you have gotten a lot of pictures with a
lot of top tier Talent yeah how many
athletes from the UFC you do you think
that you have met over the years
definitely over 20 definitely so like I
but I'm I'm like a fan girl bro I I
don't care I'm gonna ask for a picture
I'm like hey this is the once in a
lifetime opportunity like if my son gets
to see this one day we'll be like hey yo
bro my dad was awesome my dad my dad was
with Jones my dad was with Alex like
this is cool so I I get to stunt you
know be what is it called Bild dad lore
[Music]
[Music]
what's up ladies and gents it is your
friendly neighborhood BJJ podcast with
Rafa Spar coming to you with another
great installment of the grappling hour
we are here at Milton aru's mix Mars
Academy and we have a very fun nice
guest we'll get to him in a second but
before we do a couple quick reminders
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aspar I'm sorry patreon.com backg
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conversations that we have here on the
show all right let's get to our guest
well our guest has definit
impressed me in the MMA cage I've had
the honor of commentating a couple of
his fights and uh you know he's somebody
who has always a good attitude always
good drip and just a very nice young man
and somebody who I was interested in
getting the opportunity to interview and
uh I think we're we're making right of
that today but before I say hello Rafael
other rapael Jimenez I have to ask you
you brought up a good proposal which is
you said can we go live to Instagram now
normally you heard me just do the Spiel
that says hey people will see this 30
days
later but why don't we do a tease so I'm
for it if you want to press record on
that I'll do we are now going to go live
to the millions I've been told to the
millions to the millions and the
millions of friend all right so tell
people on your Instagram live what is
happening right now hello guys this is
rapael Gods speed Jimenez and I'm here
with as well on verbal was it this one's
grappling hour oh this grappling hour so
we're here on grappling hour talking
about my fight talking about stuff some
origin stories and uh it's just some
some beginning bait for you guys so you
guys are only getting a 10-minute
preview if you want to watch this
interview in full you'll need to either
subscribe to me over at patreon.com
backg grappling hour or if you don't
have the monies and I get it in this
economy you can check this out in 30
days for free .99 but first I got to say
sir a pleasure to have you thank you so
much for coming on out from Bakersfield
you have such a great amount of energy
but the back and forth we were trying to
figure out on the scheduling you were
potentially gonna go out to Fresno
yesterday yeah to Valley fight series
because my coach was fighting uh artor
Bergos which he got the win you know UD
win he pulled it off honestly which is
good I'm glad that happened but you were
not at that fight night Sir what
happened so my friend hit me up last
minute to go to the for concert last
night and I was like you know what I
want to have a good time you know I want
to celebrate my win so I live streamed
this fight from the concert and was able
to watch it when I saw that you were at
the concert I know we had gone back and
forth a couple times but I was like this
is clearly not you going to Fresno to go
support your team oh yeah no honestly I
talked to I like oh I'm g go to Valley
fight series I don't know what time I'm
getting back home and then I posted it
and I just forget I just be posting
stuff
and then you hit me like wait this isn't
Valley fight series you're had the
concert and I was like don't worry I'll
still be there tomorrow and you know
listen dude I'm not one to get in
people's way of having fun but when I
saw that I go listen up or down are we
doing this because I need to set up
stuff and it's a lot of equipment and am
I bringing it upstairs or are we rolling
and more importantly I was getting kind
of feisty because I go dude I need to
train because I like you did not roll a
ton this week yeah no I I probably
rolled like once once this week so I was
like I needed the training session too
but but I am a man of my word you did
and I actually do show up a little bit
late but I'm always running L you know
what man it's okay and whenever somebody
comes that far to he it always makes me
say like listen dude it's not a hard one
it's a get here safe yeah and you know
once I saw you were here you made it
safe it was good I was like great now we
get to train we get to roll uh did you
enjoy getting to roll today sir oh I
enjoyed the roll because I haven't been
able to roll all week long well not I
wanted to give my body a break yeah but
I really enjoyed it not only that
getting to learn from a master from
yourself
I get to learn work on my game and add
new stuff to the tool B you know what it
is is is that it's very fun to roll with
MMA fighters who all do something a
little bit different because we don't do
things the same way so a lot of this is
also trial and error for me to go like I
don't know if my stuff's going to work
with this your passing's good you're
doing cartwheels for no reason and then
all of a sudden you're able to also
sustain all of your body up in the air
just like doing a handstand yeah and
there was a point where I go I should be
sweeping him here but I want to see how
long he can hold this and you held it
for a very long time people that don't
know I'm a I'm a break dancer man I
actually could break dance I triy to put
off a couple moves in the ring after I
won but it completely failed you know I
was in the moment but I I could walk
with my hands you know you okay okay but
walking on your hands is not necessarily
break dancing right you know that right
no no no but break I can actually break
dance that's two different things you
when did you start break dancing and how
did you start break dancing so my sister
uh we watched the movie and I was
probably like 3 years old and you're
saying
you got served that's the movie you
watching watch You Got Served and then
uh she brought the movie home on VHS and
we used to be able to watch it and then
uh she's like you should really practice
this my my and then my sister was also
into like learning to break dance but
she didn't pick up anything she's like I
she tried it for a week and never did it
and then they would show me videos you
know on VHS and all that stuff and I
just happened to pick it up did you ever
bust out any cardboard or anything or
were you just doing head spins like what
was your go-to move I know head spin the
head spin but I was not I have no
cardboard I do it on rug and like the
top of my head will get all burnt up at
least you said rug because I've seen
people do it with tile like we all have
made choices I don't know if you ever
did this as well I'm going to assume you
did but when I look back at my history
of being a Grappler I remember days when
I was rolling with people at like a park
and like people are wrestling and you're
just kind of like all right in the
moment and like we're having fullon like
grappling matches not knowing anything
about grappling and now you couldn't
convince me to not do anything on a mat
like now I'm like what is wrong with you
you get mats that's what mats are for
yeah I'll constantly have like people
like invite me like hey I know that you
fight like come to like a your regular
day commercial gym and let let's bar I'm
like no I'm an athlete I am a fighter
I'm not going to roll with you in
anywhere in any public space come to an
martial arts gym like and they like no
we could Spar in the yoga room and I'm
like I'm not going to do that which by
the way is the least appealing idea to
ever be like yo I got a yoga room it's
like no thank you sir no thank you what
what are we doing here like you know
like at least like in your backyard
nobody's watching you but yeah yeah at a
commercial gym like but even if it's the
backyard there needs to be mats though
right know yeah yeah but I mean like a
light Spar like a light match of course
we're not trying to kill each other but
you're asking a guy that's about to go
professional yeah let's let's let's go
to your local gym you know I just I just
find it like comedy I'm like hey just
show up to the gym there's open mats all
the time that is fair you know what was
very funny is is that we were in the
middle of rolling and uh one of the
coaches here at MMA Jordan who does a
lot of Flippy stuff starts showing off
backflips and is like 360 kicks and 720
kicks and I thought legitimately there
was a shot I was going to lose you like
you were going to go over and start
doing flippy nonsense with him because I
think that seems more fun than just
rolling with this guy who's super I was
like oh no no stay here I want to
continue training I almost thought you
were get to it up and be like hey man
how do you do this or I do it like this
kind of a thing oh well I'm like well
you see my striking I usually tend to
have fun but I do all those tornado
kicks and all that stuff but I still did
flippy stuff with you too you did do
flippy stuff and I'm still pissed about
it and I still was yelling and I don't
know if you were picking up on some of
my comments but I was like what's
happening what the hell going on why you
doing this and I 100% yelled at why are
you doing this because I just I can't do
it and I have no real want to do it yeah
I understand it is
occasionally uh very beneficial to do it
but you literally did one cartwheel away
from me like and you were trying to pass
guard so you did it not to get to the
other side just to be like and go away
and I go go have fun what is this you're
like this would be stalling to me sir so
I I had a moment with that um do you
want to take a look and see if anybody
has said anything or asked any questions
we're very good at normally implementing
that so let's kind of take a little
little look here so far we got these
hands so when you see this is it this
when people do that or is it this it's
this it's this that's what I thought
okay you're doing good okay big question
Emoji is it this or this I I like I like
this better I like this better I like
this way better than than the than the
the weird handan thing the someone said
it was two people doing a high five I
was like I don't see it I don't see it I
always think like thank you appreciate
that I also realized I was like oh maybe
think people think it's like a religious
thing or whatever I don't know what it's
supposed to be I just know I think like
thank you I appreciate you thank you
brother I always put three emojis and
the one I hate well I I I leave that one
out I hate that one that like high five
one the side one I just like nah I
usually put the handshake the prayer and
then the up you know the up hand know so
you know and I've seen you when you say
you do you say that you do three at a
time I do three at a time all the time
for some reason is it just like an OCD
thing no I think it's cuz I played
basketball so my favorite numbers are
three and six okay so it's like LeBron
was number six and a three-point shot is
number three so it's just okay those
numbers just pop up the most in my life
well all right I'm seeing this right
over here and somebody yelled out
godspeed oh yeah okay so let's get to
the nickname because you know you you've
alluded to this a couple times but I've
never gotten told the story specifically
so how does one get the nickname
godspeed so it has multiple different
like meanings to me and multiple reasons
why I actually pick it so the the first
one is I was hanging on my friends
bowling and they're like we need we need
to have a fighter nickname and like I
was like like oh what's a you know
you're very fast what's a way we can
call you fast and the first thing that
happens is my friends like Speedy
Gonzalez you're Mexican that's it and
I'm like no I'm not going with that
nickname and then somebody yells
godspeed and that sounds cool you know
and plus it's anime related you know uh
the the character kilawa when he goes
into a mode it's called godspeed but
that isn't the only reason you know that
um bass rutin when I was 12 years old
one of his phrases God's beat and party
on so he told me Happy Birthday God's
beat and party on I still have the Tweet
actually wow I still have it saved and
I'm like if Bast ruin told me this this
is something I'll keep it for the rest
of my life and then uh when a soldier
goes to war he's told God's speed may
God be with you yeah so there's a couple
different meanings in there and I'm
pretty sure I'm missing one but yeah
well somebody in the live chat said he
has multiple nicknames oh yeah so what
are the other ones so like uh L okay so
like because I come out to the song by
vente Fernandez yeah you know by the way
I have to be honest when we are trying
to be impartial on the microphone for
commentary when brown people come out to
very brown people music it is very hard
for me not to comment and be like oh no
I think I'm rooting for this guy well to
me like the Spanish music it's somebody
said this I watched in a documentary
interview it's not that the music is
violent
it's the guy that's coming out you're in
for a war yeah it's like Julio Cesar
Chavez would come out to the band music
but that guy was not backing down at all
yeah and all those guys that Brandon
Moreno you know you're going to be
minimum in a dog fight it's not going to
be easy T night for you even if I lose
I'm not going down without a fight so
that's that's kind of why I kind of come
out to the Spanish music I love that
intimidation Factor well it definitely
worked uh in fact you know if you had
walked out to that en rolling today I
would have been like dude I'm a little
scared to roll with this guy now but I
want to say this have you heard the new
Kendrick Lamar album I've heard
partially some parts yeah did you hear
the first track yeah I heard the first
track when I
heard the lady singing and it had a
mariachi influence it had a Spanish
influence yeah I don't know if you felt
this way it's very rare I hear a song
and think that's a walk out song for me
yeah I was like yo this is so dramatic I
would walk out to that song like it hit
me on a good level because I go yeah
it's a little bit like inverting the
expectations like a very calm walkout
song where this woman like as soon as
she starts singing in Spanish I was like
yeah oh I I I think that's really
[ __ ] like epic to do so it's been a
while since that's happened someone also
told me there's another one here in the
chat and it says Manel oh El Manel yeah
so because I'm a very flamboyant dresser
so I bought these pants from freaking
uh I bought these pants fire ton or
something but they literally look like
drapes so they look like drapes and like
like you don't want and yeah they
literally it's terrible design but I was
wearing them to work all the time so the
at work the nickname came up and Mandel
so that's so there's I have way too many
nicknames man I I just don't know like I
thought they cut you off after a certain
amount of nicknames no it's just because
like I'm a very I I don't mind getting
made fun of by anybody I don't find I
don't mind like if somebody says a new
nickname every day but go with them and
they run with them like now when they
see me at work like oh El Manel call
them over you know yeah and so and then
I like I like oay have a drink made
after me now that's called lray so
Trenton Thompson 6 says man has always
had a good sense of fashion and I was
talking to you about this a little bit
off air I just noticed there's a lot of
selfie of the drip and listen if you see
me doing a ton of drip selfies feel free
to do the same but you will never catch
them like normally it's a selfie that's
like I'm at this event this no I see
your mirror a lot because I see you in
there being like yo I got this jacket on
it's kind of puffy I'm feeling pretty
good tonight I'm feeling very very
fashioned forward so where does this
sense of flashiness comes from Sir my
mom and my sisters I was raised with
five s well four sisters and so uh with
them I love shopping like you know I
love to shop I love to show off my
outfits and then my mom she's like a
very flashy dresser too so like we all
used to just get ready and like you know
dress up as much as we possibly could
but also like I'll have like random
fashion offs with people on Instagram
stories like do you really yeah we talk
about it like bro you're not beating my
outfit today like I'll talk to people
like you're not flyer than me and then
other fighters in Baker Shield like
they're picking up on the fashion sense
now and we will talk crap to each other
it's like bro you're not I'm the best
dress fighter in town they're like no I
am and I'm like all right cool you know
so yeah we have fashion has there ever
been a moment that you saw someone's
drip that you said I think they got me
today somebody I think no but one
time I think I'm the flyest bro cuz I
put some thought into stuff but one time
I was like why didn't I wear that I like
I've never worn overalls but somebody
does wear overalls I'm like this is
that's cool like you know I'd wear
something like that just to try it out I
probably wouldn't look too good in it
brother I would not wear overalls you
know what I wore overalls when I was in
a child's photo and my parents put me in
them and I looked at it I was like look
how dumb I look with this honestly
because you you inspired me now I'mma
put a childlike striped t-shirt
underneath and wear some overalls tag
you in it I know please do it's just I
like to tell people I have two different
modes I am either in sweats like I'm
going to the gym or I'm in a suit yeah
those are the two extremes so people
when they don't see me at the gym and
they see me all decked out it's usually
because I'm on stage or I got to do
something and so they're like oh you
dress up nicely and I was like this is
how I wish I would do if I if I had a
job where I need to be in a suit every
day I'd be fine you would definitely do
it I'd be fine I like that cuz I like
buying new shirts and ties and when I
used to do speech and debate you had to
have a new suit and tie combination for
every single time yeah it can't be the
same thing if not people are going to
start thinking it's the same same
promotion same stuff same thing all over
and dude sometimes I even look online uh
to see if I've worn the shirt tie
combination before because I go I don't
want to do this the only time I did it
was at Spar star I did wear my Dodgers
tie and I was like I don't even want to
wear it with the like the black suit
jacket but I go this is our bragging
rights time so don't mind being like a
little off from my personal taste to be
correct with the tie uh but the a good
friend here the Hondurian Warrior is in
the chat section just put up some fire
emojis hey what's up brother he also had
a very strong night there great
performance so shout out to you brother
honestly I talked to him for like a
maybe like a couple seconds he was super
cool super nice guy like uh I just told
him like hey man good luck with your
fight and he's like hey you too and we
kept walking by each other going to the
restroom and it's like you know that
fired awkward like you like we're about
to go fight so he can't really talk yet
but I had a really good vibe from him
the whole time I in getting to do the
interview with him too um the postmatch
interview Good Vibes like I felt like oh
I kind of understand where he's coming
from it was very easy effortless
interview so uh shout out you bud if
you're watching in the future perhaps we
do one of these you come over and train
we do an interview be dope so all right
uh why don't we go and take a look and
see if anybody is uh added anything else
because I think we're going to close
this up so that if you guys want to
catch out the rest of the interview you
would need to come back again to the
grappling hour you can go to the patreon
and see it early or you can wait 30 days
so that's how it's going to be in 30
days it'll be out and free to everybody
on YouTube but until then it's going to
be on my patreon once it's edited in
like a day or so so take a look and see
if we got anybody else what's
up see
it's just God be stuff like that you
know people just pay attention and stuff
to it I see that yeah did you is there
not one comment in there uh or I think
there's a question in
there why is why is rap such a good
Grappler who where did that come from
from verbal verbal tcast sounds like a
great page so I guess the question is
why is rap such a good grapple
um I don't know I don't I i' just be
training a ton that's oh no [ __ ] that's
that works for you
too well why are you such a good that's
who do you think asked that question it
was me asking about me but you don't get
to call yourself Raph you don't go by
Raph right I don't go by ra at all so
that you were answering for clearly me I
get very confused with my name sometimes
well because you were telling somebody
earlier when they were uh introducing
themselves to you are you a junior in
your family or Junior so like when I
talk to myself I go by Junior okay but
like because like I'll come out here and
people will see like my Instagram they
automatically just call me rapael so
that's um we I mean I'm probably G to
release this but it's a it's a joke um
LeBron James one time he went to a party
in the way that they found out that the
guy didn't belong there it's because he
called another NBA player by his actual
name it's like oh that like who is this
guy like clearly he's not one of us he
should know you know like uh like we
don't call him that so when people call
me like rapael I'm like oh like they
don't know me like that like you know
I'm like who is that guy you know but I
mean when I trained at like CMA the
whole time it was just rapael Rafael I'm
like but my name is Junior you know like
that's all I go by so I just I love the
fact that there's a fellow Raphael and
it's always nice to have other versions
of that but I now realize that name is
as fake as these
glasses because I thought I had a no you
can keep them on I just wanted to put
you on blast because the people need to
no you don't need to wear those I have
to wear these or bad things happen so
when you came in here being all like oh
I'm just I'm just getting in my I'm
embarrassed now my uh my bad bunny phase
like I'm good bro I need these glasses I
was like no I just these are lies yes of
course all right I got one last question
here it's from Dan Lopez who says why
are you such a chill guy I'm just a
chill guy I'm a chill nice guy just you
supposed to have hands in the pockets be
I'm just a kill chill guy I just feel
that big I just happened to fight that's
that's I just happen to be good at
sports like good at fighting you
know I do I have enjoyed that Meme uh oh
it says why you call him out like that
listen because I got to Bro Daniel this
Danny Danny Silva Danny Silva I had to
man it listen he come on I I love it
it's all good I'm just saying man I
gotta be a hard-hitting journalist here
I gotta ask the questions that people
are afraid to ask I gotta let people
know these are fashionable and that's
all they are that's all they are and
that if I gave him these he'd be like
bro I'm worried about your eyesight and
your future if you're driving so I'm
just saying a that's funny uh all right
friends over on the Instagram we're
gonna say goodbye for now we hope that
you become members or see this at the
very least in 30 days but again
patreon.com backg grappling hour that's
going to be up in probably a day or so
so I hope you guys liked this little
preview and uh thank you for watching
thank you guys for
watching all right let's get to the good
stuff
now everybody you know the free version
always gets like the basic version now
we're gonna get into the actual fight
because that was fun I just was trying
to like uh I guess you know Flo learn
how to like be comfortable on the mic
brother you you're more comfortable than
you think you are and I think what's
cool so I'm a big proponent of doing
Live Events yeah I feel like interviews
need to be taped to sometimes get the
best out of individuals who aren't used
to being on air yeah they're not used to
it like whenever we do like a fight
companion at least there's a mechanism
that they go oh we're just talking about
the fights they don't really think like
oh no I'm on air they just go okay cool
we're drinking we're talking about it
sometimes when you do an interview
people they're nervous or they say
something they're like hey can we take
that back or oops I was racist or you
never know yeah never know I just like
the idea of making it so comfortable
that we could do it but maybe in the
future we'll go back to live I would ask
this for you we got a little bit of the
name we got a little bit of your style
and your fashion sense but I do want to
pay you a couple compliments before we
get into the actual fight that you just
had which is whenever you get to train
with somebody you get to put together
parts of your game that you've seen from
afar and then kind of understand them
better so when we were rolling today all
things that checked out good pressure
good intensity excellent athleticism and
the way that you combine it with your
natural Movement Like if this is where
you're at right now I think the Leaps
and Bounds that you'll make as a martial
artist as you grow are going to be very
impressive to watch so it's very cool
especially as you're uh looking to go
into that professional career because it
tells me you've learned about as much as
I think you need to be in the Amy scene
and uh it's very very exciting to see
that but going back to your last match
your last fight you ended up winning via
Guillo
yeah and I got to be honest with you I
saw that I was like all right now that I
know he has that I am not letting him
Guillotine me at all because it looked
murderous so you told me that somebody
yelled that out I need this story on our
show now because it was confusing I'll
set the scene I'm interviewing you in
the cage I see some dude and you go yeah
this dude was just yelling out hit a
guillotine I thought you knew the dude
so what is the story now so I'm going
tell the full story apparently because
of the Mexican music and the Spanish
music I walked out to this guy well I
found him way later actually but he said
he was buying a beer or something like
that and he's heard my song and he ran
over to the cage to come watch me fight
just because he heard my exit song He's
like this is this is it this is awesome
he's representing for the culture I need
to go over there and watch this guy
fight and then uh so I was in the middle
of the fight was happening actually let
me backtrack sorry I'm I'm skipping
details by accident so when I walk in
the cage I I see this guy yelling across
from me in the cage and he's yelling
like you got this you're going to win
like you know in Spanish he's like don't
even worry about that other sucker and I
was like well like I respect for the guy
but I was like what whatever he thinks
like I don't even know the guy but he
was getting my attention and I like all
right cool and then of course my
opponent shoot a take down we end up
close to the fence on his you know
Corner side but all I can hear is this
Mexican guy yelling in Spanish like
choke him and then I hear Guillotine
he's like go for it he's giving you his
neck and he actually was I What's worst
case scenario I mean we've been fighting
for about 2 minutes almost yeah he like
worst case have a good Jiu-Jitsu I'll
get right back up so I I gave me his
neck and he gave me it a lot easier than
what I thought he would he left it in
there and I was like what's going on
like is this bait maybe he has a really
good Guillotine defense because I've
gone against guys like that you can't
even choke and no I just jumped right
back on it and he he tapped and then um
I was like okay cool but you ask me the
question like how do you know you're
going to get this G yeah and the only
thing that came to my mind was give that
guy props
cuz I was I couldn't hear my corner I
was all the way on the opposite side so
the guy that I actually could hear was
the guy that was actually right there
near cagide and it's a guy I didn't even
know and he's what's funny I thought
he's like he has to be a trained
individual he has to be a mar no just a
regular fan that just wanted to come in
and just watch some fights and then I
was like I need to find this guy you
know like thank him at least it helped
me in the moment you know and then uh I
put it on Spar star I tagged them and he
found me through them and then we got to
talking and find out he not a martial
artist not nothing just just the guy
that yelled full Guam so a random guy
who does not train had the best
foresight to know what you needed to get
the win yeah exactly that's I can't tell
you how rare that is because in most
other cases when people have this
happening to them the dudes who yell in
the fights have no idea what they're
talking about they're like hit
them get out of there you go stand up
thanks appreciate that so you're telling
me this Rando Mexican yeah did that so I
realized the Inception that was
happening was I'm in a cage Mexican
asking another Mexican how he did
something while you're telling me
another Mexican outside that's a rando
was the one to actually tell you what to
do and my brain was just kind of
exploding because I thought like what's
happening here and why is this like I go
this a great story I go away and I see
on your your stories the next day you're
like oh this was the random dude that
yelled at me and I go oh he was super
that's how random he was it was random
like didn't have Mt it didn't have
nothing and you like I thought I thought
you knew the guy because you seemed so
familiar and stuff I I was like no I did
not know that guy at all and he kept
yelling at me like he was like he's my
family member like you got this and
what's funny he posts he's like I'm one
to know as a coach in MMA
now imagine that guy when he went home
and he could tell all his friends like
bro I know what I'm talking
about I'm fighter I'm like this but that
guy must have probably been on the high
that night too I mean you know what I
mean uh it may not be a bad idea to
bring that dude in your corner now you
just be like hey listen Bud uh if you
can't be in my corner I need you to buy
specifically this seat in the house just
keep him happy and loaded because the
weirdest part to me and I don't know
that this made I was trying to figure
out if it made air I think it's in the
video you posted but this dude was
also filming you yeah in the post
interview so imagine a dude like this
being like yeah you did it and I go I
just think he's family because who else
is doing that that's like that's Theo
Behavior so I thought he was a Theo to
you and I just saw him doing this and
this and I go oh that's really sweet a
family member and I'm poting like yeah
this dude just yelled at putting all
that together the amount I laughed was
so high when he tagged you what did you
say to each other after that well we
just talked I just wanted to find out
his backstory really the funniest part
he's like Mexican he's buying a beer and
then he's like you know what I heard
with the song I don't know if you
actually ever listen to It's about a gun
shootout in Mexico and it's about like
narcos I was like you know I need this
I'm about to go into war anyways you
know yeah and it's a party song It's a
hardcore Mexican party song So when he
did it he he was grabbing a beer he's
like I need I need to rush to the front
and you see this guy fight he's a Vibe
like that's that's that's pretty much
what we got from this he's like dude I'm
I'm running and he ran cagide apparently
I don't know if his seats were there I
don't know what he was doing there he
had a pass but I I don't know I don't
know who he was with and what's funny I
didn't know him but I was such on a high
I took a picture with him after and I
was like I do remember but I'm like I
don't even know this guy I was like I
thought he honestly I thought he was a
narco cuz he had a chain on it he had a
chain he had he looked like he was
flossing he was cage side I just found
out he's a regular degular Family
Guy I was like or I thought he was a
trained martial artist because he's
throwing out info I mean it's a pretty
good wish list so it
definitely uh it worked because when I
saw it I go I guess it was some Sound
Advice it's just it looked so effortless
and I was applauding obviously the chef
yeah but also the man who supplied the
ingredients for that so I don't know man
I I think it's such a legendary way like
if that truly is your last Amy
then it really is a beautiful way to
exit out of it cuz what other funnier
thing could have happened yeah it's like
to me that was straight comedy and then
like the views on my Instagram I've
never gotten that much views and then I
went to my chiropractor and the they
watch my stories too and they're like
dude that was so funny about the guy
like like you found him like like
apparently that was actually a meme
going around town it was super hilarious
and then uh like you said that one video
he actually was recording himself saying
like I'm that guy that said it I'm the
guy that was like that told him you know
go for the guillotine and I was like
what the heck yeah but excellent funny
moment I think I you know that memory
will be in my life forever as it should
be because it is so funny to me that an
audience member could be that right for
you did that fight go how you expected
it because to me it just seemed slightly
unexpected I knew that he would have
some energy in press and sure it was a
good takedown but man was at the right
call in that moment well like I don't
know like I mean I had the last fight
that I had before I was I went from
being out of shape to in shape so I had
to worry about my cardio plus the
DraStic way could I had this fight I was
already in shape I didn't have to worry
about my cardio I'm like this dude is
not taking me down when I'm in shape I
genuinely believe nobody can take me
down that's one of my little Cockiness
and stuff like that because I've had UFC
guys try to take me down I'm like dude
you only take me down I was like I'm
pretty good at took it down as long as I
got the cardio for it we ain't going to
the mats I'm Jose Aldo you know like
but uh so when he did that I was like
dude I refus to after my last fight I'm
going to strike and I'm just going to
keep it up on my feet but like I said
the guy yelled an audible and I was like
this is mixed martial arts it's not just
about getting Knockouts and getting
finishes it's seeing the openings for
what they give you and he gave me his
neck you know so you know everything
played out the way that it should have
but I didn't play any of that in my
cards it was not a submission win a
knockout
win listen dude I mean I'm not going to
tell you what the official record says
but you know something but like I mean
like I was going for The Knockouts yeah
yeah okay okay I just love the fact by
the way I'm glad you told me this now
because I can't tell if I would have
been a goon enough if we were starting
to roll because I was starting just
pulling guard when we were first
starting our roll yeah I don't know if
my competitiveness would have kicked in
and be like he's like nobody can take
him down so I was like I'm not well I
get taken down in practice that's it but
like like but like in a fight no I know
in a fight okay I'm glad we clarify
because again when I heard it I was just
like oh I wouldn't have tried to do
that I don't know like full speed full
adrenaline full goes with punches and
I'm fighting for my life I'm like
because you feel not only prepared given
all of your training but given your
experiences and what you're good at your
athleticism does make you hard to
contain and one of the things I did find
is you know we weren't necessarily
wrestling but there were almost like
ways that I was trying to work what I
know neutralizes wrestling uh in certain
positions where I was like oh [ __ ] I've
got like this go behind here like
literally just Turtle position and like
trying to contain because you were so
[ __ ] elusive in certain ways and I
think at one point I just heard you kind
of mutter like oh good wrestling I was
like I'm not a wrestler and then I was
like telling you I was like oh you must
be a wrestler you're like not a wrestler
and I was like Wow Oh I thought you had
me fooled I I was completely like this
dude's definitely got wrestling
background no no wrestling I uh started
mixed martial arts this actually we
coming up on my foury year anniversary
December I think 12th or 15th I walked
into MMA gym for the first time never
wrestled before that didn't wrestle in
high school no nothing so everything I
pretty much learned about martial arts
was from that moment and on so like
being training you know training
sessions in my hometown from La whatever
I've been able to pick up it's just all
just been in these four years luckily
I've been you know I dedicate my life to
this now well you've also been around
some incredibly talented people uh you
mentioned training over with the cmma
guys and Jesus that's a hard day those
are good those guys are really good it's
uh just even the little Clips they do
show it's only just a peak into all of
their greatness and and how good they
are uh we were talking about Javi and a
lot of those guys but dude one of my
homies in structs there so we're talking
about George like yeah he's really good
and dude he'll come up to this gym every
once in a while and he and I the same
kind of thing like a marathon roll and
it's dude it's a hard roll but we have
so much fun when we do get the chance to
finally see each other but it's always
like he's really far I'm really far so I
go when are we training and he goes man
as soon as this and he told me recently
he had an injury and I was like cool but
I'm trying to train with you with that
injury because like I can do a couple
things me in the vage real you know what
I mean like like you're a little spicy
already but if this is it I feel like I
might have an edge this day and he rolls
when he comes here with like no ego at
all and we're just always able to
exchange information so I never got a
chance to roll with him just yet because
howby told me he's like wait till you
roll with him if you start seeing how
good he really is but he he's Yoda
that's basically his nickname out there
he like he knows a counter to the
counter to the next move to hold
positioning so a lot of my Jiu-Jitsu
that I worked with you today like my
gramy yeah that's from GI George we were
just working gramy gramy gramy different
moves also like my standup trying to do
sit out it's like a lot of that from
that MMA you know that catch wrestling
base so that's where my style is
basically going towards now yeah and
dude he's I don't know man he is
definitely our paths crossed at very
good times where he was open to just
taking notes or exchanging information
and then just good spirits like I think
there was one time we were rolling and
then we had said we should grab a beer
or something and I was like brother I
just brought the beers to us and we
finished rolling and he's like oh I'll
definitely drink with you so every once
in a while he was like are we drinking I
was like bro I'll always have a beer
after training it's just he's such good
times and I've seen him kill it as an
instructor there like always really good
as a team honestly but again it's kind
of how when I'm rolling here especially
with him it is counter for counter like
for days it's just literally us just
seeing what the other one is really good
at and saying like oh I'm going to take
note of this I really like this yeah and
I thought I think gave me one really
good note about uh trying to work
something from like a oh God it was like
a xard or something and we just kind of
like compared how we do things and he
was showing me how he was beating it and
then I was implementing it like a little
bit later so I was just like dude what a
good guy he's able to give me such great
stuff all
right we did kind of tease this but do
you think that is the conclusion of your
amateur career I I do think that's my
clusion I think I'm I'm becoming 27 in
January it's time it's like it's the my
goal is to make it to the UFC it's now
or never I got to start making a push I
I got to start getting fights I got to
start getting wins under my record and
flashy wins you know so I can get pushed
even a little faster but yeah I think
that's pretty much it for my amateur
career I should be going pro here pretty
soon just finding the right options you
know is the drip going to scale up with
your flashiness as you go professional
of course of course I mean more money of
course cuz that's the worst part is you
know this kid who was in here talking to
us was telling us that for his bar
mitzvah he goes I gotta be honest with
you guys and I'm thinking to myself okay
what is he trying to tell us he goes I
spent all that money and I'm like you're
a child of course you spent all that
money course spent it he goes but I blew
it and I go this kid thinks we were
looking at him like he was going to be
the most financially aware 13
14-year-old kid and he's just like yeah
yeah man I got some regrets I spent it
all like a dumbass and I go we know yeah
dude when you're younger it's what
you're supposed to do but as he's
telling me this all I'm thinking is you
and I are talking and I'm like bro if
this kid had money like that as a kid
probably would have been even flashier
back then oh I I don't know if you know
so in high school I had a whole
newspaper article made of me I still
have it I have a newspaper my mom keeps
a whole bunch of them but it's just
literally about my whole fashion
so I got that in high school when that
dropped in high school everybody like
hey it's that guy that dresses up but it
didn't help me with the ladies it got me
made fun of oh really who was making fun
of you for that I went to a a very tough
high
school and I was like everybody always
like why are you dressing up why are you
doing this why it was never like hey you
looking fly my boy like no it was always
push back but I never changed were you
were you kind of a nerd then too because
you've mentioned your anime love you've
mentioned certain things that I go oh
he's a good fighter but he's a nerd at
heart like look at this super nerd
honestly no matter what like I'm in I
love space pretty good at math I would
have been a lawyer if I wasn't a fighter
if I got a chance uh to to actually go
to you know University or school or
stuff like that um I just like learning
my brain picks up stuff that's why
probably in this s of mon timeo Gotten
Good at MMA probably you know autist
autistic not even like that but uh
genuinely like I I don't know what it is
once I find something I dig deep into
the rabbit hole and start learning
everything I possibly can so I mean I'm
pretty nerdy okay let's start here why
space like what intrigues you about
space no honestly it's not actually
space it's like actually like the like
okay so imagine like a rocket ship going
to Mars you do the math how much you
know energy would it take to exit our
atmosphere how much how dense is the
atmosphere of Mars how many miles are we
away from them like you know like that
that intrigues me the math the science
behind of actually why stuff works the
way that it works but believe it or not
I'm not even a handsy guy like if you
told me to like work on my car I'm not
working on my car but if you tell me I
mean we got asked earlier to help a
gentleman that was outside and I have to
tell you when you were like hey man my
car is in rough shape people sometimes
say that like it's a rough drive it's a
long drive and I'm thinking to myself
okay no problem I make the turn into
this place and there is a car that has
all of its stuff on the outside the hood
is popped
it looks um to put it
gently like even the repo people were
like no thank you
sir but when I popped around I was like
oh I didn't think it was car would be
that rough and then I drive past it and
it wasn't him and I gotta tell you when
I pulled into the spot and it's him in a
completely different C right next to M I
shot the biggest look of relief because
I go no person should be that
that that rough to come to an interview
here and I was like I don't know why I
let myself believe that was going to be
your car but just because someone had
put it in my brain like yeah car is
pretty rough I look at your car I was
like your car is fine your car is not
that that's rough sir imagine me like
spending all my money on all these
flashy clothes and then driving that car
that bucket would legitimately have made
me cry laughing I would have been funny
and yet and yet this gentleman who was
outside was like do you got a wrench and
I was like sir I do not and like he
asked for the wrench but the weird part
is I'm not sure how out of place I could
consider him being that I had all of
this equipment oh cuz I go I mean I
guess I do have a lot of stuff but I
don't have wrench it's all this stuff
but good luck sir that afterwards he
goes he's been working on that car for
hours oh I think he's still there dude
he still might be there he's he was
there before we started so we had enough
time to roll eat he's still there
another dude gave a private all still
there and I'm like
bro and I was laughing so hard because
he the last question he asked me as I
was like pulling in lights is he
goes do do you think you can help me
with my car real quick and I go I'm not
a car guy my guy this is not my area of
expertise this I can tell you how to
level a mic and get
this cars you're better on your own dude
I'm not a car guy I'm definitely not a
car guy I mean honestly I I wanted I
used have a buck even worse than the one
I have now but I wanted to be that guy
where like I made it to the UFC I got
money and I'm still driving the bucket
to practice right right right it's like
I still want I want to do that maybe of
course you know make sure it runs right
and maybe add a stereo system but let me
let me tell you I think it was Conan
O'Brien I used to work for The Tonight
Show he had a very old car that he was
very proud of got good gas mileage and
he was very proud of keeping that car
and you know he was saying like I drive
his car which he did on occasion but he
also had like a really fly car that he
would drive as well you know what I mean
so I think that's what you want you're
like oh no the heart of me still a hard
worker but also check out my Beamer
whatever well like maybe why not Monday
through Friday drive you know Drive the
bucket you know save some gas save some
money and then on the weekends be you
know P at the fly car yeah of course you
know what the other thing is what that
kid was telling us about he's like that
guy his dad gave him that car and I was
like I hate to tell you this kid you're
going to be a lot people like this in
this world and I'm happy you bought your
car cuz he's you know basically saying
I'm proud I bought my car and he goes I
have a friend his dad gave him his car I
go you're gonna meet a few people like
that especially in this area of the
world um but you know to each their own
kid and you're trying to tell them like
hey they all come in different shapes
and sizes you don't know who's who but
that is a nice unifying thing about uh
grappling and MMA is you do get all
these random people who have money some
people who don't don't and you get to
learn different personality types and
I'm like dude sometimes the people who
have no money are the purest of the
people yeah who will like literally be
trying to give you money and you're like
bro you don't have any you need to put
that away no you get to meet all kinds
of people in this game I've gotten to
meet all my like imagine how many
fighters I've got to me Idols people
that just walk into the gym and you're
like dude that guy that guy's the number
five guy in the world and it's like this
is pretty cool you don't get to do that
like if you played basketball at at your
local park you're not going to run into
LeBron James but you might like you know
if you practice your local gym you might
run into like I wouldn't say Jon Jones
but if you're in Albuquerque you might
run into Jon Jones well you yourself
you've run into Jon Jones yeah I've
looked at your profile enough to discern
the fact that you have gotten a lot of
pictures with a lot of top tier Talent
yeah how many athletes from the UFC you
do you think that you have met over the
years definitely over 20 definitely so
like I but I'm I'm like a fan girl bro I
I don't care I'm going to ask for a
picture I'm like hey this is the once in
a lifetime opportunity like if my son
gets to see this one day we'll be like
hey yo bro my dad was awesome my dad my
dad was with Jones my dad was with Alex
like this is cool so I I get to stunt
you know be what is it called Bill Dad
lore sure Bill dad who was the nicest
person who you have met so far from that
UFC realm or from the MMA there's about
two or three guys okay um one of the
guys the the first guy that I met was so
far Beyond nice was Corey sandhagen like
okay so when I met some Fighters some
Fighters just took a picture of me was
like just keep it moving dog yeah Corey
took the second to actually shake my
hand with both of his hands stop look me
in the eyes and was like how's your day
going and I was like good brother like
good you know like and I was like
expecting to be like the other Fighters
well that's good what have you been up
to this weekend I was like um like
hanging out I don't know I'm in shock
that it's Cory talking to me like this
all right cool and then I go to take a
picture next to him and I'm just doing
like the little hover like you know I'm
just going to just going to take a cool
pick he grabs me and like actually pulls
me in and puts me into like a hugging
position like a side picture and I was
like dude that was cool he was so such a
genuinely nice down toar guy and then uh
utos when I trained with him I don't
know I can't say his last name but it's
OS Medic or whatever his name is I can't
I can't say it right super nice I was
like hey how's your day going he's like
oh good this that and every single time
I've ever talked to him straight nothing
but positive vibes I didn't even know he
was really in the UFC like that until
somebody else tagged him in a picture I
was like this guy's a nice nice guy he
genuinely will ask you like how's your
day going and actually look you in the
eyes and then one time I wanted to quit
I was on the fan bike and I was like
done and I laid down like boom and I
drop on the floor like he's like stand
up he's like go walk it off like you
don't never want to be like that you
know like stand up walk it off a little
bit so he gives me a whole bunch of tips
and advice nice and he's super nice guy
super super nice guy so those are just
you know two guys that I've met that are
Beyond nice okay
I guess the weird part about Corey is I
think of the most recent crop of maybe
top five athletes corya stood out with a
lot of those techniques that he's put up
and I've seen his personality emerge and
then I've also seen like this is just a
cheap pop but when I saw him hit like a
pedigree and like a blue thunder bomb in
like his workout because dude as an
athlete when they say you have to have
an open workout like what are you really
going to do yeah you can't give away all
those you can't you want to give away
your secrets but then you don't want to
look like [ __ ] so you kind of want to
impress the fans with like some short
pops if you're doing like the pro
wrestling moves you just go all right
this is what it is and I'm just trying
to have fun and I go I think that's what
I would do and I just looked at him and
I go and I wouldn't have pegged him as
being a pro wrestling fan so I
definitely was surprised and I go look
at this nerd yeah know honestly he got a
lot of similar Vibes like same thing for
me I'm like this guy's a downar guy
doesn't take himself too serious he just
happens to be a good martial artist yeah
that's what I honestly I check out his
Instagram long time he's on nature walks
yeah just hanging out and then uh so I
take a lot from him a lot of inspiration
I watch his videos yeah and I want to
say that I feel like he's somebody that
I think post UFC fight career he'll be
okay yeah and that always makes me feel
very good because I go yeah he's got a
good personality a good internet
presence that is true to him as a person
so that makes me uh super stoked and and
happy to to see you also it's very weird
because normally when I do research on
the gu it doesn't always happen where
the guest does research on me yeah so
you found photos with an old coach of
yours where did you find those the coach
the so the coach gave those to you why
hold on Al why do you have those just
accessible to send to people he sent
them in like no time he's like hey I
know Rafael like what what's going on
and then he's like look at this and he
sent it within like less than a minute
he had him super accessible and he's
like yeah he likes pro wrestling too
that's how I know him I'm like oh what
the heck yeah the reason why is is like
there's a photo where Albert was like
why don't we exchange moves you do a or
I'll do a figure four and you can do a
sharpshooter but you should turn it into
a sharpshooter and I was like sure but
why are we doing this like I was like
it's a gag but we always do like a thing
called WWE BJJ where it's pro wrestling
in Jiu-Jitsu settings and I always laugh
because I go well he's a solid black
belt and he knows what he's doing and
he's having fun but he was just like
you're actually enjoying what you do and
having fun and I want to play too and I
thought oh that's kind of cool but I was
just surprised you had that material
because your Instagram is much briefer
than mine where there's so much stuff we
put out over the years where I was like
how the hell did that manifest itself so
if I tell you this hold up this is this
is why it's brief so I didn't have an
Instagram a couple years into my
fighting career so I was training at a
seminar with Brian battle and Brian
battle had like talked to me dude how do
you expect to get sponsors yeah dude how
do you expect to get exposure even be
seen by the UFC like you need an
Instagram so he inspired me to actually
get that's why it's so uh brief but
actually what I really like posting is
me with other Fighters I think it looks
so
cool I'm taking the picture but I love
the nice part is I'm glad you said it
because when I was looking at it I was
kind of like oh he really is a fan girl
but you were like I'm a fan girl like
you're just like I'm a groupy but I
gotta say though look at this man I
think I think we need to understand
that not only is this a fantastic shirt
but like this is the way to meet
somebody because if I was him I would
look at this and be like whoa bro
brother that looks so good oh man I love
that photo of me oh where did you find
that from like that's how he would be if
he saw that because sometimes people
make merch with your face on it or your
likeness on it and it's kind of there
I'm like yo that's a lit freaking shirt
bro yeah it's it's finding the happy
medium where you have like a fashionable
shirt of yourself like it can't just be
like like eh I'm not going to wear that
ever other than like going to a fight
and like supporting you know yeah but I
mean this is to me it's a fire St and
it's my favorite fighter that you know
he's your favorite fighter right now my
favorite well he's been he's been my
favorite fighter uh just the way he
carries himself the way he's a family
man the way he's always in a even win or
lose he's always in a fantastic fight oh
yeah even watching him get knocked out
there was like a a collective like H was
hurt just it hurt our soul but you knew
it was likely
yeah as a possibility because again just
his style and the wars he's been in you
go ah it's possible and then I
remembered seeing it and thinking like
well my weekend has been ruined oh no
and I'm a Robert Whitaker fan too so it
was I was like no I'm just I'm just a
fan of nice guys you know just a chill
guy just a chill guy indeed why don't we
take it back a step why don't we get to
know where martial arts found its way
into your life you know you were
alluding to it a little bit earlier
where where you know you were an athlete
I'm assuming you were playing basketball
and you made a really good analogy by
the way for your basketball and you're
striking and how that parallel went but
it tells me that you were an athlete
before any time you were a mixed martial
artist so when I was young actually like
my my brother-in-law my sister the first
time I ever met my brother-in-law I
think I was like seven eight years old
maybe and the first time I met him is
when they took me to go watch Chuck
Liddell fight so I was like seven or
eight years old already like interested
in fighting and then I remember when I
was like actually probably around that
same age I watched Pride because I
actually thought it was WWE I saw the
ring and like these guys aren't doing
Swan BS out the top row like these guys
suck these guys don't know what real
fighting is like this is so boring but I
didn't know what I was watching so i'
had been a fan maybe since six years old
even maybe actually but what people
don't know is like my dad and my mom
used to come down to Los Angeles all the
time and back then you had to get DVDs B
doesn't have any DVDs so I would stop at
the Pilot in Castaic and they had the
old UFC one all the way to like 100 at
that time when I was like a little kid
and every time that we stopped there I'd
force them to buy me the DVDs I would
literally be like I'm GNA buy this I'm
gonna get it and I would watch the
fights from bottom all the way to top
and I'd become super like I think my
favorite fighter of all time at the
beginning was Anderson Silva the way he
was finishing people I was like this is
this is Art this is beauty you know and
then stuff like that but uh my mom was I
asked her was like hey can I join MMA
cuz I was playing the video game so much
and she was like um no son like I don't
want you getting hit like your face you
know and then that like you know moms
they don't want you in danger so I never
joined it you know life goes on I'm
slowly playing football basketball I do
track and always super athletic but uh
one day I woke up like I think I was
working like a a warehouse job and I was
like and I was listening to Joe Rogan's
podcast so much the one that really
inspired me to two podcasts was Max
holloways and isra Adas where they like
really talked about it how anybody could
be you know actually do it so I was like
you know what I'm I'm going to go try it
out so I I quit my job and I went to
like so I could because I was working
night shifts was like if I do MMA I
can't I can't work this job no more so I
I went to go chase my dream but I had
hyped it up to all my friends like hey
I'm G to be this MMA fighter I'm G to do
this and I had gone into crazy [ __ ]
before I walked into the gym and then I
got punched in the nose in the face and
I felt like my like brain rattled the
back of my head I was like dude I got to
quit it's like but I HED it up so much
to all my friends that I was like dude
like I can't quit now I got to stay in
it and you know it's been Off to the
Races ever since that's pretty much how
how my MMA story kind of got started do
you remember walking into your
first I mean I usually ask first
Jiu-Jitsu class but did like an MMA
class happen first or what exactly was
your first experience I went into a
dungon like it was it was the Wild West
in our old gym we had our coach I mean
there's a method to the manness but he's
a wild guy he's like hey you walked in
week one you're going to go Spar the
champ over there he's like you're going
to war on a Monday you're going to war
back tomorrow the next day so what's
crazy is my team we had a lot we had a
lot of success when we were all together
like it just it just made Killers cuz we
were literally fighting each other in
the gym and everybody was trying to be
the best guy in there and we don't know
the knowledge of fighting we don't
understand like the brain damage and all
that stuff and the Damage you take on
your body so we were just going to war
in with no technique and we're just
trying to figure stuff out so um yeah
know with time luckily you know we got
pretty
good I mean I'm glad that worked I I do
want to go to your first Jiu-Jitsu class
because again grappling hour we like to
always profile that what do you remember
about your first grappling class so I
had played the video game so much and I
kind of and watched so much UFC I knew
the positioning I just didn't know how
do you say how to get out of stuff like
you know of course you know white belts
or like newbies I was a spaz was like
get off me get off me move but I didn't
do too bad like the first day I was
catching people in submissions and stuff
and people were like you've trained Jiu
Jitsu before I was like no I just play
the video game and watch so much UFC I
have the knowledge and then I didn't
have to learn the language like learning
like oh this is side control this is
half guard this is guard I already knew
what it was I already had uh what's the
saying like your cup was full you know
like you already had water in your cup
pretty much you know it's knowledge so
that's that's what I remember my first
one I really actually don't really
remember it I don't remember it fully
but I remember like rolling with people
and I was like okay cool but I remember
people telling me like hey yo like looks
like you've rolled before like you've
had Jiu-Jitsu experience before but I
just didn't know and then I was a wild
kid so I'd practice these moves on my
cousins like when I was a kid so I would
just like we do WWE and we would do
fighting we put on the gloves we do all
that stuff so to me it wasn't like
different to like how to manage a body I
was like okay this is where weight this
is where how you get counterweight and
uh positioning so that's that's kind of
all that I remember honestly when you
were doing the WWE were you the guy
winning or was it yeah okay did you have
a finishing move and if so was it I I
like the swan Tom bomb so you were a
high I was jump I literally would get
the ladder and get my like like
literally jump onto the couch with my
cousin on top of it or like jump off my
bunk bed I was I was wild I don't know I
have okay I don't know if you noce I
have eight scars on my head okay from
Stitches over my lifetime like different
I have my eyebrow cut I have like a scar
on top of my head one giant one in the
back I was I was just a wild child I
just what did your mom say to all this I
think I think my family got used to
it I didn't have any broken bones but
like I was constantly always having to
go to the ER to get stitches and like
now like when I get cut I'm like all
right yeah I was all right and then um
there was really a funny moment in high
school we were playing basketball and
this guy's head collides in with mine
it's the big old scar I have over my
eyebrow okay it was 27 stitches um and
then I was like damn I hate when this
happens that's what like my friend to
this day says like you didn't weren like
ow this hurts you were like damn I hate
when this happen cuz I had I had so many
stitches by that time I like ah this
sucks now I just have to go to the ER so
I mean if it happens in a fight it'll
happen in a fight you know I think get
just I mean it bodess well for your pain
tolerance I think yeah and usually
that's something you kind of need to
have because I don't I don't think this
is really something that you go without
paying in um I just love the fact that
we introduced you today to the concept
of a gimmick pin when we're rolling and
it was so funny because when I was doing
it you had no clue until the third count
when you go one two what is he doing oh
[ __ ] and then you had this moment where
you were like wait and I always think to
myself it's a fun way to play and you're
like I think I'm gonna do this to my
trading partners now oh yeah I'm
Wrecking white bu
that
because it tells me this is why I'm
asking if you were the one that went
over so was this planned did you have a
predetermined winner because when you
said that you won was this you
legitimately beating them or was this
you being like no man I'm flashy I'm
falling off the top of that ladder onto
you and that's the end of the match I I
don't like to lose so like when my
cousins was like we were fight and I'm
like I'm winning every fight like I
don't still to this day I don't know I
just kind of always had it like my
cousins talk to me nowadays and they're
like dude I remember when you were
little you were already trying all these
moves on us and it wasn't like the fact
that they could do anything to stop
these moves of course we little they
probably let me SW Tom bomb them but you
know but we would literally wrestle and
I would always just be the winner I mean
I just I liked them I even bought my
first UFC gloves and had my like me and
my cousin duke it out in the back it was
it was yeah how did that go so my dad
bought him I was always traveling always
doing the stuff I was such a hardcore
UFC fan as a kid he bought me the the
UFC belt The Pride belt in the wec belt
you can actually buy them still online
I'm buy them put in my room I'm buy
actually not that remembering so you can
literally buy like the velro ones like
the fake ww ones and stuff and I used to
have the WW ones of course but but one
day I found out you could actually buy
the UFC gloves with the logo on it oh
yeah and I went hunting for them I don't
know where we went and my dad's like all
right cool I finally gone for you and
they were expensive back in the days
like $50 in 2008 was a ton of money so
the fact that they got me them was cool
and I had me and my cousin put them on
and we would just like oh we're going to
go Spar in the back I would have the
neighborhood kids sparring against me in
the back like you know with UFC gloves
but I was such a huge fan to me it was
like playing I didn't realize people
were probably getting
hurt it's so funny I just there's a part
of me that thinks whenever I see stuff
like this that
obviously it does make sense that you
were going to become a mixed Marshal
artist yeah like I don't know there's
many doctor range one and lank million
PE opportunities for something else to
happen like it seemed like everything
was building to you being a
fighter but a lot of it seems so
specifically designated to the UFC where
you're like I've met these UFC fighters
I bought the UFC gloves I had the UFC
belt I even had the pride belt like you
were there hardcore fan I was actually
really good at the video game really I
was I would whoop everybody in the video
game I just I I loveed I loved MMA like
the art of MMA from when I was little so
like now like genuinely like I like the
fighting nerds because that that
explains me perfectly like I'm literally
a fighting nerd it's not just fighting
it's there's art to it there's technique
we're playing like a gambling chess
match you know so um but also like you
said like the UFC that's that's where
the best fighters in the world are at um
I don't I mean I could do stuff I could
just quit fighting and I can go make
money yeah I can go do a regular job I
feel like I'm smart enough to learn
whatever I would want to learn and my
brain is still fine but it doesn't
fulfill me it's like what gives me
purpose and meaning is like okay cool I
set myself to be on this goal to try to
become the UFC champion it's a big goal
and it's like you know I'm gonna I'm
gonna go for it you know that's that's
always been my goal is to try to become
the best fighter in the world and I'm
gonna try doing it okay yeah so we
talked about your flashiness we talked
about obviously your pant for style oh
but then I'm looking at photos like this
yeah and we see that your parents went
from
buying you belts to you now having your
own belts and then you're not just
having your own belts you're like no I
need to be in my suit with them and not
only that but at a study with a very
very strong background full of books and
a shelf of mahogany and that you're like
N I need I need to do a photo shoot with
this because I've seen you holding five
belts at once and I just thought like oh
good Lord I don't have anywhere near
that many BTS let alone that it's not
fun it's not practical it's not
practical it's bad you can't carry them
nowhere can't use your hands I mean it's
a good problem to have but it's it's
it's a problem it is definitely
something it's a first world problem is
what you're describing it is you're just
like oh these belts they're so heavy I'm
so sorry I'm so famous and uh good at
fighting but to me I just I laughed so
hard seeing you do those because I also
do I was like yeah that is going to be
pretty heavy fam I don't know how you're
going to be able to do that but the
second part is me thinking to
myself I mean that's kind of the stuff
that you talk about that like why it's
so good that family members like parents
buy you those things because they tell
you it's possible yeah and then you have
the Fulfillment of achieving those goals
and those dreams of being an MMA being a
champion in there and then saying like
you know that's why you feel so
confident youve made the right choice
because when people mention they
competitive I'm like I don't know man
you probably would have been a pretty
good lawyer with that competition drive
you know like you need to be able to
fight for a client in a certain way and
you need somebody who's hardcore
competitive I do ask this of many people
and I will ask you this when you say
you're competitive can you give me an
example that might demonstrate outside
of the Mixed Martial Arts world what
makes you competitive in a way that has
been embarrassing at any point or time
embarrassing myself or something like
that no well it like
this have you ever been the person that
somebody says I don't want to play this
game with you because you're too
competitive every game
game so uh so yeah legitimately I I
don't make the game fun because like
okay like I said I'm I'm I'm not even
tweeting my own heart I'm a nerd for
everything and anything okay so if we're
playing The Simpsons board game I'm a
hardcore Simpson fan I know every I know
as much episodes as you can okay I'm
watching One Piece it's 1,300 episodes
so I was when I joined I was unemployed
for two years this is the co time I went
through watching every Harry Potter
every Lord of the Rings everything
that's a series that people talk about
I've watched it so you're so it's like a
a almost like a trivia based as well
like you know whatever you want to win
at everything you want to know more than
everybody else at that yeah it's like
I'm not going to lose and it's it's kind
of it just doesn't become fun for my
family no more cuz we play a game and
most likely you know I'm going to win
wow it's like it's and and I'm like ah
I'm just going to try to like not really
take it too serious and not be
competitive but
no I I don't care if it's a kid in my
family I don't care if it's a
10-year-old I'm I'm winning I I will say
there was a brief moment at the very
beginning of our role where you go you
can do this and I
go and we're just starting and I just
thought to myself I was like you don't
need to tell me this unfortunately I'm
better at roasting than you are so I was
like I feel I feel like we're we're
going to be okay but the reason why it's
somewhat jarring is your role
was competitive in its athleticism but
not uh bad competitive like it's a fun
competitive where I was like oh okay we
can have this we could flow here he's
doing this this is really strong this
movement's there I roll with people who
are like I'm not giving you an inch when
it's just the fun roll and I go oh [ __ ]
it's going to be a hard day at the
office I didn't get the sense that if I
was going to play like Candyland with
you that you're going to be
like let run it back let's go let's do
it again again yeah you got that dumb
shoot I don't I didn't see that some
[ __ ] run this back one more
time no no but I'm I'm like a super nice
guy and I understand like we're having
fun it's a good role now no no no but
now now no no no now I'm getting into
the important no no no no it's not it's
not that it's like um like I don't know
how to explain it like uh I we're here
like I don't want to get like injured I
don't want to injure you so it's like
why you know I'm just going to tap no
reason to kind of wake up the next day
but think about it like this those
people are the ones when they say
they're competitive at board games or
like a family trivia night or something
like that that I go yeah that makes
sense I was like dude you seem so chill
and like to relax that now you're
telling me like no rap for your own
benefit uh but I will ask this because I
do ask this of competitive people how
are you at poker I don't I don't I don't
enjoy so um there's another thing I
don't like taking risk really I'm not a
risk taker I'm not a gambler I don't
like if there's a risk factor in it I
that's the same thing I kind of like I'm
not not spilling nothing but like I
fight I'm there to win y I'm not there
to do something stupid I'm not there to
brawl with you I'm not there to play
your game I'm there to win that is my
one goal I'm not going to go into ego
battle with you like some guys like oh
you won't meet me like the max Hol you
won't meet me in the middle of the cage
no I don't want me in the cage that's
stupid that's that's dumb I'm not dumb
either like you know like I'm
competitive but it's it's not stupidity
either you know so this just kind of
like that it's kind of mixture of stuff
honestly it makes me appreciative
because I my wife and I told people when
we played darts with them we realized
they were hyper competitive and we were
the comic relief but like every of we
beat them but if we didn't win it wasn't
like damn it was just being like all
right I'm gonna go another drink you
guys want some like okay fun that's how
I like to think I'm with most of the
times but my wife does say 10 people in
your life you are very competitive with
everybody else you're like oh my God you
beat that was great good job he like but
those 10 people you're like
no not today we're play something else
today she's like you get real quiet and
very like in your Zone like now that's
you at your most competitive and she
goes and it gets weird because it's
people that you dearly love and that
you're always like yeah so like the the
gym owner here when we roll it is it is
a competitive and then if we're playing
a game it's a competitive game so he's
one of the people that I very much enjoy
but I had even told him at one point
because there were years where he and I
weren't tapping each other oh dang like
yeah years just that it was just he's
really good I'm good at my thing it
would just be stalemates with times oh
what the heck and it was aggravating to
him because he's very good yeah and he's
like I'm beating you positionally and I
was like cool but are you holding me
down for the cops to come like is that
the way you roll and you're proud of
yourself you're not submitting me he's
like but I'm beating you I was like okay
ibjjf points look at here good job so
that kind of back and forth was her
being like yeah you guys are
insufferable attack well me like me and
my girlfriend I don't let her win oh she
I don't let her win anything from the
moment we started dating cuz she's a
basketball player I was used to be a
basketball player so super competitive
when it comes to that first date I took
her to go shoot hoops I
won talk so I was like I'm not letting n
this ain't flying to me just because
we're in a lovey duy date you know I'm a
Hooper I'm a Hooper first and foremost
you know so it's like I had to represent
but it it just comes out in spurts I
think you you were saying earlier like
it just depends yeah like I'll tap to
somebody I don't know but if it's my
coach or if it's my friend I'm not
tapping probably not I'm not tapping at
all it's getting yeah I understand that
I'm I'm okay with that it's just it's
profiling the type of competitiveness
and it was one that I was like oh I
relate to this like this is just good
trading it's not too people trying to
kill each other and then going like well
now we're going to have to do an
interview this is going to get real
weird real quick and be like yeah dude
how many times I get you versus you know
what I mean like that kind of thing well
you got me three times no no that was
the hypothetical no no no I think he I
think he's been dropped this gu really
good I'm all right but what I can tell
you is I think the only one that hurt
you severely was getting pinned and I
was just like that was the one where you
you got bothered and then you
immediately started being like no my
shoulders up and I was just like oh I
probably will do that better than the
actual submissions and I will say I'm
not going to say or confirm deny any of
these things for the submissions but I
will tell you there were three pins so
I'm very proud of myself for that oh
yeah no I when as soon as you pinned me
I was
like cuz we had talked about act before
like I'm yeah I'm gonna pull out my WWE
wrestling moves on you and I'm like all
right go ahead you can try them and then
I forgot about it I was I was I was such
in the the roll then I heard this loud
th on the mat boom I was like what is he
doing is he going like is he trying to
play on his feet that was weird you do
it again like like what's going on here
like I've never seen that third one I
was like click oh one two CL I was like
oh I just got pinned he did I did not
realize and then I realized I was like I
gotta get him back for those people that
took the Falls when he was Swant toning
them back in the day I just didn't know
it yet now I know I was like yo I was
coming for you yes cuz I bet you this
dude was like tonight you're taking the
fall after the Swanton there's no
kicking out of my finisher that's what
you had to do and I like that's why I
was like wait did you do a planned or an
unplanned you're like they knew it was
planned if it was good for them you know
not to get beat up by me but I just was
like well this dude clearly was pitting
people back in the day so I'm like I
feel no problem doing this to him now
but you did say you're going to do it to
other people so I feel like I'm passing
it on oh no that's actually an awesome
tradition like I didn't realize it
that's that's cool well the one reason
why I knew it was working is because
then he tried to do it to me and I was
like no brother my shoulder's up and
then afterwards he's doing the same
thing where he's like actually I'm a
little there I'm just crunching I was
like well we can we can fix this real
quick like this should a down the worst
part was he's so flexible that at
certain points he would do kind of a gry
and like part of his shoulder would be
on the mat and he'd be like trying to
let me pass but like opening his guard
and I was like dude this shoulder is
down as well now like I was like I don't
think he's realizing now that this is
just like a rollup pin as well you're
technically getting rolled up I was like
bro I mean it's still I may not be
getting the pass but I am getting the
pin so I'm just saying I thought that
was cool honestly I'm gonna start doing
that just to everybody I roll with now
pleas and when you hit it please let me
know because I feel like I'm passing it
on but I knew once I set us down that
path I was like the next time we roll
This is 100% what he's going to try and
do to yeah I know for sure but we
discovered today he cannot so I think in
a good space Oh no no next time I'm
going work on my game I'm going to
listen I I want you to go back I want
you to bring a better game I know you
will you're a gamer but I'm just like
you know that you were trying to do it
to me and you saw it wasn't working
didn't
happen like best the best was when he
did this he goes that's on film isn't it
and I was like Hey brother I'm not I'm
not cutting it as long as you act right
I was like you act out of hand I'm like
that footage is going to release itself
very quickly I wouldn't I wouldn't mind
if it's released I find it funny I find
everything in Good Humor I do do this
though sometimes I'll hit some of the
guys with like a Boston crab like legit
catchit or something like that and I
always have to hit them up and be like
hey this okay is this cool because it's
a meme and I don't know who watches our
stuff sometimes a lot of people
sometimes no people sometimes a lot a
lot of people I don't know what the
internet takes hold of at any given time
it runs with it and we just did one of
hallway with my buddy he was watching
the fight with us we had a fight
companion here and we zoomed in on him
watching hallay lose and I'll show it to
you off air in a second yeah but it was
like watching him incredibly stressed
and then destroyed and I just put uh
what is it my December from or My
Immortal by uh Evan Essence and it's the
saddest song that he's just
like and I had to send him a note I had
edited this piece it took me about an
hour and I go hey man is this cool and
he goes
it's beautiful send it and I was like
okay that's great so he I knew people
were going to relate to that story
because they're like dude nobody wants
to watch Hall L have you watched The
Simpsons like you watch like I don't
know how recent though yeah no it's an
old episode this is a scene where Lisa
Simpson breaks Ral wiggum's heart and
Bart's like look you can see exactly
when his heart's broken and it's like
Ral going oh exactly that because we
literally watched it happen and it
wasn't like I wasn't sad it's just I've
seen so many sad things in my life that
I just
go just sucks you know it ruined my
morning a little bit it sucks and I was
just like damn but I went on with my day
like it's not me fighting at the end of
the day you know so it's you do have
more involved in yourself yeah and
you're a big fan but not everybody
fights MMA where they get that release
of doing their own fighting where
they're like man I'm just bummed
and then all of a sudden you're like if
you don't fight you go that was my dude
it felt like somebody one of your homies
got [ __ ] up you know so I I could
understand that uh as we start to Circle
here I would like to ask this usually we
ask the grappling side which is when did
you fall in love with jiu-jitsu but I'll
open it up to you because MMA is such a
huge critical part of your life when did
you fall in love with MMA that you
decided you were going to do it as more
than just a hobby so actually I like
Jiu-Jitsu first I like ji Jitsu a lot
more than I like striking I didn't like
getting in the face I hate I hated it in
the beginning I was like dude this is
stupid just take him to the ground and
you take no damage like you know and
then I slowly started falling in love
with striking you know but uh MMA has
been probably a love of my life since I
was a little kid I we talked about a
little bit earlier like um but when I
actually started training at it I was
like I was I was really like a natural
at Jiu-Jitsu that's what I like doing I
would go watch videos I'd watch YouTube
clips Instagram reals and I was like
this is this is what I got to try the
next day oh I see a gramby oh I seen
this I seen that so I tried it not
knowing the actual technique but if it
worked it worked you know stuff like
that I'm I'm really a big visual learner
you just have to show me something one
time and I'll learn it forever pretty
much that's how I am but uh with MMA I
think one day I got a knockout and I was
just like yeah we're striking now I like
this is this is awesome I didn't I
didn't know I had knockout power I
always thought like I was just going to
be a regular de guy probably tough you
know and then started getting a couple
Knockouts and is like you know what
screw that Jiu-Jitsu stuff no but I
still love Jiu-Jitsu though you do you
do and and you play very fun and well so
that's how I can tell you enjoy it
because some MMA guys look at Jiu-Jitsu
like a chore yeah it's a chore for some
and they go I don't want to [ __ ] do
this or like we've we've had people come
to do the rolling part like you yeah and
then we do the interview and they're
like I don't really roll too much and I
go what is that mean don't you fight
they're like I just don't like doing it
and then they'll roll with me and they
kind of realize that I try to make it
fun for them and they're like you're
okay and I go oh I'm okay you're making
the exception for me cool thanks dude
but I always like to say it sometimes
because you train so much it does become
a job maybe that Thrill Is Gone I get it
but I just understand like I come at it
from a place of love and I find that I
gravitate towards other people who have
that same enthusiasm and then it's just
that's why it's fun like that's the
magic if you get people against the will
it sometimes or somebody who goes coach
was making me do this whatever so I'm
very loose in terms of it but my
favorite thing to do is I think I was
mentioning to you how a lot of times
we'll have our uh rolling start the
class yeah I'll get a couple guys who
right after the kickboxing aren't
necessarily Grapplers and they'll be
watching the rolling and they're just
staring at and I was like you can come
roll yeah might as well might as well
jump in stop just watching participate
yeah like oh no I won't and you go just
if you're already staring just go do it
yeah you're just wasting time now
clearly want to know how it ends for
those people which means you have an
interest just go do it and they're
always like I don't know maybe we'll see
and then they roll and then they start
saying for class and I go yeah because
you do the fun part everybody likes the
fun part the techniques depending on
what you like sometimes yes sometimes
get a little boring sometimes it happens
but we'll find a way to make it fun or
we'll find a way to kind of versatile it
to what you're best at so I've always
been very happy and proud of that one
well no sorry the one of the things that
like makes really fun for me is trash
talking oh I'm not a trash talker when I
actually F I'm not even a trash talker
before a fight but in the gym if you can
get me talking or if you start saying
smack to me while we're rolling oh
that's that gets E I don't know it's I'm
not competitive I'm not trying to kill
nobody but it it turns something on like
oh yeah and I start talking I do I do it
with striking too if I can strike with
you and talk to you the whole time um I
talk to myself in a fight I don't know
if my opponents will ever be able to
hear me but I'm like all right cool got
this mental note all right cool and then
my coach will say something I'm like all
right got it all right cool and then
I'll hit him oh damn I just hit you but
I don't mean that to be to be cocky I
make it's weird mental selft talk you're
play yeah like the more that I can talk
the more relaxed I am in Jiu-Jitsu or
striking so when me and you started
talking I was like oh this this is what
I like this is this is actually you what
dude I have to Pepper in jokes to see
because I know not everybody has a great
sense of humor especially if you're
winning yeah like quote unquote winning
you don't want to seem like an [ __ ]
so a lot of the jokes are a mix of
self-deprecation of hey you didn't block
this or in your case when you're flying
in the air being like what the [ __ ] is
this Fu going on bro and then other
times it's just like being in
situational different spots where you
know you're trying your your best to
bridge out of something and I'm like no
this ain't happening and I'm just not
even that but I'm just like I don't want
to go over like it's not even like I I'm
afraid of playing off my back it's just
right now I don't want to and then
literally just tell you like what's
wrong stop it stay here you can just do
this I don't want to move and then just
finding a playful way to do it but I did
notice I was like oh I think he likes
this okay I'll do more jokes super trash
talker well now I'm going to write more
jokes for the next time and you're witty
so I mean I I know but you know what the
nice part is you did give me the respect
when I did say I was like hey man I'm
not pretending like I'm great at
Jiu-Jitsu but I am the best at trash
talking like that's fair you go you go
that's fair and I go okay he's not going
to try and like bro this this is what I
do for a living this is what I this is
me it's just because I'm like I've
always had a mouth on me oh yeah and
I've always recognized like that mouth
has kept me out of
fights miraculously never been in an
actual fight no never I've never been in
a street fight so that's that's I
mean an actual
fight but never I've never like other
than in a combat situation with sanction
but it's also because you're your
demeanor you have a very calm demeanor
outside of it and you're playful enough
to go like okay if you say you're the
like some tough guy sounds great I'm
gonna gret this beer peace for me it's
always been like I didn't have too many
people get angry at me but I remember
one specific time there was something
was on the playground or in school and
somebody was like trying to fight me and
I just showed up and then I just started
roasting the person in front of a crowd
and they were laughing so hard at this
person that they just kind of ran away
and I remembered thinking like
huh okay I guess I'm pretty good at that
but I didn't think of it as a weapon I
just it is a weapon but I didn't really
know its extent other than just trying
to get a better understanding of like
why are we fighting because normally for
a fight two people should probably want
to do it and I'm trying to understand
why I need to fight you because I don't
have that want to fight you yeah like
what there has to be a huge reason I've
got to be willing to give up my school
get in trouble and I don't get in
trouble but if we're fighting why are we
fighting yeah and then they just started
saying like I don't I think at this
point they made a mistake of being like
I was like what is that and then all of
a sudden like a crowd's laughing I was
like I guess I should go with this and
I'm like dude you look all broke coming
out here doing this and like literally
roasting their appearance how poor their
clothes looked how sad their face was
and then I think they just were like
forget this man and they left and
everybody was like yo are you still
fighting I was like I don't think so I
well I found out more like if your
personality when we started messaging
I'm like this guy's funny this guy's a
talker like you know this guy has
personality so I could definitely see it
you know like plus when we started
rolling like oh this is what he does
this is how good he is at actually
talking but to make somebody actually
stop a fight because you made fun of
them that is that is Talent it is
impressive for a child but then I also
realize like all right if we ever do a
show I will always do the joke to your
face that I do on air yeah so I feel
it's an important uh policy to have and
usually the jokes we do are with people
we know and love so it's like all right
cool if you're fighting and I make a
joke about you it's because now we've
gotten the chance to talk we've gotten a
chance to roll I think there's a report
there and had we not even done that
today I still felt like I had a rapport
with you after our cage bch uh interview
where I said yeah dude that was his
moment and he had great personality I
got a good vibe he seemed like fun
people and those are the people that
always make you root for them and say
like oh that guy seems like he's cool so
I hope yeah this guy a cool guy I can
get behind you know he doesn't take
himself too serious yeah he's a fighter
but it's not all that defines him you
know this guy's just a cool dude you
yeah but yeah man so I'm glad we got
that out of the way here's what I want
to do we're going to put a pit on the
conversation for right now because
fortunately you get some opportunity to
take some time off who knows if you're
back early 2025 but the holidays are
coming up and you're definitely going to
be back to training through the holidays
which is honestly the hardest of times
to train little bit hard I like that you
were like no man I'm on Camp now and I
was like during the holidays I want to
make it to the UFC man get that I get
that I get that it's the goal and it's
the the vision board and it's the
Championships but also like holiday
season is the hardest part for
me sometimes because the gyms are closed
yeah and when I have to do my planning
that's cut to me like on a phone being
like I'm training this day this day the
st's closed but I can go here like I'm
very meticulous about getting it in even
if the gym is closed I'm gonna go get a
run in I'm gonna go lift some weights
run boring I already know you don't like
it [ __ ] that I I hate it all but I mean
I'm going to do it you have to you have
to I don't necessarily have to but
that's why I was telling you today I was
like fam I really want to do this
interview yeah but if we're not rolling
I got to replace this with something
else yeah you got to get something going
on and I'm like at the very least I get
my good workout in and then we get a
great interview so I'm very happy about
that here's what I want to do see this
camera over here this is your camera I
would love to give you an opportunity to
shout out the people because listen we
had this hat here the whole time you're
wearing this hat yeah I'm told they're
made by the same people so tell the
people about your sponsors and then hit
up anybody you want to give a shout out
to who helped you in that cage get the
win that you were looking for the last
time so all the people that help me out
all right so I have promotion the best
chiropractors in town they make sure
that my body is running at 100% all the
time uh Crow therapy I mean it's
basically like a like an instant ice
bath it's amazing honestly allows you to
recover your body sometimes I'll do that
back to back chiro Patrick gets my body
mold up go right into crowd therapy
he'll right up right as fast as I can
mazvita takaria in deleno California
I mean for my last two three weeks they
fed me they basically gave me free food
it was it was awesome they're like dude
you know how to pay when you come here
they have some of the best food I've
ever had and then post win toras were
amazing and then uh Uprising this is the
hat from Uprising uh they shouted me out
they helped me out they give me some
free clothing it's actually pretty
awesome uh this hat was custom made by
intro he has his own uh pin company
which is actually the pins are on this
hat even though he owns this one um also
deleno Buick GMC I work for them but
they also do help me out uh Bowman
asphal an asphal company that I also
used to work for actually quit without a
two weeks notice and now they help me
out a ton wow wild and then I know I
miss somebody else uh neutr Zone they
always Supply me with the best
supplements in town uh Prosper stones
have made that they're my biggest
supporters they helped me out so much
that I can't I couldn't do it without
them honestly and I feel like I'm
missing a couple of those but I can't
remember it's okay remember we'll Circle
back I'm sure they're going to be okay
but I have to ask this is this your
basketball team a choice because you
can't just do basketball without having
a team oh this is the baseball team BR
or I might be goddamn dude I have the
NBA on my mind because of their new
rights deals and I the reason why I said
Allstar is I thought the NBA actually
trademarked Allstar oh I didn't know
about that I think there's somebody that
did I thought they said the NBA but I
was like reading that like Allstar why
oh [ __ ] um somebody told me that if you
were to try and brand something as All
Star you have to go through them through
the NBA I'm fuzzy right now but you're
right is that the baseball team this is
the baseball team um I barely got into
baseball this year I've been into so
many games uh I wasn't a baseball fan
until I actually started going to the
games and kind of nice that the Dodgers
won this
year I was about to say I was like you
don't get to celebrate because you're
wearing this but I mean I was actually
going to bring my La hat but I was like
this one is because my friend made I
mean it's dope so but it's just I got
confused because you're like I love the
Dodgers too and I was like
dude's playing all sides but he ain't
watching he ain't having a Dodger he a
Dodgers hat I was like bro I wore a
Dodger tie at least I'm showing out my
people I mean this is just same thing as
the glasses it's just just the best is
still somebody being like why you put
them on blast and I was like fam dude
it's funny my my the people that like
know me everybody knows I'm a clown
everybody knows it's like that I wasn't
even the class clown in school either I
just became this I think fighting made
me become so NCH a lot I think what what
happens is you grow confidence in the
area of being able to handle yourself
take care of yourself to the point where
you realize none of that [ __ ] matters to
be taking yourself that seriously I used
to get bullied and like do nothing about
it man I used to be like so like nervous
and scared because I'm actually like
like really nice like um my mom I talked
to after all my points that I like
fought and like dude I feel bad I'm
sorry like that I hurt that guy like
you're way too nice I was like the Roman
Emperor guy like thumb down n that
dude's trash kill him kill him my mom my
mom I've seen my mom in so any street
fights really my mom is where I got it
from 1,000% my mom be throwing down she
got jumped by like five or six girls
like at and she was already older she
was like in her 50s 60s and she beat
them all up one like by herself like I'm
not like exaggerating I'm not like no so
these girls are going you know try to
pull hair and Fight Like Girls my mom
was like one two like
down down the pipe and I was like I was
like jabbing him up and I was like this
is crazy so my mom mom um so I I was I
tell the story even though my girlfriend
probably see this but so I was trying to
get out this girl when I was younger
like in middle school and I was I was
living in Mexico with my mom and the
like the lady's I mean her mom comes out
like yelling at me like who are you who
are you here with my daughter and like
like you know what are you doing at my
house and like me all timid it's like
like uh um yeah I'm here like you know
I'm just talking to your daughter he
like well who's your mom and I told him
like my mom's name and she like oh
that's your mom I went to school with
her and I was like for real she like did
she still sleep with like a gun under
her pillow and I was like yeah that is
that that's in fact my mom she like you
know I have a story from your mom like
some girl was bullying me when I was a
kid she dragged her by the river my mom
would apparently be the bully's bully I
didn't know this so my mom would get
into fights after school so like he's
always been known for fighting people
it's it is it is wild even like we have
like a mayor in our town the mayor knows
her and like my well my my family's kind
of known in our part of Mexico not you
know have the best
reputation all I mean so all my uncles
are really well known my my mom is well
known so it definitely comes from my
mom's side of the family that whole
fighting ability and you know what's
really funny you might find this really
hilarious so my uncles will come up to
me and they'll be like yeah Miho like
like when I was your age I was just as
tough I was I was so bad we were all
getting in fights all the time like I'm
just like you and I'm look at my mom
like Mom like I've never been in a
street fight
like I've never been like a hoad like
like that's not me but they like they
relate to the fighting as me being a
hoad I'm like no bro I do this for sport
like yeah like but it's so funny that my
uncles would be like dude I was I was
that guy too I was hot like oh I
couldn't couldn't step outside without
getting in a fight and I'm like but
that's not me I just told him yeah Uncle
like yeah we're the same one and the
same one the same same people here we
are here I mean I'll put it to you this
way it does fill in some gaps because
part of you wonders where does this come
from if you are so nice and it's not to
say we don't meet nice Fighters but I
would rank you amongst one of the more
chill and that that is
very difficult because what you do is
not chill in the cage so when you're
like Mama I feel bad I beat up this
person she's like and and she's like so
be it damn okay cold mom I see you okay
so now I understand where you have what
I refer to as your gangster side because
your gangster side has to be the one
that shows up in the cage yeah and then
afterwards like literally wases away
respectful back to your opponent super
great with me makes it so comfortable
and then extend should getting you here
to like train with you and see more of
your personality I'm like no this is
exactly who I thought you were so it all
checks out so I have uh I mean my family
kind of knows like junior is everyday
guy M Raphael is cage guy interesting
rapael is the the cage fighter name like
that like that's that's the personality
in there that's like I'm going to like
well I'm not a guy that likes to stall
I'm trying to get you out of I'm that's
my goal we're here to fight yeah and if
my life was on the line or your life was
on the line I'm trying to win yeah so
that's why the guy that's in there is
Rafael and then maybe that's what I
should do maybe Raph should be the host
and rafhael is the guy who like takes
care of business because the way I tell
people is I'm like you want to talk with
host ref you do not want to talk to
producer ref host raap everybody loves
producer Raph very hard very
accountability yeah and so when you're
describing that I was like God I
couldn't oh no I know it oh you know you
know the difference inity the switch or
something like yeah that happens because
dude there was a moment where I want to
say this weekend even the people that
were working with me on
subversive just very clear we're problem
solving big problems are having and I'm
just going mhm okay let's fix this let's
do this Direct and then I felt by like
Sunday I was cracking jokes with people
I was light again or Saturday I was like
oh yeah it's fine it's all good and I I
don't think they say anything about it
but I know that they know that I'm loose
and back that's something that that side
of you exist it's like oh yeah crap so
we might be Raph the the podcast the
interviewer and then rafhael the the
boss the boss that's that's probably
what it is honestly that's what that's
when people like hey what's RA it's
Rafael no no no no you call me Raphael
Raph is the guy who is the host Raphael
is the producer yeah like this is my
name Raphael yeah and then especially
like really hitting it be like no not
Raphael not rafhael yeah Rafael yeah
straight because when they dude when I
lived in the midwest I don't envy this
for you if this ever happens but I would
live in the midwest I lived in the South
and when I was going to school there it
was how do you say your name it was like
my name's just say Raph like well what's
your full name I was like Rafael and
they're like okay Raphael and I
go I like like no just rap is good then
Raphael and I'm like how how are you
phonetically doing that and I realized I
don't always get it right I screw up
names I screwed up a name on air uh this
this
weekend and uh that my phone listen
that's my phone I can't believe that oh
it's from this this is why I was like
why is it making a noise it's making a
noise on my computer uh you know what's
crazy that's this is the first time cuz
I you have my name so it's like the
first time I've ever heard somebody
called Raph yeah I don't I don't get
that much I get like
Ralphie Ralph Ralph oh you get Ral oh
Ral wigam my dad's Ralph yeah so my mom
and
him he wanted a junior and she was like
absolutely not and they came up with the
Spanish equivalent which was going to be
Rafael and by all intents and purposes I
look just like my dad I have very
similar mannerisms to him and for years
I ran away from him I was like I'm not
the same he's different we're different
blah blah blah and we're so similar
identical it's very much like when I was
13 and I pick up the phone they're like
Ralph and I'm like I a
child my dad is a man I hear in the
voice pattern it's already like That's
How Strong this resemblance is mine is
maybe a little more polished but he was
maybe a little more nasal in here and
that's kind of more his voice but same
tone so that's why my dad he hated
people calling me Raph and I had
realized I was like well if I'm
performing I kind of need a stage name
yeah and Timothy's get to do Tim yeah
and when I grew up you have a ninja
turtle and they called him Raph and a
lot of my close friends when I was
growing up called me Raph and I just
realized I was like well there's no pH
in that so just Raph it's rap EAS and so
sometimes people are like Rafe and I go
I don't really like that I go just Raph
and I go if you type it in and like ask
the dictionary to say my name or like
the little voice AI to say the name it
goes ra like it says it like that so
it's been very helpful plus I think once
you get to know me it's just it FS
become just rap it just makes sense I'm
not actually supposed to be junior my uh
my grandfather my dad's dad's name which
my dad's not my life but I I found this
out when I was way younger because him
but uh my my dad's dad is also Raphael
interesting so my dad was actually the
actual Junior and I should have been the
third but because I was the first one
born in the US they had no documentation
that my dad was a junior the second so
in reality I'm the third person to carry
the name already but technically
speaking I'm not that on my document
paperwork which is kind of funny that I
go by Junior all the time I'm not even a
junior you know I feel like my I think
my my Uncle Junior is the same way too
I'm not sure all I know is
I've learned between Mexican families
and 10th Planet friends and this
Jiu-Jitsu world that sometimes people
are like hi my name's tree trunk and
you're like what's up tree trunk sure
you just don't care whatever you say
whatever your name is this weird space
is too interesting and too crazy in the
world when someone goes oh we call him
nunchuk and I go I don't even want to
know just sure if that's it's like hey
nunchuck I need you for a second can you
do this and I go I'm not going to
question it so I've learned to be
very passive about that sort of stuff
but it is still kind of crazy the
Brazilian haa yeah hael but I get a lot
of haa you a lot of uh a lot of
Brazilian coaches would be like oh haa
very nice haa good job they go thank you
one of my uh my first coach is he would
just yell out he'd be like haa I'd be
waiting for like the instruction of what
to do when I'm like dying underneath
somebody and I go and he goes do
something and I go no tell me what to do
you know what to do I don't know what to
do I don't know [ __ ] so that's a a
phrase that me and a couple of my
buddies who train like that long be like
hey do something like oh it's not
looking good oh yeah so we've learned to
do that
well some horn out there I did hear that
horn I was like there's too much going
on like normally this is a
very non crazy element there's been too
much weirdness happening outside today
it's meant to be me to be it's meant to
be well sir here's what we're going to
do we're going to put been on the
conversation uh I want to say thank you
again that was a blast having you come
by the academy and I'm glad we could be
one of your first podcast experiences
because like I said I I've watched your
work and whenever I do commentary I try
to watch everything I can on the
fighters and I liked what you were doing
you know seeing you as a knockout artist
was really cool and then seeing the
flash of the personality obviously the
last fight I was like damn dude you
didn't have the performance you wanted
but I saw something where I go you're
good and I like what you do and you were
receptive to the note and then you won
and I said well now here we are we get
to do that interview but I said that's
only three minutes four minutes yeah it
was F it was like a two two- minute
fight it doesn't encapsulate who the
essence of who you are and I wanted to
try and do that on here and I feel like
uh if anybody watches this they get to
know you better as you start making
those next steps to your pro career no
yeah no thank you for inviting me down
this has actually been a very awesome
experience from the time we got to
Rolling to eating food together
chitchatting and we're doing this now
which is I could say is my first ever
like podcast or interview that I've ever
first of many sir you'll you'll
definitely be somebody who's going to be
uh booked by other podcasts in the
future especially if you continue on the
trajectory you're on but you're always
going to come here first always here
first here you got me down because now
now we got beef like now we got actual
roles to do before we do interviews and
now I know maybe I'll have my blue bell
by then bro maybe you'll have your blue
belt yeah this dude again this
fake this this FIP fake this dude's like
yeah I'm a white belt I was like okay
son come see me later about that white
belt true yeah I know okay yeah we we're
real slow playing that one however I
will say this if you're being ranked by
where are you being ranked under then
what do you mean what where where are
you getting ranked who's ranking you
Albert Albert did the pra Jiu-Jitsu
thing so like uh I never rolled really
GE so for a little bit while I was
training with him I just got my stripes
and you got the stripes you just haven't
had somebody promote you since then no
yeah so that's why that's a lot so the
technique has gone up and up and up and
meanwhile you're just like oh man I'm
stuck at this three thing that's why
when you're like hey what's going on
with you and I'm like brother same thing
I'm a purple belt still time time to go
to Worlds and win the white belt
competition you know what there's
nothing wrong with that let those guys
get massacred by your flippy nonsense
but all I know is I told this man he was
going to end up in a figure four and he
did I did I did in fact I I was like
what is he going for right now let me
show you something I was like what and
then he started putting his legs on the
tangl I was like oh you did it to me I
had to had to bro that dude he found
that photo of me uh being put in a
figure for which was not the whole story
I was like bro I reversed it into a
sharpo now so now I'm like yo this fan
he uh he he found out real soon so I'm
already looking forward to the get back
but sir no thank you're a wonderful
human being and uh guys I'm just going
to close this up so wow this is super
dark let's make me a little bit lighter
let me get close like this thank you so
much for watching we appreciate you guys
as a reminder like comment subscribe so
we said we would give you a topic here
at the very end to talk about I think
the comment that I'm going to give you
to put on this one is who is the MMA
fighter that you have met and who is the
best person that you met in MMA so it
could be two questions or hopefully it's
the same one so you tell us cuz this
dude the fan girl over here
definitely I mean I'm hoping this I'm
manifesting him
Max don't point over
his like I'm trying to meet this guy
over here and you're crossing over his
face uh Max Holloway if you see this
please come see this young man I think
he would uh he would very much
appreciate the time but like comment and
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Discord to continue the conversations we
have here on the show that's going to do
it for us here at the grappling hour
it's been a great day for grappling
we'll see you back on the mats
[Music]
perfect
[Music]
he
[Music]
