The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier - Alexa Grasso READY FOR WAR vs. Valentina Shevchenko: "We GO FOR THE KILL!"

Episode Date: September 14, 2024

Alexa Grasso makes her DEBUT on the Daniel Cormier Check-In ahead of her title defense at UFC 306 in the Sphere vs. Valentina Shevchenko! Grasso GOES IN ON why she has one major advantage over Valentina headed into this historic event in Las Vegas. Alexa GOES IN ON her rivalry with Valentina, and why there's no questions she won their previous fight. Plus, Alexa talks about how much it means to her to fight at Noche UFC on the week of Mexican Independence, and what makes Mexican fighters so exciting. Catch Grasso, Shevchenko, Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headline UFC 306 this Saturday at the Sphere! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilts of coverage. conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The volume. Guys, we're finally here. Noce UFC. It's Rea season. And once again, I'm parted up with the Drive King Sportsbook to give all new customers a fantastic offer. All you got to do.

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Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.com slash MMA. Thank you for checking in with me, champ. Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it. Guys, Alexa Grosso defends her championship this weekend against Valentinio Chofchenko. Thanks for stopping by.

So, trilogy fight. First female trilogy fight in the history of the UFC. What does that mean to you? It means a lot. You know, we've been showing like tons of skills, heart and toughness, and, you know, I'm super excited for this to be part of the history of first Mexican female champion, first trilogy in women's semi-8, you know, be able to submit. be able to submit Valentina like one of the top and most amazing fighters in the world and

it means a lot. You know, you, when you came up from 115, right, no one expected this. Because at 115 you were a very good fighter. But you weren't the world champion. What changed? What changed from that move up to 125? Well, I think it changed a lot. You know, my body changed. I was super young when I started in the UFC. It was like a big change in my life. Being in the UFC, like the big screen, big lights, huge of everything. And I don't know, I just also my body changed a lot. I was super thin when I started.

And then every fight in a lot, I noticed I was stronger and stronger, stronger. Even, I don't know, for females at 25 years, you know, your body changed, the hips, you're around. Like something changed. I don't know, but something changed. I'm aware of that. I did the measures in the PI and you know they have like the body weight of every single athlete and I was you know they say like hey Alexa but you're kind of flyway and I was like

how are you doing 115 and I said well yeah I mean don't you want to try and I said yeah I'm going to try I talk with my team the PI also helped me you know we had this a big support from them and you know it was a great change in my life I felt so good I was able to lift more weight because I was, you know, trying to not to eat that much, to be small. I was eating more than I was bigger, and I was able, you know, to let my body, you know, to be stronger. And I think it changed a lot, and I also started to work, you know, we often work a lot of our bodies, but sometimes in mind, we don't know, and I started with a mental coach with Aletia, and it helped me so much. And I don't know, I just think I did everything, you know, better than before.

I started to read more. I investigate, you know, everything. that I was able to do. I started to look for champions. What do they do? How do they train? How do they leave? What do they think?

I don't know. I just think I just started to know to nourish myself on that. Two years in a row now you fought on Mexican Independence Day. That's a big deal. Because for a long time, that fight always went to superstar Mexican fighters, as Canelo's fighting this weekend also. But you have done it now two years in a row. Last year, I got to be honest with you, it was one of my favorite nights.

because the music was fucking great. I heard your comments in the transmission. It was awesome. Like the whole time, the music was great. The energy was great. What does it mean to you to headline this car? Well, it means a lot. Last year was like kind of the test.

They wanted to see how this work, you know, and also the support of the people. You know, Mexican people, it's amazing. Passionate. They're so passionate. They love, you know, their athletes. They're like, you know, they're so, so nice. They pray for us.

We do a lot of things that send a lot of big, nice energy. And also the fighters, you can notice that, you know, even Dana said, like the Mexican Heart, they are always going forward. Doesn't matter what, they are always chasing, chasing, trying to kill the opponent. We're not pointing scarring. No, we're going to, they're going to, they're going to do. And this is, I think, it's important, you know, for combat sports,

because, I mean, it's huge. Who does not like to watch a big war? It's awesome. That's great. The crowd was crazy. The music was just so good. It felt like I had a couple quinceaneras in my life. And I had a quinceaniera.

I have a gym, right? In Gilroy, California, which is heavy Hispanic community. And best Mexican food. Outside of I had a place one time in Mexico that was really good. But I take up my wrestling mats, build a dance floor, and had a little girl's quinceanera. Best time ever. She's one of the wrestlers on my team. had a quinceaniera at my you had a quinceanierre no i didn't i didn't have but why uh my my

my parents didn't have money at that moment i mean it was like you have to spend like by dude it's like a wedding kind of yeah like a big dress big party i mean we were not able to let's do you one now let's do you one now let's do you one why double kinsengenna right now like 30 no no it's over but it was like it was like the funnest night It was so awesome. But fighting on Mexican Independence Day is a big deal to you. But fighting for the championship has to matter more. How different is it for you that two years ago going into that fight,

it was an afterthought that you were going to be another victim. Valentino was to continue to dominate like she was. But today, so many feel like she's up against it. Well, I train so hard since I moved to the Flyway Division, even that I was training for my opponent, she was always a goal. So, you know, she was always, I was studying her. I was watching her fights. I was watching her style.

You know, she was always the goal in every single fight I was improving. You know, I had, you know, my first takedown and my first flight division fight, you know, I was able to control, you know, to do different things. In the second fight, I was able to almost to meet her, to punch to be, I was 15, then 10, then five. And I was, you know, getting better. And that took me for the championship time. So I was ready.

I was training super hard. That did her like really, really much. What a video of you getting ready for that kick and then she does that kick. That was a crazy. It's so weird when stuff like that happens. You remember when Mazvedal jumped in need Ben Ascran? And he was practicing it.

It's always weird when that happened. So to see it come to fruition was crazy. And I remember calling that fight and being so surprised. But it wasn't like she says she made a mistake in the fight. When you watch the fight, you were winning the fight, right? Is it just a mistake that allowed for you to win that first fight? Well, first round definitely I was, you know, touching her every time with the boxing. And then she realized that.

So the second and third she wanted to keep it to the ground. I said, okay, you don't want to strike with me. So I was, you know, in the first round when she did the spinning kick and the spinning gable, I was not in the good range for taking her back, but I knew that she was going to do that. Do it again. Because she's always going back, back, back. and counter-strike. Yeah, because she's a counter-striker.

And I was just waiting for that moment. I knew that every time I was hitting her, she was doing something crazy, like trying to take me down, or she was to go and spin. Because you always do that. You know, I've watched all her fights, and she doesn't like, you know, the changes. And, you know, I was just ready and prepared for that moment. I knew that she was going to spin. And I also did that with Joan Collierwood because she does that too.

And, you know, I said, okay, this works. So I'm going to do it again. As I talked with my coach and say, yeah, I mean, we could try that. We have a lot of things to do on the fight, and yeah, I mean, it worked, and I trained that really good show every single day. There were days that my eyes were burning, and I said, my coach, please don't do, please don't anymore. He said, one more, one more.

He was trying to make me submit every of my fight. And I was like, oh, my God. And it's really nice because I train it, like, I don't know how many times that situation, and it worked. For it to work. Really well. Second fight, much closer. She's insisted that she won the fight.

When you go back and watch that fight, how do you look at it? Was it as close as people think, or do you feel like you did what you needed to do? I mean, I think I won the fight. You know, it was all come to the fourth round. Yep. Because, I mean, it was first for her, second for me, third for her. And the fourth round, she said that if you watch the new countdown video, that you have like a bigger view of the knees, her hand was not on the ground when I touched her, like all the knees.

And in the post-fire interview she was saying, those needs hurt me, those knees. I felt those knees. Like she really was saying, like I thought she caught me. Of course, and if you can measure the damage of those knees, they take down the submission attempt, that round was completely mine. And on the fifth round, of course, she was jabbing

and she was running on the time, but she didn't want to change with me. She didn't want. She didn't want. And when I was able to stay there, even if it was one minute and 30 seconds, was on her back I was punching I was trying to submit her even if it was like a short amount of but I was doing a lot of damage and I was trying to finish her

the third round yeah she got my back but if you can see I was punching her she was not trying to submit me she was just you know staying there and this is something that she usually does she always just stay like to to put control time yeah but I'm not you know I'm always trying you know to move to do to do something And I was punching her, I think it was two to the fourth, and in the fifth round, I mean, it was completely mine because, I mean, at the end of the round, I almost had made her, I punched her, and I was doing a lot of damage on the ground.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the with Hopefield and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross.

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You know, you two have had some tremendous fights. What is it about your style, Alexa Grasso's style, that proves to be so difficult for her because with everybody else, she just kind of beat them up, right? But you, you don't make the mistakes that most make against her. Your boxing's always really good. Your hands are always where they're supposed to be.

You never overextend on your combinations. It seems as though you don't leave her the openings that she usually takes advantage of. Are you guys really making conscious decisions to limit the amount that you're throwing? or you just know that your style fits Valentina Serenko and you can beat her. I mean, I think it's my style because I love the exchange. I love to embrace. I love to be there. I love, you know, to help.

Like, I don't care if I get punched in the face. I don't know. I don't care if she kicks me. I can handle, you know, damage and I'm not scared. You know, I don't care if you. You know, the thing I wasn't scared was also about a cut in my head or in my face. And it happened, and I didn't feel it. And it was like, oh, I just felt it, and it was, oh.

But now I, like, when you get over your fears, you realize that you can handle, like, more and more. And it doesn't matter, like, anything. Just don't be afraid. Just, you know, go there, you know, try to do your best because she's always just waiting and just counter-attack. And if you pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure, I mean, there's something that I do all the time in my fights.

I go, go, go, go, go. and my cardio and my resistance and like everything. I put a lot of power in there. And I think the thing that I did different was that, you know, to just go and be yourself and punch and use your boxing. And if it goes to the ground, like go to the ground, it's okay. Like, I mean, I was excited to fight with her, like, honestly, because she has a lot of Muay Thai and kickboxing tournaments and championship.

And I consider myself as a good striker, but, you know, winning or tells you. yourself with someone who had a lot of combat. Acquade, yeah. Yes. It was exciting for me, but since she does not want to test, you know, on the striking side, it says a lot to me. And well, right now, I mean, if she wants to go to the ground, we're going to go to the ground. Do you think that she'll engage you more on the feet this weekend?

I hope so. I hope so. I hope so. I would be happy. You know, I admire some much the fight between Whaley and Joanna. Yeah. And honestly, I would, like, you know, I dream with having a fight like that. We were like all the time going forward, you know, I don't know, I would love that.

Well, took a, why did it take so long? Why haven't you fought since you guys fought last year? Well, first because we both broke our hands and in the fight, we both needed surgery. I mean, it was tough. Surgery is for both of us. I just heard that she had twice, you know, in the hand. So it talks about like how hard that surgery was. My hand was hurt too.

It is my hand, you know? Yeah. My strongest, my strongest web one. And I think that first, because we wanted to make the fight in Mexico City. Yeah, you wanted to fight her again, though. But, I mean, we were both, you know, like, man, I can't hit, and she couldn't do that too. And because it was a draw, this is a fight that had to be. So then they told us like, hey, we have this idea.

We would like to repeat Not You Will Stay. I know it's the kind of like kind of big lay, but we would love you guys to be there. And we were like, okay, well, I mean, I can't say no. I can't say no. I can't say no to you say to my boss. And I'd say, of course. And then they had this idea of being the Ultimate Fighter coaches.

Did you like that, the Ultimate Fighter? I mean, it was different. It was different. You didn't like it. I mean, not that I didn't like it, but it was different. I would think it could have been different if I'd like it. teach women because they were men, they were bigger, they were like champions in their

leagues, in their countries and like to be coach or teach by a girl, like it's like, you know, it's weird. At the end, they called me coach and it was really not, you know, I was, I made myself part of the team instead of being like, do this and do that. No, I just made myself part of the team like be the friend, like be there to support, like let me know what you want to do and we're going to do that like not because they are professionals and I understand. that I can't tell them what to do because they know what to do right now. And I don't know, it was a different experience. What about the time with Valentina?

Like being around Valentina for so long? I mean, we're professionals. We tried our best to make, you know, the production and the crowdies of their job. We were there to make the guys shine. What does Saturday look like? Like, what is your ideal way for this fight to play out? end? Well, it's going to be a huge, huge event. It's going to be different. I was able to be there in this fear to watch. It's going to be different. I've never, I've never been in there.

It's going to be different because it's a big, big screen like in here and all the crowd's going to be just one side. So now I'm focusing that, okay, I'm just going to hear a crowd from one side. I don't know. It's different. It's challenging too because it's different from everything that you have fought before. And I just hope that, you know, We can do like the best war ever. It's going to be the first women trilogy. It's going to be like the most in higher rivalry of girls. And, you know, I'm just happy and extremely, how do you say,

proud to be competing at this level with someone like her. You know what Gilroy is? You've heard of Gilroy before? The what? Gilroy, California. Have you ever heard of that? No. Oh, I thought you heard of it.

Hey, do you remember Ian Larios, the chef? Yeah. He works for Jelly Roll now. You know who Jelly Row is, the singer? The big country guy, kind of fat country singer. He's like Ian's on tour. Traveling the world. He's really good.

He's really good, but I mean, what fucking Ian Larios is traveling the world with a celebrity? Hey, he was at all the big. He cooks delicious food. All these guys are amazing. But now he's a celebrity. But now he's a celebrity. I have Jason O'Regan and he's been cooking all the last week and this week for us. I mean, I'm eating like the most delicious week of my life.

You know, all the year I don't. No, these two weeks, they are. so professional. They know what, when, how much like to give you and the taste of the food they do. It doesn't feel as bad. It doesn't make the weight kind of as bad. No, I'm so good a way and I was, I think Sunday I ate a hamburger and I was like, oh my God, this is

the best. Oh, there he is. Right here. There he is right there. You're also doing great work on the commentary. You do a tremendous job. Guys, Alexa Grasso fights UFC 306 this weekend. She defends her title for the third, second time against Valentine's Chico, make sure you hit that buy button and make sure you like and subscribe to this channel and go and check everything that the champ is doing. Champ, thanks for checking it with me. I appreciate you. Until next time, guys, peace.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This speech is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor.

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.