The Zac Clark Show - Jimmy Drago: 8 Drug Overdoses, Sobriety, and His Journey to a UFC Dream

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

MMA fighter Jimmy Drago joins The Zac Clark Show just weeks before stepping into the cage for the biggest fight of his life — a shot at a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.But before the cage came chaos: By 19, Jimmy had survived eight overdoses, been revived by Narcan four times, fought in underground clubs in Hunts Point, and lost his father –  a decorated 9/11 hero – to addiction after 21 years sober. Through it all, his mother never gave up on him.In this raw and powerful conversation, Jimmy shares his journey from shooting dope in a Bronx trap house to fighting in front of 50 Cent… from despair to discipline… from near-death to chasing a dream few would believe possible.Jimmy Drago lives the word fighter. But beyond the cage, beyond the shot at a UFC contract, his life begins and ends with sobriety – a commitment to staying sober and helping others do the same. If you’ve ever doubted the possibility of radical transformation, this one will change your mind.Episode highlights:Growing up in Yonkers as the oldest of three, son of a firefighter and a mother battling her own recoveryLosing his father to addiction — and the last time he ever saw himFrom promising high school football player to full-blown heroin addictionUnderground fights in the Bronx during active addictionSurviving 8 overdoses and finding recoveryDiscovering MMA and the purpose it gave himWhy helping others is his greatest victoryWatch Jimmy fight for his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series August 12 on ESPN+. For more information on how to stream, click below:https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/3b9a50f1-caad-4250-918f-b15d884b6608Today's episode is sponsored by NewForm: the first app for recovery and mental wellbeing. Find thousands of live events, powerful tools to track your growth, and a community that truly understands your journey. To find NewForm, click here or download the App: https://www.newform.org/Connect with Zachttps://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclarkIf you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:[phone]releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

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It's free and it's led by great people. check it out welcome back here to to the show to the zach clark show we're here today i mean i am fired up i'm i'm sitting talking to this guy before this interview i'm like my my i'm ready to go you know get sober and fight someone which is basically what you did jimmy drago yeah got a big fight coming up, August 12th, we're going to get to that after we kind of go through your story is with us today. He is a, he's currently, so you're an MMA fighter working to get your contract from UFC, is that right? That is correct, yeah. My next fight is 34 days away. I'll be fighting at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on the Dana White's Tuesday night contender series.

And the best way to sum it up is a pretty rough job interview is really what it is. We fight another contender in the country or the world who's a top tier level and you fight in front of Dana White for a chance to prove your skills and show your belonging in the UFC. Have you met Dana White? I have not. Have you fought in front of them? I have not. Think he knows you're sober? No. Is it just win or lose? When you're in, you're in, lose, you're not. You got to be exciting. You got, you know, at the end of the day, there's an entertainment business. Yeah. So if you go in there and lay on top of someone for 15 minutes and get your hand raised, I don't think they want to showcase that on the highest level of

MMA has to offer. You want to be exciting. You want people out of their seats. So is there a chance if you lose that you still get... People have lost and I think it's extremely rare where two fighters got in, where a winner and a loser got in. But there's been times where people have lost and they've gotten short call notices or they've been brought back to the contender series the following year with a good showcase.

Wow. And you're, but your camp is in what? So you were born and raised where? Yonkers New York my whole life. Never left. Never left, no. And you're there now? I'm here now. Yeah. 30 years old.

Yep. Living the dream. Living the dream today. I tell you, Zach. There was a time, man, where I thought if I off myself on the spot, I'd be doing a world of favor. And we were talking about it before. Like, you wake up today and, like, I can't comprehend how this is in real life sometimes. You know, life is just amazing today.

It really is. I feel that. You know, and I, and I, there's this thing where they talk about. And I heard it in a meeting, you know, of course, anything that sounds good coming out of my mouth, most likely it's not mine. But, you know, it's kind of this idea that, like, you know, if your cup is half full, you got to go hang out with people that their cup is overflowing, you know, so you kind of get some of their juice. And if you're, if you're overflowing, like, go, go share it with the world and spill onto other people. And that's how I felt immediately sitting down with you that, like, you're full, man. Like, you're, you're, you're flowing on to people.

The energy is contagious. I met him five minutes ago and I'm feeling like locked in. It's a lifestyle, you know, and I feel like when you're in that lifestyle and another thing we're talking about before, like people forget. Like, I don't forget, you know, I don't forget what pain was like. I can tell you exactly what hell was like yesterday. I mean, no phone, nobody was ever calling me, no job, no opportunities, kicked out of schools, girlfriend left, no money, family can't stand you. The consistent look at disappointment in everybody's face. Like, I remember that.

You know, wanting to kill yourself, but too much of a pussy to do it. Yeah. You know, I constantly in and out of the hospitals, detoxes, rehabs. This is it 20 years old? Isn't that 20 years old? Yeah. You're coming up on 10 or you just celebrate 10? I'm coming up on 10 years in October.

Yeah. You're going to get there. Eight registered overdoses by the time I could take a legal drink. Really? Yeah. I wasn't part of my plan growing up. Crazy. But, uh.

So what did grown up look like? Growing up was good. you know it really was my father was a decorated mount verna fireman 9-11 hero coached the little league teams mother stayed at home raised us what's your dad's name his name was also jimmy is he still with us he's not when did you lose him he went back out after 21 years and uh within 11 months he lost his life i was 15 years old wow yeah so he was sober and then he was sober he was sober he was sober he helped a lot of people get sober a lot of people he was a mountain of men he really was he was everything i wanted to be like as a kid and uh you know kind of like the perfect storm happened or everything in

his life just went wrong at the you know the worst time you know he's going through a separation he's hanging out in the street again maybe ego i don't know glory money became more important and before that you never saw him take a drink no never drinking and drugging in our family was taboo. And, you know, you don't understand what a disease is. Like, you know, 12, 13, 14 years old. You just, we're told we don't do it in this household, you know, and my mother was sober. She was sober for 14 years. She went back out when I was around 8 years old. And, you know, by the grace of God, she got back on the ball. And, you know, we could get into this later. But, you know, she's sober today towards our last days. And I love sharing this story.

I mean, the whole house was getting fucked up. Like, 2015, like the whole house was getting My mother, me, you know, and I was fresh off another overdose, and she had time in the past. And she said to herself, I can't tell this kid he has to go to AA and tell him that this program works if I don't do this myself. And she got sober in September of 2015. And then the month later, I went away for the last time. And I got sober in October 2015. So every fucking year, she beats me by a month. So in September, she'll celebrate 10.

10 years. And in October, I'll celebrate 10 years. And we should have had her pull up a chair for this. My mother's a G, man. She is. She is. She's a tough woman. You want to talk about face adversity. She's been to the ringer. Tough childhood growing up. Lost assisted leukemia. Lost her husband to drug addiction. Dealing with his son, battling his own addiction. Do you have siblings? I do. I have two younger brothers. You know, they're fine in their way. You know, she found me dead four different times.

She's sussitating me back to life. Third hit an arcane, fourth hit an arcane finally works. You know, the disease is so fucked up, you know, because I want to play victim every time I'm in, I'm in St. John's detox or something, you know, like look at my life, you know, like this victim mentality. And I forget all the pain I put all my loved ones through. Like, I forget, you know, when I'm in the middle of it, you know, I forget.

You're banging dope. I was shooting dope. Yeah. Speed bowling. So 15, is this fentanyl around then? I don't think so. I don't think so. You know, I was dying without it.

Yeah. Maybe I got it a few times. I don't know. I had this concoction I used to do of like, like shooting coke and heroin. Yeah, speedball. Yeah. And like, just sitting there listening to the wind talk to you. And like my heart rate was just like a fucking, it was all over the place, you know?

And I'd finish it off like a Xanax or something and just, fall out yeah fall out you know i mean horror stories with this how did so how did you get there you know like there was no drinking in the house right like you're a kid 10 what was the first time you you used you know or took a drink or you know i remember like eighth grade sneaking beers i remember smoking pot for the first time in the woods and like like like i love the saying like you know in the beginning it was magic and then it was maintenance and in the end there was nothing but fucking misery and like that's kind of how my story was um i tried to help my dad get sober when he was out there running you know they say you picked up where you left off no you picked up as if

you never stopped and watching what this man went through over 11 months was just it was a fucking horror story you know um and you got to remember like this is your hero growing up and then to see your hero compromise you're 15 i was 14 when i saw him drink for the first time we're at 4th of July party 2009 she was drinking out of a red solo cup first time i've seen a drink why yeah why why why then why do you think he picked up then i don't know i think everything in his life was just off track disconnected yeah forgot a step one you know stop coming to you know our program and uh out of the herd being around people that are drinking and drugging and i i want to say someone close to him, slipped him a volume to deal with the anxiety, and then the drink came right after

that, and then, you know, he was big into other drugs, and, but that's why people, like, I'll go out to eat still. Is he cooked in wine? And people think I'm crazy 14 years, sober. I'm not willing to flirt with this thing, because I know one hit, one little drop of booze, and I am, to your point. Well, I see it with the nicotine. And also, you know, I had to have an MRI like last year.

That's I got zins in my pocket. Yeah, yeah. I got zin in my mouth, bro. You know what I mean? Like, but I had to have an MRI and like the doctor gave me an Ativan, you know, and I took a half atavan to go because I was very nervous to do the MRI. I fucking like that, man. You know, I like that feeling.

And then I had a half one left, right? And I'm about to go on a trip, you know, on a flight. My flying makes me nervous. That's a whole other fucking thing. And I was like, I should just take, take this for the flight, you know? And like, I didn't, you know? And I probably would have been fine. but like it's just some people like us you know it's just it's just a reaction you know and

abnormal reaction so uh like just hearing you talk though it's just like you're pure blood you know for real and we we've spoken to people recently that would call themselves sober and and it's you know everyone has their own journey but like sitting here hearing how you talk and the experience that you had it just sounds like something really changed this is my people this is my people so beers so this is the question i always get and i hope you're willing to lean in here because i'm i'm curious and it's one that i always get you don't look like a crackhead you don't look like you shoot dope well i did both those things so who am i right like that that's the truth of my story so how do you go from growing up in this house like like take us through intimately

how you go from grabbing a couple beers or smoking a little weed to trying to help your dad at 15 years old to being flatlined eight times and rescued by Narcan like like when is the first time you load that syringe when is the like how did how do you get to because that's the thing that I think confuses a lot of people and I'm here to tell you there's a way out because I'm sitting in front a guy who's 10 years sober about to knock someone out in August and get his UFC contracts I know that's going to happen I know that's going to happen sitting here how well first thing people need to understand is like it's a different generation today there's no more 25

years of wasting your life and you could slowly deteriorate off smoking crack and drinking it's a different it's a different generation you know first you had it was like almost like overnight oxy 80s remember those then rockses delaudits oxy cottons you know and like you you had those

well they were around but I was I was in high school and then roxies became big yeah you know like how do you it's like almost like it happened overnight you go from smoking pot to you know pot turns to pills pills turn to powder you know and like all right real simple like when I was trying to help

get my dad sober you know I tried everything I could show up to his house he had a girlfriend you know girl he was hanging out with I got her got rid of her and like within two weeks he had someone moved back in you know so like

my disease started before I was even you know doing him wrestless here to him with discontent you know so when he was on his last days he calls me up and he says I gotta come talk to you and I'll get into how he passed

he meets me across county at the powerhouse gym and I'll never forget he shows up to this gym and he's wearing green Ralph Lauren polo pants a white v neck rosary beads

and these gazelle sunglasses he always wore because his eyes were always piss yellow staying up all night and he's not making any sense and he concludes this conversation with four things I'll never forget

he says Jim I'm not the man I used to be I lost everything I want to start over but I don't know where to go and tears are coming down his face he says Jim I just don't believe in God anymore I used to believe in the prayer footprints in the sand but I don't believe in God anymore

and he's got tears coming down his face and like I'm 15 years old hugging this guy in public and I'm thinking to myself well they talk about the bottom not that I understand what powerlessness are unmanageability is but they talk about the bottom well shit this fucking looks like one to me and we parted ways that day

and that was June 25th 2010 and the next day you're not using no you're 15 years old you're like you're a little drink here and there yeah yeah a little drink a little you know exposure but the next day he was on a boat with another girlfriend he jumped in the water in the long island sound and uh he didn't resurface and i never forget my mother calling us in the house got to talk to you uh we don't know where dad is what you mean you don't know what dad is you know he's like he's missing jim he was on the boat he jumped in the water. They don't know where he is. And I had such a hard understanding of that. He taught us how to swim by throwing us in the eight feet swim to the wall or else you're going

to, you know, once the bubble stops, kid, you're dead. You know, like, that's how we were taught to swim. He was a decorated amount of Vernon Fireman. He saved lives, you know, you're not going to tell me he drowned, but they found him eight days later floating in the Long Island Sound. And that's kind of where my disease prepped me, you know, where it wasn't like dad's dead pick up a bottle you know let's let's go fucking get blasted it was more of like i felt like a failure i felt like i could have done more because i had done so much up to that point to try and help him i'd gotten rid of you know toxic people in his life i've showed up to his house but i still fell short so i felt like a real piece of shit like i failed him like if only i called him that night

if only is on the boat if only i got rid of that one and the irritable restless and discontent came into my life man i was affected by my emotions i was insecure and And nothing was ever enough for me. And they say, like, the drink and the drugs is the solution. Bro, they're right. It worked. I was able to have fun. It was fun running from cops when we were kids.

We were laughing, you know, hanging out with people in the park. It was, it was magic. It was fun. And then, like, overnight. It's like you blinked your eyes and, you know, Molly came in and Pier 94 and all these places. Are you an athlete dad? No, fighting was never a thing for me. I played high school football.

I did two years of high school wrestling, and then, you know, I just, you know, those wrestling workouts. I want to smoke pot, man. I don't want to be running up bleachers with 45-pound weight on me. What in high school? I went to Fordham in the Bronx. You did. Yeah.

You know, my father paid for the first year, and then after he passed away, they took care of me because we would never been able to afford it. And my mother worked two jobs, one for benefits, one to put food on the table. And we had, you know, that's something I always think, about like there was no male influence to crack us in our head and say what are you doing you know like I was a really good football player in high school you know I had 77 receptions I had

over a thousand yards but like I didn't apply myself at all you know I was I don't even think I've ever shared this before I was a junior I was a I was a senior in high school and around the fifth game and we were we would always go to these concert remember the day glows and the afro jacks and peer 94 I remember I remember I how I felt when I would take these ecstasies and these mollies you know I felt real loose so you say well maybe if I take a little bit before this football game I'll play better so I tried it my fifth game in and I remember like an hour and a half before the game starts taking it molly yeah smoking a little newport to kind of kick it in you know that was always like the key in

the ignition and then going out into the newport man going out into the field nobody could catch me Stop. And I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke. The highlight tape is on you. Nobody could catch me, man. And I remember it. Kyle Molly, playing football. Fucking.

Torching. Running like the wind. Torching. Running like the wind. And my first game I did it, I had two touchdowns, an interception, third overtime, over, over like, 120 yards, 10 catches. I was like, I should have been doing this fucking the whole time. You know, and there's someone when I got sober later on, I was like, well, you don't

know how good you would have played if you weren't on it. You know, but like, see, that's how my mind was working back. then, like, they were a solution. What happened, game six? Yeah, were you always... Oh, we got fucking smoke, man, towards the end, bro. Dude, we'd always come right up to the finish line and, like, find a way to blow it, but, you know?

But, like, drugs came into my life at the perfect time. Did you take my eye every game the rest of the year? Yeah, hell yeah. Hell yeah. What, take it to go to JP, you know, whatever, all the bars and Woodlawn. Fucking corner store, right? Yeah. So, but, like, you, at this time, too, like, you're the oldest of two brothers.

You got two younger brothers. Like, are there any... role models or male figures like are you going to therapy like you just experienced this like tragic event with your father like how are you being supported or is there any so my mother is an absolute saint she is she did the absolute best she could to raise three kids on her own you know um but she's one woman yeah managing three kids a house managing benefits and getting food on the table she just retired you know this was 15 years ago you know so she put her work in i mean there was no one there to stay the day though you know we learned on their own and we talk about this all the time like my wife and I like not that we have kids we've been trying for a while but like when you're raising kids like where do you draw that gray line between protecting them from the world but like letting them learn on their own because if they don't they don't overcome these adversities how are they

gonna have these experiences to get through life and like that's a really thin line and my line was we ran you know miles past it I you know we were selling drugs we were making money we were having having fun. We, you know, my, I had arrived moment. Like, that was in high school. But you're going to Ford and Prep. Yeah. So what, so is it, are you living a double life? Are you hanging out? Because Ford and Prep's a private school, right? I mean, is it? Well, it was manageable. It was manageable at the time, you know, you do some Molly on the weekends. You do a, you know, football game. Like, I'm not really going around bragging about this. Like, you know, growing up,

being a drug act, you kind of kept it under the, not that I ever thought I was at 16 or 17, but like, I wouldn't brag about those things. What was your reputation at that time? If I asked like a friend or a teacher, like would they say, oh, Jimmy's a really good kid. He's hard working. He's intense. Probably say he's got really fire, Molly, you know. But I was a good athlete.

I was a good athlete. I wasn't a bad kid. I wasn't like getting arrested, you know, not until later on a little bit. But like I was a good kid. I looked out for people. I did my best to do good in school. I just, I love the party. Yeah.

You know, and we talked about this before, like overnight. Like pot turned to pills Pills turned to powder And then kids in the neighborhood Started doing Rocksies And I don't know One day, like we condemn those people Like oh fucking they're doing those pills

Yeah Oh yeah he's on the pills He's a loser And then I don't know One day I woke up And I was like I want to try him And my first experience is where Roxies

Was like you know I just like sniff two of them And like I always hear stories Like oh I did a half of one I threw up and I'm like Bitch You know like I did two of them And man

Let me tell you something I couldn't lift eyes up, it was hell disguised as heaven, you know, and I commend people that can maintain a Roxy habit for X amount of time because they have to do them for two weeks, I was broke and I wasn't getting high anymore. So I did what any smart person would do. I graduated to heroin, but I'm not that bad, you know, I'm not shooting it yet. Right, so just to break it down for people, like listen, like a Roxaset is a, is a, if you go and you get your wisdom teeth out and you get a perk 5 or a perk 10,

that's basically like 375 milligrams, the Tylenolamins with 5 milligrams of perk a set. The Roxaset, which is what Jimmy's talking about, is a small little blue pill, which is 30 milligrams of pure painkiller, and they rocked. Hell, disguises heaven. Yeah.

You know, what, it's, and I think it's important to say, like, you know, pot is definitely a gateway drug. You know, when I started smoking pot, I never thought I'd graduate to these drugs. It's kind of how my story unraveled. though but uh you know the pills i feel like when you're in your late stages of like like entering like that crossing that invisible line of drug addiction like you know people try and

justify like yeah but i'm not doing heroin like yo roxy's are fucking up there you know and then you start graduating heroin it's like yeah but i'm not shooting it i'm just sniffing it you know you're like two weeks you go you're you go on the block you get a roxy set you're doing for two weeks and you started doing dope i started doing dope yeah where how did you know where to find it uh a kid that i did the roxy's wet brought me in and said hey this is cheaper i think i might have inquired about it honestly i might have asked them how old are you at this time i was 19 okay 19 maybe 18 and a half and you were you're you're out of high school were you going to college i went to quinnipiac for one year um i only lasted a year first semester i had a 3-7 second semester had a

one nine. I went back for my sophomore year. I lasted three days and I called my mother up. I said, Mom, I didn't hand this tuition check in yet. I said, you got to come pick me up. But it wasn't because I was running away. I knew I was jammed up with drugs. I kind of got into some shit up there and I was like I haven't been up there since. I'll leave it at that.

But that's like where it started getting towards a downward spiral. Overdosing. Started hanging out with people that are shooting. I'm shooting. it's not enough I mix it with Coke shoot this shoot that

I mean the discontent is just nothing was ever fucking enough for me I'm always pushing that bar that limit how you know I had to be like inches away from death to feel something

the feeling the feeling is not enough but like before you get to that point which then it becomes all about the drug are you using drugs like graduating to these stronger substances because you just want to party or are you aware of that like

you're in a lot of pain uh no i just want to party i didn't care about pain they used my mother used to say hey come to this program with me and i say i'm not i'm not doing that you know i just i'm not i'm not fucking going there and uh you know like i didn't i think you hit a point where like you know you've passed that line and then like all right i'll go away to rehab and i had been to a rehab at this point but like you get out and you get high again and it's like it don't fucking work. You know, and I can never get past that 40-day hump without the 30 days of rehab help. And I went to three rehabs. And it's funny, I thought after the first rehab, I thought I could just drink. Drugs were my problem. And I go right back to the heroin. Then I get out of my

second rehab. I could just smoke pot and I go right back to the heroin. And my thinking was so fucked up. I get out of my third rehab. I just sell heroin. I'm not going to use it. But I got to make sure the shit I'm selling is good. Therefore, it's not a relapse. It's a business acquisition. Like, yo, my thinking was fucking distorted. Like, I'm shot. You know, and it's a result of the years of using.

And so when do you start banging dope? When you start shooting dope? I want to say around 19. 19. So you're out with these people. You've been sniffing it. You've been getting by. You're not getting high anymore.

You need to reset your tolerance. And someone's shooting dope. And you're say, teach me. So the first person I ever seen shoot dope, I won't mention his name, but we laugh about this all the time. I remember sitting in a car on Jerome Avenue and three of us, four of us were in the car, three of us were sniffing it. And he was the first person I've ever seen shoot heroin. And I remember looking at him in the backseat and I was like, this kid's a fucking mess. And then like where was I six months later?

And, you know, I actually do remember this story now. I was in a daze. I was in like a Xanax blackout. and someone shout me up for the first time and I didn't even remember until a day or two later and then once that happened I was like well yes I can't say I never did that before so I kind of just stuck with it

yeah it's crazy it's crazy but I've been there and I and I relate because it's it's just crossing one never off the list after another that's it I'm gonna chase it to the gates of death man I am I mean my poor mother found me dead

four different times I got like eight registered ODs I mean When did you know When did you know it was sobriety or death? My mother found me dead I got out of rehab

I went back out and I started shooting heroin again And I remember There was a kid in our neighborhood named Mike who got drafted to the athletic A's Family's still very active in Yonkers Great people He took a bullet in a birthday

King parking lot and he was on life support for about 11 days and my last day drinking and drugging I'm in a little fucking shanty house on Westchester Avenue and we're smoking crack and we're shooting heroin and I got kids and diapers running around next to me because the fucking parents are getting I'm getting hired with the parents and I don't even know what these people are and my mother and my brother called me up and they say hey they're going to pull the plug on our friend Mike you know he's been on life support so I showed up to just Kobe hospital which is only like you know 15 minutes away and this poor family just pulled the plug on a 23 year old kid and like there I was just like kicking the door open causing the

scene fucking rocked and this poor family just lost their son and like I'm just in there looking like a fucking asshole and they didn't even let me drive home and I went home that day and I looked at my younger brother Joe and you know how many times I said I'm sorry I just looked at him and I got, you know, I'm sorry, Joe, you know, and I helped raise him, and he just shook his head, you know, and like a month later, he was, a month before that, he's resuscitated me back to life, you know, to hear, I'm sorry. He just kind of shook his head of me, and I was in the shower in the fetal position, and I got tears coming down my face, and I'm just saying to myself, I can't fucking do this anymore. I'm done. I can't do this no more. So I sat in that

bed for four days, and I detoxed. On your own. Yeah. Kicked on your own. Yeah, maybe I took a Sub, I don't know. Suboxin to prevent the withdrawals. I don't remember. I know it was about four days. And someone got me sent over to Advanced Health and Education rehab out in Jersey, Shrewsbury, that area, Eaton Town. And that's where my journey began. I completely removed myself from New York for about six months. I did my 30 days of rehab. I did about six months of about four months of sober living out there, intensive outpatient. My first job, I was in sobriety, I worked at Forever 21. No, you did.

I swear to God. I worked there for like four days. And then a guy from the outpatient said, hey, I got a job roofing. And, you know, that was like one of the best things ever happened to me. Because, you know, they say you learn things about yourself in recovery, you know. And I don't know, I got like 50 days sober and like I'm fucking ripping these shingles off. And I'm like, whoa, I can do a good job, you know? And like, I found out, like, I got work ethic, man.

And life was just happening. You know, hey, I'm Jimmy. I'm an addict alcohol. I got 60 days sober today and the whole room was clapping. I couldn't believe that. And I kept going to my meeting. That's the most time you had. Yeah.

And you're 20 years old. 20 and a half, yeah. And the community there kind of sees... In Jersey, it was very strong. But they see this young guy come in from Yonkers and they're like, we got to pick this kid up. I don't know about that. I think a lot of people come into these fucking places and a lot of them don't make it.

And, you know, I love this analogy. Like, how many times have you drove past somebody that was stuck on the side of the road. Drive right past them, right? Yeah. But what if they were pushing their own car? Would you get out and help them then? I know I sure would.

So I see someone pushing their car. And like the analogy is like people tend to help those who are trying to help themselves. And back then I had this fire under my fucking ass that just failure was not an option. And I didn't know what life was going to be like. I really didn't. I didn't think I was going back to school. I didn't know if I'd ever get into a trade. I didn't know anybody.

No one would ever hire me. I was the worst employee in the United States of America but I knew what I wasn't doing anymore and I wasn't getting high. Hey, I'm Jimmy, I'm an act alcoholic guy. I got 90 days today and the whole outpatient was clapping and I'll never forget sitting there

in that chair saying wow this is pretty fucking cool maybe, just maybe I got a shot at this and my life took off. These are the stories we need to hear. I mean like I'm sitting here with goosebumps because it's taking me back

to my early days and And no one was ever clapping for me, for nothing. And here you are, here I am, here Jay is, you know, counting days, whatever it is, and there's that noise. I can still hear it the first time you hear it. Because you don't know it's really coming, you know, and they start. It's scary to say, too. But were you, were you afraid to say that out loud? At that point, or you were just...

I didn't give a shit. You didn't give a shit. You know, when you were saying, and I don't know if this is something you've ever thought about, but, like, with that moment with your brother, it sort of mirrors the moment you have with your dad. And then, you know, whereas that went that way, you went this way. I mean, do you ever, do you think, like, looking dead into the eyes of your little brother saying, you know, I can't be like this anymore, I'm going to die? Like, what gave you that fuel?

The gift of desperation I think some people are just That's their fucking story And like you know Coming from the lives we live And the work we do outside of this podcast room Like how many people do we know that don't make it And I showed Blake my phone before

Since I got sober Anybody that I've known that's passed away from this disease As a result of suicide Drinking and Driving overdose I put their name in my phone That name's almost 100 fucking deep now A hundred people that's just people that I've known are like

why do I get so lucky one to not and it's kind of like two things like one to know there's a solution and a place to go how many times you see people come right in and out and then two to fucking get the gift and to stay

that is like a whole another what are you telling someone in early recovery what am I telling someone in early recovery outside of the stuff in the you know like just stock advice you know someone's thinking about getting so I want to know how they got to him right now in front of my face. Talk to me. How'd you get here?

Nobody comes in here on a winning streak. So, like, talk to me. You know, how'd you end up here? And then usually, they'll give me a little bit of their story. And I'll say, you know, that kind of sounds pretty unmanageable. You know, don't you think, like, you shouldn't be, like, hiding your heroin from your wife or, you know, you don't think it was a good idea to be drinking and driving with your kids in the car. And, you know, you kind of state the obvious.

Like, hey, something's off here. And you can bring the horse to the water, which you can't force him to drink. but I sometimes think the best thing you could do is plant the seeds so that when they are ready they know where they can go and to have unconditional judgment

for people there needs to be a level of understanding like hey bud I'm no different than you and I really think another thing that's important is letting them know a little bit who I am

like hey listen I'm not here to interrogate you bro I'm not the fucking police here like you're just another drunk or drug addict addict in this church basement with me you know listen this is where I was

this is where I am today and I look that person dead in the eye and I tell them this is the best fucking decision I've ever made and I mean it when I say that I mean I second that for myself anything

that I have that's right anything this hat jeans the cameras filming this shit Like it's all, none of this is here. Literally none of this is here.

I can picture this room barren with me shaking on the floor kicking. So when do you go back to Yonkers after a year? I moved back to Yonkers. I want to say about seven months, six months after being in as a sober house. I had a guy who's very pivotal in my life. He was a coach. His name was Sam Margie. If there was more San Margie's in the world, it would be a lot better of place.

But I had gone to his gym here and there, and he called me up one day. He says, hey, I know you're out in Jersey, but you want to take a kickboxing fight? I'm like, sure. Were you fighting at this point now? No, I was watching Connor McGregor videos and, like, T.J. Dillishaw videos and, like, mimicking their moves with ankle weights on. So you were into it, though. I was, oh, yeah, I was into it. Yeah.

When I was out there in Jersey, I wanted to do the Golden Gloves. And I went to Gleason's gym and, you know, Long Branch, I think it was. And they pretty much just said, like, I wasn't good enough, you know, maybe try to get next year. And I remember, like, going home, like, huffing and puffing, like, what the fuck, you know? And then, like, Sam calls me up, like, two weeks later, he's like, want to take this? And it was, like, on a week's notice. And I don't got no gym. It's like, fuck it.

Let's do it. And that was my first organized fight, you know? I mean, fighting had came into my life a little bit earlier, you know, when I was out there getting high and drinking, you know, there was underground fight clubs and stuff that I got. a guy introduced to and you know just absolutely horrific decisions i made during my you know addiction and stuff so what what is that like what's underground you know how do you get there you're fighting like what does that what does that look like where is that happening it's like a big part skipped um when i was out there getting high i was hanging out on the bronx lot and you know one of these guys i was hanging out with was like yo jim look at this it's it's called the bx fight

club and like in like 2013 14 like 30,000 followers was like a lot of people back then yeah and like I'm watching these like guys fight and they're like giving out prizes at the end of it and like I need money man you know I guess I was like fucking I'm messaging them so I messaged them and they gave me the address it was somewhere in hunt's point and uh I went down there and I still got the picture and the videos of it and I'm wearing long sleeve shirts and sweatpants because I'm fucking kicking and uh but you're still working at How are you so? No, I was a heroin addict.

I was a heroin addict. This is before I went away. It's just for money. You're like, fuck it, I need money. Yeah, but the funny thing is, is like, I never got paid. But see, here's where, here's where, like, the despair, the disease really gets you.

So, like, I go in there. I had a girlfriend at the time. She dropped me off, and she's, like, begging me not to go into this place. Like, it's, you know, you're on the point, you know? And I walked into there, and I said, I'm here to fight, and I'm like, no, you're not.

And I said, look at the message. You guys messaged me. And I was the first fight And the picture is this kid towering over me And there was no training back then Just scrappy kids growing up You know And put this kid on his fucking ass twice

You did Yeah I'll show you stuff You got it I have the videos yeah From 2014 Never fought before Ever

Only in the street Yeah Not organized Yeah And so you know This is like where like the loneliness of the disease really takes you so like I would lie to people as a justification like yeah you know I'm gonna get paid for this but they would put this highlight tape up 40,000

30,000 people to see and there I am you know no one knows I'm a junkie really I kept it to myself I'm in sweatpants I'm like the signs are all there wearing a long sleeve shirt I'm covering marks you know but people would reach out to me after they saw that yo Jim doing great I And I ran with that. I was such desperate for like a human connection. Yeah. A hug. That I had to hurt people to get it.

To feel it. And people would reach out. And whether it was real or faith, it didn't matter. I just needed some sort of, you know, social connections. My phone never rang. I didn't have, you know, I didn't have much going for me. You know, but then I'd go down to Hunt's Point. I'd fucking put beatings on people.

And then you'd be all over the internet. Like, yo, I know what I went to high school. And, like, I felt like this like, like, like, I don't know. I just felt like important, you know? You ever lose down there? You know what? They called it a tie. I'll tell you straight up.

I definitely think I lost, you know. So who's running this? Who's running these things? Is it like a boss man? I mean, like, is there like, like, what? You can't ask these questions. Yeah. Why not?

They're good people. Yeah. But like there's like, there's debt, like, it's not just your like, the money. So what I really liked about it was. I'm not asking for names. What I really like. about it was the motto guns up gloves down and i guess they ran with that as far as they did you know and uh i think that's a you know cool little stigma to run with and maybe put some reasoning

behind having an underground fight club but uh you know i was in the middle of my addiction and i went down there and i fought this kid and uh i i heard him pretty bad you know and he was on the fucking floor season and then after that like he trained for six months and then like I stuck a needle in my neck for six months and we fought again and they it was pretty cool actually they used to have like you know artists come down like uncle murder used to come down main oh come down my last time down there I fought in front of 50 cent I really one day hope he gets to see this because he's part of my fucking story man you know like my last fight down there in hunts's point was he was right there banging on the fucking canvas and I fought this

kid the same kid that I you know hurt six months earlier and we went four rounds and I dropped him he dropped me and you know like dude i'm fucking stoned on heroin while fighting this kid you know like all right i'll take that l like they called it a tie i got no problem saying i lost i was fucking on westchester avenue fucking waiting for a dealer like three hours earlier you know so 50 cent was there he performed and uh you know that that was my introduction to like i guess you could say like entertainment fighting yeah you know but like the overdoses came after that and you know this you know my scene in like i can't do this no more came after that and that's when i went away and i took that kickbox and fight and it was after that kickbox and fight i won and i remember

saying to myself it's time to go home and uh i didn't just come home i was coming home every weekend i was acclimated i had friends that were in that were sober and uh you know i got acclimated to come back home i didn't just jump back into a jungle here and i moved back and uh i got active I got active active in every way possible physically mentally spiritually physically mentally spiritually you know

God was doing for me what I could not do for myself that's a formula and I really found a sense of purpose trying to help people out you know and when I first got sober

it was like a light bulb went off it was like wow you know maybe if I could go from a heroin addict to a professional fighter maybe that'll show other people, you know, in the programs that I belong to, like, that if they

arrest their demons, if they get sober, they could do whatever the hell they want to, and I'm not encouraging people to go out and, you know, chase blood sport. You want to get your family back in your life? Get sober, you could do it. You want to go back to school? Regain your position in society. Get sober, you could do it. Get back into

the trades. You know, go to college. Get sober, you could do it. And it's not just limited to drugs and alcohol. Mental illness, suicide ideation. It's the same thing. If I could go from here to a professional athlete, you get sober, you arrest your demons,

you attack your mental illness. There's not a goddamn thing in this world you cannot do. Around 10 months sober, I got into local 40 ironworkers. Fucking strongest union workforce the globe has to offer. And I continued fighting. How did you get that job? I took the test. Took the test, didn't know anybody.

I botched the fireman's test. That's what I really wanted to do But I knew I had to get a job And I remember not even knowing What an iron worker was Then my first day on the job I see these guys climb and steel And I'm like how do I get up there

And then you want to talk about like The industry choosing you Like I didn't even know what an iron worker was I just needed a job And then I got up there And I was like What the fuck is this? You're in the sky

Well yeah I mean I was on the ground Like on the floor But like you see guys up in the sky 50 stories up climbing steel Are you doing that shit today? At this moment, no, for a few years, yeah, while training. While training, I did 14 fight camps while I'm working.

I've done maybe eight or nine of those fight camps while in a gang, connecting on a tagline, spreading deck in my early career. But I finished my career 17 months ago. Shelfed, I can go back. But I was connecting for like about two and a half years straight while fighting. Are you full-time fighting now? Yeah. Yes.

So take me there Because this is what's fascinating to me And I believe Exactly what you said Like my story I showed up in New York City With a suitcase I knew nobody

You know And I was able to build a life Whatever the hell I want For me I knew I wanted to work And recovery And help people And you know Do the shit that I get to do today

And for you It sounds like you like You know knocking people out Or whatever it is I mean how You know however you want to say it When do you know That there's a shot

when you got a shot yeah so when i got into ironworking i started taking my first few amateur fights i won my amateur title wanted three times the same year then i had my first pro fight in 2019 and i fucking lost and uh i lost to a kid that i beat a year earlier and i remember i was like i well i reached my fucking goal here but this isn't the way i wanted it to look and then the pandemic hit and i said i'm gonna try this again i'm going like a three-fight win streak, an ironworking still, and then I lose a fourth fight, and then I go on another streak, and last January, 24, I finished a job. I was connecting in Harlem, and I fought in March, and this kid was undefeated with four knockouts, and I put him on his

fucking ass. And after that fight, my wife looked at me, and she was like, Jim, it's either now and never and i haven't gone back since now i miss it every day i really do i love ironworking love it best men and women you ever meet in your life unbelievable work ethic um and i think about it all the time but i knew that if i'm going to pursue this i have to just focus on this and that was my 14th fight camp while iron working so last january is when i left what is one day And that can't look like with a job. Wake up at 5 in the morning in Manhattan by 6. Job starts at 7, 7 to 3 or 7 to 5.

In my early years, I had outpatient. I had fucking apprenticeship school two nights a week, three hours. And any time slot I could find that was open, I would train. And I always trained at most or at least twice a day. So if I was Working without apprenticeship school Conditioning workout as soon as I was done with work Sparring at night

Or vice versa If I had out If I had apprenticeship school I was training at 9.30 at night On the fucking field It didn't matter if it was February I was getting sober at this time Where?

Oh I was hitting meetings Oh yeah Absolutely I always found time for meeting Are you married at this time or no? No No Where did you meet your wife

I met her to gym in Tuckahoe yeah she moved down from new paul she was a teacher in manhattan um what does she think about fighting you know i don't i don't well she's more invested in the career than i am today she's my biggest supporter she really is i mean i don't think any of us knew where we'd be today when we first met honestly like i'm knocking on the door at the ufc and it's like dude i wanted one pro fight you know like i i never planned on it getting this far you know but it's like you're this close now how do you stop do you have a manager i do jason house with a ridium what does life look like today where where's your gym what do you like what tell so i'm still at my hometown gym animals mama

yonka's new york i uh i do jitzu at essential in white plains i got a strength and condition and coach who's phenomenal mark becaro i go out and travel for sparring if i have to go to jersey if i have to go to long island if i go to champs boxing gym and nerechelle for for their work um this isn't the mecca of MMA. You kind of got to seek out the specialists, the wrestlers, the grapplers, the strikers, and you've got to travel for it, you know. And I've been to other places where they have a gym and all the pro

MMA guys are in there. And, you know, like, listen, I built my life here. Like, I just at the moment, I don't want to move to Florida or Vegas. I just, you know. Who's funding that? I've done well over the years between working and fighting. Absolutely. And as of getting

smart and like knowing how to manage finances, I didn't get wasteful. You know, I took care of our family. You know, like you hear McGregor say that, you know, my wife worked two jobs. Fucking, I'll be dead before that happens. I would never put that burden on my wife. So I would fight three or four times a year. I'd save the money.

I would ironwork every day at a year. I would save my money. I made sure we got set up with a home. We bought the home. It's got, you know, it's a self-sufficient home. There's people that are there that. live with us and you know different units and uh it kind of takes care of itself and it's you know we're comfortable we're comfortable and i do i do have sponsors i do have sponsors that have

helped out they uh every time i have a fight camp i do t-shirts and they you know they contribute to the camp how long's a fight camp like is that like what does that mean like a fight camp's about eight weeks okay and this is just like a an intense training period where you can sort of jump in and really yeah prepare yeah um you want to kind of check all your boxes by the time that fight happens. Did I do my sprints? Did I do my wrestlings? Did I do my stricings?

Did I test myself in sparring? And, you know, that's the eight weeks. And it was very difficult to do while I aren't working. How does your wife understand your sobriety? Like, what's her ideas about it? Well, she's never seen me drink a drug. She's a happy woman today. I'm a happy man.

I would do absolutely anything I can for her. She would do absolutely anything for me. And, you know, she knows that this is a lifestyle. And I think from being around for the last seven years we've been together, you know, people, when they first get sober, like, you think you know what you want. I used to be so twisted with that. I want the mansion. Want the car.

It's all bullshit. And really the biggest accomplishment someone could have in life is how many people can you affect in a positive manner? Because at the end of these days, no one's going to remember. remember what watch you wore, what car you drove, or what you do here, what, you know, how many people do you impact in a positive manner? And my wife sees that I can get that done through my sobriety, and she would never question that. Let me ask you this. So I was a pitcher growing up, and I was alright. Like, I went, played in college, like, you know, whatever. But I never did it sober, right? Like I never

through one pitch where I was like really focus on that one thing and you hear people a lot of times, artists, musicians I can't write if I'm not using, I can't do this if I'm not getting high. Psychologically

fighting what is your sobriety done for you? Sobriety has taught me discipline and consistency on a daily basis. It taught me to show up, give my 120% into everything I do, and get detached from the outcome. Remember, it's not my will no more. You know, one of the greatest things I found in the program is finding a power grader into

myself, sense of purpose today, an undeniable fucking work ethic. I can only do my best, and I'll give my best in everything I do in life. I am working, the program, my family life, my finances, my fight career. it's meant to happen it's going to happen so how do you handle like the dreaming I mean like obviously like you have a plan for yourself I mean like you have hopes right like you want to go there you want to win you want to get you know your pro card

you know you want to be fighting in bigger better whatever you know like how do you control that or are you just you know you allow yourself to to dream and hope and and you just keep working I build a beautiful life outside of fighting I got to this point I'm like well how do you stop now I'm doing

I'm putting every ounce effort I have into winning this fight obviously but I truly believe God did not bring me this far to just drop me on my fucking ass now whether the result is a win or a loss but no matter what everything's going to be okay

and I'm not just saying that you know what I mean I have 10 years of proof that everything was always worked out It's just not on my timing, you know. I didn't get into the fireman's, you know, a fireman job. I got into ironworking. Couldn't have worked out any better.

I thought I was, you know, supposed to end up with someone else. I met my wife. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's worked out. I lost my first M.MA fight. That wasn't part of my plan. I'm fighting in Vegas in four weeks, five weeks. It always works out.

So hopes and dreams, they're great. but it's what effort you put in to get there that really matters to me so so let's I love that dude let's talk quickly about this fight because I want to I want to get the people behind you I have a couple questions

what it so my first question what does a UFC contract mean to you and your family financially are you allowed to stare like what does that does it mean anything or it just means you can go then fight a UFC contract is you signed with the most elite fighting organization the world has ever seen

in the beginning I think a big misconception is people think you're rich when you get into the UFC that's not the case it's actually the exact opposite if you heard what fighters got paid you'd probably be like well

I think you should join a trade or something you know most fighters don't do it for the money I definitely don't do it for the money I think I'm fighting for the underdogs in life and I truly believe that I know a lot of people that have seen me strung out on fucking heroin to fighting in front of a

crowd of 2,000 people, and I think that's really important for people that struggle with addiction and alcoholism to see. Also, too, just to get to the contender series, if there's five weeks, if there's 10 weeks of five fights, that means there's 50 fights, that means there's 100 fighters. There's probably 10 different weight classes. That means that maybe 20 welter weights, 15 welter weights get called for this opportunity each year. That's not in New York. That's not in the country. This is an international sport. I'm one of those 15 wilderweights in the whole fucking world of 8 billion people to get called for this I was a junkie on Westchester Avenue so what's that mean to me

I beat the fucking odds I beat the odds I beat the odds all right here's my next question who's the four people that's a good one my wife your wife um my mother yeah My younger brother, Joe, and my cousin, Scott. He was the best man in my wedding. That's your squad. That's my squad. Where were those four? So if you didn't hear Jimmy say earlier, basically set the stage,

he's fighting in the contetta series. It's in Vegas. There's no bells and whistles. Each fighter gets four tickets to this fight. It's on ESPN on Tuesday nights. We'll get you all the airing information. But he gets to bring four people, so I'm asking him the four people. where were those people when you were shooting dope?

Well, you know where my mother and my brother was. My wife was chasing her master's degree. Okay. Like a very respectable, productive member of society. And my cousin Scott was around. He's not like, he doesn't have our, you know, issue. And I think that when people that don't have the issue see others going through it, they don't know how to respond to it.

and that's completely acceptable because even having the issue if people aren't ready to get help there's not a damn thing in the world you can do about it I can't will people sober you know but when you're ready I'm here to help

and that's kind of where he was at at the time do people hit you up I mean I know you've been really vocal on kind of social media and obviously like in your purse like people reach out to you for help they have and I always do my best to get to everybody what about in the world of MMA

is there any other sober fighters There are some other sober fighters Jared Gordon, Andre Petroski Yeah You know these guys? I reach out to that? Jared, I know Andre actually commentated my last fight

He was a commentator for CFFC Do I know them super personally? I know Jared pretty decently A trained one of a few times, great guy I'm sure We have very similarities And identification In all three of our stories

I don't like to think I'm unique Yo, I took a fucking kickboxing class When I moved to New York City That shit torched me I don't think I ever went back And this was one of these cheesy I love kickboxing.com or whatever I mean I was in this fucking

I was I had not a fighter I've been punching in the face I've been knocked on my ass You know And I've probably Maybe you know A couple of guys punched by me

But I've tried to do with you And I was in like You know Noah Was very into that A friend of ours I think it's, like, pretty important to know, like, I'm probably one of the nicest people you'll meet, too. Like, I don't, I have not a malicious person. So, like, what's your relationship?

It takes a lot for me to get angry. Like, what's your relationship to, like, violence, you know, and like, and, like, what is the experience of, like, fighting? You know, what is it, what does it feel? My father was a really tough guy, you know? And as a kid, it's like, oh, your father was this badass. Like, you want to be like him, you know? So, you know, you're growing up and, like, you test other people and you fight in the parks and, you know, but, like, what's fighting like in. the cage?

Yeah. It's calm. It's calm. It's a crap. I don't hear a thing. I don't hear anything. It's the closest thing to primal you'll ever get in this world. Hand-to-hand combat. And it is so entertaining that 2,000 years ago, they built a fucking coliseum for it. You know, so you're acting on pure instincts in there.

So like when the fight's over, How'd I do? Like, I don't even remember. Right. You know, because you're so hyper-focused. It's a beautiful thing. It really is, you know. Very few people will be able to ever say to get to live a life like dad.

You still take it on sponsors? No. None. You're done for this. I'm done for this one. I made my shirts already. I was ready to throw down, bro. I was trying, I'm trying to get in on this train, you know?

A fucking release. Big shout out to Brian Brown. Yeah. Huge sponsor of mine. Brian's an absolute gem of a huge. human being him and his partner john um they're the best trial lawyers for union workers in new york city brian brown yeah and that's how this shit works so everyone knows i'm playing around a golf amount at liberty with brian and shaw mcgowan and uh um luch you know luach yeah and brian's like

dude i think you got to because we were talking we had just had had waller on it was that day and waller was you know on the pot and brian's like i don't know dude you i think you got to got to have this my boy jimmy on i'm like i get people every day i'm sure you got to have someone on you got i'm like all right dude and i'm like just and like he's like no i'm telling you like this kid's special that's the way he said it and he looked me in the eye you're laughing probably because you know you probably had that relationship but like he's like no i'm telling you and he was right man like the second you sat down the second i saw you in the hallway you know i knew something was different about you and you said something early on in this interview and we'll

wrap but like you said something where you said and it's how i I feel and I'm sure it's how you feel Jay like I was never a bad kid I was never a bad kid as much heroin as I could do as much shenanigans that I pulled off like I it was never malicious and I get that same sense with you like it's just you said it like you weren't a bad kid you were hurt lost finding our way yeah you know and you know we I kind of finish up with There's like, a true test of character is how we react to adversity. So no matter how much trials or tribulation you went through, you sit here in this chair with your microphones and everything is because of sobriety, right?

I wouldn't change my story for anything. I love my life today. I live a beautiful life, a very fulfilling life with a sense of purpose. And it's because of all that adversity I went through. you know so I'm grateful for the challenges life throws at me and continues to throw at me because it makes me who I am today and I'm happy with who I am I'm happy you're here I hope you kick some ass on August 12 yeah man so so it's ESPN like 8 o'clock yeah is like I think it's that seven straight up ESPN though ESPN plus elect how how early you're going to get out

you got out a couple days early right I'm going out August 7th okay good yeah August 7th get acclimated. I heard Vegas supposed to be 120 degrees in August. So I'm looking forward to that. I was there four weeks ago. I felt like I got sunburned through a long-sleeved shirt. So I kind of want to get used to the, you know, the conditions out there and just enjoy the journey.

Is that one of the casinos? Or is it just a box? It's at the UFC Apex. Dane is there. He's there. Front row. Yep. Thoughts on him? Built a monster monster. He's just, you know, I don't think people understand how much of a powerful

individual Dana White is like yes he's the president of UFC he's an he's an American icon very successful businessman but like he's a fucking he's one of the most powerful men in the whole world you know the UFC is you can't touch them

you can't touch them what they say goes that guy you know and I'm not getting into politics but he fucking let he pretty much you know it was a big endorsement for Trump like who you know what CEO is doing that for politicians you know and it's because of his reach to the world you know and I just find it impressive

with how much power he has he's got fucking power and I just think that's impressive he came from Boston with nothing to Vegas and he built this empire you know so I think it's pretty badass August 13 he's going to know who you are yeah August 13 he's going to know who you are I'd like to believe so Zach thanks three rounds three rounds three five minute rounds three five and rounds yeah and the championship fights are what five five Five-minute rounds? Title fights are five-fives, main events, five-fives. Do you have any problem in endurance, or is that a strength of yours?

I focus a lot on endurance, honestly, because in the sport of fighting, you have nobody else to rely on but yourself. And if you cheat yourself in your conditioning, you're going to pay for it through cuts, bruises, CTE, and get hurt in front of your closest friends and family. And that's a big fear of mine, so I try and make sure I don't get tired in there. But fully understanding there's a fight and anything can happen. And for most of my career, I've been on the right side of it. And I continue and pray that I will stay on that side of it. Do me a favor. Don't drink before this fight, right?

I was actually planning on banging a bag, bro. Bringing it back to 2014, you know? Dude, thanks for coming on. Jimmy, Jay. You good? You got anything else? I mean, I'm good. This is one of my favorites, dude. Awesome shit. Thank you. That's a wrap. Thanks for having me on here. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.