The Dale Jr. Download - Bonus: Next Level Miesha Tate: Chapter 2 - Where I Stand With Ronda Rousey

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

Is a Ronda Rousey rematch around the corner? In Chapter 2 of Next Level, host Andrew Kurland and MMA fighter Miesha Tate discuss her famous rivalry with Ronda Rousey, along with the legacy it left behind. Miesha opens up about the emotions she felt during that period of time, and shares where she stands with Ronda today. Miesha also dives into her return from retirement and how she approaches fighting differently in this new chapter of her career.What type of reactions do her kids have to her fighting? How does she cope with the concept of wins and losses? And what is the biggest struggle that professional athletes go through that isn't talked about?It's a conversation full of perspective, wisdom and insight that goes beyond the sports world. Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You know, when I lost to Ronda, it was like, okay, I know what I need to work on. I have to get better. And I'm not saying it wasn't devastating or heartbreaking because it was. I cried. I was mad. I screamed. I, you know, like I went through a myriad of terrible, terrible emotions, a lot of negative self-talk. But I kind of forced myself to like fortune fire. You know, it was getting, it was the adversity that I felt like I was building myself on. What's up, download listeners. Andrew Curland here, host of one of our Dirty Mo Media series Next Level, here with Colby Bass, social media, extraordinary for Dirty Mo Media. And we got a special little feed drop for you guys here in the Download.

You know, we've got our next level show, our in-depth, long-form interview series that I host, I'll go around talking to a bunch of different people. You know, we've done Mario Andretti, Ken Squire, Jimmy, Johnson. And we went to Las Vegas to talk to MMA fighter Misha Tate. And Colby, she was so cool to talk to. She was really, really interesting. And I think this is something that everybody could benefit from by listening to this interview. It was fascinating. So this is part two of our conversation with Misha. Part one is currently available on our next level podcast feed. So I encourage everyone to go check that out, especially if you like what you're about to hear. But this part two is one of the best

most solid conversations I think we've had on the entire next level platform. She talks about her rivalry with Ronda Rousey, one of the most famous, I think, MMA rivalries that's out there, where she stands with Ronda Rousey now. She also mentions some really interesting things that aren't talked about not only in MMA fighting, but in all forms of professional athletics that I think was super important for people to hear. It applies not only to sports, but it applies to life. Just a great conversation in general. Colby, I think let's just send it right into this, shall we?

Absolutely. We talk about opponents. One of your most famous opponents was Ronda Rousey. There's obviously a big rivalry. that comes with it. Where did that start? How did you, you know, where did that rivalry with Rhonda start? So it started in Strike Force. They're no longer around because the UFC bought them out, which was great, you know, eventually led to women being a part of the UFC. But at this time, women were not a part of the UFC and the president of the UFC, Dana White, had been busy running

around saying that women will never be in the UFC, never fight in the UFC. It's a question he would get all the time and his answer was always never. And Rhonda kind of came onto the scene. I was working my way up to a championship, you know, fight, but I had yet to capture that. And she came in at actually a weight class above me. So she came in at 145 and she was making her waves, but she was much different than any female I had ever met before. In her approach was, I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to make a difference, to make waves, to be, you know, brash and who, you know, just who I am, which now looking back, I can appreciate it.

But at the time, I had no concept of why somebody would want to do that. Because for us up until that point, women's MMA had been very much a camaraderie. Even though we were fighting each other, we were also fighting each other to elevate the sport, to try to stay together because there wasn't enough of us. It felt like if we had dismantled each other, that maybe it wouldn't have ever gotten anywhere. So there was always an amicable, usually weigh-ins were respectful.

And even pre-fight, post-fight, these things were kind of like, man, we fought each other and thank you so much because here we are trying to make a difference and headway in this sport. And we appreciated each other if that made sense. And Rhonda just very much was not a part of that sentiment. She didn't share that.

You know, she came from, you know, being an Olympian in judo, and she was just like, look, I, you know, screw all these other women. I'm here to just be for me. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that approach now. But again, at that time was kind of like, who is, you know, she's just, like, new and like, who is this woman? She's so disrespectful. You know, she's just, like, talking all this trash, all these girls, like, doesn't she know these women paved the way? These women have been here, blood, sweat, and tears, been fighting for, you know, breadcrumbs, and she's going to, like, say these things, and that included me.

You know, she would obviously, you know, talk trashed about me, too. So I didn't understand the logic at the time. Now I can see that she created controversy that interested people. You know, anytime you get eyes on the sport, it's a good thing. I just didn't know that because I wasn't from that world and I wasn't, I didn't know that. You know, so I didn't understand it. Yeah. How much of that trash talk then, do you think, obviously, you know,

she's not here to answer that, but was calculated just to elevate the sport versus just actual trash talk then? I think when she first started, she was doing it to elevate her career. Yeah. To try to, you know, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. You know, she was making the waves. She was demanding the attention. And she was performing.

I mean, I want to take that away from her either. You know, it wouldn't have worked if she wasn't winning. So I think she had a different approach, but she was a WWE fan. I wasn't either. I didn't grow up watching that. So I know she was a fan of Rowdy Piper. Was that his name? Maybe I see, I forget to.

But that's where she gets her nickname from. So I apologize. Probably some people listening to this. Like, how do you don't know that? Well, look it up. Yeah, we'll look it up. Yes. But anyways, so that's where she gets her.

got her nickname from Rowdy, Rhonda Rousey. So I think she had a different perception on the trash talk coming from a fan of the WWE. There's always a storyline, right? That's something I've come to appreciate about the WWE is the telling of story. There's always a telling of a story and there's turns and curveballs and it's very dramatized. And I wasn't a big fan of that. for the longest time because again it didn't understand that but now I can understand like that is part of the art of what people appreciate about the combat sport it's kind of like drama meets combat sport and this meshing of that so I think she came into MMA thinking you know what I'm extremely

talented athlete I'm a bronze medalist in the Olympics in Judoca I'm winning these fights fast what if I do what if I you know talk like they do in the in the WWE that was just something I was completely oblivious to, clueless to, didn't know the first thing about it. But I don't want to put words in her mouth. That's my perspective. I think that she probably was meshing these worlds and seeing what she could do with it. And it was brilliant because it was that talk that got her where she wanted to go and then it was her skill set that backed it up. And look at where, you know, before and after those two fights, what it did for women's MMA. Where does that sit with you

that, you know, one of the more famous fights in your career, two of them are ones you lost, but the legacy that they left behind, like, where does that upset you? Where does that sit in your head? No, I'm so happy, honestly, that those things happened, you know. Now, that's not to say that if I ever had a third opportunity to get going back over Rhonda, I would definitely take that, for sure. But I'm so grateful for those opportunities and those laws. I think a great way to look at a loss is an opportunity to learn. And they always taught me the most about myself. You know, the win, winning is easy.

When you win, everything's great. Everybody loves you. It's pizza and beer time. Beer tastes sweeter. It's just awesome. You're just on the top of the world. And what do you have to fix? You've already done it, you know, you did it all right, you won. But when you lose, it's such a drastic difference. The beer is bitter.

Bitter beer. It is, bitter beer. Nobody likes bitter beer. And, you know, it just feels like at that time my identity was very tied to outcomes, too. You know, winning meant I was a winner and losing meant I was a loser. But I did force an evolution because I felt like I had no choice in that. You know, it's like, okay, I lost. I have to figure out why.

I have to get better. And it goes back to that first fight. When bleeding over a trash can, I can do better than that. Yeah, I just lost, and I got my face smashed in, and it's, you know, it's probably not a great time to be saying, hey, I want to be in the next fight, but already knowing that I could do better if I did it differently or if I approached the situation with a different strategy, if you will,

and better preparedness. So that's kind of what it forced. You know, when I lost to Ronda, it was like, okay, I know what I need to work on. I have to get better. And I'm not saying it wasn't devastating or heartbreaking because it was. I cried.

I was mad. I screamed. I, you know, like I went through a myriad of terrible, terrible emotions, a lot of negative self-talk. But I kind of forced myself to, it was like fortune fire. You know, it was getting, it was the adversity that I felt like I was building myself on.

and so I'm grateful for those experiences. You know what I mean? Like it's not, doesn't mean that it was easy, but I certainly came out stronger on the other side of it. And so I can say that I'm truly grateful for that. And I'm so grateful to have had an adversary like her.

Yeah. Because if she didn't come in, all of us were playing too nice. I thought we were working together, and we were, but we needed more than that. Being quiet and complacent and nice, being a good girl, you know,

wasn't getting us the notoriety that we needed. We needed somebody to come in and shake things up and kind of give people the bird and like, what? Who is this woman? And she really got eyes on the sport, you know? And so I think that if it wasn't for her, I mean, there's no question in my mind that women's in my mind would not be as far.

as it is now. I still think to this day our rivalry is the biggest rivalry that's ever been in women's MMA and how fortunate me to be able to be the one on the other side, the one to also push Ronda, you know, and to piss her off and to bring the most and the best out of her. And so, yeah, I came up short in the fight, but, you know, there's things that people can never take away from me and what I did do. You know, I was the first person to take her out of one minute. You know, she was finishing everybody in seconds, you know? And it's like, okay, and I took her to the latter part of the first round, and then the second fight was to the third round.

You know, these were things that other women weren't doing. So, yeah, we were all getting armed by Rhonda, but at least I can hold on to the fact that, you know, I really gave her a good run for her money. And I think that was what made it fun was that we had this legitimate disdain for each other, and we also fought like hell. Mm-hmm. And neither one of us wanted to lose.

Where do you stand with her today then? You know, I have, I've never spoken to her again. Really? Yeah, no, I mean, we never really did converse outside of fighting other than when we were on the ultimate fighter, and that was kind of forced exchanges and whatnot. But to be honest, I can honestly say, you know, she's a mom now. I have two kids. You know, we're both on different pathways, and I just don't have those same feelings that I had in those moments.

because I understand things differently now. I really do understand how important it was to have her and how grateful I am to have had that adversary, to have that rivalry for her to have elevated my career, you know. And so I think when you have an attitude of gratitude, it changes a little bit your perspective. I don't think we'll ever necessarily be best friends, but I don't have hate and disdain for the woman.

I think if I got a third shot at fighting her, I would just, I would bring everything that I have. But it would be a different approach. It would just be different than it was before. And I think that would actually, I believe that would work to my advantage because I think I'm a more like mentally and emotionally comprehensive person. I'm more balanced in myself. And I think I was too emotional in those fights. And now I look at things different and say, hey, you know what? She did her thing.

I did my thing. We did it different. We both made each other better. And I just don't have the, you know, the hate, if you will. You mentioned that third fight that you're looking for. Do you think that'll ever happen? You know, there's always been whisperings of Rhonda coming back to the UFC. And more so recently, the fact that she, I think, finished out her career in fighting,

excuse me, in the WWE, I am not totally privy to how those contracts work and things like that. But there's been a lot of rumors that she may come back. Now, people ask me, do I think Rhonda would ever come back? And there's only one thing I think that would ever make her come back. And that would be her pride if she wanted to. She's financially set. She's got a family. She's got a farm.

She's living her life. Everything's good. She doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. She doesn't have to do it. There's no amount of money I think that could offer that would make her train harder or want it more. It's not about that. You know, it would all be about her pride. If she feels like she could come back and do what she wanted to do whatever that goal was, then perhaps because that's kind of what happened with me. I retired for five years and I meant it. When I retired, I absolutely meant it. I did not think I would ever come back to fighting. You know, I started a family. I had two kids and then I said, you know what? I think I have more to give. And I think I understand things differently than I did before. And so I came back. You never know. You talked about coming back, and when you retired versus now when you're back, you mentioned

kind of two different lives. What conversations did you have with your family, with yourself, about returning to fighting? My return to fighting was based on the fact that I felt like I left the sport because I was the candle that was burning at both ends and the middle. And I had just burnt out. It had nothing to do with my love for the sport. It's just that I hadn't treated myself well. I had been taking.

My daughter would call it a bucket dipper. You take from the bucket instead of a bucket filler. She's five, by the way. So sometimes she'll tell me that, Mom, you're being a bucket dipper. You're hurting my feelings. I'm like, I'm sorry, you know, and I have to own up to that, you know?

But I was being a bucket dipper to myself, and I was allowing everybody else to be a bucket dipper. zipper, if you will. So I just didn't have anything left. That's really what I boiled down to. And once I restored myself as a human being, I think I realized that my love for the sport hadn't changed.

It was just the fact that I needed to do some real deep, emotional and mental healing, you know, that the fortune adversity only lasts for so long. You can only burn the fuel that you have for so long until you run out, you know. And I knew that I had more to give and I knew that I still had a love for the sport. And I thought, man, maybe if I can approach this with a healthier attitude, maybe if I can be more effort-based praise in myself than outcome-based,

maybe I could do really great things. Let me see what I can do with this different mentality and a different approach. And it took a lot of soul-searching. What are your kids' reactions to you fighting? Like I see you posted on YouTube like showing them your injuries. Like what, were there any fears of returning and having them see you fight? Yes, I was not sure at all how they were going to handle post-fight injuries, you know? Because I just, for whatever reason, I have a face that likes to wear damage.

So I get hit and it's like I swell up or I'm bloody know. is very common. So I was worried that they were going to react very adversely to mom coming home with bruises and blood and potentially cuts and whatnot. So fortunately in my first fight, it was a pretty clean fight. I didn't get injured. I won in pretty dominant fashion. But in my second fight, I came back and already was fighting a top five ranked female in our division. So it was a quick, quick track. And I lost a close decision, but I got. got a laceration in that fight under my eye. And so I had five stitches, I think it was, and bruising around my face and my eye. And oh, because it was a five round fight too.

So the just a repeated impact of jabs, you know, it wasn't like I got one shot that really hurt me. It was just, you know, fighting for five rounds. And you get a laceration and you keep hitting it. Yeah. That basically you're gonna look pretty terrible the next morning. So, but mind you, my kids were pretty small still.

So my first fight back, my son was only one. And my second fight back wasn't long after that, so it was one and a half or two, but they actually responded way better than most adults. Huh? Isn't that crazy? Yeah, it's wild. They just kind of, they wanted to know what and why.

My son was a little too young, I think, to really take it in, My daughter at about three and a half, she had questions. Mommy, what happened to you? Does it hurt? Are you okay? And just walking her through those things and remembering that how I react to it

is also gonna kind of feed her, whether she feels secure about this. So what we did is she became Dr. Maya. She helped change my bandages. You know, she would help me put the, like Vaseline or Neosporin on the cut, like put the bandage back on. So we just became a part. part of the healing process and letting her know like,

I'm okay and this is what I choose to do, honey. This is fun for me. I like it. It's like playing, you know? Yeah. She was good with it. Do they understand kind of like you in the beginning, not really knowing that fighting could be competition.

Do they understand the difference between you fighting for competition versus just, you know, the other form, which is aggressive tendencies? I do try to explain that. them, whether it's sunk in yet or not, I don't know. Now my kids are three and five, so it's always changing, and so rapidly at those ages, you know, their evolution and of understanding, you know. So I do explain to them that, you know, this is a sport and we like it and the other person

is willing that they want to do this also. You know, that's a big difference to you. I think a lot of times fights on the streets are, you know, not always by choice, right? It's like you have to defend yourself. So, but I'm also explaining them, too, that sometimes the sacrifices we have to make as a family so that mommy can train. You know, yeah, you've got to come to the gym with me. Mommy, you know, do you want Mommy to win her fight? Yeah.

Because that's what my daughter said to me last time, too. And, you know, I have to remember for my kids, not to take what they say personally at all, because it's just genuine unfiltered thoughts. That adults have those same thoughts. It's just that we learn maybe we shouldn't say that to someone because it might hurt their feelings. Kids don't have that. They just say it, you know? So my daughter was like, Mommy, I really wanted you to win. Why didn't you win?

I know. It's like, dang, yeah, I really wanted to win too, honey. You know, but sometimes it doesn't work like that. But also another great opportunity to share with her that, hey, I'm okay. Like, just because I didn't win doesn't mean that I changed my value of who I am. I used to do that. I mean, it used to be terrible. I mean, the consequences of not winning were awful for me.

And now it's just like, look, I tried my best, and I just didn't get this one. It's okay. Let's go enjoy some family time, some pizza and beer. That's right. It comes back to the good tasting beer. You know what I mean? It tastes good win or lose now. Yeah, that's what it is? You know, it's like, if I'm putting everything that I have into it Then what do I have to be ashamed of? Yeah, I don't, you know, I'm not no longer tied to Victory or or a loss like it's I'm just gonna give everything that I have and what will be will be Which also takes a ton of pressure off the shoulders. You know what I mean? Like I can live the rest of my life as a normal human And I couldn't do that before.

Peacefully now. Yeah, peacefully. You know, I can balance my life as a parent and as a significant other and as a person. Because think about this for a second. Athletes, a lot of times we develop skill sets that are not healthy for living a human life. Yeah. Right? Like, we make so many sacrifices.

We miss weddings. We miss funerals. We miss Christmases. We do all these things that I think we feel like we have to deprive ourselves of. and we forget how to live life, right? Sometimes. I get that, yeah. Sometimes we forget how to live life

because we're so hyper-focused on the one thing. But the thing is that one thing doesn't last a lifetime. So we got to suddenly learn late in life a skill set that we never really developed, and that's how to enjoy life outside of competition. So that's what I've been really working on in the balance of my life is how to do both and enjoy both

and not be so tied to the outcome. It's like I'm just going to put my very best into it. And eventually this door is going to close. The chapter's going to be done. There will be no more fighting. And so what have I done to set myself up for success on my future, you know, business-wise and also with my family and my kids? It's like you're relearning to be human.

Exactly. And how surprising what I think a lot of athletes have to do that. And sometimes it's, you know, not to get too dark. But it can be very slippery slope for a lot of athletes that don't transition well. They don't have anything else that they feel like is as important or wakes them up or makes them feel as alive as they do in that very moment of dangerous competition. I don't feel like that's talked about very much. It's not talked about very much.

And I think it should be talked about more because athletes have a lot of trouble transitioning and there always is a transition because sports don't favor people aging. It's always, you know, the young. And even if you're still competitive, let's say Kevin Harvick, for example, this year, is his last year, you know, and he's been very competitive, so close to winning a few races or whatnot.

But, you know, he's not the topic of conversation as far as, like, who's the young up-and-comer that we want to keep our eyes on, you know? So even that shift can be difficult for athletes because we remember being that one that was like the prodigy or the one that could come in and maybe make that difference, and then it changes.

And we have to learn to also deal with that as well. but then it closes and it's done. And it's a very final. And all of a sudden it's like, who am I? Yeah. What am I? I don't really know how to be a person because all I've known and all I've done and focused on was like this part of my life.

And now that's completely gone. So I guess as I'm finishing up this chapter of my fighting career, I'm also looking at it as like, where can I have mental and emotional flexibility? Can I be outcome-based? Instead of being, excuse me, instead of being outcome-based, can I be effort-based? Yeah. Yeah, like, why can't I have that? Why not?

Yeah, no reason why you can. Yeah, it's a decision I'm making in my head. And it goes back to, again, like the dieting stuff. You know, what a, that's another pain in the ass that we have to deal with. It's like making weight and dieting. It's like such a not a very fun perspective of our sport. But it is a necessary evil to make sure that things are fair. And, you know, I'm not saying no.

I'm saying yes. I'm saying yes to my bigger goals. I'm not depriving. It seems like you found that piece. So what's next for you? I know, do you have a fight coming up? I do. December 2nd. All right. That's coming up. It is. Yeah. How do you feel about it? Yeah, I feel like this is the most balanced I've ever been in my life. And I feel like this is going to be a big moment in my career for me personally.

You know, it's not a world title fight. It's, you know, to some people might not seem like that big of a deal, but for me, this is a, it is a defining moment, you know, which way I'm going to go for the rest of my career. I feel like if I win this fight, and I use the word if, why people have a problem with that. Oh, it should be when, right, when you win. I think when doesn't allow flexibility. It's very final because when is not always the case. Sometimes it's when I win and then I don't win. What do you do then?

Like, oh, I put all my eggs in one basket and it's come crashing down and they're all smashed to smithereens. And I don't know how to put them back together. You know, how are we going to put Humpty Dumpty back together? But I think if also motivates me in the sense that it's not for sure. I have to work hard and I have to want it and I have to go for it. So, you know, if I win, that gives me flexibility. And also, what does that mean if I don't win? How am I going to handle it?

What am I going to do? What's the other side of the coin? Because whether we want to look at it or not, the other side of the coin can be a dark side, or it can just be a side that we're looking at both sides of the coin, that there is two sides. We're acknowledging that there is two sides, right? And so for me, I like the word if.

It motivates me in the gym. It's not final. It's not already decided. It's up to me to write the story, and I'm going to go in and do everything that I can. And if I don't win, it's still gonna be okay. I'm still gonna wake up tomorrow morning and be Misha Tate.

That's right. I'm still gonna wake up the next morning and have my two beautiful kids and my fiance and my life and my businesses and my speaking engagements and these things because because I've worked hard to to lay that foundation. So it doesn't all just get stripped away off of one win or one loss. It doesn't define who I am or how I live the rest of my life unless I decide to abide by those rules. But I've decided I'd rather remove those limitations and just allow myself to go in there and be the best version of myself. And that's something I've really been working on since my last fight. I didn't, it's an evolution

You know, it's a growing process. And I've really tried to make big growth and change over this last year because I didn't get the win in my last fight. And so I had to re-observe like, why was, where was I? I was kind of on autopilot in my last fight. I hadn't really decided what I wanted out of that moment. And I had to reflect and say, look, what, you know, how can I make more changes to get myself mentally tuned and honed in to what it is that I want out of all the moments in my life? I absolutely love your perspective and, you know, your outlook on your career. I think it's something I needed to hear.

I'm sure everyone listening is also going to look forward to hearing as well. So Misha, thanks for taking the time. I think we're going to go to the gym, check it out. Yeah, come have a workout with me. Did you bring your gloves? I didn't. I didn't. But they might have a spare set there.

Yeah, we'll make sure you're good. Sweet. All right, Colby, how about that? That was so good. It was amazing. I mean, let's start with the Ronda Rousey stuff first, because going into it, I really wasn't sure what, you know, what temperature to take of the room in terms of how does she feel about Rhonda?

She said, we're obviously probably not going to be best friends, but she has no animosity towards her anymore. And honestly, he's thankful for how that all played out and where it took women's MMA. Yeah, you can tell she has this. she has class. Yeah, she does. One of the things I think about with Misha Tate, she's so grounded and introspective about that rivalry.

And she never, really ever disses Ronda at all. No. And that's pretty big because Ronda definitely said some choice words about Misha during, you know, and after pretty much. But it says a lot about Misha's character. that she was able to learn from that failure and how she turned that into something that's pretty positive is remarkable.

I mean, she said, hey, yeah, I got angry. I cried after that fight, but then I learned how to turn it back around. And, you know, you kind of spoke to Rhonda saying some choice words. I think this was the perfect time to ask her about all of that

because you're kind of removed from it. and she was able to look at both fights from that kind of 20,000 foot view of, well, Rhonda came from a W.W.E. type. That was what she was a fan of. That's what she watched and took that approach to UFC. And you, I mean, you look at how dramatic WWE is. People latch on to the plot lines and the storylines that are within that. And now all of a sudden, there is a buzz in women's MMA that was not there before.

Orange she is thankful for that. I thought that was, I thought that was super cool to hear from her. Yeah. And Rhonda was always like this emotional kind of, I don't know, hotbed of different things. Like you kind of didn't know what you're getting with her. I mean,

she showed up in the octagon in those two fights. But it's, it just was really interesting hearing Misha basically come full circle about all that. It sounds like she was at peace with how those first two fights and kind of how that all played out. But she wants a third one. And I want a third one. I mean, do you think? Because she said the only, the one thing that will make Ronda Rousey come back is Pride.

You think Rhonda could come back to fight Misha? I would love to see Ronda and Misha get back in the Octagon. Now that Misha has really worked on her emotional game and really has taken a different mindset, I would love to see that fight now and to see like what Rondo would do in the octagon. So please, please fight again. Oh, you're not crazy. When she said, when she said like, if there's a rematch, I would take him like, oh boy. Did we just open a can of worms here?

I would love to see it. That would be so cool. Yes, please, Dana White, get that fight. Get that fight. One thing that I, and I mentioned in the top of this, the thing that resonated the most with me was, and I thought it was super interesting. And again, Misha's in the perfect time of her career

to be able to speak to this, but it's like athletes removed from competition, kind of forget how to live life. And this interview was done right towards the end of my Iron Man 70.3 training. And now I am not saying I am anywhere near a professional athlete. But that's a type of race, at least on my end, that requires so much work, so much sacrifice. And even her words resonated with me even more after the race because when I finished racing, I didn't know what to do with myself.

Like, training was all I knew for so long. And then all of a sudden you go from 100 to zero, just like that. I can understand to a small degree what retiring must feel like for a professional athlete. And I thought that was really interesting for her to say that. And it was something that I don't think gets said very often is these professional athletes, they put their whole lives into it. And when it's over, they come. kind of forget what being human is. I thought that was, that was so, so interesting to me.

That resonated with me. I mean, when you heard me say, yeah, I get that. Like, I genuinely, in that moment, it was something I needed to hear. And it was refreshing to hear her say that and speak to it because it wasn't really something that was talked about very much. That was, to me, the most interesting part of the entire Misha interview. I think everybody could learn something from Misha's mentality. And it doesn't, not just athletes, everyone,

the fact that she changed her mindset to be effort-based versus outcome-based is something that flipped a switch for me. Yes. Because in her thinking, like, you give yourself so much more grace

to be successful if you're not putting the pressure on yourself that you have to win or you're not, you're not, you're not worrying about all those things because it doesn't really change the outcome. Really, the effort that you put into training to anything is going to change the outcome, not any of that other noise.

And remove sports from that completely. I mean, what she said does not apply to sports exclusively. I mean, think about how many times in life you are doing something that is results-based. you put a lot of work into it and sometimes it just doesn't fall through like it's supposed to and Colby you're even talking about her being you know no longer outcome base but effort base and that kind of if I win versus when I win type mentality and when she said that she's got a fight coming up December 2nd in Austin Texas and it was cool to hear her preview that and you know her saying, well, I wake up, winter loss, still is Misha Tate.

So, and I know she's been promoting her training on social media so much. And a lot of those training videos, have you seen, are from the UFC Performance Institute, which we got to go to right after the interview, which was super cool. Misha walked us through the entire facility. And, I mean, you were, I remember you were saying, hey, you probably want to get a workout in here, don't you? And I'm like, yeah, this place is super cool. It was neat. It was amazing. They do so many different restorative things that are really aimed at athletes, you know, beyond the fight, red light therapy, you know, all of those different things, cold therapy, hot therapy,

the underwater treadmill that they work on. It was a really neat place. You can definitely tell why UFC fighters perform the way that they do. I mean, you have all the resources available to you to succeed, which was super cool. And, you know, like, I love the recovery stuff because I'm trying to figure that out myself with, you know, the Iron Man training and all that. And, I mean, just to see the recovery resources available to them, that was my favorite part of seeing all that. And then the part we never got to talk about at the Performance Institute on air was,

and it's the stupidest thing. I don't think it's stupid, but it's like the most miniscule thing is Misha does these hyperbaric chambers. And basically, that's her gospel in terms of recovery. I think, and I'm not one to speak for it, but she has spoken on other podcasts about it. We talked about it off camera and off air in between the, interview and go into the performance center that she loves these hyperbaric chambers. And we had like a

10 minute conversation about it. Never made it to the air. But I thought that was super interesting. Yeah, there's just so much technology now for, you know, healing the body, healing the mind. But it goes so far beyond just the fight or, you know, just whatever athletic event. It's really exciting. I mean, after talking to Misha, it's like, like I just want to do more to be in tune with my own mind and body type thing. You know? It's because it's like she does it so well. And it's like I want to, all right, I'm doing, I'm doing decent job.

But I could do better to be even more in tune with myself after listening to Misha. Right. And it definitely had that effect on me too. Even as a mom, I thought that was really interesting perspective of like how she has conversations with her kids and just, I mean, and that applies to everyone. It's like everybody could be a better person. And Misha really is just so grounded that it rubs off on you a little bit. Like, it's definitely something to be desired. Yeah. Even hearing her talk about her kids reacting to fighting, how she separates work as a professional fighter. And, you know,

the casual confrontational style of fighting, you know, that she, what, that's what she thought fighting was. It was a, you know, a scuffle in the schoolyard. But no, this can be a competition in explaining to her children who may or may not be there yet in terms of understanding the difference between sport and not, you know, I thought that was, that was very interesting. I'll be honest, I did not really know much about this world going into it. But I am so sold on MMA, UFC, after talking to Misha, experiencing what we experienced in Las Vegas. I get it.

I'm 100% in. So you'll be watching her December 2nd fight? Absolutely, I'll be watching. You bet. I can't wait. It's going to be awesome. So, Colby, anything we didn't hit. Well, I think we should tell people that, you know,

the tour that we did with Misha is going to go on YouTube. That's right. They're interested in that and seeing what that's all about, what we're talking about. That will be available shortly. Because we finished off, you heard it at the end of the interview, hey, let's go to Performance Institute. Obviously, you can't really capture visuals for a podcast. So make sure you go check out our YouTube page and see what we're talking about in terms of the Performance Institute because it's some really great stuff. So, Colby, thanks so much for taking a... the time. I can't wait for our next level interview. And

you know, we'll go from there. Absolutely. See y'all. Dirty Mo Media on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Dirty Mo!