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[Music]
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kiwi's love
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first like Finn we're making
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[Applause]
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waves generate switch online
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today Dan the hangman hookout welcome to
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my podcast that's my name don't wear it
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out um you were just saying before we uh
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reflect into record mode um you've seen
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all my messages and I'm a Ser I'm a
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Serial ignorer really you just got to
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it's just persistence you know now I
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know now then I knew you wanted it yeah
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yeah yeah on the 25th time on the 25th
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Mage yeah all right come on there mate
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it's embarrassing though because it's um
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you've got a lot of followers like 600
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700,000 followers so I thought oh maybe
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he just hasn't seen the M yeah you can
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just pretend like you don't see them but
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you you did see them and I saw a few I I
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did see a few but no I like what you do
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I've seen you um interview my coach
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obviously you interviewed Eugene so I've
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been I've been following everyone not
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here JJ and Dom we grew up we grew up
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watching that did you well I've been a
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big fan of yours Len I was trying to
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pinpoint um I'm not I'm not a massive um
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like UFC guy you know there's some
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hardcore fans but um I got some free
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tickets to um the UFC in February 2020
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just before Co started you were the
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headline act I was up in the no nose
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beds F fight yeah yeah and I was
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surrounded by people saying [ __ ] him up
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[ __ ] him up and it was the most
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incredible incredible display
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performance I've ever seen yeah that was
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a wild that was a wild fight um them
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gingers man they're both different
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he he kept yeah we we both ended up in
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the hospital after that is obviously uh
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quite a wellknown fighter we were
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getting stretched in next to each other
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but yeah we both ended up with like rabo
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I don't know or RAB so I've had it a few
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times after fights but it's like well
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your body um identifies that it can't
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there's too much muscle damage and it
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realizes that it can't fix it all so it
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just starts like pissing out like your
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piss is like black so you just yeah cuz
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I thought I was going to the Afterparty
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I was like Yeah Boy we're going to the
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after party and then I went to I went
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they just said you piss in this cup and
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then you can go and I was like all right
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and then I piss in the cup and it was
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like black I was like oh no but then I
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was going to get my sister to piss in
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the cup cuz she was there but then I was
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like I was a halfway through asking her
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like come on like trying to convin come
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on come just go around the corner get
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Chuck this out pissing here and then uh
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the the nurse walked in and she just
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said you're not going anywhere champ but
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I still got out uh I still got out of
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the hospital that
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night I think fer was in there for like
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three three days they they kept him in
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there and um yeah it's it's but I've had
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up probably five five or six different
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fights amazing so that's I've got a
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photo here that's the um yeah yeah
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that's the one
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there no that was like no real Dam like
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that hell of a fight War man that was an
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absolute that was an absolute um I I
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wouldn't want it any different like I
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know the fight ended like split decision
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but it's like you you put that much into
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it you you both just pull your absolute
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heart and soul into a fight and then it
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comes down to that moment as well where
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it's just like one for him one for you
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and you're just going oh no like because
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that's your your I fought in uh spark or
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Victor Arena three times so all three
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cards here in New Zealand I've fought on
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all three of them and obviously being
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the main event one and you just the
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added pressure of it cuz it's like
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that's 10 that's always sold out every
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time that's 10,000 people that you have
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probably met at one stage or another of
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your life so it's like if you lose or
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you get knocked out at home it's so
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you'll hear about that till the day you
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die you'll be in the Pu of a 50y old man
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and they'll be like I remember I was
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there when you got knocked so it's like
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the added pressure of so when when you
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get taken to hospital with your opponent
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after a fight CU there's this massive
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buildup um there's the there's the the
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we in the ster down then there's the
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actual fight what's it like what's it
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like in the hospital afterwards is it is
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it what's yeah what's done is done at
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that point like the the the fights I've
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been I've been like a few different
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times jayen Turner me and them get
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wielding together I've been wielding
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after uh Doria fight as well and that's
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the same thing like he was kind of um
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after the fight finished and because
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that was a funny one cuz I had that
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fight after this Felder fight and it was
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that was um like deep in Co that was
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like one of the first cards of the Apex
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and so they were just fighting in Las
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Vegas at the Apex which is like a UFC
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facility and I counted on the walk out
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that there were there was 17 people in
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the in the room we were having like a
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UFC Main Event like Thor people still
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message me every day about that fight
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and yeah there was 17 people in the room
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so I like sat down after the fight
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because I knew I'd lost and it was just
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like no adrenaline just because if you
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got 10,000 people I wouldn't have sat
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down but I just forgot that there were
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uh millions of people watching at home
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so I kind of sat down Dustin started
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getting into me and yeah then we ended
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up getting whe next to each other at the
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hospital and I was like oh I said what's
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all caring on about there of course you
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know we had a lot I got into him a
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little bit of that at the hospital and
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we yeah but what's done is done you got
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25 minutes to hit someone if you're
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still upset at them then you should have
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done more and I feel like um at the
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moment I we're recording this at the end
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of 2024 I feel like it's um it's like
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Peak Dan hooker like you you've you've
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never been more famous than what you are
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now and I'll give you an example I was
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out at um a bar in pby with my with my
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girlfriend and a few of her friends
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maybe a couple of months ago and uh you
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you turned up at a bar next door and
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everyone was buzzing like oh Dan Hook is
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next door Dan Hook is next door and uh
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then the girls were like oh he's with
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some girl and it's not his wife and I
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don't know who the [ __ ] it was maybe
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your sister for all I know but they were
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then they were looking up on Instagram
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like are you are you are you conscious
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or aware of like how recognized you are
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now or how I don't tend to
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um yeah I don't like I don't want it to
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affect my life so I I I live my life
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like normally I'm not like I'm not going
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to hide away or or duck away or stay
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inside just because people are going to
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go out and and say any kind of thing
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like I just I just live my life and then
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everyone else kind of has to deal with
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it well it's kind of like um uh Dave
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Chappelle he's got a comedy stick sketch
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where he talks about um he knows he's in
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other people's dreams like so when he
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meets someone that's less famous than
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him I yeah I well to me personally like
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I don't think of myself as like a famous
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person because that's it's just like a
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strange way to live like walk around
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like waiting for people to recognize you
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that's just a I feel like that's an
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awful that's an awful way to live I live
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in my like own kind of bubble I'm in my
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own bubble people like physically stop
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me or burst my bubble um then that's
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fine like I'm cool with that but yeah I
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don't really yeah I don't consider
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myself a famous person well we when do
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you get I listen to quite a bit of Joe
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Rogan he he loves you he talks about you
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often like when when does that stop
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being surreal like the biggest podcaster
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in the world you know the he had Trump
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on he had but but like I've met Joe yeah
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of course yeah yeah but it's like um the
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people message you like oh Joe talked
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about you on this episode yeah like yeah
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you always get people buzzing and that's
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cool cuz like anything that creates
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energy is like a very um is like a very
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cool thing because that's like people
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buzzing and talking about you like
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that's cool I like you're giving people
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like special moments with fights you
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know what I mean they always like I get
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a lot of people from like my last couple
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of fights where they're just like oh I'm
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going through a tough time or I just had
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suffered an injury in training like I
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got hurt um and they message you like oh
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I draw a lot of inspiration from you
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being able to push through difficult
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times so it is like cool that you're
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getting out there and inspiring people
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yeah I wonder I thought about you I
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suppose cuz I was doing some research
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for this um I did like an ultra marathon
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last weekend the 60k Mountain Run and in
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the last 20ks it was really [ __ ]
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tough like mentally and I thought about
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you a lot and I thought you be like Dan
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be like Dan just like block the pain and
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push through um yeah people think that
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but the thing is like no like that's the
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that's the funny thing about uh
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difficult times is that people think
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that I'm just like in a fight and I'm
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just the whole time just like yeah that
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didn't hurt like people think like I
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don't have uh I did um interview and
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they were like oh you should do the Pain
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Olympics and I'm just like no like I
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hate I hate getting hit like I hate
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getting hit I hate pain like getting
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tattooed I hate getting tattooed it's
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actually my M was like you're actually
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horrible at getting tattooed like I
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actually hate it I just have like I just
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have I think I just have like a good
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poker face cuz people watch a fight and
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they think that you're just like
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persevering the whole time and just
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brushing the stuff off but in my head
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internally I'm sitting there going like
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ow ow go it this hurts so like I'm so
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tired but it's like an internal battle
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with yourself constantly that that
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internal battle never stops no but after
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your I think it was your last fight you
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you became like a meme with the um I
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think it was in between the second to
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last and the last round you're in the
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corner and you're like O Boys Boys Boys
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you got blood everywhere you go I love
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this [ __ ] yeah that that was more that's
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more it doesn't look like a guy that's
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upset with that was more like just my
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way of speaking to my coaches cuz
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obvious my coaches come in uh e and
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Andre and and I like I I knew the
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gravity of the situation it was probably
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like one one round a piece like he won
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the first round I won the second round
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like it was it was one in one it was
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like a tough fight we're both exhausted
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covered in blood I got five cuts all
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over my face you know like this and my
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coaches came in and they were just like
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like real urgent like and I felt like
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kind of stressed you know what I mean so
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that was that was just my way I just
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said boys like boys like laugh at off
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I said like I love this it was just my
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way of letting them know like it's it's
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under control I've got this you know
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what I mean like I was just my it was my
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way of telling them that chill out chill
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out Andre gave me a little whack behind
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the head like Focus like Focus but yeah
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it's just my way of letting them know
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that it's relax boys I know what I got
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to do I got this but it didn't didn't
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look like he had it that's the secret
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Bubba that's the secret um you're the
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king the king of the king of chaos Bubba
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like Yeah the more chaos is going on the
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karma the karma I will be you are I feel
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like you you enjoy being caught a psycho
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like I've heard I don't think I am but I
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think they say the same thing about
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crazy people they say like if you don't
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you don't realize that you don't realize
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you're crazy it's just everyone else has
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to doal with it I've heard Rogan call
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you a psycho um um Israel on numerous
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podcasts including the flagrant one
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after the medicine Square Garden fight
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like he he called you a psycho yeah it's
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funny like you I I used to think
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everyone thought like me you know what I
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mean I used to think like growing up or
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or or even fighting in the UFC like I
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thought that that's the way that
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everyone thought I thought everyone was
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like had that Killer Instinct and as
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competitive and stuff like that and like
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that willing to to push the boundaries
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but yeah like it's it's quite funny when
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you get to the top of the world and you
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realize there's only like a handful of
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guys like that it's cool when you run
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into them like DUS and por is one like
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you realize that Paul Feld is like
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another one there is like a handful of
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out there okay we'll um yeah I want to
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go back to the early years of Dan hooker
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so we can like deconstruct you a little
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bit but first of all um we'll just focus
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on a couple of the viral moments um that
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have sort of come up recently um yeah
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like being caught a turtle in a tree who
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who called you a turtle in a tree oh
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mooo yeah yeah it's like a a guy I was
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trying to fight and yeah he just um like
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uh then he got ranked ahead of me and
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then I was obviously calling him out I
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tried to I challenged absolutely every
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rank fighter to fight me in uh perf and
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um the only guy that took it was kind of
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the UFC for gam uh like gamrot took the
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fight who was ranked um number five at
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the time and then I beat gamr like I
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tried to fight moano and moano didn't
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want to have the fight he was blaming
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saying that the tax is too high in per
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he didn't want to have the fight so then
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I beat a guy ranked ahead of him so I
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just jumped right over him but I made it
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very clear like I'll of course thought I
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tried to call you out you thought that I
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would lose you turned down the fight
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with me you put me in the tree like the
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the this only person that snuck the
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turtle up there was him turning the
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fight down and then he went and fought
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in uh France and paid the exact same
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amount of taxs but you you seem like a
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really cool and and composed guy like a
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guy that never loses your your call when
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you when you see something like that or
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you hear something like that in the
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media does it does it does it wind you
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up oh that's what they all like that's
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the thing about it like once you got
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something everyone else once once you're
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ranked in the top five once you're
00:13:01
ranked above them once it's like
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everyone's like a scary dude until you
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win the world title and then you every
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man and his dog starts calling you out
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it's you just have to you just have to
00:13:11
want some you just have to have
00:13:12
something that everyone else wants
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that's that's the key to to it in the
00:13:17
fight game and you can't just sit around
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and get like offended by everyone that's
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why everyone targets me is cuz I do I do
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uh I do chir back I do chir back and
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they they they try to get under they try
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their best to get under this skin but
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I've been doing it so long and so
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experienced and seen absolutely
00:13:35
everything it's like it's like when
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you're saying like oh at the moment
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you've never been more famous and this
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and that yeah it's because I'm uh have
00:13:42
won my last couple of fights that's why
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everyone's being nice to me if I had
00:13:46
lost those fights then no one would be
00:13:48
nice to me and I've been in this
00:13:49
position multiple times in my career so
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I know who are the people that truly
00:13:54
have my back and who are the ones that
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haven't because I started my pro career
00:13:58
like three wins three losses and then
00:14:00
earned my way to the UFC I got in the
00:14:02
UFC and I was uh my UFC record when I
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first got in was three wins three losses
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so everyone does like turn on you and
00:14:10
I've been through these difficult times
00:14:12
so many so many like it's the you just
00:14:15
get like a better process of dealing
00:14:18
like dealing with loss straight away
00:14:20
like I have like good processes of
00:14:23
processing those emotions so you can
00:14:24
work through it faster because the
00:14:26
faster you can work through being upset
00:14:29
then the quicker you can get back on
00:14:31
track yeah yeah physically you seem to
00:14:35
handle like win wins and losses
00:14:36
physically you handle that okay but um
00:14:38
mentally how do you handle a loss a
00:14:40
tough loss it's but it's all from
00:14:42
experience I I deal with the losses
00:14:45
mentally just because I have the
00:14:46
experience of doing it so many times
00:14:48
before like I've I've been here so many
00:14:50
different times in my past and I've had
00:14:52
a I've had a lot of losses and the
00:14:53
losses aren't really like a lot of our
00:14:56
sport is is comes down to um like timing
00:15:01
doing things at the right time and and a
00:15:04
a lot of times in my career or most of
00:15:06
my career and most of my losses is
00:15:08
because I fought when I probably
00:15:10
shouldn't have fought well I was advised
00:15:12
to not fight like all through Co when we
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were getting like locked down I did
00:15:16
Training Camps I did full training camps
00:15:18
in uh like my garage at home with police
00:15:21
chasing me around the streets telling me
00:15:23
that I if they catch me one more time
00:15:25
that I was going to go to jail and stuff
00:15:27
like this like it I've been through all
00:15:29
those difficult times and you just get
00:15:31
like a great process of um of bouncing
00:15:34
back like it's mental experience I'm not
00:15:36
mentally tougher than anyone else I
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don't feel I just have more experience
00:15:42
oh no you are
00:15:43
though 1,000% you are you're a Savage um
00:15:48
okay another quick quick couple of
00:15:49
things um I show speed uh the YouTuber
00:15:52
um that's probably the most at the time
00:15:54
we're recording this this is the most
00:15:55
recent thing you've been um I suppose in
00:15:57
the in the mainam media cycle for um so
00:16:01
yeah YouTuber with like 100 million
00:16:03
followers over all his platforms um he
00:16:05
came to City kickboxing yeah yeah oh
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he's um yeah he's hell famous like I
00:16:10
definitely knew who he was before he
00:16:12
came into the gym but yeah one of the
00:16:14
fighters uh Aron to had had got hit up
00:16:16
by uh our friend raah and they said I
00:16:19
show speeds in New Zealand they'd like
00:16:21
to come in the gym and and like do
00:16:23
something so I thought he was just
00:16:24
coming in and I was going to let some of
00:16:26
the younger guys thought obviously
00:16:27
Navajo Sterling is a a younger fighter
00:16:30
and he streams as well he does streaming
00:16:32
as well so I was like oh I'll just leave
00:16:34
it to the younger guys but then he walks
00:16:36
in the gym and he's just going like who
00:16:38
Who Am I who am I fighting he was like
00:16:40
who am I fighting he's I'm I'll beat
00:16:42
anyone up here I threw him in with like
00:16:44
the younger guys I tried to match him
00:16:45
with like an amateur boxer and I tried
00:16:47
to put him in with one of the younger
00:16:49
guys and but he was just hellbent on on
00:16:51
getting in there with me and I've beaten
00:16:53
up a few social media people in my time
00:16:56
you love it you go hard no it's like I I
00:16:59
don't walk in your [ __ ] office and
00:17:01
you know what I mean with a briefcase
00:17:03
sit down at a desk and start [ __ ]
00:17:04
typing pretending like I know what to do
00:17:06
like know what I'm doing like I I feel
00:17:09
like when you walk in a gym and you you
00:17:11
put those gloves on like it's a reality
00:17:13
check like what have the what have they
00:17:16
done to to like even earn that position
00:17:18
to be there they need to know like this
00:17:21
is the reality of the situation so what
00:17:25
um yeah what percentage were you hitting
00:17:26
hitting him like 60% there's no there
00:17:28
it's not like really like a percentage
00:17:30
kind of thing like I was just going when
00:17:33
uh like he was stop reset like start and
00:17:36
I'm just sitting there just having a
00:17:38
good time like that's you were you were
00:17:40
having the best time you look like a kid
00:17:42
in the candy shop yeah yeah like I've
00:17:44
done a few times uh like the ne boys
00:17:46
have come in i' I've beat them up Kai
00:17:48
yeah Kai teated up with the uh NE boys
00:17:51
and the same thing I was I was Dusty I
00:17:53
had a big night this a while ago I had
00:17:55
like a big night and then Kai's like can
00:17:57
you come in and beat the N boys up
00:17:58
tomorrow and I was like was like you
00:18:00
know I'm running running late I get
00:18:02
there hung over as and I was running
00:18:04
late for something else I only had 15
00:18:05
minutes and then the boys go like oh so
00:18:08
we're all going to have a go and I was
00:18:09
just thinking on my head I don't have
00:18:11
time for the SLS I was like I have an
00:18:14
idea I was like if I beat the first guy
00:18:16
up real bad I was like then the other
00:18:18
guys won't want to do it you know what I
00:18:20
mean and so he went to touch gloves and
00:18:21
I started booting him in anyway smash
00:18:23
them and then they go any I go like
00:18:25
anyone else when I ever go and they're
00:18:27
just like nah like nah and I said all
00:18:29
right boys I'm running late got to get
00:18:31
out of
00:18:31
here unbelievable is it I believe this
00:18:34
is um this is the reason you didn't get
00:18:37
to meet Mark Zuckerberg that is oh
00:18:39
you've done your research you know what
00:18:41
I mean you yeah yeah well it was the Z
00:18:43
story well the Z story was like before
00:18:46
the uh jayen Turner fight like um they'
00:18:49
all planned it like uh vul and Israel
00:18:51
and stuff like that they were all going
00:18:53
to California and they were going to
00:18:54
like do some training with Mark
00:18:55
Zuckerberg but no one metioned to me the
00:18:58
whole week and after fight cuz I broke
00:18:59
my arm they were like oh it's cuz you
00:19:01
broke your arm I was like this has been
00:19:03
planned there must have been a big
00:19:05
scheme buying the things like no one
00:19:06
tell Dan that we're going to go meet
00:19:08
Mark Zuckerberg cuz I yeah like I I
00:19:11
would have I would have done that like
00:19:14
that's just that's just what I do at
00:19:16
spant is a yeah like you know there's no
00:19:19
malice in or not being malicious in
00:19:20
training but it's just like you need to
00:19:23
know I feel like it's your obligation to
00:19:25
let people know like no said you would
00:19:28
have got too hard you want to [ __ ] the
00:19:29
Facebook gu in the face this is this is
00:19:32
reality I am a reality check and it's
00:19:35
like a good test of character you get to
00:19:37
see you get to see who someone is like
00:19:40
when you put them under pressure like
00:19:41
that and you're pumping them and and
00:19:43
like who have I ever like there's a lot
00:19:45
of people I've HT but who have I ever
00:19:48
injured I haven't injured it's like the
00:19:50
it's like when uh who I go I went on the
00:19:52
Rock the boys had me in and it was um
00:19:55
then the Mitch got me to uh one of the
00:19:58
young producer got to put him in a
00:20:00
couple of chokes you know what I mean he
00:20:03
oh again again and I was like all right
00:20:06
you asked me you've asked me three times
00:20:08
now so I put the like put the choke on
00:20:10
he's tapping away but like I put him and
00:20:12
this's experience here cuz I put him the
00:20:14
perfect amount of out where it's not
00:20:17
like you put someone uh too far asleep
00:20:20
then they start like waking up gurgling
00:20:21
or they're out for too long and everyone
00:20:23
starts to get worried or like it's not
00:20:25
or it's not out enough where no one
00:20:27
really notices and he can kind of brush
00:20:28
it off but it's like the right amount of
00:20:30
out where they're just out for like five
00:20:33
six seconds and then they spring back to
00:20:35
life but do you know how many people you
00:20:37
have to have choked out to know the
00:20:38
perfect
00:20:39
amount what's the number is there an
00:20:41
exact number there' be a lot but I've
00:20:44
been CH out probably a hundred times
00:20:46
myself like the but you you you love it
00:20:50
he you [ __ ] love it I do but it's
00:20:53
like that's the contrast of of loving
00:20:55
something is you you you have to hate
00:20:57
something you have to have like the
00:20:59
equal ability to hate something I
00:21:01
probably hate it I probably hate it and
00:21:02
I've been to the lowest lows in the the
00:21:06
absolute lowest low scraping the Barrel
00:21:08
in the sport you know what I mean but
00:21:11
that's why you can truly test like
00:21:12
coming into that that fire it's not like
00:21:15
um yeah like that last fight that game
00:21:17
out fight like the the training like the
00:21:20
training camp and all that like to be
00:21:21
honest I was kind of over it like I was
00:21:23
going home telling my M like I I'm kind
00:21:27
of I was like I'm over this and it
00:21:29
wasn't until like I actually had the
00:21:31
fight and that kind of like
00:21:33
reinvigorated my my passion and love for
00:21:35
the sport but lead to coming into that
00:21:38
fight like I was like thinking about
00:21:40
other [ __ ] to do because you've been
00:21:42
doing it a long time you 15 15 years
00:21:46
professionally I start I had my first
00:21:47
professional fight um like a week a week
00:21:50
I just
00:21:51
in 19 so I just in a week 19 when I had
00:21:55
my first professional fight and now 34
00:21:57
so yeah you
00:21:59
doing it longer than longer than most
00:22:02
yeah what about um oh Trump have you met
00:22:05
Trump I haven't like met I've seen him
00:22:07
through the cage after uh the jayen
00:22:10
Turner fight and I just like walked over
00:22:12
and gave him like a gave him a wink and
00:22:14
he gave he gave me a win back on one of
00:22:16
those it was cool when you meet someone
00:22:19
like that but him being in in back in
00:22:22
office is so good for the the fighters
00:22:25
on this side of the world like we have
00:22:27
no idea how much um um like influences
00:22:30
kind of thing had because when when uh
00:22:33
like because a lot of the times like
00:22:35
American politics doesn't mean dick to a
00:22:37
New Zealander you know what I mean it
00:22:38
doesn't impact your life but it actually
00:22:40
impacts being uh being like a New
00:22:43
Zealand fighter or Australian fighter
00:22:45
traveling to to the United States
00:22:46
because when Trump was in power it was
00:22:48
just before the uh in Co times just
00:22:51
before the DUS Emporia fight and like
00:22:54
the Visa officers were were were closed
00:22:56
and this and that the Ambassador for new
00:22:59
the US ambassador for New Zealand called
00:23:00
me like I just got a phone call and he's
00:23:02
like hey I'm the Ambassador for uh the
00:23:05
US he's like I heard you need something
00:23:07
and I was like yeah I need a visa he's
00:23:08
like come in tomorrow morning there'll
00:23:10
be a bring your passport and we'll stamp
00:23:11
a Visa in there and I was like to have
00:23:13
that was crazy and then before the nas
00:23:16
hakaras fight uh I could not get uh word
00:23:23
back with like the B the obviously the
00:23:25
Biden Administration and that like they
00:23:27
cuz obviously like Dana White's like a
00:23:29
huge supporter of trump and and that
00:23:31
sort of thing they like best friends so
00:23:32
I kind of felt like we were getting like
00:23:35
brushed to the back and to get a visa
00:23:37
for that fight I actually started a a
00:23:39
Twitter social media campaign like
00:23:42
harass the New Zealand Embassy and that
00:23:45
like people were submitting just
00:23:47
hundreds and hundreds of like fake
00:23:49
applications and stuff like that so
00:23:50
eventually they called me back just so
00:23:52
they're I feel like the consulate would
00:23:54
get left
00:23:55
alone so like your podcast rule the rule
00:23:58
of P pure pure harassment like I just
00:24:01
harassed the the the Visa office till
00:24:04
they called me back and and Dana White
00:24:06
you um you once accidentally told him to
00:24:08
[ __ ] off I did I did I was after the uh
00:24:11
after the Eds and baroza fight and
00:24:14
obviously that got my absolute [ __ ]
00:24:15
kicked out of me in that fight like that
00:24:17
was um yeah like yeah not going to blame
00:24:20
anything but I had my um it just wasn't
00:24:23
the most important thing going on my
00:24:24
life at that point I had uh the birth of
00:24:27
my first daughter was I think three
00:24:29
weeks before that fight and to be honest
00:24:31
I just didn't think about the fight like
00:24:33
I was there at the training is
00:24:34
physically but mentally it just not the
00:24:36
most important thing of my life so I'm
00:24:38
not thinking about it at all so the bir
00:24:40
birth of my daughter and then um three
00:24:43
weeks after that I think fight week when
00:24:45
I got to Milwaukee for fight week I
00:24:48
hadn't slept since uh the birth of my
00:24:51
daughter so I slept for a week straight
00:24:53
and then I kind of wasn't until I was
00:24:55
standing in the cage and I was like all
00:24:56
right it's some Barosa I was like how do
00:24:58
I how do I deal with this kind of so
00:25:01
yeah I got the [ __ ] kicked out of me
00:25:02
anyway but I'm out the back but my coach
00:25:05
is Bor as well car was there my coach
00:25:07
was bought as well and someone come up
00:25:08
and like tapped me on like hit me on the
00:25:11
shoulder when I was in the medical tent
00:25:12
and I thought I looked I thought it was
00:25:13
car and I was like get get the [ __ ] off
00:25:16
me I was get the [ __ ] away from me I
00:25:17
turned around this uh Dana White and I
00:25:19
was like oh [ __ ] but yeah he goes like
00:25:22
oh we'll get you anything you want like
00:25:23
what do you want I'll get you anything
00:25:25
you want I said uh first class flight
00:25:27
home and uh take me to McDonald's those
00:25:30
are my the two things that I the two
00:25:33
things that I wanted m is that yeah
00:25:36
since you brought that up the um the
00:25:37
babosa fight um I watched that the have
00:25:40
you have you ever watched it
00:25:42
back trying to think I've obviously seen
00:25:45
the highlights like people that don't
00:25:46
like me send me the highlights all the
00:25:48
time do they yeah yeah yeah I mean it's
00:25:50
it's BR it's brutal to watch it's awful
00:25:51
but it's um it's old school [ __ ] it's
00:25:54
old school [ __ ] but yeah I mean you you
00:25:56
lost and you got beaten badly but P me
00:25:58
wers if you're like like proud of like
00:26:01
how determined you were and like like
00:26:03
the fight ends with you basically
00:26:04
walking head first into a fist like
00:26:06
you're not you're not caring or Shing
00:26:08
away I couldn't see I couldn't see any
00:26:11
of I couldn't see anything what do you
00:26:13
mean I couldn't see anything like my
00:26:15
orbital was cracked so like my vision
00:26:17
was gone and I have like a a lazy eye
00:26:19
anyway so this eye was shot then my
00:26:21
other eye like was getting punched in as
00:26:23
well so I was looking I couldn't see
00:26:25
anything that's why I was but what like
00:26:28
I would have to go I would have to go
00:26:29
off his punches to my head to try and
00:26:31
find him that's what I was thinking like
00:26:34
like like extreme Marco Polo extreme
00:26:37
Marco Polo I was like well I can't see
00:26:40
anything so at least if I walk forward
00:26:42
and he hits me then I know that the end
00:26:45
of his arm will be his head but why did
00:26:48
you like why did you keep fighting or
00:26:51
why did you your corner not not throw
00:26:52
the Talon
00:26:54
because I'm glad that it was um yeah uh
00:26:59
my coach Kyle Weber was in my corner for
00:27:01
that and he like CED a lot of CR
00:27:03
criticism myself but he he knew what it
00:27:05
was like I I'm thankful that he was the
00:27:07
one cornering me for that fight so he
00:27:10
let
00:27:11
me test myself to that level because I
00:27:14
knew after the first round that the the
00:27:16
fight was the the the possibility of
00:27:18
winning the fight had slipped away but
00:27:21
like in what what other Walk of Life or
00:27:24
what other sport do you get to test what
00:27:27
your mental made of to that extreme like
00:27:30
there isn't a single other sport on the
00:27:32
face of the planet that you can test
00:27:35
that and it's like old school [ __ ] it's
00:27:37
like uh I wanted to see him if I would
00:27:40
quit in my own head I wanted to push I
00:27:42
wanted to push the
00:27:44
the yeah that mental dog of Me Myself
00:27:47
And like I know that that thing's I like
00:27:50
I try not to rely on it but I know that
00:27:52
that's look at what look at what my mind
00:27:55
will let me do my my mind will let me
00:27:58
walk head first Into the Fire and
00:28:01
there's not many other people that have
00:28:02
tested their mental capacity to that
00:28:05
extent so I'm thankful that my coach let
00:28:07
me test it it could have been so easy
00:28:10
for me to stop their fight like in
00:28:12
between the the second and third round
00:28:14
um like they obviously checking my eyes
00:28:17
cuz I like could not I couldn't actually
00:28:19
could not see and they come and check
00:28:21
your eyes like they cover one eye and
00:28:22
they hold up some fingers and they go
00:28:24
how many fingers am I holding up and I
00:28:26
just took a stab in the [ __ ] dark
00:28:28
but
00:28:30
I I just I just guessed it like and and
00:28:34
to get the fight stopped all you had to
00:28:35
do was like say it's wrong or or they're
00:28:38
actually really good um the doctors that
00:28:40
like not or not the doctors like the
00:28:42
referees like you like you want to keep
00:28:44
you want to keep going they'll whisper
00:28:46
something to you like if you want the
00:28:47
fight stop look away look away like
00:28:50
they'll whisper in your ear and I was
00:28:51
just like all I had to do was go like
00:28:54
this like break eye contact and the
00:28:56
referee would have stopped the fight but
00:28:57
I
00:29:00
[ __ ] you're you're a Savage and I I do
00:29:02
do you still like um DM him [ __ ] you
00:29:04
from time to time every now on them I
00:29:07
haven't done it in a while though I
00:29:08
haven't done it in a while of course I
00:29:10
want that one back I said if he ever
00:29:12
wants to come he moved the weight class
00:29:14
down if he ever wants to come back like
00:29:15
oh I would love to get that one back
00:29:17
when so a fight like that how long how
00:29:19
long does it take to get over like
00:29:21
mentally um that one was more uh that
00:29:24
one was more physically um cuz obviously
00:29:26
when I go back to New Zealand I had a
00:29:28
newborn and and that
00:29:30
um but yeah I I had uh a broken orbital
00:29:35
from that one and cuz yeah I I I regret
00:29:37
that CU they they would I should have
00:29:39
got it fixed um in America because it
00:29:42
happened it happened in America they
00:29:43
were like oh you can hang around get it
00:29:44
fixed or you can fly back to New Zealand
00:29:46
and get it fixed and I just wanted to
00:29:48
get home to my baby so I said I'll get
00:29:50
it sort of in New Zealand but it just so
00:29:52
happened I came back and it was uh like
00:29:54
Christmas so all the surgeons had um
00:29:58
taking off so yeah I think it was like
00:30:00
five weeks I just was walking around
00:30:01
with like a hole on my in the side of my
00:30:03
head and then they were like oh so just
00:30:05
go go into middlemore and I just went
00:30:08
into midmore every day they're like wait
00:30:10
wait going at 7 wait there and I wait
00:30:13
there they tell you about midday like oh
00:30:14
no try again tomorrow try again tomorrow
00:30:16
three days I got like turned away from
00:30:20
three days I sat at the hospital got
00:30:21
turned away not not today not today and
00:30:23
then on the final day they they got it
00:30:26
sorted and I was like oh well I should
00:30:28
got it done in the US it would have got
00:30:30
sorted a lot quicker is that how you got
00:30:32
the nickname of the hangman you just
00:30:33
hang around a hospital hanging around
00:30:34
hospitals baby I spend a bit of time but
00:30:37
also after that fight I had uh vertigo
00:30:40
so I say vertigo that's like um because
00:30:42
you have crystals in the in the back of
00:30:44
your ear and they they tell you like
00:30:45
they help your equilibrium and your
00:30:47
balance and stuff like that so it would
00:30:49
be uh I thought it was initially thought
00:30:51
it was concussion at first but it was
00:30:53
actually vertigo because it's like uh it
00:30:55
would take me about a minute and a half
00:30:56
to stand up like a have to like sit up
00:30:59
and then just sit on the edge of the bed
00:31:01
and the room's like spinning then stand
00:31:03
up and just not move yet because the
00:31:06
like the your your brain's telling you
00:31:07
like this is up like this is down you
00:31:10
don't know what it is till it settles
00:31:12
down but yeah it was just uh vertigo but
00:31:15
then after that fight I went and got
00:31:18
qualified as a real estate agent I was
00:31:20
just making sure that I wasn't
00:31:22
[ __ ] do you yeah do you do you do
00:31:25
you worry about like long-term like
00:31:27
brain damage or anything like that oh
00:31:28
you definitely like you can't get away
00:31:30
from that um facing that and
00:31:32
acknowledging that that's uh
00:31:35
definitely like a part of the sport that
00:31:37
that's we we have been aware of that of
00:31:39
this that's the difference between us
00:31:41
and like a lot of a lot of like you see
00:31:43
it happening in rugby um league and
00:31:46
Union now they're taking concussion like
00:31:48
very very seriously but that's something
00:31:50
that we've known in Combat Sports for
00:31:52
for the longest time it doesn't it's not
00:31:54
really hard to see like what's happened
00:31:55
to Legends in the fight game like
00:31:57
Muhammad and this and that that we have
00:31:59
always been aware that you should be
00:32:01
looking after your brain and and taking
00:32:03
time out but yeah like I've definitely
00:32:08
um like after like serious consideration
00:32:11
like you have to you have to look after
00:32:13
your brain yeah cuz see there's some
00:32:15
people that are like hell prone to it
00:32:17
like I definitely feel like some people
00:32:19
are far more prone to it than others
00:32:21
like I've have um friends that have
00:32:24
never been punched a day in their life
00:32:26
and they get in a car accident and they
00:32:28
that uh got concussion for a year and a
00:32:31
half two years like there there's some
00:32:32
people that are definitely prone to and
00:32:34
I feel like on the scale of being prone
00:32:36
to it I'm obviously
00:32:38
not yeah CU you seem fine but um you say
00:32:42
how old are you again 30 34 34 see so
00:32:44
I'm 51 so I'm uh what's that 17 years
00:32:47
older than you so when you are my age
00:32:49
and I still think on the big scheme of
00:32:50
things like I'm quite I'm quite Young
00:32:51
when you're my age your daughter will be
00:32:53
in her 20s you know maybe you'll be
00:32:55
about to become a grandfather I don't I
00:32:56
don't know and there's still a lot of
00:32:58
life left to live and I just wonder if
00:32:59
you if you worry about that next chapter
00:33:01
of your
00:33:02
life I've set my life up that it's idiot
00:33:04
proof like I'm
00:33:06
very my life my life is absolutely idiot
00:33:10
proof what do you mean in terms of like
00:33:12
Financial Security or Financial Security
00:33:14
like it's all I couldn't spend all my
00:33:15
money if if I absolutely wanted to it's
00:33:17
all in locked up all my assets are
00:33:19
locked up in trusts and and companies
00:33:22
and businesses and it's all it's you
00:33:24
couldn't I couldn't cuz yeah you see
00:33:26
that with like a lot of old Fighters
00:33:28
that they they they blow their life
00:33:30
savings or they fall into drugs or they
00:33:32
fall into gambling and they end up um
00:33:35
they end up broken and with nothing but
00:33:37
yeah I've I've I anticipate my own
00:33:40
stupidity and I protect myself from it
00:33:43
yeah no no I just worry I guess more for
00:33:45
like a mental health aspect like you
00:33:47
know yeah L later on later on in life
00:33:50
but I think you're fully aware of it
00:33:52
you'll know when to get out at the right
00:33:53
time it's a [ __ ] no it's
00:33:56
a they're dragging me out bu they're dra
00:34:00
they're dragging me out they're dragging
00:34:01
me out I don't anticipate fighting
00:34:03
before like stopping fighting um like I
00:34:07
want to say 40 I want to say I I'll pack
00:34:09
it in when I'm 40 but yeah like it's a
00:34:12
it's a I've sat down with my wife and
00:34:14
and I've sat down um my family knows
00:34:17
like that this is this is you could stop
00:34:19
me from fighting if you if you
00:34:21
absolutely wanted
00:34:22
to yeah and and after fighting like what
00:34:26
would bring you the same amount of um
00:34:28
like I don't know adrenaline or dopamine
00:34:30
or whatever do you know what you know
00:34:30
what I mean I think uh I might become a
00:34:34
skydiving instructor that's my that's my
00:34:37
that's my thought process I don't know
00:34:39
if that's serious or not skydiving
00:34:40
instructor yeah that's that's where
00:34:42
that's where I'm going but yeah like
00:34:44
there's like a lot of different things I
00:34:45
could be doing like even even for
00:34:47
MoneyWise like even when I got um I'm
00:34:49
not here uh for the money or anything
00:34:51
like that do I need to fight like I
00:34:53
don't have to fight another Dam if I
00:34:55
live um like the the
00:34:59
like where I'm living right now and the
00:35:01
Comfort level that I'm living right now
00:35:03
like I would never have to I would never
00:35:04
have to fight again I would be I could
00:35:06
easily get a a normal job but yeah like
00:35:09
it would drive myself crazy like still
00:35:11
have the itch in the back of my neck
00:35:12
that I I I
00:35:14
still could have been the best you know
00:35:17
what I mean like you're still in a
00:35:18
position you're you're number five
00:35:19
number six in the world and and I'm I'm
00:35:22
pretty much like one fight away from
00:35:25
being able to prove that you're the best
00:35:26
fighter in the world H well as I said at
00:35:29
the beginning I feel like we're sort of
00:35:30
at like Peak Dan hooker now like I feel
00:35:32
like your stars just rising and rising
00:35:34
and people are like and people are like
00:35:36
oh you know you're 34 you're getting old
00:35:37
like and you worry about slowing down
00:35:39
it's like man I was 19 fighting and I
00:35:41
was slow like I i' never been fast like
00:35:45
am I worried about slowing down like I'm
00:35:47
definitely like I've never I'm not a
00:35:48
fighter that's ever relied on physical
00:35:51
attributes like all of mine uh skill
00:35:55
like it doesn't look like it so much
00:35:56
when a fighting but there's a lot of
00:35:58
like skill involved in that um yeah
00:36:00
skill and I rely on on my mentality so
00:36:03
am I worried about like slowing down or
00:36:05
physically not being able to to have
00:36:08
that same reaction time it's like I've
00:36:10
always been slow like I've had coaches
00:36:13
other coaches yelling at their fighter
00:36:15
like he's so slow like how are you still
00:36:17
getting hit and it's like cuz I'm tricky
00:36:19
M and you I mean I don't know a lot
00:36:22
about the sport but you look pretty
00:36:22
skillful to me it looks like you're very
00:36:24
good at kneeing people in the chin that
00:36:26
is always there that's always that's
00:36:28
that's not a your signature move that's
00:36:30
a signature move that's not that's not a
00:36:33
uh yeah that's not really even a uh I
00:36:35
don't have to train that thing it's got
00:36:36
a it's got a mind of it own I've SE I've
00:36:39
seen that in slowmo I wouldn't want to
00:36:40
be neat in the chat it just it just
00:36:41
whips up out of nowhere yeah that one
00:36:43
pays the mortgage that one I keep them
00:36:45
around yeah I'm I'm pleased to hear
00:36:47
about the financial um piece of the
00:36:49
puzzle that they sorted for you cuz you
00:36:50
you're um I believe you like when you
00:36:52
first um like sort of you know weasel
00:36:55
your way into the UFC by emailing
00:36:57
someone and saying o I should be on this
00:36:59
you got $88,000 for the first fight 8K
00:37:02
yeah yeah was 8 and8 was what the UFC
00:37:05
contracts um used to be so that's
00:37:09
$88,000 to to to take the fight and make
00:37:12
weight and go inside the cage and then
00:37:14
another $8,000 to um if you get your
00:37:17
hand raised so yeah like it's it's uh
00:37:20
and for the years of work that you put
00:37:21
into it to get to that stage that's like
00:37:23
5 years investment like a lot of the
00:37:25
fights on my pro career I've fought and
00:37:27
it wasn't paid a cent like a lot of
00:37:29
those fights on my pro career couple
00:37:30
hundred bucks or or for absolutely free
00:37:33
you know what I mean so there's 5 years
00:37:34
of working to get that first and if you
00:37:37
lose after you get 8K tax pay your
00:37:41
coaches pay management uh pay your
00:37:44
medical expenses you're probably walking
00:37:46
away with like a couple of grand so yeah
00:37:48
it's not it's not a sport you would do
00:37:50
for the money yeah do you because of um
00:37:53
and you're partly responsible for this
00:37:55
like you've paved yourself and um I
00:37:57
suppose Izzy and Kai and Carlos and
00:38:00
whoever else you've um paved the way for
00:38:02
a lot of young Fighters and they've
00:38:03
realized that you know the UFC is is a
00:38:05
possible dream for new zealanders you
00:38:07
must see a lot of people come to City
00:38:09
kickboxing and you like how do you
00:38:11
manage their expectations obviously the
00:38:13
the the the the sport is is grown like
00:38:16
the the sport is huge and and yeah
00:38:19
obviously Ki City kickboxing is crammed
00:38:21
War to war and this every Pub in Oakland
00:38:25
or every Pub over the over new is is
00:38:28
packed when there's a UFC on and this
00:38:30
and that uh Jiu-Jitsu is flourishing
00:38:32
boxing is flourishing like it it's
00:38:34
definitely spread but in terms of people
00:38:37
that are about this that that uh are cut
00:38:41
out to
00:38:43
be professional prize Fighters like that
00:38:46
number has never trained like this this
00:38:50
the people always find the sport like
00:38:52
there there's only a few people and
00:38:54
there are the people that are like
00:38:55
teammates of mine like Aaron to and this
00:38:58
like guys that this is where we should
00:39:00
be like this is the most constructive
00:39:02
thing that I feel like I could be doing
00:39:05
with uh Authority problem and and and
00:39:09
anger issues like they're it's like
00:39:11
finding something constructive to direct
00:39:14
that into and I've been able to to make
00:39:17
a healthy make a great living from th
00:39:20
from those two things which you see like
00:39:22
a lot of young men in New Zealand with
00:39:24
those Authority problems and and um and
00:39:27
anger issues destroy themselves like
00:39:29
most most young men with those problems
00:39:31
destroy themselves I've just used them
00:39:34
see I would have never um have have
00:39:36
Associated um like anger issues with you
00:39:39
because you seem so composed and
00:39:40
controlled that's a secret I'm always
00:39:42
angry what what really yeah what makes
00:39:44
you angry like what ons you are no no
00:39:46
I'm pretty like yeah super chill I am
00:39:49
but that's because I've been at the gym
00:39:51
already punching people's head in and
00:39:52
know yesterday doing the same thing like
00:39:54
I get to I get to let like let that out
00:39:57
in a in the most controlled environment
00:40:00
you can possibly direct it into like
00:40:02
that's why if if I'm not able to go to
00:40:05
the gym like you go absolutely wild like
00:40:07
when I broke my arm I broke my hand and
00:40:10
then I broke my arm and had two
00:40:11
surgeries back to back and yeah look I
00:40:14
ended up drawing all over myself I ended
00:40:16
up covering tattoos because I needed
00:40:18
something another uh and like a tattoo
00:40:21
is like a fight like you're going in
00:40:23
there and like before you get it you're
00:40:25
just thinking oh man this is going to be
00:40:26
tough you know there's going to be a
00:40:28
good push like and then you're there
00:40:29
you're you're same as a fight like
00:40:31
you're trying to stay calm and composed
00:40:33
like during the whole procedure and then
00:40:34
after you're you're resting and and
00:40:37
recovering and this and that so yeah I
00:40:39
wasn't when when I broke my arm and had
00:40:41
surgery like I actually wasn't allowed
00:40:43
anywhere near the gym so I yeah I
00:40:45
directed it into drawing on myself what
00:40:49
does make
00:40:50
Angry like getting hurt I
00:40:54
hate I hate getting you know what I
00:40:56
don't believe it hate I absolutely hate
00:40:58
it that's why that's why as soon as I
00:41:00
get hit I absolutely lose my co and
00:41:02
start swinging cuz you guys train um
00:41:05
really hard like there's a clip on
00:41:07
YouTube um the spider thing yeah yeah
00:41:10
yeah so so spider is where basically you
00:41:13
do you want to explain what it is what's
00:41:15
the spider oh it's like a so like fight
00:41:17
simulation so if you're you're fighting
00:41:19
three five minute rounds or five five
00:41:21
minut rounds we come in and we pretty
00:41:22
much get like shark tanked you get
00:41:24
exhausted and shark tanked and it's um
00:41:27
just you get to run through it it's more
00:41:29
a mental thing than actually a physical
00:41:32
test physically obviously you get to
00:41:34
test your your mind and this and that
00:41:36
but it's like you get to every week we
00:41:39
do it every week at the time that you
00:41:40
would fight so that's about like Sunday
00:41:42
midday here in New Zealand so every
00:41:45
Sunday midday your whole of fight Camp
00:41:47
you get in the gym you go through
00:41:48
fighter and you you pretty much get like
00:41:50
eight practice runs at what you would do
00:41:52
on fight day so when it actually gets to
00:41:54
that day your body and mind is used to
00:41:56
used to to firing at that time but yeah
00:41:59
like it's hard you get you get pushed to
00:42:01
your absolute limits by your teammates
00:42:02
CU you guys go go hard on each so how do
00:42:04
you how do you feel on Sunday morning
00:42:06
when you wake up and you like Are you
00:42:07
full of nerves and anxiety or do you
00:42:09
look you look forward to driving in
00:42:12
fight the I like spider I like doing
00:42:16
it but yeah oh it's that it's not as fun
00:42:20
as uh like an actual fight like
00:42:22
definitely not the same nerves I get oh
00:42:25
I don't oh man it's nothing B waking up
00:42:27
on fight day that's my that's my
00:42:29
absolute favorite when I wake up on
00:42:32
fight day I have a just a warm fuzzy
00:42:34
feeling of my stomach when I know that I
00:42:37
get to go out there and and go out in
00:42:39
front of and I do like I love fighting
00:42:41
in front of everyone I hated Co times
00:42:43
where you're fighting in front of just a
00:42:45
handful of people when you know there's
00:42:46
a soldout stadium and you get to go out
00:42:49
there and like like Shear something with
00:42:51
those people like that there's there's
00:42:53
nothing better than that so I wake up
00:42:55
fight day like for smile on my face and
00:42:57
a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach Yeah
00:43:01
Yeah from what I've learned about you
00:43:02
you don't really get nervous eh not for
00:43:05
yeah no not for not for fights and
00:43:08
that's not like a good thing that's I'm
00:43:10
not saying that to like I'm not saying
00:43:11
that to Young Fighters like you
00:43:13
shouldn't wake up ner nervous on fight
00:43:15
day because you should because nerves
00:43:17
bring out the best in you you should
00:43:19
wake up um on fight day like nervous and
00:43:22
like oh not too much because you
00:43:24
obviously need to be able to control
00:43:25
that that I I control it like a tap um
00:43:29
it's because I don't I have to do the
00:43:31
opposite where I don't wake up with
00:43:33
nerves which is not a good thing because
00:43:34
I've had a lot of fights in my career
00:43:36
where I'm like getting beaten up for
00:43:38
five minutes and then I go oh that's
00:43:40
right it's a fist fight like you have to
00:43:42
wake up for this like then I'm the
00:43:44
reverse where I have to make myself like
00:43:46
a little bit nervous you know I have to
00:43:48
think at home yeah you got to pay oh you
00:43:49
got to pay your mortgage oh Everyone's
00:43:51
Watching like I have to turn those
00:43:53
nerves up a little
00:43:55
bit whereas most people most people are
00:43:58
controlling it and turning it down yeah
00:44:01
what's um what does behind the scenes
00:44:02
look like on the day of a fight say say
00:44:05
you're at somewhere like medicon Square
00:44:06
Garden for example like what's it like
00:44:08
behind the scenes there that must be
00:44:09
[ __ ] that's insane yeah that's wild
00:44:12
because uh I don't know until after the
00:44:14
fight but you um like everyone that
00:44:16
fights and I think uh wins at Madison
00:44:19
Square Garden like there's a hallway
00:44:20
with like all incredible basketball
00:44:22
players and and um UFC fighters so if
00:44:25
you win you get a your own pitcher so
00:44:26
next time I go back there to Madison
00:44:28
Square Garden there'll be a picture of
00:44:29
me on on the wall the hallway but yeah
00:44:32
like that's that's that's go time now
00:44:34
baby like I'll wake up fuzzy feeling
00:44:36
have some breakfast like hang out
00:44:38
depending on what time the fight is
00:44:39
little bit of lunch just watch some TV
00:44:42
sit on my ass and then uh yeah like go
00:44:45
to the venue and then out back you're
00:44:47
just hanging out with all your mates
00:44:48
like obviously on that card like Israel
00:44:50
was fighting uh there was like all our
00:44:53
team out the back and I'm just like I am
00:44:55
every day at training like joking around
00:44:57
with my mates hanging out and get like a
00:44:59
little bit warm I don't like to warm up
00:45:01
too much I call it I call it if you're
00:45:05
always ready you don't got to warm up I
00:45:07
hate I hate warming up I want to save
00:45:09
that I want to save that energy for the
00:45:10
fight I don't like to burn off too much
00:45:12
nerves or get myself tired in the warm
00:45:14
up I like to yeah yeah I've seen Mark
00:45:17
hunt warm up and it was like the
00:45:18
funniest [ __ ] I ever seen in my life
00:45:19
like he was sitting there uh he was
00:45:22
sitting there and then he's like out
00:45:24
back and he's just like and then they
00:45:27
like come on do some pads he stood up he
00:45:28
threw like four or five Upper Cuts sat
00:45:31
back down and he was
00:45:32
like he was he was he was pissed off
00:45:35
that they got him up you know and then
00:45:37
he went out there throw uppercut boom
00:45:39
knocks the guy out massive like so I was
00:45:41
like oh maybe I don't have to maybe I
00:45:43
can do it my way and that's what I'm
00:45:45
doing is I'm just doing it I'm doing it
00:45:48
my way and and like a UFC Afterparty in
00:45:52
in New York when you've been at Madison
00:45:53
Square Garden what does that look like I
00:45:56
always I always make the after party I
00:45:58
always make the as he was on the the
00:46:00
flagrant podcast with Andrew shz the
00:46:02
next day and he threw you under the bus
00:46:03
he said you yeah he start he started
00:46:06
always make Church 7 a.m. the next day
00:46:10
make
00:46:11
church but I always make it yeah jayen
00:46:14
Turner fight broke my arm broke my
00:46:16
orbital and I still made it to the after
00:46:18
party I called me mom I called me Mom
00:46:20
after the gam up fight five cuts on me
00:46:23
face stitched up both eyes both eyes
00:46:25
shut out get people walking me around
00:46:27
but yeah like I said don't worry Mom
00:46:30
said I'm still going to the after I'll
00:46:31
make the after party she just uh
00:46:34
horrified and who who's who's at the
00:46:36
Afterparty is it like a who's
00:46:39
who well the last one I couldn't see
00:46:41
anyone so that
00:46:43
was who goes it could have been here you
00:46:45
could have chucked me in the cupboard
00:46:46
and put some music on I would had a
00:46:47
[ __ ] clue
00:46:49
like Ben does does your mom does your
00:46:51
mom worry about you um oh she would like
00:46:54
I I get stressed when my friends fight
00:46:56
like I don't I have no idea I would yeah
00:46:59
like people ask oh what if your daughter
00:47:01
do it would be like oh I would jump in
00:47:02
the cage if if another an 8-year-old
00:47:04
girl punched her I'll be jump in the
00:47:06
cage I could not I don't understand and
00:47:08
that's like normal people fighting I get
00:47:11
nervous with my friends like that's
00:47:12
normal people I'm like me I don't know
00:47:15
how my mother do does it but she's cool
00:47:17
as a cucumber she's seen me do some
00:47:19
pretty like fight heavyweight Air New
00:47:21
Zealand and yeah absolute Wars and she's
00:47:24
always like just cool Karm and collected
00:47:26
I know she worries but she she yeah lets
00:47:29
me do my thing yeah she she s she sounds
00:47:32
crack up so when you when you first
00:47:33
started fighting you you had like um a
00:47:35
postmatch thing where you'd like slit
00:47:37
your throat and pretend to lick the
00:47:38
blood well I would if there was blood
00:47:41
that was like that was my that was my
00:47:42
old thing like after after fight like
00:47:44
you'd have blood on your gloves and
00:47:46
there and I do that like hang man I go
00:47:49
and then I'd look like look the
00:47:50
opponent's blood or my blood or whoever
00:47:52
his blood it was like yeah look it off
00:47:54
look it off my um gloves and then my mom
00:47:57
just hey Dan can you uh the blood thing
00:48:00
she's like that's I don't I don't really
00:48:03
like that she's like can you can you do
00:48:05
something else so I did it as like a
00:48:06
piss I think the first one was I fought
00:48:08
King of the Ring here in New Zealand and
00:48:10
that's like after every after every
00:48:11
fight like finish knock them out or win
00:48:14
or whatever I would turn to the crowd
00:48:16
and I just would do a bow like I did
00:48:18
like a curtsy I did I just bow bow to
00:48:21
the whole crowd I said Mom you like that
00:48:23
one better I said you like the bow and
00:48:25
she says I do I do like the bow yeah I
00:48:28
get told of she tells me for swearing as
00:48:30
well I'm going to get in trouble for
00:48:31
swearing a few times on this fight week
00:48:33
I have to uh last fight week I promised
00:48:36
no no swearing in my in my fight week
00:48:38
interviews I only I only swore three
00:48:41
times by accident so what was um what
00:48:43
was your upbringing like yeah chill my
00:48:46
parents uh yeah couldn't be better
00:48:48
normal kiwi family Dynamics your parents
00:48:51
St together yeah yeah siblings they're
00:48:52
St together I got two um two older
00:48:55
sisters oldest says uh yeah been married
00:48:59
for a long time and then I got my um my
00:49:02
uh second sister sedding next week oh
00:49:06
cool yeah what were you like as a kid
00:49:08
were you what was the most trouble you
00:49:10
got in oh I tried to stay I see I always
00:49:14
stay away from these questions no one's
00:49:17
actually been able to get to the bottom
00:49:18
of this really I throw I throw a lot of
00:49:21
people off I throw a lot of people off
00:49:23
but no like no yeah no it was good my
00:49:25
mom my mom didn't an incredible job of
00:49:28
like I feel like I was always like a a a
00:49:30
wild kid but she was just incredible at
00:49:33
um being able to being able to manage me
00:49:36
she didn't ask much like my mother
00:49:38
didn't ask much but when she did ask for
00:49:40
something like I knew that you know oh
00:49:43
I'll do that hey Dan can you knock this
00:49:46
on the head like yeah yeah all right who
00:49:48
who was the disciplinarian was it like
00:49:50
your mom or your dad oh my dad yeah yeah
00:49:53
yeah yeah yeah just like uh yeah I'd say
00:49:55
like most most family's like a normal
00:49:57
like he he's got no idea but so you want
00:49:59
me to get your father he's got no idea
00:50:00
what's going on but yeah the same with
00:50:03
yeah he just always ready to go what you
00:50:06
you the belt wouldn't SP what was it no
00:50:08
no it was good like it was good yeah
00:50:10
just a smack on the bum nothing yeah
00:50:12
yeah CU we'd get a a belt growing up
00:50:14
he's that's the funny part he comes in
00:50:16
the room like no idea what's going on
00:50:17
but yeah he's just really whack you on
00:50:20
the ass which is it's cool because yeah
00:50:22
then then most of the time it's like a
00:50:25
person like me like a guy like me yeah
00:50:27
um like you can truck me in as many
00:50:30
naughty corners and this and that as you
00:50:31
want but it's like we give you a yeah
00:50:34
yeah I'll dip out so yeah like Mom yeah
00:50:37
mom did all the work dad dad was ready
00:50:39
to go it sounds similar to to us it'd be
00:50:42
like wait until your father gets home
00:50:43
then hours later would' be in trouble
00:50:45
for some [ __ ] we couldn't even remember
00:50:47
nah I'll give you what you want I'll
00:50:48
give you what you want um what are you
00:50:51
um just just looping back to what we
00:50:52
were on before like are like you did you
00:50:55
get in some real trouble when you were
00:50:56
younger or you embarrassed about or you
00:50:59
ashamed about some of the [ __ ] you did
00:51:00
when you were younger or what
00:51:03
no nothing at all I don't I don't tend
00:51:06
to CU tell you
00:51:08
look no criminal record mate
00:51:11
well well it's not uh what you do it's
00:51:14
what you get caught doing in
00:51:16
life so in some ways I I had another guy
00:51:19
I don't expect you to know the name this
00:51:21
guy um called officer J Jamie panel and
00:51:23
he was um he was a little bit Wayward
00:51:24
growing up and then he discovered the
00:51:26
army and you know it became a badass in
00:51:28
the SAS and you know went on um tours
00:51:31
with Willie appat and and stuff um and
00:51:34
he reck the Army sort of you know put
00:51:36
him on the right
00:51:38
track so I feel maybe it's the same for
00:51:40
you with um the combat sport 1,000% a
00:51:44
th% like I finished sco I didn't know um
00:51:46
kind of what way what direction I was
00:51:48
going to go and I actually uh I actually
00:51:51
was like thinking about the Army I was
00:51:53
like oh maybe I'll maybe I'll join the
00:51:54
Army and I googled um is New Zealand at
00:51:57
war with anyone cuz I was like I'm not
00:51:58
going to sign this Army if I can't kill
00:52:00
anyone and then and I said New Zealand's
00:52:03
not like's not at war with anyone and I
00:52:06
was like oh [ __ ] a waste of time so then
00:52:07
I yeah I found I found fighting soon
00:52:10
after that um yeah what would you chin
00:52:13
army with no war what would you be doing
00:52:15
now if um like if you didn't if you
00:52:17
didn't lean into fighting I you did um
00:52:19
you studied business for a bit real
00:52:20
estate Landscaping what do you think
00:52:22
you'd be doing now
00:52:24
oh anybody's guess
00:52:27
absolutely anybody's guess like life is
00:52:29
life and you you roll with the punches
00:52:31
and and um but yeah like I'm not can't
00:52:35
sit and say I would do any one thing
00:52:39
but yeah I wouldn't like I just or yeah
00:52:43
you just always know what you're capable
00:52:45
of and always know that you're capable
00:52:47
of of doing more so I feel like no
00:52:49
matter what I would be doing I would be
00:52:51
successful at it yeah cuz you obviously
00:52:54
have that ability to just like apply
00:52:56
yourself and really [ __ ] lean into
00:52:58
whatever you're doing well that's it if
00:53:00
you find something that you you're
00:53:02
passionate about and you absolutely love
00:53:04
well then how can you like it's not that
00:53:07
I've just stuck at this longer than
00:53:09
anyone else like am I better am I the
00:53:12
best guy I've ever trained with am I
00:53:13
better than guys I trained with 10 years
00:53:15
ago [ __ ] no like I've been getting my
00:53:17
ass kicked every day for the last 15
00:53:21
years I'm by far not the the most
00:53:23
skillful the most talented the the the
00:53:27
strongest the fastest like I'm
00:53:29
absolutely none of those things I just I
00:53:32
just have been I just stuck at it I just
00:53:35
kept doing it longer than anyone else
00:53:37
has been doing it I don't know I think
00:53:39
you're being alarmingly modest
00:53:41
alarmingly modest like like just a
00:53:44
that's my yeah but that's like my
00:53:45
mentality on the thing I don't like you
00:53:47
you you're built from different stuff to
00:53:49
most people like whether whether you can
00:53:51
see that or not like I last night I
00:53:53
watched the the first UFC fight you did
00:53:55
and um the the guy's got you in what's
00:53:57
the league thing called is the league
00:53:58
bar he did a a hill hook so it looks
00:54:02
like he's about to snap your he did snap
00:54:03
your leg Yeah that's why he like cuz he
00:54:05
was like a leg lock specialist he did he
00:54:08
he dropped down for the leg lock and
00:54:09
like the first round and that was my
00:54:10
debut in uh the UFC and it was just down
00:54:13
the road there I think was spark aren at
00:54:15
the time and he did and he he got he got
00:54:18
we were both dry he grabbed my heel and
00:54:20
yeah he he snapped it there was probably
00:54:22
like six or seven um like loud like you
00:54:25
can hear uh it popping you can hear your
00:54:28
ACL crack like your your ligaments in
00:54:30
your knee like it's loud I heard it he
00:54:32
heard it the ref heard it and they all
00:54:34
just like but he he tore it and then he
00:54:37
like looked up at me and I was like in
00:54:38
my head I thought well [ __ ] it I was
00:54:40
like and I was trying to convince myself
00:54:42
before the fight I was like look if he
00:54:44
gets you in it cuz it was like his move
00:54:47
if you if he snaps your ACL it's like a
00:54:50
surgery and and minimum 6 to8 months
00:54:53
rehab to to get back to training so I
00:54:56
was telling myself like look you know
00:54:57
you took this fight on short notice like
00:54:59
if he really gets you in it just tap
00:55:01
because we can get back and and fight in
00:55:03
the next one but then in my head he he's
00:55:06
snaps it eight times looks at me and in
00:55:08
my head I thought [ __ ] it I was like
00:55:10
snap it off then I was just kind of let
00:55:12
him break it and I was just going to
00:55:14
punch my way out of it because
00:55:16
yeah that's the way I but yeah it was
00:55:19
like absolutely you end up just like
00:55:21
clobbering him in the head and well
00:55:22
that's it like cuz he that's that's um
00:55:25
like a lot of my Wis on most of my WS is
00:55:27
like you you people's when they think
00:55:30
they have the fight one one the mind
00:55:33
wanders like the once you think you have
00:55:35
the fight in the bag you you relax and
00:55:38
you start thinking about oh and I'm
00:55:39
going to say this at the post fight
00:55:41
press conference and I'm going to go to
00:55:43
the Afterparty and everyone's going to
00:55:45
think I'm the man and then they look up
00:55:47
and Dan hooker's still [ __ ] standing
00:55:49
there still swinging at them and their
00:55:52
world just comes crashing down because
00:55:54
it's the hardest thing to when you think
00:55:56
you have it in in the bag and it slips
00:55:58
through your fingers like that is it and
00:56:01
I've been there in fights I thought I
00:56:03
had the thing one I thought the guy was
00:56:05
going to tap out I thought I had him and
00:56:07
then he he was tough enough to stick in
00:56:09
there and there's no worst feeling in
00:56:11
the world then your mind wandering to
00:56:14
the Afterparty and then you come back to
00:56:16
reality and you're you're exhausted and
00:56:18
you're still getting hit oh it's a
00:56:20
horrible feeling so I from experience of
00:56:23
having experienced that I use that
00:56:25
against
00:56:27
people but when when this guy's snapping
00:56:30
your leg you like you're not um you're
00:56:33
not you're not yeling in pain there's no
00:56:35
frown on your face like you're just it's
00:56:37
just a blank
00:56:39
expression yeah I don't know what I'm
00:56:40
supposed to because if you
00:56:43
do cuz if you so like a cry out in pain
00:56:47
is a is a tap like that's a in our sport
00:56:49
in our spell like I cry if I go oh like
00:56:53
then that's that's the referee is
00:56:54
allowed to stop the fire if I make any
00:56:56
noise so my head just like don't make
00:56:59
noise and the fight will continue I can
00:57:01
hop around like you can do you can do a
00:57:03
bunch of different shirt on one
00:57:05
leg Yeah but it's just like a natural
00:57:07
human instinct isn't it when you're in
00:57:09
pain to ah yeah but then you you'd have
00:57:13
a few more losses on your record yeah
00:57:16
um [ __ ] but this is so much fun what
00:57:20
time um what time do you have to be out
00:57:21
of here today you've got another no
00:57:24
plenty of time got my sky TV show I do a
00:57:27
show there I do a show there yeah this
00:57:29
is this is great there's so much to so
00:57:30
much to talk about um oh yeah let's talk
00:57:34
about the co stuff so Co was real
00:57:36
actually I've got a photo here this this
00:57:38
photo sort of went
00:57:40
viral yeah yeah yeah that's you and and
00:57:43
miq um for anyone that's listening to
00:57:46
this down the novel I did a few stints
00:57:48
there at the novel was it's a
00:57:50
heartbreaking photo sock I would never
00:57:52
stay there as a guest though I don't
00:57:54
know
00:57:56
and I did I did two SS in the navor
00:57:58
house and got got the same I got the
00:58:00
same [ __ ] room I was like not the
00:58:02
same room that was this is this is why I
00:58:05
realized that this is when I realized
00:58:08
that I would not function well in prison
00:58:10
like I'm at a fivestar hotel and I was
00:58:12
going absolutely insane so I run around
00:58:14
the car park every morning uh the 10
00:58:16
10ks in the car park and like you just
00:58:19
run around in a square like I'd get up
00:58:22
because you we weren't allowed to
00:58:24
exercise for more than half an hour but
00:58:25
I made a deal with the guy I was like
00:58:27
well if I get up earlier I was like can
00:58:29
I run around for an hour and a half so I
00:58:31
used to just every day wake up just run
00:58:33
myself to death and you were only
00:58:35
allowed to go One Direction so I was
00:58:37
like I like five days and then one of my
00:58:39
hips just was like completely wrecked so
00:58:41
then I spend the next five days running
00:58:43
the other way but this photo it's
00:58:46
terrible though like it sum sums
00:58:47
everything up it says um yeah there that
00:58:49
saying a a pature paints thousand words
00:58:51
it says so much so you're on you're
00:58:53
you're separated by um got a [ __ ] time
00:58:56
worse than that because that's how when
00:58:58
it first started going down this is when
00:59:00
they weren't even um like look the the
00:59:03
the fence got higher they got further
00:59:05
away they got completely blocked off we
00:59:07
had to have mass like things got a hell
00:59:10
of a lot worse than what's going on in
00:59:12
that picture that was just the start of
00:59:14
it but my mentality during the whole
00:59:16
thing was like [ __ ] you like I'm not
00:59:19
letting like I'm not letting this get in
00:59:22
the way of what I want and I took a lot
00:59:25
of fights that I shouldn't have taken
00:59:26
cuz I wasn't able to train for them I
00:59:28
wasn't uh able to get down the gym and
00:59:31
be with my training Partners or or My
00:59:32
coaches because we away for so long uh
00:59:35
like I got stuck out of the country with
00:59:37
the voucher system
00:59:38
from like four five months in in Vegas
00:59:42
uh two months I got stuck in uh Dubai so
00:59:45
my coaches obviously couldn't come with
00:59:46
me because uh I can't expect them to be
00:59:48
away from their family for four months
00:59:50
five months two months like that that's
00:59:52
just too much to us but in my head I was
00:59:54
thinking I'm not letting you
00:59:56
stop me live life like I hate that that
00:59:59
element of control that was trying to
01:00:02
get that put on everyone so how many how
01:00:04
many stints in miq did you end up
01:00:06
doing yeah three two of the never and
01:00:09
then one they they flew down to uh
01:00:11
Christ Church I hate even talking about
01:00:13
this stuff cuz I feel like anyone that's
01:00:14
listening or watching is like oh I don't
01:00:16
over it yeah yeah but they forget about
01:00:18
it like completely forgot about it they
01:00:20
just look at my record and they see like
01:00:21
a bunch of losses at that stage and
01:00:23
they're just like now I'm on free wins
01:00:25
they're just like oh oh he's not [ __ ]
01:00:27
after all and it's like I yeah I wasn't
01:00:30
able to people have just blanked out
01:00:32
that Co thing all together yeah cuz I
01:00:34
feel like you guys were treated um like
01:00:36
really really poorly uh like in terms of
01:00:38
a Sports organization and you know in
01:00:40
terms of not getting am but that's just
01:00:43
that's just in general like in terms of
01:00:46
that like obviously rugby was able to to
01:00:48
operate and that what like that's fine I
01:00:50
know um that's just that's just in
01:00:54
general like
01:00:56
in terms of our Sport and like cage
01:00:58
fighters like I used to I used
01:01:00
to carry myself like a mainstream
01:01:03
athlete because I wanted to set a good
01:01:04
example for like Combat Sports and and
01:01:07
make it like a mainstream Sport and I
01:01:09
know that it is violent I know it can't
01:01:10
be ex like a lot of people it's not
01:01:12
their cup of tea and that's fine I've
01:01:14
got absolutely no problem with that but
01:01:16
I thought if I act like a mainstream
01:01:18
Sportsman long enough they'll start
01:01:19
treating me like a mainstream Sportsman
01:01:21
but like through the co times and like
01:01:23
we just didn't and even since then in
01:01:26
terms of like sponsorships like Fighters
01:01:28
get uh gambling which I'm happy to do I
01:01:31
gamble myself like uh maybe a protein
01:01:34
powder and like we don't get the
01:01:37
sponsorships that other sports get and
01:01:39
it's like they they I tried to act like
01:01:44
a a main like a professional Sportsman
01:01:48
but they just treat me like a cage
01:01:49
fighter and it's they do that for long
01:01:51
enough where I just thought [ __ ] I'm
01:01:54
going to just start you want to treat me
01:01:55
like a cas fighter I'm quite happy to
01:01:57
act like a cage fighter and you see that
01:01:59
with like sponsorship like do you see
01:02:00
any of us sponsored by add Des or like
01:02:03
have any meain like anyone that that
01:02:05
sponsors rugby do any of them sponsor uh
01:02:08
they want us to act like professional
01:02:10
Sportsmen but then they want to treat us
01:02:11
like cage fighters yeah you're not
01:02:12
getting um like Rick owner or Co the
01:02:15
only reason why you know the Warriors
01:02:17
and the All Blacks and do that like act
01:02:19
like that is because the their unions
01:02:20
have made them sign a contract which
01:02:22
says that they can't do gambling they
01:02:24
can't swear can't talk about this they
01:02:27
can't talk about that we're just lucky
01:02:29
that with the UFC like we're we're
01:02:31
pretty much allowed to comment on
01:02:32
anything that's why people like speaking
01:02:34
to to the UFC athletes because we're
01:02:36
allowed to speak our mind like we're not
01:02:38
controlled by any big organization to
01:02:40
say anything but yeah like I'm I'm quite
01:02:43
happy and comfortable like acting like a
01:02:45
cage fighter like that's because that's
01:02:47
uh through and through that's who I was
01:02:49
I just kind of gave up on it and it's
01:02:51
it's funny because they're going to
01:02:52
regret that they're going to like the
01:02:54
the the mainstream companies are are are
01:02:58
going to regret that because i' I've
01:02:59
said I've talked about this in the
01:03:01
sponsorship meetings and just been like
01:03:03
um like you're you're the Next
01:03:05
Generation like your kids go go to your
01:03:07
go to your kid and and um ask him to
01:03:10
name rugby players and then ask them to
01:03:12
name UFC fighters like they they the
01:03:16
Next Generation like your kids are
01:03:17
watching us and you we're not we don't
01:03:21
have to act like professional athletes
01:03:23
we we're allowed to swear we're allowed
01:03:24
to gamble we're allowed to go out have a
01:03:26
good time and I'm quite comfortable
01:03:27
doing that like they as far as I'm
01:03:29
concerned they're like they missed the
01:03:31
boat they missed the boat yeah it's
01:03:34
interesting you should say that because
01:03:35
I I reckon um yeah the the the term role
01:03:39
model needs to be sort of redefined you
01:03:40
know because there's this perception
01:03:41
that being a role model you should be
01:03:42
perfect you should be well that's it
01:03:44
we're we're redefining it because like a
01:03:46
lot of the guys uh like rugby players
01:03:49
and that like they're they're just a
01:03:52
bigger piece of [ __ ] as we are but but
01:03:54
they're actually not owed to say it like
01:03:56
they have to they have to hide that
01:03:58
expect away from it whereas like us I'm
01:04:00
not going to lose any sponsorships by by
01:04:02
going out and and promoting gambling I'm
01:04:04
not going to lose any sponsorships by
01:04:06
having a good time or swearing or
01:04:07
commenting on something like I'm not
01:04:09
going to lose any sponsorships by doing
01:04:11
that kind of thing well no nobody's
01:04:13
perfect as well so I think like being a
01:04:15
role model you should be allowed to make
01:04:17
like at the end yeah at the end of the
01:04:18
day we're cage fighters like you like me
01:04:20
cuz I [ __ ] send people to hospital
01:04:23
like that's why people like me so it's
01:04:25
not like I got to sit up here and yeah
01:04:27
like and I've been doing this for so
01:04:29
long I've been doing this since before
01:04:31
it was cool I've been doing this since
01:04:32
before no one knew what the [ __ ] this
01:04:35
thing was and and what was going on even
01:04:37
I I had no idea the level that this
01:04:40
sport would go to and and how main
01:04:41
streamer will become but yeah like I I
01:04:45
do this because I truly enjoy going out
01:04:47
there and hurting people like that's
01:04:49
through and through that's why I I love
01:04:52
to do this thing so yeah now you expect
01:04:54
me to be a role model and you don't
01:04:56
treat me like one it's
01:04:59
like don't learn to day yeah so there's
01:05:02
yeah there's another thing in that Co
01:05:03
time so you guys had um like your own
01:05:05
your own bubble uh where you living we
01:05:08
standing at the gym probably like like I
01:05:10
think like 12 1 guys we just cuz they
01:05:13
said uh New Zealand's going into
01:05:16
lockdown uh and obviously with level
01:05:18
four lockdown you're not allowed outside
01:05:19
of your bubble and it goes down at
01:05:21
midnight so our coach Eugene said got I
01:05:25
think it was 8:00 p.m. at the time he
01:05:27
says boys we're going into level four
01:05:28
you can't n that outside your bubbles
01:05:30
grab your [ __ ] grab your sleeping bags
01:05:33
kiss your misses say goodbye you're
01:05:36
moving into the gym so like 12 of us
01:05:39
moved into the gym just set up
01:05:40
mattresses brought sleeping bags down
01:05:42
the gym so that was like our bubble then
01:05:45
eventually we were trained for like a
01:05:46
couple of weeks and then yeah like six
01:05:49
cop cars pull up one day and they just
01:05:51
said yep no the bubble's too big even
01:05:54
though we were sticking to our our
01:05:57
bubble and we weren't breaking any of
01:05:58
the rules and they said nah you just got
01:06:00
to piss off back to your houses like
01:06:03
you're not allowed you guys aren't
01:06:04
allowed to train here so then yeah then
01:06:06
I started training at at my own gym CU I
01:06:08
still had a fight coming up and it's
01:06:10
like I've had Co a couple of times and
01:06:12
uh it didn't do absolute dick to me I'm
01:06:15
more worried about you know getting hit
01:06:18
by a a professional fighter and having
01:06:20
not trained I'm more scared of that than
01:06:23
I am about getting the flu where I can't
01:06:25
taste anything like that is is [ __ ]
01:06:28
so yeah I went to my own gym um and then
01:06:32
yeah they had a uh we were training like
01:06:35
a couple of guys like a handful of guys
01:06:36
we're training on my own facility which
01:06:38
I owned there in Aly and they set up uh
01:06:41
they oh some guy I remember his name I
01:06:45
think it's George I want to say George
01:06:48
Bush James Bush no not that what's his
01:06:51
name it'll come to me I still follow him
01:06:53
on Instagram because I wanted like to
01:06:55
get like to send him him a message every
01:06:56
now and then I stor got my eyes on you
01:06:58
but was like a reporter and he he he had
01:07:01
like a long lens parked like super far
01:07:03
away from the gym and then took like
01:07:05
photos of us as we were like coming out
01:07:07
of the gym and then we had uh like I had
01:07:09
a senior Sergeant come around to my
01:07:11
house and be like you've been caught
01:07:13
blah blah blah like if we catch you one
01:07:15
more time like you're going to get
01:07:17
locked up so then I grabbed two training
01:07:19
partners and I moved them into my house
01:07:21
and then we were just training in my
01:07:23
garage um for the fight
01:07:26
[ __ ] what a snitch and then yeah yeah
01:07:29
big time snitch big time Big Time but
01:07:32
then then I had then I had cops coming
01:07:33
around to my house like every couple of
01:07:35
days like just checking making sure that
01:07:37
I'm not at the gym like making sure that
01:07:39
I'm not doing
01:07:40
this so I'm guessing something like that
01:07:43
makes you angry but you managed to
01:07:45
control I just no I I I took a lot of
01:07:48
pride in not having it let not letting
01:07:51
that stop me because I don't let that
01:07:53
stop me and the the Visa office to get
01:07:55
actually for the fight I was training
01:07:57
for the Visa office was shut so I wasn't
01:08:00
actually allowed um there was no
01:08:02
possibility of getting a Visa until I
01:08:04
just got social media harassment and I
01:08:07
just harassed them and it was the latest
01:08:09
anyone has ever arrived for U ofc5 was
01:08:12
that one and I arrived uh weighin was
01:08:15
the the next day weighin was 8: a.m. and
01:08:18
I arrived uh at midnight Midnight on the
01:08:21
Thursday so it's was like yeah the
01:08:22
latest anyone's everever arrived for a
01:08:24
UFC fight cuz I didn't get my Visa till
01:08:27
like a day before I I left so I arrived
01:08:31
uh yeah Thursday night at midnight and
01:08:34
then I I just went straight to the pi
01:08:36
cut weight and and wait in so between
01:08:38
Landing from uh New Zealand was in Las
01:08:41
Vegas and and fighting was yeah like 24
01:08:44
hours and was was that that the the
01:08:47
period where it was like fight Island
01:08:48
where it was you guys just fighting with
01:08:49
no CR I did uh I did fight there now
01:08:52
this one was um in Las Vegas Las Vegas
01:08:54
had like returned to normal but yeah I
01:08:56
fought it I fought it fight Island as
01:08:58
well I took over my my cornerman for
01:09:00
that fight was uh Nate La still fighting
01:09:03
but it was a guy that had probably
01:09:04
walked in my gym like a year and a half
01:09:07
before that never cornered anyone in in
01:09:09
his life and I just took him with me and
01:09:12
just me and him went to F isand and and
01:09:14
fought Michael Chandler well why did you
01:09:17
find um um managed isolation so hard is
01:09:21
is it just like being in being bored and
01:09:22
being in your own head space for that
01:09:24
long or what oh yeah yeah I I absolutely
01:09:26
hate being bored I have to I like
01:09:29
to keep busy I'm the more [ __ ] I got
01:09:32
going on the the Cal I am the more
01:09:34
chaotic life is like the more Chiller I
01:09:37
am if it's if if things is quiet down or
01:09:39
they stop like I just get absolutely
01:09:41
bored to death well you got too much
01:09:42
thinking time
01:09:44
or I don't know yeah I don't know what
01:09:47
it is I don't know what I remember
01:09:49
saying what I think um I obviously don't
01:09:51
think like most people so it's like yeah
01:09:53
and it's it's good it's good that you're
01:09:55
unique um I think it was one of those
01:09:57
thingss in mq where like there was some
01:09:59
social media footage of you like
01:10:00
removing your own stitches would that be
01:10:03
right yeah well I've done that I've done
01:10:04
that heaps but I learned that I learned
01:10:06
that from my old man my old man used to
01:10:07
play league and he's just like yeah yeah
01:10:09
why would you go to the bloody doctor
01:10:11
for some Stites my old man yeah like
01:10:13
hard man hard man that's a yeah I think
01:10:16
that's where I get a lot of it from as
01:10:18
my old man and he doesn't even realize
01:10:20
like how maybe doesn't realize that how
01:10:22
much it impacted me but it's like hard
01:10:24
dude that's like a hard old school dude
01:10:26
never seen him cry never you know like
01:10:29
just one of those old hard kiwi BLS but
01:10:32
yeah why would you go to the doctor like
01:10:34
you just here I'll show you how to take
01:10:36
them
01:10:37
out what what about you you've never
01:10:39
seen your dad cry are you are you an
01:10:41
emotional guide or or yeah like I I
01:10:43
think there's nothing wrong with cry
01:10:45
tear up um things are pissing me off
01:10:47
every now and then but it's fine like
01:10:49
there's nothing wrong with um yeah like
01:10:51
that's why that's why like fighting's
01:10:53
just that's why we would be so hard to
01:10:56
to walk away from because you you just
01:10:59
really get to it's just the extremes of
01:11:01
the the human emotion that you get to
01:11:03
experience because obviously you win
01:11:05
it's nothing higher than that everyone
01:11:06
loves you uh you got things come life
01:11:09
gets to move forward but if you lose
01:11:11
like then everyone thinks you're a loser
01:11:13
probably probably if I if I win I
01:11:15
probably have thousands of messages
01:11:17
across like social media if you lose I
01:11:19
get three three messages like your mate
01:11:23
uh my my mom and my misss like that's
01:11:27
that's the people that's the people that
01:11:29
are like there for you so if I want to
01:11:32
invite you back on the podcast I need to
01:11:33
wait till you lose and that's why you
01:11:35
will send my message that's that's how
01:11:36
you get me in that's how you get in um
01:11:39
yeah like um I've seen the style Benders
01:11:41
movie and um like you guys you guys are
01:11:43
super masculine like it's a you know
01:11:45
it's it's a it's a badass sport you do
01:11:47
and you guys are very manly so I feel
01:11:49
like you guys can sort of show
01:11:51
vulnerability which um as we know is a
01:11:52
strength not a weakness um for sure for
01:11:56
sure but you said you said you you cow
01:11:57
when things piss you off like like like
01:11:58
tears of like anger or frustration or n
01:12:01
not like that not like that I'm just
01:12:03
yeah yeah yeah I live I live life to the
01:12:05
full like there's nothing wrong with
01:12:07
with crying it's it's fine no it's a
01:12:09
great emotion as I get older I'm getting
01:12:11
more and more emotion that's why I love
01:12:13
that's why I love fighting is is because
01:12:16
yeah you you will never feel like an
01:12:17
extreme of the emotion like that like
01:12:20
I've cried when after fights like you
01:12:21
lose and you're just upset with yourself
01:12:23
and performance you think everyone hates
01:12:25
you like it's the biggest deal in the
01:12:27
world but you get to feel you get to
01:12:29
feel something you get to feel like yeah
01:12:32
the most yeah it's got to be the
01:12:34
loneliest sport in the world when you
01:12:35
lose it's all your fault like you have
01:12:39
to there's no one the there's no
01:12:40
teammates to H behind it's not like uh
01:12:42
yeah game game of football or anything
01:12:44
like that where you lose and and you can
01:12:46
oh you know just hide behind your
01:12:48
teammates together like when you lose
01:12:50
you everyone points the finger at you
01:12:52
like you have to take responsibility for
01:12:54
that 100 100% and that's why it's like
01:12:56
so good when you win because you get
01:12:59
everyone's just looking at you you get
01:13:00
you get 100% of that emotion but when
01:13:02
you lose it's all your fault you no one
01:13:05
else has taking the heat for you when
01:13:07
you lose so when you lose not not even
01:13:10
the The Russian Lady messages you not
01:13:12
even ran oh oh yeah I heard about I
01:13:15
heard about that in another Russian
01:13:17
stalk I've had some good ones over there
01:13:19
yeah but yeah yeah yeah this bird was
01:13:21
for Years bro like what messing me you
01:13:24
grab me m profile like take all her
01:13:26
pictures start um start her own yeah I
01:13:28
had a stalker for think like 3 years
01:13:31
yeah she would messag me constantly and
01:13:33
then uh yeah she would like send me um
01:13:36
to my cuz she got the address on my gym
01:13:37
she would like send me like mad [ __ ] mad
01:13:40
[ __ ] send me phone like send me a phone
01:13:43
message me on this phone like wanted me
01:13:45
to kill my mrss and run off of her and
01:13:47
yeah all sorts of [ __ ] and I was just
01:13:49
like well well probably like there was a
01:13:52
stage there for like a year which she
01:13:54
would make like
01:13:55
at least 10 fake accounts a day and just
01:13:58
message me off like every last one of
01:14:00
them wild yeah
01:14:01
wild how did that
01:14:04
end eventually she just disappeared I
01:14:06
don't know maybe yeah just ignored it
01:14:10
it's a yeah she pissed off yeah she
01:14:14
never made it to New Zealand though as
01:14:15
far as you Fu than [ __ ] she never made
01:14:17
it to New Zealand holy rck and what
01:14:19
about you in Israel atna like you it
01:14:22
seems like you you moveing very
01:14:23
different circles and you're very
01:14:24
different guys but you're still still
01:14:26
incredibly Incredibly Close there's that
01:14:28
clip on YouTube where I think it's
01:14:30
titled for enemies um are you friends oh
01:14:34
for sure yeah for sure we've got each
01:14:35
other's back 100% sure yeah yeah without
01:14:38
a shadow of a doubt like goes back to
01:14:41
the day we die like that that friendship
01:14:43
is not yeah it's not one of those
01:14:45
friendships where you have to message
01:14:46
each other every day you going like [ __ ]
01:14:49
we're don't yeah but we're like yeah we
01:14:52
go through like a lot of the the similar
01:14:55
things obviously I I don't tell the
01:14:57
levels that he's at like the levels of
01:14:59
Fame that he's at is absolutely wild and
01:15:00
we are very different people like he's
01:15:02
like that's the funny part about it is
01:15:04
people think like people think he's the
01:15:06
bad one and I'm the nice one and I'm
01:15:08
just like thinking what the heck
01:15:10
Israel's like one of the nicest people
01:15:12
I've ever met in my life like he is
01:15:15
actually like a really nice heartfelt
01:15:17
dude like and I'm just not so I don't
01:15:20
know why do you why do you say
01:15:22
that everything of um yeah read about
01:15:25
you uh watched about you heard about you
01:15:28
in the past week it's real good energy
01:15:31
real good energy yeah but you're getting
01:15:32
me on fight week where I'm happy I'm
01:15:34
happy as Larry most of the time you see
01:15:36
you see interviews and stuff like that
01:15:37
like that's that's uh yeah there's no
01:15:40
Israel Like There's No Malice in it like
01:15:42
he doesn't it's a a competitive Sport
01:15:45
and he's there's he's got no like
01:15:49
malicious intent like when he fights
01:15:52
that's that's kind of what I mean by
01:15:54
like
01:15:55
are malicious intent like I have
01:15:59
terrible I want I want yeah yeah like I
01:16:02
will [ __ ] I'm just trying to hurt
01:16:04
someone but you need to cuz they want to
01:16:06
hurt you as well yeah but there is that
01:16:08
but there is like uh like more than that
01:16:10
say it's not
01:16:13
um yeah like I love it I yeah I love it
01:16:18
like I will never walk away from the
01:16:20
sport I'm going to get dragged out I
01:16:22
guarantee it
01:16:25
wow I'm pleased to hear that and what
01:16:27
about um that's people think I'm old at
01:16:29
34 I'm like [ __ ] me days like they'll be
01:16:32
rolling me out they'll be welling me out
01:16:34
at 45 I'll still be oh what about Conor
01:16:37
McGregor is that is is that a thing or
01:16:39
no you so you you were you went to
01:16:41
helper maid in Spain at a beer knuckle
01:16:43
fighting competition be knuckle thing
01:16:45
like well we
01:16:46
um we got like a lot of mutual friends
01:16:49
like uh Oscar who runs the the the Conor
01:16:51
McGregor's um like social media thing
01:16:54
and Lee uh so Lee and Oscar they're on
01:16:57
the Mac life like YouTube channel which
01:16:58
I've worked for uh with for years like
01:17:01
doing a podcast we do me and Oscar do a
01:17:03
pub uh a a podcast called Pub talk where
01:17:07
we just pretty much have a couple of
01:17:08
beers and talk a bunch of [ __ ] about
01:17:10
everyone but yeah I've been doing that
01:17:12
part of Conor mrig channel for years and
01:17:14
we have a lot of similar friends and I
01:17:17
went over to Spain and was hanging out
01:17:18
with the guys he grew up with from there
01:17:20
and we seemed like pretty uh yeah pretty
01:17:23
similar at the end of the day but yeah
01:17:24
he's going through some hard times at
01:17:26
the moment I don't know when when he
01:17:28
scheduled to fight next but yeah like
01:17:30
that's uh that's a fight that makes a
01:17:32
lot of sense like in the in the future
01:17:34
when when he chooses to come back he
01:17:36
said he wants to fight you in February
01:17:37
but you you've got a baby Jew at that
01:17:40
time he uh yeah he's not fighting in
01:17:42
February he's got a he's got a bit of
01:17:43
[ __ ] to do but yeah like he'll come back
01:17:46
I think maybe sometime next year but
01:17:49
yeah it's not like a fight I'm going to
01:17:50
sit around and wait for like I have
01:17:52
something um lined up for
01:17:55
I think March um next year so I'm I'm
01:17:58
just in the gym getting ready for
01:18:01
that this me so well what's left to
01:18:04
achieve world title yeah is that it I
01:18:08
just won it once I just won it once I
01:18:11
just W up for for just one night and um
01:18:14
I'm happy days just just to lie down in
01:18:17
bed with the world title and just no one
01:18:20
can dispute that no one can dispute that
01:18:23
because yeah like there's a lot of
01:18:24
people that don't think um that you're
01:18:26
capable of achieving it but there's a
01:18:27
lot of people that's the thing about
01:18:29
people is they've doubted me since
01:18:31
before my first fight you know like
01:18:33
you've always got people that are there
01:18:35
doubting you and you're continually like
01:18:37
proving them wrong but even with with
01:18:39
the belt like the doubt is though still
01:18:40
come up with some [ __ ] to say for sure
01:18:43
for sure but that's it you have you have
01:18:46
the the symbol that proves it it's not
01:18:48
like it's not about the money or
01:18:50
anything like that at the stage it's
01:18:52
just yeah focus on the title and people
01:18:54
can say you're never going to achieve
01:18:55
that um as long as they want but the
01:18:58
reality of the situation is that I'm one
01:19:02
one fight away from from lining myself
01:19:05
up for a title what what would you say I
01:19:09
actually maybe more specifically like
01:19:10
say if you ask your wife what your worst
01:19:12
habits or flaws were what would she
01:19:15
say no
01:19:18
patience I want and I wanted it
01:19:21
yesterday like I've got absolutely no
01:19:24
not a shred of patience not a shred of
01:19:26
patience if I want something I'm going
01:19:28
to go and get it that day like I don't
01:19:31
yeah and you're you're in a voice what's
01:19:33
your in a voice like so just when you're
01:19:34
when you're alone in the car or in a a
01:19:37
seat on a plane flying somewhere what
01:19:39
are you like are you are you quite you
01:19:41
quite kind and positiv to yourself
01:19:45
or beat yourself up or like yeah just a
01:19:49
very just a very simple man I've got
01:19:51
nothing but uh three maybe four emotions
01:19:55
and then that's it you happy uh Angry
01:19:59
hungry or horny those are the four
01:20:01
emotions that I had in my life and I'll
01:20:04
cycle between those four yeah cuz you
01:20:06
always seem like so positive and so
01:20:08
update simple very simple man it's a
01:20:10
good way to be it is it is um in terms
01:20:14
of Legacy how would you like to be
01:20:16
remembered in the sport I can't say that
01:20:18
I'm too attached to to to being um
01:20:21
setting in kind of Legacy or or being
01:20:23
Remembered in the sport because uh it
01:20:25
it's so fleeting and it passes so it
01:20:28
passes so quickly like it's to be
01:20:32
remembered in anything would be I don't
01:20:35
know that's like a
01:20:37
weird like you're going to give up um
01:20:40
not do things in this life because
01:20:43
you're worried about how you'll be
01:20:44
remembered like it it all fades it all
01:20:46
fades so and it fades especially in our
01:20:48
sport it fades incredibly quickly like
01:20:50
you could retire and then the sport will
01:20:52
move on the sport moves so much like uh
01:20:56
Muhammad Ali passes away what a couple
01:20:59
years ago and it's like and give it
01:21:00
another 10 years and see if anyone like
01:21:02
the the just time moves so to think um
01:21:06
that I think that highly of myself that
01:21:08
I'm going to be remembered in time is uh
01:21:12
yeah I don't think I don't my head's not
01:21:15
that
01:21:16
bad are you proud of
01:21:20
yourself it's a it's a it's a hard one
01:21:22
for a kiwi to answer right not yet
01:21:25
not yet not yet yeah not yet not yet
01:21:28
yeah like uh I haven't achieved the
01:21:31
things that I set out to achieve yet
01:21:33
you've achieved a lot though I have
01:21:34
achieved a lot uh but definitely not the
01:21:37
yeah it's like a k I don't know it's
01:21:39
like a kiwi thing I think my old man
01:21:40
keeps me uh very humble like he he
01:21:44
constantly I thought because he he don't
01:21:46
really compliment the fights or whatever
01:21:48
and then I remember I won King of the
01:21:49
Ring which is like three fights on one
01:21:51
night and then I like went home and I
01:21:54
had a big check had $10,000 on it and I
01:21:57
had a big check and I was like I had a
01:21:58
belt nice shiny belt and I thought I was
01:22:00
the man and he I walked in and he's just
01:22:02
like they found three guys [ __ ] enough
01:22:05
for you to beat in one night and I was
01:22:07
like damn it but he like does keep you
01:22:09
like that's it's like yeah it's like a
01:22:11
reality check and then I won I I thought
01:22:13
I was rich when I I won my first fight
01:22:16
in the UFC and then what that was like
01:22:18
uh I looked at my bank account and
01:22:20
leading into that I spent my whole bank
01:22:22
account on the Medicals to to get into
01:22:24
to I think MRI was 1,500 bucks and that
01:22:28
blew me back out I had to do like a
01:22:29
t-shirt fundraiser for my first fight in
01:22:32
the FFC to pay for the Medicals so yeah
01:22:34
I had nothing when I stepped in that
01:22:36
cage and then I won and I think 15 grand
01:22:38
appeared in my bank account and I
01:22:40
thought I was a man and I was like check
01:22:42
this out you know check this and he's
01:22:43
like well you've been doing this for a
01:22:45
long time he's like you know let's go
01:22:50
over the last year 15 grand for a year
01:22:52
he's like you may as well work parttime
01:22:53
at McDonald's probably would and I was
01:22:55
like well reality of it is like yeah
01:22:58
that that is 100%
01:23:01
correct yeah I mean it's a big
01:23:03
apprenticeship you do isn't it it's a
01:23:05
it's a with no guarantee that you're
01:23:06
going to end up with a good job at the
01:23:07
end of it it's huge it's huge like the
01:23:10
the yeah that's why when you say like oh
01:23:12
you know the sports becoming mainstream
01:23:13
and there's a lot of young kids getting
01:23:15
into it like [ __ ] go play rugby like
01:23:18
this is when I'm doing hill Sprint I'm
01:23:20
doing hill Sprints NE next to Carlos
01:23:22
oldberg and Navajo Sterling and I'm
01:23:24
going like you know at the time neither
01:23:27
you know the these guys weren't UFC
01:23:29
fighters or anything like that now
01:23:31
they're they're earning like some good
01:23:32
money you know but I was if I was had
01:23:35
the your guys rigs I'd be an all black
01:23:37
making millions of dollars I was like
01:23:39
I'm 75 kilo soak and wet like I can't be
01:23:42
a NRL player I'm looking at navoo
01:23:45
steerling of a 12pack and 6'4 and I'm
01:23:48
just go I'll be kicking a bloody rugby
01:23:50
Bo ground making millions like this
01:23:52
sport is you got to have the heart for
01:23:54
it you got to have the mind for it like
01:23:56
it's you got to love it more it can't be
01:23:58
about the there's so many people that
01:24:00
are drawn to it now because they see
01:24:03
like that you get heaps of Instagram
01:24:05
heaps of Instagram likes you know like
01:24:07
there's people that that get into the
01:24:09
sport now for Instagram likes and it's
01:24:11
like when you get that first punch on
01:24:14
your nose and you hear that thing crunch
01:24:17
it doesn't matter like you're gonna
01:24:19
you're gonna start looking for the door
01:24:20
and the way out like you it truly
01:24:23
there's a handful of people that this
01:24:25
this thing is truly
01:24:27
for what's been your biggest single
01:24:31
payday um You've Won heaps of like
01:24:34
$50,000 like fight of the night bonus is
01:24:36
yeah yeah yeah yeah
01:24:39
um yes I'm good money really money yeah
01:24:42
over uh yeah over half a milon damn but
01:24:46
again welld deserved and like the the
01:24:47
hours that go in before you
01:24:50
even I never I never I never anticipated
01:24:53
having money from this thing like I when
01:24:55
when I first started um training in this
01:24:57
sport like it was yeah like it
01:25:00
definitely wasn't mainstream or or well
01:25:02
known and wasn't on ESPN I think there
01:25:04
was like we used to have uh like one
01:25:06
pay-per-view or one UFC event every five
01:25:09
or six weeks and there used to be a bar
01:25:12
in takapuna that would show and the bar
01:25:13
wouldn't even be full it was the only
01:25:15
bar in ockland that would play it I
01:25:17
think the elephant wrest and we used to
01:25:18
all the MMA Community used to go there
01:25:21
and watch it at this bar we wouldn't
01:25:22
even fool the thing out there' be you
01:25:24
know there' be 20 people where to buy
01:25:26
like it wouldn't even and it's the only
01:25:28
Pay-Per-View event in the last 6 weeks
01:25:30
or
01:25:31
month now everybody in town is
01:25:34
absolutely full like you wouldn't get
01:25:35
into this because you wanted to be cool
01:25:38
and girl so like you and Instagram likes
01:25:40
like that that can't be your motivation
01:25:42
for this thing and do you get um yeah
01:25:46
that just triggered something that I
01:25:47
remember do you ever get people trying
01:25:48
to pick a fight with you like the there
01:25:50
was the Israel out of s clip earlier
01:25:51
this year where me not so much because
01:25:53
there's a whole lot of evidence that I
01:25:55
will kick the [ __ ] out of
01:25:57
you you're missing with the wrong dude
01:26:00
my my thing is if I can if I can justify
01:26:03
it by law if I can justify it by
01:26:06
self-defense like you're getting I'm
01:26:08
taking you out of the game like that
01:26:10
that's that's my line if I can justify
01:26:13
it like that guy came up to me that guy
01:26:17
was being incredibly threatening that
01:26:19
that was that yeah that that you've come
01:26:22
into my personal space you're you're it
01:26:24
looked to me like an attack was imminent
01:26:28
and I would have to I would have to I
01:26:29
would be forced to protect myself using
01:26:32
also for him I also saw him put his hand
01:26:34
in his pocket he told me he was going
01:26:36
for a knife and he was going to kill me
01:26:38
like I will if I can get out of if I can
01:26:40
justify by law you are [ __ ] but um
01:26:43
as's response was great he said to the
01:26:45
guy something like bro I get paid
01:26:46
millions of dollars to knock people out
01:26:48
yeah yeah but like again like Israel is
01:26:50
not going to he's got way too much to
01:26:51
lose like he like that guy's just being
01:26:53
a guy's just being a [ __ ] like he he
01:26:56
what you're going to get a name off of
01:26:58
that like didn't you almost didn't you
01:27:00
almost get a fight with someone at the
01:27:02
50 Cent concert no am I I did oh yeah I
01:27:05
did I what's the story
01:27:06
there you a shirtless by the way what we
01:27:08
doing where was your shirt at the 50c
01:27:10
concert me and the muses are big 50 Cent
01:27:12
fans so we we're wait we're waiting for
01:27:16
that one like we grew up we grew up get
01:27:18
rich or die trying me and babe but yeah
01:27:21
like uh it was the opening act whoever
01:27:23
that was uh like his mates are down in
01:27:25
front of us well on the stand or
01:27:27
whatever and the was just dancing around
01:27:30
this and that and then like spilled like
01:27:32
a little bit of her drink out of her cup
01:27:34
and like a little bit hit the guy's
01:27:35
shoulder who was like down there and he
01:27:37
I saw them they turned around and they
01:27:39
were like you know what like what and I
01:27:41
go sorry like sorry boys like apologize
01:27:44
apologize and then
01:27:47
um I just switched places so the Mrs I
01:27:50
just moved her over she's just dancing
01:27:52
away oblivious of the whole thing
01:27:54
moves her out of the way he was like get
01:27:56
out of the way and then like carry on
01:27:58
dancing and they were like no no you
01:28:00
need to get her and she needs to
01:28:03
apologize and I was like true I was just
01:28:07
in my head I'm going like I ain't
01:28:08
telling my M [ __ ] I was she's having a
01:28:11
good time if you think I'm upsetting her
01:28:13
you you got another thing coming so yeah
01:28:15
I just showed him the bottom of my boot
01:28:17
and I said if I come over this rail I
01:28:19
said I'm going to stomp your heading
01:28:20
buba I said this is the last thing
01:28:21
you're going to see I had my TBS on show
01:28:23
the the bottom of my boot and then they
01:28:25
got a freaked out and then they sacked
01:28:27
her I was just like having fun with her
01:28:29
you know I was like I like yeah I I like
01:28:32
conflict I en I truly enjoy like having
01:28:36
like an good oldfashioned argument and
01:28:38
but you need to remember that the only
01:28:40
reason you ever see me argue is to fight
01:28:42
if that's what an argument is for an
01:28:45
argument an argument is a precursive
01:28:48
fight but anyway like they went and got
01:28:50
um the like VI VIP security and there oh
01:28:54
that guy over there blah blah blah and
01:28:56
then uh he's actually um like a friend
01:28:59
of mine and he he looks up and sees at
01:29:01
me and he just he just laughed to
01:29:03
himself and shook his head cuz he's like
01:29:05
if you think the H all the security and
01:29:09
[ __ ] vinaa can get Dana out of here
01:29:12
if I go boys back me up like if you
01:29:15
think you're ever going to be able to
01:29:16
get me out of there you're absolutely
01:29:18
off your head but yeah like the M had no
01:29:20
idea what was going on eventually say
01:29:22
the the the security made leave they
01:29:24
told them to puss off and then they told
01:29:26
them like if you they said
01:29:29
uh about the Afterparty boys I'd forget
01:29:32
about it they said go back to your hotel
01:29:35
stay in your hotel and do not leave your
01:29:38
hotel room tonight they're like d you do
01:29:40
not want to see den and his
01:29:43
mates silly must be quite impairing um
01:29:48
like knowing you can [ __ ] someone up
01:29:49
like to me you don't you've got nothing
01:29:51
to prove to anyone I suppose that's what
01:29:53
I mean yeah like
01:29:54
that's why you're like less prone to to
01:29:56
like a confrontation because you you do
01:29:58
have like nothing to prove but but if if
01:30:01
com has taught me nothing it's it's how
01:30:04
fragile the human body is like the the
01:30:06
human body is incredibly fragile so
01:30:09
that's why I I take that's why I don't
01:30:11
muck around with influences I don't I
01:30:14
take everything incredibly serious
01:30:16
because I know that if I get hit I'm
01:30:19
just as likely to get knocked out as
01:30:21
everyone else like I know I know the
01:30:23
exact points where you get hit that the
01:30:25
body switches right off like so that's
01:30:27
why I take everything incredibly
01:30:29
seriously because you need to you need
01:30:31
to hey this has been great thank you so
01:30:33
much for responding to my DM how's it
01:30:35
been for you do you enjoy this or yeah I
01:30:38
I enjoy it if there's uh yeah
01:30:41
interesting questions then I then it
01:30:43
just feels like a a a conversation like
01:30:46
I told I told you that before that if
01:30:47
you're coming here and you ain't done
01:30:48
your homework I will just troll the
01:30:49
absolute [ __ ] out of here like I'm a
01:30:51
troll Head and Shoulders above
01:30:53
everything else if you came he you're
01:30:54
like so where did you grow up I'll be
01:30:56
like oh I grew up in uh Pocono I uh yeah
01:31:00
I used to go to Pocono primary and then
01:31:03
yeah cuz you didn't do your research and
01:31:04
no I would have just trolled you for an
01:31:05
hour and a half but you did your
01:31:07
research that's a lie he came he came
01:31:09
prepared Mount Ross School M Albert grar
01:31:11
School Albert grar school I got it I got
01:31:14
you hey it's been so nice to finally
01:31:16
meet you I've um I've been so excited
01:31:18
about this ever since you replied um
01:31:20
initially I was um I rep I was like oh
01:31:22
come in next Wednesday this time and you
01:31:24
just replied mad and I was like is this
01:31:26
going to happen or is it not going to
01:31:28
happen then I heard um heard a story
01:31:30
about your very first um signing with
01:31:32
the um with the UFC when you messaged
01:31:35
that guy and it was like you're like I'm
01:31:37
a one word answer guy I'm I'm going yeah
01:31:39
I'm going to release that one day it
01:31:40
would be funny like to actually like CU
01:31:42
from my negotiations with the UFC when I
01:31:44
first got in like I emailed the UFC I
01:31:47
said hey you're coming to New Zealand
01:31:48
I'm the best like give me a shot and
01:31:51
they'd heard about me but they all they
01:31:53
said was can you make fill weight like
01:31:55
can you make 65 kilos and I just messed
01:31:58
back yes and then someone else sent me a
01:32:00
contract but for most of my UFC career
01:32:03
instead of my like last two or three
01:32:05
fights I've managed myself for like most
01:32:08
of my UFC career and yeah like they Sean
01:32:11
sh we will messag me like you want to
01:32:13
fight this guy this state this place and
01:32:16
I'll just message back cool like we're
01:32:19
just full there there's no negotiation
01:32:22
process it's just like sweet like see
01:32:24
sweet see you there just one word
01:32:25
answers but that's like that's why Sean
01:32:27
CH be like you know he's got a softball
01:32:30
for me CU like [ __ ] easy to do of oh
01:32:33
yeah that's another thing I love that
01:32:34
about you um so he ended up coming back
01:32:36
to you and saying hey hey Dan uh we need
01:32:38
to negotiate to give you some more money
01:32:41
yeah you weren even you weren even you
01:32:42
weren't even about the money early on no
01:32:44
like I just I had two fights uh in the
01:32:46
UFC and then he was like oh do you want
01:32:48
to fight y Rodriguez in Houston I was
01:32:51
like bet and then he's like like do you
01:32:54
want a new contract for more money and I
01:32:57
was like do I ever I was like yeah what
01:33:00
I would have done it for way less than
01:33:02
that like yeah just a just an idiot yeah
01:33:05
just to like get my foot in the door I
01:33:06
see now the the importance of a manager
01:33:09
and stuff like that but I wouldn't
01:33:10
change any part about it I enjoyed that
01:33:12
time I enjoyed like the the things I
01:33:14
learned from that and the freedom that's
01:33:16
why I yeah I like difficult times and
01:33:18
it's not about what you get from it it's
01:33:20
about um it's about what what difficult
01:33:22
times make you then
01:33:24
if I took back any of those losses or or
01:33:27
hard times in my career then I wouldn't
01:33:29
be the person that I am and I wouldn't
01:33:30
have the skills and and the the like
01:33:34
emotional maturity to to to work through
01:33:36
loss the way that I can well you got
01:33:39
great energy thank you sir this has been
01:33:42
you bring it out of me because it's like
01:33:44
if it's a [ __ ] questions in a [ __ ]
01:33:46
podcast then you're like I feel like
01:33:48
that's why when Israel fiz like got to
01:33:50
UFC in that I I said let like they have
01:33:53
to like an interviewer or or someone has
01:33:56
to ignite the passion in you you know
01:33:58
like you you are not uh I'm not a
01:34:01
performer like I don't come in here and
01:34:03
then like do a show and dance and and
01:34:06
put on any kind of performance it's like
01:34:08
if if you got [ __ ] questions it's going
01:34:10
to be a [ __ ] interview but if you can
01:34:12
light a fire and Spark and ask a good
01:34:14
questions then I'm motivated to to you
01:34:17
invigorate uh like memories and emotions
01:34:19
in me and then I get to share them with
01:34:21
everyone else well if if anyone's going
01:34:23
to give me um like 2 hours of their time
01:34:25
like you have today I'm not going to
01:34:26
disrespect them by not doing the work
01:34:28
Dan hook you're a great New Zealander
01:34:29
thanks mate really enjoyed it than you
01:34:31
very much
