at least for now. So MMAJunky.com is where you can watch the fight on Saturday.

they actually have some Facebook prelims at 2.45 p.m. Eastern time. And then the main card is at 4 p.m. Eastern time. There are actually two title fights on the card. There's a flyway title fight as well. The main event, Kyle Pendred versus Shane Mills. I thank all the Irish fans who were hounding us to get him on the show. Very happy to get him on. And it seems like a great guy, happy for his success.

And hopefully, at least for him, he gets to realize his dream of fighting in the UFC very soon. Okay, let's move along now. welcome in our next guest. We go back to the magic of Skype. We welcome in the man himself. Look at that connection. That is a strong Skype connection. Mike Dolce, joining us right now in the MMA. Look at you with the books and the UFC. You're just so smart. You just know how to brand. You know, I'm working hard here, and I'm happy to share any sort of knowledge or experience that I have with anybody else. And sometimes you have to let people know maybe what they don't know. How did you get involved in this UFC fit project?

You know, I received a phone call from Don Gold, the executive vice president of entertainment for the UFC. They said that he said that they were working on a project. They thought I might be a good fit. Would I be willing to talk about? I said for sure. So I went down to the Zupa offices and Don told me the vision of UFC fit, which had a different name at that time, UFC training camp. And we talked about it. And really what we came up with was we both wanted to help people.

You know, the UFC makes a lot of money. It's easy for them to make money. So this isn't about making money. about helping people, changing people's lives. And I'm honored that they chose me. Out of all the people on the planet, all the great coaches out there, they chose me to be the guy that they felt was best capable of designing this program to help people. So I couldn't be more proud of Ariel.

I mean, the UFC fit, it's a big deal. Did you even have to try out, or were you the guy? You know, they told me a funny story that, you know, they were all sitting around and they were thinking, because they've been trying to get this project going for a little while and just for whatever reason it wasn't really clicking. And, you know, they say, all right, so as far as the creation, the science behind it, and the guy in the face, who's really going to take that ball and run with it?

And they said, well, let's talk about our own industry, you know, MMA. Well, you know, there's Dolce, so Dolce's on the list. And it kind of, now, this is a group of the smartest guys in the sport. Yeah. They had a hard time finding the number two, in their opinion. And I think that's why my phone rang. And, again, I was happy to answer it. And to be able to contribute just my little bit to such a.

a large project. It's so interesting that you mentioned that because I was just talking about you over the weekend. Saw you, of course, at UFC 160, and I was saying what's so brilliant, it goes back to what I said at the top about how you've branded yourself, the Dolcea Diet, we see the book there, everything like that. And why hasn't anyone try to copy or at least follow in your footsteps? There are some out there that you hear of, but to do what you've done, to put yourself out there to, you know, what you've done on social media, your podcast, all that stuff,

Are you surprised that, you know, there's always, there's only so much that one person and his team can do. There's got to be room for others, and I'm not trying to, you know, sort of encourage competition. But are you surprised in a way that no one has tried to copy your formula? I am in a way, and I like to say within the world of the UFC, you know, in elite mixed martial arts, I can honestly only work full-time with 10 athletes. Right. Prefer six, and I'm about the bus. Well, there's 500 athletes on the UFC Zupa Rosh.

I'm begging other great minds out there, great coaches out there, to get in and help these guys and girls, help these athletes perform at their best, you know, best possible ability. But unfortunately, I seem to be one of the only voices, one of the only faces out there that are trying to do it healthy. I'm a longevity advocate much more than I'm a sports performance coach. I don't identify myself even with sports performance. I focus on longevity and help. I keep my athletes healthy. I keep my students, my clients healthy. I stay healthy.

I preach health. I don't preach the pills, the powders, the potions. It's one of my taglines because you don't need that. I spread that and people think I'm lying. That's bullshit. You don't listen to him, that guy, whatever. He didn't go to this school or do that thing. But I have the results.

I have the success. And I say the biggest thing is I can't patent spinach. I can't sell that to you so I can just tell you to eat it. I can give you the real advice. And that resonates. I think that's why I've been successful in my own degree because what I say people seem to implement and it works really well and it's easy and it's efficient. And it works better than anything else out there.

I can say that because I point to my. roster of athletes. You know, I mean, my guys and girls, we do incredible things at their career-defining performances, and they say it's the healthiest they've ever been. So what does that do for the average person, the lay person? I mean, it's so much easier when you don't have an elite-level athlete waiting to kick your ass at eight or 12 weeks. So if I can prove that at the elite level, it's easy for, you know, for everybody else. Is it safe to say you're done fighting? No. No, not at all.

Really? Unfortunately. Yeah, no, I like to compete. I like to fight. like to trade. Timing is everything. So fortunately, I don't have to fight to support my family, which is really what I was doing when I was fighting. I was fighting to pay the bills because working as a strength coach and a diet coach, a longevity

coach and performance coach, there was no money in it. You know, I made $14,000 in 2006 being the Dulce diet. Wow. I was mocking mats and cleaning toilets at 6 a.m. from 6 to 10. I'd clean the gym for less than $32 a day. And then I coach 40 of the world's greatest athletes all day and, until 9 o'clock at night, and I'd ride a bike home to do it again the next day, 6 a.m., freezing cold gym, turn on the heat, scrub the disgusting toilets and clean the mats, get it up

and running, and I just cycle through all these great athletes, Ed Herman and Nate Quarry and Chal Son and just, you know, the Healy brothers at the time, and Ian Lovell and that whole team, you know, that's kind of how I got started doing this stuff, you know, at this Dolce diet level. So it seems like it's a brand success overnight, but, you know, and then I was in 2002, I was working with Hensow Gracie and team Hensel Gracie and guys like Kurt Pellegrino when they were still fighting in NHB. I was still this coach, but there was no money in it. And I was able to fight.

You know, I was a high school and college wrestler. I had a decent boxing background. I was able to make some dollars, you know, cover rent, you know, and that's really, you know, spurred my fight career. But I feel unfulfilled because I fought way over my head. I fought guys like Mike Pierce and Lyman Good and Delston Helena as a new pro. I mean, I had no business being in there, but I was tough enough to almost make it competitive. You know, to do pretty well. So part of me fighting again is to, because I love it, and it makes me a better coach to go through the process and go through the weight cuts and the prep and deal with the emotional side, you know, which is one of the biggest parts I think that I focus on right now with my athletes.

And also to kind of, you know, write some wrongs. You know, I'm still a man and I still have some pride out there. That's, you know, still some ass whooping left in me. Wow. That's actually very interesting because I thought by now you've got so many good things going for you. Why even go through all that? Do you have any idea when you would like? to fight again?

I would love to fight within a year, you know, let's say by next summer if I have the opportunity. The problem is, everybody wants to fight the Dolce Day. Of course. It's not worth it for you. It's not worth it for me. Even back in the day, look at my record. Look at the guys I fought.

I fought freaking studs. I never got a softball throwing at me. You know, not to say I want one, but give me, you know, equal experience, equal level. I'm going to get some, you know, D1, Iowa wrestler, all American, you know, on some local, you know, farm show. So, I could see the line forming right now. I mean, that's a huge fight for someone, a young up-and-coming guy to fight someone like you. I mean, look at you.

You're Mike Dolce. Who wouldn't want to fight you? I want to fight you. Whoa. I'm the guy that tells you to eat your vegetables, right? You finally get to kick his ass. Exactly. We have a promo.

Who came up with the Dolce diet? Was that you or someone else? That's me. That's what it's always been. You know, I'm Mike Dolce. It's my diet. And when I was working with the guys up a team quest, they noticed what I was doing was so far different from what they were accustomed to.

These are elite guys, some Olympians on that team, and college national champions, some of the most experienced guys at that time. We're talking 2004 through 2006. And what I was doing was revolutionary to them. To me, it was common sense. It was basics. And that's why they kept calling it the Dolce Diet. We called it the Dolce Diet.

I mean, very simple. And it really didn't take off until 2010 when Rampage fought Rashad Evans. And, you know, he came into that training camp 51 pounds over the weight class limit. and with seven weeks and six days to go. And I was able to get him on weight in shape, and he actually won that third round against the fatigued Rashad Evans. And Chia Petta tweeted,

you know, the real winner of this fight is the Dolce Diet. And that's what I first wore that black and gold t-shirt. Before that, I was just Mike Dolce, the guy on stage standing, you know, behind the athlete. I wore that t-shirt and, you know, it took off a little bit. So the results were there. I mean, I Rampage, lose 51 pounds and look amazing in that fight. And then Alves and all these other great athletes threw it.

The results are always there. So, you know, when I first heard about this UFC Fit project, I was like, all right, the UFC's getting into this. It seems, you know, they're into the UFC gym now. They're trying to branch out. We've seen the success of the P90Xs of the world and whatnot. I'm not sure if I was totally believing in it. But then I saw you in New York at Harold Square before UFC 159,

and you were doing a demonstration in front of some fans there, just people walking to work and whatnot next to Macy's nearby here on 34th Street. and you were really, man, you were really, you were playing that role. And I don't know, I didn't feel like you were playing the role. It seemed natural, but you were doing it with the getting people to do the punching and the kicking and whatever the heck you were doing. This feels like you are a natural at this. You must love this. This is great.

I appreciate it, man. And yeah, I don't have a job. I have a passion. I say that. I tweet that all the time because it's true. I get to go there to Harold Square. And it's my challenge to get every single person walking by to look up and notice UFC fit, to be inspired. To make one positive choice at the time and get up here, Maria, the 68-year-old grandmother from Cuba,

get up here in your high school, get on stage, and do this with me, and she did it. And people, you saw, I'm telling the security guards, let them through the ropes, I felt like Mick Jagger. Mick Jagger Fitness up there on stage, and you saw it. We had thousands of people stop and crowd around our little UFC fit stage there and listen to the message and show what we were doing. That's who I am. I don't care if I get paid a dime or not. that's who I am, that's who I'm always going to be. You probably remember little old me, you know, years ago when we first started seeing each

other in the fight game. I'm doing nothing different right now and the ability that UFC Fit has given. You know, P90X insanity, that's white belt stuff. I'm a black belt. When it comes to this stuff, Dana White said, I'm the best in the world. And my athletes say the same thing. So for the first time ever, all these great secrets from all these athletes from me, come to everybody through UFC Fit and through these league, like the Harold Square demonstration.

and all these other demonstrations we're going to have all around the world everywhere. He stopped me in a hotel lobby or the airport, and I'll put you through a set of jump squats or Superman spots or all those other things. This is what I do. There's 7 billion people on this planet. I believe I have the knowledge in some way, shape, or form to help them just a little bit. And UFC Fit is going to help us get that information out there. Okay, so if I'm listening to this, I'm watching this right now,

what exactly do I need to get myself into? If I say, all right, UFC Fit, I'm going to buy this. It's 12 DVDs, right? Yes, it's 12 DVDs. Yeah. And then, oh. In this very cool Optagon case, I happen to have it right here, actually. 12 DVDs, you get this, the UFC Fit Lifestyle Manual that I wrote from me.

Every single word came from me. So it's my principles, my philosophies. It's not watered out. It's not editing. It's not BS. You follow the lifestyle manual because it's not a meal plan, like P90X and all the other ones out there. They have these template diet, these meal plans. That stuff doesn't work.

If it worked, everybody. would be in great shape because you can Google right now and you can find all these amazing template meal plans. That stuff doesn't work because we're all unique in the UFC Fit lifestyle plan. It's the same methods I use with everybody and it works. So follow that. Then we have the workout tracker. We have the three days to shredded guide very similar to what I do to help my athletes lose weight just so you have a little feedback on what's in there. So you go to UFCfit.com click on the video, see the testimonials. Like I say, I don't want to sell anything to you, but I want share the information. You have to educate yourself and form yourself. The results are there.

Look at the 35 testimonials that we have from real people in Southern California that did it from 63 years old down to 23 years old. Everybody changed their life. There's videos on there for regular people. So I created UFC fit with the person that's 20 to 40 pounds overweight in mind. Now, you could be a pro athlete or a hundred pounds overweight and it'll still work amazing for you. But it's to get you off the cat. So in these 12 discs, it's broken down in the four three week phases. It's West. Eastern puritization. I have everything broken down with a very solid scientific base, but you don't have to worry about that stuff because I did. You just have to look at the workout tracker and say, up, today is power punch. And you're popping your power punch and you're

ready to go just like that. You need a six by six space in your garage in your bedroom in front of your TV. I can do this and I do do this in my hotel room, which Ariel, I know you're going to start doing now. Yes. Yes. I mean, I could describe it more and more and go on and on. I don't want to waste your time in the show. But that's what it is. And all that information is available out there. So inform yourself, UFCfit.com. So after 12 weeks, what kind of a change do I see?

And it's not just the exercises. You also have to eat right and all that. It doesn't happen magically. But what am I going to see as far as changes in my life and my body and all that stuff? Immediately, you're going to immediately feel improved digestion. You're going to immediately see your metabolism boost up. You're going to immediate feel vibrant energy. You are going to feel healthy and fit and excellent.

the first meal, from the first meal, because that's the way it's created. Every meal, every recipe has a very high nutrient density, very low calories for those nutrients. So you eat less to get more. You have energy and it flows through your digestive system. Now you can work out harder, better, longer. Push yourself, challenge yourself. So as you go through the workouts, which are step and staged to build into each other, you feel that constant improvement, improvement, progress. Maybe it's just being able to do 10 body weight squats in the beginning or being and we'll do a single-legged sprinter squat, you know, come week three. All that stuff chains on and on.

Through each phase, you see dramatic results. By the end, you are in the best shape of your life. That's the way UFC fit works. I mean, look at the testimonials on the group. And it's funny because as we were going through the legal process, vetting out all the material and whatnot, we had the testimonials submitted to the legal team. And these are, you know, really, you know, bright individuals. And they said, we can't post these results without putting a disclaimer that these are not typical.

And myself and Don Gold, we said, these are typical because they're of, all 35 people that actually did it. We're talking about 40 plus pound weight loss. We're talking about inches and inches and inches lost all over the body. I mean, dramatic, dramatic results. And that's what we want. So we want a disclaimer saying this isn't typical compared to everybody else. This is what you'll expect with UFC fit.

And that's part of the expectation. You know, it's interesting. When you made the joke about me doing it in my hotel room, we have a guy in the back, New York Rick. and he's kind of like, he's like our guinea pick on the show. And what's, what's, I think, sad about him, he's kind of, how old are you, Mr. Rick?

25, going to be 26 in August. And a young guy, athletic, but I play on a basketball team with him. He's always huffing and puffing. He's eating McDonald's, Wendy's. I feel like he's kind of, he has the mold, but he's a little schlubby. You know what I'm saying?

And I feel like he should be doing this. This is a guy who's not married yet. He's got a lot to live for. And I feel like, what do you think? What do you think, Mr. Rick? Do you think you can pull this off? Well, if I'm being challenged, I think I can pull it off. But first of all, I take offense to you calling me schlubby.

Let's, uh... Well, I mean, do you want to take your shirt off right now and tell us how you're not schlubby, or are you not ready for that? I'm not popping it off right now, but maybe at some point we can have that done. What do you think, Mike, a 25-year-old guy who's athletic plays basketball, but doesn't eat right? He's eating McDonald's, Wendy's, things like that. would he be a good candidate to do the UFC fit? He is the ideal candidate. So what are you about 20 pounds overweight, you think?

20, 30. Maybe we can lose 25. Oh, my God. I hope not. I mean, I'm 510, maybe 165. Okay, 165. So we can play with that a little bit. But yeah, absolutely.

Your diet is everything. You can't outrun a bad diet. So with the UFC Fit Lifestyle Manual, that's what you need to commit to first, Rick. You're already exercising a little bit. That's good. but your diet is garbage like most people. And, you know, Eric calls it slumber.

I call it flubber. We don't want that flubber. Blubber. You can peel that off easily. Easily. The less flubber you have, now we can start putting on functional weight, functional mass.

That's what I do with my athletes. My athletes get leaner each year, and they still put on two, three, four pounds of functional lean mass. We're always getting bigger. We're always improving. You said challenge. This is a challenge.

So I challenge you. Yeah. Yeah. How about that? I'm challenging you too. And you know the thing is, Mike, he's kind of like, you know, he's getting interview requests now. He's getting a little fame. He's got a few thousand Twitter followers.

And he's like kind of a face of the show. And it's embarrassing to have someone who's so out of shape out there in front, you know, like, come on. It's embarrassing for me. Well. Just for job security, Rick, you got to step it up, man. I have no choice. Plus, you issued the challenge. I'm game.

Oh, wow. And we could actually rebrand this and call this Rick's fit. How about that? well we better call a dupe of legal team right there no but honestly

Rick we're kind of joking around here this is a 12 week thing it's the eating all that stuff because I think it would be actually kind of cool

to be honest I think it would be cool if you did this and then the average Joe Schmoe is listening to our show this could get him involved in this

this could get him to get off the couch who's really 20, 30 pounds like can you be the man of the people here and do it for everyone

and let us know if this thing is for real not that I don't I'm not saying I doubt you Mike but it would be cool if someone on the show actually does it and every week he comes back and reports to us and tells us, you know, this one was hard, this week was tough, da-da-da-da-da.

Are you ready for that? Can you actually do this? I'm stepping up. If 60-year-old, 8-year-old grandmother Maria can do it, I'm in. Let's do it. In heels on her lunch break in Harold Square. Wow, I love this. So every week he'll report back to us and let us know.

So what exactly does he have to do to kind of get the ball rolling? He gets the DVDs and then you just pop it in and you start. That's it. Pop it and you start, but first you read the lifestyle. First, you read this. This is everything. This is the road map. This is the treasure map.

You read this first. You follow this. And then the discs are 25 to 45 minutes a day. Once a day, that's it. 25 to 45 minutes and that's all. But this, this is 24 hours a day. That's what we have to follow. That's how you have your bigger success.

You follow the lifestyle plan. You do the workouts as their programs. And Rick, man, you're going to be in crazy shape. Crazy shape. But can you read, Rick? Is that going to be a problem? See, now this is getting... No, I'm in.

Let's do it. I'm excited. I'm very excited. We could even have someone filming and see how he's doing. You know what I mean? This could be great. This could finally be Rick

living up to the expectations that we have when we hired him to be a part of the show because Mike, I don't know if you know this. He's supposed to be like the gambler on the show and make picks, but he keeps failing every time we give him a challenge. This could be his way of redeeming himself.

Yeah, come on. Let's take one for the team here. And then, how about this? If he does well, and he actually finishes it, then maybe I'll do it. Fair deal. Now, let me ask you this, Mr. Mike, and good on you, Rick, for stepping up. We'll talk about it a little later on.

Don't think that we're actually throwing this out there for the show, and you're not actually going to do it. You're actually going to do this, and I'll be on top of you, my friend. You have to do it. If you're going to do it, give 12 weeks. I'll actually invest my time and energy to help you, Rick, because that's what I do, you know, away from the shtick off camera. I'll really help you stay motivated if that's what you need.

You just got to commit. do the 12 weeks exactly the way they're planned, and then we go from there. Amen. Mike, I want to ask you, you know, obviously you work with a lot of athletes, and you work with Vitor Belfort, right? And he's taking a lot of heat lately for the TRT, and people don't believe that he is doing this, you know, genuinely, right, that he's authentic.

What do you make of that? As a guy who's right beside him, you were in Brazil, do you take offense to this? Are there some valid concerns being raised? What's your take on this, Vitor Blanche? Belford controversy, if you will. There's definitely valid concerns, but I think the wrong questions are being asked of the wrong people.

Unfortunately, Vitor is so marketable. Anytime his photo or his name is in the headlines, the view counts, the hit counts go up. So I understand the business side of that. Unfortunately, I'd like to hear from the commission. I'd like to hear the doctors and lawyers that made this program legal. And why are guys like Vitor allowed? Like, you know, they keep asking Vitor. Everybody knows VT was on the TRT program.

He submits his blood work. you files his paperwork. That's the story. So he admits it. Now let's ask the doctors, why can a guy like Vitor go through and be allowed? Let's see the science. Let's see the rationale. Let's see the legal precedent that allows that.

And who are these guys or ladies? Who are these individuals that are responsible in allowing the program to be there? So I want to get the spotlight off the athletes who really, they're going to opt into it. I mean, for multitude of reasons, whether it's true medical health or just professional, you know, financial security. I mean, that can't be taken out of the equation with a problem. program like that. Who's really in charge and who should talk to? How do you feel about TRT though?

You know, I agree with the statistics. In very, very, very rare instances, it is necessary. In very rare instances. So the vast majority, and I don't know what the percentages are, but we'll just say vast majority of young men in their 20s and 30s going on to the TRT program, well, they're probably bending those rules just a little bit. I think they're taking liberties and they're taking advantage. Me personally, if you become part of the TRT program, or even if you become a sanctioned licensed fighter,

I'd like to see every four weeks you submit blood work. So there's a baseline from the time an athlete turns pro all the way to the end of their career. They get their blood work submitted. Also, they have brain scans done much more commonly than they do now, not waiting for post-injury, every four weeks, every three months, every six months. I mean, money's an issue, but I'm not going to address money right now. Let's talk about factually. The more testing, the better.

The more blood work being reviewed by intelligent individuals, the better. I'm a longevity advocate. I believe in my students, my athletes, going to their doctor every three months at least in getting wellness tests done, having those relationships going, to be preventative. You don't want to react to sickness or disease. You want to prevent it. And I think more testing of the athletes, well, that'll show a guy like Vitor when he was 20, his level was high, and then five years later and five years later, so it progressively went off.

That data will be out there. So the intelligent people in the commissions and on the boards, they'll have a more data, and everything's about data, but more data to make informed decisions. There's a lot of emotion behind the T or T program right now, and I certainly do understand why. What percentage of fighters, when you're around the events, you talk to guys that you don't work with, actually know, they may not work with you, but the percentage of UFC fighters, let's say, actually know what they're doing when it comes to nutrition, weight cutting, all that stuff that you specialize in. What percentage would you say?

I'd say, honestly, less than 10%. Really? And I gauge this on in the line. So the average UFC, it's 10 to, you know, 15 fights. So let's say 12 fights. Right. So there's 24 athletes in that line. Yeah.

My athlete and maybe one or two other guys look good. Hmm. And I see what they're doing. They're locking themselves in solanism plastics. They're dumping all sorts of salts and alcohols into steaming hot tubs. They're dehydrating themselves. They're drinking distilled water. They're not eating food.

They're only to eating inner nutrients, you know, powders and pills and things like that. They're trying to vomit and purge. and push off this weight, constantly training and grinding and expending all this energy unnecessarily that's going to take away from their vital organs. It's going to take away from their foundation of help. And my guys are running around, you know, the UFC always comes and ask my guys if they'll go and meet the VIPs, if they'll go take pictures with the kids. Because my guys are in great moods.

They're healthy. They're strong. They're still hydrated. And they're in the best shape of their life. And 24 hours later, they typically put on an ass with it. Everybody else, they're not doing that. And that's why I talk and I share and I show. I mean, you see me.

I'm preaching the same message. I can only work with 10 of these athletes. You know, my books and UFC fit. That helps to get the message out there, but my message is the same. The principles evolve continuously, but I don't see anybody else doing that like you're asking. You know, it's working, my friend. I got Mike Jones 916 here on Twitter saying Dolce should seriously consider being a motivational speaker. He's reminding me of Bas Rune right now.

It comes through off the screen. I mean, you're inspiring me. You've inspired my man, Rick. he's going to do it. He's going to do Rick's his version of UFC Fit, and we're going to monitor it on this very show for 12 weeks and let everyone know if this is the real deal. I'm assuming,

since you are involved, this is the real deal. I have the book right here, Living Lean. Should I give this to Rick? Yes, please do. Rick, start reading immediately. Right now. Okay, after the show. Not right now. No. Don't get fired. Produce.

Good luck with it. Again, it's UFCfit.com where people can learn more about it. That's where they can order the DVDs and all that stuff, right? Absolutely, guys. UFCfit.com, watch the videos inform yourself, and definitely, buy, now, get on board 12 weeks to change your life. I mean, that's the truth. I put my reputation on it. Wow. Well, that's a serious reputation he's putting on the line. Mike, good luck to you with this. Congratulations on getting to this point. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Rick and the UFC Fit. And always good to talk to you. You're doing some great work. And you also have that podcast.

Where can people hear your podcast? podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, also the Mike Dolce show.com. Check out the Mike Dolce show. Look at this guy. Blowing up. Mike, thank you so much. Good luck. Ariel, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Bro. Talk to you guys soon. There he is. Mike Dolce. So what do you think? New York Rick is actually going to do this. Do you think he'll actually pull it off? 12 weeks. I feel like he'll get through like the fourth or fifth week and give us some kind of excuse. That's my prediction. How dare you, sir? Shouldn't you be calling Pat Healy right now? I thought you weren't listening. Doing it.

I wonder if Mr. Rick will actually inspire other people. Let's see. Our boy, Sean, it's his birthday, by the way. Our boy, Sean Sheehan, who unfortunately faltered in the Rick's Picks Invitational. He's saying, I need a birthday gift of those DVDs. Rally for UFC UFC fit Ireland I hope Mike Dolce

doesn't notice the MMA beer party Thank you to all those people who apparently drink a lot of beer during our show And it doesn't sound so weird Because it's, you know, the afternoon here in the United States But I believe a lot of these people are overseas So it's nighttime They're relaxing, they're chillaxing, if you will And they're drinking some kind of beverage

That's pretty cool. I got like 16 or so pictures yesterday excuse me, not yesterday, last week of people doing this. So that was pretty cool. So there you have it. UFC fit. The book is Living Lean. There he is. Mike Dolce. If you've never seen this guy without a shirt, let me just tell you, it's pretty impressive. And he certainly practices what he preaches. I've seen him eat, pulling things out of his knapsack, snacks of all sorts. And he is motivating a lot of people. I feel motivated to do this thing. But first, I'm going to to let Mr. Rick do it. Let's actually see if this thing is legit. He'll do it for 12 weeks. He'll report back to us. We'll kind of put a bow on this whole discussion later in the show when we

talk to him about the questions and Rick's picks and whatnot. But for now, let us move along and welcome in our last guest of the day. Joining us from Hawaii is Pat Bam Bam Healy. Pat, how are you? I'm doing good. Ariel, thanks a lot for having me on the show. A pleasure, Pat. As always. So a very interesting time for you, and we appreciate you stopping by. It was interesting in many ways, first and foremost, because you came out, you sent out an email a little less than two weeks ago, I think it's two weeks tomorrow, explaining what happened in New Jersey, the positive drug test, and offering your regret and just kind of your side of the story. It is my understanding that the New Jersey Commission wasn't going to announce

this publicly. Why did you feel like you had to do it? Well, I felt like it was going to come out. I mean, regardless, I mean, if they weren't going to announce what it was for. I mean, and then it was going to come out that, you know, I had fell to drug tests for an unknown substance or something. And, you know, I'd rather be honest about the whole situation than let a bunch of false information or wrong information get out there and make me look even worse. How long before your fight against Jim Miller in New Jersey, April 27th, last month, did you smoke

marijuana? It was about three and a half, four weeks out. It was at a friend's birthday party, you know, or just hanging out. To be honest, I didn't even, like, think it would be an issue, you know. I'm like, it was a huge mistake and, you know, I just didn't even think, you know, I wish I could go back in time and slap myself because it just was, you know, a dumb thing to do. Are you an active marijuana smoker? No. So you just, it was just because you were at a party. That's it.

It's not something you do often. No, I mean, I do occasionally maybe like, you know, seven, eight times a year. You know, I'm certainly not going to anymore. You know, when you're, you know, I'm just happy that the UFC kept me on, you know, just when you're thinking about losing your job over something so stupid, you know, It kind of changed your perspective on things. Did you look into what you needed to do to flush this out of your system, or did you feel as though because it was three, four weeks before the fight, you didn't even have to worry about it? You know, I didn't even think twice.

You know, like, I never gave it another thought. Like, I imagine there's plenty of stuff out there you can take to clean your system out. But like I said, I didn't even like think it was going to be an issue. And for the record, you don't need to smoke marijuana seven or eight times a year for medical reasons or anything like that. It's just for leisure purposes, right? Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, it's like being out with the boys and drinking, you know, or something. But, you know, it's against the rules. And, you know, it's not something I'm ever going to do again, you know.

When you were told about the positive test, did you think that the UFC, would take away the $130,000 in bonuses that you won that night? Yeah, I mean, I did. That's what they do, you know. They wait for the test to come back, you know, before they even give out the bonuses. So, I mean, that's part of what they do. It's, you know, it sucks, but that's the rules, you know.

That obviously has been a controversial point, especially because the UFC, both Mark Ratner and Dana White, have said they don't believe marijuana is a PED, and Dana criticized the Nevada Commission when they seriously penalized Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. after his positive drug test following his boxing match against Sergio Martinez last year. So a lot of people are wondering,

well, if you disagree with it and if the commission wasn't taking it away, why did you take it away? Do you feel like it's fair that they didn't give you this money that they announced was going to you? I mean, I think it was a bummer for me, but I mean, I don't think you can

say it's unfair because that's, you know, that's how they handle it. That's how they've always handled it. I'm sure it's happened in the past. So, I mean, that's the way they do things. That's the way they do things. Was this a situation, you know, I had heard that, actually my colleague Luke Thomas said he had you on his radio show, Sirius XM Fight Club after the fight, and you were talking about how badly you needed this money for certain reasons. Was this situation where you almost kind of spent the money already, and now you don't have it? Well, I did pay off some, you know, a few things that, like some back taxes I owed and, you know, I paid off my car. So I paid off some things that I probably wouldn't have fully paid off, you know, but I didn't go crazy or anything at that point.

Afterwards, and this thing kind of, it's crazy how many different sides of the story just kind of blew up. Brian Carraway gets the submission of the night bonus, and then he does this interview with MMAJunkey.com, kind of looking down on marijuana users saying that he's not a fan of it. That spiraled into something else where other people are accusing him of other things, et cetera, et cetera. But let's just talk about when he was speaking about the situation right after it happened. Did you feel, and I know you've trained with him in the past kind of friendly, did you feel like he crossed the line, like he was disrespectful towards you? No, I mean, I read what he said.

I just, you know, Brian's a good guy. I just think sometimes he, you know, he got into trouble for some comments about Ronda Rousey in the past. I just think sometimes when he talks to the media, he just doesn't think what he's saying 100% through. So I think it was just kind of a poor choice of words by him. But, you know, I know he's a good guy and, you know, didn't mean anything towards me personally. Did he reach out to you at all? to have you spoken to him since all that happened to clear the air? Yeah, he did reach out to me, and I did speak to him,

and, you know, I just let him know. I don't, you know, I wasn't upset or anything by what he said. You know, it's just the way it is. And what about the support that you got? And most famously by Nate Diaz, who ended up getting suspended and fine for using some inflammatory words to describe Brian Carraway, but even putting Carraway aside, support from not only

MMA fighters, MMA fans, MMA media, all of them, it seemed unanimously supporting you and disagreeing with the UFC's decision

to take away these bonuses. Were you aware that so many people were sticking up for you and writing all these articles and putting out

these tweets, et cetera, et cetera, in support of you? Yeah, you know, I was watching that the whole time

and, man, it was, you know, it feels really good to have that support. You know, even though it's not for the most positive thing, but, you know, regardless, having people in your corner certainly made, because there was some sad days for me there for a while, you know, just, you know, putting the money aside, man, you know, losing the win was hugely, I mean, it's the biggest thing to me, man, you know,

having it changed to a no contest, you know, I'm still don't have a win in the UFC now. And, you know, that was a big moment for me. So to have that painted really makes me kind of angry with myself for my decisions, you know. It's so funny that you mentioned that. That was actually my next question, because I know we spoke on this show where I almost forgot, you know, essentially that you had fought in the UFC before back in 2006. And when we were texting afterwards, you said that you put that fight out of your memory. In your opinion, UFC 159 was your debut.

for a guy who's been around the sport for so long to finally get to the UFC and have a win like that over a veteran like Jim in his home state. It was one of the feel-good stories, and I still, I mean, you can't take away the performance. I don't think the marijuana that you smoked four weeks ago affected your performance positively or negatively

on that night in Newark. But, you know, unfortunately, it does kind of put a black cloud over it. Are you able to take some kind of, you know, positive away? I mean, you did beat the guy, or do you feel like this completely taints everything that you did on that night? No, I mean, I certainly can't, nobody can take away the great memories I have from that night, the performance, the fight, everything, you know. So that all will stand with me.

It's still, to me, is my biggest win ever. And, you know, it's hard for me not to count it as a win. But, I mean, it's just, I don't know. Like, I still, like, don't know exactly how. I feel about it, you know. I'm proud, but, but so disappointed and, you know, kind of ashamed, you know, I'm really, you know, I've no one to blame but myself, you know, so I don't know, I'm all over the place on that, but just, you know, just very disappointing in myself, you know. Do you feel like you're over the disappointment, or are you still kind of, you know, down

about it, kind of mourning what you did? Well, it's hard to be down when you're in Hawaii, man. I wake up every day, go swimming in the ocean and surf and do stuff like that. But, I mean, it's definitely in my back of my mind the whole time. I mean, it's, you know, the number one thing in my life always has been. So, you know, it's hard to get away from it. Do you feel like the UFC is going to treat this like a no contest? You feel like you fall down the ladder because, let's just say this doesn't happen after UFC 159.

I mean, one would say you're maybe one or two fights away from fighting for the title. That was a huge win over a top five guy. So you have any kind of idea as to how the UFC will treat this? No, to be honest, man, I really don't. I don't know where kind of I stand, like what if it's going to, you know, drop me quite a bit. I'm going to have to work my way up. but I just want to get back there as soon as I can and wherever they put me, you know,

if it's the middle of the pack, it is what it is. You know, I'm happy to fight my way up and, you know, put in another performance that makes people forget about this whole fiasco. So your suspension is for 90 days, right? Yeah. 90 days, you still got your win bonus from the UFC, correct? Yeah, I mean, as far as I know, like New Jersey

or anybody like that, to take any of the money I got. So, yeah, I got the whole win and show money. Okay, so you got the win and show money. Are you okay with disclosing what that is? Because there's been talk about how much you actually lost,

and I'd like to get, you know, just for the story's sake, like to get the actual number. Would you be okay with that? Yeah, I believe I made 46K for this fight. Okay, and then in addition to the 130 you were going to make,

so it's almost... over $175,000, right? Yeah. In totals. But they only took away that, and how about the New Jersey Commission? Did they find you anything? No, as far as, you know, they haven't,

they didn't find me anything. All they did was do the 90-day suspension, and as far as I know, they're not going to do anything further than that. Okay. Have you talked to the UFC about it? Because I know, you know, I mentioned last week on the show,

I asked you to come on, you said you weren't ready, you want to talk to the UFC. Have you had a discussion with them about what transpired? Yeah, you know, I mean, my agent, you know, handles that, so he talked to them, but, you know, we have talked about it and kind of got everything out there. And were you actually really afraid that they may cut you because of this? Man, when I first got news, I thought, yeah, that's all I was praying.

Like, man, I hope I have a job after this. I thought it was a possibility. And, you know, I'm really thankful that they stuck behind me. Obviously, I don't want to make you some kind of advocate for marijuana, but do you feel like this day and age, 2013, it's crazy that it is on the banned substance list that the way they treat marijuana should not be like the way they treat a PED? Would you like to see that change? Mark Ratner has talked about it in the past. Nothing happening just yet. But it does seem like the amount that's in your system is being discussed about change, et cetera, et cetera. Overall, though, would you like to see those rules changed?

Yeah, I mean, I certainly don't think it should be handled like a PED. I mean, you know, I don't think guys should be able to come in, like, fighting, you know, high. I don't think that there should be some sort of, like, you know, I don't know if they can test, like, if it's in your system at that moment. But I think that should be the real stipulation behind it as long as you're not, like, coming in under the influence, under any influence. under the influence of anything when you fight. I mean, I think that's the way it should be. Do you have any idea of, you know, how much you had in your system when you were tested? No, I don't.

They didn't release that to me, but I can't imagine it's, I mean, it's got to be a minuscule amount. Right. Yeah, because it was what you said, like three, four weeks, right? Yeah. Geez. I don't know anything about that stuff, but I can't imagine it, being a crazy amount. And I almost wonder, you know, how long, like, would it be a day later, two days later,

like how long before it's completely out of your system? I know nothing about that stuff. When was the, you know, before any of your other fights, this never came up, right? In the past, throughout your long veteran career, this has never come up in the past, right? No, I mean, I've been drug tested, I don't know, by many different commissions, probably six, seven times, you know, throughout my career by, you know, Nevada, California, everything. It's never been an issue, so, yeah. Hawaii is just, is that vacation, or are you doing training over there?

I know you've trained with BJ in the past. A little vacation and all this training, though. Just mostly doing Brazilian jitsu out here. And, yeah, you know, trying to, it's a fun lifestyle out here, you know. I'm like riding the bikes, swimming in the ocean. body serving stand-up battling every day. So it's a pretty active lifestyle I live when I'm out here. By the way, I asked you if you reached out to Brian Carraway.

Have you talked to Nate Diaz and, you know, maybe thanked him for sticking up for you as well? No, I haven't. I don't have any, you know, I don't know any, like, mutual contacts between Nate. I certainly feel bad that my poor choices spawn, you know, more trouble for anybody, Kareway M and Nate, you know. Yeah. Well, I mean, I got to say blown away by how you're handling this. I mean, so upfront, you're the one that announced the news.

All class. You're not making any excuses, not blaming anyone else. I know you can't put, you know, a monetary value on that, but in my book, your stock went up. I think you really handled this the way an athlete should when he does something that gets himself in trouble. So kudos to you for that. Very sorry. Truly sorry that this happened.

I know how big that win was for you, how big that moment was for you. And I said it a couple weeks ago, I thought it was the true feel-good story of 2013 thus far. I don't think they could take the win away from you, but even though the record book says otherwise. But you've handled this with class, so you could take some solace in that, at least. Yeah, you know, I... When you mess up, Ben, you can't do nothing but step up and own it, you know. I mean, I wish I could blame something else. I wish I could, you know, I wish it was somebody else's fault, but it's my own fault.

It's my own bad choices. So, you know, I got to be a man about this. And, yeah, it sucks, and it's embarrassing. And, you know, it's not something I want to be involved or my name involved with, but it is what it is now and can only handle it by being a man about it. Well, I think a lot of people can learn from that. you've turned into some kind of role model here now. You know, I think that's the silver lining here.

You've shown us how to deal with adversity, how to deal with the controversy, especially for those in the public eye. So I truly tip my cap to you. Hopefully you get back in there soon when the suspension is up and put all this behind you, Pat. I appreciate you coming on, especially on your vacation. I know it's early over there.

Thank you very much. Hey, man. I really appreciate you, Ariel. You know, you've always been great to me, and I appreciate you giving me the platform to come on and, you know, kind of explain myself. And, yeah, you know, and thank everybody who supported me, you know, through these times. Anytime, Pat. Enjoy Hawaii. Hey, thank you, man.

And have fun. Hopefully you're around home for a while. Yes, thank you very much. It is good to be home. I appreciate it there. He has. Pat Healy stopping by, giving us a few minutes of his time while he's on vacation. Again, like I said, handling it with true class. I mean, he came out, announced the news on his own, not making any excuses, not blaming anyone, not even blaming the UFC.

Just wanting to get back in there. This is a guy who's been around the sport for a very long time, fought some of the toughest fighters, has had wins on the regional circuit, if you will, without the spotlight on him, finally gets back to the UFC, picks up a huge win over Jim Miller, a convincing winner,

a dominant win of finish against, Jim Miller, and then this happens. And it sort of spawns into this crazy story where other people are involved, Carraway Diaz, all this stuff. But look, just still calm, still humble, still classy, Pat Healy. I tip my captain. That's great stuff out of him. Okay, let's take a quick phone call.

Then we're going to get your questions. Then we will recap round two of the Rick's Picks Invitational. Let's go to James in California. James, are you there? Hey, Ariel, what's up, man? Hey, bud. Oh, James, you're back. What happened last week?

I was talking to you? Yeah, on my end, the phone muted, I don't know what happened. I had four bars, but it just muted on my end. Okay. What's on your mind? I don't know. I had two quick questions, so hopefully this time we get through. Question one, then announced this weekend that he inked a day.

with Tel Aviza in Mexico, which is a pretty big network in Mexico. And I was wondering, once the MMA gets established in Mexico, do you think it's going to be the new hotbed of MMA, like bigger than Brazil? I wonder. I mean, obviously, I think it has that potential.

Like I was saying with Dave Meltzer, when he was on, I think that, obviously, Mexican fans have been supporting combat sports for a very long time, not quite MMA, but I think that's because there hasn't been

a real true star that they can get behind. Now you have Kane Velasquez, Eric Perez is doing great things, and you see the way they're branding him. I don't know how big MMA is in Mexico right now, how big Kane is. I mean, certainly when I go to the event and he's fighting, like I said, I see a lot of teenage kids,

girls, boys, a lot of Mexican fans when he won against Brock Lester and Anaheim, that was a massive deal. The crowd was going nuts. He wears his nationality and his country on his fist, on his sleeve, on his heart. So he's the perfect guy, and I think a lot of people can relate to him.

But I don't know if he can actually go there and sell out a stadium. I do think, though, that the key to the success over there is to get on television. You mentioned a very big network, and then to get people supporting it, following it, et cetera, and then you come in. It's hard to come to a new market

without having the television vehicle behind it. So I think this is a very good start, and if he continues to be champion, I think they'll be there very soon. they talked about it, if you recall a couple years ago, when Miguel Torres was a champion, and even when Kane was rising up the ladder, didn't work out. But I think now, and you see what they're doing with the ultimate fighter and doing tryouts and things like that, I think in the next maybe year or two, we could see the UFC finally come to Mexico. Yeah, I agree. And my second

question is, is it more likely to have the third fight in a soccer stadium in Brazil or Soxed in Mexico. Between those two, I'll say Brazil. I'm going to guess, though, that it's going to take place in Houston. I don't know why. It just seems like, I don't know, they have a lot of Brazilian shows on the schedule already, and I feel like Kane deserves to have it on his home turf, so to speak. I know he's not from there, but I think you'll get a strong Latino following if they have the show in Houston.

and Dana mentioned that he will be fighting in Houston very soon. That was on Thursday before he defended the title, so I think that would make sense. I wonder if they could do it in the Alamo Dome, something like that, in San Antonio, I think with a strong card they could. But my guess would be Toyota Center, Houston, Texas. Okay. Hey, Ariel, do you remember that?

Should I give you a while back? Yes, I do remember it. Is it likely it'll be in the background of your... Oh, is that what you're asking? Maybe. Well, yeah. I'll break it out. I'll break it out, yeah.

And also, do you have a size small on your Hawaiian shirt? Do I have a size small? You don't wear a size small. I've seen you before. You're a big guy. Oh, no. I'm kind of like a beer good, but that's about it. But I wear it small and then.

Right now, we do not have any more. Actually, we have a couple left, but they're all Excel and large. We are making more. I will reserve a size small for you so that you can go out and purchase one and give the money to charity. How about that? That sounds great, Ariel. Thanks, man. All right, I'll let you know when those

shirts come out. Appreciate the call, as always. Thanks, Ariel. Take care, man. Take care, and we got one more phone call before we get to the questions. Let's go to Mike Jones, who is on the line from California as well. Mike, how are you? Oh, very good, Ariel. How's it going?

Doing very well. What's on your mind. Great show today so far. Thank you. Nice to finally not be at work on a holiday and be able to call in. Yeah. I just wanted to kind of talk about what Dave Meltzer talked about in the beginning of the show with K&JDS being so much better than or looking like there's so much better than

the rest of the division. And if you think that's good or bad for the heavyweight division in general. I don't think it's bad right now. You have the trilogy fight, so it's going to, you know, that fight's going to happen, and I can't wait for that fight. I think it's great. He had the first fight, Junior beats him very quickly. The second fight, Kane completely dominates him, and now you get the third fight. It's a lot of fun.

So that's fine. And then after that, I still think you have some interesting matchups, you know, Alistair O'Reams about to fight Travis Brown. They announced that last week. That's going to take place August 17th in Boston on the Fox Sports One card. So out of that fight, you may see, you know, I still think. people would get behind the idea of Alistair, even though he last lost a Bigfoot Silva, I still think people would get behind the idea of him fighting for the title. Who knows what happens between Dos Santos and Kane? If Dos Santos wins, I wouldn't be shocked if Daniel Cormier goes, sticks

around at heavyweight and fights for the title. Roy Nelson is streaking right now. You know, he's fighting steep Amy Ochich. That would be, that's June 15th in Winnipeg. He wins that fight. Salvo and row and he's looking for a new contract, but I think he still needs a win over, you know, top five or so guy to really enter that conversation. Let's not forget about Fabrice O Verduim. He's fighting Big Nog. I think that's a huge fight. Fabrice O'Rdome versus Kane Velasquez is a fascinating fight.

His striking is very much improved. We know how good he is off his back. I would love to see that fight. Let's not forget about him. And you also have Josh Barnett who just signed to the UFC. So I'm not quite sure that it's very weak right now, not interesting. By the time the third fight happens, I think a lot of other fights. will have happened, and things will get a lot more interesting at heavyweight.

So I'm not down on it at all. Okay, okay. Did I make you into a believer? You changed my mind definitely a little bit. I just think it would be a little bit hard to sell Roy against Junior Dos Santos the second time. But that's just my opinion. And then a couple other quick questions. Jeremy Stevens, he was kind of under the radar because he was right at the beginning of the card this weekend.

he looked really good. You think they'll give him like a big step up in the featherweight division or throw him another unknown guy like Pion? I think, you know, featherweight has become very interesting. I thought that was obviously a very good win, a bloody win. And it's funny that that was the opening fight of the night, so then the rest of the card you saw those big blood spots all over the canvas. Yeah, yeah.

I'd like to see him, you know, slowly rise up the ranks. You know, he still has this legal issue, which I asked him about after the fight. He didn't really want to talk about it. But let's see what happens with that. I mean, hard to truly invest in someone when that's kind of hanging in the air. Because, again, he rises up the ladder and gets a bigger fight one after the next. That's going to come up. I mean, he's done a very good job of not having to deal with that from a media perspective.

And especially he lost his last fight and didn't have to answer those questions. but, you know, you get put in a big fight, a lot of other people are going to be asking you those questions. I think he needs to get that settled before he really gets strong push at 145 pounds. Okay, okay. Yeah, I could see that really reflecting that on them if he gets a lot of publicity for it. This is one interesting thing about MMA media in particular. It's almost like people believe that if you don't talk about something,

if you don't address it for a long enough time, we'll forget about it. And for the most part, that happens. And I don't think it should happen. That was a big story. and it just kind of disappeared. It was. And it's unresolved. We need to resolve it.

I felt like there wasn't enough detail, really, that came out about it. I would love to get more details, but he doesn't want to talk about it. I've asked him to come through his manager. I've asked him to come on my show multiple times to talk about it. I understand it's a pending case right now. He can't. But if you recall, that October show, that was crazy. He was in jail.

They were trying to get him out of jail. I mean, that was a very big story. So we don't really know what's going on. Yeah, I remember following. following day on that and just being being blown away that they would keep him in jail if it wasn't a big deal or they couldn't get him out to fight or yeah just the whole thing was crazy um but then my my last question was just uh kind of kind of like the ridiculous moment of the card um how about yomasaki asking kj if you can see while he's getting punched an elbow in the face

how about it not being a great night for yamasaki you know i i look i i didn't have a huge problem with the stoppage in the main event, Kane and Bigfoot. Kane had a, excuse me, Bigfoot had a great answer in the Post-Five press conference. And then I loved what Dana said about penalizing referees. But when I heard Yamasei, I mean, why even mess around with it? You know, in Nevada, again, we talk about Big John, not allowed to, not licensed to ref in Nevada is mind-blowing to me. But Herb Dean is there.

I mean, just go with the best guys. And I think Yamasaki has proven to be not one of the best guys. He's very inconsistent, some weird stand-ups, talking to KJ Nunes, asking him if you can see while he's being mauled by a Soroni blood all over his face. You know, championship fight, I could see why Bigfoot was a little perturbed. I mean, I saw it coming, but you can have a point. You can at least bring it up.

You remember that fight with Eric Silva back in Brazil? You know, a year and a half or so ago in January of last year, UFC 142, a weird DQ. He's had some very bad calls. I remember back in Washington, UFC on versus 6. Had some weird calls on that card as well. I just don't know why you don't go with the best guys available,

especially for the main events. You're Nevada. You're the fight capital of the world. Why play around? It seems like they're kind of going that way with the foreign cards do, where they put the newer rests on the prelims, and then they hold the bigger name more experience. guys for the main fight.

I don't know why we don't see that more here. Well, there should, and in my opinion, if it's a UFC card, they should all be experienced. I mean, put the unexperienced, the inexperienced guys, put them on the local shows. And when they're ready to referee UFC cards, then bring them up. I'm okay. I don't know if it's, it's probably impossible, but I'm okay with Herb Dean reffing every fight on the card. I'm okay with Big John reffing every fight on the card.

And there are other guys as well. There are other guys who, you know, does... I would be fine with that, too. You know what I'm saying? I think Jason Herzog has been doing a great job as of late. I mean, there are a handful of guys that do a good job. Why don't they take the best five guys? Yeah, just use those guys.

Yeah, just use those guys. I was surprised that Kim Winslow didn't referee the Mark Hunt JDS fight. I thought for sure that Kaiser would have done that, just for kicks, just for jokes. Yeah. Yeah. To see if she could pull hunt off of JDS. It's a heavyweight title fight. It's the main.

event, put the best guy. Yeah, I 100% agree with you. Well, I really enjoy your show and don't want to take too much your time, but thank you my call and I'm a big fan. Thanks, Mike. Appreciate it. James brought up showing his t-shirt and displaying it. I was very excited after the show, I was doing my Fuel TV duties.

I was backstage and Roy Nelson comes up. to me, and he presents me this t-shirt that he was wearing. I saw it on Twitter, and it says, smartest guy on earth, exclamation point. That's the quote said by Dana F. White. And Dana said this on Thursday during the media scrum. We were talking about his contract negotiations, why he's fighting at UFC 161, June 15th against Miochich. And, you know, he's had a rough relationship with him. So I showed Dana this t-shirt. I wanted to get his response. Do we have the clip? Roy Nelson gave it to you. Here's the clip.

Hold this one up. This actually cost him money to print. Wow. You said that on Thursday. For those of you who can't see it. This is actually a fact. This is the fact. He is the smartest guy on earth.

This is true. The fact that he went out and made that, that actually proves he has some kind of business stuff. That he's smart. Is that what I mean? Yeah, that proves he's smart. He's a fucking genius. That's actually he gave it me

and that was a president. It's not for you. Do you want to keep it? Sure, I'll keep it. Oh, huh. You want it? Well, I thought it was fun, but I think you should have it. Go ahead. Hang it up on your set for your show with all your little action figures and stuff. You watch. That's great. I saw a caption of it once.

How about that? And who actually believes that he's never watched the show, that he only saw the caption? I call BS on that. Dana White watches this show. I bet he carves out at least three hours, at least every Monday to watch it. Maybe watches the replay, can't catch it live, I can understand. But how about that? Finally admitting that he watches the MMA hour, jokes about the action figures and all that. He covered it well with the caption. But I was legitimately bummed that I didn't get the T-shirt.

I really wanted to show it. Maybe hang it up, one of these little bars over here. But I think Roy is going to hook me up with one. Dana liked the shirt so much. and then he was in such a great state so euphoric that he had received this shirt that he lets it slip out that he actually watches and maybe even enjoys the MMA hour. Of course, you can't get him on the show. That'd be too much to ask. But appreciate the shout-out. And I thank Roy Nelson even though I don't have the shirt right now.

I thank him for giving it to me. All right, let's answer some questions here. And speaking of our action figures, we've got Junior Dos Santos, Round 5, Series 12. This is Junior Dos Santos' UFC 146 championship edition. Here it is right here. And, of course, UFC 146 was last Memorial Day weekend when he defeated Big Roy Nelson. Not Roy Nelson.

What am I talking about? He defeated Frank Meier as champion. He defeated Roy Nelson UFC 117. So this is what's at stake here. And then we have the rest of the collection. We've got Junior with the championship. We've got Nathan Diaz. we've got Korean zombie.

That's a good one. And I'm told that you actually get, if you buy the limited edition Korean zombie, you actually get the cool Korean zombie t-shirt from back in the day. BJ Penn, Brian Stan. And we also got a Joseoaldo right there. So no more Bruce Lee.

Look at that. We got all the champions, except for Ronda Rousey and Mighty Mouse. Round 5 tweeted today that Mighty Mouse is in production. So that's very exciting. hopefully we can get that. But Junior is at stake. Do we have questions?

Yep. We have quite a few. So let's try and... Quite a few. Let's try and hit them. For God's sakes. All right. Okay, first question.

Which performance by Kane? By the way, this is from the website. This is from Jag Vet. Which performance by Kane was the most impressive? First or second fight against Bigfoot. Honestly, I'm going to go with the second because Bigfoot knew what he tried to do. He stuffed those takedowns. He regrouped and then finished him.

So I'm going to go with the second. I agree, finished them faster. It was impressive. Even though the first one looked, you know, bloody and really impressive, I agree. Thank you. You're welcome. Second one, with UFC lightweights ranked 2 through 6, most likely being booked and the one wanting to see a fourth fight between Melendez and Thompson, is Gilbert Melendez's next fight going to be against Jim Miller, since he's also coming off a loss or against Pat Healy, who was scheduled to fight on two different occasions but pulled out both due to injuries. Honestly, I like both of those matchups. Usually

the UFC likes to match loser versus loser in a situation like this, and I don't think they're really going to treat the Pat Healy situation like a loss. So I think the Jim Miller fight makes sense. But for Pat Healy, I'm sure he would take the Gilbert Melendez fight

because he's wanted that for a very long time. Even though he has no real animosity towards him, I could just see them doing it. I think an interesting fight for Pat Healy would maybe be Habib Nirmagamato. who is now 20 or so in O. And I know he's 20 and O, he's won, I believe, four in the UFC, if memory serves me correct. So I think that would make sense.

Melendez versus Miller, I think makes sense as well. And there are other guys who need fights. There's Evan Dunham, Hafeld Dosanos, Donald Serroney just won. Josh Thompson is available. So there's a lot of guys at 155 who can be matched up, and I think no one would care. You know, I feel like it's a stupid matchup. Here's our last one from the website. based on the storylines going into the fight as well as the fight itself,

do you think that Junior Dos Santos versus Mark Hunt has to be ranked among the best heavyweight fights in the UFC? The best? You know what I love so much about that fight? I felt that at any moment it could end. And it was one of those fights where even though it was clear that Dos Santos was going to win if it went three rounds, it felt like you couldn't look away because either Dos Santos was going to knock him out, which he did in the most spectacular fashion, who would have thought that?

A spinning calf kick is what I'm calling it. Or Mark Hunt could knock him out. And credit to Junior, both credit to Junior and Mark, let's start with Junior. A, he only went for the takedown really once, and that was in the second round, and he could have gone for it in the third. He could have played it safe earlier in the fight,

later in the fight. He did not do that. And Mark took some huge shots, came back, was dropped, bounced right back up, you know, never tried to. to play it safe and squeak one out. I mean, they went toe to toe exactly as advertised. So, yeah, you know what, I do agree.

It was one of the best heavyweight fights I've ever seen in the UFC, and I loved every second of it. The people's main event finally delivered for once. We're moving on to the Twitter questions. The first one comes from Alex Hawley. Would the UFC be burning Kane versus Dos Santos too early? They don't like to go past trilogies, and I think they are. Now, you can.

I mean, at this point, I loved it. love that they're both on the same card. They should do this more often. I agree with Dave. Both on the same card. They both look good. Both had great finishes. People want to see that fight. People want to see that trilogy. I want to see it. They have very loyal fan bases. It makes total sense. Do the fight now and then worry about the future later? Our next question comes from Richard Martinez. Do you agree that refs should be penalized for bad calls? If so, what kind of penalties? Well, I mean, the UFC can't penalize the refs. The only ones who can truly do so are the commissions. And I don't they do anything. I'd like to see the commission sit down more often and I know they do it from

time to time. Don't get me wrong. But really look and talk to the referees, the judges, and ask them why they made the decision that they made. And if they feel like it's completely off base, yes, they shouldn't be back the next time the UFC comes or there's a big show. I'd like to see it happen. If you mess up in any job, you should be penalized. I don't really get the sense that happens with officiating. Our next question comes from MMA Pride Gilly. Did Mark Hunt impress you even in his defeat? I didn't see a stock go down at all. Should he fight a top 10 opponent next?

Absolutely. I mean, no one really believed that Mark Hunt even had a chance against Junior DeSantis. Remember, this is a guy who entered the UFC on a losing streak. They wanted to get rid of him. They wanted to pay him to go away. He lost to Sean McCorkel. Can I say that again? He lost to Sean McCorkle in seconds in his debut.

UFC 119. Sean McCorkle, the curtain jerker of all current jerkers, submitted him, comes back, goes on this streak, and fights the former champion, Junido Santos, the man, Minnie. I don't know if anyone doesn't agree with this. Number two at heavyweight stood toe to toe with him, took his best shots, came back, kept on swinging. Yes, Mark Hunt's stock doesn't really drop after a loss like that. Yes, I'd like to see him fight someone. Maybe, I don't know, the loser of Brown versus Overeem. You know, the loser of Verdun. versus Big Nog, tough matchup, but that's what you get in the top 10. Even Bigfoot.

I'd like to see that. I'd like to see Mark Hunt stick around, I think we will. And by the way, let's get this man some sponsors. Unbelievable. No sponsors, no banner, no nothing for that fight. That's a shame. Our next question.

Why no sponsors from Mark Hunt? That is unbelievable. I did not even see that. I had a conversation with Mark Hunt about this. It was off the record. He did confirm to me that there were no sponsors. All I could say is kind of a personal thing

between him and his management, a business thing. I'll have to leave it at that, but it's a sad thing and I can trust you, or you can trust me that he did not want any sponsors. It just sort of happened that way, and that's a travesty. His biggest fight in the UFC, no sponsors. Hopefully that will change for his next fight.

Her next question comes from Garrett Christian. Given that T.J. Grant was so much bigger than Gray, Matt, Evan, and added in his amazing chin and skill set, can you not see TJ as a new champ? This is a tough matchup for Benson. Do not sleep on TJ Grant. Again, I'm bummed we're not seeing Benson versus Anthony,

but I'm totally on board the TJ Grant bandwagon, and in particular, T.J. Grant versus Benton Henderson. I love this matchup. T.J. Grant's so good on the ground, so good off his back, developing into a serious striker would knock out power. Look what he did in his last two fights. This is a guy who fought at 170. He's big.

I think he can really push Benson, make him on comfortable. I think we're going to see a great fight. I'm all over it. Absolutely agree. Our next question. From Eduardo. Who will be next for Glover Tesherra? Maybe Alexander Gustafson for the true number one contender if Jones

is not available to fight. Look, right now if Jones is able to fight, I want to see Jones versus Alex. I think that's the fresh matchup. They're kind of selling it. They both seem engaged. I want to see that fight. Machita is not going to fight Glover. Edsor has told me that unless it's

for the belt. They're both part of the Black House team. Ed Souris did tell me that he would like to see Glover fight the winner of Dan Henderson versus Rashad Evans UFC 161. It's in a couple of weeks and I think that's a fight that Glover needs. He needs now a top five guy to

really elevate himself. So I'd like to see him fight the winner of that fight. Our next question is from Michael McElroy. Does KJ Noons have a future in the UFC? He has not had the most impressive run in Zoufa as of late. I think it's going to be tough. You know, a lot people thought that he deserved to beat Ryan Couture, but lightweight is stacked. I could see them maybe giving him one more shot. I wouldn't be surprised either way. As you mentioned, not had the

best run as of late. It has a fun style, not the most complete game, but you know what you're going to get from a KJ. Noon's fight usually, I'd like to see him one more time, but I wouldn't be surprised if they ask him to go elsewhere. Our next question is from Scott Lag 10. Do you think Dana's description of the Nirmagamato fight as an ugly wrestling clinic was fair. By the way, that was more of an insult to Abel Trujillo than it was

to Nirmagamatov. I think what he was trying to say was that he beat him up, that he showed that if you don't have those skills, you can't hang with the top tier lightweights in the UFC. So I don't think that he was knocking Nirmagamato. I thought Nirmagamato completely dominated him and

it was in a way beautiful to watch how he was throwing him around like a rag doll. I don't think it was a knock on Nirmagamadov. I thought it was a knock on Abel, just not having what it takes to hang. And it was clear after the first round that he was pretty much done.

I thought, you know, his corner didn't do the best job of motivating him and getting it. You know, they're making him stand up in between rounds, waving off the stool. They had Kenny Monday there, who a lot of people were very excited about joining the Black Zillion team. And I remember Henry Hoof saying in between the first and second rounds, listen to Kenny.

and all Kenny said was good job. And this is the wrestling coach. I thought that was a little strange. He's getting his feet wet. We'll expect more from him in the future. But again, back to the quote, I thought it was more a knock on ABLE than Habib. Our next question.

Though Nernmanga made of missed weight and shoved Trujillo at the way-ins, do you think he is now top 10 lightweight? Absolutely. With a record like that, with a winning streak like that, undefeated in the UFC, of course, top 10 for sure. You know, he wanted to fight Nate Diaz. at the time it seemed a little premature, but now it would make sense. Although, as you heard on this show, last week, Mike Cogan said,

Nate Diaz is probably moving up to 170 pounds. So I'd like to see Habib against, you know, heck, the Donald Soronies of the world. He's not going to fight Josh Thompson because they fight for the same team. He's not, or train with the same team, aka he's not going to fight Graham Maynard. But, you know, the Donald Soronis of the world, the Jim Miller's of the world, the Pat Healy's of the world, the Dunhams of the world, the Dosanos of the world, he's ready for those guys. Our next question comes from Darren Chung.

Any opinions about the ridiculous Esfondiari interview and plug for poker stars? Poker is like MMA, in quotation marks? Give me a break. Honestly, I saw that, and I saw some people asking me about my fight night duties and schedule. I did not hear the interview. I saw Mike Goldberg talking to him or talking to a guy who I didn't know and then I asked someone who's this guy, but I didn't hear it. Did you hear it?

I didn't hear it. I turned away, but I heard about it, and people were in a fan. They were plugging Ultimate Poker.com or dot net, the new poker site that Zufa, the Fratita Brothers, have launched. So it was just a plug. I guess what people don't like is when there are commercials on a pay-per-view. I can see that. You're paying for it.

You're trying to bypass commercials. But this is the new norm, and deal with it. Our next question from Gaz Coelium. Will Matt Serra make it into the UFC Hall of Fame? Well, first off, UFC Hall of Fame, what exactly is it? It's kind of like the Wall of Fame, the Ring of Fame, or whatever how they call them at football games. That's really one organization paying tribute to men and women who were a big part of their foundation, their rise. Matt Serra has to be a part

of that for the UFC. Heck, if there was an MMA Hall of Fame, I'd put them in there as well. Biggest upset, champion, won the Ultimate Fighter, coach on the Ultimate Fighter, all that stuff. I mean, UFC Hall of Fame, that's a no-brainer. If there's an MNMMNM. Hall of Fame, I say put him in there as well. He was a big part of the rise of the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts. Our next question is from... We're really rolling here, huh?

He sang, she sung? You won't even acknowledge my presence. Forrest and Tito both retired after their last fight against each other. Whose career had a bigger impact to MMA? Oh, I like this question. He sang, she sung. Wow.

This is tough. Cicaforos was a part of the first ultimate fighter of the finale that helped the sport get to where it is today. Tito had that impact. I'm going to say Tito Ortiz. What do you think? I think it's Tito as well.

But Forrest's impact can't be understated just because of how important that first ultimate fighter fight was, him being a big personality as Tito was kind of coming off, you know, being the biggest personality in the sport. And Forrest kind of picked up that mantle a little bit. A lot of fans became attached to him. So, I mean, I'm wearing a T-shirt with his face on it. You are. So I think that it can't be understated, but Tito narrowly edges them out, in my opinion.

It's a very good question, but I think you look at pre-ultimate fighter. You think of some of those big pay-per-views, him and Chuck. You think of the Ken Shamrock fights. He was on the ultimate fighter as well. I think Tito at one time was the biggest star in the UFC, arguably, and he was a crossover star, did some wrestling. So I think end of the day, people look back as Tito having the bigger impact on the sport. but certainly that's a very good question. That's probably our leader right now, as far as the winner is concerned.

Our next question comes from Joe Mosqueda. GSP made 3, 4, 9, and 16,000 in four of his first five UFC fights. Regarding Cholish's comments, is Dana White right? He had the same opportunity as GSP? Look, certainly he has a point. You've got to start somewhere. and he signed the contract and he knew it was involved and you could have got sponsors you were fighting on FX, etc., etc.

He most certainly has a point, and it's really hard to, you know, the UFC announces the gate and all that stuff, but they don't tell you how much they actually made on the shows because they pay for production, they pay for all that stuff. Other promoters and boxing and things like that do not pay for that stuff. So they're not public. They don't tell you at the end of the day

how much they walked away with. So it's really hard to say, you know, how much they have left to pay the fighters. I mean, I like John, and I think he brings up very valid points, and it would be great to see fighters on the whole get paid more, especially when you make it to the UFC. But you can't say that anyone was tuning into that show to see him fight. So in the UFC's perspective, they're saying, well, you know,

this is a guy who is interchangeable. He's not the headlining act, so, you know, we're just giving me the opportunity. If he wants to then take that opportunity and rise up the ladder, that's another thing. and then he can, you know, cash in. So that's kind of their base pay, and that's what guys take to get in. But it's hard to truly criticize the situation, at least for me, when you don't know how much they're walking away with.

How much that show cost them? What was their profit? And then let's figure out if it was fair. Until we see that, I don't know how I can criticize. Our next question comes from William Wingo. Brian Ebersole has been out a while. Do you think that he will find success at lightweight when he returns? I hope so.

It was a shame. He took that fight on short notice. last summer in July in Calgary and he loses that fight and thus his undefeated streak in the UFC disappears. But yeah, he has been out for a while. I'd like to see how he does that at Lightway. He's a big guy. I don't know if he can make 155, but if he can, I think it would be very interesting. I'm curious to see. I haven't heard much from him. I will check in and see what I could find. This is our last one as a segue from Lee MMA only. Oh. Do you think New York Rick has bit off more than he can chew when he disrespect

me and called me out last week. What'd you say? I think I said something like I'd like to face him in the next round or something like that. Rather than NC-17, I believe. That might be what he's referring to. I'm not 100% sure what

exactly the quote is, but I did definitely take a dig at him last week. Have you bid off more than you can chew in life? I mean, you're about to do this Dolce diet thing, this UFC fit thing. I mean, this is a serious predicament that you've gotten yourself in.

I welcome it and I'm excited for the next phase. Should we, how about Dolce thinking that you're overweight by 2030? I really painted a good picture. Yeah, you made me sound like a real hardworking fellow with a great physique. There's two things I'd like to say. One, I actually think we could get a lot of people to do this with you. There's already people on Twitter, you know, who are reaching out and saying, if you do it, I'll do it, and they're trying to do it along with me, and I welcome that.

And I'd love to interact with them on Twitter and talk to the people who are doing it along with me. Yeah. And what about the rest of the team? Buzzkill, Mike, Will, those schlubs. They should get in on this as well. As you said, Will has the guns already. That's true. He's looking fit.

Look at that. So. Imagine Buzzkill doing this? Holy moly. Why do you say that like that? Buzzkill? He hits the gym? No, I'm saying just because he like his, you know, maybe the energy.

G is not quite there all the time. You know what I'm saying? So maybe this, you see how Mike talks? Yeah, polar opposite. Yeah, to Mr. Dolce. Exactly. But imagine, like, he starts doing it and then all of a sudden. I don't think that's changing any time.

No, that's not changing. He can't help him with that. Maybe the diet, the guns, all that stuff. But not quite with that. All right, so that's a good segue. So Lee clearly has advanced to the second round or to the third round, I should say. Well, first, let's announce that I think he sang. He sang, she sung, is going to win the junior dos Santos prize this week from round five.

There it is. Also, before we move on to the next thing, let's quickly take a look at some of the pictures that Birthday Boy, Sean Sheehan, has been tweeting in. Of people drinking, last week we talked about it, but we didn't show it. There's some people drinking beverages. What is that?

This one, Wiser's Deluxe? Let me go full on it. Yeah, I don't know what that is. I didn't even heard of that. Is that some kind of wine? I'm not sure. Anyways, it's nice. I like it.

Oh, you know, there's some lights that are going on and off here. It's Canadian whiskey. Canadian whiskey. Will confirms. All right. Here's our next one. By the way, I don't know if you know this, but some of the lights just shut off in here. Yeah, we see it.

Okay, cool. Ariahawani, the MMA Our Presents, the MMA beer. This is the guy that started it. No, it was Sean, I believe. I think Bloodstream started it. Oh, maybe. Sorry, Bloodstream, if I took away your credit. No problem.

Here, he's also enjoying some ice cream. Wow. thinks you're eyeballing it. Wow, with like a mecoupelet in there. Oh, the lights are back. You know what a mecouplellet is? I have no clue. McHupellet is like a chocolate.

See, I'm not trying to hear that. I'm on a diet now. Oh, yeah, that's true. Okay, let's move along. Our next one, Jared. He's also having, he's having a Guinness. I love this. This is fun.

You know, it's funny about this. I don't even drink beer. Yep. Yes, that's funny. I guess. Oh, yes. Here's our next one. Oh.

There's our friend. There she is. What is that? That's Corona. All right. It's funny. So far, it's only during Meltzer and Cahal Pendrad, if you notice. No, the ice cream, I think, was during Sarah.

Oh, it was. Okay, my bad. Here's our, here's Lee MMA only. Oh, your nemesis. What's going on there? Can we see his beer? Let's see. There we go, Budweiser.

Oh, look at that one. Pretty cool on the iPad. And he's watching fights at the same time. That's hardcore. Sean, birthday boy himself. all in honor of Sean. Look at that. Welcome to the Twitter page of Sean Sheehan. He's very classy. He has it in a in a mug of sorts, in a jug. What is that? What do you call those things? A flask. A flask? That's a flask? Oh, he's pouring it in. I didn't see that part. I thought that was like a straw. No, no, no, no. He's pouring it from a flask. By the way, doesn't it seem like Sean lives like in a... Here's a better pick of his... Oh, there it is. He looks like he lives like in one of like a classic Irish home with those chairs and that table. I just feel like they're having some... You ever see the movie, So I Married an Axe Murderer? What's that meat?

With Mike Myers, yeah. Yeah, that meat. The haggis? I believe it's haggis, yeah. I want to see them do the MMA haggis, like everyone eating haggis next Monday. How about that? Interesting, I guess. Yeah, that would be good.

I just love the Irish fans. They're so great. Oh, it was Sean Sheehan that started it. My bad. Sean, Rick was right. Happy birthday, too. We love you. You're a valued member of the MMA Our team.

All right. So that's a good transition. Sean, who is in the Rick's Beaks Invitational. And Lee just tweeted me the quote, believe me, I would capitalize love to meet Lee in the next round. What happened in round two of the highly anticipated Rick's Picks Invitational? So in round two, we had a night where the people who won did pretty well and the people who lost did pretty poorly.

I was matched up against number four. I'm a number one seed. I was matched up against number four seed. I forget how to pronounce it. He tweeted it at me. but it's Metra Davie, or aka the Boxfather, the box father, the guy who tweeted the picture saying he'll eat me for breakfast. So I put about $200 on the line and I made back $180 something.

So I actually lost a little bit of money. I lost $16.70 this week. Wow. But he, unfortunately, lost all of his money. Oh. He bet $164 and lost all $164. dollars. He ended up with a total of $11.36, which was just whatever was left over because he lost all his bets. Now, what did you bet? Or who did you bet on? Now, I made a lot of losing bets, but I was saved by, I bet on George Rup

inside the distance, which, you know, nobody else was looking at, but I thought there was a decent value on that for $10, which ended up paying roughly 8.8 or almost 9 to 1. And Mike Pyle wins by decision, which was obviously controversial. So those two bets... So you got lucky for the second week in a row. Yeah, those two bets saved me. George Rube, that's a big one. I don't know if I would have picked that one.

It just... Brian Bowles is coming back and you're getting nine to one on a guy who looked pretty decent at the weight class, you know, not a world leader. It was nine to one? Well, he had to finish. He had to finish.

Oh, to finish. Wow. So I thought that was a decent pick up there. That might be your pick of the year. It was a good one. That was a good one. It was a good one. So that's that matchup. I lost $16.

So I'm sitting at 2-11-92. What were some of the... You mentioned the good ones. What are the ones that you lost? See, here's the thing. I made a lot of two bet parlayes. I had gray Maynard wins by decision parlayed with Tujuna Deshera doesn't go to decision,

which it didn't. It ended very early. But I lost the second leg. I always had the first leg, and I lost the second leg of all my parleyes. Because of gray? It was always gray? No, it wasn't always gray.

But I had Maynard by decision, and I got it at plus money. I got it at plus $1.15. I thought that that was... Great value there, so I jumped all over it. Then I had Gray by decision with Glover wins inside the distance, which obviously Glover did, but Gray lost. I had Glover wins inside the distance with Nirmaga Madov and Trujillo doesn't go to decision. I thought that was a guarantee.

I thought, I mean, how many chances did he have to finish the guy? Abel gave up halfway, not even halfway, after the first round, and he still didn't really chase the finish. So that was a little disappointing for me. Obviously, a dominant performance, who might have criticized him, but just, The guy gave up and he didn't chase the finish. I thought that was a guarantee that somebody was getting finished in that one. Not story inside the distance, meaning any outcome other than story inside the distance, that one was good. But I parlayed it with Bermuda's Holloway doesn't go to decision.

I thought that one was going to be a finish two. Excuse me. I thought Holloway was either going to be aggressive enough to take out Bermudas, who's super tough, or Bermudas was going to be able to break Holloway over the course of that fight. I bet on T.J. Grant wins by decision, which countered my Gray Maynard wins by decision bets, but Grant finished him. I didn't think that there was any way he was going to come out like that. So very impressive. Then I put $10 on Hunt wins inside the distance just as a flyer. I really was not confident in Mark Hunt. And Kane Velasquez wins by decision just because it paid over 7 to 1,

but I didn't think that was going to go to decision. Kane Velasquez, but who picked that? No one thought that. Yeah, well, it was 7 to 1. I took a flyer. Didn't expect that one to pay at all. So he had a lot of parleyes with Gray Maynard and Kane Velasquez, so it ended up costing him because of Gray losing and Brian Bowles losing. We're the big ones that really cost him in his parlays. So he ends up with nothing.

You have? I have 21192. 2,1192. So, okay, so you won that bracket, that part of that matchup. Now below you, what's going on? We had the two versus the six. NC17 put a lot of money out there. I don't remember exactly how much he put out there,

but he put it quite a bit, and he ended up losing $18. So it wasn't a terrible night because he had Mike Pyle, who was an underdog. He won on that, and he won on a parlay of T.J. Grant and Glover to share a winning by submission. Mike Pyle was an underdog in story?

Mm-hmm. That's surprising. I could see it that way. All right. I previewed it last week, and I said that I liked Pyle as an underdog. underdog there, but I could see why his story was the favorite. And he looked great in round one, obviously. But he lost the rest of his bets. He had quite a few bets out there. And one of his

bigger ones was Brian Bowles wins by TK.O.K.O., so that one got shot down quick. He had Nasham Borell in a parlay. He had Rick Story in some parlays. So he lost while the surprise of the week, Lee M.M.A. only, who moved on last week by losing all of his bets, but only losing $10, because that's all he wagered, he put all 90 that he had left on the line and hit all three of his parley's. Really? He bet 40 on Kane to win inside the distance,

Junior Dos Santos, and Glover. He bet 40 on that, and it paid 45, he hit it. He bet Kane inside the distance, Junior, Glover inside the distance, bet $25 hit it for $44. Bet Kane inside the distance, Junior inside the distance, and Glover inside the distance, $25 to win 80. And he hit all three of them. Does he have more money than you know?

He does. He was the big winner. He had a $170 swing this week. That was his total profit. And now he has 260-04. So he's ahead of me by a little under $50. Wow. Are you nervous?

No. As I said last week, I would love to face Lee MMA in the next round. So let's do it. And you got your wish. I got my wish. So how much more money does he have? A little under 50. A little under 50.

Wow. What a turn of event. So he's the big winner of a winner. week two. Absolutely. Wow. So then we had Wonna bet versus our buddy Sean. On the other side, yes.

Want to bet also, I mean, the story of this card was a lot of people had a lot of losing bets, but the ones that hit were paid big. Want to bet had a lot of bets out there, which is typical for him. But he hit on Pile by Decision. That was his second highest bet, so that was a great one. And he also bet on Whitaker wins by TKO, KO. and I think he was the only one to bet on Whitaker, so that was a good look for him as well.

He bet 20 to win 83 on that. Then he had two parlays with Glover, which were great, but that was the bulk of his money was Mike Pyle and Whitaker, who were both underdogs. Whitaker being a bigger underdog. Sean bet $105 on Kane inside the distance, Jr., inside the distance Glover, so all three of those happened,

but then Gray Maynard blew his $105 parlay, which would have paid $404. Wow. So that's unfortunate. And then he had a larger parlay that only had $17.5. But that one got blown up by quite a few guys. But he missed a $105 parlay that would have paid $400 by Gray Manard. Did anyone pick TJ Grant?

A few people picked TJ Grant. But most of the time the value was on him by decision. Because Gray Manor is so tough, you don't really value 170 so much. I mean, it's a good bet, but if you can get grant by decision for, like, I believe at one point it was like five to one, that's a really good value right there. So our next one was the three verse seven. Wait, wait, so how much does Wanabet have? Wanabet is comfortably in first place. He had a good week.

He had $140 profit this week, and now he's in first place with $331.62. Wow. So he's above Lee? He's above Lee. So is it him, Lee, you? Yep. In the top three? That's correct. But somebody is above Lee, who is in our next one. Get out of here.

Yep. So we had Big Marley versus La La Land. Yes, the Cinderella, if you will. Correct. And Big Marley hit his two parlayes, which were very good, both Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Glover DeSherra, and Donald Seroni. So those guys all helped him out, and he hit some big parlays there. As I said, he's in second place. now. He had an $85 profit this week. And Lala Land had about a hundred parleyes out there and didn't hit on any

of them. Do you think Lala Llan was really making the picks or someone else was for her? Why? I think she made the picks. Why not? I don't know. I was just wondering. No, I think she made the picks herself. Okay, cool. And she was the only other one to bet on George Rupp, actually. So she hit one of her hundred bets out there, $5 to win $12 on George Rube. So she ended up with $19 total. Well done. But unfortunately that wasn't enough. Big Marley

ended up with quite a bit more. So those are the seedings for next round. This is the final four. The final four has been said. It's New York Rick versus Lee MMA only on one side. Yep. That's a one verse six. So Lee is the big upset story so far. Wannabet versus Big Marley. That's a one versus two? Three. One versus three. And that's a one versus three. And that. is going to take place UFC on Fuel TV 10. Correct. Do you feel like, you know, even though he was the six, I mean, do you feel like these were the four best competitors or there's some serious upsets along the way? I don't want to say anything to that.

I don't want to disrespect anybody other than Lee MMA only. No, I don't want to disrespect anybody. But you're happy with this matchup. You'd rather be going up against him than, you know, like a want to bet. Me personally, yeah, I'd rather be going up against him than want to bet, but that doesn't mean that he can't blow me out of the water on this next one. But you're not nervous at all. I'm not nervous.

Are you so confident that you will guarantee victory? I don't guarantee anything, but I am going to win. Wow. That sounds like a guarantee. Take it however you want, I'm going to win. This is the matchup I requested, right? It was, it was. Now I've taken out the two people who called me out,

the most vocal detractors, which were Mike Thiessen and the box father. who even, you know, said he eats me for breakfast. Well, he's not eating a nice breakfast today. And by the way, what's it like when you beat these guys and then they come up to you? I mean, do they handle it with class? You know, are they good sportsmen? What's it like? Oh, on the whole, most people are pretty, you know, humble.

I don't know what the word would be. But, you know, nobody's getting too crazy about it, handling it pretty well. They're giving you your props. Sure. Yeah. Not really? Reluctantly? Reluctantly.

But I mean, that's, you know, I'd understand. I'd be in the same position. Now that you made it to the final four, do you feel like if you win this thing, people will stop questioning you? No. You feel like you need the – sort of like Benson-Henerson. Do you need a convincing win here to really get people on your side? Nothing I do is going to change the how people feel about it.

So I just trying to do my best. That's all I can do. Of course, just winning this thing would be, you know, validation. Someone brought up, if you get by the entire UFC fit thing, then you should get on the MMAB, because you kind of lost that. Are you cool with that? Sure. I mean, I'm going to, this, this I'm going to complete 100. Both of these things are important to me, and I really value the experience, and I'm going to complete both of them,

and I'm going to get my rightful seat on the MMAB. I think if you get through, we're going to take a before and after picture, right? Sure. I think if you get through, because if you win the, the Rick's Picks challenge. This was, that was just your, your, your opportunity to get back to making the picks by yourself. You win that thing. That's your gift. You get to do the picks again. But if you win, if you sort of accomplish and conquer Rick's fit, as I'm calling it, I think you deserve the MMA beat. Well, thank you. And I'm going to conquer this. And I'm going to get on the MMA beat. All right. I'm going to be sitting next to everybody looking all swole. I don't really know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing. now we have a one week break, right?

Because UFC on Field TV is... The next card is not till June 8th. I see there are three lines out there. Yeah, let me take a look at these. Do you want to look at them now, or do you want to look at them next week? You know what? Let's save it for next week. All right.

Fair enough. But there it is. The final four. Congratulations to those who made it to the final four. Lee M.MA only. New York, Rick, of course, want to bet and Mr. Big Marley. I think it's an interesting matchups. You got the big dogs there on the other side.

You got Rick going up against the jobber and Lee, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I like it. I like what's happening here. So we have a one week break as far as the RPI is concerned. And then we will return next week to really break it down for you, heading into UFC on Fuel TV 10. The three lines that are out right now are Big Nog versus Verdume, great fight at heavyweight. How about Fezhou making his UFC debut against Tiago Silva?

And then Eric Silva versus Jason High. that's taking place in Brazil on June 8th. One more thing before I go, a few stats, courtesy of my friends from FightMetric. How about Jeremy Stevens matching a personal best six takedowns against Estevan Payan? Donald Serroney set a new career high

with four takedowns against KJ Noons. Neither number is particularly high, but both noteworthy for fighters who aren't known for their takedown skills with a Z. How about Habib Nirmagamadev, smashing the single-fight take-down record by landing 21 takedowns against Abel Chahuehio. The previous UFC record belonged to Sean Shirk with his 16 takedowns of Hermes Franca at UFC

73. A couple more for you, T.J. Grant, how about this? In his six fights at Welterweight, Grant landed just an average of 2.18 significant strikes per minute. That's below the UFC average of 2.61. In his five fights at lightweight, he's undefeated. Grant is averaging 6.83 significant strikes per minute. That's the highest average in lightweight history minimum of five fights. How about that?

And then two more for you. Juniro Santos, he has quickly redefined what it is to be a powerful heavyweight striker. His knockout of Mark Hunt earned him his seventh K.O. S.K.O. slash TKO victory, tying him with Andrei Arlowski for second place in UFC heavyweight history. JDS knocked hunt down twice and now has 11 total knockdowns. in his career, passing Tiago Alva's and Rich Franklin and tying Liotto Machita for fourth place all time. The only other fighters with more UFC knockdowns, Melvin Glar, 12, Chuck Ledell 14, Anderson Silva, 17.

He's in second place. First place, Kane Velasquez. He finished Bigfoot Silva on Saturday night. That was his eighth KO slash TKO as a member of the UFC heavyweight division and ties him for fourth all time in UFC history. His knockout of Silva in just 61. seconds is the sixth fastest knockout in UFC title history in a UFC title fight in its history. And the fastest is Andrei Alofsky beating Paul Buntello in 15 seconds at UFC 55. So some history made on

Saturday night a great card at UFC 160. I thought it was one of the more fun cards, if not the funest card of the year. Great stories coming out of it. Happy for T.J. Grant getting his title shot Dos Santos, Cain, three, I think it's a very sellable fight. Glover doing his thing. Mark Hunt doesn't really drop in the rankings. I don't even think Bigfoot Silva drops all that much. I don't think his stock drops all that much. A lot of people were expecting that to happen.

I still think there are a lot of interesting fights for Bigfoot and then some good performances on the undercard as well. That does for us. Hit the music, my friends. There it is. Thank you very much, Mike. A fun show here on Memorial Day. Hopefully, if you have the day,

off in the United States for joining us from the good old US of A. You've enjoyed the show or maybe you're going to relax later on tonight with some haggis in here, Bellet. And by the way, I was told Haggis Scottish, not Irish, I expect, when can I get like a fact checker on this show to make me not say stupid things like that? And I thought, so I married an ex-murder was Irish. Maybe not. They quickly correct to me.

It's Scottish, not Irish. I apologize for that. My mistake. You get the point. It looked very Irish. You know what I'm saying? Anyway, I want to thank everyone who stopped by. I want to thank everyone who submitted questions, comments to the show.

Really appreciate it. Dave Meltzer, even though you were late, we love you. Thank you very much. Hopefully we could do that fun little tour of your house. It seems like a fascinating place to work. Benson Henderson, good luck against T.J. Grant. Good luck in getting your black belt. And good luck when we meet on the basketball court in the very near future.

James Head. Kudos to you, my friend, for what you're doing in Oklahoma. Donating your purse, upcoming fight. Great stuff out of TJ, excuse me, James Head. And thoughts and prayers, of course, go out to everyone who's affected by that awful tornado in Oklahoma. Matt Sarah, what can we say about Matt Sarah? Good luck to you in the next chapter of your life.

And I feel like we didn't really get to much about his career. But hopefully soon we can catch up with Matt again. Kyle Pendred, good luck against Shane Mills this weekend. Cage Warriors, you defend your title. Mike Dolce. Thank you very much. him, UFC Fit, check it out. Rick's Fit is coming to the MMA Hour.

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