Burn Factory podcast is with none other than #10 ranked UFC Flyweight superstar Tracy Cortez! In this episode, Tracy talks about the harsh childhood she endured, from being kicked out of her house at 17 to losing her brother and mother to cancer. Tracy Cortez shows resilience and perseverance in the middle of trials. Not only that, Tracy also talks about the road to becoming a future UFC champion and her experience fighting on UFC Noche. You will want to catch this episode!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to The Burn Factory Podcast with Priest and Phoenix Rivera.
Listen as the voice interview the biggest names in sports
and entertainment. The Burn Factory start Snow.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What is up? Guys?
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome back to another episode of The Burn Factory Podcast.
I'm your host, Parice jump By my co host, my brother,
the one and only Phoenix say what's up? For the camera?
What's up? Y'all? This is called the Burn Factory for
a reason. I was literally caught on fire fifty percent
chance to survive, but through that started this podcast because
I believe every single person out there on this planet
(00:38):
goes through a burn moment somewhere in their life.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You heard pre say a burn moment. So a burn
moment is a super hard time in your life that
you just have to fight and overcome. And me and
Priest believe that every single person on this earth go
through burn moments that truly build them to who they are.
But what an amazing guest we have today. Our guest
today truly has lived a life full of burn moments.
She defines what it means to be perseveillant and resilient
(01:04):
in the midst of trials and tribulations and not to mission.
She's a freaking badass. She's the number ten ranked UFC
flyway in the world and has many championship fights on
her horizon.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So please give a welcome to miss Tracy Cortes.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
What an intro? My god, thank you? I tried.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I try. God that speechless Bruce Buffer? Where are you at?
Hold up? Phoenix is coming for Bruce Buffer? Spot did
you guys?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Hear?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Bruce Buffer? Though? Mess up in the fights this past
week In at UFC two ninety five, in the main event,
he called he was introducing Alex Pahara. He goes fighting
out of the red corner and he was in the
blue corner. He's like, oh, fighting on the blue corner. Oh,
I'm surprised you don't take that out first ever. That's
like his first of it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I hate that feeling when you're like that, You're like,
oh no.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
But he really puts like all his energy into those
Like when I when I see him when I go
to these fights, he's warming up, he's stretching, he's like
working out his jaw, his neck, he's bouncing. I'm like, oh, wow,
he's really gonna give it his all.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, it's like he's about ready to go fight. He's
sitting in the back and he's stretching his legs out.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
He's literally warming up.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Dang, that guy's going crazy. But I mean that's his job.
He's got to go one hundred percent at it. But Chase,
you gotta ask. So we were all hanging out last
night and I was playing some music. Am I the
greatest DJ out there on the planet?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
You have some gems? You have some was taken back
all the way from like in Flakupisalo to Katy Perry's
I know, come on, you had some bangers.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, yeah, that's good. I'll take that and put on
my resume. I need a resume. You know how he
did with Chase. I needed any one of us. I
should give you a resume. Yes, please do.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I want to feel it. I want to feel you
feel But all right, Tracy. So on this podcast, we
do use the acronym burn. So each letter is kind
of a different time in your life. So starting with
b B is beginning. So take us to the beginning
of your life where there's some burn moments that you
had to overcome that you could share with us.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You like the beginning was so beautiful. I had the
most incredible childhood. Grew up with three big brothers. That's
why I'm like such a like tough tough girl inside.
I mean I may show off a little girly, but
I'm pretty tough. And everything kind of like shifted on me.
(03:38):
And like in my life when I started hitting my teenageers,
my brother was going through cancer. I grew up in
a very Mexican traditional household, so I was only able
to go to school and back home. I could Yeah,
I couldn't do sports. I couldn't do any extra curricular activities.
(03:59):
I couldn't have friends. If I did have a friend,
I could never go over. They had to come over. Yeah.
It was just it was. It was pretty hard. Once
I started growing up and wanted to like you know,
and they say like, oh, you got to let them
go a little bit, like let them just grow up.
They never they're no like come back home, cook clean,
(04:20):
stay in your room. Like I was so sheltered. I
was extremely sheltered.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
What age did that all kind of start to turn
and you went out?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So I was young, I was like in middle school.
I was in middle school where I was like, oh,
can I go to the movies with my friends, and no,
then my brothers would all leave and I'll just stay home.
And I was just like and I didn't get it.
And to this I now as an adult, it's okay.
I understand they were taking care of me, especially because
we lived in a bad neighborhood. But growing up, when
(04:51):
you see your other siblings which are all older, like
older than you, and you're you're the youngest and the
only female, you think you're almost like them, right, I
thought like, well, I'm one of like I'm your kids too.
Why can't I go to the movies? And they never
give me an explanation. The only thing that they will
say is because I said so, you know, And I
was like, so, then I'll be in my room and
(05:14):
just I was really into coloring, and then I would
have a friend over. And I was such a nice
kid growing up. I like when I had friends, I
would give them everything. Oh my god, I like this,
take it like, oh my god, you like it, take
it like it was just it made my heart happy
giving them things. So then my mom would see that
(05:36):
they would kind of take advantage of me, and then
they weren't allowed, but she wouldn't tell me why, Like
they're just not allowed to come over no more. I'm
like why, And because we said so, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
So.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I ended up reveling. At a really young age, really
really young age, I ended up rubbling.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
That's really bad. Did it make you angry during that time?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, I was granted. My brother was going through he
had like radiation, open brain surgery, he had open heart surgery,
he had chemo, he had everything you could think of.
It was. It was insane what he was going through.
And everybody was kind of in their own world. Like
(06:17):
my brothers had the wrestling as their gateway to like
let out their frustration, right, But me, I wasn't able
to do anything. So then I would find little Maybe
that's why I liked adrenaline. I would find these friends
that were getting into trouble because I found adrenaline, Like
(06:38):
I would almost distract myself from what was going on,
you know, because I went from seeing my brother like
the strongest person you could think of, he was like
Hulk to me my oldest brother. He's the one I
have tied it on my arm, And yeah it was.
I started hanging around with the wrong crowd. I started
doing drugs, I started at a young age doing everything
(07:01):
I can do to as a gateway, as an outlet,
because I wasn't allowed to do anything else right, I
just knew I had to be sneaky. It was so bad,
I had to be sneaky. So I remember being in
middle school and when I was at school, that was
like my time to have fun because I wasn't able
(07:21):
to have fun when I was at home, so I
would I would ditch school, I would hang out with
the wrong crowds, I wouldn't go to classes. And then
when the end of the school came, I was like,
oh my god, I gotta go home now, because if not,
I would get a whooping if I'm later, if I'm
home later than four thirty, or I'll get grounded, or
I'll be like obligated to do chores more chores. So
(07:46):
they were really strict on me.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Do you think they were more strict just because what
your brother was going through? Was that kind of from.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
The beginning, Yeah, we call like my cheese must where
it's like the women stay at the house. This is
so old school. The woman stay at home, and then
the guys are able to work and be out and
out and.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
About whenever you were going through all those emotions with
what your brother was going through. What brought you out
of that at such a young age of being all
depressed and sad and.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I don't It's crazy because looking back now, there's a
big period of my life that I don't remember. I
don't remember. I just remember my brother, like holding my
brother's head because he was on the bed and he
passed away, and just crying going home. Then after that,
everything's kind of just a blur, like for maybe four years,
(08:41):
three years. And then when I started like getting on
my feet, I was like, maybe because my brother died
when I was fifteen, and then at nineteen, my mom
started getting really sick and then she passed away a
little before I turned twenty, so five years later. And
but what got me through my brother was my mom.
I saw her crying and I was trying to comfort
(09:02):
her and she looked at me. She said, your brother
was fighting for his life and you're killing yours. Oh
that one hit me. I just that one hit me.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
That's the moment, right, Yeah, that one.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I was like, oh my god, what am I doing
with my life? I was like, I'm and it hurt.
It would hurt me to see my mom cry. Like
my mom was my guardian angel, you know, she was
my best friend. She was the one that that although
my brothers and my dad wouldn't allow me to do
a lot, she'll come and she'll comfort me, and she'll
talk to me and she'll explain to me. She always
(09:41):
protected me.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Oh yeah, then what age did you start getting into fighting?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Uh? Shortly after my dad kicked me out?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Kicked you out?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah, he kicked me out, like right before my seventeenth birthday.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Sixteen years old.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, it was cold. I had to be like November,
early December. Had to because shortly after I turned seventeen.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
What was the reason why.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He caught me? This? So the one time I got
I get caught. I was trying to be no. I
got caught several times. But the one time I actually
did it where I wasn't sneaking out to like go
party or do some rebel stuff. My friend calls me, Tracy,
I need a ride. He was too drunk to get home,
(10:29):
and I was like, oh my god. And at this time,
we only had like the phones where you could like
call through the like we'll get in the kitchen and yeah, yeah,
and I was like, why are you calling so late?
And he was like, I need to ride home. Can
you pick me up? Granted I don't have a driver's license.
I don't I'm sixteen. And I'm like, okay, I'll be
right there. Where are you at? And he told me
(10:50):
the cross streets, like oh, and we had no GPS.
I had no phone at sixteen, So I like, grab
my mom's car keys and I sneak out, turn on
the car. Don't even turn on the car, I just
put it on neutral, and the driveway took me.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I trying to be sneaky.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
The driveway just rolled out, and then I turned it
out when I was on the street and I took
off picked him home. He was so bad. Took him
home immediately went back home.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I was like, okay.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I like, because I'm a good friend something, I'm always
there for my friends. And as I'm walking in the house,
I'm trying to be sneaky. Out of the door, I
looked up and my dad's in his underwords making a sandwich,
and I'm just like and then he turns around super
slow and he goes, He just goes, you fucking little girl,
(11:40):
And I was like, Dad, it's not what it looks
like like, it's not. It wasn't like that. He goes,
get the fuck out. He goes, I'm tired of you.
And my mom woke up and I was like, you
know what, fine, and I like turn around and I
walked out and I left and I never got back.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Wow, where'd you go?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I ended up saying, a lot of friends, houses, a
lot of friends, and.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Then you just started getting into fighting and started making.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So back in the day, it was called the Lions then, yeah, yeah,
and it was raned by my brother's friend that's ex Cardinals.
He's a football player. He was an NFL athlete and
his name was Scott Peters, and he kind of saw
what I was going through it. He allowed me to
train there free, just free. I was able to go
(12:28):
in and I remember that was that That became my
first like healthy outlet in my entire life, because I
wasn't able to do any sports growing up, and when
I did try, my family wasn't really there to support
me because they would go and see my brother's wrestle.
So I would end up dropping whatever sport I was
(12:49):
doing because I just wasn't getting that support. Fast forward
to my dad kicking me out. I'm going to the Lions.
Then now I end up. It's kind of a blur. Okay.
So I ended up training there and I'm there from
ten am to the first jiu jitsu class until six pm,
(13:10):
all day, just training, taking it in, learning. I fell
in love with the sport and I was doing it
for like funzies, you know. I was like, oh, this
is fun. And someone said, hey, you're really good, right
because I was tapping out. I mean, I'm not gonna
name drop she's in the UFC now, but she was
new in the UFC at the time, and I ended
(13:30):
up tapping her out. And she was a purple belt
and I still was a white belt. But I was
just picking up. I was learning so fast. I was
there from again ten to six seven, sometimes eight at night,
and they're like, you should try to do an amateur fight.
I was like, okay, you know, like what do I
have to do? They're like, nothing, just keep training. I
(13:52):
was like all right, And I did my first amateur
fight in oh where is it at? It's like two
hours away from Arizona.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
In Arizona, is it like east of Arizona?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Is that coming up to like California, New Mexico. No,
I think.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Oh east or it's like coming she said, coming to California.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Yeah, it's no, hold on, it's.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Oh, I don't know it would come back there.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
So and I knocked the girl out within like thirty seconds.
I hit her and then she felt and I'm just
like and I look at it my coach and they're
like oh, I'm like oh, and like go and I
started hitting her and they started the fight, and that
was the most exciting thing I've ever felt in my life.
And after that I just got stuck.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Did it just feel like you unleashed a bunch of
chains off of you and that fight?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
No if. At the time I felt, I was like
this is what Jose felt. And I felt so connected
to my brother. I felt super connected, which is weird,
you know, Like yeah, But then people telling me I
was although I didn't believe it, I had so many
people believe in me. In that gym I started fighting.
(15:12):
I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to pursue this for Jose. I'm going to
keep this is my way to keep my to honor
my brother and keep his memory of life. So I
stuck to it. And when I'm like say I'm going
to do something, I do it, you know, which is
a blessing and a curse.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, I heard you say something very interesting. You said
during that time when you train, you felt so happy
while training, and then as soon as you left, you're
like very depressed.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Was that very true?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Very true? Very true? That would be I don't and
I like, I don't know why yet. I just know
like being there being around good people, and these good
people are lawyers all the way to people that just
mow yawns or I'm sorry lands I got a concussion, okay,
(16:00):
learn and everyone was just so kind and I felt
accepted and people believe. It was just a different atmosphere,
you know, compared to being at home and just being
there with no want to talk to. So it was
definitely a moment where I craate. I got addicted to
(16:24):
that moment of happiness, but again because I got out
and I was again in depression grieving. Five years later,
my mom passed away and it was like, okay, I
can't fall down this cycle when jose passed away the
same way when my mom passed away, I need to
do better, like I need to make my mom proud
(16:46):
because she saw me and for years I was just
not what my family wanted me to be.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah. Yeah, everything happens for a reason.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Everything happens very Yeah, everything plays out the way it's
supposed to, for sure, but going through your beginning of
your childhood, it's definitely shaped you to the person you
have came today. Yeah. Yeah. You know. Something I say
is everything is happening for us. It doesn't happen to us,
(17:17):
you know, and I really believe that that it and
it's I mean, I don't know if people would agree
with me, but this is how I see the losses
in my life. Is like my brother had to pass
away for me to get back on track, you know,
my mom had to pass away, which I'm still trying
(17:37):
to figure it out, but it's made me the woman
I am today. You know, I hold myself to a
high standards and I have strong boundaries and I expect
people to respect me, not because I'm someone in this world,
but because I respect myself. So I hold myself, I
don't want to say on a pedestal, but extremely high
(17:59):
because the woman that raised me, but if she were
to be here, I don't think I would have done that. Yeah,
you know, I don't know if that makes sense. So
I am the woman I am. It had happened to
me for me to be who I am today.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, for sure. If your brother didn't pass away, do
you think you'd be today.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Probably cheering him on. I'll be cheering him on. I'll
be his I'll be the one in the stands. No,
because I remember when I was younger and he was training.
I was like, I want to do it right, and
my brothers were like, oh, you want to train. I
was like yeah, and I was I don't know, but
I wasn't even I think I was like twelve, and
(18:38):
I was like, I want to train, and they're like no,
and like, you know, put the boxing gloves on her.
And they put the boxing gloves on me, and they
made me spar my first sparring session a pro boxer,
a female boxer. I didn't even last twenty seconds. She
hit me with one body shot. I fell on my
knees and I was like and I couldn't breathe and
(19:00):
I looked at Hoose and I start crying. Just imagine
like this she's a grown woman. I think she's like
twenty something at the time, and I was and she
hit me with the hardest body shot, and I'm laying
there and I look up and I look out Jase
and he's just looking at me, and I'm like, I
start crying. I'm like, oh, but I went back the
next day.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I still went back the next day. I was like,
I'm gonna show you guys, I'm tough.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I'm gonna prove you guys wrong. Yeah, yeah, that's crazy.
But all right, Tracy, it's time to go to you
and burn. It stands for unfortunate. Just like I mentioned
at the beginning of this podcast, I was unfortunately involved
in the school science experiment that went horribly, horribly wrong
by my teacher and unfortunately exploded like a bomb in
(19:44):
my face, and I was immediately rushed to ICU, where
I spent a week. There had seven surgeries, one every
single day, with a fifty percent chance to survive because
of burns. They're worried about my breathing stopping because how
bad my face was swelling. But whenever I found that
out that I had a fifty percent chance to survive,
(20:04):
I was like, what's the one thing that's gonna bring
me joy, because I can either sit and crawl up
in a little hole in my bed and wishes and
wish and wish to be alive still. But I was like,
why not find something that brings me joy? So I
picked up my golf putter, and I put golf ball
after golf ball after golf ball into this little glass jar.
(20:26):
And I truly believe if that burn moment doesn't happen
in the hospital, I don't have this podcast, nor am
I talking to Tracy Cortez, or nor if I'm even
alive still.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
So I think it's it's really hard sometimes too, because
sometimes you're the one directly infected, or sometimes you're the
one who saw it. Yeah, And I think it's very
hard to see someone that you love go through such
a traumatic experience and knowing a little bit about your story,
you were kind of like me on the outside of
that whole thing. So talk about that time. Obviously you
(21:01):
already luded your brother, but your mom too. How hard
was that for you and what kind of brought you
through it?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
That was the hardest one, you know, my voice shivered
a little bit. Ah, that was the hardest one seeing
my mom or reliving what was once a nightmare happening again.
That was the hardest part where I was. I had
this and I still kind of do this regret in
(21:29):
my heart that jose saw me just ruined my life.
So that was so after you passed away and I
had my mom to me, it was let me be
everything whose expected me to be because he saw nothing
but greatness in me. Right, even though I didn't see
it to myself, I knew that's what my brother saw
(21:49):
in me. So let me chase that greatness to honor him.
But then my mom passed away, and oh man, I struggled.
Oh I struggled because that was my that was just
(22:12):
my angel, that was my guardian angel. Like no, and
I'm not exaggerating exaggerating this when I say my mom
was the best mother on this earth, and I stand
by it. She is the most caring, loving, soft spoken
she and I thank god she like dug her faith
(22:33):
into me, because if she wouldn't have and she passed away,
I would have been so lost in this world. So
for a long time I was running off of my
mother's faith, and eventually I started searching my own faith.
I was like, okay, you know, but yeah, yeah, that
was that was That was a hard one. Seeing my
(22:55):
mom go through something that she saw her son go through.
And because there's different perspectives, right, there's hers where she's going,
she's suffering what her son suffered, and then I'm reliving
a nightmare through my mom. So my mom saw me
better my life. So seeing her go I was I
(23:21):
wasn't ready because I was only twenty where I still needed.
There's no woman I look up to besides my mom,
Like you could have anybody in front of me, the
highest athlete or actress or singer and there I'm not
phased by it, but you put my mom and I
immediately get on it and I want to be I
(23:44):
just wanted to make her proud. So my mom saw
me better my life. And because she saw me better
my life, I felt good, like Okay, she saw me
do good, you know. So when she passed away, although
I took it very hard, I was ready, but the
one of my brother haunted me where it was like dang,
he never got to see me do good in my life,
(24:06):
and that one haunted me the most.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Does that still push you today?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Absolutely? Like I noticed, and I actually I recently this
last camp noticed like because someone asked me after Gloria,
a dear, dear friend of mine, passed away. They said, hey,
do you talk to your mom? I was like, actually
I don't. I don't the one I lean to the most.
I talked to my brother like I'm running and I'm tired,
(24:32):
and I'm in camp and I'm crying. I'm like, because
my body aches. I push. I don't need motivation. I
push myself. I am a workhorse. I'll be running and
I'll be like, hose, give me your strength, and I
just I lean on my big brother a lot, a
lot in my life.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, I think the hardest part when you go through
tragedy is like the question why, because I mean, we
have a big faith too, and I know you have
a faith, but questioning God like why, Like for me,
it was him. It's like he's freaking twelve years old. Man,
look at all these.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
People in this world and it's bad it is to say,
like why can it be them? But I honestly truthfully
think for me, I don't know about priests as much,
but for me that that's like when my faith was
built the most during that time. I've never felt more
connected to God than during that time like really just
leaning on him because he's the only one I could
(25:21):
bring you out, absolutely only one.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
And it's one of those things where I am I
noticed in my life is I've never asked why, right,
I've never asked why I was just I would always say, God,
give me the strength, give me the strength, give me
the strength, give me the strength. And He's given me
the strength to pull He's pulled me out of some
dark places man like no one has any idea some
(25:46):
dark places. And recently this last year, this last year
has been one of the most challenging years of my life.
It comes close to the feeling of my mom passing away.
Like I had some hard, hard days where I couldn't
(26:07):
if it weren't for God, I don't know where I'll
be right now. And I realized I was because I
talked to him a lot, right, and I was. I
asked myself, I said, Okay, I don't I said, God,
forgive me for questioning you sometimes, right, I don't mean
to question him, but I'm human. I don't want to
(26:28):
know why this year has took it, because this year
was extremely hard. Why not why this year happened the
way it did happen? To me, what are you trying
to teach me? What is the purpose behind this pain?
You know? And I think shifting your perspective like that,
(26:49):
really you're able to pull yourself out of it because
you're no longer playing that victim game. You're saying, Okay,
I'm going to use this as a tool. This is
this pain is a tool. And just so you know,
God does give his strongest soldiers, you know, the battles
that somebody else in this world can't can't even put
(27:10):
up with.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
I feel like God speaks to people sometimes and I
feel like that's what he did in your life. Yeah,
It's it's almost like what would you do without him?
Almost kind of like what you were just talking about.
Yeah yeah, but during that whole past this past year,
what what what brought you? Was there? Like obviously like
(27:32):
it's your faith, but was there like anything that.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
So this past year I went through some things on
a personal level that nobody's aware of. You know, I
was hiding, I was I was battling. I was very
like I was like going through the greens this year
and everybody this year is when I felt the most
love and support. But although I felt love and support,
(28:00):
I still felt this pain, this emptiness in my heart. Right,
so somebody invited me to go to church. I'm telling you,
everything happens for a reason. They invited me to go
to church last year in August when I was going
through it. I was actually getting ready to fight in
December and I started going to church and that's when I,
(28:22):
for the first time in my life, felt like God.
I felt the presence, I felt the Holy Spirit, and
I broke down crying and it was the most beautiful
feeling in the like most beautiful feeling, and I felt
so loved. Although I was bawling my like horrible, I
looked scary, but I was so freeing and I felt
(28:45):
so loved. And I left there and I was like, wow,
I want to feel that again. And besides fighting and winning,
I've never had that feeling outside of the cage. So
I found my another love, you know, and I felt
loved back, and I know if I didn't granted, So
(29:05):
then okay, I was about to get off topic. So
then I got closer to God last year and then
the January or yeah, December happened and it was just like,
I feel like the universe grabbed me and just it
can spin me around and said, survive this now. And
I know if I did, if I weren't searching for
God back in August, I wouldn't have been able to
(29:27):
be here right now this year.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Wow, yeah, what about December like made you feel like
you just got wrapped up?
Speaker 2 (29:36):
So I was supposed to fight in Florida and the
doctors didn't let me at all. And I went back
to my hotel and I had my I flew in
my girl that braves hair, which made me, if you're watching,
love you. And I had my niece there, and I
had who I was with at the time, and I
(29:57):
was just sitting there in shock on how I didn't
get clear to fight.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Would they say it happened?
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Oh, it's it's.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
A long story.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I know it's sad. It's really sad. And I just
sat there and I had in one moment literally and
one out of the say, by ten, everybody was cheering
for me. By ten thirty, Within thirty minutes, everybody was
(30:28):
calling me the worst of the worst.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
For pulling out.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I mean, well, I didn't pull out, they.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Adopted for me.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Yeah, I was ready to fight. I was like, dude,
I don't care what am I I'm going through physically,
let me fight. They're like, we can't let you fight.
And I was and I said okay, And I had
just made a post my way in post, and then
thirty minutes later I couldn't even explain to the fans.
Thirty minutes later there Tracy Cortez pulled out through medical reasons,
(30:55):
and I'm like, ah, and the world just within thirty
minutes went from cheering me on on top of the
you know, the mountain, to just dragging me through the mud.
And I'm not wanted to. I'm never gonna go online
and explain anything personal of mine, just because fans already
feel very entitled to our lives. Sure, so I stayed quiet.
(31:19):
I stayed to myself, and I got myself back to health.
And right when I was doing okay, it's like boom, oh,
I think it was my peck. I tore my peck.
So they're like, no, well you're out for the next
four months. I was like, and then that was on
a Tuesday. By Friday, I tore a ligament that same
week on my hand where it was the tiniest little
(31:42):
ligament and I needed hand surgery. They're like Okay, well
you're out for another six months.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
I was like, oh my god, it's just like the
never ending.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Ever Andy from December on out. And I was just like,
this year freaking sucks. Oh my god, this her sucks.
And I'm telling you, I'm so grateful for my friends
and I'm not, you know, discrediting them for being there
for me. I love them. They were they really you know,
(32:13):
showed like they were really there for me when I
needed it. But most and foremost, like I just got
closer and I just leaned on God. I needed him,
you know. And uh, I'm sure you have. You had
moments where you're like, how can this? How how can
this happen to me? And if it weren't for not
(32:34):
just those around you, But I don't know how strong
your faith is, but I know I wouldn't be yeah
here with you guys either.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Mm hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
It's It's funny how it all works out, because in
the end, you fought in September and you told us
something very cool yesterday, how right before they opened and
you saw Tracy flags Tracy t shirts and you said
you literally could have broke down crowd.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Oh. I don't even want to get that moment meant.
I just thought to myself, I said, God, you put
me through so much to appreciate this moment.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Oh no, Okay, that was.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
The most incredible feeling ever where because there's always going
to be trolls always, but seeing so much fans come
and support me after such a long layoff as an athlete.
It's scary to be out for so long because the
sport moves so fast. So I was really scared, you know.
(33:41):
I was like, man, my time is running. Fans are
going to forget about me. I was on such a
like good what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Like trajectory?
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
I was. I was really lost, especially because all I knew,
all I've known since I was seventeen, since my dad
kicked me out to train, and I can't punch and
I can't punch here because I have a torn peck.
So I had to really sit there and say, Okay,
who is Tracy Cortes? Who am I? Asides from fighting?
(34:14):
And I figured out, Man, I'm a loving person, as
weird as that sounds, because I'm never around my family.
I'm never I'm around my family, but not to the
extent where because I'm so I'm so focused and I'm
so addicted to bettering myself and wanting to be the
best that I've never had the opportunity to connect with
(34:38):
my friends on a deeper level. I never had the
opportunity to connect with my family on a deeper level.
So this year not only was it the hardest year,
it was the year where I found out who I
was myself, you know, where, Oh, I love loving my people.
I love it. It makes me happy where they come over
(34:58):
and we do nothing and we have movie nights, and
I love being with my knees and I'm just I'm
a very loving person to those that I care for.
And I learned that about myself, and I learned just
everything of who I am more, you know, on a
deeper level as well. And so this year was definitely
(35:22):
a blessing, but it took a lot for me to
see it.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Yeah, maybe God's all in the future and gave you
all those tough tribulations and then whenever that moment.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Happened, because I kid you not, the second those curtains opened,
my family didn't even know that I was walking out
through there. The first I look up and the light
hits and I just see my dad and all my
family and all my friends, and I walk out and
everybody's holding their flags and I made flags with my
(35:55):
face on item Cortes, and I just saw it all
around the stadium and I was just so taken back.
And I'm walking out and I felt my lips shivery.
I was like, and I had to look down. I go, no, Tracy, focus,
like you're working right now. But I felt I felt
their energy, I felt the love, and I felt so grateful.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Yeah. And then later on in the fight, channing and.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Then and then I heard and I think it was
like second round where they started chancing for me. They're like,
oh and I wasn't there, and I was just like,
oh my god. I thought I would get that because
that's like an honor. That's just a big you know,
that's a that's huge. You don't hear that often. You
hear it like soccer. Maybe I don't even think you've
(36:42):
heard it in like football, you know, and you've you've
yet to hear it in fights. So to hear the
old as I was just like, I was like, oh
my god, it was such a beautiful feeling. I almost
cried the second round too.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I'm just a cry.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
That's crazy. How alert you are in a fight though?
Do you even hear that? Yeah, because a lot of
people say that it just gets quiet. It's just you
and the other person be able to hear that.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I hear everything. You hear everything, Like when I get
a good punch in and they're like yeah, like oh
another word, yeah, kick, like oh shit, let me come down.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Is it true that you feed off the crowd though?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
And I do very much. Like I've heard fighters say
when we were in quarantine, they preferred no audience. I'm like,
are you guys crazy? Say, we're performers. That is the point.
That is the point of fighting. We're to perform, to
put on a show. We're entertainers. I love entertaining and
(37:42):
put on a good fight. And I love when the
crowd cheers. I just love being loved. I love the crowd.
But I'm also used to the crowd booing me. Like
when I made my debut in Brazil and they were
like boo and they were chancing in Brazil like kill her,
to kill me?
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's crazy and I.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Heard it and I was like, oh yeah, like, well,
you guys watch I'm gonna freaking kill her, and I
like flipped the switch.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
That was crazy too, because you guys both like missed
waits scale.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, because the scale was off by half a pounder.
I think it was zero point seven off, and everyone
by saying to myself, when don't everyone have missed weight?
Then pretty much it was well some people like waiting
under the.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yeah. Yeah, so they originally because I think me and
her were the last ones to weigh in, they brought
the scale up to the top where the song, they
moved the scale and they said, can you guys just
weigh yourselves here because we have to go down. So
I don't know why they did that test weight thing.
They've never done that. Granted now I know they've never
done that. It was my first, my pro debut UFC debut.
(38:52):
So I step on the scale. Okay, we're on. Wait,
let's go back down. She made weight. We went back down,
then we go then we weigh on ourselves in front
of the media, and we both missed point by point five.
We're just like, hold on, we you know, and the
commission was there and everybody was like, they've just made weight.
So a few hours later, after they analyzed everything that
(39:15):
that was. It was on them and I'm so grateful that.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
So they double checked and they said, okay, what was
off here?
Speaker 1 (39:21):
You know? So did they re did they like rewaigh
you guys again? Or no?
Speaker 2 (39:25):
They just gave us they they instead of announcing Nick
that we missed weight. It was like no, we were
on Wait. Yeah, they didn't take money off of.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
That because sometimes like then you get the extra hour.
Yeah cut, that would have been a lot worse if
you guys went down and tried to cut that extra
half down.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
And actually even then, I think I had another I
can't remember exactly what fight it was, but I waited
at six point five, I had point five to cut,
and the doctors again didn't have me go cut. It's
because I get so lean, I guess, so shredded. Yeah,
insane shredded. And they're like, you can't cut no more.
(40:01):
Like I have a little bit in me. I have
to pee, like I just see, let me freak it.
I just like I tinkled, like, let me go cut
the last. I have an hour and they didn't give
it to me. And the matchmaker called my manager and
he apoloed. He goes, hey, we're so sorry, like we
had no idea if they were there, they would have.
So that was probably I think my first time actually missing.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Way was that hard to like swallow?
Speaker 2 (40:26):
It was because I'm really professional. I'm extremely professional. I
take my job very serious.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Then did it lead over to like any like what
ifs into the next camp? Almost like it, Oh, I
need to like really start cutting weight?
Speaker 2 (40:39):
Yes, well not not on my end, because my coach
is no like I am when it comes down to
cutting weight. I'm not like I know, sissy, I don't complain.
I look at my coach and if it's a bad cut,
because we've all had them, yeah, I say, hey, just
make sure I don't die, you know, I say joking,
I'm like, make sure I don't die. I'll throw me
in the sona, you know. And I'm in there and
(40:59):
I make the way. I pushed through it a lot.
Uh fight week, No I cut maybe sometimes I cut eight,
sometimes I cut ten. This last one, actually I cut
was the most I've cut. But it was the best
way cut ever. I don't know why I was so
lean I cut. I think I was like thirteen over.
That was the most fight week, and I was like, man,
(41:22):
but I was waterloading waterload, and granted I always waterload,
but I don't. I honestly don't know what was different
I made. I did one cut it at night and
they're like, you want to cut it because normally I
cut it the same night to wake up on weight.
I said no, I said, I have five more pounds.
You know, I lost a few the first guy I said,
(41:42):
let me. I said, let's cut the rest. I still
have water and I said, let's cut the rest in
the morning. And normally I like looking pretty in wayans.
This time I was like, I don't care like this way.
Let me cut the weight in the morning, and you
could see it. I go in there and my cheeks
are still red from the sauna. Like. I came out
the sauna weighed myself. I'm gonna wait, let's go, went
(42:03):
straight to the weigh ins weiding. My hair was still
like had all kinds of sweet sweat on it. Yeah,
but I went there so happy. I was only dehydrated
for fifteen twenty minutes.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Do you normally cut day off?
Speaker 2 (42:16):
No?
Speaker 1 (42:16):
I hate no, you always do, I always do. Yeah,
this is no chu.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Yeah. What was that like? Though? After you got your
hand raised in just all the past eighteen months of
just grinding what what was that moment? Like?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
It was.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
This?
Speaker 2 (42:35):
That camp was really hard because I got injured that
camp too. I'm telling you this. I cut so injured
this This camp, this year alone was the most injuries
I've had in my entire career. I've never been injured.
I never pulled the muscle, I've never The most I
think I have was was like a really bad up,
a really bad sprained ankle. But prior to that, I know,
(42:57):
I've never had surgery. I've never been injured like this, Right,
So what, I pulled my back out, so I couldn't
train for like a week and half, almost two weeks.
I couldn't run, which is huge in my deficit for
(43:17):
my weight. I couldn't wrestle, which is also huge in
my game planning. So that's why I didn't wrestle because
I had a solid week of a week and a
half of my first week of camp, and then after
that I was too scared to wrestle because I was like,
what if I tweak my back again? So I was
just in there every day, sparring, sparring, play, sparring, hitting, mids, drilling,
(43:41):
Dutch drills, everything will stand up everything, and it showed you.
Oh my god, how did you?
Speaker 1 (43:52):
How did you not?
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Just you know what? I saw red? And that was
very reckless of me. I just I was like, I
just dropped my hands. And then I think she saw.
She knew what she did because she started walking backwards
as I'm walking forward, and then she she she was
yelling and but she was I didn't understand her.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Yeah, and she's not American and then she no, she's.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Canadian, and she's like and then I just hear what
And I'm like, oh, She's like, what, I didn't pull
your hair? And to me, I'm like, first of all,
I didn't say you did, but you pulled my fucking
like you could see it. I put on my TikTok actually,
or you could read my lips fro. I'm like, you
pulled my fucking hair. And then I put my hands
up and I go, put your hands up, Oh my god,
(44:36):
And then I remember and then I'm like, pop it
with the one too.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:40):
This portion of The Burn Factory Podcast is sponsored by
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Speaker 1 (44:57):
As you guys may know, I was tragically burned and
a school science experiment by my teacher that gave me
a fifty chance to survive, and through that I have
to wear sunscreen every day for the rest of my life.
And as being a golfer, the brand I trust is Kula. Man.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
Look at this bottle, Kola. This just screams beaches, waves
and sun. So let's give this a.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Smell, nice man chop of cannabris. This is smelling like Hawaii,
our favorite place.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
So next time you guys need sunscreen, go get yourself Kola.
You'll thank us later. You're actually leading us right into
our next letter. Are It's ridiculous. Unfortunate moments really make
you who you are, and I think God has really
prepared you through all their trials to see a greater
in a bigger goal.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
But moving into our.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
Ridiculous you kind of alluded the jazzmin thing with her
pulling your hair, But is there any other ridiculous ber
moments that you've been through this year?
Speaker 2 (45:58):
This entire year was ridiculous, this entire year. I'm over it.
I'm already ready for New Year's tomorrow. Yeah. Besides that,
I think that what another just another thing was we
were at uh something that was just so reckless, so ridiculous.
I you would think you will clip your helmet on
(46:22):
right if you're on like you guys know the canons,
the razors. Yeah, we're in the in the in the
in Glamis. It's a huge event. Thousands of thousands of
people come and we're there's fireworks and there's food and
people are in the desert and we're barbecuing and it's
a great time. But you have to be you have
(46:43):
to clip your helmet. Well I didn't clip my helmet.
I don't know who. I thought it was like Superwoman
or something. And when we flipped and rolled, my helmet
came off and I just see my helmet and I'm
looking at it and then I'm like, oh ship and
we're rolling right and as I'm as I'm like twisting
my head backwards, I hit the back of my head
(47:05):
like on the on the yeah, on like the poles
of the Doom Buggies, and I end up, I'm out,
I black out, and I just I'm assuming I had
to hit my head everywhere because I was so worse
than the fight. I was so bruised up. I chipped
the back of my tooth. Well, I chipped it. It's
(47:26):
tipped right now, I know, and thank you. And if
I laughed, if my smile is too big, you're probably yeah.
So I just remember waking up and someone found my
phone and I was full of dirt and I was like,
oh my god, my phone's dirty. And then I look
(47:46):
around and I just see all my friends so worried,
and I'm like full of blood. My head is like
getting so huge, and my friend comes and puts pressure
on it. She's like, you have to put pressure on it.
She didn't get a hum. What is it called hum? Yeah,
And they start putting pressure on my forehead because it
was getting huge. And I'm talking to the patrol officer
and they're trying to contact someone to bring the helicopter
(48:08):
that scored me to the yer and I'm like no, no,
and everybody's freaking out, and I had it. I went
on like a fighter's flight. It's like survival mode, and
I had to calm everybody down and I had to
be the one there for everybody. While I'm spinning out
blood and it was traumatic. It was horrible.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
How long ago was that?
Speaker 2 (48:26):
A few weeks ago? I still have like the red
little but you can't you can't see it, but I
still have like a little bump.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
If you can't tell, thank you it's sparing.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Yeah, but no, because that means the girl hit me here.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Oh it wasn't spark It wasn't sparing. You walked into
the door, imagine.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
But yeah, that was That was also a reality check
for me where it's like, man, I could have died,
you know.
Speaker 1 (48:53):
That was very recklessly. That was Yeah, did you ever
worry about that? If you would die from that? From
in your mouth?
Speaker 2 (49:01):
I did it. I became like these last couple of weeks,
I've been super emotional, and my level of like gratitude
has just it's off the roof, you know, because if
I didn't I didn't buckle the first one, the one
that keeps you seated. I only buckled the one in
(49:23):
the chest, which is like like literally like you know
you guys know the dog collars, yea, yeah, that's all
it is here. So if I didn't buckle this one,
I would have flewn out. I would have been dead.
So that was definitely like also a reality check. And
now it's like, okay, now have a concussion, I can't
(49:44):
I can't train, you know. They now I can't train
for another three months, three or four months, so until December, January, February, March,
sometime in March, maybe April, because I got I got
hit in the head pretty bad. Like yeah, the doctors like, yeah,
your brain is bruised and you have no internal bleeding.
Speaker 1 (50:04):
But yeah, that stuff. Maybe this is a wrestler that
you need. Maybe it just allows you to chase that belt,
you know.
Speaker 2 (50:15):
But everything happens for a reason. If anything, I'm really
grateful because now I wanted to fight in December this
you know, this month coming up. But I had so
many projects and ideas that I wanted to do. But
if I would have thought, I wouldn't have been focused
on what I want to do. So now I'm blessed
to fully give my attention to my first ever toy drive. Right,
(50:39):
I'm able to spend for the first holidays with my
family and may go in a long time. I'm able
to just enjoy the season.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
So again, perspective, yeah, you know, yeah, I actually do
have a question for you. Because with traumatic experiences, like
for me, like seeing him go through what he went through,
it kind of opens your mind to like a whole
different world, like you come that close with death or
experienced death. So like you going through your brother's situation,
did it ever, Like I don't know how to word this,
(51:12):
but did it open your mind to like other things
like oh, shoot, maybe I have cancer or like oh maybe,
like did did your mind start to kind of psychologically
do that? Because with him, like I started fearing death too,
Like there was a whole six months of my entire
life where I was terrified to drive because yeah, because
I was like man like he almost died, Like I
felt like I was gonna die driving like get hit.
(51:35):
So I'm just curious if you kind of experienced that too.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
No, I almost died twice this year, right, And it
was one of those things where if it's my time,
like I'm not going to question God. I know where
I'm going it. But am I scared of I know,
I'm scared to live in that live my full potential.
That's my biggest fear. And it is crazy.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Have you seen the robots? I have seen it them
a lot of like the chargers games and in LA
they're putting them like in the crowd. No, and they
like talk back, but they do like human things the
way they like look turn their head and like it's scary.
(52:18):
I don't like that stuff. I don't want them. I
don't want them working at a fast food restaurant whenever
I go get my food there, because you never know what.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
I would trust the robot doing my food more than
a normal person really, just uh, you know what if
it's fast food. Maybe if it's like a restaurant like
cooking and adding spices and it's like no, because people
make their little touches like no, it probably needs more.
Speaker 1 (52:40):
Salt, robot, I'm not gonna be able to taste it.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Yeah, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Oh, you know what I need.
Speaker 2 (52:45):
But if it's a fast food like I mean, I don't.
I don't need fast food, but say like McDonald's or
something like they just put it on the patty or something.
Excuse me, you got my order wrong, like okay, and
you know they're not going to spit in it or something.
Speaker 1 (52:57):
You know, I guess do you like to cook or no?
I used to.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
I used to, and now I'm I do so much
and I'm almost never. I used to meal prep. I
used to cook that. Now it's when I'm home. I'm
home for like a small period of time where my
food kind of goes bad when I come back home,
so I eat It's more convenient, especially because I live alone,
to just eat out.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (53:21):
I love cooking, but kind of the same thing. We
travel so much. It's like it's hard to but a nice,
like full week of like meal prep.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
I'm like, ah, but then I do the meal prep
and then say I'll do it for like Monday through Friday.
Then I leave on a Wednesday and then the rest
of the foot. Like I bought some fresh apples right now,
I'm like, I hope they don't go bad by the
time I go Honey Chris. No, it was, it's not
it's not it's another one.
Speaker 1 (53:44):
I don't know, but it was really good. Honeycrist apples
are the best ones I do.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
Yeah, yeah, those are my favorite. They were next to
the honey Cris.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
I'll tell you what that what's in season at grapes grapes?
Speaker 2 (53:55):
Have you had cotton candy grapes? Now?
Speaker 1 (53:57):
What?
Speaker 2 (53:58):
Yes, they're flavored like they it's literally cotton candy grapes,
green grapes. What has won here? Had them? No? Are
you serious? I don't know. Yes, I really doubt that
they're probably good for you. But the first time last
year and they taste like cotton candy.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
But they're like actual grapes, but they're grapes.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
Same. It isn't they're so sweet?
Speaker 1 (54:26):
It is maybe AI, I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
I was like, let me try these and I ended
up eating them all in this grocery store and it
was an empty bag. I was like the ladies cannon.
Speaker 1 (54:36):
She was like, I got hungry. We got a Vons.
Maybe we'll go check them out. If they have them,
we should go. We should go's got candy cotton can mission? Interesting?
I got asked, what were you? Were you more nervous
for the Contender series fight than your actual debut then?
Speaker 2 (54:57):
Yeah, oh yeah. That was like whatever, I'm gonna lay
it all on the line here because not only is
it win, but it's performance. You could win and I
have a good performance and it's just like there goes
your shop. So and then I worked so hard, you know,
I was at that time it was like my mom
(55:19):
passed away. I was leaving. I was freshly out of
an eight year, eight year relationship. So I was just
having like losses after losses in my life. So I
was just like, I need this, I freaking need this.
I was working like three jobs, so you could see it.
I was there, and I like, after I went, I
(55:40):
just broke down. I was like, when Dana White called
my name, I'm just like yeah, I couldn't even talk.
I was like, I'm such a crime with me. I
need I'm such a.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
You're good.
Speaker 3 (55:57):
I can imagine the energy in that place, like ten guys,
like you just feel everyone's nerves. Everyone's like on edge.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
It's on edge. Everyone's like quiet. You hear every punch
you hear like the opposite. You literally are sitting across
the cage from your opponent's family members, so it's like
you're yelling they're cheering for me, and then they look
and they're like then you hear them and you're like, no,
you're going. It's like yeah, it's so intimate.
Speaker 1 (56:24):
Yeah, it's crazy. I want to go. We need to go.
Jacob get his tickets. Come on, Jacob needs to get
his tickets.
Speaker 2 (56:30):
You guys, I got you, guys.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
Thank you, all three of us will go. I have
to go. I want to experience it.
Speaker 2 (56:37):
When is the last one?
Speaker 3 (56:37):
Is it's already done? Next year they start August, maybe
it's July. I don't know when they start, but we'll
have to go because we've been to the Apex for
real fights, but Contender Series is a whole.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (56:49):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (56:50):
I walk around there like like hi, Like.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
Yeah, I've been there, I've done that.
Speaker 2 (56:55):
But I go and I like say hi to everybody,
like the security, the people in the kitchen, like I
make my rounds. Yeah, everyone's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (57:03):
Yeah. I mean we went to the p I for
the first time this past July. What's it. Yeah, we
were in July and that place is so cool. I've
always wanted to go there. But everyone's so friendly. Hey, Yeah,
I was like, gosh, the culture here is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (57:19):
I remember when I first went to the PI. Everyone
knew me, they knew me, there were hats and I
was so new. I didn't know nobody, so I felt one.
I felt rude. I was like, how the hell does
everyone on me? But I don't know them right because
it's a new environment for me. And then I think
(57:40):
one of the sweetest moments was I was talking to
Megan and she said, hey, she pulled me aside. She said,
just so you know, you might not know everyone here,
but we know you and you have everyone's support here.
And when she said that, I was like, I was
like okay, because I was very intimidated and I was young,
(58:01):
I was shy, I was to myself, and when she
said that, I was like okay, Like it was it
was really good feeling. Thank you, Megan.
Speaker 3 (58:09):
That's cool. That's the culture of the USC is super cool. Yeah,
we turn out security, yea, top dogs. Everyone is just
so cool. But our tracy is time to go to
and and it's kind of two parts.
Speaker 1 (58:20):
It's like now and next.
Speaker 3 (58:22):
So are there any burn moments that you're going through
right now or any burn moments that you see coming
up right now?
Speaker 2 (58:29):
Yeah, you know, the concussion, the the accident. Like I
have my moments where I'm driving and I just full
of gratitude and I break down crying like, oh my God,
I could have died. Thank you, Like I don't know
why my purpose it is here and I'm just praying
like God holds my hand and just walks me through
this life because I wouldn't be here right now, you know.
(58:51):
So the concussion where my head hurts, I'm not training again,
so I'm definitely going through it right now, still a
little bit. But it's something beautiful that I heard on
a previous podcast is like the dot analogy. Have you
guys heard it now? It's like when you look forward
(59:11):
and everything is spread out, all these little thoughts, all
these goals, all these all the people in your life,
everything is just spread out and nothing makes sense right on.
Your trials and your errors, and your highs and your lows,
and your your relationships and your family and your career.
Everything's just spread out. You're like think, I don't know
I'm gonna do it, but but I'm gonna do it.
(59:32):
But when you look back, all the dots line up
and you're just like everything happened the way it was
supposed to happen, you know. And that's kind of where
I'm at right now, where it's like, you know what,
the accident, the concussion. I'm still going through a lot
of things on a personal level, and nothing makes sense
to me right now looking forward. I just know the
(59:53):
angle and I know that I'm gonna do the best
I can, and I'm not my intentions are pure and
I'm not gonna hurt nobody because when I look back,
everything makes sense, everything aligns, you know.
Speaker 1 (01:00:05):
So everything you went through is the person who you
became today exactly. But going do you think going to
Brazil and training was a big It.
Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
Was definitely something that got me out of it as well. Huge.
I'm a big believer in like grounding yourself, and in Arizona,
I'm just I was doing the same thing, which wasn't
helping me. You know, I wasn't getting me nowhere. So
I went to I'm such a water person, Like I
see the water and I'm like, and I want to
(01:00:35):
jump in. I don't know why. Like I went to
I went hiking the other day and Payson, Arizona, and
the lake is freezing closing off. Jumped in. Literally, I
was like, oh my god, took my shoes off there
and I was like watch me. And I jumped in
and I just felt so alive. Something about water that
just makes me feel good, right, Like that's my although,
(01:00:57):
like like a fire sign. I'm Sagittarius, like fires my element.
I just love the water. So I was in Brazil
and all I did was train, go hang out, at
the beach. I knew nobody. I took that trip on
my own. I went
Welcome to The Burn Factory Podcast with Priest and Phoenix Rivera.
Listen as the voice interview the biggest names in sports
and entertainment. The Burn Factory start Snow.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What is up? Guys?
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome back to another episode of The Burn Factory Podcast.
I'm your host, Parice jump By my co host, my brother,
the one and only Phoenix say what's up? For the camera?
What's up? Y'all? This is called the Burn Factory for
a reason. I was literally caught on fire fifty percent
chance to survive, but through that started this podcast because
I believe every single person out there on this planet
(00:38):
goes through a burn moment somewhere in their life.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You heard pre say a burn moment. So a burn
moment is a super hard time in your life that
you just have to fight and overcome. And me and
Priest believe that every single person on this earth go
through burn moments that truly build them to who they are.
But what an amazing guest we have today. Our guest
today truly has lived a life full of burn moments.
She defines what it means to be perseveillant and resilient
(01:04):
in the midst of trials and tribulations and not to mission.
She's a freaking badass. She's the number ten ranked UFC
flyway in the world and has many championship fights on
her horizon.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So please give a welcome to miss Tracy Cortes.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
What an intro? My god, thank you? I tried.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I try. God that speechless Bruce Buffer? Where are you at?
Hold up? Phoenix is coming for Bruce Buffer? Spot did
you guys?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Hear?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Bruce Buffer? Though? Mess up in the fights this past
week In at UFC two ninety five, in the main event,
he called he was introducing Alex Pahara. He goes fighting
out of the red corner and he was in the
blue corner. He's like, oh, fighting on the blue corner. Oh,
I'm surprised you don't take that out first ever. That's
like his first of it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I hate that feeling when you're like that, You're like,
oh no.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
But he really puts like all his energy into those
Like when I when I see him when I go
to these fights, he's warming up, he's stretching, he's like
working out his jaw, his neck, he's bouncing. I'm like, oh, wow,
he's really gonna give it his all.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, it's like he's about ready to go fight. He's
sitting in the back and he's stretching his legs out.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
He's literally warming up.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Dang, that guy's going crazy. But I mean that's his job.
He's got to go one hundred percent at it. But Chase,
you gotta ask. So we were all hanging out last
night and I was playing some music. Am I the
greatest DJ out there on the planet?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
You have some gems? You have some was taken back
all the way from like in Flakupisalo to Katy Perry's
I know, come on, you had some bangers.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, yeah, that's good. I'll take that and put on
my resume. I need a resume. You know how he
did with Chase. I needed any one of us. I
should give you a resume. Yes, please do.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I want to feel it. I want to feel you
feel But all right, Tracy. So on this podcast, we
do use the acronym burn. So each letter is kind
of a different time in your life. So starting with
b B is beginning. So take us to the beginning
of your life where there's some burn moments that you
had to overcome that you could share with us.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You like the beginning was so beautiful. I had the
most incredible childhood. Grew up with three big brothers. That's
why I'm like such a like tough tough girl inside.
I mean I may show off a little girly, but
I'm pretty tough. And everything kind of like shifted on me.
(03:38):
And like in my life when I started hitting my teenageers,
my brother was going through cancer. I grew up in
a very Mexican traditional household, so I was only able
to go to school and back home. I could Yeah,
I couldn't do sports. I couldn't do any extra curricular activities.
(03:59):
I couldn't have friends. If I did have a friend,
I could never go over. They had to come over. Yeah.
It was just it was. It was pretty hard. Once
I started growing up and wanted to like you know,
and they say like, oh, you got to let them
go a little bit, like let them just grow up.
They never they're no like come back home, cook clean,
(04:20):
stay in your room. Like I was so sheltered. I
was extremely sheltered.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
What age did that all kind of start to turn
and you went out?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So I was young, I was like in middle school.
I was in middle school where I was like, oh,
can I go to the movies with my friends, and no,
then my brothers would all leave and I'll just stay home.
And I was just like and I didn't get it.
And to this I now as an adult, it's okay.
I understand they were taking care of me, especially because
we lived in a bad neighborhood. But growing up, when
(04:51):
you see your other siblings which are all older, like
older than you, and you're you're the youngest and the
only female, you think you're almost like them, right, I
thought like, well, I'm one of like I'm your kids too.
Why can't I go to the movies? And they never
give me an explanation. The only thing that they will
say is because I said so, you know, And I
was like, so, then I'll be in my room and
(05:14):
just I was really into coloring, and then I would
have a friend over. And I was such a nice
kid growing up. I like when I had friends, I
would give them everything. Oh my god, I like this,
take it like, oh my god, you like it, take
it like it was just it made my heart happy
giving them things. So then my mom would see that
(05:36):
they would kind of take advantage of me, and then
they weren't allowed, but she wouldn't tell me why, Like
they're just not allowed to come over no more. I'm
like why, And because we said so, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
So.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I ended up reveling. At a really young age, really
really young age, I ended up rubbling.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
That's really bad. Did it make you angry during that time?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, I was granted. My brother was going through he
had like radiation, open brain surgery, he had open heart surgery,
he had chemo, he had everything you could think of.
It was. It was insane what he was going through.
And everybody was kind of in their own world. Like
(06:17):
my brothers had the wrestling as their gateway to like
let out their frustration, right, But me, I wasn't able
to do anything. So then I would find little Maybe
that's why I liked adrenaline. I would find these friends
that were getting into trouble because I found adrenaline, Like
(06:38):
I would almost distract myself from what was going on,
you know, because I went from seeing my brother like
the strongest person you could think of, he was like
Hulk to me my oldest brother. He's the one I
have tied it on my arm, And yeah it was.
I started hanging around with the wrong crowd. I started
doing drugs, I started at a young age doing everything
(07:01):
I can do to as a gateway, as an outlet,
because I wasn't allowed to do anything else right, I
just knew I had to be sneaky. It was so bad,
I had to be sneaky. So I remember being in
middle school and when I was at school, that was
like my time to have fun because I wasn't able
(07:21):
to have fun when I was at home, so I
would I would ditch school, I would hang out with
the wrong crowds, I wouldn't go to classes. And then
when the end of the school came, I was like,
oh my god, I gotta go home now, because if not,
I would get a whooping if I'm later, if I'm
home later than four thirty, or I'll get grounded, or
I'll be like obligated to do chores more chores. So
(07:46):
they were really strict on me.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Do you think they were more strict just because what
your brother was going through? Was that kind of from.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
The beginning, Yeah, we call like my cheese must where
it's like the women stay at the house. This is
so old school. The woman stay at home, and then
the guys are able to work and be out and
out and.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
About whenever you were going through all those emotions with
what your brother was going through. What brought you out
of that at such a young age of being all
depressed and sad and.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I don't It's crazy because looking back now, there's a
big period of my life that I don't remember. I
don't remember. I just remember my brother, like holding my
brother's head because he was on the bed and he
passed away, and just crying going home. Then after that,
everything's kind of just a blur, like for maybe four years,
(08:41):
three years. And then when I started like getting on
my feet, I was like, maybe because my brother died
when I was fifteen, and then at nineteen, my mom
started getting really sick and then she passed away a
little before I turned twenty, so five years later. And
but what got me through my brother was my mom.
I saw her crying and I was trying to comfort
(09:02):
her and she looked at me. She said, your brother
was fighting for his life and you're killing yours. Oh
that one hit me. I just that one hit me.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
That's the moment, right, Yeah, that one.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I was like, oh my god, what am I doing
with my life? I was like, I'm and it hurt.
It would hurt me to see my mom cry. Like
my mom was my guardian angel, you know, she was
my best friend. She was the one that that although
my brothers and my dad wouldn't allow me to do
a lot, she'll come and she'll comfort me, and she'll
talk to me and she'll explain to me. She always
(09:41):
protected me.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Oh yeah, then what age did you start getting into fighting?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Uh? Shortly after my dad kicked me out?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Kicked you out?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah, he kicked me out, like right before my seventeenth birthday.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Sixteen years old.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, it was cold. I had to be like November,
early December. Had to because shortly after I turned seventeen.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
What was the reason why.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He caught me? This? So the one time I got
I get caught. I was trying to be no. I
got caught several times. But the one time I actually
did it where I wasn't sneaking out to like go
party or do some rebel stuff. My friend calls me, Tracy,
I need a ride. He was too drunk to get home,
(10:29):
and I was like, oh my god. And at this time,
we only had like the phones where you could like
call through the like we'll get in the kitchen and yeah, yeah,
and I was like, why are you calling so late?
And he was like, I need to ride home. Can
you pick me up? Granted I don't have a driver's license.
I don't I'm sixteen. And I'm like, okay, I'll be
right there. Where are you at? And he told me
(10:50):
the cross streets, like oh, and we had no GPS.
I had no phone at sixteen, So I like, grab
my mom's car keys and I sneak out, turn on
the car. Don't even turn on the car, I just
put it on neutral, and the driveway took me.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I trying to be sneaky.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
The driveway just rolled out, and then I turned it
out when I was on the street and I took
off picked him home. He was so bad. Took him
home immediately went back home.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I was like, okay.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I like, because I'm a good friend something, I'm always
there for my friends. And as I'm walking in the house,
I'm trying to be sneaky. Out of the door, I
looked up and my dad's in his underwords making a sandwich,
and I'm just like and then he turns around super
slow and he goes, He just goes, you fucking little girl,
(11:40):
And I was like, Dad, it's not what it looks
like like, it's not. It wasn't like that. He goes,
get the fuck out. He goes, I'm tired of you.
And my mom woke up and I was like, you
know what, fine, and I like turn around and I
walked out and I left and I never got back.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Wow, where'd you go?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I ended up saying, a lot of friends, houses, a
lot of friends, and.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Then you just started getting into fighting and started making.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So back in the day, it was called the Lions then, yeah, yeah,
and it was raned by my brother's friend that's ex Cardinals.
He's a football player. He was an NFL athlete and
his name was Scott Peters, and he kind of saw
what I was going through it. He allowed me to
train there free, just free. I was able to go
(12:28):
in and I remember that was that That became my
first like healthy outlet in my entire life, because I
wasn't able to do any sports growing up, and when
I did try, my family wasn't really there to support
me because they would go and see my brother's wrestle.
So I would end up dropping whatever sport I was
(12:49):
doing because I just wasn't getting that support. Fast forward
to my dad kicking me out. I'm going to the Lions.
Then now I end up. It's kind of a blur. Okay.
So I ended up training there and I'm there from
ten am to the first jiu jitsu class until six pm,
(13:10):
all day, just training, taking it in, learning. I fell
in love with the sport and I was doing it
for like funzies, you know. I was like, oh, this
is fun. And someone said, hey, you're really good, right
because I was tapping out. I mean, I'm not gonna
name drop she's in the UFC now, but she was
new in the UFC at the time, and I ended
(13:30):
up tapping her out. And she was a purple belt
and I still was a white belt. But I was
just picking up. I was learning so fast. I was
there from again ten to six seven, sometimes eight at night,
and they're like, you should try to do an amateur fight.
I was like, okay, you know, like what do I
have to do? They're like, nothing, just keep training. I
(13:52):
was like all right, And I did my first amateur
fight in oh where is it at? It's like two
hours away from Arizona.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
In Arizona, is it like east of Arizona?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Is that coming up to like California, New Mexico. No,
I think.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Oh east or it's like coming she said, coming to California.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Yeah, it's no, hold on, it's.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Oh, I don't know it would come back there.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
So and I knocked the girl out within like thirty seconds.
I hit her and then she felt and I'm just
like and I look at it my coach and they're
like oh, I'm like oh, and like go and I
started hitting her and they started the fight, and that
was the most exciting thing I've ever felt in my life.
And after that I just got stuck.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Did it just feel like you unleashed a bunch of
chains off of you and that fight?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
No if. At the time I felt, I was like
this is what Jose felt. And I felt so connected
to my brother. I felt super connected, which is weird,
you know, Like yeah, But then people telling me I
was although I didn't believe it, I had so many
people believe in me. In that gym I started fighting.
(15:12):
I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to pursue this for Jose. I'm going to
keep this is my way to keep my to honor
my brother and keep his memory of life. So I
stuck to it. And when I'm like say I'm going
to do something, I do it, you know, which is
a blessing and a curse.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, I heard you say something very interesting. You said
during that time when you train, you felt so happy
while training, and then as soon as you left, you're
like very depressed.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Was that very true?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Very true? Very true? That would be I don't and
I like, I don't know why yet. I just know
like being there being around good people, and these good
people are lawyers all the way to people that just
mow yawns or I'm sorry lands I got a concussion, okay,
(16:00):
learn and everyone was just so kind and I felt
accepted and people believe. It was just a different atmosphere,
you know, compared to being at home and just being
there with no want to talk to. So it was
definitely a moment where I craate. I got addicted to
(16:24):
that moment of happiness, but again because I got out
and I was again in depression grieving. Five years later,
my mom passed away and it was like, okay, I
can't fall down this cycle when jose passed away the
same way when my mom passed away, I need to
do better, like I need to make my mom proud
(16:46):
because she saw me and for years I was just
not what my family wanted me to be.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah. Yeah, everything happens for a reason.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Everything happens very Yeah, everything plays out the way it's
supposed to, for sure, but going through your beginning of
your childhood, it's definitely shaped you to the person you
have came today. Yeah. Yeah. You know. Something I say
is everything is happening for us. It doesn't happen to us,
(17:17):
you know, and I really believe that that it and
it's I mean, I don't know if people would agree
with me, but this is how I see the losses
in my life. Is like my brother had to pass
away for me to get back on track, you know,
my mom had to pass away, which I'm still trying
(17:37):
to figure it out, but it's made me the woman
I am today. You know, I hold myself to a
high standards and I have strong boundaries and I expect
people to respect me, not because I'm someone in this world,
but because I respect myself. So I hold myself, I
don't want to say on a pedestal, but extremely high
(17:59):
because the woman that raised me, but if she were
to be here, I don't think I would have done that. Yeah,
you know, I don't know if that makes sense. So
I am the woman I am. It had happened to
me for me to be who I am today.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, for sure. If your brother didn't pass away, do
you think you'd be today.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Probably cheering him on. I'll be cheering him on. I'll
be his I'll be the one in the stands. No,
because I remember when I was younger and he was training.
I was like, I want to do it right, and
my brothers were like, oh, you want to train. I
was like yeah, and I was I don't know, but
I wasn't even I think I was like twelve, and
(18:38):
I was like, I want to train, and they're like no,
and like, you know, put the boxing gloves on her.
And they put the boxing gloves on me, and they
made me spar my first sparring session a pro boxer,
a female boxer. I didn't even last twenty seconds. She
hit me with one body shot. I fell on my
knees and I was like and I couldn't breathe and
(19:00):
I looked at Hoose and I start crying. Just imagine
like this she's a grown woman. I think she's like
twenty something at the time, and I was and she
hit me with the hardest body shot, and I'm laying
there and I look up and I look out Jase
and he's just looking at me, and I'm like, I
start crying. I'm like, oh, but I went back the
next day.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I still went back the next day. I was like,
I'm gonna show you guys, I'm tough.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I'm gonna prove you guys wrong. Yeah, yeah, that's crazy.
But all right, Tracy, it's time to go to you
and burn. It stands for unfortunate. Just like I mentioned
at the beginning of this podcast, I was unfortunately involved
in the school science experiment that went horribly, horribly wrong
by my teacher and unfortunately exploded like a bomb in
(19:44):
my face, and I was immediately rushed to ICU, where
I spent a week. There had seven surgeries, one every
single day, with a fifty percent chance to survive because
of burns. They're worried about my breathing stopping because how
bad my face was swelling. But whenever I found that
out that I had a fifty percent chance to survive,
(20:04):
I was like, what's the one thing that's gonna bring
me joy, because I can either sit and crawl up
in a little hole in my bed and wishes and
wish and wish to be alive still. But I was like,
why not find something that brings me joy? So I
picked up my golf putter, and I put golf ball
after golf ball after golf ball into this little glass jar.
(20:26):
And I truly believe if that burn moment doesn't happen
in the hospital, I don't have this podcast, nor am
I talking to Tracy Cortez, or nor if I'm even
alive still.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
So I think it's it's really hard sometimes too, because
sometimes you're the one directly infected, or sometimes you're the
one who saw it. Yeah, And I think it's very
hard to see someone that you love go through such
a traumatic experience and knowing a little bit about your story,
you were kind of like me on the outside of
that whole thing. So talk about that time. Obviously you
(21:01):
already luded your brother, but your mom too. How hard
was that for you and what kind of brought you
through it?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
That was the hardest one, you know, my voice shivered
a little bit. Ah, that was the hardest one seeing
my mom or reliving what was once a nightmare happening again.
That was the hardest part where I was. I had
this and I still kind of do this regret in
(21:29):
my heart that jose saw me just ruined my life.
So that was so after you passed away and I
had my mom to me, it was let me be
everything whose expected me to be because he saw nothing
but greatness in me. Right, even though I didn't see
it to myself, I knew that's what my brother saw
(21:49):
in me. So let me chase that greatness to honor him.
But then my mom passed away, and oh man, I struggled.
Oh I struggled because that was my that was just
(22:12):
my angel, that was my guardian angel. Like no, and
I'm not exaggerating exaggerating this when I say my mom
was the best mother on this earth, and I stand
by it. She is the most caring, loving, soft spoken
she and I thank god she like dug her faith
(22:33):
into me, because if she wouldn't have and she passed away,
I would have been so lost in this world. So
for a long time I was running off of my
mother's faith, and eventually I started searching my own faith.
I was like, okay, you know, but yeah, yeah, that
was that was That was a hard one. Seeing my
(22:55):
mom go through something that she saw her son go through.
And because there's different perspectives, right, there's hers where she's going,
she's suffering what her son suffered, and then I'm reliving
a nightmare through my mom. So my mom saw me
better my life. So seeing her go I was I
(23:21):
wasn't ready because I was only twenty where I still needed.
There's no woman I look up to besides my mom,
Like you could have anybody in front of me, the
highest athlete or actress or singer and there I'm not
phased by it, but you put my mom and I
immediately get on it and I want to be I
(23:44):
just wanted to make her proud. So my mom saw
me better my life. And because she saw me better
my life, I felt good, like Okay, she saw me
do good, you know. So when she passed away, although
I took it very hard, I was ready, but the
one of my brother haunted me where it was like dang,
he never got to see me do good in my life,
(24:06):
and that one haunted me the most.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Does that still push you today?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Absolutely? Like I noticed, and I actually I recently this
last camp noticed like because someone asked me after Gloria,
a dear, dear friend of mine, passed away. They said, hey,
do you talk to your mom? I was like, actually
I don't. I don't the one I lean to the most.
I talked to my brother like I'm running and I'm tired,
(24:32):
and I'm in camp and I'm crying. I'm like, because
my body aches. I push. I don't need motivation. I
push myself. I am a workhorse. I'll be running and
I'll be like, hose, give me your strength, and I
just I lean on my big brother a lot, a
lot in my life.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, I think the hardest part when you go through
tragedy is like the question why, because I mean, we
have a big faith too, and I know you have
a faith, but questioning God like why, Like for me,
it was him. It's like he's freaking twelve years old. Man,
look at all these.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
People in this world and it's bad it is to say,
like why can it be them? But I honestly truthfully
think for me, I don't know about priests as much,
but for me that that's like when my faith was
built the most during that time. I've never felt more
connected to God than during that time like really just
leaning on him because he's the only one I could
(25:21):
bring you out, absolutely only one.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
And it's one of those things where I am I
noticed in my life is I've never asked why, right,
I've never asked why I was just I would always say, God,
give me the strength, give me the strength, give me
the strength, give me the strength. And He's given me
the strength to pull He's pulled me out of some
dark places man like no one has any idea some
(25:46):
dark places. And recently this last year, this last year
has been one of the most challenging years of my life.
It comes close to the feeling of my mom passing away.
Like I had some hard, hard days where I couldn't
(26:07):
if it weren't for God, I don't know where I'll
be right now. And I realized I was because I
talked to him a lot, right, and I was. I
asked myself, I said, Okay, I don't I said, God,
forgive me for questioning you sometimes, right, I don't mean
to question him, but I'm human. I don't want to
(26:28):
know why this year has took it, because this year
was extremely hard. Why not why this year happened the
way it did happen? To me, what are you trying
to teach me? What is the purpose behind this pain?
You know? And I think shifting your perspective like that,
(26:49):
really you're able to pull yourself out of it because
you're no longer playing that victim game. You're saying, Okay,
I'm going to use this as a tool. This is
this pain is a tool. And just so you know,
God does give his strongest soldiers, you know, the battles
that somebody else in this world can't can't even put
(27:10):
up with.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
I feel like God speaks to people sometimes and I
feel like that's what he did in your life. Yeah,
It's it's almost like what would you do without him?
Almost kind of like what you were just talking about.
Yeah yeah, but during that whole past this past year,
what what what brought you? Was there? Like obviously like
(27:32):
it's your faith, but was there like anything that.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
So this past year I went through some things on
a personal level that nobody's aware of. You know, I
was hiding, I was I was battling. I was very
like I was like going through the greens this year
and everybody this year is when I felt the most
love and support. But although I felt love and support,
(28:00):
I still felt this pain, this emptiness in my heart. Right,
so somebody invited me to go to church. I'm telling you,
everything happens for a reason. They invited me to go
to church last year in August when I was going
through it. I was actually getting ready to fight in
December and I started going to church and that's when I,
(28:22):
for the first time in my life, felt like God.
I felt the presence, I felt the Holy Spirit, and
I broke down crying and it was the most beautiful
feeling in the like most beautiful feeling, and I felt
so loved. Although I was bawling my like horrible, I
looked scary, but I was so freeing and I felt
(28:45):
so loved. And I left there and I was like, wow,
I want to feel that again. And besides fighting and winning,
I've never had that feeling outside of the cage. So
I found my another love, you know, and I felt
loved back, and I know if I didn't granted, So
(29:05):
then okay, I was about to get off topic. So
then I got closer to God last year and then
the January or yeah, December happened and it was just like,
I feel like the universe grabbed me and just it
can spin me around and said, survive this now. And
I know if I did, if I weren't searching for
God back in August, I wouldn't have been able to
(29:27):
be here right now this year.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Wow, yeah, what about December like made you feel like
you just got wrapped up?
Speaker 2 (29:36):
So I was supposed to fight in Florida and the
doctors didn't let me at all. And I went back
to my hotel and I had my I flew in
my girl that braves hair, which made me, if you're watching,
love you. And I had my niece there, and I
had who I was with at the time, and I
(29:57):
was just sitting there in shock on how I didn't
get clear to fight.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Would they say it happened?
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Oh, it's it's.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
A long story.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I know it's sad. It's really sad. And I just
sat there and I had in one moment literally and
one out of the say, by ten, everybody was cheering
for me. By ten thirty, Within thirty minutes, everybody was
(30:28):
calling me the worst of the worst.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
For pulling out.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I mean, well, I didn't pull out, they.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Adopted for me.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Yeah, I was ready to fight. I was like, dude,
I don't care what am I I'm going through physically,
let me fight. They're like, we can't let you fight.
And I was and I said okay, And I had
just made a post my way in post, and then
thirty minutes later I couldn't even explain to the fans.
Thirty minutes later there Tracy Cortez pulled out through medical reasons,
(30:55):
and I'm like, ah, and the world just within thirty
minutes went from cheering me on on top of the
you know, the mountain, to just dragging me through the mud.
And I'm not wanted to. I'm never gonna go online
and explain anything personal of mine, just because fans already
feel very entitled to our lives. Sure, so I stayed quiet.
(31:19):
I stayed to myself, and I got myself back to health.
And right when I was doing okay, it's like boom, oh,
I think it was my peck. I tore my peck.
So they're like, no, well you're out for the next
four months. I was like, and then that was on
a Tuesday. By Friday, I tore a ligament that same
week on my hand where it was the tiniest little
(31:42):
ligament and I needed hand surgery. They're like Okay, well
you're out for another six months.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
I was like, oh my god, it's just like the
never ending.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Ever Andy from December on out. And I was just like,
this year freaking sucks. Oh my god, this her sucks.
And I'm telling you, I'm so grateful for my friends
and I'm not, you know, discrediting them for being there
for me. I love them. They were they really you know,
(32:13):
showed like they were really there for me when I
needed it. But most and foremost, like I just got
closer and I just leaned on God. I needed him,
you know. And uh, I'm sure you have. You had
moments where you're like, how can this? How how can
this happen to me? And if it weren't for not
(32:34):
just those around you, But I don't know how strong
your faith is, but I know I wouldn't be yeah
here with you guys either.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Mm hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
It's It's funny how it all works out, because in
the end, you fought in September and you told us
something very cool yesterday, how right before they opened and
you saw Tracy flags Tracy t shirts and you said
you literally could have broke down crowd.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Oh. I don't even want to get that moment meant.
I just thought to myself, I said, God, you put
me through so much to appreciate this moment.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Oh no, Okay, that was.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
The most incredible feeling ever where because there's always going
to be trolls always, but seeing so much fans come
and support me after such a long layoff as an athlete.
It's scary to be out for so long because the
sport moves so fast. So I was really scared, you know.
(33:41):
I was like, man, my time is running. Fans are
going to forget about me. I was on such a
like good what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Like trajectory?
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
I was. I was really lost, especially because all I knew,
all I've known since I was seventeen, since my dad
kicked me out to train, and I can't punch and
I can't punch here because I have a torn peck.
So I had to really sit there and say, Okay,
who is Tracy Cortes? Who am I? Asides from fighting?
(34:14):
And I figured out, Man, I'm a loving person, as
weird as that sounds, because I'm never around my family.
I'm never I'm around my family, but not to the
extent where because I'm so I'm so focused and I'm
so addicted to bettering myself and wanting to be the
best that I've never had the opportunity to connect with
(34:38):
my friends on a deeper level. I never had the
opportunity to connect with my family on a deeper level.
So this year not only was it the hardest year,
it was the year where I found out who I
was myself, you know, where, Oh, I love loving my people.
I love it. It makes me happy where they come over
(34:58):
and we do nothing and we have movie nights, and
I love being with my knees and I'm just I'm
a very loving person to those that I care for.
And I learned that about myself, and I learned just
everything of who I am more, you know, on a
deeper level as well. And so this year was definitely
(35:22):
a blessing, but it took a lot for me to
see it.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Yeah, maybe God's all in the future and gave you
all those tough tribulations and then whenever that moment.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Happened, because I kid you not, the second those curtains opened,
my family didn't even know that I was walking out
through there. The first I look up and the light
hits and I just see my dad and all my
family and all my friends, and I walk out and
everybody's holding their flags and I made flags with my
(35:55):
face on item Cortes, and I just saw it all
around the stadium and I was just so taken back.
And I'm walking out and I felt my lips shivery.
I was like, and I had to look down. I go, no, Tracy, focus,
like you're working right now. But I felt I felt
their energy, I felt the love, and I felt so grateful.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Yeah. And then later on in the fight, channing and.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Then and then I heard and I think it was
like second round where they started chancing for me. They're like,
oh and I wasn't there, and I was just like,
oh my god. I thought I would get that because
that's like an honor. That's just a big you know,
that's a that's huge. You don't hear that often. You
hear it like soccer. Maybe I don't even think you've
(36:42):
heard it in like football, you know, and you've you've
yet to hear it in fights. So to hear the
old as I was just like, I was like, oh
my god, it was such a beautiful feeling. I almost
cried the second round too.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I'm just a cry.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
That's crazy. How alert you are in a fight though?
Do you even hear that? Yeah, because a lot of
people say that it just gets quiet. It's just you
and the other person be able to hear that.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
I hear everything. You hear everything, Like when I get
a good punch in and they're like yeah, like oh
another word, yeah, kick, like oh shit, let me come down.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Is it true that you feed off the crowd though?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
And I do very much. Like I've heard fighters say
when we were in quarantine, they preferred no audience. I'm like,
are you guys crazy? Say, we're performers. That is the point.
That is the point of fighting. We're to perform, to
put on a show. We're entertainers. I love entertaining and
(37:42):
put on a good fight. And I love when the
crowd cheers. I just love being loved. I love the crowd.
But I'm also used to the crowd booing me. Like
when I made my debut in Brazil and they were
like boo and they were chancing in Brazil like kill her,
to kill me?
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's crazy and I.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Heard it and I was like, oh yeah, like, well,
you guys watch I'm gonna freaking kill her, and I
like flipped the switch.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
That was crazy too, because you guys both like missed
waits scale.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, because the scale was off by half a pounder.
I think it was zero point seven off, and everyone
by saying to myself, when don't everyone have missed weight?
Then pretty much it was well some people like waiting
under the.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yeah. Yeah, so they originally because I think me and
her were the last ones to weigh in, they brought
the scale up to the top where the song, they
moved the scale and they said, can you guys just
weigh yourselves here because we have to go down. So
I don't know why they did that test weight thing.
They've never done that. Granted now I know they've never
done that. It was my first, my pro debut UFC debut.
(38:52):
So I step on the scale. Okay, we're on. Wait,
let's go back down. She made weight. We went back down,
then we go then we weigh on ourselves in front
of the media, and we both missed point by point five.
We're just like, hold on, we you know, and the
commission was there and everybody was like, they've just made weight.
So a few hours later, after they analyzed everything that
(39:15):
that was. It was on them and I'm so grateful that.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
So they double checked and they said, okay, what was
off here?
Speaker 1 (39:21):
You know? So did they re did they like rewaigh
you guys again? Or no?
Speaker 2 (39:25):
They just gave us they they instead of announcing Nick
that we missed weight. It was like no, we were
on Wait. Yeah, they didn't take money off of.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
That because sometimes like then you get the extra hour.
Yeah cut, that would have been a lot worse if
you guys went down and tried to cut that extra
half down.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
And actually even then, I think I had another I
can't remember exactly what fight it was, but I waited
at six point five, I had point five to cut,
and the doctors again didn't have me go cut. It's
because I get so lean, I guess, so shredded. Yeah,
insane shredded. And they're like, you can't cut no more.
(40:01):
Like I have a little bit in me. I have
to pee, like I just see, let me freak it.
I just like I tinkled, like, let me go cut
the last. I have an hour and they didn't give
it to me. And the matchmaker called my manager and
he apoloed. He goes, hey, we're so sorry, like we
had no idea if they were there, they would have.
So that was probably I think my first time actually missing.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Way was that hard to like swallow?
Speaker 2 (40:26):
It was because I'm really professional. I'm extremely professional. I
take my job very serious.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Then did it lead over to like any like what
ifs into the next camp? Almost like it, Oh, I
need to like really start cutting weight?
Speaker 2 (40:39):
Yes, well not not on my end, because my coach
is no like I am when it comes down to
cutting weight. I'm not like I know, sissy, I don't complain.
I look at my coach and if it's a bad cut,
because we've all had them, yeah, I say, hey, just
make sure I don't die, you know, I say joking,
I'm like, make sure I don't die. I'll throw me
in the sona, you know. And I'm in there and
(40:59):
I make the way. I pushed through it a lot.
Uh fight week, No I cut maybe sometimes I cut eight,
sometimes I cut ten. This last one, actually I cut
was the most I've cut. But it was the best
way cut ever. I don't know why I was so
lean I cut. I think I was like thirteen over.
That was the most fight week, and I was like, man,
(41:22):
but I was waterloading waterload, and granted I always waterload,
but I don't. I honestly don't know what was different
I made. I did one cut it at night and
they're like, you want to cut it because normally I
cut it the same night to wake up on weight.
I said no, I said, I have five more pounds.
You know, I lost a few the first guy I said,
(41:42):
let me. I said, let's cut the rest. I still
have water and I said, let's cut the rest in
the morning. And normally I like looking pretty in wayans.
This time I was like, I don't care like this way.
Let me cut the weight in the morning, and you
could see it. I go in there and my cheeks
are still red from the sauna. Like. I came out
the sauna weighed myself. I'm gonna wait, let's go, went
(42:03):
straight to the weigh ins weiding. My hair was still
like had all kinds of sweet sweat on it. Yeah,
but I went there so happy. I was only dehydrated
for fifteen twenty minutes.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Do you normally cut day off?
Speaker 2 (42:16):
No?
Speaker 1 (42:16):
I hate no, you always do, I always do. Yeah,
this is no chu.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Yeah. What was that like? Though? After you got your
hand raised in just all the past eighteen months of
just grinding what what was that moment? Like?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
It was.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
This?
Speaker 2 (42:35):
That camp was really hard because I got injured that
camp too. I'm telling you this. I cut so injured
this This camp, this year alone was the most injuries
I've had in my entire career. I've never been injured.
I never pulled the muscle, I've never The most I
think I have was was like a really bad up,
a really bad sprained ankle. But prior to that, I know,
(42:57):
I've never had surgery. I've never been injured like this, Right,
So what, I pulled my back out, so I couldn't
train for like a week and half, almost two weeks.
I couldn't run, which is huge in my deficit for
(43:17):
my weight. I couldn't wrestle, which is also huge in
my game planning. So that's why I didn't wrestle because
I had a solid week of a week and a
half of my first week of camp, and then after
that I was too scared to wrestle because I was like,
what if I tweak my back again? So I was
just in there every day, sparring, sparring, play, sparring, hitting, mids, drilling,
(43:41):
Dutch drills, everything will stand up everything, and it showed you.
Oh my god, how did you?
Speaker 1 (43:52):
How did you not?
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Just you know what? I saw red? And that was
very reckless of me. I just I was like, I
just dropped my hands. And then I think she saw.
She knew what she did because she started walking backwards
as I'm walking forward, and then she she she was
yelling and but she was I didn't understand her.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Yeah, and she's not American and then she no, she's.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Canadian, and she's like and then I just hear what
And I'm like, oh, She's like, what, I didn't pull
your hair? And to me, I'm like, first of all,
I didn't say you did, but you pulled my fucking
like you could see it. I put on my TikTok actually,
or you could read my lips fro. I'm like, you
pulled my fucking hair. And then I put my hands
up and I go, put your hands up, Oh my god,
(44:36):
And then I remember and then I'm like, pop it
with the one too.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:40):
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Speaker 1 (44:57):
As you guys may know, I was tragically burned and
a school science experiment by my teacher that gave me
a fifty chance to survive, and through that I have
to wear sunscreen every day for the rest of my life.
And as being a golfer, the brand I trust is Kula. Man.
Speaker 3 (45:14):
Look at this bottle, Kola. This just screams beaches, waves
and sun. So let's give this a.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Smell, nice man chop of cannabris. This is smelling like Hawaii,
our favorite place.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
So next time you guys need sunscreen, go get yourself Kola.
You'll thank us later. You're actually leading us right into
our next letter. Are It's ridiculous. Unfortunate moments really make
you who you are, and I think God has really
prepared you through all their trials to see a greater
in a bigger goal.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
But moving into our.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
Ridiculous you kind of alluded the jazzmin thing with her
pulling your hair, But is there any other ridiculous ber
moments that you've been through this year?
Speaker 2 (45:58):
This entire year was ridiculous, this entire year. I'm over it.
I'm already ready for New Year's tomorrow. Yeah. Besides that,
I think that what another just another thing was we
were at uh something that was just so reckless, so ridiculous.
I you would think you will clip your helmet on
(46:22):
right if you're on like you guys know the canons,
the razors. Yeah, we're in the in the in the
in Glamis. It's a huge event. Thousands of thousands of
people come and we're there's fireworks and there's food and
people are in the desert and we're barbecuing and it's
a great time. But you have to be you have
(46:43):
to clip your helmet. Well I didn't clip my helmet.
I don't know who. I thought it was like Superwoman
or something. And when we flipped and rolled, my helmet
came off and I just see my helmet and I'm
looking at it and then I'm like, oh ship and
we're rolling right and as I'm as I'm like twisting
my head backwards, I hit the back of my head
(47:05):
like on the on the yeah, on like the poles
of the Doom Buggies, and I end up, I'm out,
I black out, and I just I'm assuming I had
to hit my head everywhere because I was so worse
than the fight. I was so bruised up. I chipped
the back of my tooth. Well, I chipped it. It's
(47:26):
tipped right now, I know, and thank you. And if
I laughed, if my smile is too big, you're probably yeah.
So I just remember waking up and someone found my
phone and I was full of dirt and I was like,
oh my god, my phone's dirty. And then I look
(47:46):
around and I just see all my friends so worried,
and I'm like full of blood. My head is like
getting so huge, and my friend comes and puts pressure
on it. She's like, you have to put pressure on it.
She didn't get a hum. What is it called hum? Yeah,
And they start putting pressure on my forehead because it
was getting huge. And I'm talking to the patrol officer
and they're trying to contact someone to bring the helicopter
(48:08):
that scored me to the yer and I'm like no, no,
and everybody's freaking out, and I had it. I went
on like a fighter's flight. It's like survival mode, and
I had to calm everybody down and I had to
be the one there for everybody. While I'm spinning out
blood and it was traumatic. It was horrible.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
How long ago was that?
Speaker 2 (48:26):
A few weeks ago? I still have like the red
little but you can't you can't see it, but I
still have like a little bump.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
If you can't tell, thank you it's sparing.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Yeah, but no, because that means the girl hit me here.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Oh it wasn't spark It wasn't sparing. You walked into
the door, imagine.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
But yeah, that was That was also a reality check
for me where it's like, man, I could have died,
you know.
Speaker 1 (48:53):
That was very recklessly. That was Yeah, did you ever
worry about that? If you would die from that? From
in your mouth?
Speaker 2 (49:01):
I did it. I became like these last couple of weeks,
I've been super emotional, and my level of like gratitude
has just it's off the roof, you know, because if
I didn't I didn't buckle the first one, the one
that keeps you seated. I only buckled the one in
(49:23):
the chest, which is like like literally like you know
you guys know the dog collars, yea, yeah, that's all
it is here. So if I didn't buckle this one,
I would have flewn out. I would have been dead.
So that was definitely like also a reality check. And
now it's like, okay, now have a concussion, I can't
(49:44):
I can't train, you know. They now I can't train
for another three months, three or four months, so until December, January, February, March,
sometime in March, maybe April, because I got I got
hit in the head pretty bad. Like yeah, the doctors like, yeah,
your brain is bruised and you have no internal bleeding.
Speaker 1 (50:04):
But yeah, that stuff. Maybe this is a wrestler that
you need. Maybe it just allows you to chase that belt,
you know.
Speaker 2 (50:15):
But everything happens for a reason. If anything, I'm really
grateful because now I wanted to fight in December this
you know, this month coming up. But I had so
many projects and ideas that I wanted to do. But
if I would have thought, I wouldn't have been focused
on what I want to do. So now I'm blessed
to fully give my attention to my first ever toy drive. Right,
(50:39):
I'm able to spend for the first holidays with my
family and may go in a long time. I'm able
to just enjoy the season.
Speaker 3 (50:49):
So again, perspective, yeah, you know, yeah, I actually do
have a question for you. Because with traumatic experiences, like
for me, like seeing him go through what he went through,
it kind of opens your mind to like a whole
different world, like you come that close with death or
experienced death. So like you going through your brother's situation,
did it ever, Like I don't know how to word this,
(51:12):
but did it open your mind to like other things
like oh, shoot, maybe I have cancer or like oh maybe,
like did did your mind start to kind of psychologically
do that? Because with him, like I started fearing death too,
Like there was a whole six months of my entire
life where I was terrified to drive because yeah, because
I was like man like he almost died, Like I
felt like I was gonna die driving like get hit.
(51:35):
So I'm just curious if you kind of experienced that too.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
No, I almost died twice this year, right, And it
was one of those things where if it's my time,
like I'm not going to question God. I know where
I'm going it. But am I scared of I know,
I'm scared to live in that live my full potential.
That's my biggest fear. And it is crazy.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Have you seen the robots? I have seen it them
a lot of like the chargers games and in LA
they're putting them like in the crowd. No, and they
like talk back, but they do like human things the
way they like look turn their head and like it's scary.
(52:18):
I don't like that stuff. I don't want them. I
don't want them working at a fast food restaurant whenever
I go get my food there, because you never know what.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
I would trust the robot doing my food more than
a normal person really, just uh, you know what if
it's fast food. Maybe if it's like a restaurant like
cooking and adding spices and it's like no, because people
make their little touches like no, it probably needs more.
Speaker 1 (52:40):
Salt, robot, I'm not gonna be able to taste it.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Yeah, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Oh, you know what I need.
Speaker 2 (52:45):
But if it's a fast food like I mean, I don't.
I don't need fast food, but say like McDonald's or
something like they just put it on the patty or something.
Excuse me, you got my order wrong, like okay, and
you know they're not going to spit in it or something.
Speaker 1 (52:57):
You know, I guess do you like to cook or no?
I used to.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
I used to, and now I'm I do so much
and I'm almost never. I used to meal prep. I
used to cook that. Now it's when I'm home. I'm
home for like a small period of time where my
food kind of goes bad when I come back home,
so I eat It's more convenient, especially because I live alone,
to just eat out.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (53:21):
I love cooking, but kind of the same thing. We
travel so much. It's like it's hard to but a nice,
like full week of like meal prep.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
I'm like, ah, but then I do the meal prep
and then say I'll do it for like Monday through Friday.
Then I leave on a Wednesday and then the rest
of the foot. Like I bought some fresh apples right now,
I'm like, I hope they don't go bad by the
time I go Honey Chris. No, it was, it's not
it's not it's another one.
Speaker 1 (53:44):
I don't know, but it was really good. Honeycrist apples
are the best ones I do.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
Yeah, yeah, those are my favorite. They were next to
the honey Cris.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
I'll tell you what that what's in season at grapes grapes?
Speaker 2 (53:55):
Have you had cotton candy grapes? Now?
Speaker 1 (53:57):
What?
Speaker 2 (53:58):
Yes, they're flavored like they it's literally cotton candy grapes,
green grapes. What has won here? Had them? No? Are
you serious? I don't know. Yes, I really doubt that
they're probably good for you. But the first time last
year and they taste like cotton candy.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
But they're like actual grapes, but they're grapes.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
Same. It isn't they're so sweet?
Speaker 1 (54:26):
It is maybe AI, I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
I was like, let me try these and I ended
up eating them all in this grocery store and it
was an empty bag. I was like the ladies cannon.
Speaker 1 (54:36):
She was like, I got hungry. We got a Vons.
Maybe we'll go check them out. If they have them,
we should go. We should go's got candy cotton can mission? Interesting?
I got asked, what were you? Were you more nervous
for the Contender series fight than your actual debut then?
Speaker 2 (54:57):
Yeah, oh yeah. That was like whatever, I'm gonna lay
it all on the line here because not only is
it win, but it's performance. You could win and I
have a good performance and it's just like there goes
your shop. So and then I worked so hard, you know,
I was at that time it was like my mom
(55:19):
passed away. I was leaving. I was freshly out of
an eight year, eight year relationship. So I was just
having like losses after losses in my life. So I
was just like, I need this, I freaking need this.
I was working like three jobs, so you could see it.
I was there, and I like, after I went, I
(55:40):
just broke down. I was like, when Dana White called
my name, I'm just like yeah, I couldn't even talk.
I was like, I'm such a crime with me. I
need I'm such a.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
You're good.
Speaker 3 (55:57):
I can imagine the energy in that place, like ten guys,
like you just feel everyone's nerves. Everyone's like on edge.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
It's on edge. Everyone's like quiet. You hear every punch
you hear like the opposite. You literally are sitting across
the cage from your opponent's family members, so it's like
you're yelling they're cheering for me, and then they look
and they're like then you hear them and you're like, no,
you're going. It's like yeah, it's so intimate.
Speaker 1 (56:24):
Yeah, it's crazy. I want to go. We need to go.
Jacob get his tickets. Come on, Jacob needs to get
his tickets.
Speaker 2 (56:30):
You guys, I got you, guys.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
Thank you, all three of us will go. I have
to go. I want to experience it.
Speaker 2 (56:37):
When is the last one?
Speaker 3 (56:37):
Is it's already done? Next year they start August, maybe
it's July. I don't know when they start, but we'll
have to go because we've been to the Apex for
real fights, but Contender Series is a whole.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (56:49):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (56:50):
I walk around there like like hi, Like.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
Yeah, I've been there, I've done that.
Speaker 2 (56:55):
But I go and I like say hi to everybody,
like the security, the people in the kitchen, like I
make my rounds. Yeah, everyone's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (57:03):
Yeah. I mean we went to the p I for
the first time this past July. What's it. Yeah, we
were in July and that place is so cool. I've
always wanted to go there. But everyone's so friendly. Hey, Yeah,
I was like, gosh, the culture here is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (57:19):
I remember when I first went to the PI. Everyone
knew me, they knew me, there were hats and I
was so new. I didn't know nobody, so I felt one.
I felt rude. I was like, how the hell does
everyone on me? But I don't know them right because
it's a new environment for me. And then I think
(57:40):
one of the sweetest moments was I was talking to
Megan and she said, hey, she pulled me aside. She said,
just so you know, you might not know everyone here,
but we know you and you have everyone's support here.
And when she said that, I was like, I was
like okay, because I was very intimidated and I was young,
(58:01):
I was shy, I was to myself, and when she
said that, I was like okay, Like it was it
was really good feeling. Thank you, Megan.
Speaker 3 (58:09):
That's cool. That's the culture of the USC is super cool. Yeah,
we turn out security, yea, top dogs. Everyone is just
so cool. But our tracy is time to go to
and and it's kind of two parts.
Speaker 1 (58:20):
It's like now and next.
Speaker 3 (58:22):
So are there any burn moments that you're going through
right now or any burn moments that you see coming
up right now?
Speaker 2 (58:29):
Yeah, you know, the concussion, the the accident. Like I
have my moments where I'm driving and I just full
of gratitude and I break down crying like, oh my God,
I could have died. Thank you, Like I don't know
why my purpose it is here and I'm just praying
like God holds my hand and just walks me through
this life because I wouldn't be here right now, you know.
(58:51):
So the concussion where my head hurts, I'm not training again,
so I'm definitely going through it right now, still a
little bit. But it's something beautiful that I heard on
a previous podcast is like the dot analogy. Have you
guys heard it now? It's like when you look forward
(59:11):
and everything is spread out, all these little thoughts, all
these goals, all these all the people in your life,
everything is just spread out and nothing makes sense right on.
Your trials and your errors, and your highs and your lows,
and your your relationships and your family and your career.
Everything's just spread out. You're like think, I don't know
I'm gonna do it, but but I'm gonna do it.
(59:32):
But when you look back, all the dots line up
and you're just like everything happened the way it was
supposed to happen, you know. And that's kind of where
I'm at right now, where it's like, you know what,
the accident, the concussion. I'm still going through a lot
of things on a personal level, and nothing makes sense
to me right now looking forward. I just know the
(59:53):
angle and I know that I'm gonna do the best
I can, and I'm not my intentions are pure and
I'm not gonna hurt nobody because when I look back,
everything makes sense, everything aligns, you know.
Speaker 1 (01:00:05):
So everything you went through is the person who you
became today exactly. But going do you think going to
Brazil and training was a big It.
Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
Was definitely something that got me out of it as well. Huge.
I'm a big believer in like grounding yourself, and in Arizona,
I'm just I was doing the same thing, which wasn't
helping me. You know, I wasn't getting me nowhere. So
I went to I'm such a water person, Like I
see the water and I'm like, and I want to
(01:00:35):
jump in. I don't know why. Like I went to
I went hiking the other day and Payson, Arizona, and
the lake is freezing closing off. Jumped in. Literally, I
was like, oh my god, took my shoes off there
and I was like watch me. And I jumped in
and I just felt so alive. Something about water that
just makes me feel good, right, Like that's my although,
(01:00:57):
like like a fire sign. I'm Sagittarius, like fires my element.
I just love the water. So I was in Brazil
and all I did was train, go hang out, at
the beach. I knew nobody. I took that trip on
my own. I went
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LaVar Arrington
TJ Houshmandzadeh
Plaxico Burress
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