MMA Fighting - What the Heck: Episode 66 | Ciryl Gane, Jake Hager, Eric Nicksick & Sarah Alpar

Episode Date: July 6, 2021

This week on What the Heck, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck speaks to Ciryl Gane (5:15) about facing Derrick Lewis for an interim heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 265 on Aug. 7 and why he doesn't feel bad for former teammate Francis Ngannou. Bellator and AEW's Jake Hager (20:12) officially throws his name in the hat to face Fedor Emelianenko on Oct. 23 and explains why he deserves the shot over anybody else. Francis Ngannou's head coach Eric Nicksick (34:58) gives his thoughts on the UFC going with an interim title fight between Gane and Lewis at UFC 265 and what that could mean for the current heavyweight champion. Finally, Sarah Alpar (56:08) talks starting a GoFundMe as a UFC fighter, Jake Paul making a donation, and her upcoming bout on Sept. 4 against Erin Blanchfield. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support for this show comes from the Audible Original, the downloaded two. Ghosts in the Machine. The Earth only has a few days left. Rosco Cudulian and the rest of the Phoenix Colony have to re-upload their minds into the quantum computer, but a new threat has arisen that could destroy their stored consciousness forever. Listen to Oscar winner Brendan Fraser reprise his role as Rosco Cudulian in this follow-up to the Audible Original Blockbuster. The Downloaded, it's a thought-provoking sci-fi journey where identity, memory, and morality collide. Robert J. Sawyer does it again with this much-anticipated sequel that leaves you asking,

What are you willing to lose to save the ones you love? The Downloaded 2. Ghosts in the Machine. Available now, only from Audible. Now, here is your host, Mike Heck. What the heck? Hello there, everybody, and welcome to a brand new edition of What the Heck here on MMAfighting.com. I am Mike Heck. Hope you're having a great week so far.

If you are in the United States listening right now, hope you enjoyed a long Independence Day weekend, as we are officially on the road to UFC 264. The trilogy fight between Dustin Porier and Connor McGregor is going down. and we will be there. So stick with us here at mampfighting.com for all of your UFC 264 coverage ahead of this highly anticipated trilogy fight. The whole card is real good. And as you know by now, no one covers these events like mmafighting.com covers these events. So this week, a little bit of a different show for a couple of different reasons. One, this is a podcast-only episode.

Why? Because we wanted to get these other interviews. reviews out post what the heck from this past week to I have been super sick and you might be able to still kind of hear the remnants of my voice the last probably four or five days it has been rough between the links on Thursday was kind of like the last straw as soon as that show ended I was dunzo for Friday Saturday it pretty much crushed my entire long weekend like I try to make the most of it but I spent a lot of time just in bed and trying to get through it and I think I'm sort of getting on the other side now.

It is Monday, July 5th as I record this, finally got back and got a workout in at the gym. And, you know, it was kind of a light one. Kind of fogged me up a little bit. But I think we're getting through onto the other side of this. But it hasn't been pretty, if we're being honest. So there's that. And then the other reason is we had this long holiday weekend that we mentioned before. And it just made things a little easier on the rest of the crew, Casey, Alex, Jose, myself.

also I don't want to leave myself out of that to do it this way. So a show happens. It's happening right now as you listen. We just don't have the video angle. But the good news is all of those interviews that you're going to hear on this show. If you want to see them visually, they are on our YouTube page for you to check out. So let us run down the lineup and the show will be off and running. And then pretty much that's the last you're going to hear from me outside of just asking the fighter's questions and

having these discussions. So we're going to wrap things up with Sarah Alpar who made some headlines for starting a GoFundMe page as a UFC fighter. And then she made even more headlines because Jake Paul and Triller donated $30,000 combined to said page. Now, I will have you know this interview happened before Jake Paul made it public that he donated. I know a lot of people were like, oh, you just interviewed her because Jake Paul donated. No, I was going to interview her anyways. we were just discussing the GoFundMe page. She tells me that Jake Paul donated.

I had no idea that it was happening. And then probably like 15 minutes after the interview stopped, that's when Jake made it official. But Sarah obviously knew about it. We reacted to it together. It's a great interview. And you'll hear that a little bit later on to wrap up this week's show. Eric Nixik, the head coach of one Francis Ngano,

joins the show because if you haven't heard already, Francis and Gano will not be fighting in the next heavyweight championship fight for the UFC. In fact, we're going to have an interim heavyweight title fight on August 7th in the main event of UFC 265 between Derek Lewis and Cyril Gond. So Eric Nixon is going to join us to react to this news. Did he or Francis have any knowledge of this was going down? What was his thoughts on this whole thing? Does it mean maybe there's a civil lining? Maybe the UFC could be working.

on Francis Gano versus John Jones. Plus, he's also the head coach for a number of different fighters. He works with other fighters as well, including Al Jermaine Sterling. So we'll get an update on him. Misha Tate is coming back. He's her head coach. She's fighting July 17th against Marion Rennon, so we'll talk about that and a lot more. We've heard about a number of heavyweights in the mix for the Fedor-Amelianenko sweepstakes.

We heard a couple weeks ago that on October 23rd, he's going to be returning to action. for Bellator MMA headlining an event in Moscow. And now you can add another name to that list. Jake Hager, the former WW World Heavyweight Champion, the current AEW wrestler, undefeated Bellator fighter. He wants this fight. This is not K-Fabe. This is not social media stuff.

He really wants this fight, and he's going to explain why in around 20 minutes or so. But first, let's check in with the aforementioned Cyril Gahn as he prepares for his interim title fight with Derek Lewis in a little over a month's time at UFC 265. I will leave you with these conversations. Have a heck of a week, everybody, and enjoy the show. All right, well, it has been quite the week for this man.

This past Saturday came through with a dominant performance against Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC Vegas 30. We were wondering where he would go from there. And it turns out less than 48 hours later, we found out he's heading to Houston, Texas on August 7th. UFC 265 is going to fight Derek Lewis. for the interim UFC heavyweight championship. Cyril Ghan joins us right now.

Cyril, how are you, sir? Hello, my man. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. This has been quite the few days for you, sir. Let me just start off with this. You win the fight on Saturday.

When were you approached with this Derek Lewis fight? Like, how quickly did this happen? Sir, I'm sorry, my man. I'm a little bit tired. Before the fact, we knew that. Because the UFC sent a message to Fernando Lopez, and Fernando Lopez told me, Man, do your job tonight, and maybe after this fight, we're going to have a good news. And I really understand what's happening if you win the fight.

And when we just arrived in France on Monday, we received a message of the U.S. and we are booked for the 10th. So you knew this before the fight itself? Like this is already on the table? Yes, it was not exactly clear, but yes, yes. But we can talk about that, but when you don't have the contract, it's not official. So, but when we knew that, I was, I stayed really focused on my fight against World Cup. Because we must to win the fight for have the chance to fight for the title shop.

But I was really focused and we did it. So on Monday, when you find out this news, that it's official, how did you react to it? Like, how did you react to finding out that it's a done deal? Your next fight is for an interim title? Awesome. I was really happy, really happy. because for me it's uh for me it means some things he means some things i'm a young guy i'm just arrived and uh and uh i'm a hunter headline after just three years in the ms so that's really crazy

i'm really happy clearly you're not going to turn down an opportunity like this but it obviously came as a shock to everybody especially since this whole thing started with the idea of francis and ganu fighting john jones then it went to francis getting ready to fight derrick lewis and now it's you fighting Derek Lewis for the interim title. I knew you know about it. I know you knew about it right before the fight with Volkov, but were you surprised that this opportunity came your way? A little bit, yes.

Yes, a little bit, because we knew normally it would be Francis against Derek Lewis. But I have the Francis are not commanding. free for the fight in August, so he chose me. Do you kind of feel for Francis in this situation? Because from all accounts, he would have been ready to fight in September against Derek Lewis. He just won the belt three months ago. Do you kind of feel bad for him in this situation? Because he or the rest of his team, they apparently didn't seem to have any clue that this was happening.

No, no, no, no, no. I can understand. I can understand. but no, because for me, it's just, it's an interim title. It's just an interim title. So the champion is still francis. So no worries. Okay.

This is just an interim title. So for me, if I was a francis, it's nothing for me. Okay. So if you were in Francis's shoes, you're just like, these guys are fighting for an interim title. It effectively could be my next opponent, but it's not, you know, I'm still the world champion. Exactly. Exactly. So you're now in this spot, but I do want to go back to how you got there because you beat Alexander Volkov. I thought you did a fantastic job mixing things up. You kept him guessing. You stayed out of his range just enough where it seemed that not only was it effective, but it seems like you were frustrated. him throughout the fight as well.

Like, he just couldn't get to you as effectively as he wanted to. How would you grade your performance overall on Saturday? Maybe seven or eight. Maybe seven. For me, it was a really great performance. Because we knew Volkov liked to make a pressure on his, all on a formal fight we make a pressure

and destroy the men and at this fight I make the pressure and for that I'm really happy I'm really happy for them yeah I thought it was a fantastic performance so with that win

you're in this crazy position almost three years to the day you make your professional debut you're fighting for a UFC title has this whole ride just been like a world wind for you? Have you been able to smell the roses at all? Because it really is incredible to see how quickly you have put yourself in this position. Not really, because if you look, I'm at my gym,

so we go back already at work. So we don't have a time to rest. It's not having time to take time for for making it happy. But that's good. You can do that after your career, right? Like, because there's no resting at all for you right now. Exactly, you are in the rest for the moment. So now Derek Lewis is the man who stands in front of you. He's won four straight. It's got back-to-back, pretty ferocious knockouts.

It's not always pretty when Derek fights, but boy, is it effective? Because he only needs that one shot. What do you think of the matchup and think of Derek as an opponent? No, yeah. It's not the, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. This guy is really dangerous and we know that. Like Geraldine, you know, a little bit.

Like, Jonathan, a little bit. When this kind of guy touch you, just one time, you're down. And that's very dangerous. So I think we're going to manage this time. Touch him and you never touch me. I think we're going to do that. I think I have some skills to do that. Have you been impressed with what he has done?

of late because he seems to be evolving a little bit more. There is a little more technique to his craziness, if you will. You know, most specifically, like the knockout he had against Curtis Blades. Have you been impressed with what he's been able to do as of late? Yes. Because on this fight, because some people like to say, Derek Lewis, don't have fight IQ, don't have, or some skills, don't have or something. But my man, you know what he have and he can use very well.

And he did it against Curtis. And I think this guy, he is really dangerous. And you're going to be in his hometown of Houston. There's going to be a big crowd. They're all going to be there for the most part to see him, try to get this title wrapped around his waist. You'll be in enemy territory, so to speak. So are you looking forward to that to sort of playing the ball?

bad guy and going into his home arena and playing spoiler? No, that's okay. No, no, no, I'm comfortable with this situation. No problem. No problem. No problem. So you like this. Yes, I like this.

I like to be the outsider. I like that. All right. I know we're a little over a month away, five weeks or so from this fight. Like, how does this all play out in your mind? Like, how do you get this done and how do you get that title wrapped around your waist at the end of the night? We're going to make a pressure like against Welcome.

I think we're going to make a pressure. We're going to make it in the deep water. We're going to make it a lot of a lot of punch, I think. So if this all goes the way you plan on it going on August 7th, do you believe that the UFC will put you and Francis in there? together to unify the titles right away? Or do you think that the UFC will try to still do Francis versus John Jones and then you would get the winner of that fight?

I don't know exactly, but I think champion at Eremere against a champion. I think this is a good thing to do. Okay, John Jones, I want to fight in this division, but there are a lot of guys already in this division ready to fight for the title. So after that, I can understand this guy can make money for the UFC, so we don't know.

We will see. And if it's you and Francis, we got to do this thing in Paris or somewhere in France, right? Like, it's a no-brainer. This can't be in Houston, Texas, or Jacksonville, Florida. This has got to be in France, right? Yeah, this is a good story. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think this is making it a good story. And I think this is a good thing for my coach, because this has been something because I was born in a Hemelma factory and Francis too. So make it in France. I think this is a good present too for the fan and for the family and the friend. Yeah.

Yeah, I think it has to be that way. Let me just ask you this. Let's just say, let's say there's, there's silver linings to all of this. You get your title fight with Derek. They book Francis and John for later on this year, and you would obviously get the winner of that fight

if you beat Derek. Who would you rather face? Would you rather fight Francis or would you rather fight John and try to be the guy to solve the puzzle that no one's been able to solve before? No, no, no, Francis.

I'll profit the fight again, Francis. Because if tomorrow I will against Derek Lewis, okay, I'm going to have the anterior belt, but I want the real belt. I want to be the real champion. So if tomorrow I win against Derek Lewis, 100% I want to fight to Francis for to be the champion with the champion atelamia, of course. No, John Jones, no, no, no, no. I like John Jones. I like this kind of guy, the style of fighting. but I want to be a champion first.

But if they fought each other for the belt after you beat Derek and you would face the winner of that fight, the winner of that fight would be the champion and you would fight the winner, which one would you rather fight? If John Jones are wrong to pass.

I won't care. I won't get. If you were a champion on your country and you should be a lot of you. Yeah. This is a good question. This is a good question. Just for the tell the stories, I prefer Francis in Ganoe and do that in Paris.

Just for the farm. Yeah. Yeah. And then you can fight John afterwards and you get the best of both worlds. There you go. Before we let you go, I saw some videos and photos that Charles Rosa had posted from Fight Week. And one of the videos was you on the basketball core.

You're shooting jumpers. Super smooth forms, Sierra. I got to say, I know you played basketball growing up. But, I mean, do you play a lot of basketball these days when you're not training for fights? No, but no. Not really. Yes. Just because I'm in my check, that's why I can't fly that back.

like that, but yes, I keep my move. And I was happy to see that. But no, I'm really not playing basketball at this time because I'm in my camp every time. We are in the rush, and we know it's dangerous to play another sport around the MMA. No, I don't say that. Zemke who will say that.

It's a live? No, no, no. Yeah, I was really happy to see that. I think just because I'm in my shape, and like you know, I'm really, I'm not really light, but I'm really comfortable with my weight. There you go. Would you say that are you the best basketball player in the UFC

if they did like a little one-on-one tournament? Are you right there? I don't know who can play in basketball in the UFC. Who played basketball? While Harris. Maybe, I don't know. maybe I'm the best, yeah. I'm the first in the UFC, maybe, yeah.

You could be the best, you could be the baddest man on the planet and the best basketball player in the UFC. That's, I don't know if anyone's able to do that, Sierra, you'd be the first. Crazy.

But, you know, you might be the best basketball player in the UFC, but you could be very close to calling yourself the best heavyweight mixed martial artist on, on the planet. And that next step takes place August 7th against Derek Lewis, UFC 265 for the interim heavyweight championship.

Cyril, I appreciate you doing this, man. Congratulations on the win on Saturday. Congratulations on getting this big opportunity. And I wish you all the best heading into it. Thank you for the time, sir. And a big shout-out. And thank you to Ferdane for helping us out as well. It just goes to me.

Thank you, my man. Thank you for your time. And sorry, I'm a little bit tired because I've just finished my training with the jet lag. I'm just tired. Thank you very much. We understand, sir. You're a busy man. Thank you, sir.

All right. Let us say hello to a man who wears many hats, including All Elite Wrestling Superstar, a member of the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Division, and you may have seen them on social media getting heavily involved in an important conversation in this Bellator Heavyweight Division, so I wanted to bring them on and discuss that a little bit further. Mr. Jake Hager is kind enough to join us. Jake, how are you in? I'm feeling great this morning.

Made you wait because it was an excellent introduction. Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Were you getting some work in, some gym workouts in this morning? Yeah, up here working out early, just got them running, and I was trying to do some stretch and I'm not very flexible, but I was attempting to stretch afterwards. It was getting me all sweaty. Oh, there you go.

Well, there is a lot going on in your world these days, Jake. AEW is on fire right now. They're adding shows. They're moving to TBS. There's big things happening right now. You're in the middle of a major feud on the show. and last night's show as you record was the final one on this run

at Daly's Place in Jacksonville. You'll obviously be back there, but now AEW's going to hit the road again. How does that feel? Is it kind of surreal knowing that there's, like you could see the light at the end of the tunnel and the company's going back on the road again? It's so exciting.

I remember when this all started and we were like, we're going to be at Daly's place, no fans, just kind of hunkered in like a storm is happening. And I feel like we really did. a good job of weathering that storm and not only making a good product, but making it better. And now that we have our fans back, it's so exciting. You come out there in front of them, and everybody is just so excited to be back to normal. You can just feel the energy. There's a lot

of positivity running through the air. Our fans do a great job of like blocking out all the negative and just coming to have a great time. And I think that really reflects on us performers. and next Wednesday in Miami, July 7, it's going to be incredible. With what you've been doing with the inner circle, feuding with the pinnacle, I watched the match last night between Sammy Gauvar and MJF, and it was just absolutely ridiculous. But you're obviously a big piece of that puzzle right now. And kind of going with how the fans, their attitude heading into the building,

have you ever had more fun in your pro wrestling career? No, not even close. This is definitely the coolest. I've ever looked in my pro wrestling career. I mean, how bad ass are those best that we get to wear. And it's just so awesome to be a part of something. You know, October 2nd, 2019, the five of us knew each other, but vaguely, I mean, Jericho and I had the biggest history.

And then the five of us really came together as a group, and we're all from different parts and different walks of life. And it was really cool to see us melt together and make each other better. and, you know, stadium stampede, too, was just like a cherry on top. It was just an incredible feeling. And this feud just keeps on going. Like, you think it's over, but they pull you back in. They do some other cheap shit and you got to get back on them.

And so it's going to be going for a while. The end of struggle on a pinnacle will not stop, it seems. You even got the chance for your worlds to collide a little bit recently on AEW. You and Wardlow had the MMA cage fight. What was that like for you? sort of having the pro wrestling world and the MMA world kind of collide like that in one show and one, one moment like that. Yeah, it's really cool because it definitely looked like AEW dynamite, but that was an MMA cage in the middle of everything.

So it was very cool. It was also almost like an alternate dimension type deal that we slipped into. Very cool to be a part of and just have like for Tony and those guys to have the faith in me to give me the opportunity to try and pull that off. a lot of respect. I really appreciate that. That means almost more than anything to me. And also, ever since I went to AEW, I feel like this has been the way I wrestle. This is my character. It's not Jack Swagger. It's Jake Hager. He's the MMA undefeated fighter, who also has been World Heavyweight Champion and pro wrestling world. So people have been wondering what is next for you in your run with Bellator MMA.

But before we get there, we have to talk about. about that last fight with Brandon Colton because that fight was nuts. It was insane. You both are just throwing bolos at each other until the final bell. You get the split decision win in the end. But man, how would you describe what those 15 minutes were like in there? I think the best way to describe that fight was almost three fights and one for me, which is great because I'm a young fighter. I need the experience in the cage. And so that fight really was great for me. It helped me show the MMA world that I really want to do this, that I'm going

in there to bang and I want to win with respect. And then I also think that it helped me learn and get that experience so I know how to dig deep when I get into the bigger matches and the tougher arenas and the more unfriendlier crowds in the foreign countries. So I can dig deep and have that experience to rely upon and be ready to battle. So it's fair to say that you got more value in the third win than you did in the other two?

Absolutely. Absolutely. Learn a lot about myself, a lot about how my coaches operate, and I really love my team, stuck through them with that whole fight, and they were there with me. I mean, the best part, the best quote from that fight is he caught me in the second at the end of the second. I feel like I was winning that whole round, and then he caught me in the second. So he's got to give that to him. and then I come back to the corner and you see Rob Radford go,

oh, you want to be a fucking MMA fighter now, huh, baby? It's those moments that define us, right, Jake? Yeah, yeah, that's real love right there. Absolutely. So you drop the foreign country nugget in there, so that leads us to six days ago as you record. We find out that Fedor Emilienenko is returning to action in Moscow, October 23rd, and we found out his opponent was the dreaded TBD.

Now, before we get into what we've seen from you on social media the last few days, I remember you and I spoke before you even had your first fight for Bellator, which was headlined by Fador, and you were honored to be on the same card as him, but you also said that, listen, I'm not calling for this right now, but in a couple of years, it would be an honor to someday share the cage with him before he called it a career. When you found out that Fader was coming back to fight again in October, how did you react to that initially?

I'm so glad you brought that up. When he announced it, I was like, yes, this is my fight. I really honestly believe that this is my fight. It's been my fight since I come to Bell up tour. I mean, who else do you want to see him fight in the top 10? Tyrol Fortune, give me a break, all right? This is the fight that everybody wants to see. I just feel like we've been putting it out there and our past are colliding right now.

And I think it would be beautiful magic and chaos. So some people, like the last couple days, like you posted the photos of the two of you guys. You've been turned, which I thought was awesome, the meet and greet poster into a fight poster. And you're saying that this is the fight the world needs. So, but a lot of people are like, oh, he's K-faving us. Like, this isn't real. So you are officially throwing your name into this hat to fight Fador, Millianenko in Moscow on October 23rd. This is the real deal.

You want this fight. I'm officially throwing my name in that hat. Not only throwing my name in that hat, I challenge anyone else to say they're a better fight. I challenge anyone else to say that the people want to see them fight Fador more than they want to see me fight Fador. This is my fight. So anyone else can challenge me for it. I dig it.

So after the event this past Friday, where Fador's protege, Valentin Moldovsky, became the interim heavyweight champion. Scott Coker's at the press conference. And Scott doesn't like to give out too many details, but he opened up Pandora's box, if you will, and he said that he's received calls from everybody. They're all raising their hands. Now you're in the mix. Josh Barnett looks like Fabricio Verdume has thrown his name into the mix as well. Junio Dostos, Alistar over him, like the list goes on and on, which now includes you. So let me ask you this. Why should you be the guy over those other names? Like these Hall of Fame names, former world champions that are seemingly raising their hands. Why should Jake Hager get the fight over those guys? And you say those names in the MMMA world, they carry a lot of respect. You can say those names any place in this world, and people will know. Jake Hager is the same as one of those names. I go any place in this planet and you know who I am.

And just because I have a shorter career in an MMA world doesn't mean that I'm not just as worthy. I have a bigger following. I have more excitement behind me. And I have a brighter future than all those guys. So give it to me, Scott, because I'm the one that you're going to build this company upon, not those guys that are just coming in for a one and done. I'm here to stay. I'm here for the next 10 years. Let's go. How have your fellow pro wrestlers reacted to this? Like, I know a lot of them are big fans of the sport. How they reacted to you wanting to fight the man, many consider to be the greatest heavyweight of all time? Very excited. That's one thing that I will always say is my strength when it comes to MMA fighting is the love.

I love I get from the pro wrestling world. Not only the fans, but my peers, people I work with, it's always such an outpouring support for me whenever I go in that cage. And I feel like we're all in there together, fighting together. So it's really cool. They're all excited.

They want to see it. They all like to get me amped up and all red in the face. So they're ready to see it. To the best of your knowledge, has there been any discussion about getting you in there? Like, has, I know the great Daniel Rumanstein's probably all over this, but has there been, like, has there been any back and forth between you guys and Bellator to this point to get that fight? The greatest agent in the world, Daniel Rumsstein is all over it. I have no knowledge other than that.

I know it started last week. So we're just keeping our fingers crossed. We're working hard. We know hard work, paste off. and that's all we can do right now. What would this mean to you, man? Like if Danny hits you right now and says, Jake, get your winter gear ready for October,

we're going to Moscow. Like, what would that mean to you? Goosebumps. Right now, goosebumps. You're just saying that this would change my life. I have an amazing job with AEW. But this fight against Fador in Moscow, the all-Russian versus the all-American,

it's just something that's in a movie. I mean, I really think that this is the fight the world that the world needs. Like, I feel like we could bring it together, just like Rocky Ford. You know, maybe the Russian wins this one. Maybe it doesn't. But I really feel like this would change my life and tell me to another place where I could really help AEW, really help Belvoir MMA, and really help myself. By the way, I don't know why I just thought of this, but I saw a video post of you the other

day about was a great buffalo off. Is that what it's called? And excuse my ignorance, because that was the first time I had heard about it, but what is a great buffalo off? Okay, so we couldn't really come up with the, I just want to come up with the best name on the fly. It's really, the great American buffalo giveaway is the better name. But really, it's a barbecue cookoff with buffalo between me and my buddy, Danny Vega from Fatfield Family. And, and, the great family at central Nebraska buffalo have such delicious meat and such healthy options for a fighter or for anybody who wants to be healthy in this world with all this crap going around. You got to eat better. You got to source your meat better. And Central Nebraska Buffalo is

the best bison in America. And I'm not even sponsors with them. I just like their buffalo. And you guys are just like cooking off against each other. Is that what it is? Yeah. We're going to do three rounds. And it's essentially a, it's essentially a, social media giveaway. So you want to follow all three of us, Danny Vegas, from Nebraska Buffalo. And then you score points by tagging as many people in each of the video sections. And you're going to win about 10 to 15 pounds of awesome buffalo short ribs, Chuck Rose, ground. I know what I'm doing after this conversation. That's for sure. The final round will be July 4th and we'll be a final chance to score some points.

Well, that's great stuff. So before we let you go, Jake, I know we, you got some stretching to do. We got to get that sweat back on. But you threw out a message to Scott Coker. What would you like to say to one Fador, Millianenko? Because he is a major cog in this October 23rd wheel, sir. Ultimately, he's going to have a major say in this entire thing. What would you like to say to him as we await word on his next opponent,

one of the final opponents of his legendary career? Mr. Millianco, we have met many. times. You have shown me respect. You have gotten up out of your seat to say hello to me from across the room. I appreciate that. Now let me return to honor and getting that cage with you and give you a final battle that you deserve. You may think you can beat me. You may think you can knock me out. Great. Better for you. Let's show the world what we can do. I love it, man. We will leave it at that, Jake. Thank you for the time. Once again, I truly appreciate it. make sure you check out AEW Dynamite on TNT Wednesday nights.

Of course, big event in Miami next Wednesday night. So check that out. You can see this man, Jake Hager. And all the best to you get in this fight with Fador, man. This is some stuff. Thank you again. And I appreciate the time as always, man. Awesome, guys.

I just want to let you know that I'm starting a body mince program with my wife. Go to body like spider.com. And you get some free app training right now. Free ab trading? You want Fight Club abs? You want to look like Brad Pitt. Go to Bodylikefighter.com and get this freebie and start your Brad Pittisms now. Thank you, sir.

Brad Pittisms. That's a great word. I love it. Thanks, dude. Yeah, man. Thank you. All right. Let me just throw this out there before we get started.

Any excuse I can find to talk to this next guest, I'm going to find it. One of the main coaches over at Extreme Couture in Las Vegas. You've seen him in the corner of a number of fighters in big spots this year. which is the heavyweight champion of the world, Francis and Ghanu, and we got some big news in regards to the heavyweight division and the championship conversation earlier this week with the UFC scheduling an interim title fight

on August 7th between Derek Lewis and Cyril Ghani, UFC 265. So let us say hello to Eric Nixick to get his reaction to this news. How are you, sir? Doing well, Mike. How are you doing? I'm doing great. So kind of going back in your life, Eric. It's Monday. This news comes out. It's confirmed that Lewis versus Gets,

gone, this interim title fight, which by the way, is a fine fight. It's a fine fight, but the stakes involved adding an interim strap to it had everyone pretty much scratching their head. So what was your reaction to all of this? Yeah, pretty much the same. You know, Francis and I just got done training in the morning. We train at 10 a.m. And then he, he went upstairs to shower of the gym and came down to the office and said he, you know, he got an email from the UFC about some some of the contract negotiation stuff and then helped him load up his car. We did a few errands and stuff. And then I got a text from Luke Thomas and was, you know,

I was actually the first I heard of it. Luke was like, what? They're doing an interim. So, you know, it all came, it kind of came as a shock to all of us. But,

you know, at the end of the day, it's, it's, it's business. It's the UFC's business. And, you know,

we're just kind of, uh, just kind of here for the ride, I guess. With the fight between Francis and Derek Lewis sort of being out there for a little while, Dana White had been saying it for weeks. Like, doesn't matter what's going on with John Jones, Derek Lewis and Francis, this is the fight to make.

I know there were talks about maybe doing it in August, which didn't work apparently for everybody. Then it looked like, especially when they moved the Tesherra, the Boe-Bhoevich title fight to October, maybe we were going to do in September. Were you like, I mean, you were already training him, but were you already sort of ironing out a plan of attack to get Francis ready to fight Derek, like get an actual training camp ready for him? Yeah, absolutely.

So, I mean, I can give you my timeline was, I was told a week and a half ago by Markell that the date was going to be September 25th. Was I good with that date? I said, yeah, I think that gives us plenty of time. By the time Francis gets back home, we start a good camp. And then I got another message from Markell last Wednesday. And it said the 25th looks like the day. We're locked in.

I said, great. And then I got on communication with Francis about when he's getting back home. And we literally started training Saturday. I flew home from the PFL Saturday, early. morning. I was in the gym with Francis at 10.30 a.m. So we started training. He came to the house on Sunday. We had dinner with the family. And then Francis, I went out back and started kind of talking about game plan about what approach we wanted to take and started doing the X's and O's as far as camp goes. That was Sunday night. And then Monday morning, we trained at 10 a.m. and got our workout in.

And that's where you saw the picture with Brandon, Morano and Francis and all the boys in the room. And, you know, and then that was literally right after we got done training. And that's when we got the work. That's so crazy. So you're sitting there like running errands with Francis and Ghanu try to like get through a normal day and, you know, we're just talking about like little contract stipulations. And then this news comes out like, what does Francis say about all this? Is he just like livid or is he just like, what? Honestly, I haven't talked to him at length about the situation. I mean, we talked lengthy Sunday about the situation. And, you know, it had nothing to do with it had nothing to do with money. It just had to do with terms. and then we kind of elaborated on some of those things.

And, you know, I just told them, I say, look, my job isn't to be in the negotiations. My job is to make sure that you're prepared for whoever comes across the table. Now, you got to think, too, for us, we were told, you know, it's going to be the winner out of Steepay. Francis is fighting John Jones. So automatically John Jones is on our radar. Now, you know, those negotiations had come to a standstill. And I get it. The promotion's got to move on to what they see is best.

So, you know, the next next guy in line is Derek Lewis, deservedly so. And, you know, that's who we planned on fighting. And I don't think September was that big of a deal. I mean, basically, we're one month off. So, yeah, it was just, it was all kind of a whirlwind. And to be honest with you, Mike, I really have no problem with gone and Lewis fighting August 7th. It is what it is. I think just the stipulations of putting an interim on that, knowing that we're ready to fight a month

later we're prepared to fight. I think that's kind of where the confusion lies with us. Yeah, and, you know, we've talked a couple times. Like, I'm a, I'm a glass half full guy. I'm a silver linings guy. I try to find positive in everything. So my initial thought, just in my weird way of thinking was, okay, this is a fine made event for Houston.

You get Derek in there, give him some hometown fair, fair, put him in the main event, you know, give him a couple extra shackles. But maybe the UFC brass got in a room with John Jones. and his advisor and maybe they work something out and maybe they can make this massive fight that everybody wants to see. Was that part of your thought process too? Or like maybe, I mean, I'm sure you don't know because the UFC does things in certain ways. They're going to lock John down before they lock anybody else down. So do you think that's a possibility? Like maybe this John thing will happen? See, I'm a lot like you too, Mike. It's like, man, I got to look at this

from both perspectives and I got to come out of this with a positive aspect because, you know, for me, you know, being the head coach, and if I'm down and out and I'm adding fuel to this fire, it's not helping the situation by any means, you know, my goal and my position as the coach is to make sure that my fighter is prepared for whoever comes, whoever they ask for, whoever, and whatever time that is. So ultimately, if that means that, you know, we fight John Jones and it's November or December, I think you're absolutely right. I think that there's some silver lining behind this.

And then this whole heavyweight division kind of gets shaken out the way it's supposed to, right? I think Lewis and Ghana are rightfully good matchups. Obviously, it kind of leaves Stipe out in the open. I don't know what they're going to do with him. And, you know, he's very much deserving in this title picture as well. But if that means we get a fight John Jones and maybe it's a November card in Madison Square Garden or something like that, something bigger, then, you know, I think it all is all going to work out in the end. What has life been like, you know, just from what you've seen. I know Francis has traveled back home and stuff, but now that he has the title,

and he can call himself world champion. I know how hard he's worked for this, how hard you worked to help him find himself and be able to put that title around his waist. How much has life changed for Francis Ngano from your perspective? It's changed a lot. And I think, you know, for me, just seeing him be able to bring that belt home to his countrymen

and really to wrap that belt around his mom, you know, I think it was just kind of the justification of all the hard work and everything that he's put in and really the self-belief that he's had. So, you know, everything coming full circle for him was just beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of. And I think for me as the coach, I just wanted him and all of us, myself included, to understand that the real work begins now.

You know, it took a lot of hard work and effort to get here. Let's not be satisfied with just winning the belt. Let's be more content on having a long-lasting legacy in a run, like the way GSP did, the way John Jones did, the way Khabib does. you know, like I think it's important for us to make sure that we're not, we're not, we're not full, you know, we're still hungry for, for greatness. Gone is a big betting favorite heading into this fight with Derek Lewis, opening it around a three to one favorite as a matter of fact.

And Derek just needs one man. He's got that depth touch. He's a scary individual, not the most technical guy on earth, but he's actually got a little more technical in his last couple of fights. It just, Derek Lewis is just Derek Lewis and maybe it doesn't seem that way. But the Curtis Blades knockout, there's a lot of technique. There's a lot of planning behind that. But do you feel that they're just not giving Derek Lewis enough respect heading into this fight?

I feel like 3 to 1 is a little crazy. I would favor gone, but I don't think I would favor him that much if that makes sense. I would 100% agree with you. I actually want a lot of money on the Curtis plates fight because, you know, listen, in the heavyweight, and this is no knock on blades. You know, the blueprint was there to beat him. But when you give Derek 25 minutes of an opportunity when just like you said, it only takes one, one mistake and you saw what happened,

the guy gets flatlined. You know, I've had a corner against Derek. He's very tough to put away. He's always in the fight. We've seen him in opportunities and fights where he was losing all the way up to the very end and Volkov and other fights for that matter. You can go way back and guys are getting the best of them. But like you said, the guy's just resilient and he's very tough to put away.

And all it takes is one from Derek. So, you know, I would venture to guess the betting lines are coming off of a hot win by gone and deservedly so on his part. I think the technical prowess that this man has is very, very good. And I'm actually very excited to see how this fight shakes out. What do you think happens here? Like, if I'm Francis and I'm not talking about a freaking John Jones fight at this moment, I'm certainly not happy about this whole situation.

And I know you're in the position to be like, whatever happens, prepare for it. But like, in your heart of hearts, what do you think happens with this heavyweight title situation? You know, I think we all know and the fans know where this title runs through and it runs through, you know, my man from Cameroon. So in my mind, it's like we weren't fighting in August anyway. This is just a fight that's happening in August. So all we understand now is we're probably not fighting in September. So where does this push us to how far do we have out? Who and where do we need to prepare for?

what we need to prepare for. So yeah, man, I'm just trying to keep an even head on this whole thing. I understand that the UFC has a business to run. They needed a main event. They needed to fill that spot for Houston and who better than a guy than Derek Lewis who's going to sell that place out. You know, God bless him. I love him to death and everything that he doesn't represent.

This is going to be a great main event. I just think the interim title label put on it, I think it just adds a little bit of shade to it. But again, it's not my promotion. They have to do what they have to do. I understand that. I just wish that there wasn't a double standard when it came to, you know, other guys and other labels for this interim, especially when the guys essentially active, right? Like, we couldn't fight.

We couldn't fight in June because he was back home. He had some family commitments that a lot of us know, a lot of people don't understand what he was there for, but there was more for the family element. And then, you know, he wasn't able to get back into the country. He had to redo his visa. So there's a lot of things for him not to be able to even take these fights just because of formalities. It wasn't like we were ducking the guy or anything like that. And he does want to remain active.

But when it comes to the contract and those negotiations, man, I got to stay in my way and it has nothing to do with me. And I just got to prepare for whatever opponent they tell us we got to fight. He literally said after he won the title, I'm not fighting until August. Like he said that. Like you said, I'm going home to see my family. I'm not fighting until August. So none of this is a big shocker. None of this is a big surprise.

You know what I mean? It's crazy. Yeah, and I hope, and I know people that are in the sport and they understand. And I think a lot of MMA journalism understands as well that, you know, it's not an eight-week camp. I mean, you know, we've been preparing for Steve Amiotich for a long, long time. And we've been in the war room and getting our stuff together and making sure that every little thing was the way we wanted it to be. And I think you guys saw that in execution in the fight. So there was a lot of energy and a lot of emphasis that takes place. And, you know, I'm speaking from my own terms.

When those fights are over, man, I don't want to celebrate. I want to go to sleep. I want to take a nap, right? Like, I'm just physically and mentally exhausted when those fights are over. So for him to want to go home and just really decompress and then obviously, you know, celebrate with his countrymen and all those things. I think that was deserving on his part. There's a couple other names that people continue to bring up, one of which is the

Bannemway champion Al Jermaine Sterling, who seems to be on the road back to the octagon after neck surgery. most assume he'll run it back with Peodor Yan. He's hoping to return by November. Is that the way you sort of viewed the timeline as well? Like sometime before the holidays, we see him defend that belt? Yeah, that's what we're hoping for. And we started getting back almost kind of like a rehab pad sessions and stuff like that.

And he's been bouncing back and forth from the East Coast to here. So the times he's in town and the times I get to see him, we're just laying more of that groundwork as far as our terminology goes and the skill set and everything else. So physically, man, he looks great. And I'm glad that he got that neck surgery done. That was something that had been hampering him for quite a while. So I'm glad it's behind him. And now it's kind of just really able to rehab and get ready, hopefully for November, December. I also, you mentioned sort of decompressing and dealing with a lot of the emotions coming out of a fight.

So I did want to ask you about Dan Ege, because he had the tough fight with the Korean zombie. I thought he was very competitive in that fight. It was actually in my eyes closer than that a lot of other people may have thought it was. I thought it was 48, 47. I thought zombie won, but I thought it was a much closer fight. It didn't go his way. And then, of course, that clip surfaced earlier this week from ESPN about the aftermath of that fight, Dan being very emotional about the results and you sort of guiding him through that darkness, if you will.

What was that moment like for you? And like overall, what are those moments like for you as a coach, especially with a guy like Dan who you've been sort of logging those miles with for a long time now? It's one of the hardest things you're getting really experienced, man. because I think that's what we love so much about MMA, but it's also kind of what you love to hate about it as well, is sometimes, you know, the math doesn't always add up. But at the end of the day, when you look at what the zombie did and what Dan did,

neither guy cut any corners. And the Korean zombie was better than us that night. And he did a little things, little things right over and over. He found, you know, kind of an area in the ground game that he can exploit. And he stuck to that. and he was smart. And that's, you know, hats off to him. But as far as Dan goes, man, like, the guy every time is just systematically better and better and better, whether it's his weight cut, whether it's his approach to the game, his mental side. And I think that, you know,

the casual fans and people that really aren't in the sport as much as you and I are are starting to really see just kind of who and what Dan Yeaget represents. And it's something that we all should cheer for and relish, man. This is a really good kid. He's a really good kid. He's a really good kid. He comes from a very good upbringing. He's humble as all can be. And, you know, so it sucks being able to, you know, having to be there to console him in areas like that. But again, that's the name of the game. And sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But for me, I just want to see him not use that as a reason why he doesn't do exactly what he did last camp, because this kid busted his ass and did all the right things. And I hope that he continues that trend, which I know he will. And, you know,

I think these losses later on down the line will have a lot more value for us because we've seen these five rounds with Cater and with the Korean zombie now. And I think it's going to help for his maturity. Yeah. And it probably helps you as a coach too going five rounds against guys like Eddie and guys like Tyson. I mean, Eddie was, you know, I talked to zombie and Eddie right before the fight. And Eddie, of course, had like nothing but great things to say about you. I was like, is there just like a little brotherly coaching rivalry where you just want to beat him? He's like, yeah, a little bit.

but not really. He goes, we'll go out and we'll have a beer afterwards. Like, we'll just celebrate these. He's a great coach. Like, what was that like just being across from Eddie and trying to play that chess match with those guys? Man, I love it. And that's the level of competition.

And I think that we get a scene behind the scenes, you know, and Eddie Charles has been nothing but great. I think he's an exceptional coach. And we cheer for one another. We really do, man. I think, you know, Dean Thomas sent me a message yesterday and it was just like, out of the blue, hey, man, I'm just thinking about you. Hope you're doing what.

Well, huge fan. You know, and there's so much camaraderie that goes amongst us coaches that, you know, there's enough sunshine to go around for all of us and we want to see each other succeed. And, you know, that fight just wasn't our time. And it was their night. So, you know, I know there will be more opportunities for us. And I'm happy for them and their win. And I think he did a great job.

And, you know, he went out and doubled down on on himself, man, and stepped outside. And he's really doing well as a coach. And I'm super proud of him. Of course, Bisha Tate's return is coming up on July 17. against Mary Rennow. And I know it's been a minute. But man, she's kind of got that look in her eye, man. She looks tremendous physically.

What have you seen from her as she's, what, two and a half weeks away from making that walk again? What have you seen from her? Mike, I'm blown away by her, man. So, you know, I've been with her for a long, long time. And what really stands out to me is just her mental state at the end of the run with the Raquel Pennington fight. You know, and her and I, you know,

I held mitts for her the week before she left. to go. And, you know, she just wasn't in a good place. So she never told me that she was going to retire. But when she did retire, I looked at my wife and I was like, I'm not surprised, you know, I just knew where she was at. So for her to be able to come back four years later, make her, change her surroundings and, and be around individuals. I think that like bring her up rather than bring her down. And she found a new love for the sport. The beautiful thing about what she's been doing is she hasn't really stepped away fully from the sport. She's still involved in the sport as an analyst and doing what she does for one FC. So her mental capacity and things that she's seeing

is very important. I think for the for the for the things that we want to add in the mommate game and it hasn't really passed her by. She might have been doing it physically, but she'd been doing it mentally, you know, and I think that's important. So when she got back into the gym, you know, the physical side had to catch up to the mental side. The mental capacity was always there. And then all of a sudden that physical aspect caught up and she's in here doing work, man. Like I was super impressed with her last sparring rounds. We'll move around again tomorrow. And then we'll probably make short, short work of this camp. And then, you know, she'll be ready to fight July 17th. I'm excited to see her. Do I see that Jake Shields is part of the squad now? Yeah, Jake is over here, man. He's been over here

like right around the pandemic time. He's been coming in and training. And then I was like, dude, you got to get involved somehow and coach more. And we're going to need you around. And there's just so many, so much good talent in our room that having a, um, having a, another just accomplished, very good grappler, very good MMA's perspective, a guy who's seen it all in the room, man, it only helps us. And Jake's been, you know, he worked with Justin James. He's been working with Patsy Mix. Like, he's hopping in more and more corners. And I think that's what the great part about Extreme Couture is that, like, you know, there's so many coaches in here that we really help one another. If I'm not able to corner this person, Eddie's stepping

in and helping on that side or Nate Petit or Ray and vice versa. So you really can interchange anybody throughout our system. And the verbiage just pretty much remains the same and the energy remains the same. And every fighter in the gym feels like they're getting what they need. And that's what Jake brings to the team. And he's doing practices on his own, just his volunteer times coming in and helping out some of the team guys. So he's been a great addition for us at a shrink at tour. Have you spoken to Justin Jane since Saturday? I spoke with them. And I think it's such a baller move to put it all out there. I'm going to bet on myself. And then you do an interview afterwards, which was an amazing conversation.

I was blown away by it. What was that conversation like between you and Justin? Because I give him all the credit in the world, man. I have so much respect for that guy. I love the kid to death, man. You got to understand. He's been a guy that's been coming out to Extreme Couture while he was in college. He would come out during the summertime and I'd give him like summer jobs.

So I've known Justin a long time. This doesn't surprise me by any means that he went out and doubled down on himself. And I love him for it. And that's the guy that we all know. and we all love, and Justin James, he's a cowboy. You know, and then, you know, the fight didn't go his way, and we sat down and we talked about just some of the, the, the, the, the, the, the situational awareness in certain areas

and things like that. And, you know, I wanted to hear what he had to say because he's the guy in there. He's the guy that feels, you know, where his arms are, where, you know, how is fatigue, where's his mental state, all those things. And then just try to make a better coaching point for him. And then, you know, really just kind of be there for him, like a big brother, you know, that I feel like I have that role. But, you know, I hope the UFC gives him another shot.

He's an entertaining fighter. He's fun to have in there. And, you know, shit, he'll probably put his purse on the next one, too. He's such a wild, man. He's such a wild, man. You're the man, Eric. Always great catching up with you, man. I will allow you to finish your lunch.

And now you can walk around shirtless if you want. So continue success over in Extreme Gator. We'll chat soon, man. I appreciate it. Thank you, Mike. Talk to you guys soon. All right. Let us say hello to Sarah Alpar who returns to action.

on September 4th. She's going to welcome Erin Blanchfield to the UFC. Sarah, good to see you. How are you? Hey, I'm good. How are you? It's been a while. It has been a while.

So, in fact, a little bit has changed in your life since we last spoke and since you last competed. You're now a married woman. Congratulations to you and the husband on that. I know the cliche is, well, it's the same as it was before, but we only signed a piece of paper. But would you sort of agree with that sentiment? No, no, you know, I don't.

I think, yeah, you sign that piece of paper. Now it's just like, that's your contract. You're in it. Like, there's no way out now. In it for a long haul and dedicated to this man the rest of my life. That's great. So how was the wedding? I know it was kind of like a weird time in the world when it happened, but how did it all go?

leading up to it it was absolutely nuts i never want to do it again i'm not i'm not a girlie girl and i'm not a planner and um yeah it was super stressful and then right after my fight i had to deal with um surgery on my nose and everyone was just like freaking out and it was making me freak out too so like well what if you're bruised what it this blah blah blah it was It was just like, I don't know. Just want to be married. But it ended up. The day was perfect.

I wish I could relive just that day. Like every day. It was just great. Well, that is great to hear. And, you know, on top of that, you were trying to get back in there on May 22nd to fight. And I'll get into that in a moment. But you talked about the debut in September. It took around 13 months or so from.

the time you won the contract on the contender series to finally get in there and you took on Jessica Rose Clark wasn't the outcome you had hoped for and while it's never fun to take an L you can always take something away from that time in the cage so what would you say were your biggest takeaways from that fight with with Jessica Rose Clark there there were a lot of takeaways I had with that fight actually um they just stepping back in there after so long and to be a part of the top organization for fighting to be a part of that. I realized what I needed to do to stay in there and be a part of that. That was one of the biggest things, just like, all right, I'm in here now.

Like my first goal was completed. Now I need to figure out what level do I need to get to, stay in here. So that was a big one. That fight actually like I really, I felt like an amateur again. There's so much that went on and leading up to it. And it doesn't matter. I took, I had a loss.

That is what it is. And now I need to come back from that. And I want to come back from that. I have that desire to win even more. So do it takes, do all the things. What, like, are you able to talk about what you're I mean, obviously you're planning a wedding, so you're dealing with all that as well, but there were other things, other circumstances involved as well?

Yeah, there's a lot. Really, like I never really spoke out about it. Because like I said, at the end of the day, I still took a loss and it was up to me to perform. But I didn't get a warm up in my fight. I just went out there cold. like I um the boxing commission or trying to make me um have like a drug test a peanut cup and like I was having a really hard time to do that to do that and um and so when it came time like all a sudden the fights before me that happened it was like knock out knock on knock out so that took

a whole lot of time out and then um it was like when you get your hands right we need to do this So, like, all the stimulus was coming at me and I was like, I just freaked out. Yeah, it was crazy. Like, people were yelling at me. And I was just like, I mean, calm. My coach was like, here, let me like, call me down. Like, don't touch me right now. And so I was standing right before I walked out.

And they're like, we have a two-minute pause. So I took my teammate. And we pumbled really quick. And that was my warm up. And I went out there. and then just perform like I go. So that was really crazy. And I think just like the pandemic side for doing all the COVID thing and all that and being quarantined,

that was different. Usually before fights, it's like everything's chill and everything's as normal as it could be. There's just nothing normal about it. You know, it's no one's fault. It's like we were in a pandemic, and that's just how it was. And I wasn't ready for that. You were hoping to bounce back a few weeks ago.

Stephanie Eggier was your original opponent. She was forced out. And then it appeared that Lupita Godinez was going to jump up two weight classes and take the fight on short notice, but she couldn't get a visa in time. And it didn't take you long to get rebooked, but it looks like it's going to be another two months and change before that actually happened. So how frustrating has it been for you between opponents? of withdrawals, event cancellations during the pandemic.

You've had to shuffle the deck several times in your short UFC career, haven't you? Yeah, well, and I wanted, like, I made this goal. Like, I wanted to fight a few times a year instead of prior to how it has been. So I really wanted that. And I was like, I plan, I'm a planner. I plan things out and even like financially. And I was like, okay, I have, say, blah, blah, blah, I did this, this, this. I'll make. I was like, this is perfect. This is great. And then after that, then I'll get,

and I was right here and I'll, you know, like just all, all this stuff. I had it planned out. And then that happened. And again, COVID, you know, it's not Stephanie's fault when you're training as hard as we are and your immune system is going down. Yeah, you're like, I could totally see that. And props to Loopy for stepping up like that. She sent me a message. She's like, We tried. I was so confused. They were just like, you're taking me out. I don't know what to say.

I was like, what is this? And she's like, no, like, I can't get a visa. And then after that, we were trying like, what else? And they were like, no, the fights off. So I was like, crap. So it is, it was super frustrating in a lot of ways. And especially I was ready to come back and prove myself. And I was more ready for this fight physically and mentally than I have been the last few fights that I've had.

So it was like, geez. But I'm in a good place now and I'm ready for what's to come. They do have me rebooked. I'm dropping a weight class. What was I thinking? What did I just get myself into? All right. Well, this is what it is.

Here we go. I made it 25 you wanted me to. Cool. So, yeah. Here we are. So all this is happening, and that that sort of leads to this fight with Aaron. And, you know, one of the things you've done that has guarded a little bit of attention over the last couple weeks is you started a GoFundMe page to help transition into becoming

this full-time fighter. And, you know, before we sort of get into that, on top of being a fighter, like, what else do you do for work if you don't mind me asking? So for a little bit, I actually had two jobs and I was training. I was working for an optometrist and then I was a barista. Then I did that. I fulfilled that for a year. I was like, all right, I just, it's not, it just wasn't good for me. And like, I feel bad. that poor ophthalmiatrists really was patient. I was not getting off. Insurance, man.

Jeez. So I quit that. And then I just, I'm just working at Starbucks now and trying to train. I was teaching jujitsu classes and making it work. And then at that gym, just like a lot of stuff went on. So,

yeah, also within that last fight, I traded gyms. So me and my teammate, Christina Williams. We moved to a different gym to work over at Panda kickboxing and grappling with Justin Stone. So we're doing that. And yeah, that was a transition and then I was doing Starbucks. And then I was like, turned 30 June 1st. And it was like, you know, I'm not getting any younger. And I really want more in my life. And so I was like, I need to go back to school.

So I made that decision. And so I'm trying to get my master's and dietetics and nutrition. So it's going to be a very long road. So, yeah, I'm going to school. I'm a barista. I'm a professional fighter. And then, you know, I'm a mom. You know, I'm married into having a seven-year-old now.

So here's my resume. I mean, it's, it's, it's pretty much every fighter's dream to get to the UFC. And a lot of people from the outside looking in, they feel like when you actually get there and accomplish that dream, it's like getting to the NBA or getting to the NFL, like you're in the biggest league in the sport and they're a multi-billion dollar company and the money just starts pouring in from the sky. Every time you walk out the front door, a hundred dollar bills are just flying at you because you're in the UFC.

But that's not the case in the sport. Like when you fight, you make money and when you don't, you don't make the money. So I guess like how would you sort of describe life since getting that contender series contract from that end? It really opened up reality to getting into and being a professional fighter. Like man, why can't I be, you know, six, seven and be into, you know, because I were like, you know, be like, wow, this is what I chose. You know, yeah, like what I thought it would be that I'd be like, I'd be like. like, oh, everything's taken care of and I can just train full time. And, and then, yeah, my life is complete.

I did it. And it's not that way. And even, you know, with just being a fighter in general, like, we don't get paid anything leading up, like the other organizations that shriveled down before. Like, I mean, we're making pennies. And that's compared to, you know, what UFC gives us. And I don't have anything on EFC. I got in there and try to fight and like, this happens.

Like, it's this business. They've given me more than any other organization has. I can't, like, attack them for anything. It's not their fault that Stephanie got COVID and that, you know, I could invite. They tried to find me somebody. You know, I don't blame them for my situation. I'm just in the situation. It's just that is what it is.

Yeah, but I mean, I'm trying the best I can and I want to do great big things and I want to be a role model and I love to fight. So this is what I chose. You know, I asked for some help. What was the actual antithesis of you pulling the trigger on the go-fund me? Was it the fight with Jessica? Was it the decision to go back to school? Like what was the actual like, I guess the whole? line that that needed to be crossed for you to say, you know what, I have to do this thing

and let's, I have a good, good support system. Let's see if they can help me out here. So actually, like originally, we didn't at this fight. I was like asking for, you know, sponsors and I was trying to organize all this. And let's face it, I have my, like, my education is like sports exercise. I don't know anything about business. Like, I don't know anything. I'm taking accounting class is over and like I'm like I'm like I need you know like I don't that's not my forte it's not my thing so I actually hired on a marketing agent and um she set that up for me and it wasn't even like anything she's like let's just do this you know people were like I can't sponsor you but maybe I can't help you out in the way and that's the easiest way that um they could send to me like that and I could

keep you know records and track and she did that and now like it blew up it just just like people wrote articles about me, some good, some bad, like, you're like, I didn't, like, okay, you know, like, I wanted to do this. I've been trying to go place and try chain with, you know, really good experienced people and, you know, trying to make that happen. And, and I got to a position. I was like, I can't, I can't do it. And even, like, I just felt really stuck. So, yeah, my agency's just really, really helped me out with everything so far. And that's where, that's what it came. So, yeah, people have been awesome. I was just like, whoa.

Like, wow. So it's a, it looks like you've, did I see this right on the page that you've already accomplished your goal like through July? Is that what you said? Is that kind of accurate? Yeah. So, and this morning, like, I got this message, and it was this person and I said, like, we'll checkmark. And it was like, what?

And it said, Jake Paul wants to send you a message. I was like, like, you know, you know my existence? It got all the way out there. Like, I did not expect so much publicity over a go fund me. Right. You know, honestly, like, at first to decide to put that on there, I was like, alone, embarrassed. because I try really hard to do things for me and, like, to ask for help. It's hard for me to do like that.

And, yeah, so he's like, I got you. I said, is this real? Like, you know my name. You know who I am. Like, oh, my gosh. Yeah. Like, you know, he's helped me out. And I don't take, like, he's helped me out.

And then people that I'm known and support me, like, that that's always, like, like, Mao, how gracious is that for somebody that be like, here, let me help you so you can accomplish your dreams. So Jake Paul donated? That's amazing. Oh, my gosh. I said, is this real? I thought it was like a fake account.

I was like, oh, no, there's a tech mark. Like, that's him. This is him. Wow. That's crazy. Yeah. Wow. So, like, now the MMA world who's,

seem to be all against Jake Paul. Maybe they'll, I don't know, maybe they have his back a little bit more. That's crazy. Was it like a substantial amount of money? I mean, you can, you don't have to tell me what it was, but. I was like in tears, gay. Yeah. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

You don't know anyone's story and especially over like social media and what it is. You know, you just, you don't, you don't know people. It's crazy. Like people on the social media, they're all trying to tell my story and trying to judge me for doing that. I just think, you know, nothing about me. And you just, yeah. Like, cool. Wow.

That is, that is amazing. So for those who haven't seen it, like, what is the goal? Like, what is the overall goal? So far, it seems like it's going very well. I mean, you got Jake Paul even jumping in here and trying to help you out. So what is the. overall goal and how is it all shaped? Yeah, I'm trying to get the fullest out of my training and to do the best I can and be the best

I can be, you know, and I'm not just doing it for myself. I'm, you know, trying to do it to be like a role model for others, you know, I'm trying to put all my focus on training and to be able to go where I need to go. and to make that happen. And I'm just striving for the most. Like I turned 30. I don't know. It was like midlife crisis moment.

Who knows what the reason it was. But I was just like, I need to make this happen. And I'm not getting any younger. And this is the time. I was like, what do I need to do? So if I can be able to make that go and to be able to train my fullest and the measures they need to take to. get there.

I want to do that. I want to do that. I want to make it happen and to still be the best version of myself that I can be. There is, I went to Fortis, I mean, in Dallas. I think it was last week. And that coach there, he really, like, spoke words in me. He's just like, I don't, you know,

I just want you to get better. He's like, look at you. I look at you. And like, you just, you know, it's kind of like, you look soft. I'm like, dang. And it made me think, like, you know, fighting. The reason I fight is so I can be, you know, someone else in the ring than when I am on the outside. Because it's like I'm, there's like a passive person.

But in that cage, I can, you know, just go at it. And I don't have to like that person while I'm competing against them. And then, you know, be cool afterwards. I feel like I'm rambling. But I mean, that really spoke words to me and then the coach I'm with, Justin Stone. Like he's constantly just putting so much belief and excitement in me and my training. Like I want to go so far. And I believe that one day I can be a champion now.

And I never had that before. Well, that's great to hear. And now going back to 125, it's been several years since you fought at 120. what, 2015 was the last time you got to that point? Uh-oh. Oh, she's back. There she goes. Okay.

I'm sorry. Oh, no, it's okay. So 2015 was the last time you fought at 125? Yeah. Yeah. After that, I went up a weight class and then I had knee surgery. And then from there, I was just having problems getting my weight down. So I'm actually, I'm on like a thyroid medicine now because my body was really messed.

up. So even after the contender series leading up to my first fight, I was like dealing with so much crap. But yeah, yeah, like doctor after doctor after doctor. Now I have that in control and I'm kind of go 25 and make it happen. And so far the move down, because we're a couple months away, so far so good in getting back down there? I, in addition to the after my fight was canceled too. My nutrition was like, hey, I kind of, like, I can't really help you. So you need something else. I was like, crap. I'm like, what am I going to do now? So the PI is helping me and I'm going to work with one of their, one of their guys and get that down. So, I mean, you got to start now. I, I don't want a bad wake up. I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to make a

myself worse. Do you know a lot about Aaron Blanchfield? Is she somebody that that you've been paying attention to even from like a fan standpoint? I watched her in Invicta and I'm really impressed by her. So when I got the call like, hey, you want to fight her? I was like, all right, let's look at this. Let's let's see what she she's really about, play like closer attention. And I've seen, you know, her victories over Leonardo. And it was like, man, okay. I mean, it's not going to be an easy fight at all. It's not that I'm excited for it.

And I believe I have what it takes to beat her. How much advantage do you think, like, your overall experience in this fight? Because, like, she's a highly touted prospect. She's got some good wins, but you have doubled the experience she has. And you're the most experienced fighter she's faced in her young career to this point. Like how much of advantage do you think that gives you in this fight? Advantage, like both of us, I have one UFC fight and then she's coming in for this one. So I feel like on that level, that's pretty even. I think me and my experience of how long I've done this and trained for that.

I think I'm above that. And for some reason, I just like, she's so young. I feel like that's awesome. Like I wish I was where she was at that age, but, you know, I just feel I have more wisdom and I can be able to figure things out a little better. It seems that at least, you know, over the last few years in your career, when the stakes are high and the pressure is on,

you're able to find a way to dig down and turn that pressure into diamonds. Like the LFA title fight, the contender series fight, you find a way to get a, done when the stakes are very high. Do you feel any kind of pressure in the same way heading into this fight on September 4th? Like, do you feel like in a way, like your spots on the line in this fight with Aaron?

Like, are you looking at it in that way? Yeah. You know, every fight, I feel like there's always that there's always that chance that you can, you know, like things happen. I mean, look at my fight with Jesse Jess. but I always feel like things are on the line and it pushes me. When I feel like I have to prove myself, I perform better. I don't know why that is something.

I mean, it's just my whole life. It's like, oh, I don't think I can. Okay, let me show you. And it just gives me more of a drive. And even like when I'm in there, you're just going. I don't know. It's like, again, you're just a different. person, your superpowers

come out, you're just like, right, I don't know. So now, are you going to go back out and train with Safe in the team over Fortis before this fight, or is that just kind of like going in there and saying hello, getting some work in? Or do you plan on kind of like cross-taining with them

before the fight? I'm still I'm trying to figure all that out. Like I tried going to Jackson's in that eight-hour drive and between like there and it's like well you have to be back because like you know i'm working still and i i don't i'm not going to disrespect you know the company and be like that's just not

it's not how it works that's not how my parents raised me like you have um like those those responsibilities um so i've been just trying to figure it all out on what the best solution is and who's best to train with and that's going to make me better and to get people to be able to spar with and help me better get better. So I'm really trying to still figure that all out. But with everything coming in and all the help and support I'm getting, now I can actually like, okay, well, maybe I can put this here and, you know, just to make it work. so figuring all that out um and you know i have a lot of respect for safer right like i really like

him as a as a coach i was just like whoa like a lot as i understand like a lot of people don't care for him but there's something about him that i was just like oh my gosh um and i also need to think you know i have a coach here and he's you know done so much for me so far so I need a balance between still getting work with him and then seeing about another gym that I can find as a as a co-home to be able to make it work so I don't know if that answer answers your question yeah rambling like I'm listening to this is all good stuff like I'm trying to figure out the right answer the perfect formula for the perfect camp so I can have the perfect performance you get a lot you get a lot of irons in the fire sarah I mean that you're you know

you're trying to make it work and we can all respect that. And I appreciate the time as always, Sarah. I mean, this is what you're doing right now. I have a ton of respect for you for doing this. And I am looking forward to seeing you back in there in a couple months. All the best to you with this camp, the fundraising efforts and in the fight itself on September 4th against Aaron Blanchfield, Sarah. Thank you so much for your openness and your candor. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for having me and believe me and all the good stuff in between. You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network.