The Digression Sessions - Ep. 24 Bag of Chips (minicast) w/ Ben Heffner!

Episode Date: February 10, 2012

Hola Digheads! Here's a quick ep w/ our favorite, and the only, MMA fighter we know (and the only one worth knowing!) BEN HEFFNER! Josh has been friends with Ben since the 6th grade and we were delighted to have him skype into the cast for a quick interview. Ben reigns supreme as the Super Cruiserweight MMA champion and will be testing his undefeated record against Mike Donohue on Saturday February 11, 2012 Harrington Raceway & Casino located on US Route 13, Harrington, DE 19952. GO SUPPORT HIM!! For more details -http://www.facebook.com/events/304720512897263/ http://www.stellarfightsmma.com/Stellar_Fights_7.html @2girls1Heffner @DigSeshPod @JKuderna @MichaelMoran10

Hello. Ahoy, hoy. Ahoy, hoy. Hola. Hola, hola, hola, Mr. Benjamin Hefner. What's up, man? Behelf. Welcome to the show, Ben. Behalf at your behest. Right. Right. Can you hear us okay, Ben? I can hear you just fine. Can you hear me? I can hear you. Excellent.

How are you today, Ben? You know, I'm pretty good. Yeah? Yeah? You're about to be really good. Uh-huh. It's about to get a whole lot pretty good here. I know.

I'm pretty excited. Well, thanks for coming on the show, Ben. Thank you, Ben. You're a longtime friend of mine. I think I've known you since, what, fourth or fifth grade? Sixth grade. Sixth grade middle school was the start. And I've known you since, like, what, 2.56 p.m.?

It's not even that time yet. Oh. Well, Josh here apparently thinks it's funny to prank me by setting a wrong time on his computer. Gotcha. That's a great prank. That's just some radio pranks. Some hilarious, hilarious radio pranks. Well, Ben, I've been watching your meteoric rise into the world of mixed martial arts,

and I have to say it warms the cockles of my heart hey man i appreciate it you know i'm trying my best i remember back in the day uh did you did you want to box before you got into mma then you uh you dabbled in the uh the boxing yeah but i wasn't i realized i wasn't very good at it so i remember when you were into it you uh you wanted to box like all your friends just to spar and uh do you remember the one time that we boxed out in your front yard for about five seconds and then you you punched me in the temple and i blacked out for a second uh vaguely yeah that was the last time we boxed did you get into boxing because of the rocky movies no uh i i had an

interest in boxing as a child because of the Rocky films. But the matches you'd watch on TV were never as exciting. Well, the fight that Ben and I had was pretty exciting. Sounds like it. It was me just laughing, pretending, trying to throw punches, and then Ben threw a right hook, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. Wow. Did you cry? No. I was more laughing.

It didn't hurt too bad. right hook and the next thing i knew i was on the ground wow did you cry no i was more laughing like it didn't hurt too bad it just hit that sweet spot where your brain just like oh let's let's let's shut down and see yeah exactly exactly so i'd like to apologize for that no no you know it's for the greater good look at you look at you now you know i'd like to think that was the uh the launching pad for your career also the cornfield classic just about to say that it had to be the that's the beginning there cornfield classic ben can you explain the cornfield classic a little bit i don't know who set that up but uh previous dig sesh guest blake phelps and i yeah thought and it was literally in a cornfield.

Nice. The cornfield classic. Well, how did that start? You guys were friends. Yeah, we were friends. But the only thing I really remember, it was like 110 degrees outside. Yeah, it was in the summer. And somehow it got started because you were getting into boxing,

and then I think Blake was joking, saying that he could beat you or something like that. I believe that's true. And you two boxed yeah yeah did you wear gloves yep yeah we were I mean gloves and mouth guards yeah and I remember it was just um in a cornfield just off of like a path like a nature like biking path so there were people just riding by and there's like 15 of us just in this little field like like just off the path, watching our friends try to beat each other up. Who won?

I did. Of course he did. Is there still footage of that? Do you have the tape of that, Ben? It's got to be around here somewhere. I mean, if I can find it, I'll – That'd be great. I can definitely bring it up.

Get it up on the Dig Sesh site. Was there a finishing move? I think it was just so hot and Blake just had enough. I remember Ben was about to punch Blake in the back of the head at one point. Because he turned around and Ben saw an opening and everybody was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ben was like, all right. Was there a ref? Yeah.

I think, wasn't Robert Rizzotti the ref? I think we just kind of had corners. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Did you have a trainer there? A grizzled old Irishman? It was me. Rubbing your shoulders?

Josh was there, you know. Holding a spit bucket up to your mouth? I said, get in there, kid. You know, I figured I could punch him in the back of the head because, I mean, we were in a cornfield. I mean, I figured the rules would be a little less than that. Exactly. How many people in attendance were wearing ICP makeup is what I want to know.

I don't think any. Were the jugglers big back then? I think they were around, but just not as big. Our only juggler friend was Gene, but I don't think he ever wears makeup out in public. Did you ever dabble in the world of wrestling? Of fake wrestling? I remember some kids in high school would do that. Oh, yeah. Who didn't?

The dirty water, dirty fighting? Not just watching it. Did you ever stage your own wrestling matches? Yeah, I mean... All the time. That's normal. Did you have characters? I don't think so. Yeah, I think it was more just like All the time. All the time. That's normal. Did you have characters? No.

I don't think so. Yeah, I think it was more just like messing around. Yeah, you were just messing around. But I remember some kids actually taking to the next level and creating characters and buying props and stuff. Right, getting storylines and stuff going on. Yeah, having a champion. And they were way into Insane Clown Posse. That's why I asked.

Oh, no. None of that going on. But Ben, you're a serious fighter now, man. Yep, got a fight coming up next Saturday. That's right. It is Stellar Fight 7, February 11, 2012. Is it going to be on TV? No.

No. It'll end up on the YouTubes afterwards, though. Yeah, it'll be on YouTube, and I think they make a DVD or something. Really? Yeah, yeah. afterwards though yeah it'll be on youtube and i think they make a dvd or something yeah yeah so it's gonna it's gonna be at the harrington raceway and casino in delaware right yeah right there right fucking there so ben you're four and oh i'm gonna go over some of these uh these assholes that you've run over in the uh octagon we got got Rodney Gunga. Rodney Gannett. Yep. Gannett gonna beat ya. You know what I'm saying?

Ben Moses. Can't part those C's. He's actually a pretty nice guy. Yeah, I know. Yeah, you creamed him. I say this in jest, but these are just some of the people that... These are the people that, these are the people you've fought so far.

Steven Dodson and then Sean Grazuities. Oh, he's a piece of shit. Is he? Well, he was the last guy I fought. Yeah. And I beat him. Well, the ref stopped it because I got him in an arm bar and like literally it sounded like his arm sounded like someone was stabbing, like stepping on a bag of chips.

Oh, wow. And you could hear it? Yeah, I could hear it, but I was kind of freaking out while I was doing it. I was like, oh, my God, I'm breaking this guy's arm. But that's the thing is you can't stop until he taps, right? Yeah, well. I mean, you could. The ref can stop.

The ref can stop it, and you could have stopped to let him go, but then you risk him coming back. Yeah, getting up. And he throws a fit and just kind of walks out. And then all his fans start booing me, telling me I suck, but it was kind of funny. But I mean, in the first ten seconds of the fight, the first two punches

I hit with, he was out cold on his feet, but I think I got so excited. I was like, oh my god, I knocked him out, but I just kind of froze and gave him time to recover. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, that's the thing too about all your fights is that you've beat all of your opponents in the first round under two minutes. Really? Wow.

When's the last time you lost? I haven't lost in mixed martial arts yet. He's 4-0. Oh, god. That's incredible. 4-0. So you're serious business. Yeah. Aaron Coleman has. So you're serious business. Yeah. Aaron Coleman has said this about you, Ben, the great Aaron Coleman. Big Cat?

Big Cat, he has referred to you as a rare breed. He was quoted in the article about you in the Star Democrat. Really? Yeah. Wow. Was he talking about his ethnic heritage? Yeah, exactly. Then he said, the star Democrat, Ben, had listed you as a quiet storm in a sport of loud performers.

Yeah, you do seem kind of mellow for a fighter. I mean, nothing to get too excited about. Hold on, I'm going to put the dog away away I'd expect you to be screaming and breaking things yeah I mean it's just not really my style so you know nothing it sounds getting worked up over and I do you find that that most of the guys involved are actually mellow people or is there a lot of ego and macho news going on it's about half and half and the ones who are acting like the macho douchebags usually are the ones losing, it seems like. Right.

What's your training like? Usually, try and run at least four or five times a week and go to the gym and do a lot of sparring and boxing and wrestling and jiu-jitsu and stuff like that. Is it kind of a wake up at 5 a.m. and go all day type of thing?

Absolutely not. No? I mean, I work full time, and I just kind of train from like 6 to like 10 or something every night. Okay. That's still a pretty good chunk, four hours every night. Yeah. Does that increase when you have a fight approaching? A little bit, yeah.

But now that it's a week out, I just got to start dropping a couple pounds and getting ready. What is your weight class, Ben? It is 190 to 195. That's right. And you currently hold the Super Cruiserweight MMA Championship belt, if I'm not mistaken. I do. I actually have two of them. Wow.

We got two different promotions. Okay. So I got one, and then I just got the other one. So I have both the titles of that weight class. And that's both super cruiserweight? Yeah. Those are both? Okay.

Where did the tradition of the belt start with fighting? Was that like an ancient kung fu thing? I have no idea. It's a bunch of monks talking trash. Back in the day when nobody could afford a belt, they'd give one to the best samurai. It's ragging on your cord, man. Back when they had to use a live snake. All right, so you got a fight coming up against Mike Donahue, Ben.

What can you tell me about this guy? He's supposed to be pretty good, stand up and really good on the ground. So I really don't know. Okay. Seems like he's going to have me beaten the areas where I thought I'd have the advantage. And is that your prime? Because you seem to get a lot of people in like grapples and then in holds and submission locks. Is that kind of your thing, the ground?

Definitely my strong point. And then I think I have pretty good conditioning so hopefully i can just wear them down and right right beat the brakes out of them so what's so i guess your style is just brazilian jiu-jitsu is that your main form of martial arts definitely my strong point uh-huh i still do a lot of jiu-jitsu competitions every now and then and okay so what's, like, the mixed martial arts part? Is that more, I don't know, what's the difference? Is that you can't, like, grapple and get people on the ground with Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Well, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is pretty much just, like, all the submissions.

So there's, like, in competition, like, there's a point system. But there's no picking like that. You're just pretty much trying to submit the opponent. Oh, okay. Gotcha. And then do you fight in a gi as well? I usually do the gi and no-gi competitions. Is that easier with the gi?

No, I mean, there's a lot more moves. Like, you can choke someone with it, and, you know, it's a lot harder to move. Yeah, yeah, because you have more to grab on, so you can kind of just grab the guy's gi, right? Yeah, I don't do as well in no-gi in that. Right, right. All right. Well, yeah yeah anything else ben anything uh you want to say you got your twitter at two girls one hefner that is um i mean i don't really have anything else to say i'm a huge fan of the podcast if i can just

say that you guys are my favorite earbuds. Well, thanks, Ben. And that's about it, I guess. Where do you live now? In Delaware? Ken Island, Maryland. Okay. The old, the mysterious Ken Island I hear so much about. Yep.

Still here, wasting away. Looking for that lost shaker Oh, there it is There we go It's been worth it all these years Good luck with your fight, Ben I'm sure you will kick the crap out of Donahue

I'm going to try my best and do what it takes to win That'd be funny if his gimmick was to wear big glasses and a big white wig comes out with a microphone today on donahue i've got to kick the crap out of this kid oh man all right ben well good luck in your fight. Thanks a lot, Ben. Thanks for your time. Next time here in Baltimore, we'll hang out. All right.

See you. Yeah, come up with Blake. I was in Baltimore yesterday. I did not know that. I was in, I believe, the greater Essex area. Okay. All right. What were you doing up there?

Training, working out. Oh, all right. All right. Well, yeah, i'll see you on saturday at your physite and uh yeah good good luck to you sir you and blake should come back and if we get footage of the cornfield classic we should do some audio commentary on it breaking it breaking it down uh i will go through the hefner family home movies right now and try and find it and if you if you don't find that we'll just do commentary over something else like your Christmas or something.

Yeah, whatever good videos you find. I'll see what I can find. What about that bootleg Matrix that you had where you just took a camcorder and you just set it up on your chair and filmed your TV that was playing the Matrix? And sold it for $30 a piece. And I remember your dad comes in in the middle of it because he was pissed that uh mandy like she your dog pooped on the carpet or something like that you actually sold these or gave no no i think you just recorded it for like personal use right yeah but that's this is back like we still have that big ass video camera like

yeah yeah so late early 90s so i'm sitting there like filming it filming the tv so that when you returned it you would still have a copy yeah oh i see you didn't have two vcrs to record with it was hard times no that was better than what i had i didn't have anything i just i'd have to wait till it came on tv and then watch the commercial like memorize the commercials because i'd be watching them for years and know the edited version of the movie better than the actual movie. Like Young Guns, I know all the curse word edits because I watched the TV version so many times. See, Ben, rising from a poor, poor home life where he had to videotape TVs and now look at you. He's a super cruiser way to the world.

I bet Josh was one of those families with two VCRs in the living room. No. No. I was always jealous of them. They could record everything. No, we had one. Ben, you guys eventually had two VCRs. I remember when we recorded a bootleg of Carrot Tops movie.

Yes, we did. That must have sold like hotcakes on the street. Chairman of the Board? What? That was the name of the movie, Chairman of the Board. Oh, my God. You guys liked that? Because he was the surfer, and then he became the Chairman of the Board.

Yep, I remember. I didn't say I liked it, but I'm just... I remember laughing at the time. I remember enjoying that. Wow. Oh, and actually, our editing got pretty good, Ben, because we made that video, that commercial for beans for Spanish class. Beans.

Frijoles. Amos Abbas. Called them beans. Yeah, remember, we shaved my head. We did a fake bald spot for Ben, because we did a whole commercial where Ben comes in, he comes home, comes to the front door, takes his hat and his coat off like he's in the 60s, and he's supposed to have this fake bald spot.

But it was a little bit to the right, so it looked like he had a bald spot, but it just shifted over to the side. And he's like, oh, it was such a... What was your dialogue? It was such a tough day in the salt mines. Yeah, hard day in the salt mines. I would love to have some beans. Brilliant script writing.

So, Ben, you're multi-talented. A brilliant writer, brilliant fighter. So did you just have a bald spot, or did you shave the rest of your head eventually? I think you shaved. I'm pretty sure when we did it, we just did like a horseshoe into my hair. Yeah. And then I just shaved it into my hair. Yeah. And then I just shaved it all off afterwards. Yeah.

It's a pretty good video. You gotta be committed to the part. Pretty good video though. We had some good effects. We had a slow motion freeze frame. We had some fade ins and fade outs. Gotta find that fucking video too. Man, I gotta

start looking for all these classics. Well, we'll let you get to the video library sounds like you'll be there all day yeah the archives alright thanks Ben let us know when you're when you're in Baltimore

good luck see ya bye bye bye Thank you.