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Two Straws on Fightpass! Eryk 'Ya Boi' Anders interview
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Nov 6, 2024
Joining us this episode is none other than middleweight slugger Eryk 'Ya Boi' Anders! We talk about his upcoming fight in March, plans for the near future, what got him started in MMA after a football career and fending off single moms at wrestling meets. Full length Two Straw episodes are exclusive to UFC Fightpass! Go get you a subscription and enjoy a library of fights, live events and niche podcasts. Brought to you by Duelbits.
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[Music]
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what's up everyone we're back with another episode of two straws oh well I don't I never know
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which way to do it because I'm there I think you got it you're not all right today we have um y boy
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Eric Anders uh coming on the show let me bring him in right now hey Eric hey
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what's going on guys oh my God we both have our our three
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o' alarm went off hey how's it going any
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alarms gota be punctual exactly so you have a big fight coming
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up on March 2nd against Jamie picket how is training going uh it's going really
0:51
well um I was really excited I thought it was GNA be in Saudi Arabia but you know for whatever reason they moved it
0:57
to Vegas so you know you go from they they say what happened I have no idea I
1:03
don't really ask questions for I just be like all right but you go from think it's going
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to be in front of like you know fans in another country and whatever and then it's at the
1:15
Apex so it's like you but for you not I mean not
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really I I prefer to fight in front of uh an audience like it's cool to hear
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like the no and like the energy from the stuff like that but at the same time I really like
1:34
fighting in that small cage because you know it's the Fighter's cage you know there's not so much like like running
1:40
around and and moving so much so it like entices the fight you know I think like
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they had a statistic like in that smaller cage like there's onethird more finishes than it is out in the the the
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bigger cage so you know for a puncher like myself I prefer the small cage
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nice it it does like kind of suck the energy out of winning or losing or
2:07
anything even just to walk out when there's no crowd though right like yeah yeah there's like no energy it's like uh
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yeah I don't know how to explain it it's just kind of like it's quiet there's like two or three people there like yay
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and you hear the little there's like no Roar you know what I
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mean it's like uh being a comedian and empty in an empty like uh bar or
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something you say something funny a couple of people laugh that's yeah and then but but the thing I
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really do like about it though like as a spectator like watching it on TV you can hear all the like the you know what I'm
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saying all like the the grunts and the ooze and the like the the impact of the
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strikes and stuff like that so I guess it's got it pros and cons well I'm excited about hearing your
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cracks and and slaps and punches in that little cage cuz man you have some nasty
3:06
Knockouts like uh just just going back I remember um we were on the same card in
3:12
in Florida and you got that really nice um you just dropped them and kind of got
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the TKA finish on uh uh C docas and in
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in the Apex you would have heard every Hammer fist every punch landed when he
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was on the ground yeah again like the energy of of the crowd kind of like it
3:35
entices the fight I think like it makes the fighters want to fight more but at the same time like they have more room
3:41
to like more space to like bounce around and be a part where as where it's very
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it's kind of claustrophobic that little cage you know so yeah perfect ideal for
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me ideal situation take that small cage and have it in like a public Arena h
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so you have a lot of big finishes what is your most memorable experience in the Octagon or even even before you got to
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the UFC um shoot I don't know probably my
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favorite like knockout of mine is like I soccer kicked the dude and you know now
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they kind of like changed the rule because at the time the rule was if one hand was down they were still up so have
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like both hands on the ground so everybody was like oh that's illegal but at the time it wasn't like but very
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shortly there after that they're like yo if anything other than his feet are on the ground then he's grounded and I
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think they're making they're going to try and change that rule now uh again which I think they should do because why
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should I lose offense or opportunities and I'm in a dominant position you know
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why is it why is he safer you know like on the ground you know that doesn't make sense to me yeah I did see that same
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interview with the I think it was the Nevada State athletic commission and it it does get a little bit confusing when
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you go back and forth and different commissions have different rules um besides besides that rule are the any
5:13
other rules that you think need to be changed um no I think you know the rules
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are like pretty standard you know what I mean like I guess they call that gentleman rules like no fish hooking ey
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gouging oil checking you know twist fingers and stuff like that you know I think that's fair but I think that's the
5:33
major rule that should be changed and maybe they I think maybe they should do like yellow cards for like stalling and
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stuff like if they feel like fleeing the fight you know instead of like warnings you get one warning and then your next
5:47
offense is a point you know what I mean you see like you know groin strikes or
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whatever it's like yo why is he getting so many warnings like this is going to influence the you know the way I fight
6:01
you know he keeps kicking me in in the nuts you know so you and your boys
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yeah have you have you ever fought anyone who you felt deserved a yellow
6:15
card um well my last fight you know you know he kicked me twice in the in the
6:21
groin I think like in the same round so you know at the end of the day like does it
6:28
really matter in that particular fight not really because you know I lost anyways but like in a close fight you
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know that that's going to make a difference you know so um but then the ref came to me
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afterwards and he was like I didn't take a point because I feel like you were taking a rest and I'm like hold up dude
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that's not the way that works dude you wait who was the ref a Canadian dude J
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Jin jirin baldheaded Brown guy baldheaded Brown guy uh he always in
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Canada he Reed Us in that Toronto car too but I was arguing with him backstage
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I was that doesn't make sense because there was enough of a strike for you the referee to stop the fight so clearly you
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thought it was in an influenced the fight and the rule says I get five minutes it's not up to you to determine
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how hard like it's not up to you to determine how how much that strike
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affected me you know what I mean this is like right after my fight I was like now you know what dude
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just I've never heard that being an issue like you you use the rest as a
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rest you recover in however you want and I can imagine getting kicked in the nuts
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will make you lose your breath a bit you need some time to recover everything not
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just yeah that's strange um I think I know who you're talking
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about I have a photo of him I just don't know his name but yeah that that's a really weird thing to
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say yeah and like especially right after a fight like dude I don't want to talk about the fight at this
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moment tell me oh I didn't penalize this guy for that because I'm like I don't
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know if that's how that's supposed to happen but whatever it's almost like he he felt bad
8:24
about it so he felt the need to come up to you even you know just live with your
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decision you know it is what it is I wasn't bitching I didn't complain I didn't say nothing about it you know he
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came up to me it was like this is what's up and I'm just like all right
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interesting it's yeah it's a weird justification after the fact it was sounds like it's unnecessary but was it
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was it the five minute rule at that point was it what was there a five
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minute uh rule at that at that point when you were fighting was that I took
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my T you know you know it was a grueling Pace you know that I need as much time
9:07
as I took no but I that's your he was
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right know I shouldn't be penalized for his foul you know saying he committed
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the foul fair enough how does he know how much I'm hurt maybe I got a good Poker Face you know what I mean I don't
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want him to see that I'm hurt I'mma take a few yeah if you commit a foul you know saying especially at the pace that we
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fought out yeah I'm I'mma take a few extra you know what I mean it's his fault he did it I didn't need him you
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know what I mean yeah then nobody told him to kick you in in the boys so it's
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definitely your your chance to take as much rest as you want I've never heard that being an issue I've always thought
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that when you get filed you take as much time as you want no matter what it doesn't matter if if you've recovered
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yet or not like you you wait until you're comfortable to continue and I've never heard of that being part of like
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the referee's job deciding whether or not you were getting back on your feet
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fast enough like that's kind of strange we got ask herb de about that because I think that's that's something
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that needs to be investigated yeah I mean that to the fact now it's not like I'm asking I know
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you're not trying to yeah cause trouble but I'm I'm annoyed by that for you
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yeah I mean it is what it is I was just like w never has a ref ever like came up
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to me and like after the fight and been like yo I did this because of that you
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know that's really strange it really is that's kind of interesting should have
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soccer kicked him yeah kicked him in the nuts should have kicked him in the nuts
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exactly nice little sock kick to the nut like all right now you time he needs
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the clock is [Laughter] on oh man so I've heard you say that you
11:08
have only a few more fights in you um what made you make that decision and
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does it change how you prepare for your fights at all um no I mean I prepare just like it's my first fight you know
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what I mean um but you I think four more fights puts me at 20 UFC fights I think
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that's like a good number not many people get there so it's like a good milestone for
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myself to you know to to achieve and reach and
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then you know I'll be 37 in April so you know how much longer can I do this
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anyways you know what I mean I don't want to be one of those guys that you know has like a decent career and then
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all of a sudden you know they just you know they get knocked out all the time or whatever so you know I still have
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some you left you know I'm still durable uh my brain is still intact and then I
12:02
can go do other things instead of fighting like I don't have to do this you know what I mean I just do it because I like it but at the same time
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like all good things come to an end so you know it be time to do the next uh
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next venture in life I guess I saw you uh hitting up the grappling scene is that part of your
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other things kind of plan or are you just doing that to stay not dude I love
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uh grapp playing in Jiu-Jitsu it's like what I started with when I started MMA but okay you know for the longest time I
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didn't want to do it so much because I didn't want to like get hurt you know um
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doing something for free and when I could make money fighting you know what I mean but now they're putting money
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behind the stuff so I'm just like you know I'll go out there and get paid and what it's not even that dangerous you
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know what I mean like I could get hurt doing the same thing training you know I mean so why not go out there and get
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some live reps and you know kind of while I have like a name as a fighter I can kind of like make a
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name uh you know doing Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and grappling tournaments and things like that so um I just you I
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think it's just like another like Avenue to explore you know yeah I I used to
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feel the same exact way like I was scared especially because I started as a striker I was scared to do Jiu-Jitsu
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tournaments because I might get hurt because people know who I am so if I lose it felt more embarrassing than if I
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was just some person nobody knew um and then I just started competing more frequently and it actually helps a lot
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with the nerves it helps a lot with learning how to fight someone who's like trying not to let you win really hard as
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opposed to J but you know I think it has like the opposite effect I thought
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like people are like oh it's like oh God I got to Grapple this UFC fighter I'm
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just like dude what like I'm not Charles dude I've had 24 professional fights
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maybe one submission it's just because the dude didn't want to fight in the first place it was like my third fourth
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like professional fight you know Ian so it's not like you know I'm saying I'm a grappling Wizard or submission machine
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or nothing like that you know what I mean so if I was like like if all I did was jiujitsu maybe I want to Grapple a
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fighter because I spend all my time doing Jiu-Jitsu just Jiu-Jitsu or wrestling or whatever it is this guy has
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to train everything all the time so how much time is he really putting into just
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grappling especially somebody like me like I'm not really hunting for takedowns like I'm looking to throw hands when I fight
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so you know I I don't know people's like uh like mindset behind things like even
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my son like uh he just won like a like a eighth grade wrestling tournament for
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you know whatever and everybody's like you know they kind of gun it for him he's like oh you know and making excuses
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why their kid lost his kid his dad's the UFC figh I'm like what does that have to do with anything if your kid suck just
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let your kids suck and let them have fun you know me being fighter ain't got nothing to do with his performance you
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know what I mean yeah it's like have you seen my fights like I like to hit
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people y if you're kid like if your kid if your kid like if my kid loses I'm not
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making no excuses for him you know what I mean like yo you know sometimes somebody just better than you and that's
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just what it is and that's the fact of the matter you know what I'm saying it's not because his dad was an All-American and
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college like that doesn't you know what I'm saying my kid got put in his own work he don't get credit for what I did
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you feel me right that's that's why I be telling him anyway so I just wish that
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you know other parents felt the same it's weird to me like why you make excuses for your kid no there's a lot of
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people out there living vicariously through their kids because they didn't they never competed at a high level or
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or at all so it's their opportunity usually the ones who never competed at all who were the who were the weird ones
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like this lady she came up to me and was like y my kid hasn't lost in two years and I was like okay cool then she just
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kept going on and all about how great her kid was and like she's like your kid and my kid or I don't even know what the
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bracket looks like I just you know what I mean I'm just there waiting for him to go so he's like oh your kid is my kid is
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at the opposite end of the bracket if they went out they'll face each other I'm like cool you know what I mean and
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then of course you know what I'm saying my kid thrashed her kid and you know she came up and was like you know they're
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goingon to meet again at State and you know I was like hold on lady who is we
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first and foremost they uh the two boys will you
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know what I'm saying see each other next week but you don't wrestle so why what
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is this weed that you're talking about you know what I'm saying so I don't understand like this lady
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she's just over the top though like it's not always like that but like I was like yo lady get away from my kid right now
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she's excited she's like oh he has a rival now it's gonna be this B my kid is
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two and 0 against this kid that's not a rivalry just because your kid is next
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best don't mean that it's a rivalry you feel me like if they were like one in one or you know it was close my kid
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majored him twice be by the first time and 10 the second time so that's that's an ass whoop no
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wonder she's upset well he should be where's your kid
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where where is your kid why are you talking to Mom where is your kid oh he don't like talking after he loses all
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right mom so [ __ ] go talk to your kid and let me you know what I'm saying talk to mine so obviously this is a problem
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that she has because he already knows like oh here she go again he's just like yeah go somewhere else the SEC the
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second time at like so they it was just like a random meet uh the first
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time my kid won then the second time was for I don't know if they call it state
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or maybe it's just for like Birmingham and like the surrounding areas or whatever but I could beat him again and
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you know before I seen her like the concession line before and she was like they told me I shouldn't be talking to
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you and I'm like here we are who's day like the the coaches and the the
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other wrestlers just leave him alone you know what I mean and I'm like well because the coach of that school used to
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train at the gym that I train at so like I know him and then he was like yo she's
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you know she's nuts she's C I'm like I see and she was like they told me that
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you know I'm not supposed to talk to you I'm like so here we are talking
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to are you talking to me because I don't want to be here I don't want to talk to
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sounds great I think you should sounds like she's fun at parent teacher meetings
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yes you should definitely put her on the phone tree carpool with her to wrestling me H
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now thank God she goes to like they're way out there they're like they live like 45
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minutes okay at school district anyway you're kind of spoiled though because
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you're a lifelong athlete so you've learned a lot of things that a lot of
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parents who are going with their kids for the first time don't really know
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well you know I told my kid the same thing after that I was like I'm so happy that for the most part like I've lived
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out my athletic dreams outside of like actually playing like professional football but then I found fighting and I
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do that professionally now so it's like I never like I just wanted to assure him
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just like yo you don't have to do none of this stuff this football stuff this wrestling stuff because I did it and I
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like it do it because you like it you know what I'm saying if you want to play chess you want to be in the band you want to be on the math team the debate
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go for it you do what makes you happy like I already did what made me happy so
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you winning what I'm be happy that you're happy I'm be happy that you're successful I'm be happy that you won or whatever but it's not going to like make
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me sad that my kid doesn't want to you know wrestle or play football or you
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know what ever you know what I'm saying he got his own life to live so but still I think even if I didn't play sports I
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don't think that I would be like that like like if I just played High School
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football or whatever I don't think that I would like put so much pressure on my kids when they were little they used to
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go to like this wrestling club and there' be like a lobby with tables and chairs and stuff for the parents to sit and there'd be a big window like a big
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glass window and then the kids would be on the other side wrestling dude I would hear some of these dad like you
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know talk about how you know they're you know it's like you know with the same regular UFC [ __ ] like just get up or man
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that kids really you know I'm just like dude listen do you know what that's like do you know what that's like to have somebody like you know your size you
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know holds you down against your like I don't want to sound like you know whatever against your will
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like you know what I'm say I mean it's traumatizing for a lot of
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guys you otherwise you wouldn't be talking to your kid like that or talking about your kid like that you know what
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I'm saying so you know I never I'm just happy that I'm not like that but I don't
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think I would let myself be like that it's definitely a personality type right the people who just talk without
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thinking they're just saying whatever and the other people who actually think oh maybe it's harder than it looks yeah
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just go out and do it just go try I think that's like my kid like he's starting to play baseball I've never
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played baseball so so we went to the Baton cage and you know I got some swings in dude that [ __ ] hurts to hit
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the ball like if you hit the ball like in the wrong part of the bat the [ __ ] vibrates down bat and it hurts and I'm
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like oh I never thought about that you know I've never played baseball so I was
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like I never thought about that so I like maybe if you don't you know what I'm saying whatever do I was like oh you
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know at least I have an idea of what it is you know what I mean right
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how did you end up finding MMA uh
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well uh long story short I thought that I would like you know I kind of seen
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like the light dwindling like I didn't get drafted got picked up in free agency
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uh with the Cleveland Browns got cut during training camp went to Canada got
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cut played a year of Arena ball like during that year like I only went to go play Arena ball
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because it was kind of like sold to me like yo here's a chance to like keep
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playing ball like you know you hear this guy Kurt Warner he played arena football then got picked up by the St Louis Rams
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[ __ ] Super Bowl MVP blah blah blah blah blah I was like oh okay cool you
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know so I went and played and quickly saw that this wasn't gonna nobody's here
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watching this like there like there were fans in the F but there's like no NFL teams like you they're getting like why
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would they take a I think maybe like 23 24 a 24 year old
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a year out of college playing Arena ball when they can take a 21 22 year old kid
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a stud right out of college you know what I mean of course you know they're
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going to go with the younger guy with you know who's who's hot who just played against like the highest level
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competition competition outside of the NFL so I was just you I just started
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kind of self-destructing for lack of a better
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term like I was always either drunk or on pills or high on something and
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uh you know so then the season ends I come back to Alabama like the same Behavior Uh continues fighting all the
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time you know just not living a like a good lifestyle and I
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already had my my son at the time so I just kind of figured like yo
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something's going to happen to you someone's G to like hit you with the bottle like you know what I'm saying you're G to get hurt or end up in jail
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so I just fig I just need another place to like put my my energy and uh then I came back to
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Alabama and thought that I would have like a nice job you know someone would just hey you know he played for Alabama
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you know what I'm saying hook him up but that that didn't happen either so
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uh I just uh you know I like realized like you can't keep doing all this
24:59
so um I just need something to like alleviate stress so I went and did some jju uh was all right you know what I
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mean you know I hated the ghee wanted to throw that [ __ ] out the window every time I like Y how am I getting
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chok my own clothes like I hate same
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experience but at the same time like I found myself not drinking as much I
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found myself you know being somewhere and doing something other like occupying my time like how can I you know be
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drinking and fighting and and and popping pills if I'm in the gym training you know so and then I and I realized
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like for these you know two hours or whatever I don't have any problems I don't have any issues like I don't even
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think about you know life you know it's just like just training and I seen some dudes sparring
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and I was like and I was one of those guys like I could fight you know I never like
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trained at all but you know I fight like every weekend like just you know in a
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street or in a bar or wherever and I you know I'm saying I still had like a bit of an ego you know
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what I mean which jiujitsu will quickly eradicate
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and like a mutual friend was like you know uh I got a friend who does MMA uh
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here's his number and I was like cool and it was Walt uh Harris and he was
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like yeah come down to the gym come train whatever whatever and I was like all right so I come I show up and uh
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dude all they did at this gym was Spar dude this the the coach had a pill problem you know what I mean oh no but
26:49
but like the scene wasn't the MMA Scene It Wasn't then what it is now like you
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know the coach now like he's a great guy he doesn't have issues he runs a successful business like he's the kind
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of person you want to be around because you know what I'm saying all the stuff that he does like you know what
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I'm saying when you're around like people who you're G to do what the people who you're around do you know what I mean like he's a successful
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person so he's gonna like lead you to success whether it be like business or fighting or what whatever it is but this
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guy like he had a pill problem so how could he possibly coach anybody did this dude be
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like nodding off like feeding feeding Ms you know what I mean anyways I go I go
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to the gym and he was like yo can you fight I was like duh like of course look
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at me and uh I have a mouthpiece I didn't have a cup he was like yo
27:44
bro I legit thought that I was gonna beat Walt up D I thought that I was gonna beat Walt's ass and Walt I didn't
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say anything it was just like in my head I didn't wasn't I didn't go in there like yo I'mma [ __ ] you up I'mma [ __ ] you
27:57
up beat your ass it wasn't like that and I was like yeah I can fight but in my head I was like
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du out loud I was like yeah sure but in my head I like I'm gonna beat his
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ass it did not happen like that at all no found out yo like I suck I can't
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fight you know two seconds into the fight I was you know like they into into
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a sparring round not even like a real fight this a controlled environment uh I was tired and [ __ ] you
28:32
know and that then he like what a big dude man he's like 6'4 probably 260 270
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and he really really he's really fast he's got really like good technique with his boxing just naturally because that
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coach didn't teach him nothing and it's just not possible I'm not like anyways
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uh yeah so I like realized I was like dude you know there's levels to this and you're
28:58
like at the very bottom rung at the ladder you suck dude but it kind of like turned me on because it like exposed me
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to myself I like d you can't hide in this [ __ ] and I always liked individual sports more than team sports because I
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hate like relying on somebody to catch a football or to you know whatever make a
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basket or whatever it is so I just like when he out train again all right
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I'll be back and I just kept showing up showing up showing up then I fought like a month later a month after I started
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training um like somebody called me was like yo you want to fight I was like all
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right so I was did a boxing match and then again my coach didn't even show up
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to the fight so I'm in this you know this bar in Huds School Alabama
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like um excuse me do you mind like pulling out the school for me in
29:53
between people I didn't even know and uh I did a boxing match in MMA fight lost
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the boxing match do a split decision and then knocked the dude out in MMA like I
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dropped him got on him and just you know laid it on him and I was like dude that is what I want to do and so I've pretty
30:14
much been doing that ever since you have a very uh MMA movie
30:21
origin story like right like there's a lot of fighter who
30:27
maybe like is maybe not like college football but like they were a high school athlete or you know they you know
30:35
maybe they weren't athlete at all then they were on like you know bad on drugs or whatever and they saw MMA as like you
30:42
know that kind of like a form of rehab for them because like I said when you're training like dude every day I train
30:49
every time I train it's like you know bills aren't on my mind like my kids aren't on my mind like life I'm not
30:54
thinking about nothing excuse me nothing but training so it's like therapeutic in a
31:01
sense you know what I mean and so I think that people find that when has they start training and them there like
31:06
you know need competitive by nature or you know just have that certain grit to them that you know maybe someone's like
31:13
hey you should fight or maybe they walk in there like angry and want to fight anyways so like for whatever reason they
31:21
actually choose the fight like just the training alone you know I think a lot of people get into it because of
31:28
something else you know what I mean and there's nothing like uh being a
31:34
high school or college athlete that makes you feel like livestock whenever I
31:39
hear people talking about retiring because they were too old at 24 it just
31:45
blows my mind because you know in MMA you can I started I threw my first punch
31:52
in a in a class at 24 so it's kind of funny me too I think I'm for as well
31:58
yeah so it's funny how different it is agewise you hit your prime a little later in life um you don't have to worry
32:06
about the Young Gun coming up every time just because it takes so long to master everything like master jiujitsu master
32:13
boxing all that stuff well also I think like with most sports especially like
32:19
collegate sports that lead to like professional sports like college basketball football baseball or whatever
32:26
you're on a clock so if you're not good enough by by the time your eligibility runs out
32:33
that's it you know I'm saying what you gonna do like I guess some guys go to Europe and whatever and there are guys
32:38
who have gone from like arena football or like Europe to you know come over here and and do well in like the the NFL
32:46
NBA and baseball there's so many like levels in leagues so uh but you know the
32:53
reality is usually if you don't make it like out of that first year out of college then that's at least for
32:58
football anyways and that's it that [ __ ] for sale they not looking for you know guys who haven't played at a high level
33:06
and in two years you know what I mean so MMA the math is simple if you go out
33:11
there you win you're exciting you're marketable now you're going to make your way up you know what I mean so luckily
33:18
for me like I have like a good like um I guess background like I brought the
33:25
whole Alabama football thing like they really marketed that when I first got into the UFC and you know I was knocking
33:31
people out I think when I made it to the UFC I was 8-0 with like six or seven or
33:37
six Knockouts a submission and just one decision so you know when they put that little thing on the screen when you're
33:43
getting your you know the the Vaseline like that sounds good to like ree like oh God he's eight80 with six Knockouts
33:51
you know they may be TKO you know people don't know like the difference between like you know what I mean but they all
33:56
just right yeah that's what I'm saying like oh man that guy he's
34:02
probably exciting to watch and then you know you go out there and knock somebody out it's like oh dude you know put the
34:09
machine behind him or whatever you know yeah so with this next fight coming up
34:15
uh you actually called him out after your last knockout is there anything that you saw in him is there a
34:22
reason you wanted this guy or was it just convenient at the time because he lost an opponent
34:29
um you know I'm not really looking to fight you know uh the Paulo Costas and
34:35
the Adas and the marvor of the division for what I want gonna fight four more
34:41
times I'm gonna get paid when I'm gonna get PID so why would I I'm not you know
34:47
I'm say I'm not fighting for the belt you know I'm fighting for me and it's like entertained fans so what would be
34:53
an entertaining fight you know two big guys going out there and throwing hands so you know I think it's a fun fight for
35:00
the fans to watch an enticing fight for people to watch uh just like
35:05
stylistically and you know he's not like um he's not a world beater
35:12
himself you know you know whatever I think it' just be a good fight but not
35:18
necessarily the toughest fight you know what I mean like I'm not leaving out of there
35:24
on [ __ ] with my face all smashed up know yeah you're like you're over
35:30
that yeah I go fight one of those other guys like a top 10 guy top five guy
35:35
who's who everybody calls out you know what I mean but and honestly realistically like you think if I go out
35:41
there and call out like a top 10 guy they're gonna be like what are you doing dude you're not in the top 15 you're not
35:48
you know what I mean they're not like thinking how I'm thinking so I'm just trying to get in make my money
35:54
and peace out kind of having like a Kevin Holland approach to it like he say
36:00
said recently and it made news that he was just he's not really trying to fight for the belt if it happens great but
36:08
he's just trying to put on entertaining fights and and just make money and
36:13
that's it you know um but at the same time like that [ __ ] fighting like Chaya
36:20
and like you're doing it wrong no yeah yeah he doing it wrong you know and now
36:27
he's fighting uh uh Michael Venom pige you know so he's not like I understand
36:33
what he's saying but his his formula is a little bit different than mine you know what I'm saying and you know
36:40
obviously he's probably you know a little bit more marketable and a little bit more popular of a fighter so he has
36:45
to fight you know more popular uh Fighters like MVP that's probably why
36:52
they match those guys up you know so me I'm just you
36:58
know looking to keep my head down make my money disappear into the night you
37:05
know hey it's okay to do things on your terms yeah you
37:10
know I've I've done you know I've Tak a lot of short notice fights uh for the
37:16
UFC you know so it took some very unfavorable matchups at times and so I
37:22
think like the UFC that kind of the powers of be are kind of like I you know what I'm saying we we'll let you do your
37:29
thing these last few fights because like you've been a company guy you know your whole career you know
37:36
so you know I scratch their back they scratch mine you
37:41
know we should all be so lucky I hear that that sometimes that's
37:47
the best thing you can do when you're not fighting for a title anytime soon um
37:54
if ever which is you know 98 % of the UFC roster they're never going to fight for the title um just going in and being
38:01
exciting that's the best thing you could do in the company appreciates that and you've definitely done that every time
38:07
you get out there yeah you know like it's not like I go out there and I just think to myself
38:13
be entertaining be entertaining be entertaining I just go out there and fight and it just so happens that the
38:19
way I fight people like it you know what I'm saying so it looks
38:25
cool
38:32
you well thank you so much for your time Eric we don't want to hold you up too much longer but um we really appreciate
38:37
it and best of luck um in your next outing and we look forward to uh
38:43
celebrating you afterwards I appreciate it thank you guys for having me yeah thanks for
38:49
hopping on good luck have fun out there don't be too
38:55
entertaining socer kick
39:01
him all right bye yeah take [Music]
39:07
care all right yeah I did I had no idea that he went through all that coming
39:14
in yeah yeah he has a crazy story yeah and I mean I think there's a
39:20
lot of MMA fighters that can relate I know I can relate on that on a level um you know we've talked about before MMA
39:27
definitely saves lives changes lives for the better um and I I love hearing stories like that I also love his
39:34
mentality for you know fighting and just like saying what he wants and doing what he wants and ending his career on his
39:40
terms I think that it's great that he can call his shots and you know just um be out there and put on an entertaining
39:47
fights and he has you know an end an end date in mind and this guy he's about the
39:53
same age he has um you know similar performances where he's won some lost
39:59
some and I think it's a really good match up for him I don't want to get too too deep into the like uh p's and q's
40:07
but I I think it's a really awesome match up for him and I'm excited to see how it all plays out in a few
40:13
weeks yeah definitely gonna be entertaining at the very least yeah for sure for sure all right well another
40:21
interview in the books everybody thank you for liking
40:27
subscribing and following us on all of our media outlets and we will see you next time yeah let us know who you want
40:34
to see in the comments put them in the comments and we will hit them up and hopefully they return our
40:43
calls bye [Music]
40:50
bye
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