The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett - Israel Adesanya: Becoming World Champion Was The Lowest Day Of My Life

Episode Date: March 17, 2022

Israel Adesanya is the reigning UFC Middleweight champion, and one of the meanest fighters in the world right now. But in this conversation Israel gives a glimpse on what really drives fighters on, because Mixed Martial Arts isn’t just a physical contest, it’s a mental one too. Moving from Nigeria to New Zealand when he was still a child and different from other children in his class, fighting was Israel’s path out of bullying, seclusion, and low self-confidence. But winning alone hasn’t brought Israel happiness, in this episode you’ll find out what it’s REALLY like to be UFC World Champion. He’s so much more than that kid with a dream now. An international phenomenon, Israel brings us the exclusive on his path to the top like he’s never told it before. Follow Israel: Twitter - https://twitter.com/stylebender Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stylebender Follow me: https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceo

Quick one. Just wanted to say a big thank you to three people very quickly. First people I want to say thank you to is all of you that listen to the show. Never in my wildest dreams is all I can say. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd start a podcast in my kitchen and that it would expand all over the world as it has done. And we've now opened our first studio in America, thanks to my very helpful team led by Jack on the production side of things. So thank you to Jack and the team for building out the new American studio. And thirdly to to Amazon Music, who, when they heard that we were expanding to the United States and I'd be recording a lot more over in the States, they put a massive billboard in Times Square for the show. So thank you so much, Amazon Music. Thank you to our team. And

thank you to all of you that listened to this show. Let's continue. Presenting the interim UFC middleweight champion, Israel Alassane! Oh, shit. I know when it's all said and done, when I'm dead, my name will be remembered in history. Why does that matter? Guys like us, we're not meant to fit in. We're meant to stand out.

I've felt it. It's addicting. I need to do something that's going to just tame the beast. If not, it's going gonna seep in other ways I wouldn't want it to in my life. Are you happy? Think 2013 was my great depression. I wasn't able to fight,

and then I just felt like I don't deserve it. This world, one thing I've seen, they'll build you up and then tear you down. People naturally just wanna see you fail. I had to take a hard look at myself, and I put that pressure on myself, like, watch this. I don't feel like I have anything to hide. I put things out there that I probably shouldn't sometimes,

but that's my way of being vulnerable, where I'm just like, this is me. So without further ado, I'm Stephen Bartlett, and this is The Diary of a CEO. I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself. ado, I'm Stephen Bartlett, and this is the Diary of a CEO. I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself. Israel. Yes. Thank you for being here. Massive inspiration for me in so many ways. And I've watched your rise over the years with inspiration and admiration for so many reasons. Reason number one,

we have, I guess, a shared heritage in the fact that we're both from half Nigerian, you're Nigerian as well. And your story, as I read it, it sounded so bizarrely like my story in so many ways. And then the other, I mean, I could, there's an exhaustive list of reasons why you've inspired me personally, but then seeing what you've done with yourself as a brand as a marketeer again inspired me in a completely different way and I'll never forget and I played it for my girlfriend last night your entrance against Robert Whittaker the first time the first time and I'm like this guy is breaking the rules yeah the entrance um for me that was uh I felt like that was my way of staying

away from the fight in a way because I know that night Robert was just like stewing over the fight yeah he was sleeping he wouldn't

no no he wasn't sleeping I'm sure he was just worried about the fight thinking about the fight just thinking about but for me I was literally

I fell asleep with my phone in my hand watching my rehearsals for that entrance. Like, this is going to look sick. Replay. Probably replayed it like 60 times the night before. And I fell asleep with my phone in my hand watching that, just the rehearsals.

So it was like, there was no paralysis over analysis. I was just like focused on how sick that was going to look. And it was fun for me. It was my way of authentically expressing myself with my roots and dancing and just being creative. So when it was time to show out, you know, I showed out, you know, and it was my show this time. Like, you know, when Robert and Calvin Gaston's fight

fell out the morning of the fight before 2, 3, 4, that was in Melbourne. Yeah, Rod Laver, I mean, in Melbourne as as well i wanted to do an entrance and dana was like uh not allowed no can't have it this and that right so when it was two four three i was like look this is my show i'm doing this entrance i don't give a fuck what you think and yeah i made sure i did it and look how it turned out it was iconic and you realize though because when i remember i must have been 3am here when I was watching that. I'm thinking this guy's put more pressure on himself that he didn't need to put on himself. He has to win now. Exactly. I love that. I like to gamble, but I like to gamble at the highest level. I like to gamble with like the

biggest stakes, you know? Cause I feel like whenever I get that win over that and I, it just, it just feels that much better and i feel like i don't know you just ah there's a feeling i don't know how to describe it but it's just because you know people are watching that he's like like especially those who don't like me like hope this gets dropped oh this guy gets knocked the out you know he thinks he's the man walking out dancing all that so you know people naturally just want to see you fail they're like this guy thinks he's that good on a like that was 57 127 people in attendance and i put that pressure on myself like watch this

and yeah for me there's something special about just overcoming that that just gives me that that rush speaking of entrances then you were born in nigeria um as i said, I'm half Nigerian and then you moved to New Zealand. What was the reason why your parents decided to take you out of Nigeria and move you to another country? I think it was initially better recognized tertiary education. Because, you know, I mean, when I'm in New Zealand, sometimes I'll be, to a cab driver and you find out that he was a medical doctor back in Sri Lanka or back in India and then moved over to NZ or the Western world for a quote-unquote better life.

And their qualifications aren't recognized in the Western world, but they're a surgeon or something crazy back home. So then they're forced to take these, I guess, menial jobs or start up a new business. And yeah, they wanted us to have better recognized tertiary education. Yeah, it worked out all right for me.

But you were really smart anyway in Nigeria. When you got to New Zealand, you were smarter than the class. I remember you saying that they thought you were smart. Yeah, oh yeah. But I was like, I was in Form 1. I remember we're doing two times tape when i was just like yeah i knew the song in my head yeah finished and i remember when i felt everyone was like oh like and i'm like i'm the runt of our people trust me like i'm not the

smartest you know kid in the class back in niger So when that happened, I was just like, what's up with these kids? Like, this is easy. This is light work. I did Form 1 actually three times. So I did it first time when I was 10 years old in Nigeria, Bells Boarding School. And then when I moved to Ghana for about a year and a bit, I had to do, no, about a year and a bit, I had to do Primary 6 and then Form 1 again. And then when I moved to New Zealand, I had to do primary six and then form one again and then when i moved to new zealand i had to do form one again then i skipped form two and then went straight to

form three because it was i just kept there was oh he's too young you know he can't in each country was like oh he's too young to be in form one so yeah uh but i wasn't like i wasn't the most academically gifted kid i'm smart but i'm smart in different ways. Yeah. When I was reading about your story, the other part that really resonated with me was we came from Botswana and we moved to a place called Plymouth in Devon and Cornwall, which is like a farmland. It's like if you go four hours into the end of the country that way,

where it's all cows and fields and all white people. That's where we moved. And we're the only black family. where it's all cows and fields yep and all white people yeah that's where we moved and we're the only black family my mom's Nigerian yeah and um that process of trying to figure out why I was different to my classmates and why we were poorer and all I always said I was I never realized I was black till I left Nigeria yeah and it's not that I didn't know my skin tone it's just I never knew like it was a problem you know I never knew like people would you know i guess discriminate against me because of my skin tone and it was weird for me it was really weird for me to kind of like almost like another type of culture shock like uh the one i used was an example was this kid who kept on writing by my house in the weekend from school and would just like hurl insults

you know at me at my house my house, in the weekend. He took time out of his fucking day on a Saturday. And then, go back to your country, black and knees. And then drive by again and say, oh, you black this. You better ride. I was like, I literally was just like, did I do something to this kid? I know his name even. I remember his name, not his last name.

But I was just like, what did I do to this kid to like, did I do something? And then that Monday, was it a Monday or Tuesday, the following week, he pulls up to me and is like, what a black boy. And I was having a bad day already. And this is after, like, lunchtime when it was about to end. And he pushed me. And I remember just wailing on him, just threw him to his K block, beat his ass, threw his B block, beat his ass.

And I just, I was crying the whole time, just beating him up. And I wasn't a fighter back then, but I was just fed up and pissed off. Like, who the fuck is this kid? Like, first of all, you harassed me all weekend. And then at school, you're harassing me. Yeah, he never did that again after that. Yeah. What was your relationship like

with your race at that point? Because I, I got to be honest, I started like relaxing my hair and I started, I did. And I was trying to, I was trying to be white. I was white I was trying to fit in like there was a point even like I started to try and talk like the kiwi kids I tried to like use the same slang I still do but like just because I'm part of the culture but like I really try to like fit in fit in and I don't want you mean about relax I was relaxing my hair because I thought it was cool you know it wasn't because I was trying

to fit in but there was bits and pieces where I was just like hair because I thought it was cool. You know, it wasn't because I was trying to fit in, but there was bits and pieces where I was just like, man, because everyone just wants to belong, you know, especially as kids, you know, you just want to be part of a tribe or fit in. But then, yeah, when it took me a while to realize that I wasn't meant to fit in, like guys like us, we're not meant to fit in, we're meant to stand out. So eventually I had to kind of stand, it took me a while to kind of learn how to stand 10 toes deep in my own light but yeah i was there at one point you know trying to fit in and trying to make sure almost like even during lunchtime if i wanted to go to the tuck shop right i would take the long way i would like a rat or mouse i would scurry along the the edges of the school so i don't get fucked with and it would take longer twice as long three times as long but at least i didn't have to just walk through and

get fucked with you know on the way to the tuck shop or something because i spent most of my time in the library during lunch times um i think in form three yeah just because it's safe in the library what do you mean by getting fucked with what would happen if you walk directly to the tuck shop i know some might just throw an apple at you or you know something stupid like some might run up behind you in town down trial you you know uh or trip you or just chase you try and beat you up for fun and people other kids are stupid you know you're i was in a boy school as well so you know it's all these boys but i know like i'll just pent up emotions and unresolved trauma and don't know what to do with the newfound hormones and it's just like

like little chimps and yeah see that's how i know yeah definitely so it's like yeah uh we didn't know i for me it was just yeah as yeah, as an adult now, I look at it, I'm just like, man, we didn't know what the fuck we were doing. Like, who, who let us,

like, who let us outside? You know, but, it's all part of the learning experience, I feel. It's all part of growing pains. Like,

I know when I have kids, I know exactly what I'm going to tell them, how to handle themselves, if you know what I mean. What are you going to tell them? Well, one of the ones is hit hard, hit first. To be honest. Like, this whole thing, I remember people just like, you know,

oh, don't hit them first. You know, like, if they touch you, then you... I'm like, nah, fuck all that. Because the first punch matters. The first punch matters. So if someone, like, you know, is talking to me and pushing me around, pushing me around, smack them. They'll learn first, like firsthand, like, okay,

don't fuck with that kid. Even if you might win, at least he's not going to be like, make it not easy for them to fuck with you. You know what I mean? So that's one thing I'm definitely going to teach my kids. Just make sure you're unfuckable with. Yeah. When I look back at my early years

and, you know, having studied a bit of childhood psychology, I realized how like formative and important those early years are. And we were basically as adults, like living out the stories we told ourselves about ourselves as kids and seeking validation

from all the things that- All that childhood traumas and whatnot. Exactly. Yeah. What was left behind as you became an adult? A lot. Talk to me about that.

One thing, okay, I want to go deep. Definitely being a kid that moved from Nigeria to New Zealand, right? And trying to fit in. I ended up being a people pleaser as a kid. I didn't realize that because I'm trying to fit in. I'm trying to please everyone. And then you don't realize how that follows you into adult life. So there was times, and it's still once in a while you'd be surprised.

It rears its ugly head, but I'm able to identify that monster now and I'm just like, right, I know what that is. Boom, and I kill it straight away. So I've learned that over years, though, but then that people pleaser is still a part of me because it was a way of surviving. I'll just make sure these guys are cool. Don't fuck with me.

And I just kind of appease them. Yeah, that's one thing definitely that that was the result of just i guess trying to fit in it's just people pleasing and it's not it's not the best way to live it's not the best way to live because you can't make everyone happy and someone's always going to find something wrong with what you're doing or how you're living or whatever so yeah i it took me a long time but eventually i got to the point where i just don't i really don't care what anyone else thinks apart from those who i give a fuck about i care what they think but anyone else who is not really i guess i don't have any emotional attachment to fuck them like bernie mack said fuck them yeah and when you say people pleasing to be to be to be specific in the examples of you being a people pleaser do

you mean on social media or like to the public even before social media or do you mean before social media this is when i was a kid like in high school people pleasing us in the sense of like you know um someone asks you to do something you might not want to do it but you'll do it just because you just sure you want to fit in because that that guy, you know, he, you know, I guess he's one of the first 15 jocks who played rugby or whatever. And you're just like, oh, you know, I'll do what he says just because you want to get that. It's almost like clout or social currency.

You know what I mean? So, yeah, things like that. But, yeah, it took me a long time, like I said, to learn and realize those things. This is a lot of self-reflection, years of self-reflection and realizing, because a lot of people don't even realize they're running on old childhood trauma, like a lot of everyone is. So you have to find a way to sit down and just access that with yourself.

Through therapy is one of the best ways. And then you just work. It's like reverse engineering. Like, where does that come from? Why am I like that? Why do I i have that attitude why do i think like that and then yeah you and your therapist kind of work that back and realize you know where that comes from as i was reading through your story and you know you sit here as this unbelievable ufc champion and then as i read through your story there's all these little subtle hints of what almost sounds a

bit like Imposter syndrome At certain times Like this guy not believing That he's deserving of What he's achieved And it really sits in contradiction To the guy that did that backflip Coming out against Robert Whittaker

So I'm like Where did that come from? Tell me about that I think some of Just same thing Trauma Childhood trauma Some of that stuff

I've dealt with it very well now To the point where it's like I think some of just same thing, trauma, childhood trauma, some of that stuff. I've dealt with it very well now to the point where it's like there was times I use an example when I think I would. I was speaking to Forbes not long ago and we dive into this a little bit. So when I when I be Rob, right, I wanted my gifts to myself. I bought myself a McLaren 720S. Nice. And the first day I got it, I remember I drove to the gym. This is that peak time at the gym, maybe 5.30 p.m. or whatever. And I didn't park it at the front of the gym. I parked it at the back of the gym.

And I showed some of my teammates, like my close, close actual teammates, not the people that go to the gym. Because sometimes a lot of people like to be like, oh, I'm Israel's teammates. Like, no, you just go to the same gym as me. Doesn't mean we're teammates. So I parked it at the back of the gym. And then after my teammates finished working,

I was like, yo, come check this out. And I showed them and I was like, fuck, look at this shit. Like, cause they know how the work I put in. I work hard, but then I'm like, man, I'm not the best student in the gym. So imagine if I can do this, imagine what they can do. So I kind of just to share my joy. And then, unfortunately, especially in New Zealand, there's this tall poppy syndrome

and there's that green-eyed monster. And I've been that kid. So it's easy for me to recognize it in other people when you've had it with yourself. So someone said something, you know, I must be nice. And I started to hear rumblings of, I know, it happens. For me, it was the same thing. I was just like, man, I didn't expect that from someone that I cared about to have that kind of rhetoric. Like, oh, and then I heard, you know, maybe, you know, like other people, they're more deserving people. What? I know, know yeah and they kind of just piss me off having people yeah at the gym

because they work harder than me right right right and like i said i didn't if i wanted to flex i would have parked it in the front of the gym like you know look at my new whip and just to like flex just show off or whatever but not parked in the back of the gym where only like seven people saw it and the seven people that I really give a fuck about. And I wanted them to see like, look at this shit. Like, fuck, if I can do this, imagine what you can do. So when I heard that, I didn't drive it for a week. I just felt shit driving it.

I remember driving it home and I just felt like shit. And I just parked it in the garage and I just left it there for a week. I didn't drive it because I felt, I let those words from that person I gave a fuck about seep into me. And then it sat with me. And then I just felt like, oh yeah, I mean, I don't deserve it. You know, you know, other people work harder than me at the gym, this and that, right, right, right. But then it took, like I said, about a week over that week. Cause I mean, it was a fucking sick car. I literally didn't drive

it for a week and got to the point that I realized during that week that towards the end like well that's subjective if they don't think I deserve it that's their own opinion that's subjective that's what they believe I don't have to believe that and like you said that is that that imposter syndrome things have to creep in I was like look maybe they don't think i deserve it but one thing no one can ever take away from me is that i earned it every fucking thing i have i earned it and i earned this fucking whip and i have a right to drive this thing and flex and once i got over that hurdle in my head boom i was in that bitch and i was whipping it around but yeah is that like that imposter syndrome thing creeped crept in when i heard that from and it was through the grapevine

as well but man i was from someone I really like. I was like, man, why would he say that? I just, I just, and people learn, this is over now. It's a long time ago. You know, this is Whitaker fight. But it's something, it said more about them

than it does about me. You know what I mean? It says more about them than it does about me. So I shouldn't have let that affect me at all. But I did because I gave a fuck what that person thought because they're a close person to me.

And unfortunately, sometimes it's the ones close to you that will hurt you with that. Yeah. There's something really remarkably sort of liberating and amazing to hear a UFC champion talking about imposter syndrome because it really does feel like, it feels like there's, and this is, I know this is an obvious misconception.

It really doesn't feel like someone with your swag and confidence could feel those things. You talked there about therapy as well. And when you spoke to Joe Rogan about therapy and about after your UFC debut, that swirl you went through, I wrote about this in my book because I got really compelled by this really bizarre thing

that happened in my life when my company joined the stock market and I'm sat in my room in Manchester and it's worth 300 million and I'm figuring out how much money that means I've got and it feeling like the worst day of my life. And then when I, you know, heard you talking a little bit about how you felt

after your UFC fight, hiding in the toilet when people are pestering you to ask you questions and that annoying dude sitting down next to you when you've tried to hide. Yeah. After my UFC debut, the after party, debut uh the after

party it was after the fight it's always like I said I get pulled in so many different directions and it's just like it was my first time in the UFC so I was my first time experiencing all that and it's like coffee it's a stimulant coffee's a stimulant so after your UFC debut and you show up like the way I did you know I stole the show I came in and I stole the show and it was just like cameras this oh we need you to interview this but I'll come talk to this person talk to this person and then I didn't get time to myself till I got back home and when I was back home and I was in my own house and finally away from all the noise and it's just like whoo and then I remember it's like coffee you drink coffee or you got the coffee high and then you crash so it's literally that like just lack of

the stimulant and I just crashed I was like why am I sad I just found myself being really sad and I remember it's probably on my old phone me documenting my recovery because i was like like video diaries that is i was like why am i sad like i made six figures in my ufc debut that's including the bonus as well yeah and i'm just like there's no need to be sad i fucking killed that shit and that's when i started to kind of like take therapy seriously because okay this is not i'm not going to be one of these bad statistics you know that you hear about in the in entertainment so yeah i um i had to i guess take a take a take a hard look at myself but then therapy helped with that because then you find the right person who

can kind of help you i guess figure you out and all they do is just actually the right questions and then show you i guess yourself yeah can you because i heard you say that you picked up tools from therapy that helps you sort of navigate all of that attention in this new position you're in what were the tools oh so um it wasn't until i fought brunson that i was able to go back home and just kind of like um i keep saying it's like i came back from prison uh what do you call it like weave weave back into society, regular life normally. You know, it was until that was my fourth UFC fight. But then each fight after that, same thing.

I go back home and I just like have this crash. And I had to realize, okay, this is something that I can't have happen constantly because it's not healthy. A tool I can say that helped me. One of the ones that helped was Charlemagne's book at the time, Shook Ones, Anxiety Playing Tricks On Me. I read that during the, I finished reading that actually during the Brunson fight, that fight week. I finished reading that and I got a lot of gems from that book. But from therapy, one, not even from therapy, from my own experiences talking to myself, the self-talk. Because you have

we all have negative self talk but looking in the mirror and talking to yourself you know speaking to yourself like you would to someone you're giving advice to because when you look in the mirror you humanize yourself and I'll start to like you know just have a conversation with myself even like G myself

up if I want to big myself up things like that so that's a tool that I feel like is really underrated. And it looks crazy, you know, standing in front of the mirror and talking to yourself, but it's a really powerful tool if you know how to use it right. Fighters don't talk much about their mental health. I think Whitaker did the other day

and you kind of thanked him and applauded him for doing that, for being vulnerable. Yeah, I mean, I put him in a dark place after that first fight. And I understand because guess what? He was trying to do the same thing to me. A guy I respect is Tyson Fury because he spoke about that, you know, to ends. And how dark he went. He went to, like, the depths of hell in his own head.

And then he's risen above it. And he says, like, he battles with it every day. I feel like, look, there's your spectrum of physical health. This is super healthy, super ill. If you do not look after yourself and your physical health, you're going to get physically ill. Same way if you don't look after your mental health, you're going to get mentally ill.

So I feel like if you're, it's like someone saying, like, you know, I don't go to therapy, fuck all that shit. It's like, well, do you take, I don't go to therapy. Fuck all that shit. It's like, well, do you take vitamins? Do you go to the hospital? It's not something to be, you know, shy, like, whatever from. I feel like you should look after your mental health the same way you look after your physical health. So once I learned how powerful that was, I'm always on top of it. I slip up, obviously, because I'm human and I get ill.

But yeah, I always make sure I'm on point though. Was that your hardest moment with your mental health after that UFC debut in your recollection? Not my hardest. I think 2013 was my great depression. There was a time in 2013 that life was just like a spiraling bad. It was early 2013.

I remember at the time my girl left me. The business I was working with was failing. Work was shit. I had my job broken in 2012, and I wasn't able to fight. So I really had no like, not purpose, but like something that I was looking forward to, you know? There was a time during that 2013, there was a time where I was walking Millie home one time

and I remember this is when I was really broke. And I remember just looking in this dairy or like this corner store and I was just like, I wish I could just go in there and be like, look, just give me the money you have. I don't want to hurt you, but just give me. And I remember just like it was a fleeting thought. And I was like, man, and that made me empathize with people.

I was like, this is why some of them do it. They just have no other choice. Obviously, I'm not going to do it because I'm not an idiot. But I realized like this is why some people do what they do because they have no choice. They just want to eat. I was lucky enough that no matter how bad it got I always had my parents supporting me if I hit my dad dad can you please just loan me 100 bucks can you just give me 200 bucks they would always support me and I never went to them often but whenever I needed to they were always there for me so I never had to go to that point where I was and I would have never anyway because I'm not stupid you you refer to that moment as your your great depression yeah

2013 what got you out of that great depression to be honest once I had my fight so then I fought in June I believe that year finally after six or seven months because I had to take time off after the surgery fighting and then I realized my purpose again like okay I know what I had to take time off after the surgery. Fighting, and then I realized my purpose again. Like, okay, I know what I want to do. So I didn't fight for a long time because it was, yeah, it was just really, it was dark times. Not, you know, something you're passionate about, something you, what I moved to Auckland to do,

and it got taken away from me. So then I wasn't able to do what I wanted to do. And then once I got it back, I just kind of reinstated to myself, like, I know who I am. I know who the fuck I am. So, yeah. There's something really sort of telling about that,

that your lowest moment was when you'd lost so much, you'd lost connection in terms of your girlfriend and you'd lost orientation and purpose and something to aim for in your life. Yeah. And you see that in young men. I mean, the single biggest killer of men in this country under 45 is themselves. Yeah. And you see that in young men. I mean, the single biggest killer of men in this country

under 45 is themselves. Yeah. It's mad. And it's like, how do we get young men to have a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives in the modern world?

How do we get that back into them? And funnily enough, I go to the gym around the corner. I could go to some posh gym. I go to the gym like down there.

Yeah. In the end, it's like 15 pounds a month. Yeah. And it's all black and Asian young men. And when I'm in the gym, I'm looking around and i'm sat there thinking like because now i'm on the dragon's den they come up to me sometimes but before that i was thinking like the probably the

best thing i could do to help um with suicide rates in this country other than having these kind of conversations is like put loads of fucking gyms in this country yeah oh yeah you know what i mean 100 i feel like we're talking about earlier about young men, kids, especially when they become adolescents and they don't know what to do with all this new hormones. They're just filling up their bodies and stuff like that.

They need an outlet. Even for me, I've said after this game's done, after I'm done with this fighting shit, when I have a family, at least a couple of times a year, I need to do something that's going to feel like I'm about to die. I feel like I just need to do something that's going to feel like I'm about to die. I feel like I just need to do something that's just going to just,

I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. So I need to do something that's going to just like tame the beast. If not, I just feel like it's going to seep in other ways I wouldn't want it to in my life, you know? So I need to find a way to tame the beast. And I feel like this does. Martial arts was, there's a quote, make savage of the body and civilize the mind.

Something like that. You know what I mean? Especially as young men, honestly, like they want to like, you know, sometimes people want to kind of like discredit athleticism or, you know, working out or you're just a jock or this and that. I hate jocks. I was never a jock in school. So I have a really, really special place in my heart for them but um yeah for me i just feel like just being able to own your masculinity in a way that's not not toxic i'm not talking toxic masculinity but just being able to just like work out and a place where you can be a man and just

like throw weights around or i like I love rolling with my boys. Like there's some, I love lifting. Even during lockdown, I was lifting a lot. But there's something to be said when I have a guy like my teammate Brad Riddell or Carlos or Blood Diamond, you know, on my back trying to choke me out. And then, you know, three, two, one, go. And I have to fight the choke. Something primal about that, that just activates this part of my brain that I'm just like, fuck.

It's just, yeah, it gets me going. Do you worry about that when all is said and done? Like you're going to have these crazy moments of having like 60,000 people in this arena and coming out and doing these like- I'm ready for it. Yeah, and then- I'm ready for it.

The high of that, the adrenaline high of that, when that's all, when you're done with this game, you said, when you lose the love of the game or whatever it is, do you ponder what that moment would be like for you? A little bit, but I'm ready for it in the sense that I'm not attached to this. I know I'm more than fighting. There's more to life than fighting. So I'm not like one of these guys who is attached.

I don't even know where my belt is right now, to be honest. I really don't know. I'm not attached to it. I know I'm the fucking champ. I know who I am. I know who I am. And I'm a champ without the belt. It's just a fancy tiara. I've said that from the jump, but I'm not attached to it to the sense that it's my identity, that this is all I am. So when it's all said and done and I'm, done, and I'm not the UFC middleweight champ anymore, I'm retired, I'm not going to be like, who am I? I know who I am without the belt. So that's the blessing in that.

But a lot of people don't. A lot of people are like, you see them walk around with the belt constantly, and they just stay attached to that. That's who they are. So when it's gone and it's said and done, that's why a lot of people who are supposed to be retired still end up talking to the media and finding their way to get their name in the spotlight because they're addicted to that. It's addicting.

Trust me. I've been there. I've felt it. It's addicting. Attention. That's the social currency now. Attention. Even at the highest level, fame, clout.

This is all, these are tangible things. I've seen it. I've seen what it does to people, man. Funny story. I saw this, when I was in New York, I fought Brunson, right? That week, I saw this YouTube video of a guy in Times Square in New York. He was there regular, easy, you know, just walking around, didn't get bothered. and then he went there at night time hired an entourage hired camera people and dressed the part I saw that

I saw that clip and people were like starting to like who's this guy fake famous dude exactly fake famous guy and they're like

and then the camera guy would ask him so how do you know David and someone would be like oh I heard his last album it was pretty good

or I heard a single on the radio or I saw him in Spider people would just lie through their teeth you know and just say whatever they think he is

and it's like you know you obviously don't know the guy you can just say oh I don't know who he is you know and I've had that so when that day

I'm sorry that week in New York I was doing a shoot for my brand Engage in Times Square I had Jeff and like three other cameras on me. So there's like four cameras on me.

You see people starting to gather around like, oh, who's this guy? And then some people recognize me. They start taking pictures. And then before I knew it, I started finding people who didn't even know me. Yeah. And they're just like, I just want to take a picture. Have you ever had someone come up to you? I had this when we were at the podcast.

Yesterday. And they go, hi, who are you? And I go, oh, I'm Dragon from Dragonstone. They go, bruv. Okay. Oh, man. They want to take the photo. The worst one I remember was,

I've used this story a few times, but I was at this bar in Auckland and there was a table of like four dudes and two chicks. And I could tell one of the chick was like the center of attention. So when I came in, the guys were just like, no fucking way. Stop it.

What the fuck? They were just showing me love and all that. And I could see, I could feel her energy. And I could see her from the corner of my eye just like. And then she came up. She's like, excuse me, but who are you? I was like, don't worry, baby. It's all good.

I was talking to one of the guys taking photos. And then she came back again trying to talk to me. I was just like. And then she came forcefully this time. I was like I was just like, and then she came forcefully. This time it was like, why is everyone giving a fuck? Who are you? I don't know who you are. And I was like, baby, I don't know who you are. And I just fired her off.

I was like, I don't care you don't know who I am. But the fact that she wanted to let me know that she didn't know who I was, it was going to hurt my feelings. And I was just like, baby, I don't know who you are. And I remember her face just like. She's not used to being treated like that. Exactly. I'm like, I don't care. I forget who I am all the time, you know?

But the fact that she thought, like, it would actually hurt my feelings for her not knowing who I'm like, who the fuck are you? You know? How have you made sense with all this noise? When you walk through places. Fuck the noise, as I said. But the fame, like what's your relationship with it?

I was thinking about this the other night and I was talking to one of my friends and I was thinking, for me, it's kind of just this thing that's happening outside of me and I'm observing it like a spectator. I like that. I like that perspective.

You know what I mean? There's no book on this shit. So I've always said like, fuck the fame, but I love the perks. I love the perks of fame, but i just i don't like being famous you know what i mean have you seen free britney yeah yeah brother there was a bit in that that was one of my like i was getting anxiety watching the first half of

that there was a bit she was driving and then she ran through these red lights and the guys were like look at her she's crazy i'm yeah, because you're fucking chasing her. You're chasing her. She's trying to get the fuck away from you, and you're calling her crazy. Man, that whole thing, just the way she, when she was trying to buy gas and everyone was just on her, I even cringe thinking about it because I'm just like, I would hate, I would hate to be in that position, especially to be with your family, your family doing that to you.

That's crazy. But, yeah, fame. It's not, it's not, no one's supposed to be famous. It's not a thing, especially with all these gadgets now. We're not supposed to have these. We're not supposed to have people who don't do shit with their lives have such a loud voice and droves being able to tell us. Because back in the day, I saw this quote on Instagram. Yes, maybe last week or this week about like, you know, back in the day before social media, you only heard from doers. You

heard from people who were actually doing shit. You rarely heard from complainers, but now complainers are the ones you hear from the most because they finally have a voice and they can be anonymous and hide behind their their anonymity so yeah they're the ones who have the big the big voice now and the doers are just doing so people start to eventually believe the complainers and it's a weird paradox shift now in this day and age. So like I said, you have to be able to sift through the noise and I have my ways of doing that. And I guess you'd also only hear, if you go back even further from people in your tribe.

Exactly. We're only supposed to have like certain amount of people we associate with as the human animal, but then like social media and the connectivity we have now has just made us connected to the whole world, made the world a small place that you can just, even confirmation bias. That's another thing we have to be careful about.

Like, and I make sure, because I follow certain people on Instagram that I don't necessarily agree with. But I follow them just to like hear the other side. I want to know. Just to like, because I don't want to be surrounded by yes men or people like, oh, I only follow this because this tells me what I want to know man just to like because i don't want to be surrounded by yes men or people like oh i only follow you know this because this tells me what i need to know what

i want to hear exactly yeah yeah so now i follow certain people just because i'm like uh they make me feel a certain way but i'm like they're not wrong though you know and it's just different ideas it's not wrong or right so different ideologies but i'm just like you know what i'll tap into that just so I can at least be aware of the other side what they're thinking yeah and that kind of brings me

to what I heard you say about Rogan when you defended him because Rogan's one of those people for me as well like I can listen to his shows and his podcast and stuff

and I don't have to agree with everything of course but there's a or his guests yeah I don't have to agree with his guests

that's what it means but there's a diversity of opinion so I can, and I feel like people these days, as we've all observed, they don't want to hear anything outside of their own. It's either left or right.

And it's, the other side is wrong. And if, and there's nothing in the middle. Right. And if you say one thing that represents the other side, like. They just drop you in a box right away.

But that's the thing. I'm like, this whole fucking situation we have with COVID now and what we're doing in society is strange times, man, because people are just, the human animal is weird. It's a weird fucking species because individually we can be smart, but when we're in droves, just dummies, just a bunch of dummies in droves sometimes.

I'm like, how can a smart person have this idea about this? When you know what's really happening, it's like if you really step away from it, like you said, just remove yourself from the situation and look at it from a third person's, as an observer, just watch it and just be like, I know what that is. But then somehow the smartest people I know sometimes just have the weirdest way of looking at the world. And I try not to hold it against them because I'm like, I know you, you're a smart person. But maybe the way you were brought up or your own childhood trauma, again, can kind of skew the way you look at the world. So I never hold it against them. I just kind of like, it's not personal. It's not about me. It's about them. So just observe just kind of like it's not personal it's not about me

it's about them so just observe but yeah it's weird man very weird very strange and they're just i guess trying to fit in too they're trying to be part of exactly tribe yeah so it's like more mentality even with um i remember when andrew schultz said recently he's like on one of his podcasts he said he regrets getting the vaccine and And yeah, he said he wishes he never did. What's like, people, I find this really strange that people like, people don't want to get duped. People don't want to get duped. People hate feeling like they got had. And if people, if someone felt like, oh, you know, they got duped, they kind of want to get people into their tribe so can they can you know we've got you on our side i don't care what side you're on i literally

don't care whether you want to do this or you do that all i care about is how you treat people how you treat the people around you the people you interact with but nah this damn age like i find people asking me the strangest questions like and then they'll base their how they treat you based on that response like are you vaccinated that was one of the weirdest one i was like why do you care yeah what does that do for you well we need to decide who you are exactly one decision we want to know what box to put you in it's like why so i like to fuck with people and just like maybe i am maybe i'm not we'll find out but then they're just like no but we need to know but yeah. Yeah, who's side are you on? Exactly.

I'm like, why do you care? Yeah. And this is the thing with division as well. I've said like, divide and conquer. That's the easiest way to break a,

you know, a nation or a group of people is just divide them and separate them, make them think that one is on the other side and this and that

and make them fight amongst each other. That's how they've done it for years, for centuries. The oligarcharchs or the illuminati or whatever you want to call it they divide and conquer this is how they get it done so why do you think that they're not doing that right now in so many different ways so many different ways i i consider myself to be someone that sits in the middle so like sometimes i don't i don't fuck with politics i don't so you know nigerian parents my dad used to have cnn or bbc on the telly all the fucking time constantly just

on repeat but i just don't watch the news i literally don't listen to it um you know in new zealand we used to have um like an update with this whole covid shit on mondays i believe around 5 p.m i never once was like on a Monday, like, Ooh, but everyone else is just like, Oh, has that, they made the announcement.

I'm just like, I get the, I get a new second hand. I'm like, what do they say? Oh, cool. Are we allowed to,

cause I just, the rules don't apply to me. That's how I feel. I just, I really, and I assess my ego talking. I'm not talking the rules of the law. I'm just talking like, no matter what they say, I can do or I can't do.

Like example, we were locked down for three months last year in August. During that time, there was things we weren't allowed to do, like train. I trained allegedly yeah but I found ways like I just felt like the rules didn't apply to me because I mean

in the beginning of the pandemic trust me I was scared I was I didn't know what this fucking shit was it felt like the purge but then eventually after all the bullshit

after a year and two years I kind of like okay like everyone else we just knew what was going on there's some kind of other I guess agenda behind it

that we have no fucking idea about I'm not going to act like I fucking know but I just know this doesn't make sense to me it does not make sense to me that I don't want to get too deep

into all that shit but like literally it doesn't make sense to me the common sense was just not commoning it was not common enough so I was like okay this is

there's something going on here that I'm not fucking with but i'm gonna live my life the best way i know how in the lines of what i can allegedly i hear you when you said at the start about the cartwheel you said you know you just wanted to be authentically yourself and this kind of links to what we're saying now from when i when i was i joined bbc one as a dragon i started thinking about how i defend myself from the inevitability of being cancelled either for the people that i speak to here yeah and one of the ways that i kind of concluded with my team was well if i am always myself and i don't ever try and convince the press that i'm a good guy bro this is where this is the this is the trap that a guy like Jon Jones fell into. Because he was always like the pastor's son.

He was always like, you know, after a fight, I want to thank Jesus. You know, I want to be sponsored by Nike. And, you know, oh, kids, you know, I want to be someone kids look up to. I want to be a good role model. Rah, rah, rah, rah. Fuck them kids. Fuck all that shit. You know what I mean?

I'm like, bro, people try to say that. Oh, you know, my kid looks up to you. I'm like, raise your own damn kids. Fuck all that shit. You know what I mean? I'm like, bro, people try to say that. Oh, you know, my kid looks up to you. I'm like, raise your own damn kids. Raise your own damn kids, you know? Like, one thing, after my UFC debut, some guy, so at my after party, I had this shirt, right? It said, Good Cunt from Engage.

Classic, sold it. Still big seller. And some guy, oh, straight up, it was the beautiful shirt. And also, it was like a play on a famous designer brand, GC. Yeah, so we sold those. We still sell them heaps. But this guy came up to me, and he was interviewing me at my own after party,

and I could see he was trying to set me up. So then he's like, oh, so what do you think a T-shirt like that sends? What kind of message does it send? I'm like, what do you mean? And he thought he fucked with the wrong one this time. So he's like, what do you think that kind of shirt sends as a message to say, for example, a young kid who looks up to you? And I was just like, oh, really? Oh, so what does that kid look up to me for?

He's like, for being in your position as a what? A fighter, right? Yes. So that kid just saw what I did about a few hours ago when I beat the fuck out of that guy. And he saw where I was taking him. He's just like, no, no, no. I was like, stay there. And I could see him trying to find a way out.

So that kid just watched me beat this fucking guy to a pulp in his own blood as he spat blood at me. And I beat him in his own blood till the referee dragged me off him. Yeah. Oh, really? So what do you think is doing more damage to the kid? Is me doing that and the kid looking up to me for that? Or me wearing a shirt that just says good cunt? It's this whole fucking culture of like stupid language games.

You can say that word and that's a bad word and this and that. And then I can't remember how I flamed him, but I fl flamed him there was a bit of an audience as well i flamed him badly he never released the interview obviously because he had no like the stand-up but he thought he had me but he didn't realize he fucked with the wrong one and i just told him i was like i think me doing my job it does more damage to the kid for watching than me wearing a shirt that says, good cunt. You know what I mean?

And I hate that. The fact that we're playing these, because even when I do, I don't do New Zealand media anymore because they're too fucking stupid for me and too, like I did this morning show one time and I was talking,

I said, something asked, oh, that's a swear, swear jar, swear jar. I'm like, what the fuck, this is high school?

I'm like, I'm an adult. I know you. I've seen you at fucking Ponsonby Social school? I'm like, I'm an adult. I know you. I've seen you at fucking Ponsonby Social Club drunk off your face. I know what you do in the bathroom. You know what I mean? So I'm just like, don't try to act like you're holier than thou now and like, oh, you put that in the swear jar.

It's like this whipper. What game are we playing? You're playing this stupid game that's like, oh, we can say these words, but we can't say these words. Like, you're an adult. When the cameras go off, I know how the fuck you speak i know how you talk you know and it's like why we're pretending we don't speak the way we do because of what because we're on tv it's just it boggles me sometimes and i start to like oh what game are we playing it's like it's it's so stupid

as adults we're adults like we we talk this is is this is language we curse we swear but then when the tv comes on you want to be proper and you know you must you be you know prestigious and speak i'm like nah fuck all that shit man like let's let's speak the way we normally speak and be authentically ourselves so that's like charlamagne say something and say speak your truth so no one can no one can use your truth against you amen amen bro like trust me like i i'm able to get away with a lot of things i get away with because i never said i'm a saint i know myself i am a fucking demon sometimes trust there's no good people there's no bad people people are just capable of great good and great evil you know what i mean but i just try to do more good than bad

but i have done some bad things in my time because I'm a human being. You know what I mean? So when people try and, I guess, put you in a box like, oh, he's a good guy. He's this. I'm like,

there's no good people. There's no bad people. We're just people and we're capable of great good and great evil. That's it. Amen. Yeah. In my head,

when you were saying that and you looked me in the eyes and went, I've been a demon sometimes. Yeah. I just had this image of all the press well you're Nigerian so I already know you

that side of the yeah yeah but that's the thing so when I started this podcast I know I was going to be on BBC One at 9pm on this very prestigious show I was like by the way

I used to shoplift pizzas to feed myself when I was broke I did this I did this I did this and you can almost put it out there exactly right

and you can almost in my head when you said that I was imagining the press here just packing up their suitcases and fucking off and being like, we can't use him. Bro, trust me.

We can't use this guy because he's not tried to tell us that he's not built this big hill of moral perfection. So we got to go find, you know, we got to go find someone else. They can't fuck with me because you know why?

There's a reason I've stayed off TMZ. I've never been on TMZ, knock on wood, never will for the wrong reasons. But I mean one day if something happens I just happen to be on TMZ

for the wrong reason I'd be like whoopsie my bad I made a mistake but guess what I never told you I was perfect exactly

I'm normal I'm a human being and so I'm just like that's my power is being vulnerable with my faults you know I'm not gonna say

I've done this I've done that but I just know I'm not perfect. I'm a human being. I make mistakes and it's okay to make mistakes. The difference between me and some people is that I actually learn from my mistakes and I don't make the same mistakes over and over and over again in the public eye like some people.

Jon Jones. That's one. That's a classic example obviously the same fucking mistake we had a guest come on this podcast in december and um she said that she was making the point about everyone having the same 24 hours in the day this was kind of the quote she used and it became the number one story in this country for three days it trended number one on twitter it was on hundreds of newspaper articles written about it because I think maybe her brand is one that is trying to be a role model.

So it was the number one trending topic in our country for three days. What was the story? That she said everyone has the same 24 hours in the day. Oh. Right, exactly. So I came out and said, by the way, loads of my guests say that all the time,

why are you attacking it? And then my next press event, right, I wore a shirt that said 24 hours on it. Everyone clapped. I didn't get cancelled. And I said, am I cancelled? I wore a shirt and all the paps are there. 24 hours.

I said 24 hours on the shirt. And this is what I'm, that was my attempt again to say, by the way, I'm not perfect. And if you want to cancel me, please do it now so I can get with my life. Yeah. And I'm still waiting. They've tried. They've tried they've tried me they keep trying me i'm just like look it's hard to

cancel someone when they actually don't give a fuck and they're being themselves i'm like i fight people for money that's what i do for a job i beat people up for a shitload of money if you really want to take my political views or my moral views into consideration and say this and that and right right right that's on you i'm like this is i'm not i never said i'm a saint i'm not a fucking politician i don't everyone i don't feel like i have anything to hide like i said i put everything not everything but like i put things out there that i probably shouldn't sometimes but that's my way of being vulnerable to the point where I'm just like, this is me. Take it or leave it.

But I feel like me doing that attracts the people who can relate, who can resonate. And I feel like they gravitate towards me. You don't talk about your relationships, your romantic relationships. Never. I keep them away. Nah. Is it because of protecting the person? Look, this world, one thing I've seen is they'll build you up, right?

They'll build you up and then tear you down. Like a Free Britney, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, all these people I've seen that happen so many times. And also this world just takes. They just take, take. When I have kids, the world will never know their face. I'm even contemplating if I still give them my last name because I don't want to put that pressure on them. Because even my siblings, sometimes they hate it as well where it's like, you know, oh, this is Dave.

This is Israel's brother. Or this is Deborah. This is Israel's sister. Or Starbender's sister. And they're like, oh, my name's Deborah, you know. Like, I don't want to put that on them. Same thing with my relationships. That's certain things I protect

because I value them. So I keep them safe because the world will just try and take, take, take. And that's one thing everyone wants to know. What's he doing? Who is he with? Apparently I'm gay as well because of my nails and my pearl necklaces

and all that stuff. So I'm just like, let them talk. It's fun. But have you found it difficult because of the success and the meteoric rise and the money and the increased attention to navigate being good in that department? And also your obsession with becoming the man you are today,

which did feel like an obsession when I was reading about your story, sleeping in the gym. Yeah. Like how does one do that and your story, sleeping in the gym. Yeah. Like how does one do that and also balance out having- That's no life. Yeah.

That's regular. I'm a human being and I have feelings, you know? So I'm an empath as well. Are you? Yeah. I'm born on the cusp. So I'm like,

I say I'm a cancer Leo. I'm hard and soft, like a semi-chub. You know? Introvert, extrovert. Exactly. My guy. So a lot of people don't realize that about myself.

Like when it's time to like go in my crab hole, I just find my way. I'm like, right, leave me alone. I love my friends because my close friends, we can do this for hours and just yawn and talk shit and make fun of each other and just show each other love. But then we can spend the next three hours just sitting in the same room, being on my phone or watching TV or listen to a podcast and not say a damn word and just enjoy each other's space. I love that. I love that feeling. But yeah, I'm a person who feels a lot. So I like to protect that. I like to keep that really guarded because like I said, the world will take that away from you, man. And I feel like people ruin things. People, especially like this, this, this is not supposed to happen. The world, I'm being under a microscope and everyone watching what I'm doing.

So certain things I just have, I feel like I just have to really protect because I don't want the world to take that away from me because they just take, take. My cat died maybe two years ago. The morning she died, right? I think I was filling gas up in the afternoon, and some guy came up while I'm filling gas and goes, brother, bro, can you talk to my cousin real quick? He's a big fan. I'm just like, man, bro, my cat just died this morning, man. I'm not even on the movie.

And I remember the look on his face just like, oh, all good, all good, whatever. And I was like, give me the phone. I was like, hello? And this is as I'm filling gas actively. And I was like, hold up, bro, no phones. Like, what if I spontaneously call? But they don't care. They just want to have their moment.

They want to take. They want to take. They want to take. So that's why if I'm having dinner with my family, if'm on a date if i'm in the intimate moment people start to like bro i don't want to be that guy but i'm like but you're being that guy you're being that guy you say you don't want to be that guy but you're being that guy that's what people say i'm not a racist i've got yeah oh yeah bro i hate to be that guy but can i i'm like well you're being that guy you hate to be that guy, but can I? I'm like, well, you're being that guy. You hate to be that guy, but you're doing it right now. And it's like, I'll be having lunch with you.

And within 10 minutes, we'll get stuck probably like six times with you. If we're at lunch in London, we'll probably not even have a chance to talk. But they don't care. They just want to get their picture and put it on their fucking social media with fucking 20 followers. It's like, oh, look, I'm at the tramp point. Like, whatever. I'm just like, no, let me me at the time, boy. Like whatever. I'm just like,

no, let me have my moment. and I've learned this. Okay. My experience with this, and I always bring this up whenever I see him on, on TV or here as raps,

most deaf. I see most deaf and common in Auckland airport. And they're having a conversation by the, by the back carousel. And I want to fight in Adelaide and I'm coming back home I have my trophy and I was like oh I want to get a picture and I pull up to

him I'm like hey what's up most def big fan he's like hey brother just no photos today man I was like yeah all good no worries easy and I remember I was a bit sad but I understood I understood because they were in a bit in the middle of a conversation actively talking I should have had the etiquette to realize like just they're talking

leave them alone but this is the thing no one I feel like it's learned behavior as well that's the one thing because everyone thinks

they're your biggest fan it's the same rhetoric I know the lines they're gonna say each time but like it's learned behavior I don't know the lines they're going to say each time. But, like, it's learned behavior. I don't know.

I think it's maybe from TV or Disney or whatever. People feel like when you meet someone you really, you're a fan of, you yell at them to let them know how much of a fan you are. And you show them by just shaking and da-da-da-da. I honestly think it's learned behavior because sometimes I'm like there's no need for all this I'll be at like a three I'm chilling at a two or three at a park and so no fucking way oh my god ah and I'm just like okay like after the Whitaker fight the first one I remember after that whole the fight after the Whitaker fight, the first one, I remember after that whole fight, after the after party on the way back to New Zealand, I remember at the airport, I put out a story just saying like, look, if you see me at the airport or traveling, just approach me lightly. Because if you come at me with all this energy, I'll walk away.

I put that on my story just because I was like, I'll walk away. Because my capacity to deal with high energy right now was just... How were you feeling? I was just drained. I was drained. So I was just like, I just want to go home and chill. So I remember at the airport, I just, I was, before at the hotel, I put up, before I went to the airport, I just put that out there on the story

just to be like, look, don't come at me with all this shit because it's too much for me to deal with right now. So if you come at me just like, hey, what's up, bro? Big fan. Can I take a photo? That's cool. And I remember that fight week, the week before the fight week, I realized, I had an epiphany. I realized I don't have to match everyone's energy because that was a problem.

I used to like, if you're a fan, you meet me. Now I feel, hey, even if I met, like I said, my catchers died, then I'd have to like raise my level up. Hey, what's up, bro? Hey, do the whole song and dance and all that shit but i'm like nah i don't have to match everyone's energy because guess what hard pill to swallow i'm not excited to meet you as much as you are to meet me it's just a hard pill to swallow and it's just my everyday life i'm not excited to meet you as you are to meet me. And that's okay because this is my life. This is how I deal with things. So once I kind of like go over that hump, I was like, oh, I don't have to match everyone's energy. So if someone comes

to me at a 10, I don't have to raise my level up. I'm just chilling. I'm listening to a podcast. I can just pause and be like, hey, what's up, man? How you doing? And if they feel like that's a shit interaction, cool. That's their prerogative. I don't care. But if I'm, if you met me last night, like, oh, no, I'm in the streets

in London last night. I'm showing love to everyone. I'm dancing. I'm talking to people. I'm Mr. Area boy. But that's a time and place. I'm taking pictures and all that kind of stuff.

There's a time and place. If you catch me at the right time and place, fuck it, I'll show you you love but i hate when people get entitled and think they just i want to take i want to take so that's why i keep yeah and you keep your boys and your the people you came up with close right well tell me about the import how how much you realize the importance of that as you've risen to this place you know to keep the day ones around you and stuff like that i mean you you'll know this it's lonely at the top you know but it's not if you bring the right people with you the people

that came up with you the people that you know love you for you you know the people that know you from before you had money before you were famous you know so um i like to have them around to keep me grounded to keep me grounded and just make sure I'm solid because they knew me before any of this shit happens. And, you know, it's hard because sometimes I have fallen into the trap of having people who just agree with me. Yes, man. You know, and even my boy Chance, I'm glad like I have him around because sometimes I'm crazy. I don't always have the best ideas and I'll have an idea and he'll be like, nah.

I'm like, okay, cool. I just needed someone to tell me no. But I'll put it out there. But if he's like, nah, we're not doing that. I'm like, okay, cool. Because then it just helps me. But if I had people around me who were just like, okay, sure.

Then eventually it just makes me more powerful and I just start to think like, oh yeah, you know, I'm the shit. I can say whatever I want. And that's not healthy, man. I don't think that's healthy for the ego, you know? Yeah. But I just like having people like that around me because I feel like, yeah, they keep me grounded and just remind me where I come from, you know?

And there's so many stories, man. Each of my friends in my group chat, I've known each of them over 10 years. But well over 10 years, man. And we all have stories we can kind of share from back in the day that just remind me where I come from. Yeah. And the other thing that happens is when you reach the heights you've reached in your profession is, we talked about it then, you have this other attention, which is from women that might want you for the wrong reasons. Oh yeah. My mom always warns me about this.

Have a baby by me. My mom's trying to tell me like you know. I wasn't able to settle down. I wasn't able to find a nice Nigerian just to settle down. She wants me to be

with a Nigerian woman. She just doesn't like. I don't settle. Yeah. I don't settle. So for me that's something I guess you just have to take it by case-by-case basis. Yeah, case-by-case basis because you do find people who just,

some people play the long game, put it that way. I've had people play the long game with me even recently. It's just like, yeah, you know, there's love there and all that kind of stuff, but they play the long game because they see the value and it's not just what you it's what you bring to the table and they get entitled you know and i feel like that's that's not the way you want to be when you have someone you know that's that you're romantically in love with or involved with as you don't want to be competing with them or have them feel entitled to what you

have i'm like yo you just got here i been made it. The fuck are you talking about? What do you bring to the table? I bought the fucking table. What values are you looking for? Do you look for in that kind of person? Kind. I just like someone who's caring.

Who gives a fuck? Who really cares? Like, and who wants nothing from me? That's the thing. It's hard to find someone who needs nothing. Even for me,

I don't even celebrate my birthday and I'm hard to buy gifts for because I'm not really a material. I love material things, obviously, but. Nice watch. Yeah, thank you.

I'm sure you know. I agree. We work. Yeah. No, but yeah, like I'm not a material person, but I do like material things, but it's hard to buy gifts for me

because I found this as well with my rich friends when I was coming up. It was hard to buy gifts for them when someone, they're able to buy whatever they want. So, but in that, I just look for someone who's caring,

someone who really gives a fuck. That's the main thing. You give a fuck about me. Yeah. And you're going to have a family one day? Of course. That's definitely one of my main goals after this. I don't want to be that dad that's like, you know,

I wake up, see my kids for like 30 minutes before I go to work. And then when I finish work, I see them like for hour, hour and a half, maybe while I'm tired. No, I'm going to make sure I'm there from the ages of zero to five or six. I'm going to be like, what do you want to do today? Like literally, what do you want to? And I feel honestly, fuck school.

I don't know why we still even have this whole fucking, this outdated concept of school to just build workers. Because we know what the fuck school was made for. Why are we pretending? We know school was created to create workers. Do you still know? What the fuck is X? No fucking idea.

Bro, I'm still waiting. Still. I'm like, when have I in my life as an adult known what the fuck is x no fucking idea bro i'm still waiting still i don't like whenever i in my life as an adult knowing what the fuck x is no fucking idea a lot of useless information gone passed on to me in school and i sucked at school because i was shit at memorizing same i didn't really learn anything dropouts as we do cheers drop out my man school doesn't teach you much, honestly. It teaches you the basics.

I understand math, yes, English, comprehension, all that kind of stuff, but when it comes to like social studies and algebra and calculus, I'm like, are you going to use those

in the real world? So fuck school. My plan is right. When I have kids, I'm going to have a tutor that's going to teach them from the age at home from the time time like say maybe

9am to midday Or 1pm And they'll have an hour of homework And the rest of the day we'll just go on adventures doing shit But then They're going to do gymnastics compulsory Because I want to make sure they know their body The foundation of athleticism

Gymnastics And Jiu Jitsu so that way they're involved with other kids and not socially awkward you don't want to raise some fucking bumpkins who you know don't have any social skills but yeah i want to make sure that they have those kind of skills by interacting with other kids through gymnastics or through jujitsu or other like activities and they'll do that every day or every whatever day of days of the week it is but school going there clocking in sitting down watching a teacher write some shit on the board and right right right no one's teaching just literally some of these people just there to catch a paycheck and i've seen it i was in school you just see them there oh they'll write the shit on the board whatever

copy this copy exactly copy this i don't even know what because we're doing these when i was in high school ncaa credits and i remember just like towards the end of the year what's all this credits credits credits not to repeat the whole year but i didn't know what i was like credit well ncaa credits what's all this credit shit credit credit credit credit i did not care i didn't understand i just didn't fathom it but then eventually when i got a grasp of it I was like this sucks it's a shit system and then they'll give you the D

and then you'll feel like you're a D as a human you identify with the D exactly bro I'm stupid one of the worst ones I remember was in

boarding school in Nigeria I was bottom three in the class and of course they'll have to announce it the bottom three and you have to stand

in front of the school they announce it savage and I'm just like these are the bottom three of my have to stand in front of the school these are the bottom three with your head down yep that's us that's yeah we're the weather ones i was the lowest yes thank you okay now go and take your seats okay yes thank you oh the worst man and it's just humiliating but it's like it's i don't know if it's meant to motivate you or what, but I didn't do shit. And like I said, a lot of people start to like, if I see that now, even like young people, they start to tie their self-worth.

I have a friend in med school who literally like when it gets crunch time, they're just like, I need to get these grades. I need to get the grades up. And they just identify themselves. If I don't get this, I'm useless. This is it. I failed. I'm like, you're 23. Calm the fuck down. It's not that deep. It is obviously. It's your career. But i'm like you're 23 calm the fuck down it's not that deep

it is obviously it's your career but i'm like there's more to life there's way more to life than this than than just this idea of who you think you are because when i was fucking 18 i thought i was gonna be married and have kids at 23 point was i wrong damn i'm like how the fuck who let me buy a house now i'm like why i the fuck? Who let me buy a house now? I'm like, why? I don't know. Who let me do that? I shouldn't. You should never give these niggas money.

First of all. I don't think they gave it to you. You took it. I took all that. I'm a banker. Yeah, like, yeah. I don't know what I was thinking back then. I thought I knew what I wanted.

So when I was 18, I was like, I'm going to have kids when I'm 23, 24. Fucking hell. Jeez. I'm scared. When you look forward at your, I mean, you've reached the top of your game. How do you keep yourself, you know, what is the thing that's driving you now?

What is the thing you're aiming for now? What's that North Star that's getting you out of bed? Is it legacy? People talk about legacy. Legacy, yeah. Big thing. That's what it is. For me, it's definitely

the legacy I want to live. Why does that matter? I think I want to be immortal. I don't know if it's my ego or I'm selfish or what it is, but I just know, look, I did, Sonia, the prefix I did is royalty,

where we're from. You know, I did from the Yoruba tribe. You know that's some royal blood tied to it. Adesanya. But now, worldwide, the name Adesanya is synonymous with greatness. Forever synonymous with greatness. And I'm going to make sure that is. I'm going to make sure if you have that name Adesanya,

you're proud to be like, yep, I'm tied to that bloodline. I understand. Because I don't know. You're proud to be like, yep, I'm tied to that bloodline. I understand. Because I don't know. I don't know what it is. Is it my ego? Why is it that fucking King Tut wanted to be buried in his tomb with all his gold? Even though he's not going to be there to... Exactly, enjoy it.

I don't know. I don't know. But I know when it's all said and done, when'm dead my name will be remembered in history was that troy line and that's why no one will remember your name or whatever it was but like i want to make sure that my name will be remembered and revered throughout history as one of the one of the best in this game but also just as a person i just just just a gc just a good cunt just a happy dude who was who was enjoying life and just i I don't know, making shit happen. But it's more about the feeling, though.

I want people to remember my name and just remember the feeling I gave them. You know what I mean? Like those who are alive, or not alive, or around to watch Jordan's reign in the NBA. I mean, I'm sure when they hear Jordan, they can just remember, I remember that time I was at that game. Or I remember that time I watched that game live. And they remember the feeling I want those like when they remember my name to be like I was there two four three I remember how I was in the in the arena when he won that feeling I want I want people forget what you say or what you do but they never forget how you make them

feel so it's the feeling I want to make sure they remember yeah when people reach the top of their game they start becoming philanthropists. We see this when people get billions, because they can't seem to get the buzz or the feeling anymore from business or successful money or Lamborghinis or yachts. So they start like helping other people, right? I'm getting there.

You're getting to the point where you're starting to feel that the greatest service you can do is like for others. Because when you're talking about your legacy there, it's actually sounds like the feeling, that's philanthropy. It's like, i want to leave this feeling with other people yes so that they feel you know inspired or whatever yeah um i'm doing the same thing as well i'm setting my people up the people in my circle i'm not handing anything out to them but just with opportunities you know and also experiences i'm giving them experiences to inspire them um but yeah there's things that i do behind the scenes that i don't necessarily i don't know like i'm not one of these guys i don't do it for

the likes i do it for love and i feel like there's a bar from jay-z the best form of giving is anonymous to anonymous so there's ways i just i drop gems like shack i love the way shack does it but he does it quite overly he's like you want a bike yeah ask your mom if you have a bike you got these shoes how many you want

you know like he does like just drop gems everywhere he makes people happy because it feels good to make people feel good even though that is selfish in a sense

because I'm getting I'm getting something I'm getting good feels out of it but still I'm making someone feel good I'd rather that but I'm not doing it to be like yeah hey man you know i know you're hungry and i just bought you

this meal because i really want to show love to you man you know yeah exactly and upload it to the gram and then okay i don't do that like i there's things i've done even tim will tell you after this i mean even for this fight, there was someone that I, I think last year he went through some stuff that I heard about on the media and I was just like, fuck, I went through that shit as well. And then this fight, I brought him out and I showed him a good time. Yeah, he and his mom and I put them up, got them tickets and just made sure they were looked after. I met him backstage and just gave him a few words of encouragement.

And I don't need to bring it up. Yeah, yeah. Okay, I hear you. It's fine. That's some shit. But Tim will tell you about it. When you walked in, the song playing, do you remember the song playing? Hold up.

Oh, Victory Lap. Oh, no, that was Nipsey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which one? It was from Victory Lap, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Double Up.

Double Up. Yeah, every time. That song gets me every time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When it gets to the Double Up. Yeah. Oh, every time. That song gets me every time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When it gets to the chorus, I'll never be high when you let me. Oh, it gets me, man. Every single time.

I don't know why, but something about that track, it just gets me in my feels. I even think about it and I get goosebumps. Yeah. Double Up's the track, man. When I saw you pre-fight

playing that song in the hotel room crying. Yeah. And then I saw you in thefight playing that song in that hotel room crying, and then I saw you in the stands another time crying, I guess that was the evidence that you are a bit of an empath. You do feel. I feel. The last one was when I watched my boy Blood Diamond jump on the scale to weigh in.

And I get really emotional. Fight week's like my wedding week, I feel. This is why I dread getting married because the guest list, I'm i'm just like i don't even know who i want to like invite because people are going to be like oh you didn't invite me to your wedding yeah i don't know that's why i don't celebrate my birthday because it's like a few times a year there's a whole week that everything's about me so i don't need another special day that it's about me so that's why i'm also dreading like i said my wedding day on my birthday forced fun exactly so i don't i really don't celebrate my birthday to be honest like every day is my birthday i can do whatever

fuck i want you know i don't even sell i don't i don't buy gifts for people on their birthday i just buy them if i see something i say i think she'll like that or i think he'll value that i'll just buy it just because i'm like or give them the experience just cause that's why they'll value that but um I know you're not missing Valentine's Day though

oh nah Valentine's Day I have a special tradition on Valentine's Day I used to do but I can't I don't really play around with it anymore

I just used to like just mad memes on my page and just just it's funny it was just the way the first time I did it

was in 2014. Yes, I believe 2014, Valentine's Day, I was fighting and throughout the day I was waiting for the fight. I was just bored.

It was before stories on Instagram. So I just put up like 80 posts that day just like, yeah, I know people go mad at me. People were really entertained

but I didn't care. I was just, I was just in that fight mode so I was just like, fucking putting up posts about fans, just memes and just making just making fun of valentine's day but fuck good times good time before i was uh i guess super famous one of our guests you said you're going up to manchester on um on the weekend one of our guests patrice ever is manchester united football legend yeah do you know the guy? No, I see. Football, the bug didn't catch me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It didn't catch me. Sports didn't really catch me as a kid because I was unathletic, funny enough. Yeah, I know. I was never really an athletic kid. Mad. I mean, when Patrice came here, he's from, his family are from Africa originally,

moved to France, played for the French football team. He became this legend, maybe the greatest Manchester United wingback in our history. He wrote a question in the diary. We always get our guests to write questions in the diary. That's right. Yes, I heard about this. This is all I knew about this podcast. I was like, okay, apparently there's a question.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a question at the end. But in fact, I'm going to read you the question that's been left for you. I don't actually read it until I look at it. But Patrice asked a question, which I thought was really profound. Because I remember being asked this question one day and it really puzzled me. And it's such a simple question. So I'm going to ask you the question.

Okay. Are you happy? Right now, yes. Yes, I'm very happy. Why do you say right now? Because it's not lasting, it's fleeting. That's one thing I've also learned as well is, well, you can't enjoy the sunshine without a little rain,

and everything is temporary, everything. Everything's forever changing. So even right now, I'm happy. I'm enjoying life. I love where I'm at. I love who I'm around. I love who I'm with. You know, I know it's not, it's not lasting because guess what?

Something's going to happen. That's going to shake that up. Cause back in the day, whenever this was happening, I'm just like a few good days. Things are so nice. Where's the ting that's going to fuck me up. But now I'm just like, this is nice. And I'll just sit in it and I'll just enjoy it. I enjoy the happiness and I enjoy what I'm doing. I enjoy where I'm just like, this is nice. And I'll just sit in it and I'll just enjoy it. I enjoy the happiness and I enjoy what I'm doing.

I enjoy where I'm at. And then when the bad thing comes, I'm like, ah, there it is. It's okay. This is going to pass as well. This too shall pass. So when I say, yeah, I'm happy right now, I'm happy. Very happy. Are you good at defending that happiness?

Because the amount of, you even described it when you came off after your debut, the amount of people that are going to want to talk to you and do an interview in Israel. Are you good at saying no? No. Better. I'm better at it now. I never used to be. This is where I was talking about the people pleaser thing back in the day.

And this is why this year, one of my things is I don't get fucked up around people I don't like. I don't know. Because I realized when I get drunk, I'm too nice. I'm a friendly drunk. I'm like a fucking golden retriever when I'm drunk or black Labrador. I'm just like, hey, and not everyone's your friend. Not everyone wants the best for you, but they'll just take advantage and try and like, you know,

I just let my boundaries get crossed too many times, you know, and I let people get too close, maybe like too. Then the next day I'm just like, what the fuck did I let that person, you know, ah, fuck, I wish I'd said no to that. You know, then I start to like, they'll eat at me for the next few days. So, yeah, I'm getting, it's practice. It's constantly evolving, but I know how to say no now. I just say, and I don't have to explain myself.

I literally just say no, because when you're explaining yourself, you're losing. I learned that from Chil Sutton. I remember when I used to listen to his podcast. He said something really profound, like when you're explaining yourself, you're losing. So I don't explain myself.

I just say no. And if someone's like, can I get a photo? I'm like, I'm busy. Oh, please. I'm like, no. Because it's like, first of all, you see I'm having,

I'm on a date right now and I said no or I'm walking with date right now. And I said, no. Or I'm walking with someone right now, having an intimate moment. And you're disturbing my peace. So I say, no. And if you try and like push, push, okay, no. And sometimes, oh, fuck, you know, they'll say something stupid. Oh, well, fucking rub will smash you anyway.

Or whoever your next opponent is. I was like, huh, okay. Then I just let them, you know, this is why they take a photo with you. But if they, sometimes at a restaurant, like if I say no to someone, cause I'm having lunch or I'm on a date or whatever. And then they come up to me and it's like, I'm busy right now, man.

Cause if they leave me alone on my way out, if I see that person and they were nice and respectful, I'd be like, yo, you have your phone on you? Then we take a photo. Cause I'm like, thanks for being respectful. Because sometimes I can understand people's judgment goes out the way when they see a celebrity, apparently. And I felt this way.

Like I said, you just don't realize your etiquette. It's just... So when that happens, I don't hold it against them. I'm like, it's learned behavior, like I said. So then I'll... Yeah, I'll take my time out of my day and just say what's up afterwards but if they like you know oh please please I'm like bro you're not respecting my boundaries you didn't respect my no I need my no to be respected I said no why because I fucking

said so that's it I didn't explain myself to you who the fuck are you I don't know you from a bar of soap and again you're more excited to meet me than I am to meet you. In the core of your being, do you realize that you're a star? Yeah. I always knew so. I knew I wasn't going to be regular. I just knew like

I was going to be great at something. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I was going to be great at something. I just knew. Even when I was working my last job, I just, I'm grateful for it because it showed me what I didn't want in life. I just knew. Even when I was working my last job, I just, I'm grateful for it because it showed me what I didn't want in life.

I just knew this isn't for me. And what is that? Is that self-belief that gets you there? Or is that, so is it you believing that you're going to be great that got you there? Or is it because you were innately destined to be great? I'm trying to figure out if it's something that one- What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Yeah. There's levels. There's people like us us we're crazy in the sense that we believe to be it's almost delusional sometimes yes like what's the one i've heard this quote on the jre before it's like greatness and madness are next door neighbors and they just borrow each other's sugar once in a while you know what i mean mean? So there's a point, like, I've used this story of me when I used to drive this beat-up Honda, and I'd shift the gear stick, and I'd just do this. Jesus. Literally, it was madness.

It was me preparing for having a sports car, paddle shifts. So I'd shift the, you know, three, boom, gear four, boom. And when I dropped down, you know, same thing. Just like I was getting ready. I was, I was, this is, bro, I can manifest like a motherfucker. Do you believe in it in the metaphysical, like, sense you believe? Yep, 100%, 100%. Everything comes from the imagination.

Everything comes from, like, before this microphone was a microphone, someone somehow thought about it you know how can i speak into something that would amplify my voice and blah blah blah and then this came out of it and it's evolved over the years but everything comes from the imagination so the power of the mind people don't understand we still don't understand i still don't understand how powerful it is i'm still learning but i know one thing is i can make things happen i can go to levels i just can't tell the world but like there's levels that like i've manifested things that i'm just like i still shock myself like how the fuck did i make that happen and this is not even to do with fighting this is to do with my personal life and i'm like

i made that happen and this is through this like manifesting subconsciously as well just years of something just manifesting manifesting and boom it's right there i'm just like shit i really made that happen it's scary man it's scary for me to even think about i reflect on that and almost view it like getting in your car in the morning when you get in the car in the morning you set the sat nav but then you've also got to drive. You've also got to go to training. Yeah. If you just set the sat-nav, where are you going to be? Sitting in the car. Sitting in the fucking car.

Yeah, so you can sit there and make all these dreams and manifest, but you have to work. And what happens if you just drive? If you drive- And with no sat-nav? You don't know where you're going. You're lost. You know what I mean? You have no direction.

So for me, I felt like both of them together, when you really, when you have the vision and you're able to manifest, but then you also put the work in, magic happens, man. Magic. That's where the magic is. But a lot of people never get there, unfortunately. A lot of people don't. We're blessed that we can dream.

We're blessed that we can dream. That's one thing I've realized. Because a lot of people, even from the impoverished parts of london will be will be lucky to have my old job you know from where i'm from from nigeria a lot of people will be blessed to have my old job and they'll be like yo this is i have a great job i can send money back home this and that but yeah i just had bigger dreams i just knew what i wanted so i feel like i'm spoiled that i can i can dream the way i i do and I can manifest the way I do. So I never take it for granted.

And I realized the position that I'm in. I'm privileged. I'm very privileged. I read a quote about immigrants specifically from Nigeria and it said our parents' role was to try and figure out survival. And we're here sat blessed with the task of self-actualization, which is like figuring out meaning. And they said, what a beautiful thing that is.

Yeah. They're just trying to survive or find a way the next way to thrive and to educate you see like what's meaning and exactly happiness and that's why i feel like even today the way the world is like the problems of that we have especially with all this divisiveness and whatnot you guys aren't really having your real problems like when people in new zealand start to complain about some stuff i'm like you guys are really worried about having your real problems. Like when people in New Zealand start to complain about some stuff, I'm like, you guys are really

worried about this? It's like, because there's no real problem. The police aren't trying to kill the people constantly. You know, the government isn't, well,

they are fucking the people over, but not the same way as, you know, Nigerians are being fucked by their government for so long. So it's like, you're really having

your real problems. It's like, they find things to fight about now. Like now we're arguing about genders, you know, this kind of stuff. And it's like, because there's no really, they're looking for problems.

They're creating problems. Look, if there was some real shit going on, like there was like another war, World War III, apparently it's coming soon. Stay tuned, stay tuned. Yeah, if that was happening or aliens invaded, do you think anyone would give a fuck about any of that shit?

Fuck no. No way. We're worried about some real shit happening, you know? So yeah, I feel like people just start to create problems because we need struggle. We need struggle in our lives. That's the thing. Mo sat there, he was the head of Google

and he changed my life or something. He said about that. He said, unhappiness is when your expectations of how life is supposed to be going, go unmet. So it explains why a billionaire, when his steak comes and it's not perfectly cooked he will be fucking furious because his expectation was here and if it goes unmet the delta

is unhappiness and if you go to where I was from in Botswana getting a bowl of rice expectation is I'm not going to eat today bowl of rice the delta is happiness and it's the same thing you're talking about with people you know their problems are relative to their expectations of life right facts the last question this one was written for you in the diary by our previous guest what question do you believe based on the subject matter of the conversation we've had today

would have been interesting to ask you that people don't usually ask you i mean you touched on a few things i normally don't even talk about like relationships and kids a little bit and stuff that i really hold guarded but uh i have some funny ones in my head but i'm gonna talk about those. Go for those ones. Let me see. I think diving into my personal life a little bit, anything that has to do with like family relationships or, you know, like I say, yeah, family that I'm going to have. I'm glad people don't though because like I said,

I like to just keep those things guarded. But yeah, and I think people kind of get, my love life's not for sale, my family's not for sale. Those kind of things, like I said, I won't sell for the consumption of people to watch. I'm not the Kardashians. You know, I ain't Kanye West. I ain't putting all my business out there.

Yeah, so for me, yeah, I keep those things guarded. So I think people kind of respect that, understand that. So they don't push too much. You get like a little bit here every now and then, but not nothing too much. Yeah. I hear you.

Thank you for your time today. It's honestly, it's tremendous, man. Like, yeah, you're a killer in so many ways, but we didn't even get to talk about the marketing and the branding side of

things. Oh, that's levels. There's ways. I mean, I did computer graphic design in college and i felt like some of the stuff i learned there really helped me with my social media when it comes to making my own highlights when i was coming up you know posting all the anime stuff as well bro but that's just me being

a big kid authentic self as well exactly authentic expression of self if you put it out there those who appreciate will gravitate fuck I like that that's a bar t-shirt that's a bar those who appreciate

will gravitate I'm gonna keep that that's dope add to your t-shirt collection yeah but listen thank you so much for your time for your grace

for your humility and your openness as well means a lot to me likewise my man I'm gonna look into you a little bit more okay this is the thing

whenever I like to meet new people and learn about them so hearing your story I'm just like man that's still like 700 million at 27 I didn't get all of it

but yeah oh respect thank you thank you thank you thank you appreciate that

thank you Thank you.