00:00:06
Brando Pirich, the Balkan beer. Welcome
00:00:08
to my podcast.
00:00:09
>> Thanks for having me,
00:00:11
>> mate. This is an honor. Midday on a
00:00:12
Sunday. Here we are.
00:00:13
>> Yep. It's uh great to be here. I've been
00:00:15
following you for a long time now and
00:00:17
yeah, got the call up. I was very happy
00:00:18
to be here.
00:00:20
>> Yeah. So, exactly two weeks ago, uh you
00:00:22
made your UFC debut. Um, and you won and
00:00:26
yeah, it was a it was a dramatic and
00:00:28
violent knockout after 1 minute 55. Um,
00:00:31
I sent you a message almost immediately
00:00:33
watching it saying, "Hey, would you be
00:00:34
keen to a podcast?" And then, yeah, I
00:00:36
got a voice note from you like maybe an
00:00:37
hour after your fight.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] Um, I'm pretty
00:00:40
onto it straight away. Uh, I don't like
00:00:42
messaging, text messaging, so voice
00:00:44
notes is what you're going to get from
00:00:45
me. Um, yeah. So, I just try to do as
00:00:48
much as I can after the fight. uh book
00:00:50
in uh interviews, podcasts, uh news, and
00:00:54
just yeah, try to use the momentum from
00:00:56
that fight.
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>> Well, it's great to have you here cuz
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you're an intriguing guy. [laughter]
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>> I hope that's a good thing. [gasps]
00:01:04
>> Oh, I know. Just the um the the like the
00:01:06
dedication and the passion and the
00:01:08
purpose to get where you are. Like, it's
00:01:10
a it's a hell of a backstory.
00:01:12
>> Uh it just feels normal for me. Um it's
00:01:14
just I think it's uh
00:01:17
>> every fighter's got a story, you know?
00:01:18
every every everybody's got a story. You
00:01:20
could you could be a high school teacher
00:01:22
and have a have a crazy life story. So,
00:01:24
I just feels normal for me.
00:01:26
>> Yeah.
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>> So, um the UFC debut in Perth, um best
00:01:32
speech of the night in my opinion. How
00:01:34
how much how much thought went into
00:01:36
that?
00:01:36
>> Nothing. I uh I said the C word three
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times on national TV, so uh if you go on
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YouTube and watch it, it's just uh beep
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beep beep. Um, yeah. So, I got told off
00:01:46
for that, but it's just I'm just being
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myself. And that's why I love fighting,
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cuz you can just be yourself. We're not
00:01:51
censored. We're not like the NRL or like
00:01:53
AFL. We we we get to be ourselves. And
00:01:56
that's why I love mixed martial arts as
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well and the UFC.
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>> Here's the part of the speech. God is
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good, brother. What a [ __ ] life. I'm
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blessed to send these [ __ ] home broke,
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bloodied, and bruised. The ANZACs are
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on. [laughter]
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Did [gasps] um so did you get told you
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you went to Adelaide after that to catch
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up with family. Did you get told off by
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your mom or your grandparents?
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>> Uh my grandparents weren't happy
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[laughter] but my mom loved it. I was
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just trying to get [clears throat] the
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Anzacs pumped, you know, like I was the
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first ANZAC on the card. And being a
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heavyweight, everyone expects you to
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have a big knockout. And I've had a lot
00:02:30
of hype around me for many years now. So
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I wanted to deliver for not only my team
00:02:35
but the rest of the ANZACs. And I think
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I did that and we did that as as a team.
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So I think out of 11 fights we won 10 of
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them, you know. So it's just crazy. That
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was that was that was history being made
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there. So
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>> yeah.
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>> Yeah. Oh, it was incredible. And there's
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um I've seen so much footage of it and
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there's um there's a a POV video of um
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Israel Adisagna watching you.
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>> Yeah.
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>> Um and he's quite he's quite animated.
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Can you can you hear any of that in the
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octagon?
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>> Oh, I heard Izzy's voice. Yeah, for
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sure. Um, I fought very early. So, I
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woke up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready for
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this fight. And I always said I will
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wake up at 4:00 in the morning and fight
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anybody in the world and then I have to
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get up at 3:30. So, [laughter]
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it was good. Um, like there was only
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probably um I think it was like 12,000
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people at this in early morning. So, um
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it wasn't fully packed out yet, but once
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the other main cars came on then yeah,
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it got it got pretty busy. But I could
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hear Izzy like fine. Um he was telling
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me to calm down, breathe, take my time,
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patience, and I listened and it helped.
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>> Did you listen? You got that fight over
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and done with very quickly.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. So, [laughter] so the first
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45 seconds I did pretty well. Uh then I
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had some uh little niggles coming into
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the fight and um yeah, I I felt them
00:03:52
straight away. So, I was like, "Ah, I
00:03:54
think it's time to uh you know, do what
00:03:56
the bulkan bear does and mold this this
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guy in front of me." And yeah u look I I
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haven't fought for a year so that was a
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good fight for me and I'm proud of
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myself for for for that.
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>> Yeah it was it was incredible. Oh um
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another thing in your speech um among
00:04:11
the expletitives um you mentioned two
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friends that have passed away. Andre and
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Jason.
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>> Yeah.
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>> Who are they?
00:04:16
>> Uh Andre Serunic is my cousin. Um yeah
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we sort of grew up together. Um yeah
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went did a lot of hunting fishing and he
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passed away a few years ago now. Um, and
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that flag I wanted to walk out to, the
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Croatian flag was actually his.
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>> So, every single fight I I have, I I
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walk out to that flag.
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>> And, um, yeah, unfortunately, I couldn't
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um, walk out this time, but next time
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uh, it's possible. Um, the flag isn't
00:04:44
original, so in the UFC, you got to have
00:04:46
the original flag. This flag is has like
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tassels on the side. So, there was a bit
00:04:50
of, um, issue there with the commission,
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but it is what it is. I'm Australian as
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well. So, I walked out to the Australian
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flag. It was fine.
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>> Um I I was just happy to be there in the
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UFC, the biggest promotion in the world,
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fighting the best fighters in the world.
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>> Yeah.
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>> So, and then Jason Robinson, he was um
00:05:06
one of my first ever sponsors. He backed
00:05:08
me since day one. And uh he just he did
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so much for me. Uh pushed me to pursue
00:05:13
this dream, pushed me to come to New
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Zealand. Um he was an older fellow. He
00:05:17
was like 55, but he was like one of my
00:05:19
best mates. We used to go fishing
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together a lot. And uh yeah, it was
00:05:22
actually his birthday the night I made
00:05:24
my debut. So, it was very special. All
00:05:26
his family was there
00:05:27
>> and um yeah,
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>> you've [snorts] dealt with a lot of
00:05:30
grief, eh? How did how did those guys um
00:05:32
pass?
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>> Um my cousin had a heart attack. He was
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only 27. And Jason uh same thing, had a
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heart attack.
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>> Um and I've lost another eight mates as
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well since high school to suicide.
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>> So, um yeah, I've I've had a lot of
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grief around me. And life is life is
00:05:49
very precious. It's short. You never
00:05:50
know when your time is up. No.
00:05:52
>> And there's a lot of men struggling with
00:05:53
mental health. like I've struggled with
00:05:54
mental health my whole life basically
00:05:57
and uh yeah I just I just uh want to use
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this platform cuz it's such a powerful
00:06:02
platform to help others.
00:06:04
>> Um yeah, I started off fighting for
00:06:06
myself but I'm fighting for a lot more
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now.
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>> Yeah, I I want to get into the um the
00:06:10
mental health struggles later on in as
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much or as little detail as as what
00:06:14
you're prepared to share. Um but yeah,
00:06:16
your your rock bottom moment was fairly
00:06:19
alarming from what I can gather,
00:06:21
>> but we'll get into that. Yeah.
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>> Um, oh, and you think God is good,
00:06:25
brother. That was how you opened your
00:06:26
speech. What is the role of religion in
00:06:28
your life?
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>> Um, look, I'm I've always believed in
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God. Um, yeah, I'm I'm I'm Catholic. Uh,
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grew up as a Croatian Catholic, you
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know. Um, my family's religious. I sort
00:06:39
of um
00:06:42
I would say in my later teens, I sort of
00:06:45
veered off and I got into a lot of
00:06:48
trouble. I was hanging around with the
00:06:49
wrong people and I just didn't really
00:06:51
believe in God and then hitting rock
00:06:53
bottom many many times and just having
00:06:56
um like a like chances just after
00:06:59
chances and uh yeah I've done a lot of
00:07:02
soulsearching and I found my faith again
00:07:05
last over the last three or four years
00:07:08
>> and uh yeah things are good you know and
00:07:11
>> every day is a blessing we're here you
00:07:12
know and um
00:07:14
>> yeah it's just I'm very I'm very
00:07:15
grateful to be where I'm at now cuz uh
00:07:17
where I was was it wasn't going very
00:07:20
good.
00:07:21
>> Who's the first person you call after
00:07:23
that fight?
00:07:24
>> Uh my mom.
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>> Oh, really?
00:07:25
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I always call my mom
00:07:27
after my fights, normally within 5 10
00:07:29
minutes, but I had to do a lot of
00:07:31
interviews and uh get the medical checks
00:07:34
and I was probably like an hour and a
00:07:36
half until I got back to the hotel. And
00:07:39
uh she was worried, but she was she she
00:07:41
knew I won so she was happy. She doesn't
00:07:43
watch the fights. She hates watching the
00:07:44
fights. Um, so when I called her, she
00:07:47
was crying and she was very happy for
00:07:48
me. So,
00:07:50
>> yeah,
00:07:50
>> that's cool.
00:07:52
>> Yeah. Yeah, it was cool. It's is for me
00:07:54
it's like to see the joy like fighting
00:07:56
is for me fighting is um it's just a
00:08:00
job, you know? It's something that like
00:08:02
I love and I'm good at. Um it's like if
00:08:06
you ask me now like how did you feel
00:08:07
after the fight? Like I felt just
00:08:10
normal. I I expected to win, you know,
00:08:13
but the joy comes from watching my loved
00:08:15
ones, uh my family, my friends, my
00:08:17
sponsors, seeing the joy it brings them,
00:08:20
you know, cuz they've believed in me.
00:08:21
They've been telling everyone like, "Oh,
00:08:22
he's the real deal." You know, like when
00:08:24
he gets his chance, he just need he just
00:08:26
needs one chance he'll show the world.
00:08:28
And uh seeing that joy and happiness it
00:08:30
brings people, that's what makes me
00:08:31
happy.
00:08:32
>> Yeah.
00:08:33
>> And what about your opponent? Um,
00:08:36
[laughter]
00:08:36
like I'm sure you've you've been you I
00:08:39
mean you were you were dishing out the
00:08:40
uh the punishment, but I'm sure you've
00:08:41
had the punishment dished out as well.
00:08:43
Um, as someone that's never been never
00:08:45
been punched in the face and knocked out
00:08:47
myself. What what does a knock knock out
00:08:49
like that do to a person like mentally
00:08:50
and physically?
00:08:51
>> Um,
00:08:53
mentally it could go two ways. There's
00:08:56
two types of people I think. You either
00:08:59
you you you second guess yourself and
00:09:01
maybe you don't have another fight. You
00:09:02
give up, you quit. or you realize that
00:09:06
this is a sport and then you double
00:09:07
down, you you train harder and you make
00:09:10
sure it doesn't happen again.
00:09:11
>> So, um yeah, I mean my opponent like so
00:09:15
even with the fight itself, my like I
00:09:18
didn't I don't shake my opponent's hand
00:09:20
before the fight.
00:09:21
>> Yeah, I saw that.
00:09:22
>> Yeah. So, and people think that's
00:09:23
disrespectful and stuff, but you got to
00:09:25
understand like my life is on the line.
00:09:27
He's trying to hurt me. There's a lot of
00:09:29
mind games that go on. And I'm going to
00:09:32
do whatever I I I can to protect my
00:09:34
energy and to get the win. So, I saw
00:09:38
straight away as soon as I didn't shake
00:09:39
his hand, his eyes changed and he got
00:09:42
nervous. And that's like I'm I'm up. I'm
00:09:45
not, you know, I'm I'm I'm playing the
00:09:47
mind games with him. And then even in
00:09:49
the cage, once I walked in the cage, I
00:09:51
saw how nervous he was and I was like
00:09:53
calm and just happy to be there. I knew
00:09:55
I was going to win. So it's it's it's
00:09:57
not it's not out of disrespect. Like I I
00:09:59
don't wish harm on him. But he signed a
00:10:01
contract to fire me and if he got put in
00:10:03
that position, he would knock me out and
00:10:05
he would hurt me and then my family
00:10:07
cries over over over me. So
00:10:10
>> um I never want my family to cry over
00:10:12
me. Um only if it's if it's tears of
00:10:14
joy.
00:10:15
>> So yeah, after the fight went backstage
00:10:18
and you know I I said thank you for the
00:10:20
fight and checked up on him and we've
00:10:23
messaged uh since then as well. So yeah,
00:10:25
I wish him all the best in his career
00:10:27
and he has a contract in the UFC now uh
00:10:30
as well because if I fought him on the
00:10:32
Contender Series, I would have knocked
00:10:34
him out anyway and then he wouldn't get
00:10:36
a a contract. So
00:10:38
>> if anything, he should be thanking me.
00:10:40
[laughter]
00:10:41
>> He um he didn't look well in the in the
00:10:44
cage.
00:10:45
>> Yeah. Um you don't often see uh people
00:10:49
being put on oxygen. M.
00:10:51
>> So, normally in a in a in a UFC fight,
00:10:53
the referee like the the referee did did
00:10:57
the right the right thing, but it's just
00:10:59
one second you can get two extra punches
00:11:00
in and those [clears throat] two extra
00:11:01
punches can can, you know, lead to to
00:11:04
that. So, normally you would cover up
00:11:06
and the referee will jump in TKO,
00:11:09
>> but I just landed clean on his chin. I
00:11:11
just need one to land. So, that's that's
00:11:14
that's the beauty of of heavyweight. It
00:11:15
just takes one.
00:11:16
>> Yeah.
00:11:17
>> And you won a $50,000 bonus. Um, now
00:11:21
that sounds like a good per minute rate.
00:11:23
That's like 25,000 a minute. But, um,
00:11:26
that's what we see. We see the two
00:11:27
minutes. What is it that we don't see?
00:11:30
>> Uh, 8 years of sacrifice, 8 years of I
00:11:34
wouldn't even say many ups. There's a
00:11:36
lot of downs in those eight years. And
00:11:39
uh for example, for the last 8 months as
00:11:41
well or 9 months um I've had surgeries,
00:11:45
injuries, sicknesses, uh losses in um
00:11:49
family, friends, um missed funerals,
00:11:52
weddings, birthdays, christenings, um
00:11:55
myself, like I haven't had a a a
00:11:58
Christmas with my family or a birthday
00:12:00
for six years. So I've been alone for
00:12:03
six years basically. Um and then yeah,
00:12:06
just a lot of like a fight camp itself
00:12:10
isn't easy. Like your body goes through
00:12:12
a lot. You go through a lot mentally,
00:12:14
you know. Um so people don't see all the
00:12:17
struggles. They don't see like how many
00:12:19
nights I've spent alone with my own
00:12:21
thoughts, you know, trying to better
00:12:22
myself. Like especially trying to make
00:12:25
it to UFC, you do a lot of things by
00:12:27
yourself. Like now I'm building a team
00:12:29
around me to to take control of uh
00:12:31
certain aspects that I don't want to
00:12:33
think about anymore,
00:12:34
>> you know, cuz I have to get my name out
00:12:36
there. I have to this I'm doing this to
00:12:38
make money 100%.
00:12:40
>> You know, like I I want to become a UFC
00:12:41
champion.
00:12:42
>> I want to focus on training and
00:12:44
fighting. I don't want to focus on the
00:12:46
business side of things. So I need
00:12:47
people around me to to help me with
00:12:49
that. And yeah, it's just there there's
00:12:51
a lot that goes into it. And people
00:12:53
think like you just train once a day,
00:12:55
twice a day and then you fight in UFC
00:12:57
cameras and even the media like how much
00:13:00
media we have to do on fight week. I'm
00:13:02
lucky Israel and Tyson and Pedro they
00:13:04
took me to the UFC before and I could
00:13:07
see how much cameras and interviews
00:13:09
there is because like it prepares me. So
00:13:11
when I went to Perth and I and I was
00:13:14
making my UFC debut, I was ready for all
00:13:17
of that and it just felt natural.
00:13:19
>> Did you meet Dana White there?
00:13:21
>> No, he he wasn't there. He wasn't there.
00:13:23
How How do you How did you find out you
00:13:24
made the UFC? Do you remember that
00:13:25
moment?
00:13:26
>> Yeah. So, my manager, uh, Ash Castro,
00:13:29
and then my coach, Eugene Bman, they
00:13:31
called me at 10:30 at night. And when
00:13:34
they call you, it's it's normally not a
00:13:36
good thing. And [laughter]
00:13:39
and uh, yeah, I just so many things were
00:13:42
going wrong and I just knew that the
00:13:44
fight was wasn't happening. And uh yeah,
00:13:47
basically that's Eugene just said,
00:13:49
"Look, the fight's off." You know, and
00:13:51
uh I just start laughing. And then I
00:13:54
actually had a dream the night before
00:13:55
that I got in the UFC. I made my UFC
00:13:57
debut in Perth. And then when Ash said,
00:13:59
"I'm in the UFC," I just Yeah. I just I
00:14:02
just started laughing and I had some
00:14:04
tears. They cut that bit out of the uh
00:14:07
the footage though, thank God, cuz I
00:14:09
started crying like a baby. [laughter] A
00:14:11
lot of emotions came up. So yeah.
00:14:13
>> Are you um are you a reasonably
00:14:15
emotional guy? Uh, [sighs]
00:14:18
yes and no.
00:14:19
>> Depends. Like I love I love my family
00:14:21
and my friends, you know. Um, I I'm a
00:14:24
bit soft sometimes. I got a kind heart,
00:14:27
but at the same time like um I can be
00:14:30
ruthless as well, you know. That's what
00:14:32
makes me a great fighter, you know. I
00:14:33
could I could play with my mates
00:14:35
daughters and sons and play blocks with
00:14:37
them and get my nails painted, but then
00:14:39
I'll go smash someone in the UFC cage.
00:14:41
[laughter]
00:14:42
So, it's Yeah. Um, I guess you can say,
00:14:45
um, yeah.
00:14:46
>> Yeah. Can you explain for someone that's
00:14:48
not um big on on um fighting why the UFC
00:14:52
is such a big goal?
00:14:55
>> It's the biggest promotion in the world.
00:14:57
You know, 600 million people watch it
00:14:59
around the world. Um, it's the pinnacle.
00:15:01
It's like the It's like being in the
00:15:03
World Cup, I guess. You know,
00:15:05
>> you want to like for me, I always wanted
00:15:07
to fight the best in the world and I
00:15:10
want I I want to be a champion. So, you
00:15:13
can be a champion in other promotions.
00:15:15
Um, but unless you're a UFC champion, it
00:15:17
doesn't really matter. It doesn't count.
00:15:19
You know, people say, "Ah, you're a
00:15:21
champion, world champion, but you're not
00:15:23
really the world champion."
00:15:25
>> So, um, the UFC for me, like, I've grown
00:15:28
up watching it for 20 years, I guess.
00:15:30
Um, and [clears throat] it's just
00:15:31
something I always wanted to do. I had a
00:15:33
feeling inside that I could do it, and a
00:15:35
lot of people said I couldn't do it. I
00:15:37
listened to them when I was younger. Um,
00:15:39
but I think everything happens for a
00:15:40
reason and I think I started at the
00:15:42
right time even though I started real
00:15:43
late. I started at 24 years old. Um, I'm
00:15:46
here now.
00:15:47
>> Yeah.
00:15:48
>> You UFC's one year older than what you
00:15:50
are.
00:15:50
>> Yeah. Crazy.
00:15:52
>> So, it's been around your entire Do you
00:15:53
remember the first time you saw a UFC
00:15:54
fight or?
00:15:55
>> Yeah. Yeah. I I watched So, I used to go
00:15:57
to Blockbuster and rent the DVDs and
00:16:00
stuff and I used to always get the
00:16:02
fighting ones, the kickboxing, K1, and
00:16:04
then the UFC. So, I used to watch uh the
00:16:07
first UFC I ever watched was UFC 3 and I
00:16:10
watched from USC 3 up until like 64 and
00:16:13
then I had a like a break for a few
00:16:15
years. Uh I stopped hiring the the DVDs
00:16:17
and stuff, [laughter] cassettes.
00:16:19
>> Um and then yeah, [snorts] like I I
00:16:21
started watching it again in about 2016
00:16:24
17. So yeah, I've always been a fan. I
00:16:28
just life takes you down different
00:16:29
paths, I guess.
00:16:30
>> Who who were your idols growing up?
00:16:32
Uh, Crocop, he's a very famous K1
00:16:36
fighter. Um, I used to love kickboxing.
00:16:39
So, I I actually thought I'll be a
00:16:40
kickboxer before before I become a UFC
00:16:44
fighter. Um, yeah, Croppp and then you
00:16:47
got like um Sam Greco, you got Paul
00:16:50
Sinsky, Doug Viney. So, all these K1
00:16:52
legends, you know, like I used to watch
00:16:54
around New Zealand and Australia
00:16:56
>> and Croatia. And then um yeah like when
00:16:59
Stipe Muic came in to the UFC became
00:17:01
champion I was like oh wow this American
00:17:04
Croatian guy he can do it I can do it.
00:17:06
Similar height similar size and I always
00:17:09
compare myself to others. I'm like like
00:17:11
you know I think I'm faster than him. I
00:17:13
think I'm stronger than him. Like if he
00:17:14
can do it I can do it. So yeah I just
00:17:16
there's there's a lot of people. Then
00:17:18
obviously Israel you know like I was
00:17:19
training in the shed and I saw this
00:17:21
poster of this guy on Nisa Fury and Na
00:17:24
Fury was a local promotion. And I'm
00:17:26
like, "Who's this guy?" And Ethan's
00:17:27
like, "Oh, that's Israel. He's in the
00:17:28
UFC now." He used to headline of Fury,
00:17:31
which you're doing. You can do the same
00:17:33
thing as him. So then I used to like
00:17:35
research Israel and City kickboxing. And
00:17:38
that's when the seed first got planted
00:17:39
for me to go to city kickboxing.
00:17:41
>> So that was, you know, six, seven years
00:17:44
ago now. [sighs and gasps]
00:17:46
>> Yeah. It's a it's a fasc fascinating
00:17:48
story. Um, and we'll get to that
00:17:50
shortly, but first of all, I want to go
00:17:51
back to the early years. Um, yeah.
00:17:53
[clears throat] How would you describe
00:17:54
your childhood? pretty rough. Pretty
00:17:56
rough, but um
00:17:59
>> pretty good at the same time. Like I got
00:18:01
I got a very good mother um and
00:18:03
grandparents and my dad wasn't perfect.
00:18:06
Like my dad went to jail and uh I don't
00:18:08
have a great relationship with him. Um
00:18:10
but he's still not a bad person. He's
00:18:12
just it's uh you know, whatever he went
00:18:15
through in life, you know, and it got
00:18:16
passed down to me. So, it's my job to
00:18:19
sort of break that that uh generational
00:18:22
trauma or curse, whatever you call it.
00:18:25
But yeah, um it it was pretty rough and
00:18:28
like compared to my other friends, you
00:18:29
know, they all had good families and
00:18:31
stable families. I was sort of um left
00:18:33
to fend on my own. Mom was always
00:18:36
working, grandparents were always
00:18:37
working. My sister's older than me by 5
00:18:39
years. Um but yeah, we're we're not very
00:18:42
close as well. And yeah, I just grew up
00:18:44
sort of looking after myself. Um, and
00:18:47
yeah, my mom my my grandparents really
00:18:49
raised me as well. So, like I would
00:18:51
spend a lot of time with them,
00:18:52
>> but I would always wander off and do my
00:18:54
own thing.
00:18:55
>> So,
00:18:56
>> what what was your dad incarcerated for?
00:18:58
>> Uh, he was probably probably won't go
00:19:00
into that, [laughter] but uh, no, just
00:19:03
just hanging around people, doing the
00:19:05
wrong thing. And, uh, he he did uh, so
00:19:08
he went away when I was like 8 years old
00:19:10
and then came out when I was 12. And in
00:19:14
the meantime, I would go see him. I
00:19:15
would fly to Queensland, go stay with
00:19:18
his partner who I didn't know, and then
00:19:20
she would go take me to the bush to go
00:19:22
see him in jail. And I got a lot of
00:19:24
memories of that as well. Um, but yeah,
00:19:28
just to me that was normal, you know.
00:19:29
And then I I would come back to school.
00:19:31
I get I used to get bullied heaps cuz
00:19:33
like you know dad's in jail, single mom,
00:19:36
you know, I was always a big kid and I
00:19:38
was really like kind and nice to people
00:19:40
but always I got bullied so I would get
00:19:42
in fights a lot and uh yeah sort of
00:19:45
turned a bit nasty after sort of I got
00:19:48
expelled year 10 for fighting, but I was
00:19:51
always defending myself. I wasn't I
00:19:53
wasn't picking fights. I never picked
00:19:54
fights. I was just defending myself or
00:19:56
or other people that got picked on.
00:19:59
So, [snorts]
00:20:00
>> well, that's really sad.
00:20:02
>> Ah, it's not it's not that bad.
00:20:04
[laughter]
00:20:05
>> Could be worse, mate.
00:20:08
>> What is um Yeah. What does that do to an
00:20:10
8-year-old boy? Like going and visiting
00:20:12
your dad in jail?
00:20:13
>> I mean, a few times like uh you know,
00:20:18
I'd go see him and it wasn't like nice
00:20:20
visits. It was like, you know, it was
00:20:23
like there was a lot of uh [ __ ] getting
00:20:26
thrown off to me, you know, like um
00:20:28
questions and it wasn't like father son
00:20:30
catching up, you know, it was like more
00:20:32
Yeah, I don't want to go too much into
00:20:34
the stuff, but I remember like
00:20:36
>> one thing is like I remember the time
00:20:38
was up and I had to go I had to leave. I
00:20:40
didn't understand. I'm I'm young
00:20:42
>> and my dad's like walking through the
00:20:44
the the prison gates, the the guards
00:20:46
there and like I ran through cuz I went
00:20:48
to go stab my dad, you know what I And
00:20:50
then this this security guy like pulled
00:20:51
me. He's like, "What are you doing?" I'm
00:20:53
going to go stay with my dad. He's like,
00:20:54
"You can't." And I saw like my dad like
00:20:56
crying and stuff and I was like, "Fuck."
00:20:57
Like, you know, so like [ __ ] like that.
00:21:00
And then um yeah, it's just for me like
00:21:03
I I had good uncles as well. Like my
00:21:05
uncles looked after me. Um but yeah, I
00:21:08
was I was I was just a lost like soul,
00:21:11
you know, as a even as a kid.
00:21:13
>> Didn't know what was going on,
00:21:15
>> you know. So I didn't have any like
00:21:17
proper male role models around me. So, I
00:21:19
sort of like my mom was so beautiful,
00:21:21
very loving, like I could do anything
00:21:23
and she wouldn't she wouldn't get angry
00:21:25
at me, you know? So, it's probably it's
00:21:27
probably it's probably the wrong wrong
00:21:29
thing to be as a parent, you know? You
00:21:30
need to be a bit stricter.
00:21:32
>> But yeah, I learned my lesson. Like, I I
00:21:34
got I got locked up a few times and
00:21:36
>> did did some silly things and um Yeah.
00:21:41
>> What did you get locked up for? Uh just
00:21:44
uh like [laughter]
00:21:46
we I mean there's um the
00:21:50
>> Eugene's watching this and he's like
00:21:51
shut up Brando. [laughter]
00:21:53
>> The um the [clears throat] the grand
00:21:54
rules of this podcast like there's no no
00:21:57
there's no God the fifth. [laughter]
00:21:59
>> No no no stitch ups and um anything we
00:22:02
talk about if you if you want it cut out
00:22:03
before it gets released.
00:22:05
>> I got nothing to hide. It's just just
00:22:06
stupid stuff as a kid, you know, like um
00:22:09
just getting in fights with people and
00:22:11
um you know, like I was a security guard
00:22:14
as well, you know, and I, for example,
00:22:18
like I got stabbed one night with a
00:22:21
screwdriver. Guy came up behind me,
00:22:22
tried to stab me. I got hit in the head
00:22:24
with a vodka bottle. So like when
00:22:26
someone does that to you, you do silly
00:22:28
things.
00:22:29
>> You know what I mean? You
00:22:30
>> retaliate.
00:22:31
>> You you retaliate and you don't know how
00:22:33
to handle your emotions. Like I thought
00:22:35
when I was 18, 19, 20, I thought like
00:22:37
I'm a man now, you know, like I don't
00:22:40
know what a man was. I couldn't handle
00:22:42
my emotions, you know, only the last few
00:22:44
years I could actually handle my
00:22:45
emotions and I learned about myself. So
00:22:48
yeah, I just did a lot of silly things
00:22:50
and um I hurt a lot of people. Um
00:22:52
whether it's my fault or their fault
00:22:54
that like they instigated, it doesn't
00:22:55
matter. It doesn't make it right. So I
00:22:57
had to pay for that and I lost my
00:22:59
security license and but everything that
00:23:01
happened to me happened for a reason and
00:23:03
it brought me here. I met the right
00:23:04
people. I walked into a gym which was
00:23:07
the biggest pivotal point in my life you
00:23:09
know and I recommend any young man out
00:23:11
there even women if they're lost if they
00:23:14
have uh anger issues or if their family
00:23:17
is broken up to go join a gym because I
00:23:20
had a choice to go join a gym or a gang
00:23:25
>> and I never wanted to go join a gang. I
00:23:27
was always a lone wolf. I didn't like
00:23:29
the gang culture. I I don't suit that.
00:23:32
And it's not uh people think they're
00:23:34
tough. They're not tough. You know what
00:23:35
I mean? Go join a gym. Be disciplined.
00:23:38
Learn from learn from your your mentors
00:23:41
>> and put that energy into yourself, into
00:23:43
your mind, into your body, and make
00:23:45
something out of your life. And even if
00:23:46
you don't become a world champion, at
00:23:48
least you're doing something positive,
00:23:50
you know? So, yeah, that's really good
00:23:54
advice.
00:23:55
>> Thanks. [laughter]
00:23:58
>> Everyone um in all the interviews I've
00:24:00
seen and everything I've read about you,
00:24:01
everyone talks about how how kind you
00:24:03
are. Have you always been this way?
00:24:06
>> Uh I've I am like like I said to you
00:24:08
before um backstage uh the reason why I
00:24:11
love fighting is because we are not
00:24:13
censored and we can be
00:24:15
>> who we are, you know? So I am how you
00:24:18
see me now is how I am.
00:24:20
>> Um a lot of people think I'm a wanker.
00:24:22
[laughter] A lot of people think I'm I'm
00:24:24
nice. Like a lot of people think
00:24:26
whatever. Like I don't care what people
00:24:27
think about me. I am what I am and I'm
00:24:30
proud of who I am and I've just always
00:24:32
been the same, you know. Um, when I was
00:24:35
younger, I was very soft, very nice,
00:24:37
very kind and loving and uh, yeah, I try
00:24:40
to still be the same, you know, like I
00:24:42
love helping people and this is what I
00:24:44
love about mixed martial arts is like I
00:24:47
said to you before, I started off to to
00:24:49
better my life and better myself,
00:24:51
>> but I now realize what a powerful
00:24:53
platform I will have and I want to help
00:24:55
as many people as I can. So, it could
00:24:57
be, you know, youth or charity events. I
00:25:00
just want to help people because um I've
00:25:02
had a lot of great men help me and give
00:25:05
me a second chance and give me some
00:25:07
guidance. And you only need one one like
00:25:09
mentor, you know? So,
00:25:11
>> yeah. And I'm not a role model at all.
00:25:12
I'm not a mentor. Like, I'm I'm crazy.
00:25:16
>> But no, Dana Hook is crazy. You're
00:25:18
crazy.
00:25:18
>> Yeah, Dan Hook is pretty crazy. I mean,
00:25:20
I I just I just um from my life
00:25:23
experience, I can tell I get a lot of
00:25:25
messages on social media and I can
00:25:27
always help someone and just guide them
00:25:28
to a gym. It could be any gym, you know,
00:25:31
it could be any mixed martial arts. It
00:25:32
just doesn't have to be a city of
00:25:33
kickboxing. It could be any gym. You
00:25:35
just have to be around positive people
00:25:37
doing positive things and um not be a
00:25:40
piece of [ __ ] like I was when I was a
00:25:42
kid. [laughter and gasps]
00:25:43
>> Um
00:25:45
yeah. Who are some of these role models
00:25:46
that you're talking about? Who believed
00:25:47
in you before you believed in yourself?
00:25:49
>> Yeah. H so many people. So I had like
00:25:54
there's a there's a cliche like uh I
00:25:56
never had anyone believe in me.
00:25:58
>> M I'm the complete opposite. I had so
00:26:00
many people believe in me. Like I just
00:26:02
didn't believe in myself. So one of the
00:26:05
I would say one of the first people that
00:26:07
really believed me his name was Nick
00:26:08
Hughes.
00:26:09
>> Um I don't talk about him a lot or that
00:26:12
gym. Um, but he was my first MMA
00:26:15
trainer. And he was uh he used to own uh
00:26:20
Trinity MMA, which is like a very small
00:26:22
MMA gym in Adelaide. And that's where I
00:26:24
actually first started. And he just put
00:26:27
so much belief into me and um just
00:26:30
pumped me up. And he actually put in my
00:26:32
head that I can be a UFC fighter. So
00:26:34
after a few years going to different
00:26:36
gyms, um I ended up at Riker's gym and I
00:26:40
met two men, Richie Elliot and Jeremy
00:26:42
Keeping and the same thing. They just
00:26:44
put all this belief into me, you know,
00:26:46
and like they've trained world champions
00:26:48
before
00:26:49
and then they pushed me or Richie
00:26:51
actually saved my life, but um they
00:26:53
pushed me to go to city kickboxing
00:26:55
because they couldn't do anything for me
00:26:56
anymore. they they realized that, you
00:26:59
know, Adelaide is a very small state in
00:27:01
Australia. Um, and we struggle to get
00:27:03
fights. I need to go overseas. And what
00:27:06
better of a gym to go to than City
00:27:08
Kickboxing, you know, best coaches in
00:27:10
the world, best fighters with the
00:27:12
connections to the UFC. So, if it wasn't
00:27:15
for Richie and and Jez and even Nick,
00:27:18
like everyone that's everyone's played a
00:27:19
role in my life, you know, all my
00:27:21
sponsors, everyone, friends, family, if
00:27:23
if I um if I didn't meet them, I
00:27:25
wouldn't be here 100%.
00:27:27
>> You've got so much gratitude. Eh, why
00:27:29
why um you said before you're no role
00:27:30
model. What makes you think you're not a
00:27:32
role model?
00:27:33
>> I just don't like that. Like, and Izzy
00:27:35
says Izzy says it as well. Like,
00:27:37
>> is it too much pressure or
00:27:39
>> Yeah. Like, I just I I want to be
00:27:40
myself. Like, I want to be able to swear
00:27:42
if I want. I want to be like I tell
00:27:45
people to [ __ ] off all the time.
00:27:46
[laughter]
00:27:46
>> Like in what context?
00:27:48
>> Well, if they're rude or if they're
00:27:49
doing the wrong thing, I'll just I'll
00:27:50
tell them like to [ __ ] off. Like if they
00:27:52
annoy me, like that's not a role model.
00:27:54
Like I am I am who I am and like I I
00:27:57
[snorts] would never want to hurt
00:27:58
someone. But I'm not going to put up
00:28:00
with [ __ ] as well. So if someone's being
00:28:01
rude to me or someone else, I'm the
00:28:03
first one to step in, be like, "Wait,
00:28:04
what are you doing?"
00:28:05
>> You know what I mean? Like when I when I
00:28:07
walk the street, if I see [ __ ]
00:28:09
happen, I'm the first one to to to step
00:28:11
in and be like, "Wait, stop." You know
00:28:12
what I mean? Cuz I don't want to see
00:28:14
someone get hurt.
00:28:14
>> Well, that's a role model to me.
00:28:17
>> Oh, I don't know. That's a [ __ ] hero.
00:28:19
[laughter]
00:28:21
I don't know. I don't know. I just don't
00:28:23
like that word. I don't like that word.
00:28:24
I just I rather just be a good person.
00:28:26
>> Yeah.
00:28:27
>> And just um you know, like just just be
00:28:31
you know, you want to be humble, but you
00:28:32
don't want to be too humble
00:28:34
>> cuz you just get used and walked over.
00:28:36
You know what I mean? So, but I just
00:28:37
want to be a good person. And I I like
00:28:39
when people say good things about me
00:28:41
because when my that gets back to my
00:28:43
family,
00:28:44
>> they're like, "Oh, we did a good job."
00:28:45
>> You know what I mean? So, yeah.
00:28:47
>> Yeah. I've got a quote from you.
00:28:49
>> Yeah. Oh, this is going to be a great
00:28:50
one. [laughter]
00:28:53
This is going to be a great I'm This is
00:28:55
This is my thing. I'm not good I'm not
00:28:57
good at talking. Like, I barely know
00:28:58
English, right? So, I'm not like Dan
00:29:00
Hooker in in Israel. Like, I don't have
00:29:02
all these catchy sayings and phrases and
00:29:04
[ __ ] I just Yeah.
00:29:06
>> What are you What are you on about? What
00:29:08
are you on about your guest ladies?
00:29:09
>> Can't kill a weed. You [laughter] know,
00:29:12
>> ain't nothing but a stitch.
00:29:15
>> Who's that? Is that is he?
00:29:16
>> That's Dan.
00:29:16
>> Oh, Dan.
00:29:18
>> Just a scratch, brother. Just a scratch,
00:29:20
brother. [laughter]
00:29:22
>> Um, this is a quote from you. I was 24
00:29:24
years old. I was a loser. I never
00:29:26
achieved nothing in my life. I was
00:29:28
around the wrong people doing the wrong
00:29:29
things. Why were you a loser? What was
00:29:32
going on in your life? Uh I was a loser
00:29:34
because I was taking the easy options in
00:29:37
life. Um not pursuing what I wanted to
00:29:42
and I was just being a sheep and I was
00:29:45
listening to people putting me down
00:29:47
saying you can't do this, you can't do
00:29:48
that and I was just doing the wrong
00:29:50
things. I was I was lazy. I was
00:29:52
depressed. I was not trying to improve
00:29:54
my life. I was trying to find easy ways
00:29:56
to make money. I was trying to do like
00:29:59
the bare minimum, you know, and that
00:30:01
just came down to depression and mental
00:30:04
health and um just being isolated for so
00:30:06
long. I moved out of home when I was 16.
00:30:09
So like yeah, I I just well almost 17.
00:30:13
So
00:30:13
>> why is that?
00:30:14
uh just family issues and like um I just
00:30:17
needed my own space and I thought the
00:30:19
best thing for me to do would be to
00:30:21
leave home um leave my family as well
00:30:23
cuz I had their things going on
00:30:25
>> and yeah so
00:30:28
>> was um did drugs play a role in your
00:30:30
life at that point?
00:30:30
>> No, never I've never touched drugs like
00:30:33
well I can't say never touch drugs. I
00:30:34
smoked weed like once. it wasn't for me.
00:30:37
And I saw the impact it had on my
00:30:39
family, other family members. Like I had
00:30:41
a few uncles and stuff that did that
00:30:43
stuff. And I always was turned off
00:30:45
against it
00:30:46
>> just cuz um I saw how their lives went.
00:30:48
So like even drinking, I used to say I
00:30:51
only drink once a year, but that's a lie
00:30:53
now because I had about three drinks in
00:30:56
my family after my fight and then I had
00:30:58
a glass of wine the other night. So I
00:30:59
can't say I drink once a year. It's more
00:31:01
like three or four times a year. So I'm
00:31:02
a casual drinker now. What what are what
00:31:04
are your vices?
00:31:06
>> Uh I would say good food.
00:31:08
>> Um and just good company, you know, like
00:31:11
>> just um I love like I'm very I'm very
00:31:14
like a isolated individual. So like even
00:31:17
though I'm surrounded by hundreds of
00:31:19
people a day, I go home um spend time
00:31:22
alone. I don't really talk to my friends
00:31:23
or family that much once twice every
00:31:26
every couple like uh every month. And
00:31:28
I'm just I'm putting I started so late
00:31:31
in this game. I'm putting all my energy
00:31:32
into fighting, into training. So,
00:31:34
>> because you're 31 now. 31. Yeah.
00:31:37
>> Um, so for your division, heavyweight,
00:31:39
like what sort of age do you peak?
00:31:41
>> I would say 35.
00:31:42
>> Okay.
00:31:43
>> Um, I would love to go to 40. If I can
00:31:46
go to 45, I will. If I can go to 50, I
00:31:49
will. Because this is the only thing I
00:31:50
have in my life where I
00:31:52
>> It gives me structure. It gives me
00:31:53
discipline. It gives me drive. And um
00:31:56
yeah, I just love it. I just I really do
00:31:58
love this. And that's why that's that's
00:31:59
probably one of my quotes is what a
00:32:01
life, brother. I love it. What a life.
00:32:03
[laughter]
00:32:03
>> All right. So, no one steal that.
00:32:05
>> Oh, yeah. Cuz I wondered what you said.
00:32:07
I Sometimes it sounds like you're
00:32:08
saying, "What a laugh."
00:32:09
>> Yeah. No. What a life. What a life. What
00:32:11
a life.
00:32:12
>> You do say that a lot, eh?
00:32:13
>> Yeah.
00:32:13
>> Yeah. [ __ ] You're so grateful. [snorts]
00:32:15
Um,
00:32:17
>> hey, as long as no one's dead, you know,
00:32:19
as long as uh everyone's healthy around
00:32:21
me,
00:32:22
>> I'm happy. It's a good day. Yeah. I got
00:32:23
nothing to complain about.
00:32:24
>> Yeah. So,
00:32:25
>> well, especially from from
00:32:26
[clears throat] um the the depth of
00:32:28
despair where you came from, how how
00:32:29
long um in reflection do you think you
00:32:31
were depressed for?
00:32:32
>> Oh, I would say my whole life.
00:32:35
>> Yeah, basically like from probably
00:32:38
probably from uh even even probably
00:32:40
probably from five. I can remember some
00:32:43
[ __ ] from five. Won't get into that. I
00:32:46
remember from about 5 to 26
00:32:50
pretty 27 I was pretty pretty depressed.
00:32:52
went through a lot of mental mental
00:32:54
struggles, a lot of a lot of trauma,
00:32:59
whatever you want to call it. Just Yeah.
00:33:00
And I and you know what? I blamed
00:33:02
everybody else, you know, cuz you know
00:33:04
that's that's that's what I did.
00:33:06
>> Victim mentality.
00:33:07
>> Yeah. Victim mentality. And I woke up
00:33:08
one day I realized like [ __ ] like just
00:33:10
cuz this happened to me doesn't mean it
00:33:12
has to keep happening to me or
00:33:14
>> you know like I can change my mindset.
00:33:16
So then I started to like yeah delve
00:33:19
into um the mental side of things and
00:33:22
started seeking getting some help and uh
00:33:24
yeah just learning about myself and
00:33:25
realizing oh [ __ ] like I actually am a
00:33:27
good person and you know I can do this
00:33:29
in my life and um again it just comes
00:33:32
down to being around the right people.
00:33:34
You know I got a lot of beautiful people
00:33:36
around me now. You know a lot of great
00:33:38
friends here that help me and give me
00:33:39
good advice. you know, like I got mates
00:33:41
at Davo and Izzy and and Eugene and uh
00:33:44
so many people, you know, and everyone's
00:33:46
got like a different perspective on
00:33:48
life. They drop little gems everywhere
00:33:50
and you just pick things up off of
00:33:51
people like, "Wow, that's a great way to
00:33:53
look at it."
00:33:54
>> So, yeah.
00:33:57
[snorts] Um I'm I'm not sure how much
00:34:00
you uh are keen to get into this, but um
00:34:03
[laughter]
00:34:05
>> what
00:34:07
>> are you hating this? Nah, you're all
00:34:08
right. I already I already talked about
00:34:10
it. Oh, this is the last time I talk
00:34:12
about it. All right.
00:34:14
Well, no. Nah. Look, I I'm not shy.
00:34:16
Like, I used to be ashamed about talking
00:34:17
about this because as a man, you feel
00:34:20
weak and uh I just realized that I can
00:34:22
help a lot of people. So, I I don't
00:34:24
really care and I've always been honest
00:34:26
with with with things. So,
00:34:28
>> well, I think it's I think it's really
00:34:29
powerful stuff cuz you I mean, no one
00:34:31
can no one can save you. You have to do
00:34:33
it yourself and you've you've done the
00:34:35
work. Yeah,
00:34:36
>> we haven't even got into the like the
00:34:37
sacrifice yet the rebuilding of of
00:34:40
Brando when you came to New Zealand, but
00:34:42
[snorts]
00:34:43
I'm guessing this is the absolute
00:34:44
[clears throat] lowest point in your
00:34:46
life. Um, you end up you end up with um
00:34:49
with a holding a gun to your own head.
00:34:52
>> Yeah.
00:34:52
>> How does how does that come about? What
00:34:54
are you doing with a gun in the first
00:34:55
place?
00:34:55
>> Uh, look, it's uh yeah, I like hunting,
00:34:58
fishing. Um yeah, it's just uh it you
00:35:03
know what you doing funny the funny
00:35:04
thing it's not actually funny I
00:35:05
shouldn't say [laughter]
00:35:07
>> one life
00:35:08
>> one life brother
00:35:10
the funny thing is that wasn't the
00:35:12
lowest point in my life there was many
00:35:14
more before that but that was like a
00:35:16
final straw for me you know and uh mate
00:35:19
I just uh woke up one day and made a
00:35:22
decision um yeah lost my cousin and a
00:35:24
lot of other things happened wasn't
00:35:26
getting fights um I was sleeping in the
00:35:29
gym and like these things I'm mentioning
00:35:32
aren't actually problems for me. Like I
00:35:33
don't care about sleeping in a gym like
00:35:35
I like even losing a loved one like that
00:35:39
would not make me want to do something
00:35:42
to harm myself.
00:35:43
>> But years and years of constant things
00:35:46
happening happening happening building
00:35:47
up. You just get to a point where you
00:35:50
just have enough. You know what I mean?
00:35:52
So yeah. Um and I wasn't I wasn't
00:35:55
training. I wasn't eating right. I was
00:35:58
spending too much time by myself and I
00:36:01
just had stupid thoughts, you know, and
00:36:03
I just made a decision. And uh
00:36:06
thankfully uh when I did do it, the the
00:36:10
gun was uh rusted. It was very rusted.
00:36:14
And I won't go into too much details,
00:36:16
but basically the yeah, it fell apart
00:36:18
when I pulled the trigger. And um yeah,
00:36:22
even after that, I still tried for a
00:36:24
good solid hour. Um, and to me, because
00:36:29
I have faith in God, I was like, you
00:36:32
know what? Maybe this is a sign. Don't
00:36:33
do it. Uh, you know, take some time,
00:36:35
think. So, I actually went to the beach
00:36:38
and um I was eating some cherries on the
00:36:41
beach um in North Haven cuz that's where
00:36:43
I that's where I live in Adelaide.
00:36:46
And this is a really big beach. It's
00:36:48
long. It's big sandunes and stuff. And
00:36:50
there was no one around me. I was
00:36:52
sitting on a rock wall cuz I I I I used
00:36:53
to go there every day, go running,
00:36:55
swimming, shadow box, fishing, diving.
00:36:59
And I remember I was watching the sunset
00:37:01
and I was like eating cherries. I was
00:37:02
spitting them out and this is probably
00:37:04
the first day where I actually felt like
00:37:05
peace and I was I just did that did that
00:37:08
thing and I was thinking of other ways,
00:37:11
you know, like I don't want to do a drug
00:37:14
overdose or something like that. I don't
00:37:16
want to drive into a tree. Like just
00:37:18
stupid things going into my head. And
00:37:20
then this lady comes up from nowhere,
00:37:23
this old lady. She's probably 50, 55
00:37:25
years old. And she's like, "Excuse me,
00:37:27
darling." And I was like, I jumped. I
00:37:29
was like, "Oh, hey, are you all right?"
00:37:30
And she's like, "Yeah, but you're not."
00:37:33
[clears throat] Yeah. And then and I was
00:37:35
like, "What do you mean?" She's like,
00:37:36
"Someone told me to come over and talk
00:37:39
to you." I was like, "Who?" I was like
00:37:40
looking around. And she's like, "He's
00:37:42
sitting next to you." And I I told her
00:37:44
to [ __ ] off. [laughter]
00:37:46
I was like, "Fuck off." Like you
00:37:47
spiritual [ __ ] you know? And she's
00:37:49
like, "Do you know an old Chinese man
00:37:51
with tattoos on his on his on his arm?"
00:37:53
I was like, "No, I don't." I was getting
00:37:55
angry at this point, you know, cuz I'm
00:37:57
thinking about
00:37:58
>> ending it.
00:37:59
>> Ending it. And she's like bothering me
00:38:01
and I was just really like emotional and
00:38:03
stuff. And um yeah, she's she she said
00:38:06
to me, "Well, every time you fight, he's
00:38:09
[clears throat] in your corner and he's
00:38:11
he's telling me to tell you to keep
00:38:13
going." And I just burst out in tears.
00:38:15
is I put my head down and I was just
00:38:16
sobbing and uh getting goosebumps now.
00:38:19
But um
00:38:20
>> basically my first ever trainer was
00:38:23
Seafood Joe IP. He was a Chinese guy um
00:38:27
who had a Muay Thai gym in Adelaide. And
00:38:30
my mom used to be a kickboxer. So my mom
00:38:32
used to train with him. I used to go
00:38:33
there play with his swords num trucks
00:38:36
and he had a dragon. So he'd always do
00:38:37
the dragon dances in the street. And uh
00:38:40
he always said to me I could become a
00:38:41
champion. And [clears throat] I used to
00:38:43
like kick the bag. I was only like 13 14
00:38:45
years old and uh he passed away of
00:38:48
prostate cancer when I was about 16 and
00:38:51
that's when I sort of yeah I always
00:38:54
every time I fought I saw him in my
00:38:56
corner I got like a flash of him like
00:38:58
glimpse and for me that was another sign
00:39:00
to um to keep going. But the the scary
00:39:03
thing is like when I looked up after I
00:39:06
was crying like the lady was gone and I
00:39:08
was like what the [ __ ] just happened?
00:39:09
Like did I just see uh like did that
00:39:12
even happen? like an illusion.
00:39:13
>> Like an illusion like
00:39:14
>> What do you What do you think? Was she
00:39:16
actually there on?
00:39:17
>> I don't I don't know. Like she was 100%
00:39:19
real in front of my eyes. I just don't
00:39:21
know how long I was crying for. I don't
00:39:23
know if she walked off or you know if it
00:39:25
was I was tripping. Like I wasn't I
00:39:27
didn't touch touch any drugs or I don't
00:39:29
drink. So I don't know what it was, but
00:39:31
that was just a really um powerful thing
00:39:33
that happened to me. And then I called
00:39:35
my coach Richie
00:39:37
>> um pretty much straight after that and I
00:39:39
said I told him what happened. Like
00:39:40
Richie has put a gun to my head. Um and
00:39:42
then we yeah we had a we caught up for a
00:39:46
coffee, shed a few tears. He told me a
00:39:48
few things and uh we we got a lot closer
00:39:51
together and then we made a plan to you
00:39:53
know to get back into the gym to train
00:39:55
hard to have a fight. I ended up uh
00:40:00
fighting um big Dave Tupo is uh Jason
00:40:04
S's fighter in Adelaide and um I beat
00:40:08
him cuz he's the only person to beat me.
00:40:10
So I actually beat him in Adelaide at
00:40:12
Ets Stadium and he's a Fury and I won
00:40:15
the um South Pacific Championship title
00:40:18
off of him. [snorts]
00:40:19
After that Jason Sardi uh invited me to
00:40:22
fight on King in the Ring which um as a
00:40:25
cross Tasman heavyweight tournament
00:40:27
which has never happened before. The
00:40:28
only reason it happened is because I I
00:40:30
beat Dave and he wanted I think the
00:40:32
revenge you know. Um, so for Jason to
00:40:35
give me the opportunity was massive in
00:40:36
my career because um, yeah, like uh,
00:40:40
that's sort of why I'm here now. You
00:40:41
know, I came to New Zealand. I've I I
00:40:44
funded a trip myself. I borrowed money
00:40:45
off off of people. Came here, I won this
00:40:49
the first fight, the second fight I
00:40:51
lost. David TKOed me, you know, dropped
00:40:53
me twice and the fight got called off
00:40:55
and I was thinking about retiring. I'm
00:40:57
like, "Oh, so much for that premonition
00:40:59
or whatever that was, the lady, you
00:41:01
know." And then that's how I met Israel
00:41:03
and Eugene.
00:41:03
>> And then I went to City Kickboxing the
00:41:06
next day after I lost. I sparred with
00:41:08
Israel. You know, Eugene's like, "What
00:41:10
are you doing sparring?" Like, "You just
00:41:12
got knocked out last night." Like, I
00:41:13
didn't get knocked out. I got TKO'ed,
00:41:15
right? I stood back up. [laughter]
00:41:18
Um, and then yeah, like I was sparring
00:41:20
of Israel and and and other boys like
00:41:22
Carlos and I was doing some jiu-jitsu.
00:41:24
And when I was sparing with Israel,
00:41:25
Israel was like, "Um, bro, like I want
00:41:28
you to come help me with Pereira. Uh, I
00:41:30
want you to become my training partner."
00:41:32
And, uh, he was like, "Actually, he had
00:41:34
me against the wall." And he was like
00:41:35
punching me. He's telling me this. So, I
00:41:38
was like, "Oh, thanks, bro." Like,
00:41:39
[laughter] you know, I appreciate it.
00:41:42
Um, I said to [snorts] him like, "I
00:41:44
don't want handouts, you know, I'll I'll
00:41:45
come off my own dollar. Um, but first
00:41:47
things first, like my granddad just had
00:41:49
a stroke and he wasn't doing too good
00:41:51
and this is a man that pretty much
00:41:53
raised me. So, he's like a father. I
00:41:55
said to him, "If my granddad gets
00:41:57
better, I'll come back. If he doesn't,
00:41:58
I'm I I can't. I'm sorry." So, Israel
00:42:01
fought Pereira and he lost. Um, I was I
00:42:05
moved to City Kickboxing 2 days after
00:42:06
that loss and then I was there for the
00:42:08
second camp
00:42:09
>> and I've been there ever since. So, it's
00:42:11
been 3 years in November on on November
00:42:13
14th. It's been 3 years.
00:42:15
>> So, um, so Israel took a like a a shine
00:42:18
to you or saw something in you
00:42:20
immediately. What What was it? What did
00:42:22
he see in you? I think just uh
00:42:26
well, look, I you have to ask him that.
00:42:28
I don't know what he saw in me. But from
00:42:29
what I've seen on uh like videos when
00:42:32
he's done little interviews and stuff, I
00:42:35
think it wasn't even the skill. I think
00:42:38
it was more because uh he saw that I was
00:42:40
a good person and through his eyes and
00:42:43
and I can relate to that because um I
00:42:45
don't care how skilled you are. If
00:42:47
you're a wanker, I don't want you around
00:42:49
me,
00:42:49
>> you know? I don't want you in my corner.
00:42:51
I don't want you in my team. So there's
00:42:54
there's a lot of people out there with
00:42:55
talent, but if if you if you don't have
00:42:56
a good heart and you're selfish and
00:42:58
you're not a team player, then yeah, I
00:43:00
don't want you around me. So maybe maybe
00:43:03
it's cuz of my skill. Maybe I did
00:43:04
something that he was impressed by.
00:43:06
Maybe it was my size, but I think it was
00:43:08
just who I was as a person.
00:43:11
>> Were you were you um in awe when you
00:43:14
first met some of these guys? you
00:43:15
mentioned before like you were you were
00:43:17
you well aware of who Israel was and
00:43:19
then suddenly you're in a gym like
00:43:21
fighting with him or he's he's watching
00:43:22
you fight
00:43:23
>> 100% like like I said when I was at
00:43:25
Riker's gym in Adelaide is a very I
00:43:27
started training in my grandma's gym
00:43:29
like the tin shed you know and then I
00:43:31
moved to Riker's gym which was basically
00:43:33
the same thing but I had two coaches
00:43:36
>> and then we had all these posters on the
00:43:37
wall of Nza Fury and Israel was on heaps
00:43:40
of them so I was I used to be there 6:00
00:43:42
in the morning I would wake up and then
00:43:44
Um yeah, I'd go [clears throat] there,
00:43:46
Richard will hold pads to me and I'll
00:43:48
just be shadow boxing like to warm up.
00:43:50
I'll be watching like Izzy on the
00:43:51
posters or John Wayne Pal will be on the
00:43:53
posters or Jason Sudi and I would
00:43:55
visualize fighting them, you know what I
00:43:57
mean? Or training with them and uh when
00:43:59
I actually met like Israel and and
00:44:01
Eugene and Jason Sardi and [snorts]
00:44:04
um you know like uh there there's so
00:44:05
many there's so many great like Kiwi
00:44:07
fighters as well. So like I just
00:44:10
>> I'm not a fanboy of people, but I'm a
00:44:12
fanboy as well. Like after after I first
00:44:15
met them, I was like, they're just
00:44:16
normal people. You know what I mean?
00:44:18
Like so yeah. And even now when people
00:44:21
come up to me, they they I can see how I
00:44:23
used to act with like these people that
00:44:25
I put on a pedestal. They they act like
00:44:28
that to me now.
00:44:29
>> I'm like, bro, I'm just a normal person.
00:44:30
Like just don't be nervous or, you know,
00:44:33
like just Yeah. Because people do some
00:44:34
weird stuff.
00:44:37
>> Oh man. [laughter]
00:44:39
I had a I had a guy I had a guy last
00:44:41
week. He like he like stopped and he was
00:44:44
like Brando Brando. He's like, "Can you
00:44:46
please sign my t-shirt?" I'm like,
00:44:48
"Yeah, okay." And then I was like to
00:44:50
sign his like t-shirt. I'm like, "Bro,
00:44:51
this is really weird." Um, [laughter]
00:44:53
and then he he had tears in his eyes.
00:44:55
I'm like, "This is crazy. Why is this
00:44:57
why is this go like man crying over me?
00:44:59
Like I'm a nobody. Like it's just weird.
00:45:01
It's just like you're putting someone on
00:45:03
a pedestal. I just don't like I I much
00:45:05
prefer when people come up to me like,
00:45:07
"Oh, Brando." And they shake my hands
00:45:09
like, "Oh, you know, good to see you."
00:45:10
Or, "How are you?" or something like
00:45:12
that cuz I like talking to people. I I
00:45:14
do like talking to people. So,
00:45:16
>> just treat me like a normal person,
00:45:17
please. I don't know how Izzy does it. I
00:45:19
don't know cuz I'm I'm I'm nobody, you
00:45:21
know, but I've seen Izzy, he walks
00:45:23
around security guards,
00:45:25
>> you know, and he treats everyone with
00:45:27
respect and he gives so much time to
00:45:29
everyone. So,
00:45:30
>> I need to work my way up to that.
00:45:32
>> Yeah. What What do you know about Israel
00:45:34
Adisagna that um the general public
00:45:36
doesn't? What can you tell us?
00:45:38
>> Um he's just a good person. um in and
00:45:40
out of the cage. And uh people can talk
00:45:43
[ __ ] if they want, but yeah, he's one of
00:45:45
my best friends and he's got a good
00:45:48
heart and I'm very grateful to have him
00:45:50
as a as a friend. Um just generous and
00:45:54
>> yeah, he cares. You know, a lot of
00:45:56
people say they care or they they
00:45:57
pretend, but he actually does care. Um a
00:46:00
lot of people are fake, you know, in in
00:46:02
in in life in general, not just fight
00:46:05
game, but yeah, he's he's a he's a
00:46:07
genuine person. So, and you know what,
00:46:09
same with Joey Parker, I was actually
00:46:10
like really like when I met when when I
00:46:13
met Joey Parker a few months ago, I'm
00:46:15
like, "Wow, like when I grow up, I want
00:46:17
be like Joey Parker, I'm going to become
00:46:19
a better person, you know, cuz he was
00:46:21
just a a sweetheart. He was like, yeah,
00:46:23
just such a good dude." So, they're
00:46:25
they're the people I look up to, people
00:46:27
like that, cuz they're they're you know,
00:46:29
Joe Parker is like, you know, one of the
00:46:31
best boxers
00:46:32
>> and Israel is one of the best MMA
00:46:34
fighters ever. and they're big, they're
00:46:36
masculine, like they're alphas, but
00:46:38
they're just kind loving people. And
00:46:39
that's how I've always been.
00:46:41
>> I've never liked to be like a show off
00:46:42
or a aggressive person. I'm just I'm
00:46:46
myself. I'm loving, caring, but I can
00:46:48
still knock you out
00:46:49
>> if I wanted to, you know.
00:46:51
>> So,
00:46:52
>> I love that. I I know Joseph um pretty
00:46:54
well. I've never met Israel before, but
00:46:56
they're Yeah, they're both um
00:46:59
[clears throat] they're both just men in
00:47:01
the in the respect that they they're um
00:47:03
they're good at the vulnerability piece.
00:47:05
>> Like they're they're good at opening up
00:47:07
and expressing themselves emotionally.
00:47:09
Um yet they're savages at what they do.
00:47:11
And I think I think you're much the
00:47:12
same.
00:47:13
>> I think so. Um
00:47:14
>> have you always been good with the the
00:47:16
vulnerability piece, like talking about
00:47:17
what's going on, or were you sort of
00:47:19
like a guy that bottled things up? Uh
00:47:22
definitely bottle bottle things up for
00:47:24
sure. Yeah. Yeah. But I've always been
00:47:27
open as well. Maybe too open so I don't
00:47:30
go into details with certain things.
00:47:31
[laughter]
00:47:32
End up in jail.
00:47:36
>> No no like I'm like I I'm comfortable
00:47:40
like like I know myself. I love myself.
00:47:42
And u look I made a lot of mistakes in
00:47:44
my life. Um, but I try to be better
00:47:47
every single day.
00:47:48
>> And there's no point in me lying or
00:47:50
trying to be someone I'm not. And I'm
00:47:53
just, yeah, I'm just happy where I am in
00:47:55
life. And, uh, I'm proud of myself. My
00:47:57
family's proud of me. And, um, I don't
00:48:00
care what like haters say or think. You
00:48:03
know, there's a lot of heroes online and
00:48:05
stuff, but, um, we get one life. I'm
00:48:08
going to enjoy it. I'm going to do the
00:48:09
best I can.
00:48:10
>> Have you Have you always been able to
00:48:12
say you're proud of yourself?
00:48:13
>> No. No, not at all.
00:48:16
>> Like I even even up until recently, I
00:48:18
would I would just say cuz I made my UFC
00:48:19
debut and I won and all the adversity I
00:48:22
went through for that camp, just just
00:48:24
just that camp, you know, not even the
00:48:26
stuff before in life. Um I was just
00:48:28
proud of myself that I got through
00:48:29
there, you know, cuz I could even see
00:48:31
like my coaches were sort of uh worried
00:48:34
for me at one point. Um so I think I I
00:48:37
proved them wrong as well.
00:48:39
>> Coaches like Eugene and Mike.
00:48:40
>> Ah, no comment. [laughter]
00:48:42
>> What What were they worried about? Nah,
00:48:43
no. Just cuz a lot of things happen. A
00:48:45
lot of things happened in in my camp.
00:48:47
Like they've always got my back, but I
00:48:48
could see they worried,
00:48:49
>> you know, and um this is Yeah, I'm
00:48:52
getting older and this is pretty much my
00:48:54
only chance to get in
00:48:56
>> if I if I lost,
00:48:58
you know, like say say if I lost a
00:49:00
Contender Series and there'll be another
00:49:01
year,
00:49:02
>> I'll probably be too old. So, it was it
00:49:04
was coming down to like the last the
00:49:06
last moment of my career, like if if I'm
00:49:08
going to make it or not. And I just had
00:49:09
a lot of pressure on me and uh I really
00:49:12
just when I won that fight it was just a
00:49:14
relief like I visualized a referee
00:49:16
pushing me off and then the crowd
00:49:19
roaring and that's exactly what happened
00:49:20
and then just the relief.
00:49:23
>> Yeah.
00:49:23
>> Incredible. Yeah. When you when you
00:49:25
decided to go all in with um the
00:49:27
fighting I believe you wrote down some
00:49:29
goals.
00:49:29
>> Yeah.
00:49:30
>> Can you remember what the goals were?
00:49:31
>> Yeah, I can. I don't want to say it cuz
00:49:33
I don't like uh saying speak [snorts]
00:49:35
the the goals before they happen, you
00:49:37
know. Um, but like
00:49:38
>> how how many how many were there?
00:49:39
>> Oh, there's heaps. There's heaps. And
00:49:40
look, like I seriously I've I've
00:49:42
achieved a few of them. Um, but I've
00:49:44
just started like, you know, one of the
00:49:46
first goals was to get in the UFC before
00:49:49
31 or before 30, sorry. End up doing at
00:49:52
31 year. But, um, you know, my goal
00:49:55
isn't just to be a UFC fighter. It's to
00:49:56
be a UFC champion, be one of the best
00:49:59
ever to come out of this country in
00:50:01
Croatia, New Zealand, um, Australia. And
00:50:04
you know like it like I like Israel has
00:50:07
set a standard. Vulcanoski has set a
00:50:09
standard. I want to set my own standard.
00:50:11
You know what I mean? And as the first
00:50:12
city kickboxing heavyweight like I want
00:50:14
to represent my gym and my country like
00:50:18
well and I want to be a household name,
00:50:20
>> you know? So even like now in Croatia
00:50:22
like um the Croatian community has
00:50:25
gotten behind me a lot and they're very
00:50:26
proud of me just now. So, I can only
00:50:29
imagine when I win a UFC title and
00:50:31
defend it and yeah,
00:50:33
>> it's going to be unreal.
00:50:34
>> Yeah, you're you're you're a country
00:50:35
[ __ ] eh? You got [laughter]
00:50:38
what if you had to put a percentage on
00:50:39
it like a pie chart? Like what what
00:50:41
percentage of your heart is Croatian,
00:50:43
Australian, and
00:50:44
>> I think I think the Polynesians are
00:50:45
taking me over as [laughter] well. Got
00:50:46
to out there.
00:50:49
Uh yeah, look um I did my ancestry is
00:50:52
crazy. I got a lot of a lot of countries
00:50:54
in me. [laughter]
00:50:55
Mr. Worldwide.
00:50:57
Um, I would say like, yeah. Oh, mate. I
00:51:03
identify as a Kiwi now as well.
00:51:04
>> I'm going to get my citizenship and uh
00:51:07
get some buy some land for sure.
00:51:08
>> Unreal.
00:51:09
>> I love this country. I I'm I keep saying
00:51:11
it to my mom and she gets upset, but I
00:51:13
said to her like, I'm going to live the
00:51:14
rest of my life in New Zealand.
00:51:15
>> Wow.
00:51:16
>> Yeah. I love this country. And even as a
00:51:18
young kid like I like when I was like 10
00:51:20
12 years old um I was a fascinated with
00:51:23
with rugby and the all blacks and uh I
00:51:26
actually
00:51:28
I [snorts] actually used to watch on
00:51:30
YouTube the All Blacks. I used to copy
00:51:32
them do the hucker and it was so
00:51:34
embarrassing one day I was doing it. I'm
00:51:36
not I'm not going to do it. [laughter]
00:51:37
But uh my mom was behind me filming me
00:51:40
and when I saw her I jumped about 10
00:51:42
foot in the air and I started crying and
00:51:44
screaming at her and like it's just
00:51:45
>> How old are you? I was like uh 10 10 to
00:51:48
12. I don't know. I was young. And um
00:51:51
[laughter]
00:51:52
thank god
00:51:55
thank [snorts] god thank god that my mom
00:51:57
doesn't have that footage cuz that would
00:51:59
be so embarrassing. Um [snorts] but yeah
00:52:02
and like I've always had this
00:52:03
fascination to cuz I love fishing. I
00:52:05
love hunting and like my whole life I've
00:52:08
just been fascinated with New Zealand
00:52:10
>> and uh I always wanted to come here and
00:52:12
just build a life, you know, have a nice
00:52:14
house on the beach
00:52:15
>> and actually you know what there's a
00:52:17
there's a you know Matt Watson the the
00:52:18
fisherman.
00:52:19
>> Yes. Yeah. Building building the Kiwi
00:52:22
dream. He basically that is my dream
00:52:24
what he has is like a nice house in the
00:52:26
cove up up the up the north and uh that
00:52:29
is my dream when when I retire. I just
00:52:31
want to have a nice house in the water,
00:52:33
have my own lands, nice mountains in the
00:52:35
back, and just go launch my boat and go
00:52:36
fishing, you know, go diving, have a
00:52:38
family. That was my dream as a kid, and
00:52:40
it still is now. So, that's what I want
00:52:42
in life. And um yeah, New Zealand's a
00:52:45
place to do it, you know what I mean?
00:52:46
Don't get me wrong, I love Australia. I
00:52:48
love Adelaide where I'm from, but uh my
00:52:50
heart has always pulled me towards New
00:52:52
Zealand. And uh yeah.
00:52:55
>> Yeah. So, so you move to New Zealand and
00:52:57
um you start training with um Eugene and
00:52:59
Izzy and the team at City Kickboxing. Um
00:53:03
>> is this when you you you've got no place
00:53:05
to live and you're sleeping in your car?
00:53:07
>> Yeah. Yeah. So,
00:53:08
>> and what is it? A Toyota Yarus.
00:53:11
>> So, so uh
00:53:12
>> what is it? That's like a little old
00:53:13
lady's car, eh?
00:53:14
>> No. So, the Yaras was was in New
00:53:16
Zealand. So, when I first moved to New
00:53:17
Zealand, um so I saved for 4 years. like
00:53:20
I had a house deposit had like 65,000
00:53:24
and I was basically thinking about
00:53:27
buying a house or following my dream.
00:53:31
>> And like for me like money money doesn't
00:53:34
mean anything for me. It doesn't bring
00:53:35
happiness. I know a lot of rich people
00:53:37
they aren't happy and as long as like
00:53:39
like I said before no one's dead. Um I
00:53:41
got food on my plate. I got a roof I'm
00:53:43
happy you know I can do what I love
00:53:44
which is training and fighting. [snorts]
00:53:46
Um, so yeah, I made a decision to move
00:53:48
to New Zealand after meeting Israel and
00:53:50
stuff and I was like, well, [ __ ] the
00:53:52
house deposit. I'm I'm going to chase my
00:53:54
dreams. So I ended up buying a van um
00:53:58
when I came to New Zealand and I
00:54:01
actually toured the South Island cuz
00:54:02
that was one of my dreams to go to
00:54:04
Twisel, go fishing and Jason Robinson,
00:54:07
my mate that passed away, he actually
00:54:08
bought me a trout rod so I can go to
00:54:10
Twel and go catch a salmon. So I went
00:54:12
there, caught the salmon, gave it to
00:54:15
Eugene as a as a gift for his dad, you
00:54:17
know, his parents, a big massive salmon.
00:54:19
And um yeah, I lived in the van for like
00:54:22
2 3 weeks and then um we had the floods
00:54:25
and all the crazy weather, you know,
00:54:28
>> once in a 100red year flooding was like
00:54:30
every week and our gym was flooded and
00:54:32
it was so hard to sleep in the van cuz
00:54:34
like the rain was just so loud.
00:54:36
>> And Eugene's like, "What are you doing?"
00:54:38
Sleep in the gym. I was like, "All
00:54:39
right, for a couple couple weeks,
00:54:40
whatever.
00:54:42
And then we ended up training. Um,
00:54:46
>> when you say sleep in the gym, like
00:54:47
what?
00:54:47
>> Oh, so there was like a there was like
00:54:48
an office in the gym.
00:54:49
>> Okay.
00:54:50
>> Yeah. You know, we weren't supposed to
00:54:51
sleep in there, but he he made room for
00:54:53
me, you know, and then um we ended up
00:54:55
going to Sydney uh for Israel's fight
00:54:58
>> and um I come back and my van was gone.
00:55:01
>> And it was like it was like, you know,
00:55:03
[sighs and gasps]
00:55:03
40 grand basically gone.
00:55:05
>> Um and then yeah, I had to sleep in the
00:55:08
gym from from then on. you know, it
00:55:09
wasn't supposed to be a long-term thing.
00:55:11
I actually liked sleeping in the van cuz
00:55:13
I saved so hard. I had the money and I
00:55:15
bought the van. It was like my dream to
00:55:16
sleep in the van, camper life, go
00:55:17
fishing on the weekend, you know, and
00:55:19
it's it's not like um
00:55:22
>> m like I could see like I was actually
00:55:24
going to sleep in a tent when I first
00:55:25
came here. I was like, I'll just get a
00:55:27
I'll get a storage unit for all my all
00:55:28
my belongings and I'll just go to a park
00:55:30
and I'll pitch a tent. I don't care. As
00:55:32
long as I'm in New Zealand, I'm
00:55:33
training, I'm following my dream, that's
00:55:34
all I care about. So yeah, a lot of
00:55:37
things happened and I ended up staying
00:55:39
in a gym for a solid year in Mount Eden
00:55:41
and then we moved gyms. We went to
00:55:43
Morningside and that was like an empty
00:55:45
warehouse and it was like a storage unit
00:55:47
upstairs and I ended up staying in the
00:55:48
storage unit. We had no hot water. We
00:55:50
had no showers, no toilets. So I I would
00:55:52
shower outside with a hose and then I
00:55:55
joined the gym around the corner so I
00:55:56
could go like have a hot shower, go
00:55:58
toilet and then um
00:56:01
>> Were you shooting at cafes?
00:56:02
>> Yeah, I was shooting at cafes. you
00:56:04
[laughter] know, I would go in there my
00:56:05
morning guys, you know, I wouldn't
00:56:07
wouldn't even order a coffee. Sometimes
00:56:10
I would, but they just thought I was a
00:56:12
homeless guy, you know. Um, and they
00:56:14
like all the staff were good. Like they
00:56:16
end up talking to them and telling them
00:56:17
like, "Look, I'm just, you know, come
00:56:19
here to drop the kids off and uh
00:56:21
[laughter]
00:56:22
drop the kids off at the pool."
00:56:24
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, nah, it's all
00:56:26
good, man. It's just people like like
00:56:28
sleeping on the street properly, you
00:56:30
know? Like sleeping in a gym doesn't
00:56:32
really affect me. Like Blood Diamond,
00:56:34
>> you do you know Mike Blood Diamond? He
00:56:35
was he was sleeping at the old gym, he
00:56:37
was sleeping under the ring. Like it's
00:56:40
just a fighter's life, you know? And
00:56:41
that's why I said to you um before uh
00:56:44
when I the week before my UFC Perth
00:56:47
debut, my lease expired in my apartment
00:56:50
and I was sick of that apartment anyway
00:56:52
cuz my my neighbors are real noisy. I'm
00:56:54
only there to sleep. You know, I'm
00:56:56
paying 700 bucks a week for a single
00:56:58
bedroom studio. This is stupid. So, I
00:57:01
moved out, put my stuff in storage. I
00:57:03
was sleeping in the Toyota Aris, which
00:57:05
which was Eugene's car back in the day.
00:57:07
I bought off of him.
00:57:08
>> They're tiny. And you I don't know if
00:57:10
people can see this on camera, but
00:57:11
you're you're you're the biggest dude
00:57:12
I've ever had on the podcast.
00:57:13
>> No, Joe Park will be bigger than me.
00:57:15
>> No, I think you're bigger than Joy.
00:57:17
>> He's thicker.
00:57:17
>> Um
00:57:19
>> Yeah. You Yeah. What's that like
00:57:21
sleeping in a car? How long were you
00:57:22
sleeping in the Yas for?
00:57:23
>> Oh, it was only a week. It was only It
00:57:24
was only a week. just just uh cuz I had
00:57:26
a week um from my lease expired until I
00:57:29
left for for Perf. And then I was
00:57:31
staying at the Crown Towers. So that
00:57:33
wasn't too bad. That was like a nice
00:57:34
penthouse suite. I was like, "Oh, this
00:57:36
is better." Um and then when I came
00:57:38
back, I was just sleeping in um on
00:57:40
mate's couches and stuff until I sorted
00:57:42
out a new van. So I got my new van now
00:57:45
and I'm back in the van. It's upgrade
00:57:47
from the last one. And I'm I'm happy.
00:57:49
It's all I need. I need somewhere to
00:57:51
sleep. Um I got the the gym I can
00:57:53
shower. I can cook at and that's all I
00:57:55
need. I just need a simple life and uh
00:57:58
just focus on my goals and my dreams.
00:57:59
And like I said to you before, um
00:58:02
there's been so much. It's been two
00:58:04
weeks. There's been so much media and
00:58:06
just replying to people. I didn't really
00:58:09
have a chance to even think about my
00:58:11
fight until the last couple days to sit
00:58:13
down and be like, "Wow, I did that."
00:58:15
>> But now it's time to roll on to the next
00:58:16
one. So yeah, it's just been
00:58:18
overwhelming and a lot of uh a lot of
00:58:20
things have happened.
00:58:22
>> Okay. So the um the the the car in the
00:58:24
gym thing, it was sort of like choice,
00:58:26
not necessity.
00:58:27
>> Uh originally it was it wasn't choice.
00:58:30
Um originally when I moved to New
00:58:32
Zealand
00:58:33
like you know obviously I bought the car
00:58:35
but it was a more of a financial
00:58:37
decision because uh I saw like I used to
00:58:40
fix cars, sell them um go to auctions,
00:58:43
buy cars and I used to yeah I used to do
00:58:46
a lot of um mechanical work and sell
00:58:48
boats and bikes and all that kind of
00:58:50
stuff. So, I saw this car, saw it for a
00:58:52
good price. I was actually going to flip
00:58:53
it and try and make some money off of it
00:58:54
and then use that to fund my career, you
00:58:56
know what I mean? So, cuz it's it's very
00:58:59
expensive to fight. Like, when you're
00:59:00
paying $5, $10,000 for opponent to fight
00:59:02
you, you need money coming in. And at
00:59:05
that time, I only had a few sponsors as
00:59:06
well. So, I was just trying to figure
00:59:07
out ways to make money to to yeah, get
00:59:10
these fights, you know. And Eugene did
00:59:12
not believe me when I said it's
00:59:14
impossible to get me a fight. He laughed
00:59:16
at me. And then after the first year, we
00:59:18
didn't get any fights. We got six pull
00:59:20
outs. He's like, "Mate, I don't know
00:59:21
what's wrong with these people. I'll
00:59:23
fire you tomorrow. You're useless." You
00:59:25
know, [laughter]
00:59:26
so
00:59:26
>> why why was it people scared of you?
00:59:28
>> 100%. Right.
00:59:30
>> 100%. You know, um
00:59:32
>> cuz no no one wants like a a loss,
00:59:34
especially not
00:59:34
>> everyone's trying to get to UFC or
00:59:36
everyone's trying to win a world title
00:59:38
in kickboxing or something. So like I
00:59:40
wouldn't want to fight me either,
00:59:43
>> you know? But um yeah, I like I don't
00:59:46
blame them. It's just that's the level.
00:59:48
That's the local scene level.
00:59:50
>> That's why I'm happy being in the UFC
00:59:52
now because I know people aren't going
00:59:53
to duck and dive me. They don't care
00:59:55
about me. They're, you know, everyone
00:59:57
thinks they're going to be able to beat
00:59:58
me. So, that's cool.
00:59:59
>> You know, I get to fight them now and
01:00:01
prove them wrong.
01:00:03
>> Yeah. [clears throat]
01:00:04
>> Just back to the car thing and and
01:00:06
living in the gym, how did like how do
01:00:07
you you stay positive? Like I I think if
01:00:09
that was me sleeping in the car, I think
01:00:12
I'd be really [ __ ] sad. I mean, like,
01:00:15
don't get me wrong. Um there's there's a
01:00:17
lot of time cuz you spend by yourself.
01:00:20
There's a lot of time that you you do
01:00:21
get like down and stuff and but that's
01:00:23
like life in general. Like um you can't
01:00:25
always just be peing and positive. Like
01:00:28
you get the the valleys and you get your
01:00:30
the times when you're down and things
01:00:32
aren't going right. Um but you just got
01:00:33
to have faith in something, faith in
01:00:35
yourself or faith in God or whatever it
01:00:36
is to get you through. Like the hardest
01:00:38
time for me was
01:00:40
um when I was sleeping at the Mount Eden
01:00:43
gym, right? And
01:00:46
I had a loss. Um and that loss I should
01:00:50
have won, but I had injuries. I needed a
01:00:53
surgery, but I decided to push through
01:00:54
because I needed to fight. You know what
01:00:56
I mean? I was just one fight away from
01:00:58
the UFC.
01:01:00
And then, you know, obviously you had
01:01:01
that loss and then sponsors drop off and
01:01:03
then you're sleeping in the gym. you I
01:01:05
was basically in a room quarter of the
01:01:07
size of this just with a double mattress
01:01:09
and then I had shelves and then you're
01:01:12
there for you're away from your family,
01:01:14
your friends, you're you're you're
01:01:16
watching people train downstairs, you
01:01:17
can't train um you know you're you just
01:01:21
go through a lot of mental stuff and um
01:01:23
that was probably the hardest time for
01:01:24
me. Um
01:01:26
>> and yeah, just things weren't going
01:01:28
right but it's all a test. It it really
01:01:29
is all a test and you just got to push
01:01:31
through and there's better days to come,
01:01:33
you know. Um but I wouldn't I wouldn't
01:01:35
change a thing cuz that made me um
01:01:39
realize like I am I am very mentally
01:01:42
strong as well and I can get through
01:01:44
anything and um because of that I was
01:01:47
determined to get my own place get more
01:01:49
sponsors to do other things while I
01:01:51
can't walk and I can't do things. So
01:01:54
because of that, I ended up moving out,
01:01:55
getting my own apartment, getting more
01:01:57
sponsored sponsor deals, and uh just
01:01:59
like improving my mindset, my skill set,
01:02:02
and just yeah, just just leveling up
01:02:04
everything. So
01:02:05
>> why didn't you give up,
01:02:07
>> man? I got no choice. What else am I
01:02:09
supposed to do in life, you know?
01:02:11
>> Yeah. Like there's no there's no plan B.
01:02:12
I burnt the boats years ago, [laughter]
01:02:14
>> you know what I mean? Like um I I got
01:02:16
expelled from year 10. Um I'm not really
01:02:19
educated. Can't go to uni. and do like
01:02:22
I'm actually like dyslexic as well. So
01:02:24
like I'm I always struggle to to read
01:02:26
and write and um that's that's another
01:02:28
reason why I actually don't speak
01:02:29
Croatian anymore cuz it's so hard to
01:02:31
learn. Like I used to speak it I used to
01:02:33
speak it as a kid
01:02:34
>> and then I struggled to learn English.
01:02:36
So then um my my grandparents stopped
01:02:39
speaking to me in in Croatian and I just
01:02:41
learned English and now I don't speak
01:02:42
one language language as you can see.
01:02:46
Oh,
01:02:48
[laughter]
01:02:49
yeah. I think you that's um self
01:02:51
self-deprecating, but um I I I've been
01:02:54
finding you very articulate.
01:02:55
>> Thank you.
01:02:56
>> Yeah. Um and and I Yeah, I love the way
01:02:59
you speak as well in the turn of phrase
01:03:00
and um you know, the the uncensored
01:03:03
nature.
01:03:03
>> Yeah. Yeah.
01:03:04
>> Um yeah. How do you stay positive with
01:03:07
all those setbacks?
01:03:08
>> Um just realize that uh every day is a
01:03:12
blessing. even even if it's if it's not
01:03:14
a good day, you know, there's better
01:03:16
days to come
01:03:17
>> and we only get one shot at this life,
01:03:19
you know. Um and a lot of people have
01:03:22
passed away very young and you never
01:03:25
know when your time's going to come.
01:03:26
I've seen it with a lot of my mates have
01:03:27
passed away. Um I've only got one friend
01:03:30
left from high school basically, my mate
01:03:32
Nick. Um yeah, so seeing all those boys
01:03:37
just like disappear, you know, it was
01:03:39
very hard and yeah, it's just um just
01:03:42
got to be grateful for the smallest
01:03:43
things, you know.
01:03:45
>> Um yeah,
01:03:47
>> just going back to the um the living in
01:03:49
the gym and living in the car thing. Um
01:03:51
like you you're training with some
01:03:53
really good lads. Did anyone like offer
01:03:55
you a room or
01:03:56
>> Oh, of of course. Um, it's uh
01:04:00
it's it's sort of a pride thing as well
01:04:02
cuz I know I've got hundreds of people I
01:04:05
can reach out to and be like, "Hey bro,
01:04:06
can I stay on the couch?" Or, "Hey, can
01:04:08
I remember you?" But I'm not like that.
01:04:10
I've never been like that. You know, I
01:04:11
moved out when I was 16, 17 and uh I
01:04:14
fended for myself and um you know, like
01:04:16
even I didn't have to do that. I could
01:04:19
have stayed at my grandparents for my
01:04:20
mom and and but I just I just wanted to
01:04:23
make my own life and and and learn about
01:04:25
myself and yeah. Um, like don't get me
01:04:29
wrong, like when I came back from uh
01:04:31
Perf, I reached out to my mate Doug
01:04:34
Viney, my coach or Davo. I slept in
01:04:36
their in their spare rooms, you know
01:04:38
what I mean? Just for a few nights and I
01:04:40
enjoyed it cuz I I get to spend time
01:04:42
with him.
01:04:43
>> Um, but yeah, normally normally I don't
01:04:44
do that. Normally I don't do that.
01:04:46
>> Are you just really stubborn?
01:04:48
>> I wouldn't proud.
01:04:49
>> I wouldn't say stubborn, but it's like
01:04:51
um
01:04:51
>> Is it a pride thing?
01:04:52
>> Maybe maybe it's pride. [clears throat]
01:04:54
Yeah, pride. But uh yeah, I don't know.
01:04:58
It's just
01:04:59
>> yeah, can't answer that. I don't know.
01:05:04
>> It's a hell of a story.
01:05:07
>> Like it feels like it's the the plot of
01:05:09
like a Netflix documentary or something.
01:05:11
>> Yeah.
01:05:11
>> You know, I can see you can see how this
01:05:12
this this plays out. Um when you reach
01:05:14
your goal and become the world champion.
01:05:16
>> Yeah. For me, for me, um, like a very
01:05:19
special moment was, uh, when Richie, my
01:05:22
my coach in Adelaide, he was wrapping my
01:05:25
hands before my UFC debut, you know,
01:05:28
>> and, um, that was a very surreal moment
01:05:32
for me. And then he was putting the
01:05:33
Vaseline on my face before I went into
01:05:35
the cage. He's like, "You got this,
01:05:37
bro." And I almost started crying. I was
01:05:39
like I was I was thinking to him like,
01:05:40
"Shut the [ __ ] up." [laughter] You know
01:05:42
what I mean? Um and then yeah like once
01:05:44
I once I won the fight I did the pukana
01:05:47
[laughter]
01:05:50
did the pukana and then he was just
01:05:52
standing in front of me I was like what
01:05:53
this is like a movie I just gave him a
01:05:56
big hug and I said I love you thank you
01:05:57
for everything and then that was that
01:05:59
was that was that was a good moment.
01:06:00
Yeah that was a good moment.
01:06:02
>> Has life changed in the last couple of
01:06:03
weeks since that fight? uh in terms of
01:06:05
recognition and
01:06:07
>> Yeah, for sure. Like I've always been
01:06:08
stopped on the street and um people
01:06:09
always talk to me and stuff. Uh but
01:06:12
obviously with a lot more views on UFC
01:06:14
and I've been doing a lot more
01:06:16
interviews and stuff, people recognized
01:06:18
me a lot more. So
01:06:19
>> I went to Afro last night, Israel's um
01:06:22
event, that was amazing. And I got
01:06:24
stopped heaps of photos and even the
01:06:25
police like um stopped me for the good
01:06:28
thing. They they said, "Well done. Love
01:06:30
your story." They shook my hand.
01:06:31
[laughter]
01:06:32
Dude, do you get like a panic attack
01:06:34
when the police comes?
01:06:35
>> No. No. Cuz [laughter] my cuz my my
01:06:37
stepdad is a detective, you know what I
01:06:39
mean? So, he's a he's a really great
01:06:40
man. And um because of him as well, um I
01:06:44
was able to move here because if my
01:06:46
stepdad wasn't uh as good as he is,
01:06:48
there's no way I'll leave my mom.
01:06:50
>> So, he looks after my mom and that's
01:06:51
always been a big relief for me that I
01:06:54
don't have to um worry about my mom, you
01:06:55
know? She she's fine. So, like, yeah,
01:06:58
he's he's he's amazing. Peter, he's
01:07:00
awesome.
01:07:01
>> Awesome.
01:07:03
What would your net worth be like right
01:07:04
now as we sit here today? My net worth
01:07:06
are you in the negatives or
01:07:07
>> Yeah. Yeah. Still still in negatives.
01:07:09
Yeah. I I've spent hundreds of thousands
01:07:11
of dollars in my career. Um I've for
01:07:13
example I've had I've had close to 30
01:07:16
fights kickboxing and uh MMA and I
01:07:19
reckon out of all those 30 fights I
01:07:22
would have made
01:07:24
uh I made $20,000 one night. That was
01:07:27
the biggest one. That was a eightman
01:07:29
tournament. So that was pure profit.
01:07:31
That was cash. That was beautiful. And
01:07:34
all of them besides probably two knees
01:07:36
of Fury fights, maybe I got 1,000 bucks
01:07:38
for each one of those. All of them went
01:07:40
to my opponent. So I I've made nothing
01:07:43
through fighting. And it's all been
01:07:44
through my sponsorships. Um people
01:07:46
helping me out weekly, monthly, or per
01:07:49
fight. So because of all those beautiful
01:07:52
people, they're they're my family now.
01:07:54
That is why I'm here today. And there's
01:07:56
so many of them. I can't even mention
01:07:57
all of them. Um just very generous
01:08:00
people.
01:08:01
And um hopefully now that I'm in the
01:08:03
UFC, I can get some bigger brands on
01:08:05
board and because really like I said
01:08:08
like I've always wanted to invest in
01:08:09
myself and I want to be the best I can
01:08:11
be and you need a team around you to do
01:08:12
that. And now I'm in the UFC like I know
01:08:15
I'm only at 5 10% of what I can be. It's
01:08:17
time to put that that money into my into
01:08:19
my career and uh yeah getting the right
01:08:22
people around me as well and just the
01:08:24
right training and just yeah just making
01:08:26
life a bit easier so I can focus on the
01:08:28
training cuz it's so there's so much to
01:08:29
do. Yeah, like I'm not we aren't like a
01:08:32
NRL or like a football team. Like we
01:08:35
don't have people doing everything for
01:08:36
us and we go to the club and
01:08:38
everything's provided. We got to do
01:08:39
everything ourselves.
01:08:40
>> So it's a very difficult sport to do.
01:08:43
>> Yeah.
01:08:44
>> Um obviously you can see um there's a
01:08:47
return on investment now for the
01:08:48
sponsors because you're at that certain
01:08:50
level. But um the early sponsors, what
01:08:52
was in it for them? Was it just belief
01:08:54
in you?
01:08:54
>> Nothing. And that's why I'm going to
01:08:55
take them to all the way to to the belt
01:08:57
and they're going to sit they're going
01:08:58
to sit ringside and and watch me win
01:09:00
that belt because to me that's loyalty.
01:09:02
You know, they people believed in me and
01:09:05
they didn't want nothing in return.
01:09:07
Maybe they got a little tax write off.
01:09:09
Big deal. You know what I mean? They
01:09:10
just wanted to support someone. So, I've
01:09:12
got support from all around the world
01:09:13
and um I'm very thankful and um mate,
01:09:16
like uh you I used to say to myself,
01:09:20
"Oh, when I get to UFC, I'm never going
01:09:22
to let anyone get close to me, you know,
01:09:23
cuz you know, they're just going to use
01:09:25
me and stuff." But that's [ __ ]
01:09:26
There's a lot of good people in the
01:09:27
world. And um you know, I've met all the
01:09:30
most beautiful people in my life through
01:09:32
fighting and I know I'm going to meet a
01:09:34
lot more people as well,
01:09:36
>> you know.
01:09:37
>> So,
01:09:38
>> thanks for these insights. It's
01:09:39
[clears throat] um it's a fascinating
01:09:40
career, isn't it?
01:09:42
>> Because you know, like from um yeah,
01:09:44
from an outsider's perspective, you see
01:09:46
Conor McGregor on his yacht or Israel in
01:09:48
his McLaren. Um but that's not the
01:09:51
reality of it, is it? For most fighters.
01:09:53
>> No. No, for sure. And mate, even if I
01:09:55
had 10 mil in the bank now, I'll
01:09:57
probably still be living in the van
01:09:59
because No, I'm serious. Because um
01:10:02
money doesn't bring happiness and money
01:10:04
brings distractions. So
01:10:06
>> obviously like one day I want to have a
01:10:07
family and and make sure they're looked
01:10:09
after. But for me, I don't need nothing.
01:10:10
Like I've
01:10:11
>> I've seen the world already and I've
01:10:14
I've tasted a lot of uh beautiful food
01:10:16
around the world and I've uh experienced
01:10:18
a lot of nice things and I'm just happy
01:10:21
to train like like even traveling I
01:10:23
actually get annoyed with it because I
01:10:25
just want to train and I want to become
01:10:26
a UFC world champion, you know, and um
01:10:29
I'm happiest when I'm by myself. I'm in
01:10:32
the gym. I'm at like like for example I
01:10:34
slept at Peeh High last night in my van.
01:10:36
Woke up beautiful like I can hear the
01:10:39
ocean. I jumped in the ocean went for a
01:10:40
swim and then I came here.
01:10:42
>> You know for me that's happiness. And
01:10:43
obviously I miss my family. Um my
01:10:46
grandparents are getting older and my
01:10:48
mom and uh it was nice to catch up with
01:10:50
them and see them. But uh at the same
01:10:52
time like I've got to be a man and make
01:10:55
my own life, you know? Like I I left my
01:10:57
family came here with a suitcase just
01:10:59
like my grandparents did. They left
01:11:01
Croatia, came to Australia with a
01:11:02
suitcase and they built a beautiful life
01:11:04
and beautiful family. So that's what I
01:11:06
want to do here.
01:11:08
So
01:11:10
>> would you describe yourself as a loner?
01:11:12
>> 100%.
01:11:12
>> Yeah. Have you got a partner?
01:11:14
>> No.
01:11:14
>> No. What? Just don't need a distraction
01:11:16
right now.
01:11:16
>> Just don't distractions now, you know?
01:11:18
I'm not ready. Like I I've got so much
01:11:20
to achieve and uh I just don't have the
01:11:24
time or the energy, you know. Like uh
01:11:26
fighting takes everything, you know. I I
01:11:27
like I said, I want to be a world
01:11:29
champion. I started fairly late and even
01:11:31
the first 5 years of my career I've
01:11:33
wasted. I thought I was training hard. I
01:11:36
thought I I wasn't. So I would say like
01:11:39
I'm at 5% of what I can be.
01:11:41
>> And and and this this is why I've had so
01:11:43
many people believe in me from the start
01:11:44
is because
01:11:46
>> they've seen me as um this massive
01:11:49
prospect. He's got a huge career and but
01:11:51
they have no idea how much I left on the
01:11:53
table. Like only I realize this now. And
01:11:56
that's why Eugene backed me from day one
01:11:58
as well cuz he saw it.
01:12:00
>> Um you like Eugene gave me a roof over
01:12:03
my head. He when my van got stolen, he
01:12:05
gave me his car, the Yariffs. Eventually
01:12:07
I I bought it off of him, but it was a
01:12:09
good year I was using it for free.
01:12:11
[laughter]
01:12:11
>> He's he's crack up, eh?
01:12:13
>> Yeah.
01:12:13
>> Is Is it true that um he was he was in
01:12:15
Perth two weeks ago, then he got the
01:12:17
night flight back and was back at the
01:12:18
gym the next morning?
01:12:19
>> Yep. He is unbelievable. I've never met
01:12:22
someone like him. Um, obviously I give
01:12:24
him a lot of [ __ ] but that's just the
01:12:26
banter that we have. But no, I love him.
01:12:28
He's he's he's a great man. He'll get up
01:12:31
at 4:00 in the morning, go to the gym,
01:12:33
run classes, take PTs. Um, he's he's got
01:12:36
a family, four kids, he's got a
01:12:39
business. Uh, he's everyone's mentor,
01:12:41
everyone's counselor. Like, he's mate,
01:12:43
he uh he's done a lot for me, you know
01:12:46
what I mean? And especially behind the
01:12:48
scenes. So, um I don't know how he does
01:12:50
it because I get overwhelmed with the
01:12:52
messages I get from people. I can only
01:12:54
imagine being him,
01:12:56
>> you know, and I always try to reply to
01:12:57
people cuz you never know who's
01:12:58
messaging you, who's not in a good
01:13:00
place. Like I've
01:13:02
>> I've spoken to dozens of people,
01:13:04
especially young men who are struggling.
01:13:06
And um yeah, just a few words can help
01:13:08
them, you know what I mean? Like can can
01:13:10
stop them from doing something stupid to
01:13:12
harm themselves or to harm others. And
01:13:15
um yeah, it's just yeah, I don't know
01:13:17
how he does it, but I'm I'm doing my
01:13:19
best.
01:13:21
>> Yeah, there's there's parallels between
01:13:22
you two. Like I'm I'm sure um Eugene's
01:13:25
financially secure. Like he's a very
01:13:27
successful businessman. He's done really
01:13:28
well. But yeah, drives a [laughter]
01:13:31
you never seen anything other than
01:13:32
jandals.
01:13:33
>> Yeah. Yeah.
01:13:35
>> Like just not not uh driven by Yeah.
01:13:38
money at all. Nah, money is money is uh
01:13:40
money is just a tool, you know, and it
01:13:43
shows you who you are as a person. So,
01:13:45
for Eugene with his money, he's very
01:13:47
generous and he's he's helped me out,
01:13:50
you know, he he when I couldn't get
01:13:52
sponsorships cuz um uh you I lost a
01:13:56
fight and stuff, he put up 10 grand of
01:13:57
his money for my fight,
01:13:59
>> you know, like who who does that? What
01:14:00
coach does that, you know? So, um yeah,
01:14:03
it's just man, he's uh he's a good man.
01:14:08
>> How can you have this relationship with
01:14:10
um like money and the Spartan lifestyle
01:14:12
when you when you've had um a taste of
01:14:14
the good life? Like I saw a photo of you
01:14:16
I think you went to Florida with Izzy.
01:14:18
>> Yeah. Yeah. Miami.
01:14:19
>> Yeah. Miami. Florida. Um with Izzy. And
01:14:21
there's a photo of you. Um looks like
01:14:22
you got a silk shirt and a cigar. Yeah.
01:14:24
>> Looks like Yeah. [laughter] You look
01:14:26
like an extra from the Hangover movie or
01:14:28
something.
01:14:30
Well, that that silk shirt was uh I
01:14:32
thought I thought it was a Sachi, right?
01:14:33
[laughter]
01:14:34
Me and Tyson Pedro and uh Benny Johnson,
01:14:36
we went to uh we just walk in the
01:14:38
streets and they have like pop-up
01:14:40
stands, all these like nice shirts and
01:14:42
stuff. It was like 20 bucks. I was like,
01:14:43
"Oh, you'll grab this." Like it was like
01:14:44
op shop, you know? And then um yeah. No,
01:14:48
look, I've I've exp that's that's what I
01:14:50
mean. Like even just the last 3 years,
01:14:51
I've traveled the world. I've seen
01:14:53
everything. I've driven nice cars. I've
01:14:55
been in nice houses. And I'm just not
01:14:58
interested in um in that. Like I would
01:15:01
rather send my grandparents or my mom on
01:15:05
like a business class flight to Croatia
01:15:08
so they can go on the island. You know
01:15:09
what I mean?
01:15:10
>> For me that's better than me going
01:15:12
business class and going like I don't
01:15:14
really like give a [ __ ] about it. Like
01:15:16
it's it's uh for for social media
01:15:18
especially young people they want they
01:15:20
want someone to um be like a Conor
01:15:23
McGregor and stuff but that's just not
01:15:24
really me. Like don't get me wrong, I do
01:15:26
show off sometimes and just whatever.
01:15:28
But
01:15:29
>> what does showing off look like for you?
01:15:31
>> I don't know, driving a G Wagon, you
01:15:33
know, like midweek and then having a
01:15:36
coffee and having a nice meal or
01:15:38
something or I don't know, like I do a
01:15:41
lot of traveling and stuff now as well.
01:15:42
So a lot of people can't do that.
01:15:44
They're working 9 to5s and they
01:15:45
[clears throat] wish they could do that.
01:15:46
So
01:15:47
>> it's it's it's not
01:15:48
>> Yeah. But people don't see how much how
01:15:51
much work how many how many years I've
01:15:53
been waking up at 2 am and going for a
01:15:55
run by myself going going in the ocean
01:15:57
swimming doing recovery going to the
01:15:59
weights gym how many like lonely nights
01:16:01
and how many early starts I've had and
01:16:04
this is not just the last couple years
01:16:06
this is like 8 years I've been doing
01:16:07
this even before that when I was playing
01:16:09
rugby I used to get up at 1 2 a.m. go to
01:16:11
the gym and you know I bought a big gym
01:16:14
setup at home and just yeah I was always
01:16:16
training so Feels like you're doing some
01:16:20
some unnecessary stuff though. Like I'm
01:16:21
thinking um just just going back to
01:16:23
sleeping um in your van at the beach at
01:16:25
PHA yesterday.
01:16:27
>> Wouldn't have that have been a more
01:16:28
enjoyable experience if there was
01:16:29
someone there with you?
01:16:31
>> Yes and no. Sorry, I'm just filling out
01:16:33
the order. [laughter]
01:16:35
>> Yes and no.
01:16:36
>> Yeah.
01:16:36
>> I mean um
01:16:40
[sighs]
01:16:41
like who who who would who would um
01:16:43
>> I don't know. [snorts] A mate or a
01:16:45
partner?
01:16:45
>> Well, I'm not going to sleep in a van
01:16:46
with a mate. Like what? Me and Eugene
01:16:47
[laughter] going to me and Eugene are
01:16:49
going to cuddle up in the van. You can
01:16:51
take top bunk. No thanks. [laughter]
01:16:55
Sorry, huge. Um, no. Like
01:16:59
I I think a lot of people aren't
01:17:01
comfortable being alone.
01:17:02
>> They can't handle it because there's
01:17:04
there's too much silence and they have
01:17:06
to go
01:17:07
>> deep uh dig deep into the inner self.
01:17:09
You know,
01:17:11
>> mate, I've I've battled my demons. I've
01:17:14
uh I've been to hell and back, you know.
01:17:16
What's that saying? you know, the road
01:17:17
to heaven feels like hell and the road
01:17:19
to uh hell feels like heaven.
01:17:21
>> So, I found just a repeat of that. I
01:17:23
don't know. I have to rewind that. But
01:17:25
there's a saying like that, you know.
01:17:26
So,
01:17:27
>> yeah,
01:17:27
>> the easy the the easy road, you know,
01:17:31
it's u you think it's going to be good,
01:17:32
but ends up not being good.
01:17:34
>> Yeah, there's a saying I really like. Um
01:17:36
hard choice, easy life.
01:17:38
>> Easy choice, hard life.
01:17:39
>> That's what I was trying to say. I
01:17:40
haven't had my coffee yet. [laughter]
01:17:42
Um, yeah. So, I just I do things that
01:17:45
aren't uh easy all the time. And
01:17:48
sometimes just sitting with yourself
01:17:49
thinking about the mistakes you've made
01:17:51
or what you can do, what's the next
01:17:53
move, it's it's hard. People are
01:17:55
distracted, you know, with social media
01:17:57
um with their phones and just hanging
01:17:59
around with the wrong people. Like, I
01:18:01
used to do that. I used to hate being
01:18:03
alone. So, I would uh hang out with
01:18:04
anyone I could, you know what I mean?
01:18:06
And that's not the right thing to do
01:18:07
sometimes. Sometimes it's better to
01:18:08
suffer to be by yourself and just to
01:18:11
learn about yourself.
01:18:12
>> And um yeah, I'm just I can just do it
01:18:16
now. I'm comfortable. Like I go to Ph.
01:18:18
have a fire on a beach. I'll jump in the
01:18:19
water. I'll have a feed. I go to sleep.
01:18:22
Um I love hiking uh hiking like all the
01:18:26
west coast of New Zealand. So it's just
01:18:28
something that I enjoy and it's for my
01:18:29
mind because we train so hard. We need
01:18:32
to reset our mind and we need to ground
01:18:34
ourselves and just get out the city. You
01:18:36
know what I mean? cuz I like I grew up
01:18:37
in a country town.
01:18:39
>> I don't like cities. There's too much
01:18:40
noise. There's too many people, too much
01:18:43
bad energy there. So, I like to go out
01:18:44
in nature and just uh yeah, connect with
01:18:46
it.
01:18:49
>> Are you are you worried at all that
01:18:50
you're like if you if you reach your
01:18:53
ultimate goal of being the world
01:18:54
champion, your life is going to change
01:18:55
so dramatically.
01:18:57
[snorts]
01:18:58
>> Is that a fear for you?
01:18:59
>> Um not really. Um I'm like, don't get me
01:19:03
wrong, I want to be a superstar. So, I
01:19:05
want to be a superstar. I want to do
01:19:06
some superstar [ __ ] in my life. Um, I
01:19:09
want to make sure that my name is
01:19:10
remembered forever and when I have kids
01:19:12
that their name is respected as well.
01:19:15
>> Um, but I know as soon as you lose or
01:19:19
you retire, no one really cares anymore.
01:19:21
>> So, I'm here to get the belt, make my
01:19:24
fame, make my money, meet as many
01:19:27
beautiful people in my life as I can,
01:19:29
>> help as many people as I can, and then
01:19:31
just retire and sell off into the
01:19:33
sunset. Um whether I open a gym up or I
01:19:37
stay at City Kickboxing to help, I don't
01:19:40
know. But uh all I know is my career has
01:19:42
just started. I got a good 10 years in
01:19:44
me.
01:19:45
>> 9 10 years and I'm just going to do the
01:19:47
best I can and uh try to represent all
01:19:50
my countries to the best of my ability.
01:19:52
>> Yeah. You've had
01:19:53
>> all the islands, [laughter] all the tles
01:19:54
and all sorts, the churros.
01:19:57
>> Yeah. You you've had a taste of that um
01:19:59
superstar lifestyle that you're talking
01:20:00
about. Like I it doesn't get much bigger
01:20:02
than being in Miami with Israel
01:20:04
Adisagna. Um Yeah. Yeah. What does that
01:20:06
look like rolling with Izzy after a UFC
01:20:10
fight?
01:20:11
>> It just feels normal.
01:20:12
>> Yeah. Did you meet anyone cool? I heard
01:20:14
him on a podcast. Maybe it was Flagrant
01:20:16
or Joe Rogan and he talked about um
01:20:17
Diddy was trying to DM him that night.
01:20:19
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter]
01:20:21
Yeah. That was Yeah. Yeah.
01:20:25
Um, look, uh,
01:20:28
I've just I'm so grateful that I've had
01:20:30
the privilege of being next to him, um,
01:20:32
at some of his best wins and even his
01:20:34
best like even his losses,
01:20:36
>> you know, cuz, uh, he's never changed as
01:20:38
a person.
01:20:39
>> And he's just been a really good role
01:20:41
model for me. So, like, when I get to
01:20:43
that level, I can handle it. And if I
01:20:46
ever need help, like he's just a message
01:20:48
away. And um he's just a [ __ ] like
01:20:51
he's he's he's one of a kind, you know,
01:20:53
and uh I know he's going to do great
01:20:55
things. Like to see him last night at
01:20:57
Afro Soul when he was on the stage and
01:20:59
he was DJing,
01:21:00
>> man, he's learned how to DJ in like a
01:21:02
couple months. It's crazy. That guy can
01:21:04
do anything he wants to in life. And
01:21:06
fighting is just the the first chapter
01:21:08
for him. There's so many more chapters
01:21:09
to come. So, I'm just excited to see
01:21:11
what he can do. M
01:21:13
>> and um yeah,
01:21:14
>> what um what advice would you give
01:21:16
someone stuck in the same position as
01:21:18
you were? Say like 24, broke, lost, but
01:21:21
dreaming of something bigger.
01:21:23
>> Just um don't don't give up on yourself
01:21:26
yet. You know, like you set a timeline
01:21:29
for yourself. Like for me, I was like,
01:21:30
"Oh, um you know, I'm going to be a
01:21:33
fighter and be a champion by 20." I
01:21:36
didn't start training till I was 24.
01:21:38
>> Um so yeah, I would say don't give up on
01:21:40
yourself. M um stay away from negative
01:21:43
people. Could be friends or family. Um
01:21:46
and get [clears throat] to a gym. It
01:21:47
could be any gym. Any mixed martial arts
01:21:49
gym, boxing, kickboxing, mate. If you
01:21:51
like karate, do karate. Who cares? Um
01:21:55
just get to a gym and start training. Uh
01:21:57
learning how to be disciplined, learning
01:21:59
how to control your emotions, and it it
01:22:02
humbles you. You know, I remember my
01:22:04
first jiu-jitsu session, I had this guy
01:22:06
was like 60 kilos, and he just pinned me
01:22:08
down and like submitted me. I was like,
01:22:10
"How's this possible? I'm 135 and he
01:22:13
just destroyed me." So, it really
01:22:14
humbled me. Um, so I'll just say get to
01:22:16
a gym and um yeah, just just train, you
01:22:20
know, like get off the streets. Uh,
01:22:23
man, like this like for example, the
01:22:26
walk without fear trust we have.
01:22:28
>> There is a massive culture here and it's
01:22:31
not good. And it's basically street
01:22:33
violence. You know,
01:22:34
>> everyone thinks they're tough for having
01:22:36
fights in the street
01:22:37
>> and uh it's not. It's not, you know,
01:22:40
you're you're you're potentially going
01:22:42
to kill someone um whether you like it
01:22:45
or not. We think about it or not. And um
01:22:47
for example, uh one of our teammates,
01:22:49
Falvak,
01:22:51
>> got uh coward punched, got punched from
01:22:53
behind and he died. And everyone's lives
01:22:57
have have changed forever. All his
01:22:59
family, friends, the gym is is never
01:23:01
going to be the same again. And it was
01:23:03
just stupid. It wasn't necessary. Mhm.
01:23:05
>> Um so now with the walk without fear
01:23:07
trust, we are trying to educate uh
01:23:10
school kids um and youth about the
01:23:12
effects of this. So um yeah, we're
01:23:16
trying to raise funds so we can travel
01:23:18
around to schools and do mentorship
01:23:20
programs and just educate people that,
01:23:23
you know, like it's not good to hit
01:23:25
someone from behind. You're going to
01:23:26
kill them. And the law, we're trying to
01:23:28
get the laws changed because in
01:23:29
Australia, if you hit someone from
01:23:30
behind, you're trying to kill them. you
01:23:32
you're going to go out to jail for 10
01:23:34
years.
01:23:35
>> F the guy that hit F got 6 months of
01:23:37
home detention I believe and that was
01:23:39
and that was during co
01:23:41
>> like when everyone was on bloody home D.
01:23:44
>> So um yeah it's just tragic and it's
01:23:46
it's it's not um it's it's just yeah
01:23:51
it's disgusting. So
01:23:52
>> were you were you at City Kickboxing
01:23:53
when when all this went down or did you
01:23:55
come after that?
01:23:56
>> I came after that. I was I was planning
01:23:58
on coming but it was during sort of co
01:24:00
so um
01:24:01
>> you were well aware of the like the
01:24:02
massive ripple effect it had
01:24:04
>> 100%. So even when I won the uh the the
01:24:07
tough man tournament in uh Queensland I
01:24:09
won that 20,000 I donated money to to
01:24:12
the gym because I was so like I was so I
01:24:16
was affected. I didn't even I didn't
01:24:18
even know like I I fought I fought in
01:24:20
the same card as FO and Ana Fury in
01:24:23
Hamilton. M
01:24:24
>> that was actually my second professional
01:24:26
fight. I remember seeing him in the
01:24:27
corner with with his brothers uh John
01:24:30
and and James Vake and just I just saw
01:24:33
them once and then when I heard about
01:24:35
him passing away man like I actually
01:24:38
cried. So um like I donated some money
01:24:40
to the cause
01:24:42
>> and I would appreciate anyone who
01:24:44
supports u me to to to go to walk
01:24:46
without fearust.org and support the
01:24:49
cause um because we are trying to raise
01:24:51
money. We've got a raffle going on now.
01:24:53
It's uh we're we're selling tickets for
01:24:55
this BMW. Um Israel and Eugene um are
01:24:59
behind it with all the USC fighters. So,
01:25:01
we are trying to raise money for this so
01:25:03
we can travel around New Zealand,
01:25:05
educate uh the children,
01:25:07
>> the youth, and just just get these laws
01:25:09
changed because it's so important to us.
01:25:11
Um we don't want another family to
01:25:12
suffer um to lose a son, a father, um a
01:25:16
brother, and it's yeah, it's uh street
01:25:19
violence is is is not good. Go to a gym,
01:25:21
get your frustrations out in the bag,
01:25:23
>> and if you want to really be a tough
01:25:25
guy,
01:25:26
>> be disciplined, listen to your trainer,
01:25:28
and have a fight, a proper fight in in a
01:25:30
cage or a ring, you know, not on the
01:25:32
street.
01:25:33
>> I I [snorts] love how it's been um it's
01:25:35
been a slow process, but it's been, you
01:25:36
know, reframed here
01:25:38
>> um from um king hit to coward punch cuz
01:25:41
it it is it's a coward act.
01:25:42
>> Yeah. Yeah. And and I've got a big scar
01:25:45
on the back of my head from from getting
01:25:46
hit from behind. And um man, like I'm a
01:25:50
big dude. I'm 6'5. Like I was 150 kilos
01:25:53
at one point. And when I got hit, it was
01:25:56
by a small small guy. And uh like I I
01:25:59
got dropped. And uh I could have died as
01:26:01
well. I could have hit my head on the
01:26:02
ground.
01:26:03
>> And it's just for what, you know, cuz
01:26:05
cuz you're you're drunk or you think
01:26:06
you're tough or you're
01:26:07
>> you can't handle your emotions. So it's
01:26:10
just it's just it's very cowardly.
01:26:12
>> Yeah.
01:26:13
>> Well, thanks for sharing that stuff.
01:26:15
Appreciate it.
01:26:16
>> Thank you. What's your what's your inner
01:26:17
voice like? Your inner critic. Are you
01:26:19
quite kind to yourself?
01:26:20
>> I am. I am. And uh I back myself fully.
01:26:23
It never used to be like that. I used to
01:26:25
be very negative.
01:26:26
>> And Tyson and Pedro um he actually used
01:26:29
to get me to say six positive
01:26:31
affirmations a day [laughter]
01:26:33
cuz I used to be very negative. Um but
01:26:36
I'm very kind to myself and I I know
01:26:38
that I'm a good person and yeah, I know
01:26:41
what I can do. So um I've changed the
01:26:43
the inner monologue for sure. six
01:26:46
positive affirmations like sort of
01:26:48
things you're grateful for.
01:26:49
>> Grateful for. Yeah, that was the start
01:26:50
of it. So, and then even just like
01:26:52
backing myself like Izzy always says to
01:26:54
yourself like back yourself, you know,
01:26:56
feel yourself. And that's what I did
01:26:57
when I fought. I don't know if you saw
01:26:59
the fight, but when I walked out, mate,
01:27:01
I there was no there was no fear there.
01:27:03
It was just joy. I I used to have more
01:27:05
fear fighting on local shows cuz all the
01:27:08
pressure is like, "Oh, if I don't win
01:27:09
this fight, it's like another year
01:27:10
before I get in the UFC." But now I'm in
01:27:12
the UFC, there's no pressure. I I said
01:27:14
to myself all I had to do in my life was
01:27:17
get to the UFC and the rest of it will
01:27:19
take care of itself,
01:27:20
>> you know. So, yeah.
01:27:23
>> What are your best and worst habits?
01:27:26
>> Best habit
01:27:30
>> is I don't give up
01:27:31
>> and I I always persevere and I've been
01:27:33
in some real bad situations and I've
01:27:36
just got this uh I got this thing in my
01:27:39
head where it's like I've burnt the
01:27:42
boats. there is I have to go forward. I
01:27:44
can't go back,
01:27:45
>> you know. So, uh I can get through a
01:27:48
lot. Uh worst habits will probably be my
01:27:51
diet.
01:27:52
[laughter and gasps] I do love a feed.
01:27:54
Um
01:27:55
>> like what what's what's your guilty
01:27:56
pleasure?
01:27:57
>> Oh, give me a terry mass. I love a terry
01:28:00
mass. I love sweets. I love like a nice
01:28:03
cake and a coffee. Um but yeah, I just I
01:28:06
just
01:28:06
>> That's not the end of the world, is
01:28:07
that? Like so bad.
01:28:09
>> I used to be 150 kilos, you know. So, I
01:28:11
got to tighten the rig up a little bit,
01:28:13
you [laughter] know, trying to trying to
01:28:15
trying to get some muscles like uh Joe
01:28:17
Parker.
01:28:18
>> Oh, yeah. He's looking good.
01:28:20
>> He's looking great. And George, he works
01:28:21
with George Lockhart.
01:28:22
>> Yes. I had him on the podcast.
01:28:24
>> Yeah. Yeah. He's he's good, man.
01:28:25
>> Yeah, he is.
01:28:27
>> Um, when was the last time you you
01:28:29
cried?
01:28:30
>> Well, last time I cried before I came on
01:28:32
this podcast.
01:28:33
>> This morning.
01:28:34
>> Yeah.
01:28:35
>> What about [sighs]
01:28:36
>> uh hit my toe? [laughter]
01:28:38
Hit my toe on the rocker.
01:28:41
mate,
01:28:43
there's a few swear words in there, a
01:28:44
few sea bombs.
01:28:47
>> Uh, but no, serious in all seriousness,
01:28:49
uh, it would be when I spoke to my mom
01:28:50
after my fight.
01:28:51
>> Yeah.
01:28:52
>> Yeah. Yeah. Cuz, uh, I could see how
01:28:54
Well, she was crying and I was trying to
01:28:57
be like strong and stuff and Yeah. It's
01:28:59
It's hard It's hard to hear people I
01:29:02
love say they're proud of me. You know
01:29:03
what I mean? Like, it's like um
01:29:05
>> But it's nice. It's nice.
01:29:07
>> Why is it hard?
01:29:09
I never used to hear it growing up, you
01:29:10
know what I mean? So to hear it now as a
01:29:11
31y old man, it's just uh not normal for
01:29:15
me. And uh it's like there's two things
01:29:17
I I can't really accept. I'm trying to
01:29:19
get better at it is like gifts and
01:29:21
compliments.
01:29:22
>> You know what I mean? But I'm getting
01:29:23
better.
01:29:24
>> I got given a nice cigar the other night
01:29:26
and I took it. I enjoyed it last night
01:29:28
in Phar. So that was that was that was
01:29:30
that was great.
01:29:30
>> Who gave you the cigar?
01:29:32
>> Uh one of my sponsors. Um they're into
01:29:34
their cigars. I don't smoke, but I
01:29:36
thought stuff it might as well have a
01:29:38
victory cigar.
01:29:39
>> 100%. What What are you most afraid of?
01:29:42
>> Oh, most afraid of
01:29:45
>> I reckon I can answer this for you.
01:29:47
>> All right.
01:29:49
>> Not reaching your potential.
01:29:51
>> That's the one.
01:29:52
>> Yeah.
01:29:52
>> Yeah, that's the one. Yeah, for sure.
01:29:54
And uh just just um
01:29:59
>> just leaving stuff on the table, you
01:30:01
know what I mean? Because I've seen it
01:30:02
with my uncle. He was a great boxer. I
01:30:05
think he was 10 and one as a boxer. He
01:30:07
had a family and then um yeah, he looked
01:30:10
after his parents. Parents got sick and
01:30:14
um man up until 50. He's he's like 52
01:30:17
now. He was so he was so gift I think he
01:30:20
could have won a world title up until
01:30:22
50. He was amazing. Just very good
01:30:24
genetics and I get my genetics from him
01:30:26
obviously as well. So um yeah, I just I
01:30:29
just wanted to um I want to do this for
01:30:32
him as well, you know what I mean?
01:30:33
because I can see how much joy it brings
01:30:34
him seeing me succeed and uh yeah but no
01:30:37
you hit the nail on the head for sure.
01:30:40
>> Do you have any regrets?
01:30:42
>> Um I used to I used to
01:30:46
I don't think I have any regrets anymore
01:30:48
>> because uh everything happens for a
01:30:51
reason and it's made me who I am today.
01:30:52
Yeah.
01:30:53
>> One regret I would say I still have is
01:30:57
um
01:30:59
Yeah, probably like probably my cousin,
01:31:01
you know, I think I could have done more
01:31:02
to help him.
01:31:03
>> M
01:31:03
>> but that's probably that's probably
01:31:05
about it. Yeah. Yeah.
01:31:08
>> Did he take his own life?
01:31:10
>> Uh
01:31:12
don't know.
01:31:13
>> Don't know. But um from what we know
01:31:16
like he had a heart attack and um yeah
01:31:19
it's it's hard to say like
01:31:21
>> you know I could talk about that uh just
01:31:24
a little bit. Um, so he used to live
01:31:25
with me and um,
01:31:28
uh, yeah, we had a big fight one night
01:31:32
and for a few reasons and I gave him
01:31:34
option um, you know, change your life or
01:31:37
you can basically get out and then he
01:31:40
just decided to move and um, yeah, we
01:31:43
had a falling out, try to get back in
01:31:46
contact and stuff and then he was
01:31:48
hanging around the wrong people and then
01:31:49
I went there and uh, tried to make peace
01:31:51
and stuff and then the people he was
01:31:54
hanging around um weren't good people
01:31:56
and uh I threatened them basically and I
01:32:00
said if you ever do that to my cousin
01:32:02
you're done whatever. Anyway, long story
01:32:05
short, um we we had a falling out and uh
01:32:09
yeah, never really got back in contact
01:32:12
properly again and he had the he left a
01:32:15
flag at my house
01:32:17
and um went to go give that flag back to
01:32:20
him
01:32:22
and the uh [ __ ] [snorts]
01:32:25
And basically uh
01:32:28
yeah uh I went to his house
01:32:32
and I kept driving cuz I just didn't
01:32:36
feel like it, you know. And um [ __ ] 2
01:32:40
days later he was found dead
01:32:44
>> um by his uncle, but he was there for
01:32:46
like 3 or 4 days. So I think if I went
01:32:49
there like I would have found him. But
01:32:53
yeah, I just I just felt uh Yeah, just
01:32:56
felt responsible.
01:33:00
Yeah,
01:33:02
>> but that's my only regret.
01:33:03
>> Yeah.
01:33:06
>> [ __ ] You're a good bastard, eh? You
01:33:09
really wear your heart on your sleeve.
01:33:11
>> What are there three
01:33:13
>> [ __ ] questions, mate? [laughter]
01:33:15
>> [ __ ] you is going to erase me now. Yeah.
01:33:19
[gasps]
01:33:20
What three words would you like um Yeah.
01:33:22
[snorts]
01:33:23
Say say your um your mom and your
01:33:26
grandparents were in the next room and
01:33:28
they were talking about you behind your
01:33:29
back. What three words would you like
01:33:30
them to use to describe you?
01:33:33
>> Um [sighs]
01:33:35
my mom
01:33:37
mate my mom picked me up from uh the
01:33:40
lock house the you know we get the watch
01:33:42
house where we call it
01:33:43
>> the holding cells. the holding cells
01:33:45
when I was like 18, 19 and she just
01:33:49
looked at me and she basically laughed
01:33:51
and she said, "You're just like your
01:33:52
dad."
01:33:53
>> Um, like she she just loves me so much.
01:33:56
You know what I mean? Um, but yeah, I I
01:33:59
couldn't do anything wrong in my mom's
01:34:00
eyes. Um, but yeah, my my family would
01:34:04
say that I'm very generous, very loving,
01:34:07
very caring.
01:34:08
>> Um, especially when it comes to like
01:34:09
older people, you know, yeah, tend to
01:34:12
look after them. Apart from that old
01:34:15
lady on the beach that you told to [ __ ]
01:34:16
off.
01:34:17
>> Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. Basically,
01:34:18
basically. I I would actually love if
01:34:21
she ever sees uh sees this, I would
01:34:23
actually love for her to contact me cuz
01:34:25
uh
01:34:26
>> I I got so many questions asked her
01:34:28
>> cuz I was never really into like
01:34:30
>> that kind of spiritual stuff and just
01:34:33
there was so many
01:34:34
>> so many things that she said and I just
01:34:36
it was so random and uh really really
01:34:39
threw me off and uh
01:34:40
>> yeah, if it wasn't for that like mate,
01:34:43
who knows who knows where I'll be.
01:34:47
>> There's that saying everything happens
01:34:48
for a reason. Yeah, it seems like there
01:34:49
was a lot of crazy [ __ ] going on that
01:34:50
day. Like from the the gun not working
01:34:53
to this chance meeting at a beach.
01:34:56
>> Yeah.
01:34:56
>> You meant to be here.
01:34:58
>> Yeah. And wasn't your time.
01:34:59
>> It wasn't my time. And uh like I said,
01:35:01
I've had a lot of second chances in
01:35:03
life. And uh I know my purpose now. I
01:35:05
know who I am.
01:35:07
>> I've worked very very hard to get to
01:35:09
this point. And I'm proud of myself. And
01:35:11
uh I know I can help a lot of people in
01:35:13
in my lifetime. So that's what I want to
01:35:15
do. Um, I started fighting for myself,
01:35:17
but now I'm fighting for for a lot more.
01:35:20
>> Yeah.
01:35:21
>> What's next? When's the next fight?
01:35:23
>> The next fight, I wish it was in
01:35:25
October, November, December. I don't
01:35:27
know. Um, I had a few call outs that I
01:35:30
wanted to make.
01:35:31
>> Um, [snorts]
01:35:32
but yeah, I'm going to fight whoever the
01:35:35
UFC give me. Um, when I've when when I
01:35:39
when I have had a proper job, I've been
01:35:40
the best worker. So, I've uh [laughter]
01:35:44
now I've got a proper job. Um I'm just
01:35:46
going to listen and uh yeah, I'm going
01:35:48
to perform, put a show on for the crowd.
01:35:50
>> That's it. [snorts]
01:35:51
>> So, hopefully in the next sort of 6
01:35:53
months to a year, you'll be on a UFC a
01:35:55
big UFC card somewhere.
01:35:57
>> 100%. It would be it'll be less than 6
01:35:58
months for sure.
01:35:59
>> Um I'm hoping by December. So,
01:36:02
>> what would that pay? Any idea of what
01:36:04
sort of pay scale?
01:36:05
>> Yeah. Yeah. Um mate, I've been fighting
01:36:07
for free. I've been paying to fight. So,
01:36:09
I don't give a I don't give a [ __ ] if
01:36:10
they give me $1,000. I am happy to be in
01:36:13
the UFC. I'm happy to be fighting
01:36:15
>> and I plan to get a bonus every time I
01:36:18
fight cuz that bonus does help.
01:36:20
>> Um, and yeah, I just m I'm not like I'm
01:36:23
not doing this for money.
01:36:25
>> Like the money will come.
01:36:26
>> Um, I know I'll be there and that's
01:36:28
fine, but I am doing this to prove
01:36:30
myself right and uh a lot of others
01:36:33
wrong as well.
01:36:34
>> So, not that I care what they think, but
01:36:36
it's just nice to, you know, have a
01:36:37
little dig. [snorts] Use Yeah. Use your
01:36:39
haters as motivators.
01:36:40
>> Yeah.
01:36:41
>> Um Yeah. There's a saying I really like,
01:36:43
do what you love and the money will
01:36:44
follow.
01:36:44
>> Yeah. And that's what I've done, you
01:36:46
know. Um I've turned down a 180 grand
01:36:48
job in the mines uh before I came to New
01:36:51
Zealand, you know.
01:36:52
>> Mhm.
01:36:53
>> You can give me half a million dollars a
01:36:55
year. If it's not doing this, I don't
01:36:57
want to do it,
01:36:58
>> you know. Um and look, I was great at
01:37:01
rugby as well, you know, and I didn't
01:37:02
even train for it. I was just naturally
01:37:04
talented and gifted. and even rugby like
01:37:06
I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do cuz
01:37:09
it is a team sport and I'm a very
01:37:11
isolated uh individual and I don't like
01:37:14
to rely on people. I like to rely on
01:37:16
myself. So yeah.
01:37:18
>> Do you think you're ever going to be
01:37:19
able to let someone in?
01:37:21
>> 100%. I've let a lot of people in. Like
01:37:23
don't get me wrong, my circle is very
01:37:24
tight,
01:37:25
>> but there's there's a good 50 people in
01:37:26
there. Like I got a lot of I got a lot
01:37:29
lot of friends and family and uh and
01:37:31
yeah,
01:37:32
>> can't let everyone in,
01:37:34
>> you know, but there's a lot of people
01:37:35
around me for sure.
01:37:37
>> Hey, well, thanks so much for coming on
01:37:39
the podcast today. This is this has been
01:37:40
a lot of fun. How's it been for you,
01:37:42
>> mate? It's been amazing. I really
01:37:43
appreciate you uh spending time with me
01:37:45
and giving me opportunity and uh yeah,
01:37:47
look forward to the next one,
01:37:49
>> mate. Yeah, 100%. Let's do this again.
01:37:52
>> Um I'm super inspired, mate. like um
01:37:54
yeah, you you've obviously got this
01:37:56
natural talent, but um just a crazy
01:37:58
amount of hard work to back it up as
01:38:00
well.
01:38:00
>> Yeah. And and that's the secret recipe,
01:38:02
you know, like um I know I'm naturally
01:38:04
gifted, but I've worked bloody hard and
01:38:07
uh it's just the start, you know. Um I
01:38:10
got a long career ahead of me. I'm not
01:38:12
perfect now, but we're always trying to
01:38:14
get better. So, yeah.
01:38:16
>> Where are you off to after this? Where's
01:38:17
the van going?
01:38:18
>> Uh the van is going to go to the gym.
01:38:20
I'm going to train and I'm probably
01:38:22
going to get dinner tonight with uh
01:38:24
Tyson Pedro. He's here for for a night
01:38:27
or two. So, I'm going to enjoy a nice
01:38:29
meal with him
01:38:30
>> and then I'll probably head to a a local
01:38:33
park or a beach or something. There's
01:38:35
actually a there's a there's a guy sauna
01:38:39
collective NZ. He sets up a sauna down I
01:38:41
think Milford Beach
01:38:43
>> and you jump in the sauna, jump in the
01:38:44
ocean. So when that's on, I'll be
01:38:46
parking the van there, having a session
01:38:48
cuz I love that, you know, jump in the
01:38:50
ocean and have a nice sauna. It's
01:38:52
beautiful.
01:38:54
>> Well, the Bulan beer, [laughter] this
01:38:55
has been amazing, mate. And I'm I'm so
01:38:57
excited to see what the future holds for
01:38:59
you because I've got absolutely no doubt
01:39:01
after meeting with you and sitting with
01:39:02
you that all the goals that you wrote
01:39:04
down on that sheet of paper all those
01:39:05
years ago are going to come to fruition.
01:39:07
>> Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. And
01:39:09
uh please guys, if you can go to
01:39:12
walkofourfeartrust.org
01:39:13
and support the cause. Um, yeah, it just
01:39:16
mean a lot to us at City Kick Boxing and
01:39:19
to myself. So, thank you, Dom.
01:39:22
>> Cheers, Brando. Great place to end it.