MORNING KOMBAT WITH LUKE THOMAS AND BRIAN CAMPBELL - Matt Frevola Talks Paddy Pimblett at MSG, Barstool Sports & Ray Longo | Morning Kombat RSD

Episode Date: September 12, 2023

Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell are joined by rising lightweight Matt 'Steamrolla' Frevola. Matt discusses how he found Matt Serra and Ray Longo, How Ray reshaped his striking style and when he wants to return to the octagon. Will it be November vs. Paddy Pimblett? Tune in to find out. (00:01:40) - Ray Longo Shirt (00:02:20) - Finding Serra-Longo MMA (00:04:20) - Moving Back to Long Island (00:05:20) - Tampa Florida (00:07:00) - Amateur Fights (00:09:40) - Man of the People (00:10:50) - Becoming a fan of MMA (00:11:30) - High School Wrestling (00:14:00) - Realizing MMA Could be his Profession (00:15:00) - Power in Matt's Hands (00:17:15) - Paddy PImblett (00:21:00) - Fighting Style (00:22:00) - Family (00:23:30) - What's Next for Freevola? (00:24:40) - Barstool Sports (00:26:30) - Paddy Pimblett Fight (00:27:30) - Fighting at MSG (00:30:30) - Robbie Lawler (00:32:00) - Ray Longo (00:34:00) - Beer of Choice (00:36:00) - Boxing with Ray Longo (00:39:00) - Thailand (00:42:00) - New York Sports (00:45:00) - Freevola Beach House (00:47:50) - Aljo vs. Merab vs. Dana (00:53:10) - Arman Tsarukyan (00:56:00) - Lightweight division (00:59:00) - BMF Belt (01:00:50) - CTE (01:02:30) - Lifting Gloves (01:03:30) - Trt Luke Thomas (01:06:00) - Billy Q (01:07:20) - Perfect New York Bagel (01:08:20) - Frevola Badminton Tournament Morning Kombat is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and wherever else you listen to podcasts.     For more Combat Sports coverage subscribe here: youtube.com/MorningKombat   Follow our hosts on Twitter: @BCampbellCBS, @lthomasnews, @MorningKombat    For Morning Kombat gear visit:morning kombat.store   Follow our hosts on Instagram: @BrianCampbell, @lukethomasnews, @MorningKombat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back on the couch. Back on the couch where we belong. Right? Yeah. Because it's a couch where we get inside our guests. But more in like a mental way. What's up? I'm Matt Frivola. They call me the Steam Rolla. We're out here in Jersey City. Had to have a nice little talk with Luke and Brian. Steamroller.

How are you? How are you? I didn't know you were so big, man. Yeah, I'm mostly just old and fat. I've been listening to Luke Thomas for a long time, for like 10 years. He's got awesome breakdowns, and he's the man. What about Brian?

I don't know shit about Brian. What's going on, guys? It's me, Brian Campbell. All right, it's time to sit on that crusty couch. Let's do this. Ready to go? BC, ready to go? You know, we only want the true maniacs on this show,

and we have found that if you go to a strong island, they are plentiful. Our next guest is a man who has worn many hats, including military police and the United States Army, is also looking for one Patty Pemblitt. We'll see if he'll get it, but he has an interesting story to tell, and he's going to do it today. It is Steve Rola,

Matt Frivola. Hey! Rock and Rola. Bang that horror. How are you doing, Matt? No cell is strong already. Right off the start. Keep going with that.

How are you doing, Matt? I'm doing good, man. I don't make my way out to Jersey too much, but for you guys, I'm here. Well, you know what? That's a good way to not get lice is to avoid Jersey. It's really a strong move. I recognize the t-shirt because, I mean, this guy's wearing a Grand Theft Auto Ray Longo mafia shirt right here.

Put the camera on him, yeah. Can you stand up for just a second? I know we got it. Now we're asking you to do all the, look at this shirt. Wow. All right. Now, with that in mind, do us a solid. What is the story behind this shirt?

Oh, man, this is a classic, uh, Anakin Florian shirt. And I got this shirt and I've pretty much worn it to like every UFC fight, every ring of combat fight, every CFFC fight when we got guys fighting and it's my, it's my lucky shirt now. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Uh, how did you end up at Longo? I mean, obviously you're in Long Island. They're the big gym. You just must've heard about them, but give me the story, how you actually ended up there. Yeah. So, um, I started, I found Matt Sarah first. I started doing jujitsu there and then, uh, I moved down to Tampa, Florida. I went to university of Tampa. You did a lot of drinking, didn't you? I did a good amount, but, uh, uh, Matt Sarah hooked me up with Matt Arroyo who who is down there. Ultimate fighter alumnus.

Yep, yep. And then I linked up with Matt Arroyo, and I actually met Billy Q my first day there. Oh, MK approved Billy Q. Billy Q, yeah. And Billy Q is like 1-0 or 0-1 as an amateur fighter. I had no fights. I had like five months of jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra. What year is this roughly?

This has got to be 2010 so Matt was either close to done or had like where was Matt at that time? Yeah, he was done fighting and he just opened up Gracie, Tampa South. Okay, okay Okay, and and he had a he had like a amateur fight team He probably had like seven or eight guys Fighting and then me and billy q walk into the gym just like these two young kids we didn't even know each other either like i remember walking in and it's jujitsu class and i see some skinny kid with like ufc gloves he bought from walmart

getting ready to do uh jujitsu and you should beat his ass just for that oh i did i did exactly that day and uh me and him like hit it off right from there. We ended up living together in Tampa and, uh, fighting amateur, you know, just coming up in Tampa with, uh, Matt Arroyo who really, uh, showed me, showed me the ropes of like, of a fight camp and, and what, you know, how to be a fighter and whatnot. And then, um, while I was down in school in, uh, Tampa, I would still come home to Long Island for,, for Christmas, and for summers. And I would train with Ray Longo. And I would train with Matt Serra whenever I was home.

And then I would go back down to Tampa for school and train with the Royal. And when did you end up back in Long Island full time? I moved back home probably 2016. Oh, that's relative. Well, I guess it's now been seven years. I know, right? Jesus Christ. Yeah, it's a little hard to say.

Okay, so what ultimately prompted you? Why did the Tampa experience come to an end? I had my fiancee at the time. Her whole family was from Long Island. My whole family was from Long Island. And I always knew I would end up back home from Long Island my whole family was from Long Island and I always knew I would end up back home in Long Island you know I was I'm a Long Island guy New York guy but you know I branched out I had some fun in Tampa I made some you know I met a lot of people I did

a little on my own thing down there and graduated from college somehow down there. Blutarski, 0.0. Best seven years of his life, for sure. What was your major? Criminology. Oh, yeah, you were fucking off. I mean, you weren't even trying. All right, so tell me the best part about Tampa, the worst part about Tampa.

The best part about Tampa is that... Leaving. I mean, well, actually, you go down in Tampa, and everybody from Tampa is that... Leaving. I mean, well, actually, you go down in Tampa, and everybody from Tampa is from the Northeast. They all, like, moved down, and Tampa's, like, almost felt like a melting pot. Like, everyone I would talk to was from somewhere in the Northeast. Yeah, the snowbirds, they're weak.

That's fair, yeah. They're like a man up north, right? But Tampa was fun, man. I had a great time down there, and especially fighting amateur, man. Me and Billy Q were on all these amateur fight cards in, like, the parking lot of a strip club. was fun man i had a great time down there and especially fighting amateur man me and billy q were on all these amateur fight cards in like the parking lot of a strip club and okay then is it then should we be surprised that you and billy q have adopted the style that you have as the

bio to your instagram account of all gas no brakes i mean you guys are action heroes that go out there to bang first and ask questions later. Did that extend to the nightlife scene? I mean, this must have been like two single guys ready to have a buddy cop movie out there. Yeah, man. We definitely had some fun down there. And we were out in South Howard. Definitely got into a couple fights down there. And it was great.

It was a great come up. And, you know, it definitely molded me to who I am now. It's crazy how me and Billy Q are, like, very similar in the way we fight. We just, you know, we're dogs, man. We don't back down. We keep coming. And we've been competing our entire like careers it's like billy q win a fight and then i'd be like all right i gotta go win a fight and then i'd win a fight

and he'd got to come back and win a fight and uh even now you know since i'm not down in tampa i don't train with him as much but i'm always talking to him we're always you know meeting up in vegas meeting up in tampa he comes up here every once in a while. And we feed off each other's success, and it's great. So how many fights did you have by the time you returned in 2016? I was, when I came up here, I was 5-0 as a pro. As a pro. How many amateur fights did you have? I had eight amateur fights, 8-0.

Did they do any blood work for your amateur fights? No. I knew it, dude, eight and oh. Did they do any blood work for your amateur fights? No. I knew it, dude. I knew it. The application said, are you on PEDs? Yes or no. That's the only thing. It doesn't matter what you answer.

They're just going to say yes anyway. No, man. It was a wild time, those amateur fights down there. But it was great, man. One of my favorite things as an amateur was I got to go down to Costa Rica. And I got to go down there to fight their like hometown hero. The guy was like nine and oh, like knocking out everybody in Costa Rica. And like, I was three and oh, as an amateur. And it was really the first thing I ever got out of

fighting is like, they flew me down to Costa Rica. They paid for all my meals. They paid for my hotel. And I got to fight this hometown hero. And I ended up armbarring him in the third round. Wow. You can tell me if I'm being culturally inventive. Here comes the racism. Was there a riot afterwards? I mean, you should have been told pro wrestling style you put the guy over in his hometown. You could have done the Bernard Hopkins and then tear the Costa Rican flag,

but then you've got to get the fuck out of town for that. Yeah, they definitely weren't happy that I went down there and beat their guy up. And they actually flew me back down to defend my title. So this was for an amateur title down there. Amateur title. Well, the Ticos didn't they didn't like you, huh? No, no. But what happened in the second fight?

I fought their next like up and coming guy. And it was actually a five round war. Like, I remember like i almost armbarred him in like the first round and like i i felt his arm like snap when i was armbarred and the dude like fought through it and like the crowd was going wild and then it ended up being like a crazy fight that i i got the win it's by decision decision wow you even went to the home town of this motherfucker and got 25 hard. 25 hard down there in Coach 3. It was fun, though. Especially

my dad was there, my brother was there, all my uncles came out, my cousins. By the way, Matt Favola's dad wearing a Daryl Strawberry Mets jersey. I gotta get behind that. Which is about the coolest thing I've ever fucking seen. I gotta get behind that in a big way. I gotta tell you, the dad-the-son combo with the t-shirt game today, on point.

That's how we do it. And I don't mean for you to put that bullseye on your chest, but on this series, Room Service Diaries, Ray Longo might be the best interview we ever had, Luke, okay? He was pretty good. Yeah, he was up there. Can Matt Favola follow that? I want to ask you this, Steamroller,

because you are like, you have the spirit of like the everyday MMA fan, but you're in the job. So you get to, like we said, you have this balls out, bad-ass style. You get to almost play the video game style in real life. Like, I know this is real for you. This is your profession. This is your life. But do you even have pinch me moments like right now? Like when you walk out at Madison square garden, like, are you like, Holy shit, I'm, I could be in the stands, like, and that might be me in a few years, who knows, like, you do have that everyman vibe, are you still like, are you embracing, this is what I am, I'm a UFC fighter, or is it still weird to you? No, I embrace, this is crazy, man, I mean, I like to think of myself as the man of

the people, you know, because I am, I'm just like a normal dude, know i'm a i've been a ufc fan like i'm a sports fan and uh i'm just a tough motherfucker i mean and i and i work hard and and i go for it i mean i know that you know on my best day i'm capable of beating anybody in the world and i just got to go out there and go for it and i and prepare the best i know how and uh leave everything i got in the cage and as long as i do that win lose, or draw, I'm happy with it. You know, it's interesting. A lot of fighters we talk to, they're like, yeah, I don't watch MMA. Like, I do it.

But like Robbie Lawler, for example, is like, I don't watch this shit. But then you get some, like you guys were like, you're all in. How did you become an MMA fan? You know, it was Matt Serra. You know, watching Matt Serra knock out GSP and then watching Chris Weidman knock out Anderson Silva. If my math is right, before the Weidman won, the Serra-GSP one, you would have been a junior in high school? Yeah.

Right. Yep, yep. And just watching and then knowing those guys are Long Island guys too. I'm like, these guys can go out there and, you know, become champion of the world, you know. Why not me? You know, I'm a tough guy. You know, I thought I was a tough guy coming up

i mean uh you're a tough guy yeah right that's not no one's certified gangster yes yes but uh honestly in high school i was a football player man what was your position i was a linebacker and a fullback were you the free you're the linebacker okay uh and the fullback they don't do a lot of fullbacks anymore not anymore not anymore man And I didn't get the ball either. I just blocked it. You weren't the Mike. Was Mike Allstott a fullback? Yeah, Mike Allstott.

But Tampa Bay, right? Mike Allstott. Exactly. So did you wrestle at all in high school? I did, but I wrestled really because it made you better at football. How so? I mean, you double-egg somebody, and then a tackle is pretty easy. Oh, I see.

Okay, so just to work on your form. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, wrestling, high school wrestling, those practices are still, you know, some of the hardest, hardest practices out there. You know, I played lacrosse, I played football and I wrestled. And like during the wrestling season, I hated every second of it, especially because, you know, I'm a big guy, a natural big guy.

You see my dad over there, you know? I like to eat. And then in high school wrestling, I wrestled at 160, which is crazy. You know, like almost like 15 years later, I'm fighting at 155. But I wrestled at 160 and it was like, I couldn't eat like pizza bagels after dinner

and I was pissed. To be fair, pizza bagels are the shit. Pizza bagels are fucking amazing. Let's just be honest about it. But how many years did you wrestle? I wrestled four years of high school and one year of middle school. Give me, for folks who may not have ever wrestled in high school, give me an example of a practice that you would be like,

Jesus, I just want this to be over. This is awful. Give me an example. Yeah, you know, you start out with that uh mazola my my old wrestling coach greg mazola he would have us do reaction drills which is just all just wrestling stuff that i don't even remember now but and then it's just just wrestling man takedowns and it's exhausting it's and i would always like see this guy mason who like was a chubby guy too and I whenever we were doing like hard drilling and stuff me and him would meet eyes and I would always be like all right Mason this is my easy my easy round right here but um it

definitely molded me man it molded me into into an athlete you know I was I was a little chubby kid until I wrestled and then I lost all my baby fat and I became an athlete. And so at what point does it dawn on you through for folks? Again, we talked about this a little bit before the, that we went live, which was, you were an officer in the United States army reserve. Thank you for your service. I really mean that. And you know, at what point between leaving Long Island, going to Tampa, trying all this

stuff, at what point did you like, now, wait a second. I, I think I can do this really well. Not just being inspired, but actually thinking this can actually be a job for me. You know, it had to be those Costa Rica fights. You know, when I finished that guy that was nine and oh, and I had my first like amateur title. I remember that like after that fight, I had like this like cardboard, like title that i was so proud of and i remember like i just finished it i get all suited up i put like my belt around my waist and i walk out there getting ready to party and then i just like see the guy i just beat up over there like looking like he's crying and i'm like oh man like sorry bro you know but after that

after that i was like man you know maybe I could do something with this I didn't know Stifler from American Pie was going to make it but this is great this has turned out wonderful he's going to start joking about

banging our mother I mean here's the thing though he swings big so we catch Matt Favola at an incredible time with a three fight win streak

all by knockout but Luke you love stats you live for them I do I got a stat from Dick Boy. Let's hear it. Richard Mann, you know, from Fight Metric. That is just mind-blowing. In his last three fights, Matt Frivola

has averaged nine knockdowns per 15 minutes of fight time. That is statistically absurd. Nine knockdowns per 15 minutes. That's a man who sees an opportunity, doesn't wait long to weigh the odds, and goes after it.

Yeah, you know, a lot of those knockdowns, I could think to the toughest guy I ever fought, Valdez, the Mexican gangster zombie, I call him, because I kept knocking that guy down. He kept coming back up, like throwing. You know what? Let me ask you about that one. Did Mike Beltran let that one go a little too long?

I would say so. Yeah. I thought so too. You had him roughed up maybe like 30 seconds before he wrapped it up. Yeah, but I'll give it to Valdez. He kept getting up and he kept getting up throwing. He did. To be fair, if you carry the facial hair that suggests you stabbed a man at the Ultima concert,

you're probably going to let him fight a little longer just to make sure. How many times have you thrown batteries at Shea Stadium is really the only question we have to ask. Never? Never, but I do love Shea Stadium. We grew up there. That was our shithole, all right? Our shithole, okay?

Yep, I was at a Subway Series game in the World Series. I went with one of them back in the day. Was that the Bobby Jones one-hitter when they eliminated the Giants in 2000? You know what I'm talking about? The Mike Hampton three-hit shutout against the Cardinals? Hey, we're coming. I mean, it's a rough year right now for the Mets, but we're coming. All right, let's circle back here a little bit.

So where do you feel like you're at in your career at the present moment as we talk to you today? I mean, I'm at the peak right now. I mean, three-fight win streak streak i'm in the prime of my life right now i'm 33 years old i've been doing this for a long time and uh i'm i'm ready for big fights you know i want what i've earned i think i've been in the ufc now for almost for six years you know i've got great fights i've got wins i've got losses but i'm on a roll right now and uh i'm hoping to get some fight news and a nice new contract

and a big fight for hopefully MSG. You know, when you say big fight, people are going to be like, Patty fricking Hamlet. Yeah, that's the fight. His correspondence is that he wants to fight you as well. So has it just come down to UFC pick the day here? Exactly. I think it comes down to the UFC. Like a lot of people are saying, you know, Patty's scared.

Patty, you're just going to knock him out, which is really crazy to me, you know, because people have been counting me out my entire career, you know. Three fights ago, people were telling me I didn't belong in the UFC. I couldn't take a shot. I got knocked out in seven seconds. What are you even doing there? And, you know know it was tough you know a lot of people and then even after that fight everyone you know they give me the undefeated and ten and oh valdez everyone said he was going to beat me up and then they give me undefeated uh ottman they said he was going to get me and then they give me dober they say he was

going to get me so it's kind of weird being on the other side and now everybody's saying that like this guy's scared of me it's like like, keep the same attitude, you know, three fights ago when you said I didn't even belong in the UFC. Yeah, they don't care. I mean, social media, they're only as good as your last fight in their eyes. And you might not be ever good in most of their eyes because they're a bunch of a-holes. But I get what you're saying.

It can change quickly in terms of whether they roast you or toast you. But this does feel like you and Patty, like the right fight at the right time for both of you. Yeah, exactly. You know, he's on a four-fight win streak. He's got three finishes, and he's got a lot of hype. And he's a good fighter, man. He's very slick with his jiu-jitsu.

He throws, he goes forward on the feet, and it's an exciting fight, man. Like, just the buildup, the atmosphere is what I'm looking forward to. And then putting on a great fight, man. Like just the buildup, the atmosphere is what I'm looking for forward to, and then putting on a great fight, man. And a lot of people forget that I got some jujitsu myself. I got grappling myself. And so I'd be interested to, to grapple with them a little bit. So let's talk about Patty Pimblitt. Now I don't, I mean, it would be great for the collects if you said outrageous shit about him, but I'm actually not interested in that. I actually feel like you're a pretty fair guy.

So let's talk about his game. I think on the good side, I'm not saying this is comprehensive, but I think on the good side, it's fair to say good back control, good submissions from the back, good ability to maintain it, right? He's really strong from that position, holding, attacking the whole nine yards. He seems to be a gamer as well. He seems to be a gamer. Yeah, he wants to smoke for the most part, I think.

The bad side would be he leaves his chin out on a plate to get decked. Right. Is that a fair assessment of his game? What am I missing? And, you know, his jiu-jitsu is high level. But he does leave his chin out there. And I know, you know, Jared Gordon was catching him here and there. But he was eating him and still coming forward. And, I mean, that's what excites me, you know. I want a guy that's going to go in there and go for it. And I'm the same way. I go for it. And that's what makes an exciting fight. I mean, it's kind of a weird question.

I'm asking you, do you like your knockouts? Of course you do. But I guess I'm saying as you develop here, right, as you put three fights to win together, and I don't know if you know this, it's not fully true, but like in two of the three fights you had just one in the streak,

you were the underdog in them. And in several other ones against Peña, you were the underdog. You sort of sort of outperform. But I guess what I'm wondering is, is there any part of you, are you, fighters are always two ways. One, I don't get paid by the hour fastest possible is the best, or I really have a desire at some point to

showcase that I, you know, yes. Can I buy it down on the mouthpiece? Absolutely. But I'm not limited to that. Yeah. You know, after all those fights, I'm always like, I finished it in the first round. I'm like, Oh man, you know, I still got, I wish I could fight more. You know, I got more I want to show. And I still, I've got like so many weapons that I'm excited to show the world in the octagon, you know, but I'm never mad at a first round finish. Okay. Well, some of the spirit of what he's asking, or at least how I interpret it is, is this style and to say you're all or nothing, wouldn't be respectful to the complete game and the game planning you do and your team and all that.

But you do swing big and go after it. Is that sustainable all the way to the top? Right, Greg, yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think so. And I've proved throughout my career that I can fight, you know, three-round wars. And a lot of these fights, you know, I would win the first round. I would lose the second round and then i remember going into the third round you know saying you know who the third round comes

down to who wants it more you know and uh nobody wants it more than me and i always pride myself and win in that third round and a lot of these fights that came down to that third round and which i won is i know you said wrestling molded you do you think there's anything else that like made you that um yeah i got in the strawberry jersey you know you gotta wrestling molded you. Do you think there's anything else that made you that? Yeah, pops over there. The guy in the strawberry jersey. You know what a fucking man you got to be to walk around with a Daryl strawberry jersey? The best kind, yeah. Dude, that is amazing.

That is great. It's like a Len Bias jersey in Maryland. Oh, come on. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Yeah, I'm going to say my dad over there definitely molded me. And then my twin brother over here, the cheese roller. Oh, so he's a twin, this guy. He is my twin. Yeah, but'm going to say my dad over there definitely molded me. And then my twin brother over here, the cheese roller. Oh, so he's a twin, this guy.

He's my twin. Yeah, but like fraternal. Yeah, fraternal. Okay. Yep, yep. Luke, just like to clarify, I don't see the same eye of the tiger as his brother. I didn't, so I hadn't seen you yet. And one of the other producers had.

And they're like, yeah, he brought a friend. Yeah, the cheese rolls have been helping me out a lot. And ever since we've been kids, you know, we've been competing our entire lives and scrapping our entire lives. And, you know, I was the linebacker. He was the safety. I've beaten up many kids for him. Free or?

He was a strong safety. He would come up and hit people. Yeah, yeah. But he was never the fighter, you know. He was, like, the lover. I was, like, the fighter. And, like, he was the talker. I was, like, I don't talk too much i kind of just talk with these right here and uh there's definitely been times you know growing up where somebody everybody knew that like if you messed with him you messed with me and like vice you so you were

the hockey goon yeah you were the enforcer dude that is amazing that's i mean listen i like the steamroller identity don't get me wrong it's great it works hockey enforcer. Dude, that is amazing. I mean, listen, I like the steamroller identity. Don't get me wrong. It's great. It works. Hockey enforcer or some kind of enforcer type. That's a great thing to be. Yeah, that sounds about right.

That's awesome. Before we get off the Patty Pimple thing, I do want to finish there. So let's imagine a world where you win. And not just that. Let's imagine a world where the streak continues. And it looks like it has. That is the kind of win you achieve. You can imagine what that might mean.

Where are you then? What does that actually do for you in real terms? I think, you know, after I beat Patty, hopefully at MSG, I think we're, we're two fights away from a title fight.

I think, I think I beat Patty and then maybe I, I beat Dan Hooker after that. And then maybe I beat Justin Gageje for the BMF belt after that, and then we fight for the title. Dude, I got to say, the Dan Hooker, Justin Gaethje thing? His vision board has bloodstains on it, okay? I mean, good Lord.

I mean, you got to have a plan, and I love that ambition and how you see the future. You got to search this guy for shivs, man. Seriously, if you, forget beat, if you fought Paddy Pimble at MSG in like a sort of people's main event type of spot where it's like the fight everybody's talking about, that would be massive enough for your career in terms of like the phone picking up

and your DMs getting probably crazy and gross and I hope you'll show them to me. But if you beat him there, that's almost like a title win when you beat somebody who has that much hype and momentum behind him that you you wouldn't even need to be like okay what's my ranking where do i fit in the title picture i feel like you'd be getting you know the momentum shift to that to go all the way to the top you know yeah definitely and then dave portnoy will know that he made the wrong choice oh are you surprised you know what

like i'm not an anti-dave portnoy guy We actually met him for the Paul, was it Silva? Okay, but while I'm not an anti-Dave Portnoy or Big Cat guy, they refused to sell any of our material on air. Yes, that is true. They made a conscious decision that they will not sell for us. And so that was what it was. I'm not, but I was surprised that, Patty is popular,

but the scouting report at a bare minimum has to note his deficiencies everyone has them his are quite noticeable are you surprised that they went kind of all in on that without i don't do diligence they did the same thing with meepaw they should have picked blanchfield right uh probably yeah well not really i mean i think they they signed they signed him when like he was i think he like just won his first ufc fight and he was blowing up um but i was kind of pissed about it you know i i love i love dave portno i love barstool i love big cat i love all those guys i was a day one stoolie like growing up on barstool commentator

yeah i love them all and uh i remember when i find out i was like oh they signed patty pimble to a seven figure deal i'm, are you kidding me, man? I've been a day one stoolie. How are you not going to support your northeast day one guys? Have you ever told him this? I mean, I definitely sent him a DM. I don't think. Did you really?

Yeah, I don't think he read it. How cordial was it? I think it was good from what I remember. Were you intoxicated? No, I wasn't. I was. I was just, I think I just let him know I was a day one stoolie and you got to support your own and I'm coming for your boy.

And ever since he signed him, that's kind of what made me want to fight Patty the most was that Barstool chose them. And I was like, all right, you know, you're going to choose your champion. I'm going to take him out. What has UFC told you about the likelihood this will happen? UFC has told me nothing yet, which, I mean, I'm hoping to get news soon.

It looks like Patty's training for a fight. It looks like he's going to be ready by the end of the year. And all the interviews that he says, he says I'm the easiest route to the top 15. And I love that he thinks that because that's what everyone thinks. Hold on, I got one more on this. What would the crowd be like if it is MSG? Because in fairness, you are the hometown guy.

I do think they'll represent. He has a gigantic following that will matter, especially from New York, obviously getting the fans from England. Oh man, I think it would be electric. It would be pretty good, wouldn't it? I was just going to tell you that I think it would be atop the marquee. This could be a co-main event or a featured fight below the title fight

atop of it. It would be a major deal, especially with the questions about Patty and his most recent fight mixed with the all-or-nothing style that you bring, mixed with the fact that you are on the verge of major contention anyway, whether you fight him or not. That's the fight to make. I hope they make that fight. You already fought at MSG, though, last year.

I grew up in Connecticut, so MSG is always going to be the cathedral. I always say, everything you put in there, concert, circus, hockey game is the best version of that that you've ever seen. I fought there twice, by the way. Actually describe what that feels like because you were actually you were in a preliminary fight last time so it's your second appearance at msg but it was you know it was a pretty good placement to walk us through when you walk out and how different that is at an arena like that and it also happens to be

more or less your hometown it's unreal it's the most famous arena in the world. And the first time I fought at MSG was actually the craziest thing for me because, you know, I was an undefeated amateur. I was five and oh, going into contender series, won that fight was six and oh, going into the UFC. So it was pretty, you know, young in my career. And then I have my UFC debut and I get knocked out in the first round, my first loss ever, you know, before that, I thought I was like, I thought nobody, I thought it was unstoppable. You know, I had no game plan going into fights. I was just like, what do you mean? I'm just going to go in there and steamroll and that's what I do. But my first, my UFC debut, I lost. And I, and from right then I was like,

all right, guy, no longer in the UFC. Yeah. Very surprising. Yeah, exactly. And after that, you know, I had to reassess everything. You know, again, Ray Longo got my head on straight, got me using my head, you know. And then after that, they offered me Lando Venata at Madison Square Garden, coming off my first loss ever. And, I mean, I remember Lando. I've been watching Lando for a long time. You know, I've watched him almost beat Tony Ferguson. His UFC debut.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I knew Lando, I knew him for a long time. And to be fighting like the first name, the first guy that I've known, coming off my first loss and at Madison Square Garden, it was a huge fight for me. And then, you know, just walking out, like, I had all my friends, all my family, everybody was there. And then that fight was insane. You know, me and Lando, we come out round one. He, like, drops me with a head kick in, like, the first, like, 30 seconds.

And, like, my mouthpiece goes flying out of my mouth and then i come back and like i'll end up like rocking him at the end of uh at the end of the first round and then he comes out and just beats my ass in the second round and then again it came down to that third round and i was i don't lose the third rounds and it comes down to who wants it more and i ended up winning that third round and uh the fight ended up being a draw a I was like, I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight.

I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight. I won that fight then. And so the one judge said that I won, and two judges said it was a draw. So it was a majority draw.

But I won that fight. All right. You hear about the late finishing ability, the ability to rise to the occasion in the championship round or the decisive round. Kind of feels some Robbie Lawler vibes, right? Some Robbie Lawler vibes. It's a little different, though. It's a little bit more chasing down the street with a shot off shotgun energy. You know what I'm saying? There's a little bit more. You know what? It's a little bit more chasing down the street with a shot off shotgun energy. You know what I'm saying? There's a little bit more

maniac. I mean, Robbie had a maniac, but it felt like he was like, I don't know. How would you say Robbie was? How do you feel like the comparison is? I love it, man. Robbie Law is a legend. Oh, he's a legend. I think I like talk a little bit more. I'm like a little bit more funny than him.

I'm a little bit more of a joke, I guess. Yeah, he did kind of live that serial cyborg killer mindset the whole time. Just the same expression. But you roast the occasion. That's been a consistent theme. You're part of action fights, which has been a consistent theme.

What is the crowd's effect? We're talking about being at Madison Square Garden and being in a war. You know what it's like when the crowd gets the first taste that, oh, this fight's going to be special. I better get ready. I better buckle in. How much does that actually affect you in the cage when you know you're in the midst of a war? I love it, man.

There's no better feeling than hearing the steamroll of chance throughout the arena while I'm fighting. I would say the one time where it might have, like, affected me, like, a little bit was when I fought Oppmann at MSG, and then I started hearing the USA chants. That, like, fired me up so much. And I almost just, like, threw my game plan out the window and just, like, went for the kill when I started hearing USA chants,

but I kept my composure. Can we talk about Ray Longo and your relationship to him a little bit? Namely uh i have other questions i want to ask about it but the way on the one the top of my mind is explain to me in the most clear terms you can specifically what ray longo has done to your striking game what has he done to it he he got stones in my hands he developed stones in my hands. He developed stones in my hands. And it was really, you know, after that Terrence fight, you know, after that Terrence fight, I was questioning everything. Terrence McKinney, the seven-second knockout or whatever it was.

Yeah, exactly. I get knocked out in seven seconds. And it was tough, man, because the one thing about me fighting is, like, I want to go out there and I want to show the world, you know, my years of hard work. I want to show them all what I'm capable, even in a losing effort. As long as I go in there and I show, you know, my technique, I show my training, I put on a great fight, you know, I'm happy with it. But that seven-second loss, I didn't get to do anything. I didn't even get to fight him. I walk out, he throws a perfectly timed one, two, and I'm out. Um, and then after that, you know, I, I, I went to work for my dad after that. And

my brother, like I went to the construction site, I put my heart, I put my hard hat on and I was like, I don't know if I can do this anymore. Uh, and it was tough, man. I mean, and they, they even like, they told me that they, they believed in me. They. They let me come to work just so I could know how much it sucked to, like, want to go back to the gym, you know? Yeah, you're just shitting on their lives right now. This kind of sounds like the end of Google hunting. He's like, I got a taste of my family's life, and it was hell. Oh, yeah, yeah.

No, they... I'm teasing. You know, we're all just having a good time. No, but they gave me the worst job, yeah. No. I'm teasing. You know, we're all just having a good time here. No, but they gave me the worst job, too. They had me just, like, loading sheetrock up, like, flights of stairs. See, that's parenting. He's trying to motivate you. Construction, putting shingles on a roof in July.

That's an honest living. That's an honest living. Eight hours a day of loading sheetrock up the stairs. It was rough, man. You've got to wash down a day like that sheetrock up the stairs it was rough man so you got you got to wash down a day like that with some cold ones so what was the canned beer of choice in your upbringing in huntington new york because for me it's like bush light can i'll always be back home you know what i'm saying bud light i mean when i was i just chugging that's pretty disgusting chugging bud

light i mean i i don't i'm not like a big drinker, but when I do drink, like I drink, you know. What is your drink? He's like, I'm not like a big fighter, but when I do go for the knockout, I splatter guys. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm liking that Funk Harbor. Shout out to Al Jermaine. Get the fuck out. Before Funk Harbor existed, you had a favorite drink.

What was it? Blue Moon. I like Blue Moon. You know what? I'm not against the Blue Moon. It wouldn't be my favorite. Well, despite your tough exterior and Marine Sergeant mindset. I did reach the rank of Sergeant, yeah.

You do buy drinks with umbrellas in it. I do. That is true. I'm the freaking regular. That is true. You know what Luke's move is? He's like, let me find the most absurd drink for $33. Let me try one taste and go, ah, they make it like shit here.

Just push it to the side. That's your go-to move. So you're 33, right? You're 33 relative to how I feel now. It's like being Superman, okay? And I've been just swallowing kryptonite for 11 years. I used to drink like a motherfucker. Like, you know, I got...

One time, the NYPD had to wake me up with nightsticks because I had fallen asleep on someone's porch, like the whole bit. But I can't drink like that anymore. You know what I'm saying? I can't. I'm a fighter who took too many punches, and I'm in my 40s now. Yeah, you're Chuck Liddell.

Shave the mohawk off. So you know what I do? I buy two cocktails. I get two cocktails off the cocktail menu, and that does me right. Where's the crime? What crime did I commit? Hey, you found what you like and what works for you.

Yes. Fucking fruity-ass drinks. Yep. They're my favorite. Good shit. Does that come with a tampon, Luke? You know what? I would...

Because I've seen you tackle three margaritas, and I know how it ends. No, listen. It wasn't my finest day. It wasn't my finest day. All right. But going back to... So I was working construction. I probably did like a week of construction before I was like, all right, this sucks.

I got to make fighting work. And then I go back to the gym. How long were you out of the gym for this period? Not probably a week. I probably did like a week of working. And then I go back to the gym and I have a sit down with Longo. And he looks at me in the eyes and he says, we're not going out like that. Yes.

This is like a movie. This is feeling like a movie right here. He's got the chill. Holy shit, dude. He says, we're not going out like that yes dude he's like a movie this is a feeling like a movie he's got the chill yeah holy dude he says we're not going out like that he tells he says that i'm a talented fighter he believes in me and he says that i could win a lot of fights in the ufc and then let's get back to it let's get back to the basics and i said you know ray longo lead me lead me to the promised land and uh we started this boxing class and he wanted me to work on my hands a lot. And we started this boxing class where we would just cut the cage in like fours. So it was

like close quarter boxing. And we would just get a bunch of boxing rounds in. And I think that really developed my awareness and using my head, baiting people, setting people up, seeing the punches, moving my head. And then I was working with Ray, hitting mitts with him just on the basics, really. And ever since that convo with him, I've been on a three-fight win streak, all knockouts with my hands.

So Ray Longo developed these stones in my hands, and we're going to keep it going. You should have posted and said, get stoned with Ray Longo. I'd sign up right, and we're going to keep it going. You should have posted and said, get stoned with Ray Longo. I'd sign up right away. I want to clarify one thing. Are you also saying that he helped you develop specifically your power?

Yeah, definitely, definitely. And my timing and my awareness and using my head. Again, like I said before, when I was undefeated amateur and I was undefeated pro, I was going in there with no game plan. I was like, I'm going to fight my fight and they're going to deal with it. And then I knew at the highest level in the UFC that doesn't work. You know, everybody's good.

So you got to really watch tape. You got to break people down. You got to come in with a game plan. And he really developed that with me. And we worked on my boxing, you know, because I love throwing kicks. I was a big Crow Cop fan, so I was always in there, like, throwing kicks. I love Muay Thai. I love elbows and knees.

And boxing was like, I was always like, well, boxing, come on, man. I got too many weapons just for hands. And then Ray just drilled in the sweet science with me, and I fell in love with it. And, you know, the results are showing. You got a favorite boxer? Canelo, man. I'm the Canelo of the UFC. Wow.

They should have put you on UFC Noche. What is it about his game that you like? In a sombrero. Don't do the racism. We leave that away. Introducing the new McSpicy from McDonald's. It looks like a regular chicken sandwich, but it's actually a spicy chicken sandwich.

McSpicy. Consider yourself warned. Limited time only. At participating McDonald's in Canada. Dude, I just love his awareness. I love his body shots. I'm starting to fall in love with the liver shot and

just finding those body shots, those body heads. And I feel like a lot of people say I either look like Conor McGregor or Canelo. Now, Saul, you know I love you. We go back a long way. But are you okay with Canelo's aggressive tattoo move in which he got his

wife's eyeballs on the side of his arm, which in theory means she's always watching. And, you know, I mean, there's love and there's limits and there's passion. Are you okay with that move? I mean, I wouldn't do it, but, you know, it seems to be working for him. You've got, what, Yantra tattoos on your back?

Yeah, I got the Sakyan. i've been in thailand uh three times like i fought out there uh good work oh i love it man i always like whenever i'm out there like i feel like i'm just so dialed in i'm away from my family i'm away from my friends i kind of i i see it as a training trip you know and uh a traincation i used to call it which Which gym do you go to? I would go to Phuket, and I trained at Tiger Muay Thai a bunch, and I would train at a bunch of gyms. The first time I was there, I actually went to Bangkok, and I trained at, like, just a strict Muay Thai gym.

There was no MMA there, and, like, I really, like, engulfed myself in, like, Muay Thai. And, like, they had these Thai fighters there they've been fighting training their entire life and I would just like do everything they did and uh and it definitely got my game to the next level well did they fuck you up a little bit oh yeah what's the hardest part like what were you struggling with technically when you had to spar or work with them well I would say at first you know uh just like getting off the plane, I started, went right in training. And it's like, I was just-

From the airport to the gym? Yeah, I just went right to the gym. And like, I was just sweating so much. And by like the second or third day, my whole body was just cramping. And that's when I found out by like electrolyte powders. So I started drinking these electrolyte powders, which brought me back to life.

But just like the grind out there, it's two training sessions a day, Muay Thai and the regiment that they always do. It's like always you run, you shadow box or you run, you jump rope, you shadow box, you do bag work, you do pad work, you do clinching, and then you do sparring every day, twice a day at two hour practice. And just the regiment and the grind um i loved it man and uh and just the traveling aspect too you know like uh not not knowing what anybody's saying not knowing anybody there like traveling around there it was completely solo

like not even like a training partner or a coach yeah it was just me for the first month but and then of course my dad and my brother and my holy my wife met me out there i can't go anywhere without these guys so okay so i mean how many of those up shows did you watch in thailand with your bros oh we went to a pink was it the pat pong district is that what it's called yeah those are you glorifying the sex trade where are we going with no dude they got they got how would you say it it's like a it's like i don't know it's it's not like amsterdam's red I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. a Jets fan. I am who I am. How are you feeling about the season? I mean, we're going to win the Super Bowl this year. Get the fuck out of here. Come on, Aaron Rodgers. Listen, I'll give you, I think he's going to have a great season, but no, I'm not buying that. I'm not buying Super Bowl. You're a whore. We're coming for it. At least do a great

run. And I still love Zach Wilson, too. I mean, I love Aaron Rodgersgers but i think aaron rogers give him two three years one super bowl just mold zach wilson into the future star and then zach wilson's gonna you know lead us into our uh dynasty bro there's gonna be hasn't happened yet but i can't wait for the new york media versus aaron rogers all blow out you know war it's coming i don't know when but it will be a glorious day to watch from afar oh it's gonna be great you're looking forward to it yeah man I'm

trying to uh I definitely want to go to a bunch of Jets games this year and uh try to get on the field and like meet those players man that's like I mean yeah you're in a point where you could actually potentially party with Aaron Rodgers oh man that's like the my favorite thing out of like this whole fighting UFC thing is that I get to, like, connect with, like, I've been, I threw out the first pitch at the Mets game, which is insane. I'm, like, buddies with the Coens now, you know.

These are the owners? Yep, the owners of the Mets. And then I got to go to the Islanders game in the owner's box. And now I'm buddies with Barzell. I'm training with Barzell. Damn, you like all the teams I hate. Fuck, man. Okay, is there a line, though though because if at zuck calls you up and it's like hey man i just finished rolling with vulcan izzy want to roll bro i mean do you do you take that call

because luke luke's got a few things to say about i don't care of course i'm taking that call come on yeah you know i don't care if you're trying to set me up to do some stupid i'm always setting you up luke i'm not doing that uh quickly, I do want to go through this. Islanders, how are you feeling about them? Hockey starts in, like, what, 42 days, something like that? Yeah, yeah, it's coming. Hey, I think we got a great team, and Barzel's a man, and I love that he loves MMA.

He loves the UFC. Is that right? And he's, like, fascinated by it, which is, like, so cool, man, especially, like, all these, you know, baseball players, football players, hockey players. They have so much respect for fighters because, you know, we're not in there playing a game. You know, we're in there fighting. And these guys are millionaires, you know, and they have so much respect for us, which is so cool, man. And I'm excited to go to a bunch of Islanders games and watch them crush it.

All right. You're a degenerate Knicks fan, right? I am. I am. I mean, what do you want to say about this? You know what? I'm a Washington Commanders guy, so we had the worst owner. But now he's gone.

So I feel like y'all got the worst owner. Yeah? Yeah. I mean, I'm not. I don't think that's all that unfair. I mean, I'm not a big basketball guy, but the Knicks are my team, and I'm rooting for them. Fuck the Knicks.

You know what? Isn't Connecticut a piece of shit state? It is, right? It's a piece of shit state? No, no, no. Connecticut is hardworking, blue-collar people. Yeah, well, no, it's a lot of you. You like Connecticut?

It sucks, right? I mean, it's not horrible. He's gotten on the boat and went to Bridgeport a few times and rolled the dice a little bit. What is your hometown like? Set the table for us. Yeah, Huntington's a great time. And I'm in the old Frivola Beach house.

It's been in my family for five generations. And we live right on the north shore of Long Island, right on the water. And now it's a big family house. It's like me and my wife on one side, my brother and his wife on the other side. My dad's got the basement apartment down here, and then we rent out the other apartment down here to one of my buddies who I grew up with. This sounds like a party house, A.

You have an incubator. This is right on Long Island Sound, right? Like right out your back window. This is great, Luke. So you're from Huntington. So I always go on the Wikipedia page to see where does he fit in the hierarchy in his hometown? Because, like, I think that's, in reality, everyone's deep goal.

And so I kind of get on my hometown's Wikipedia page. You get on your high school's Wikipedia page of, like, famous alumni, right? Even that is. Then I looked at your town, which has 200,000 people, right? Dude, you don't have a free. You could cure cancer and probably not make the top ten with, like, Billy Joel and like every other famous billy joel from your hometown yeah we we also got chris algeri chris algeri is the other huntington hammer that's why i say like i'm the huntington hammer beside behind uh chris algeri dude what's up with that place that's amazing what's i could read you

the list it would change your life keep talking chris algeri we saw him in vegas for uh spence he's the man shots chris algeri he's awesome yeah super smart too uh and uh yeah man there's something in the water up in long island and like long island fighters were just tough tough as nails and then uh that combined with our fearless leader the godfather ray longo and then matt sarah um you You know, we all train hard. We all, you know, help each other. And it's not like one of these, like, big ATT gyms where, you know, people are traveling all over to come from.

Most of us are all just Long Island, New York guys who have a dream and come in here and work hard and help each other. And it's great to be a part of that. All right, from his town here. Yeah, let's hear it. Jason Alexander, Mariah Carey. Like the Jason, the Seinfeld Jason Alexander. Yeah, I mean, John Coltrane, Jerry Cooney, Bob Costas. Jerry Cooney's the man.

Shouts to Jerry Cooney. I mean, Edie Falco from, we got Mark Gastineau, Jackie Gleason. Jesus. Tom Gugliotta, Wally Zerbiak, Sean Hannity. Melissa Joan Hart. Oh, am I being told that I have the... You're just giving out fake news? Mariah Carey went to my high school, though.

She actually... She did go to his high school. I'm being told it's the surroundings area there, but that's still a pretty impressive breeding ground for talent. We can't let you out of here without covering some of the current headlines. So the Aljo Marab thing. Now, both of them have basically said, it doesn't matter who you offer it to.

We're going to let that person get it. But this is sort of been my thing. It's like Marab's getting beaten up a little bit for loyalty, which I can understand some of the criticism. But ultimately, it's like, was he offered the fight yet? Did UFC call him and say, here's the fight. Do you want it or not? He didn't turn it down, right?

They haven't done this yet. So how is the conversation even relevant? Yeah, that's true. And, you know, I can't understand how anybody could give Murab a hard time. Like, Murab is the nicest guy, the most helpful guy. Like, he's truly living the American Georgian dream. You know, a guy who comes from Georgia, loves America, loves his team, loves his family. And, you know, he's loyal.

And I think that's a little bit of what Long Island and has gotten onto him is a loyalty. And and, you know, it's it's not all about the money for him. He's made his money, man. And he's he's got the relationships that we build through this and that means more to him than to all of us than the money is the the relationships the brotherhoods the and uh the memories and uh i respect i respect him so much for how he's uh handling this whole situation and you know i could have really fucked with the team if he had gone in a different direction it definitely could have and uh And I think it makes sense for him and O'Malley in December. I think it should be Murab and O'Malley in December.

And I don't think the UFC has offered that yet, but they should. I'll give you the argument against Murab. It's not a question of his commitment or courage. There are some people who complain about the Aldo fight being a little bit boring, but in general, people know he's a workhorse and a deserving one at that. It's that your window to make any money. It's just the criticism is fairly finite. Like when you get a UFC title opportunity, like what percent of fighters ever get that?

You know, not, not many. When you get one, you have to seize it. But my whole point is let's see if he accepts it when he's offered it. Yeah, exactly. The time is now. O'Malley wants to fight in December. I think Murab's ready to go in December. I don't think Aljo

wants to fight in December. I think he wants his time off that he's earned. So I think if O'Malley wants to fight in December, I think it's got to be marab i don't mind immediate rematches but i will say in aljo's case um his body was beaten up like even getting to the finish line and then the knockout wasn't great you know he took some shots take some time off i know he wanted it but it's an important moment right now to recharge yeah a hundred

percent i mean uh me and aljo fought on the same card at uh 288 and then aljo fought what like last weekend like i i couldn't have been ready by last weekend you know i got my whole process after a fight you know i gotta i fight and then uh i'm the i'm the cream roller for a week you know i give my i give myself a you know a week to eat to to decompress to kind of let everything settle in and then and then I get slowly get back on and and start uh working on my development you know uh and I think that's big you know you need you need your time sometimes these guys who rush you know fight after fight after fight you don't develop as much and um you know I think Aljo has he was kind of rushed into that

fight. Like they, they announced him and O'Malley before he even got his x-rays for his foot that he banged up in the Cejudo fight. They announced it, they pressured him into that fight. And, uh, you know, he, he wasn't even, I didn't even think he was going to take that fight. Like when they announced it, I was like, what do you mean, man? Uh, but he, he, you know, he got, he dialed in, he got ready the best he could and he went in there and fought. Um, it didn't work out for him, but I give him, I give him props for just making it to that fight, uh, that soon because, uh, I couldn't have done it. In terms of what happened, he, he knows that he was, he was lunging in in but has he said anything about it um about like why it happened that way um i think he told bradley martin maybe it was footwork of uh

yeah of his opponent yeah yeah he was saying that he was uh o'malley's uh o'malley's movement his footwork his feints were were really big and uh you know I think it was it was patience, you know, in that first round, Aljo had the patience. O'Malley had the patience, too. But Aljo, you know, edged him out in that first round. And then the second round was starting to go the same way. But then Aljo went for it. You know, I think he lost a little bit of the patience, a little bit of focus. Yeah, a little bit of focus. And I mean, I'm the same way same way man like that's why one of my key words like during the fight i always tell that's my my brother's like one job in in the corner is to tell me patience patience patience uh because sometimes i'm like all right let's just fucking fight man i just want to let's go for it and i

think aljo kind of probably had a little bit of that feeling he threw that that straight left didn't move his head afterwards and he got caught and i mean you can you can break it down in so many ways i mean same thing for me with the terrence fight i looked at it so i was like what went wrong what did i do and then it just came down to got caught he got caught and what about the story you can fight that one he's a hammer i mean like we can just yeah he's good, right? Yeah. That's a funny one actually, man. Cause, uh, that I remember going, I was supposed to fight Oppmann for that fight and that's when Oppmann, uh, smuggled the bag in. Oh, at fight Island or whatever. Yeah. It was a fight Island during COVID.

He like, he like scaled the, the, uh, the, uh, balconies smuggled some bag in and then got caught and got cut. And then, uh, I remember weighing in and I was like, Oh, I'm going to go get a bag. And then I was like, Oh, I'm going smuggled some bag in and then got caught and got cut and then uh i remember weighing in not having an opponent and uh mataroyo at the time is like i'm cutting weight i'm like i don't even have opponent i'm like what am i doing right now he's like make weight you know you could be fighting mcgregor you could be fighting chandler you'd be fighting so you know one of these guys they'll have you and i weighed in i was an alternate and then i go to the face-offs not even knowing if i'm fighting and they're like all right you're fighting armin i'm like okay man let's go and i

had i had like a little bit of a backstory with armin so uh from tiger muay thai yep yep so it was before he was in the ufc and i was out there at Tiger Muay Thai and I was the cream roller then. I was in I was in I was like out of shape and I was sparring and I did a sparring round with Armin. And all I remember about that sparring session is he hit me with a spinning back kick to the chest and it landed so good and knocked the wind out of me. I didn't go down or anything. I kept I mean, I finished the round strong, but he hit me with that spinning back kick. And I was just like holy shit that kid is good and then I started looking him up after that and I was like that kid's gonna be in the UFC one day and then I get of course he gets in the UFC and uh and like

I remember being in Fight Island I'm running around with Arroyo this is I'm still supposed to fight uh Atman I see Arman I shake his hand I'm like what's up man and then I'm still supposed to fight, uh, Otman. I see Armin, I shake his hand. I'm like, what's up, man. And then I'm running with Arroyo who's managing me at the time. And I was like, Arroyo, you see that guy? We don't fight that guy until we're in the top 10, you know? And then just, just so happens that like that week, the whole thing switches up and I end up fighting him. And I feel like that was a test for me. I was like, so how badly do you want to be a fighter? This was the, I did not like, like, I remember you want to be a fighter this was the i did not like like i remember him like hit me with that spinning back kick i'm like i know he's good you know and like and then the universe made everything happen and made like the worst like what i didn't want

the most to happen to test me whether i wanted to be a fighter or not and i was like all right let's do this i want to be a fucking fighter let's fucking go and uh and then like because he hit me with that spinning kick i thought he was going to try to stand with me i thought he was going to strike with me but then he comes out and i think he i hit him with a couple right hands and then after that he wanted to wrestle the whole time and uh he out wrestled me man he out wrestled me but that's when i want to get back he's going to see him again i was just going to say that. I know.

I can hear it. I can hear it in his voice. He's the only guy who's actually beat me. The first, the other guys who beat me, they caught me. They caught me in the first round. But Armin beat me for a decision win. And I've never, he's the only guy who beat me. So I want that one back okay so let's

talk about the top of the division do you believe makachev beat volkanovski or not yeah i mean it was a close fight but i think he edged it out i mean i think islam's good man what's going to happen with charles olivera the rematch i think islam's going to beat him again you know i think he's he's too i think uh i mean olivera is great and he's got think he's too... I mean, Oliveira is great, and he's got great striking, great jiu-jitsu, but I think it's Islam Makachev's time,

and I think the only chance that he loses is he gets caught. That's it. I know a guy who throws the type of punches that gets people caught. When you think about that you really could be three fights away, two fights away, spectacular performance away,

you never know in this game, right? The phone can ring at any point. Do you watch him despite the dominance and go, I respect him, but I can beat him? Yes, 100%. And that's how I feel. You know, I truly feel that on my best day, I can knock out or submit anyone in the world.

And all I can do is prepare the best I know how, be in the best shape I can, and go out there and go for it. Also in the division, let's talk about what's going to happen with Conor McGregor. Does the Chandler fight happen? You know... And if so, what happens there?

He's got to beat USADA first. Exactly. Again, assuming it happens at some point, who wins and does it happen at all yeah and and also what weight class i mean i guess it's going to be 170 probably whatever connor wants yeah yeah uh i don't think mcgregor's make him 55 anymore um but i think i think i think mcgregor knocks him out i think uh wow i think like mcgregor is so good when he has the reach. When he's got the reach and he can use that range and find that left hand, he really doesn't lose.

But against these taller guys, like the Nate Diazes of the world, they give him a harder time. So I think the fight happens. I think it happens in december and i think uh mcgregor knocks him out chandler couldn't grind him out i mean he could chandler's a beast you know chandler is a beast but i think that's a that's a match-up made for mcgregor and what happens do you think with the last of these legends the gaichis obviously beat poirier but they still have a future what happens with them

and also like the volkanovski factor as well i wonder how you see that playing out i think that they got to do a passing of the guard i think uh gaegi's got to pass that bmf belt to me after i knock him out and uh send him give him uh give him what every gladiator wants a glorious death in the arena and that's and that's damn man that's what i'll give or when you as a fighter because some people are going to get turned away by the bmf you know or uh islam has shit on it many times i love it because of the type of fights it creates when that thing gets announced are you like that's my trip that could be my ticket to stardom if the timing is right yeah you know i mean it's a it's a championship belt whether you say it's the baddest motherfucker

belt or it's the world championship belt. I mean, I'm here to collect belts, so I'll take that BMF all day. Has the UFC ever said anything about that? What do conversations about the UFC that you have typically revolve around? The UFC doesn't tell me shit. You just sort of wait to hear. Pretty much, man. And then I bug my manager for some news

uh but like that that's like a little bit of the frustrating part like especially right now you know we're about about 10 weeks out from msg and like everybody and their mom is asking me when's the next fight who we fighting at msg who's like my dad is always i'm getting bored we got to get a fight booked uh and like you could just ship them off to thailand for a month they'll be fine please but uh i mean i just i i focus on what i can control man i have a date i have november 11th i will be ready in november 11th i'm training like like i've got this patty pimlet fight at m MSG and that's all I can control man and and at my gym it's always next man up you know we got we got guys uh fighting for CFFC this weekend we got

guys fighting for ring of combat next weekend we got guys fighting for contender series in in like three four weeks and these guys need sparring partners and I'm the guy who's who's uh stepping up to spar them and that only makes me better and uh I'm getting these who's stepping up to spar them. And that only makes me better. And I'm getting these rounds in the bank this far out of camp when I'm not in shape right now. I wouldn't say I'm in fight shape, but I'm still getting these rounds in. And I'm training like I'm fighting November 11th. And, you know, I'm hoping the UFC will call soon. Do you have any concerns, seriously, about CTE long-term?

No, not really. I mean, like I've lost twice by like TKO, but I was never completely, you know, unconscious. I could definitely say that I've had worse concussions playing football and lacrosse than I have fighting because I would run full speed helmet to helmet guys that were like twice my size. And, you know, Longo's got me moving my head a little bit. How many concussions do you know you had? It's like asking a woman her age and her amount of partners.

I mean, I mean, I mean, how many, like, he's here. Let's ask him. I don't know, man. I don't think too many. People make it taboo. I'm just, you know. You got upset when I asked Big John McCarthy if he's ever shut down a toilet in Tokyo. I didn't get offended.

I just didn't know the necessity. But I also, one of these guys I went to high school with actually became, like, a neurologist, like a brain guy doctor. And he's got his own practice out in California. And before my UFC debut, I went out there and met with him. And he took like all my brain, like whatever, my brain notes or my test levels and did all these testing on my brain and like my reaction time and all this whatnot before my UFC debut.

And now I've had nine fights in the UFC. I've definitely had a couple concussions in that time. And so I'm curious to go back to him and then have him test my brain and see where it was before I started my UFC career. You got to protect those hands because they're the mechanism that gets these early catch knockouts so you don't have to take punishment. You can keep winning. And a great way to protect those hands, particularly

when you're lifting weights, would be to put them in gloves, right? No, man. If you lift in gloves, you're a bitch. Matt Favola, Matt Favola, I want you to know I love you. I love you. That's like

That's like Luke's true test of a man if he can answer that question correct, then I know it drives you nuts motherfucker I'm right. My dad forced me to wear gloves to lift rounds 14. He forced me you have tried houses on your hands You have tried. I'm right motherfucker. I'm right. We've had this debate He like they get mad at me because I'm like dude just do not fucking wear gloves You don't Shannon sharp wears gloves. Shannon sharps the man here He's seen Shannon sharp. This dude's like mid 50s. I saw him do on incline bench dumbbells 135 for like 10 reps dude. He's strong as shit, but he wears gloves, and I'm like dude What the fuck Shannon you think he could pass a USADA test? Absolutely now, but God bless him he looks now matt you've heard luke complain that

he's an old piece of shit at 44 um i hope he doesn't die this you know today or ever luke we got to keep building this partnership would you advise him though now that he doesn't have to pass drug tests to fight he should just go full trt like where cowboy serroni's doing right now just go after it right i, have you gotten your test levels tested? Oh, I mean, I don't need a doctor to tell me they're low. It's not some giant mystery. Don't just talk about it, Luke. Be about

it. No, I'll tell you what, man. 20 to 30, I don't think that's a big rotation. People make it a big rotation. It's not a big rotation, motherfucker. 30 to 40, people get sick of me talking about it. Don't let it catch you by surprise. We'll beat your ass if you're not ready for it. There's going to People get sick of me talking about it. Don't let it catch you by surprise. We'll beat your ass if you're not ready for it.

There's going to be a knock on your door one day. I'm warning you. I'm warning you. It's a much steeper cliff. It's an old set of balls and you have to answer, okay? So keep fighting the good fight. Why not get on the T and get all jacked up? I've kicked the tires on the idea.

I haven't purchased a car yet. I've kicked the tires on it. I've been telling my dad to get on the testosterone for so long. He actually tried it for two weeks and he's like, I don't feel nothing. And then he just thought. You know what? He was like, he already had a high test. He didn't even need that shit.

He didn't need nothing for it. You know Arnold Allen the featherweight. His dad, they kind of talk openly, but he would have his own backyard gym and would like definitely did steroids right in front of him a couple times. He just did steroids on Arnold Allen's blog like a week ago.

Did he really? They just injected it. Yeah, it was great. They're just pretty open about it, having a good time. Not Arnold, but like his dad and whatever. Hey, nowadays, I mean, you go to a doctor, they test your T levels,

and they prescribe it, and they monitor it. So I think there's a safe way to do it, you know? And, uh, I mean, when I'm done fighting, I'm definitely going to get jacked, come out of retirement for my bare knuckle boxing debut. You know, I will, I always tell Longo, I'm like, listen, Ray, when, when I, after I retire and I get on the tee and I come back and I ask you to train me for my coming out of retirement fight, bare-knuckle boxing, don't train me. Remind me of this conversation and don't train me. What did he say?

He's like, all right, I'll remind you. All right. Come on, fumble it. See, now I lost my train of thought i was going i was going down a really good road though you know but the bare knuckle boxing yeah no no i got it no no no hold on that this may fall into this conversation when i imagine you and billy q in tampa as amateurs knocking people out and titty bar parking lot throwing the booze chasing the muff around i imagine like sean and marty the rockers like like pro wrestlers, just living it up.

But all great pro wrestling tag teams at the end, storyline-wise, one has to put the other through the barbershop window. You and Billy Q have any thoughts at one day meeting in the middle and having your own Griffin Bonner one? I mean, me and Billy Q have beaten the piss out of each other many of times, man. I remember when we were adventurers and lived together, we wouldn't do the dishes. So there'd be like the sink.

Oh, that sounds so surprising. It would be filled up with dishes. And then we would have sparring like that night. And we'd be like, all right, whoever loses this sparring session has to do the dishes. And we would like fight so session has to do the dishes and we would like fight so hard not to do the dishes uh so i mean uh we fought so many times in the gym man i'll i'll beat his ass tomorrow in the gym if he comes up to new york so i mean uh but at the highest level

i don't think so man we're we're brothers you know i've he's been he's in my corner every fight i'm in his corner every fight. You know, iron sharpens iron. That's that Long Island loyalty that he's been talking about, right? That's it. Dude, I think your favorite thing, right? So after you beat Dober, I might be getting some of these details wrong, so correct me if I am, but you took to Instagram with, like,

what you consider to be the perfect New York bagel. Is that right? Oh, yeah. Okay, what is the perfect New York bagel bagel is that right oh yeah okay what is the perfect New York bagel I love the flagel so I'm not gonna lie I'm a flagel I don't know what the fuck that is it's like a skinny bagel skinny bagel skinny bagel defeats the purpose right and then I get a bacon egg and cheese classic bacon egg and cheese well done bacon salt pepper hot, over medium eggs. And that tastes like victory. What kind of bagel?

What kind of bagel? Everything. Everything. I don't know how I feel about the everything choice. Everything else on that one sounds good. What, BC? He goes all in in life. He goes after it.

It did look good. Maybe I'll throw some avocado on it if I want to be healthy. Who has better bagels, Long Island or Manhattan? Long Island all day. Is that true? All day, baby. They're pretty good in Manhattan. They're not bad. I hear there's an epic badminton competition at the Favola Compound every year

on the water. Are you the same alpha in the Favola badminton lineage that you are in the cage? I've won that tournament. We always have a big badminton lineage that you are in the cage nah so uh i've won i won that tournament we always have a big badminton tournament every summer and i've won that tournament i won it like five years in a row but the last three years i've lost it in the finals to my twin brother oh and uh three p yeah you know i thought i thought i had him this year. I'm not going to lie.

Like, the last couple years, like, I fought and I got fat, and then that's why he beat me. But this year I was, like, in shape. I was, like, training for it. And then, like, I think he got me this year, man. I'll give it to him. He's an athlete. He's an athlete. All right.

11 November. That's the hopeful Matt Frivola MSG date. 11 November. What are you, British? I mean, just say. Well, if the Marine Corps, 11 November, 1775 is an important day. Actually, it'll be 10 November. What am I saying?

Yeah, I wish I had an American flag shirt on right now so I could properly celebrate this country. Beat shit. We hope you get it. We hope you get it. I do think it'd be a great fight. I think it'd be a great test get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this.

I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this.

I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this.

I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. I'm not sure if I can get a good shot at this. Now, legally, how much can you grow the beard and still bring it into the cage? I think as much as I want. I want to have the, what's the one ref who's got the beard? Mike Beltran. Yeah, Beltran's got that beard. I'm trying to grow my hair out. I want to have the Viking braids for the next one. Oh, that's badass. We'll see.

We'll see what happens. This is like the longest my hair's been in a minute, so we're going to have fun with it a little bit. see we'll see what happens uh i usually this is like the longest my hair has been in a minute so we're gonna we're gonna have fun with it a little bit well i look forward to seeing um what what the what the total show is yeah uh when you when hopefully you get that fight thanks for coming to our studios man and uh sharing your story and you're a fucking maniac but um we're digging it so we really appreciate it thank you luke too and you too man for kind of just saying it how it is you know you don't sugarcoat anything you you tell it how it is. You know, you don't sugarcoat anything.

You tell it how it is. Even like when a lot of guys got a kiss to UFC's ass, you don't do it. You tell it how it is. And I respect you for that. Oh, shit. Look at that bouquet he just handed off right there. I appreciate that. But that's why you're sitting on a 1970s couch.

So on that note, Matt Frivola, everyone. Steamroll. I hope he gets to fight against Patty Pimlitt. We're out.