February 16, 2025 • 34 mins
This week, Neil Cummins sits down with Alex Simon, a former Australian strongman known for his record-breaking lifts and sheer power. But strength isn’t just about muscles—it’s about mindset, discipline and fmaily sized pizzas. Alex shares his journey into the world of strength sports,what drove him to push his body to the absolute limit, and the sacrifices it took to reach the top, his new challenge, MMA
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Approche Production. Welcome to Secrets of the Underworld. I am
Neil the Muscle comments and in this episode I speak
with Alex Simon form what Australian strong man?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're going to like a fucking evil hard place here.
You're committing to it. I'll tell you a story. I
don't think I said this publicly. Actually it was over
ten thousand a day cows the last time I was
one hundred and twenty. It was sixteen years old. It's
a big bro, but mass miss mass Oh, yeah, bro
snacking on family size pizzas. That's my god. Now, i'd
(00:45):
love to make you say.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Alex Simon recognized as the strongest Australian in history, I'm
the third strongest in the world.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Is that true? A few years ago?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
It is true?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Not anymore, I would say if fucking skinny vote.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I feel before we get into like everything about you,
I'm going to bring this off first. And I don't
usually do with this with guess one hundred and seventy kilos, Like,
what the fuck that natural?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
One hundred and eighty one.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
That's so, that's that Google is fucked up? Yeah, inaccurate
one hundred and eighty one.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
When I want to try this trunks. Man, I weighed
one hundred and eighty one killers on the day. Yeah,
four hundred pounds, what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, I still got like the biggest that being is
one thirty six.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Had one feel skinny at one thirty six? Yeah, I
felt skinny and I wanted to get You're going to
say for fucked.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
No, I felt too skinny because I get used to
with me if if I if I put on the size,
when I get used to that size, I then feel shit,
I need to get more.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Gotcha, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
And I've never found I've never found my my size
that I want to be. I mean no, I've never
found it because like if I get on put it
this way, if I get on the once twenty five, yeah,
I'm fucked. I'm having a nightment. I'm depressed. If I
can keep myself one thirty, yeah, I'm cool, gotcha. If
I can get up more, Like my goal was to
(02:18):
be one forty, I could never get there. It was
one thirty seven about that, okay, but one fucking what
edie one.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
One one killers, four hundred pounds, that's my biggest natural
of course? Not what?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
All right, Well, let's talk about you growing off first,
we'll go back to that. Done, all right, tell me
about you as a person growing up and no like.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Fuck me dead. I'm born and raised in Sydney, from
the northwest, so around Castle Hill area. Grew up around there,
normal childhood, played rugby league my whole life, A couple
of close mates.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
When do you say, right, you played rugby league? Did
you actually like? Were you playing? Nah?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I didn't end up playing first grade or anything. I was.
I was descent. I was talented, but just very lazy.
When I was young, I was fat, so I didn't
like doing any hard work.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I was explosive and obviously I had big eyes, but
I never put it you see fat? What do you
mean by fat? No, I was a big kid. I
was a big fat built but still I was fat.
I was a fatty Oh yeah, I was a little
fat ALEX schooling Yeah, just normal, jumped out your ten,
No issues, really suspended a couple of times, just a
bit silly, yeah, nothing crazy, bro, But no. I was
(03:25):
a good kid, very quiet, you know, very quiet. Didn't
like confrontation when I was young, very scared of it,
you know, very scared. Yeah, I didn't like confrontation at all.
Hated it. That's why I kind of started getting on,
you know, putting on size.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And it's not like confrontation changed their ways when they
get older.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You just don't want to be a victim. Bro. You
got to learn to protect you as a kid. Yeah,
when I was young, When I was young for being fat.
There's just one kid. He just kept bullying me in
primary school. You ever see him since, I'll tell you
a story. I don't think I said this publicly actually,
but anyway, Fuck, what's year too? How old are in
(04:06):
year two?
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Shit?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I don't know whatever it was, but he kept bullying me.
And it was a little girl I had a crush
on and she was my friend ready and then he
was bullying me for months months his camp and he
used to come up to me and I was chatting
to this chick I had a crush on. I was.
I was eight years old or something, and he just
started calling me I forgot. It was like fatty fady,
bumba or some ship, you know what I mean, in
(04:29):
front of her, and I got real cut, rough, upset,
and I just put my head down and started and
we're next to a brick wall, and I just grabbed
his head and I went bang on the brick wall
with his head and he's like tooth chipped, like I
noticed it and it came out anyway. And then I
seen him again when I was eighteen, right, and I
left that school in year four. I didn't see him
since I seen him again. I was eighteen and I
(04:51):
already had like a couple of fights, and I was
lifting and a few people started to know me, and
he knew me. It came up to me and goes
like real nervously, It's like, hey, bro, you remember me.
I go yeah. He goes were sweet? I go, yeah, bro,
we're sweet and st.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
I didn't forget that, Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
This job when as soon as I left school.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Butcher, do you know what you do? Look like a butcher?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You do, like in a good way, you know what
I mean. But you do look like you've worked in
a butcher like meat.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Wow. Yeah, I was a butcher. I was doing that
for a year. Yeah yeah, and then I got fired.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Like I.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Cut half my finger off. I wasn't sleeping. I had
bad sleep happening here from about fifteen to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
You lost your job for that? Yeah, you know what,
you lost your finger.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
None of us got scared. He is like this console
ability I got rid of me.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So what tan't you to like be competing like as
you did? What? What what made you do that?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
But you know what it was was going back to
what I said I was. I was a scared kid.
You know, I was very scared. I was still the
biggest kid around, but I was fucking afraid. You know,
like even in footy when there'd be pantrens, like my
heart would start racing, I'm like, fuck, you know, I
didn't like it.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Anxiety kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Maybe not anxiety, but just like fear fear, And as
you get older, I was just like, this is not
how you should be. So when I hit about fifteen,
I just kind of you know, and you start hanging
out with people and you don't always have protection, you know,
walking around on the streets and shit, and I'm just thinking,
(06:27):
like you start seeing punch ons and that. I'm just thinking, fuck,
I need to do I need to change this. So
I started just training boxing in the off season of
playing rugby, and I just said like, yeah, I'm going
to learn how to defend myself. I don't want to
feel this way my whole life.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So when you say it, so it got above fifteen,
your your your hang on with mates? Are they? What
are they? They are they sporty mates?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Sporty?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, so you kind of wanted to change your ways
to stay with them in a way.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Nah, because I've pretty much had like three close mates
growing up. It was about four of us and we
all played footage together in the same team, right, and
they were like my couple other mates from school. But
these are like my boys, you know, still too still
to today. They're like my close mates, you know. And yeah,
that was just we just you know, played footy together.
They were always training and then I just started just
(07:15):
going to the gym with them and yeah, I started
from there boxing training.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Already in the gym. Yeah, and then you just thought, okay, I.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Just thought I knew it. I'll start hanging out with them,
you know.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So when did they Okay, so you go in the gym,
When did it start? When did they When did you
know that? Okay, this is deepe for me. Now, this
is what I want to do now, this is I'm
going to push myself to be something now.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So I had my first MMA fight when I was
sixteen sixteen, yeah, so I hadn't done weights yet, so
I was just a footed player. And then I was
training bit of boxing and then I had this fight
last minute thing and then I had the fight. And
then after that fight, when I was sixteen, I think
that was on a Saturday night, and then I think
the Monday was the first time my mate took me
to the gym, and like my first day in the gym,
(07:56):
I benched one fuck was it one seventy five or
one eighty for two first time and there was an
older boy in the gym, and he was just like,
what the fuck? You know what I mean? I think
it was one eighty four plates aside for two raps.
I was a kid, like the worst technique you've ever seen,
but but you did you did it.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I did it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
It wasn't fucking hands on spoiling it. It was me,
you know, legit. And then that's why I'm like, this
is mad. Everyone was starting to like do these ones
to me, and my confidence was like fuck great, So
I just ran with it from there.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But going back to what you just said down route,
you did MMA, right, Yeah, you don't like a confrontation.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So what didn't. But I've been training for maybe six months. Yeah, yeah,
And I just I was on the drink one night
and I was going to go up in corner my
friend fighting right, and i'd actually fractured my knuckle training
like maybe six weeks earliest. I didn't train in six weeks.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I was on a drink with my mate and some
random number card man answered it. And I was on
a loudspeaking next to one of my best mates and
he goes, hey, mate, blah blah blah, my name's whatever
from the fight show tomorrow night. Oh, your friend tells
me you're a big boy. I go, I mean kind of.
I think I was like, say, one hundred and nine kilows.
He goes, do you want to fight? This was the
next day. I go like, not really, I haven't trained.
(09:10):
I'm kind of on the piss now. He goes, well, mate,
I can tell you he'd be a teenager and it's
his first fight as well. And then my friend just
to pear pressure thing, do it you pussy can't? I'm like, fuck, yeah,
all right, yeah, sweet done. Hanged up the phone and
I was just shooting my pants. I was like, oh fuck,
what have I done? Anyway, the next day came, I
wasn't even going to go, and then at like four o'clock.
(09:31):
It was in Newcastle, So at like four o'clock my
mates rocked up to my house let's go, and I
was like, ah fuck. I was like fuck it all right,
So we drove down and I'm looking around in the
changing We got there real late, like it should have
been the probably an hour before, so everyone's already like
clubbed up, warming up. We got there all late and
I'm looking in the back room. There was everyone's warming up.
(09:52):
In one room. There was like a bullshit curtain, but
you can see straight through it.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
You're trying to find it.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, and everyone was little, bro, everyone was little, So
I'm trying to scope it up and I'm like, fuck,
who if I got? Who have I got? And then
in the very back corner I see the biggest fucking Samoan,
big afro. But he was not a teenager. I found
out later it was thirty years old. Really. It had
nine fights here. I think he knocked out like eight people. Yeah,
and he's just throwing bombs on this pad boom, and
(10:19):
my heart just like I went, oh fuck, he's the
only big dude in the room. I got this. I'm
just like this can't I'm not going to run away now.
So I got in now one did it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
And I stopped him as well, feeling I have to
go through like being all that nervous. And then did
you want it again?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Did you want to fight again after that? Because you yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah? But I was I was cool for a minute,
you know what I mean. I'd done that and I
was like sweet little box ticked like face to fit
one of those things, you know, And then I just
wanted to start lifting waights for a bit. And I
was being a little bit naughty at the time, so
I wasn't too focused on training, just a bit of
weights for fun.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know what size you now? Like you you're starting
to lift weights, You're starting to get your physic Yeah,
it's stands to shape up. Now you're getting fit. Yeah,
how big are you looking?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Now?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Well?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I was sixteen when i'd done that fight. I'd never
lifted weights, and I was the hard am now so
I was six three and I was one hundred and nine.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Killers And you've got a bit of confidence beyond you now.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I've got a bit of confidence, you know. I can
knock out a man.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I'm like, oh, so, so are you now getting provoked
and kind of like entaste by people now who are
looking at you going like you know, when when you
when you've got someone who's good at what they do
and they like fighters it now that they're brought in
by people to use. Were you used by people because
of your size?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
No?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, No one tried to bay entaste you to.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
A couple of times they tried, but I was still
pretty like on that from me, you know, like I
could kind of see a snake.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Because someone got size, would be like, fucking let we
could use him, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, I got that a lot when I was a
kid in jail. I got that a lot in jarl.
I was eighteen, I got that a lot, you know, Okay,
but not too much when I was a bit younger
because I kind of just I didn't allow myself to
get in those situations. I had my tight group near
of friends and I've kind of just stayed with the boys.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You know, how are you going before you went to jail?
Were you any more fights with it?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
With your nor fights?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So it's just basically now you're hitting the weights, hitting
the ways hard. Yeah, what was your goal? I didn't
have one at that stage.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I was just enjoying putting on size and just being
the you know, the strong dude at the local gym. Yeah. Yeah,
I just I liked the attention because I never got it.
You know. It was a nice feeling.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So how did you end up in jailing? How did
that come around?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Pretty much? Long story shot. Me and my mate too
kind of always felt like, I guess, if you can
say the right word for outcasts, like we didn't feel
like we're fitting with everyone else, you know, so we'd
kind of just stick together and you know, as you
do young kids, you just kind of get up to
a bit of mischief. Yeah, pretty much. We robbed drug dealer,
(12:52):
but it was like a home invasion and it was armed.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, so yeah, I wanted to what do you get
for that?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Two and a half and then I got out after
about fifteen months? How did that feel? It was all right? Bro?
It took a while because I was in for a
little bit and then I was on bail for like
fourteen fifteen months, and I was on house for rest
for a bit and then curfew, So it took like
three and a half years all that. Then I had
to go back and do another year. Then I got
out on good behavior parole. So it was bro.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
It was it wasn't too bad, but from someone of like,
I'm going from someone who's you know, insecure. Now you're
going into jail. Okay, you've got a bit of size on.
But were you in control of yourself? Were intimidated? We
were you? Were you scared or you are?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Look, but when you get arrested, you go to police
station and then that night it's you know, at refuse,
all right, you're going to fucking jail. Yeah, and you're
eighteen and I've never been arrested once, never done do
or anything. And then you go in that jail truck cufft.
It was like fuck, it's on, you know. So I
was nervous the first night, but then you get in
there and you kind of you learn to go pretty quickly.
(13:56):
You know, you speak to fi older boys, they take
you under their wing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
No incidents inside, No, really, someone your size, you've got
no incidents inside?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Not really, Bro. I didn't get involved in drugs in there.
I didn't disrespect kept yourself, not kept to myself like
I'd make friends and chat. But you know, look, if
you're not if you don't take shit and you're normal,
you'll be fine, you know what I mean. If you're like,
if you're a weak count and you let someone kind
(14:26):
of cross that line, you're going to have a rough time.
But you know, for example, if someone tried to stamp
before their food or something, if you have a crack
with them, at least the count will respect it. Even
if you lose, you'll get respected and then it probably
won't happen again. If you let someone walk all over there,
you're gonna have a very rough time. So as long
as you just kind of, you know, defend yourself and
stand up for yourself and then you don't get involved
(14:49):
in any drugs in there, should be okay most of
the time.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
How does your family feel when you win?
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah, they were crushed. Yeah I got nice parents. Yeah,
my mum was very upset. It crushed me. First time
I seen her and she started crying in the visit.
I was like, fuck, you know, let her down. But
when you're.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Inside, is that when things started to turm for you?
Like when you get out you knew what you were
you're going to do, or you still didn't know what
you're going to do, Like when was it? Then you're
going I want to be a powerlifter.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So when I was on bail, I forgot off house arrest.
I started training after work and I met this bloke
who still to this day is my waistcoach, Sebastian or
an Australian strength coach. He's the best waits coach in
the world. So I actually met him when I was eighteen.
When after I got out after a few months and
I was on bail, I started training where he used
to work, and like I was training with one of
(15:38):
his friends and I did a deadlift and it was
like two hundred for like one rep and it was shit.
And then it came up to me and he's like
really intense and he's like, bro, you can do more.
I'm like, fuck you reckon. He's like fuck yeah, let's go,
and he started screaming at me when I was doing it.
The whole gym stopped to watch, and from doing one
rep like ten minutes later with him screaming in my face,
(16:00):
I got like seven or eight reps and I was like, fuck,
this is hectic. So I was training with him for
a little bit and then I have to go back.
And then as soon as I got out, I knew,
like I want to link up with him and give
it a crack.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You know, it's fine, Okay, So what size he now? Now?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
I just did a fast on one hundred and thirty nine.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
When he was training you? Was it? Was it his
plan to get you bigger? Or was it you still
going to want it to be bigger? You know what
I mean? Like, one eighty one is a fucking big number.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
It's a big especially I was young as I was
twenty four at the time, twenty four when I got
the record.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Why so fucking like, I know you got to be
big to lift big, But that's fucking huge.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
It's a big bro. But mass mis mass?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
What would you die for that?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Fuck? Dirty?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Dirty?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Fuck? Yeah dude? Was it? Oh yeah, bro? Snacking on
family size pizzas.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
So to tell, So tell me a day for that?
What you're you're eating? Planned with beef?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
That look pretty much? You know it changed. I didn't
have any plan. It's just more calories. Get him in, bro,
sweet you feel sick? Fuck your now, it's some more chocolate.
Get in the calories. Yeah, it wasn't good. It's not healthy,
but served its purpose and it worked. But pretty much
i'd wake up, i'd have a fat like masskin a shake.
I'd drive into it because I was full time patine
(17:21):
at the JIM I trained out of, so I'd have
a big maskin of shake in the morning and then
i'd go in. I'd get like three bacon and egg
rolls at a cafe and go to work for a bit.
Then i'd go have lunch, you know, a couple burgers,
and then i'd go and get the family not the block,
the family sized block of Cadbury chocolate. And when I
was training cars, sitting down and teaching them how to square,
i'd just be eating that. I'd polish that, have another shake,
(17:44):
and then there was a pizza shop there, so I'd
go and get the family sized pizza for the trip home.
I'd polish that, and then when I got home, i'd
have my dinner my missus made me, and then some
ice cream and finish it off. That's kind of a
rough guide. It was over ten thousand a day, Carls.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Wow, Yeah, and I'm ready. I was a training.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
We do once a day, sometimes twice today, probably two
days a week. I'd trained twice a day, about two
hour session in the morning, hour and a half at night.
Probably about five days a week. Yeah, because when you're
lift in real heavy you do need a bit more
recovery time.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I don't know how a power left would train like
you know what I mean, because me, I go to
the gym to try and fucking get big with fucking
you know whatever I try and do. What What was
your training regime for that? Was it just doing deadlifts?
Was it doing what? What?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
So? Palatin's the sport of performing one rep maximum weight
of a squat, bench press and a deadlift. So all
you got to do is get on stage and you're
doing one rep as heavy as you can squat. You
get three attempts. So say, for example, my biggest squat
I performed in competition was four hundred and thirty five killers.
So I'd warm up in the back. You know, you
(18:53):
do a couple of sets body weight to try and
get the blood flowing. Yeah, couple sets barbell to try
and get the blood flowing. One plate, ten reps, two plates,
six reps, three plates, three reps, four plates, one rep,
five plates, one rep, six plates, one rep, seven plates,
(19:13):
one rep and then whatever your kind of you get
to about the three hundred and three fifty KO and
then you've got your plan for the day, whatever it is.
Say all right, today, I'm going to lift three hundred
and eighty for four. So you're taking about ten minute
breaks in between each set, and then you're just switching
on for the main set. One main set, four reps.
Let's fucking go, let's gee up, loud music on everyone watching, everyone,
(19:37):
giving your energy. You do one set, done, done. I
used to love one set, but it's a fucking big set.
And then depending on what you know exercise it is,
you can come back and do accessories at night, because
that set takes so much out of you. You know,
it's a big set. It's a lot on the nervous system.
So then, for example, if I just do one set
(19:58):
of squats, it took me two hours to do one set,
and I'd come back that night and do you know,
high rep, lake press, hammi curls, just a little bit
of accessories to get blood flowing, more body building and stuff,
you know, But that's kind of the basis. It's two
hour sessions and you're not getting many sets in. Wow.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, So when you only done the powerlest because it
says when the strongest man, is that just from what
you were doing? Or are we doing? Are we doing
the strongest man?
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Now?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It was just a power off, that's all I competed.
I trained a bit of both, but all I competed
was the power lifting. Okay, yeah, so that was your
main goal, yeah, to do Oh yeah, yeah, I wanted
to be when I started, I SI, I want to
be strongest in Australia.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
So what year did this happen?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Twenty seventeen.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Talk me into that day, that day that you got it,
you achieved in.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, luckily it was Actually it was the biggest comp
in the world that year. Luckily for me it was
in Melbourne, so all the Russians Americans had to fly
to Australia and just had to go one hour. Yeah,
so that was a very big advantage, not being in
a plane for a day. But yeah, I just went
to Melbourne, had buffet breakfast at the Crown, probably ate
like twenty pancakes covered in the tower. Felt sick, went
(21:04):
to the show, Probably had like I used to have
these caffeine tablets. I used to abuse them. There was
one little tablet and there was probably about three coffees
worth of caffeine and one tablet, so I'd have about
three tablets before each main lift. So that day I
probably had like the equivalent of like twenty five coffees.
(21:24):
Fucking like.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Because I was an aggression lifter, so I used to
love getting jeered up, high caffeine, high energy, one set,
like I used to his head, button the bar and
just you're going to like a fucking evil, hard place.
You know you're committing to it. You're not going in soft.
A lot of people do, yeah, but each I was
an aggression lifter, so I used to love getting high energy,
(21:48):
high intensity. My coach is high energy. Used to smack
me in the head, smack me in the back. I've
seen them do so yeah, and it worked, Yeah, it worked.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Before you Who was the Australians stronger.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Del Manual big Lander from Queensland. He had the record
for about.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Ten years, so that day you took it from him.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I took his record. Yet so it's based off the total.
So the biggest squat you do, the biggest bench press
you do, the biggest deadlift you do, you add up
the numbers and you get your total biggest total wins? Wow?
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, how did that feel?
Speaker 2 (22:18):
It was? It was a relief. I wanted it for
so long and I had a really hard prep because
I was so big. I couldn't sleep. So I was like,
it was fucking ten hard weeks, bro of a anxiety.
You're going to sleep every night thinking like I'm going
to die because I cannot get airing because my face
and shoulders and neck is that big and bloated. It's yeah,
(22:38):
it was tough. It was just a sign of like,
thank fuck, that's done. I flew the time end the
next day just to start sweating and dropping weight. Oh
so straight straight after you want to drop the weight? Yeah? Bro, yeah,
I could not be that way for very long. It
was very hard.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Was that the last time you ever did? That? Was
my last come? I got my record and I said
I'm good, I'm satisfied.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
That was it. That was it? Bro.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Oh you didn't want to carry on?
Speaker 2 (23:00):
No, no, fuck down on to fight and drop weight?
Speaker 1 (23:03):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Sleep and get healthier. Okay, Yeah, being that way as
it's not good? So has anyone broken that yet? So
the blog that I beat, he came back and he got.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It again, you know, doesn't make you want to do
it again.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
No, I beat him.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Him, you know, so then you moved on to what
what did you want to do?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Now I'm focusing on the fighting, you know, So what boxing?
I like? MMA. I'm going to stick Tom. I've had
fights in boxing, kickboxing, mm I've had nine altogether.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
I'll bring up the boxing fast because I found something
on Google about this, okay, and it was a big
controversial what happened in that fight? Which one you got disqualified? Oh?
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, that ship.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I looked at it and I just went, what the fuck?
And I read up on it and then okay.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
That's a ship fires awkward. But now I hit him
with a big shot. He went back into the ropes,
and then I just went for a big caveman swing
and he was grabbing me the whole fight. Hit and
just grabbed me. He was the mm A fighter too, okay,
So it was just like it was an ugly box.
There's nothing sweet science about it. But you just kept
grabbing me and obviously not meant it in boxing. And
(24:12):
then I hit him. He went back against the ropes.
I threw a big swing and he all came under
me like rugby tackle and I almost went down. And
it was the second round, but he'd grabbed me like
ten times, and I just like I almost went off balance.
So I just thought, fuck this. So I just ankle
tripped him, pretty much like pretty much, don't fucking grab me,
you know what I mean. So I just ankle tripped him.
And because we trained MMA, when you trip someone, you
(24:34):
hit him on the ground, it's just drew it in.
So I ankle fucking picked him and he fell down
and then I like, I threw it, but I pulled back.
I pulled back. I didn't hit him on the ground.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
I haven't seen the foot I can show after.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
But they said I hit him on the ground, and
they said not, you hit the coun on the ground
and you're the square fight. But I didn't, And props
to the opponent straight away he said, no, he didn't
hit me, but the ref's lot idea. So they sacked me.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Wow, So it was that your last fight that you
had them boxing. But just as you before, boxing is
just not for you, but you prefer MM Now.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I've had a couple, but I'm not. I'm not a
school for boxer. I'm not.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
You're more like a brawler.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I'm a brawler. B Yeah, I got decent kicks. I
want to wrestle someone pick him up.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
You know what.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
That's a question I have. Why wouldn't you go into wrestling, Like,
why wouldn't you go and try and get like a
contract overseas.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I got asked in twenty fifteen if I want to
go to I think it's in Orlando. I think in
Florida ww A headquarters. I got asked there was a
mutual link and someone there contacted me. I think he
started seeing some of my powerffs and videos and I
just used to get angry and head butt shit. And
I was a tank and so he would have seen
those videos that were doing the rounds at the time.
(25:51):
And I got asked, He's like, do you want to
do a trial? And I was still on parole at
the time, and America get in in.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You wouldn't have got in, nah, So did you tell
them that?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I don't think they wanted to try and pull strings
or like a not a certainty, you know. Yeah, if
there was like a done deal, I think they could
have got me in. Yeah, but just to have a tryout,
you know, it's going to take a while and expensive
legal bills and shit. Yea, so nah, but yeah, I
wouldn't want to so.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yeah, so now you're concentrating on MMA UFC kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, I'd like to make the UFC. That's my nextest weight.
So the heavyweight limit in UFC's one hundred and twenty kilos.
What the fuck heavyweight limit.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That's a big drop.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
MA can't brockles they were in at one twenty. That's
a big, big drop, bro. But I'm kind of wait now,
and that's the reason.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
So so you will drop that.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
I'm going to try. I'm going to try and get
active this year, get a few wins, and hopefully get in.
So I look at this way, if I can get
to about I'm one thirty nine now, if I can
get to about one thirty four one thirty five, say,
and that's my new kind of normal weight, which I
can drop another five off this frame. If I can
have say, eight weeks notice for a camp for a fight.
You want to find eight weeks you have, sweet, you
(27:06):
drop about one to zero point a zero point seven
a week for that time, So you're going hungry. Yeah,
and then the week of the fight with a water cut,
I can do it. You know, it'll be hard, it
won't be the best thing, but everyone cuts weight with water,
so especially at a heavier frame, I could drop you know,
eight to ten. So a lot of people drop eight
(27:26):
kilos in water a lot lighter, so it is doable.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
But you think the fighting scene in Australia for this
kind of what you're doing has got it, Like don't
you have to go overseas to America if you want
to make it in this sport?
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
So a lot of boys start in Australia and if
they can just get a few good wins on you know,
the local circuit, yeah, they can get picked up, especially
me because I kind of got a little following and
a marketable my size tatoos. So like, for example, if
I can knock out three dudes this year, I'm sure
I'll get in. You know, videos go around quickly, you know.
(28:01):
So that's your goal, that's my goal. Now, I'd love
to make your So.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
My main concern, like one hundred and twenty kilos.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
It's a big job.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It's a fucking huge job.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Big job, and I lose a lot of what I got,
which is power.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
And all I've ever seen in the view is massive. Yeah,
like I know that's one hundred and twenty is still big,
like you know for people, but not not for someone
like you. For that's like that's like saying, like for
a normal person like me, if I got eighty kilos.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah, the last time I was one hundred and twenty,
it was sixteens old. Now I'm merely thirty, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, but it's what I want to do. It's my sport.
Is it is what it is, Bro, I'll try and
get it done. Is there all planned out? Because I
know you've got to fight. You had my message a
couple of weeks ago about the fight that we supposed
to have to a.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Hopper and just pulled it out two days ago.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
He's just pulled out.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Well, I don't think he pulled out. I think he
just asked for like.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Just the second time. Now it's been now it was.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Postponed the first time, and now it was it's booked
in for April fifth. But the promoter messaged me two
days ago saying he's out. He tried to like hit
him up for way more money, so I think he
I think it was more he's seen twice to himself.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I think he's seeing he's fighting myself.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
But he's hard. Can he'll fight anyone. But I don't know.
It's a bit disappointing, but I'll get it.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
So what are you going to do now? Then?
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Now we'll get a match. So I just keep training,
keep dropping a weight. Knock on wood, we don't get injured,
and let's sit, bro, we'll get back in there.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
What do you want to achieve in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
For you? By my birthdays in December. By December, if
fucking get signed to the UFC, that would be a
lifelong dream of mine. You know. I want to keep
improving my mental strength, my mental health, all that shit.
I'm very passionate about now at this stage of my life,
and fucking drop the weight, get active with the fighting being.
I've had a bad, bad run of injuries, like really bad,
(29:48):
you're west injury that you've had. Oh, Bro, I had
a boxing fight. Ten seconds into the fight, I disslocated
my sholder ten seconds in the first round. It was
this big island who's one hundred and sevent The killers
hit him hard and he came on me, helped me.
I pushed him off my hard. My shoulder went out.
So had to fight two rounds with a dangling shoulder,
and then I went to the hospital. Was trying to
(30:09):
yank it back into place for like two hours. Couldn't
get it in. They knocked me out, put me on ketamene.
Finally got it in and then I have to come
back to Sydney. I still couldn't move my arm, so
I'd torn heaps of ships. Had another surgery that's probably
the worst one. Torn both biceps off the bone, right shoulder,
front and back, calf ankle twice. No ligaman in my knee.
(30:34):
I've had a few bro bulging this low back neck.
I'm in pain.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Jesus Christ, I'm in pain. But just keep training, Just
keep going. Any regrets in your life, na, they learned
from it, Bro. You just learn from it. Yeah, you
just learn from it. Is what it is.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
You can't turn back time, so just try to make
the best of it, learn the lesson and move forward.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
What would you what would you? What would you describe you?
In two wards?
Speaker 2 (30:59):
You know what? Honestly this will surprise you. I'm a
big EmPATH. Yeah, yeah, big time. I feel a lot. Wow, Yeah,
I feel a lot. Bro. I'm going to do a
lot of stuff in the mental health mental strength area
as I go forward.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, you like, do you like helping kids and all
like that?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah, Bro, I do juvenile like mentoring. It's important work,
all the good ship you know should do. I'm into it, bro. Yeah,
because I'm a sweet kid. I'm a sweet guy. I
am a gentle giant. You know. Obviously I can if
you switch on if I need to. I don't want to,
but if I need to. That's what I kind of
(31:40):
trained for my life, just to keep myself safe, you know,
I mean, protect myself. But I'm a sweet guy. You know,
I've got a gentle heart. So I really want to
try and be, as you said, quite a beast, but
help people and humble and you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Because you knew what it was like when you were
a kid. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Correct, that's right. I've been on both sides, you know.
So yeah, I'm a i'd say i'm an EmPATH. Well yeah,
that's a good one.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I like that, you know what, Bro.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
I love that, you know, because this interview was fucking good.
And the fact is you're very humble guy.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Yeah, bro, like I got like if I if I
didn't know when I first met you, like I found it.
I didn't find it hard to talk to you. But
you've got to stand offish proana about you, do you think? So, yeah,
there's unless you get to know the person. It's like
you get you have to you have to trust that
person first before you'll open up to that person fair enough.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
You know what I mean, Like kind of keep to myself.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Yeah, you know you're private, but you're also how can
I say you you srust people out before you want
to open up a bit more to them, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Sometimes, especially if I'm not closed back.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
You know what I mean. But like, and I know that,
as I said, when we were there, there was other
people there, so it's a bit different. But as I've
got to know you since then, like I've seen you
and even on your videos too, that you you are.
You're a very humble guy.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Mate. Yeah, bro, Like I'm just being myself. You know,
I'm not trying to impress anyone. Like whatever someone thinks
to me, I don't know, it's not my business. I
don't care. I am who I am. I'm a dad,
I'm a good dad. I'm a sweet guy, you know
what I mean. I'm trying to make my dreams as
a fighter. I was a strong man. Blah blah Blahlah.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I am who I am. I'm a good person. I've
got a good heart. And I'll just tell it how
it is. You think you'll ever do barlifting again?
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Maybe one day when I retire from fighting, if I
can achieve my fighting dreams, I'll get jacked again. So yeah,
I still love it. It's in my blood and it
will take me like twelve weeks because you look.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Like who wants that title back again? Or you just
want to do it for the fun of it, the
love of it.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Probably the love of it. I don't know if I
want to get that big again.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Specially you need to get that big again to get
that title.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Probably not. I think I'm more of a technician now.
You know then I was. Back then it was a
bit more brute strength. Now I'm a lot more technical,
which helps. I need to get heavy, but I don't
think I need to get that heavy again. We'll say,
I'm sure I will compay it again, but I don't
think strong man like the strong man competition. I love
that ship.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Would you do that?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah? I would?
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's see. I can see you doing that me too,
but then again you've got to put those hounds on
it again.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Yeah, I wouldn't look I wouldn't be as as heavy
or as fat as I was because I do care
about my health. You know, I've got young kids. I
want to be healthy for them. But I do love
it bro being big and strong and jack. It's good man,
it's fucking great. It's great, and I love it, and
it's in my blood. You know. It's very easy for
me to get strong and it's a nice feeling. So
(34:38):
one day I'll be back.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Thanks man, Thank you, b Yeah, thanks for having me
appreciate it.
Approche Production. Welcome to Secrets of the Underworld. I am
Neil the Muscle comments and in this episode I speak
with Alex Simon form what Australian strong man?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're going to like a fucking evil hard place here.
You're committing to it. I'll tell you a story. I
don't think I said this publicly. Actually it was over
ten thousand a day cows the last time I was
one hundred and twenty. It was sixteen years old. It's
a big bro, but mass miss mass Oh, yeah, bro
snacking on family size pizzas. That's my god. Now, i'd
(00:45):
love to make you say.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Alex Simon recognized as the strongest Australian in history, I'm
the third strongest in the world.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Is that true? A few years ago?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
It is true?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Not anymore, I would say if fucking skinny vote.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I feel before we get into like everything about you,
I'm going to bring this off first. And I don't
usually do with this with guess one hundred and seventy kilos, Like,
what the fuck that natural?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
One hundred and eighty one.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
That's so, that's that Google is fucked up? Yeah, inaccurate
one hundred and eighty one.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
When I want to try this trunks. Man, I weighed
one hundred and eighty one killers on the day. Yeah,
four hundred pounds, what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, I still got like the biggest that being is
one thirty six.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Had one feel skinny at one thirty six? Yeah, I
felt skinny and I wanted to get You're going to
say for fucked.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
No, I felt too skinny because I get used to
with me if if I if I put on the size,
when I get used to that size, I then feel shit,
I need to get more.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Gotcha, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
And I've never found I've never found my my size
that I want to be. I mean no, I've never
found it because like if I get on put it
this way, if I get on the once twenty five, yeah,
I'm fucked. I'm having a nightment. I'm depressed. If I
can keep myself one thirty, yeah, I'm cool, gotcha. If
I can get up more, Like my goal was to
(02:18):
be one forty, I could never get there. It was
one thirty seven about that, okay, but one fucking what
edie one.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
One one killers, four hundred pounds, that's my biggest natural
of course? Not what?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
All right, Well, let's talk about you growing off first,
we'll go back to that. Done, all right, tell me
about you as a person growing up and no like.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Fuck me dead. I'm born and raised in Sydney, from
the northwest, so around Castle Hill area. Grew up around there,
normal childhood, played rugby league my whole life, A couple
of close mates.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
When do you say, right, you played rugby league? Did
you actually like? Were you playing? Nah?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I didn't end up playing first grade or anything. I was.
I was descent. I was talented, but just very lazy.
When I was young, I was fat, so I didn't
like doing any hard work.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I was explosive and obviously I had big eyes, but
I never put it you see fat? What do you
mean by fat? No, I was a big kid. I
was a big fat built but still I was fat.
I was a fatty Oh yeah, I was a little
fat ALEX schooling Yeah, just normal, jumped out your ten,
No issues, really suspended a couple of times, just a
bit silly, yeah, nothing crazy, bro, But no. I was
(03:25):
a good kid, very quiet, you know, very quiet. Didn't
like confrontation when I was young, very scared of it,
you know, very scared. Yeah, I didn't like confrontation at all.
Hated it. That's why I kind of started getting on,
you know, putting on size.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And it's not like confrontation changed their ways when they
get older.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You just don't want to be a victim. Bro. You
got to learn to protect you as a kid. Yeah,
when I was young, When I was young for being fat.
There's just one kid. He just kept bullying me in
primary school. You ever see him since, I'll tell you
a story. I don't think I said this publicly actually,
but anyway, Fuck, what's year too? How old are in
(04:06):
year two?
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Shit?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I don't know whatever it was, but he kept bullying me.
And it was a little girl I had a crush
on and she was my friend ready and then he
was bullying me for months months his camp and he
used to come up to me and I was chatting
to this chick I had a crush on. I was.
I was eight years old or something, and he just
started calling me I forgot. It was like fatty fady,
bumba or some ship, you know what I mean, in
(04:29):
front of her, and I got real cut, rough, upset,
and I just put my head down and started and
we're next to a brick wall, and I just grabbed
his head and I went bang on the brick wall
with his head and he's like tooth chipped, like I
noticed it and it came out anyway. And then I
seen him again when I was eighteen, right, and I
left that school in year four. I didn't see him
since I seen him again. I was eighteen and I
(04:51):
already had like a couple of fights, and I was
lifting and a few people started to know me, and
he knew me. It came up to me and goes
like real nervously, It's like, hey, bro, you remember me.
I go yeah. He goes were sweet? I go, yeah, bro,
we're sweet and st.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
I didn't forget that, Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
This job when as soon as I left school.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Butcher, do you know what you do? Look like a butcher?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You do, like in a good way, you know what
I mean. But you do look like you've worked in
a butcher like meat.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Wow. Yeah, I was a butcher. I was doing that
for a year. Yeah yeah, and then I got fired.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Like I.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Cut half my finger off. I wasn't sleeping. I had
bad sleep happening here from about fifteen to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
You lost your job for that? Yeah, you know what,
you lost your finger.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
None of us got scared. He is like this console
ability I got rid of me.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So what tan't you to like be competing like as
you did? What? What what made you do that?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
But you know what it was was going back to
what I said I was. I was a scared kid.
You know, I was very scared. I was still the
biggest kid around, but I was fucking afraid. You know,
like even in footy when there'd be pantrens, like my
heart would start racing, I'm like, fuck, you know, I
didn't like it.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Anxiety kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Maybe not anxiety, but just like fear fear, And as
you get older, I was just like, this is not
how you should be. So when I hit about fifteen,
I just kind of you know, and you start hanging
out with people and you don't always have protection, you know,
walking around on the streets and shit, and I'm just thinking,
(06:27):
like you start seeing punch ons and that. I'm just thinking, fuck,
I need to do I need to change this. So
I started just training boxing in the off season of
playing rugby, and I just said like, yeah, I'm going
to learn how to defend myself. I don't want to
feel this way my whole life.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So when you say it, so it got above fifteen,
your your your hang on with mates? Are they? What
are they? They are they sporty mates?
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Sporty?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Yeah, so you kind of wanted to change your ways
to stay with them in a way.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Nah, because I've pretty much had like three close mates
growing up. It was about four of us and we
all played footage together in the same team, right, and
they were like my couple other mates from school. But
these are like my boys, you know, still too still
to today. They're like my close mates, you know. And yeah,
that was just we just you know, played footy together.
They were always training and then I just started just
(07:15):
going to the gym with them and yeah, I started
from there boxing training.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Already in the gym. Yeah, and then you just thought, okay, I.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Just thought I knew it. I'll start hanging out with them,
you know.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So when did they Okay, so you go in the gym,
When did it start? When did they When did you
know that? Okay, this is deepe for me. Now, this
is what I want to do now, this is I'm
going to push myself to be something now.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So I had my first MMA fight when I was
sixteen sixteen, yeah, so I hadn't done weights yet, so
I was just a footed player. And then I was
training bit of boxing and then I had this fight
last minute thing and then I had the fight. And
then after that fight, when I was sixteen, I think
that was on a Saturday night, and then I think
the Monday was the first time my mate took me
to the gym, and like my first day in the gym,
(07:56):
I benched one fuck was it one seventy five or
one eighty for two first time and there was an
older boy in the gym, and he was just like,
what the fuck? You know what I mean? I think
it was one eighty four plates aside for two raps.
I was a kid, like the worst technique you've ever seen,
but but you did you did it.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I did it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
It wasn't fucking hands on spoiling it. It was me,
you know, legit. And then that's why I'm like, this
is mad. Everyone was starting to like do these ones
to me, and my confidence was like fuck great, So
I just ran with it from there.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But going back to what you just said down route,
you did MMA, right, Yeah, you don't like a confrontation.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So what didn't. But I've been training for maybe six months. Yeah, yeah,
And I just I was on the drink one night
and I was going to go up in corner my
friend fighting right, and i'd actually fractured my knuckle training
like maybe six weeks earliest. I didn't train in six weeks.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I was on a drink with my mate and some
random number card man answered it. And I was on
a loudspeaking next to one of my best mates and
he goes, hey, mate, blah blah blah, my name's whatever
from the fight show tomorrow night. Oh, your friend tells
me you're a big boy. I go, I mean kind of.
I think I was like, say, one hundred and nine kilows.
He goes, do you want to fight? This was the
next day. I go like, not really, I haven't trained.
(09:10):
I'm kind of on the piss now. He goes, well, mate,
I can tell you he'd be a teenager and it's
his first fight as well. And then my friend just
to pear pressure thing, do it you pussy can't? I'm like, fuck, yeah,
all right, yeah, sweet done. Hanged up the phone and
I was just shooting my pants. I was like, oh fuck,
what have I done? Anyway, the next day came, I
wasn't even going to go, and then at like four o'clock.
(09:31):
It was in Newcastle, So at like four o'clock my
mates rocked up to my house let's go, and I
was like, ah fuck. I was like fuck it all right,
So we drove down and I'm looking around in the
changing We got there real late, like it should have
been the probably an hour before, so everyone's already like
clubbed up, warming up. We got there all late and
I'm looking in the back room. There was everyone's warming up.
(09:52):
In one room. There was like a bullshit curtain, but
you can see straight through it.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
You're trying to find it.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, and everyone was little, bro, everyone was little, So
I'm trying to scope it up and I'm like, fuck,
who if I got? Who have I got? And then
in the very back corner I see the biggest fucking Samoan,
big afro. But he was not a teenager. I found
out later it was thirty years old. Really. It had
nine fights here. I think he knocked out like eight people. Yeah,
and he's just throwing bombs on this pad boom, and
(10:19):
my heart just like I went, oh fuck, he's the
only big dude in the room. I got this. I'm
just like this can't I'm not going to run away now.
So I got in now one did it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
And I stopped him as well, feeling I have to
go through like being all that nervous. And then did
you want it again?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Did you want to fight again after that? Because you yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah? But I was I was cool for a minute,
you know what I mean. I'd done that and I
was like sweet little box ticked like face to fit
one of those things, you know, And then I just
wanted to start lifting waights for a bit. And I
was being a little bit naughty at the time, so
I wasn't too focused on training, just a bit of
weights for fun.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know what size you now? Like you you're starting
to lift weights, You're starting to get your physic Yeah,
it's stands to shape up. Now you're getting fit. Yeah,
how big are you looking?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Now?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Well?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I was sixteen when i'd done that fight. I'd never
lifted weights, and I was the hard am now so
I was six three and I was one hundred and nine.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Killers And you've got a bit of confidence beyond you now.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I've got a bit of confidence, you know. I can
knock out a man.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I'm like, oh, so, so are you now getting provoked
and kind of like entaste by people now who are
looking at you going like you know, when when you
when you've got someone who's good at what they do
and they like fighters it now that they're brought in
by people to use. Were you used by people because
of your size?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
No?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, No one tried to bay entaste you to.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
A couple of times they tried, but I was still
pretty like on that from me, you know, like I
could kind of see a snake.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Because someone got size, would be like, fucking let we
could use him, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, I got that a lot when I was a
kid in jail. I got that a lot in jarl.
I was eighteen, I got that a lot, you know, Okay,
but not too much when I was a bit younger
because I kind of just I didn't allow myself to
get in those situations. I had my tight group near
of friends and I've kind of just stayed with the boys.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You know, how are you going before you went to jail?
Were you any more fights with it?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
With your nor fights?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So it's just basically now you're hitting the weights, hitting
the ways hard. Yeah, what was your goal? I didn't
have one at that stage.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I was just enjoying putting on size and just being
the you know, the strong dude at the local gym. Yeah. Yeah,
I just I liked the attention because I never got it.
You know. It was a nice feeling.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So how did you end up in jailing? How did
that come around?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Pretty much? Long story shot. Me and my mate too
kind of always felt like, I guess, if you can
say the right word for outcasts, like we didn't feel
like we're fitting with everyone else, you know, so we'd
kind of just stick together and you know, as you
do young kids, you just kind of get up to
a bit of mischief. Yeah, pretty much. We robbed drug dealer,
(12:52):
but it was like a home invasion and it was armed.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, so yeah, I wanted to what do you get
for that?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Two and a half and then I got out after
about fifteen months? How did that feel? It was all right? Bro?
It took a while because I was in for a
little bit and then I was on bail for like
fourteen fifteen months, and I was on house for rest
for a bit and then curfew, So it took like
three and a half years all that. Then I had
to go back and do another year. Then I got
out on good behavior parole. So it was bro.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
It was it wasn't too bad, but from someone of like,
I'm going from someone who's you know, insecure. Now you're
going into jail. Okay, you've got a bit of size on.
But were you in control of yourself? Were intimidated? We
were you? Were you scared or you are?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Look, but when you get arrested, you go to police
station and then that night it's you know, at refuse,
all right, you're going to fucking jail. Yeah, and you're
eighteen and I've never been arrested once, never done do
or anything. And then you go in that jail truck cufft.
It was like fuck, it's on, you know. So I
was nervous the first night, but then you get in
there and you kind of you learn to go pretty quickly.
(13:56):
You know, you speak to fi older boys, they take
you under their wing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
No incidents inside, No, really, someone your size, you've got
no incidents inside?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Not really, Bro. I didn't get involved in drugs in there.
I didn't disrespect kept yourself, not kept to myself like
I'd make friends and chat. But you know, look, if
you're not if you don't take shit and you're normal,
you'll be fine, you know what I mean. If you're like,
if you're a weak count and you let someone kind
(14:26):
of cross that line, you're going to have a rough time.
But you know, for example, if someone tried to stamp
before their food or something, if you have a crack
with them, at least the count will respect it. Even
if you lose, you'll get respected and then it probably
won't happen again. If you let someone walk all over there,
you're gonna have a very rough time. So as long
as you just kind of, you know, defend yourself and
stand up for yourself and then you don't get involved
(14:49):
in any drugs in there, should be okay most of
the time.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
How does your family feel when you win?
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah, they were crushed. Yeah I got nice parents. Yeah,
my mum was very upset. It crushed me. First time
I seen her and she started crying in the visit.
I was like, fuck, you know, let her down. But
when you're.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Inside, is that when things started to turm for you?
Like when you get out you knew what you were
you're going to do, or you still didn't know what
you're going to do, Like when was it? Then you're
going I want to be a powerlifter.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So when I was on bail, I forgot off house arrest.
I started training after work and I met this bloke
who still to this day is my waistcoach, Sebastian or
an Australian strength coach. He's the best waits coach in
the world. So I actually met him when I was eighteen.
When after I got out after a few months and
I was on bail, I started training where he used
to work, and like I was training with one of
(15:38):
his friends and I did a deadlift and it was
like two hundred for like one rep and it was shit.
And then it came up to me and he's like
really intense and he's like, bro, you can do more.
I'm like, fuck you reckon. He's like fuck yeah, let's go,
and he started screaming at me when I was doing it.
The whole gym stopped to watch, and from doing one
rep like ten minutes later with him screaming in my face,
(16:00):
I got like seven or eight reps and I was like, fuck,
this is hectic. So I was training with him for
a little bit and then I have to go back.
And then as soon as I got out, I knew,
like I want to link up with him and give
it a crack.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You know, it's fine, Okay, So what size he now? Now?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
I just did a fast on one hundred and thirty nine.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
When he was training you? Was it? Was it his
plan to get you bigger? Or was it you still
going to want it to be bigger? You know what
I mean? Like, one eighty one is a fucking big number.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
It's a big especially I was young as I was
twenty four at the time, twenty four when I got
the record.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Why so fucking like, I know you got to be
big to lift big, But that's fucking huge.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
It's a big bro. But mass mis mass?
Speaker 1 (16:45):
What would you die for that?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Fuck? Dirty?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Dirty?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Fuck? Yeah dude? Was it? Oh yeah, bro? Snacking on
family size pizzas.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
So to tell, So tell me a day for that?
What you're you're eating? Planned with beef?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
That look pretty much? You know it changed. I didn't
have any plan. It's just more calories. Get him in, bro,
sweet you feel sick? Fuck your now, it's some more chocolate.
Get in the calories. Yeah, it wasn't good. It's not healthy,
but served its purpose and it worked. But pretty much
i'd wake up, i'd have a fat like masskin a shake.
I'd drive into it because I was full time patine
(17:21):
at the JIM I trained out of, so I'd have
a big maskin of shake in the morning and then
i'd go in. I'd get like three bacon and egg
rolls at a cafe and go to work for a bit.
Then i'd go have lunch, you know, a couple burgers,
and then i'd go and get the family not the block,
the family sized block of Cadbury chocolate. And when I
was training cars, sitting down and teaching them how to square,
i'd just be eating that. I'd polish that, have another shake,
(17:44):
and then there was a pizza shop there, so I'd
go and get the family sized pizza for the trip home.
I'd polish that, and then when I got home, i'd
have my dinner my missus made me, and then some
ice cream and finish it off. That's kind of a
rough guide. It was over ten thousand a day, Carls.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Wow, Yeah, and I'm ready. I was a training.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
We do once a day, sometimes twice today, probably two
days a week. I'd trained twice a day, about two
hour session in the morning, hour and a half at night.
Probably about five days a week. Yeah, because when you're
lift in real heavy you do need a bit more
recovery time.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I don't know how a power left would train like
you know what I mean, because me, I go to
the gym to try and fucking get big with fucking
you know whatever I try and do. What What was
your training regime for that? Was it just doing deadlifts?
Was it doing what? What?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
So? Palatin's the sport of performing one rep maximum weight
of a squat, bench press and a deadlift. So all
you got to do is get on stage and you're
doing one rep as heavy as you can squat. You
get three attempts. So say, for example, my biggest squat
I performed in competition was four hundred and thirty five killers.
So I'd warm up in the back. You know, you
(18:53):
do a couple of sets body weight to try and
get the blood flowing. Yeah, couple sets barbell to try
and get the blood flowing. One plate, ten reps, two plates,
six reps, three plates, three reps, four plates, one rep,
five plates, one rep, six plates, one rep, seven plates,
(19:13):
one rep and then whatever your kind of you get
to about the three hundred and three fifty KO and
then you've got your plan for the day, whatever it is.
Say all right, today, I'm going to lift three hundred
and eighty for four. So you're taking about ten minute
breaks in between each set, and then you're just switching
on for the main set. One main set, four reps.
Let's fucking go, let's gee up, loud music on everyone watching, everyone,
(19:37):
giving your energy. You do one set, done, done. I
used to love one set, but it's a fucking big set.
And then depending on what you know exercise it is,
you can come back and do accessories at night, because
that set takes so much out of you. You know,
it's a big set. It's a lot on the nervous system.
So then, for example, if I just do one set
(19:58):
of squats, it took me two hours to do one set,
and I'd come back that night and do you know,
high rep, lake press, hammi curls, just a little bit
of accessories to get blood flowing, more body building and stuff,
you know, But that's kind of the basis. It's two
hour sessions and you're not getting many sets in. Wow.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, So when you only done the powerlest because it
says when the strongest man, is that just from what
you were doing? Or are we doing? Are we doing
the strongest man?
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Now?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It was just a power off, that's all I competed.
I trained a bit of both, but all I competed
was the power lifting. Okay, yeah, so that was your
main goal, yeah, to do Oh yeah, yeah, I wanted
to be when I started, I SI, I want to
be strongest in Australia.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
So what year did this happen?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Twenty seventeen.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Talk me into that day, that day that you got it,
you achieved in.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, luckily it was Actually it was the biggest comp
in the world that year. Luckily for me it was
in Melbourne, so all the Russians Americans had to fly
to Australia and just had to go one hour. Yeah,
so that was a very big advantage, not being in
a plane for a day. But yeah, I just went
to Melbourne, had buffet breakfast at the Crown, probably ate
like twenty pancakes covered in the tower. Felt sick, went
(21:04):
to the show, Probably had like I used to have
these caffeine tablets. I used to abuse them. There was
one little tablet and there was probably about three coffees
worth of caffeine and one tablet, so I'd have about
three tablets before each main lift. So that day I
probably had like the equivalent of like twenty five coffees.
(21:24):
Fucking like.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Because I was an aggression lifter, so I used to
love getting jeered up, high caffeine, high energy, one set,
like I used to his head, button the bar and
just you're going to like a fucking evil, hard place.
You know you're committing to it. You're not going in soft.
A lot of people do, yeah, but each I was
an aggression lifter, so I used to love getting high energy,
(21:48):
high intensity. My coach is high energy. Used to smack
me in the head, smack me in the back. I've
seen them do so yeah, and it worked, Yeah, it worked.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Before you Who was the Australians stronger.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Del Manual big Lander from Queensland. He had the record
for about.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Ten years, so that day you took it from him.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I took his record. Yet so it's based off the total.
So the biggest squat you do, the biggest bench press
you do, the biggest deadlift you do, you add up
the numbers and you get your total biggest total wins? Wow?
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, how did that feel?
Speaker 2 (22:18):
It was? It was a relief. I wanted it for
so long and I had a really hard prep because
I was so big. I couldn't sleep. So I was like,
it was fucking ten hard weeks, bro of a anxiety.
You're going to sleep every night thinking like I'm going
to die because I cannot get airing because my face
and shoulders and neck is that big and bloated. It's yeah,
(22:38):
it was tough. It was just a sign of like,
thank fuck, that's done. I flew the time end the
next day just to start sweating and dropping weight. Oh
so straight straight after you want to drop the weight? Yeah? Bro, yeah,
I could not be that way for very long. It
was very hard.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Was that the last time you ever did? That? Was
my last come? I got my record and I said
I'm good, I'm satisfied.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
That was it. That was it? Bro.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Oh you didn't want to carry on?
Speaker 2 (23:00):
No, no, fuck down on to fight and drop weight?
Speaker 1 (23:03):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Sleep and get healthier. Okay, Yeah, being that way as
it's not good? So has anyone broken that yet? So
the blog that I beat, he came back and he got.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It again, you know, doesn't make you want to do
it again.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
No, I beat him.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Him, you know, so then you moved on to what
what did you want to do?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Now I'm focusing on the fighting, you know, So what boxing?
I like? MMA. I'm going to stick Tom. I've had
fights in boxing, kickboxing, mm I've had nine altogether.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
I'll bring up the boxing fast because I found something
on Google about this, okay, and it was a big
controversial what happened in that fight? Which one you got disqualified? Oh?
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, that ship.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I looked at it and I just went, what the fuck?
And I read up on it and then okay.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
That's a ship fires awkward. But now I hit him
with a big shot. He went back into the ropes,
and then I just went for a big caveman swing
and he was grabbing me the whole fight. Hit and
just grabbed me. He was the mm A fighter too, okay,
So it was just like it was an ugly box.
There's nothing sweet science about it. But you just kept
grabbing me and obviously not meant it in boxing. And
(24:12):
then I hit him. He went back against the ropes.
I threw a big swing and he all came under
me like rugby tackle and I almost went down. And
it was the second round, but he'd grabbed me like
ten times, and I just like I almost went off balance.
So I just thought, fuck this. So I just ankle
tripped him, pretty much like pretty much, don't fucking grab me,
you know what I mean. So I just ankle tripped him.
And because we trained MMA, when you trip someone, you
(24:34):
hit him on the ground, it's just drew it in.
So I ankle fucking picked him and he fell down
and then I like, I threw it, but I pulled back.
I pulled back. I didn't hit him on the ground.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
I haven't seen the foot I can show after.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
But they said I hit him on the ground, and
they said not, you hit the coun on the ground
and you're the square fight. But I didn't, And props
to the opponent straight away he said, no, he didn't
hit me, but the ref's lot idea. So they sacked me.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Wow, So it was that your last fight that you
had them boxing. But just as you before, boxing is
just not for you, but you prefer MM Now.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I've had a couple, but I'm not. I'm not a
school for boxer. I'm not.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
You're more like a brawler.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I'm a brawler. B Yeah, I got decent kicks. I
want to wrestle someone pick him up.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
You know what.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
That's a question I have. Why wouldn't you go into wrestling, Like,
why wouldn't you go and try and get like a
contract overseas.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I got asked in twenty fifteen if I want to
go to I think it's in Orlando. I think in
Florida ww A headquarters. I got asked there was a
mutual link and someone there contacted me. I think he
started seeing some of my powerffs and videos and I
just used to get angry and head butt shit. And
I was a tank and so he would have seen
those videos that were doing the rounds at the time.
(25:51):
And I got asked, He's like, do you want to
do a trial? And I was still on parole at
the time, and America get in in.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You wouldn't have got in, nah, So did you tell
them that?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I don't think they wanted to try and pull strings
or like a not a certainty, you know. Yeah, if
there was like a done deal, I think they could
have got me in. Yeah, but just to have a tryout,
you know, it's going to take a while and expensive
legal bills and shit. Yea, so nah, but yeah, I
wouldn't want to so.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yeah, so now you're concentrating on MMA UFC kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, I'd like to make the UFC. That's my nextest weight.
So the heavyweight limit in UFC's one hundred and twenty kilos.
What the fuck heavyweight limit.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That's a big drop.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
MA can't brockles they were in at one twenty. That's
a big, big drop, bro. But I'm kind of wait now,
and that's the reason.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
So so you will drop that.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
I'm going to try. I'm going to try and get
active this year, get a few wins, and hopefully get in.
So I look at this way, if I can get
to about I'm one thirty nine now, if I can
get to about one thirty four one thirty five, say,
and that's my new kind of normal weight, which I
can drop another five off this frame. If I can
have say, eight weeks notice for a camp for a fight.
You want to find eight weeks you have, sweet, you
(27:06):
drop about one to zero point a zero point seven
a week for that time, So you're going hungry. Yeah,
and then the week of the fight with a water cut,
I can do it. You know, it'll be hard, it
won't be the best thing, but everyone cuts weight with water,
so especially at a heavier frame, I could drop you know,
eight to ten. So a lot of people drop eight
(27:26):
kilos in water a lot lighter, so it is doable.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
But you think the fighting scene in Australia for this
kind of what you're doing has got it, Like don't
you have to go overseas to America if you want
to make it in this sport?
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Nah?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
So a lot of boys start in Australia and if
they can just get a few good wins on you know,
the local circuit, yeah, they can get picked up, especially
me because I kind of got a little following and
a marketable my size tatoos. So like, for example, if
I can knock out three dudes this year, I'm sure
I'll get in. You know, videos go around quickly, you know.
(28:01):
So that's your goal, that's my goal. Now, I'd love
to make your So.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
My main concern, like one hundred and twenty kilos.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
It's a big job.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
It's a fucking huge job.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Big job, and I lose a lot of what I got,
which is power.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
And all I've ever seen in the view is massive. Yeah,
like I know that's one hundred and twenty is still big,
like you know for people, but not not for someone
like you. For that's like that's like saying, like for
a normal person like me, if I got eighty kilos.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah, the last time I was one hundred and twenty,
it was sixteens old. Now I'm merely thirty, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, but it's what I want to do. It's my sport.
Is it is what it is, Bro, I'll try and
get it done. Is there all planned out? Because I
know you've got to fight. You had my message a
couple of weeks ago about the fight that we supposed
to have to a.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Hopper and just pulled it out two days ago.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
He's just pulled out.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Well, I don't think he pulled out. I think he
just asked for like.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Just the second time. Now it's been now it was.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Postponed the first time, and now it was it's booked
in for April fifth. But the promoter messaged me two
days ago saying he's out. He tried to like hit
him up for way more money, so I think he
I think it was more he's seen twice to himself.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
I think he's seeing he's fighting myself.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
But he's hard. Can he'll fight anyone. But I don't know.
It's a bit disappointing, but I'll get it.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
So what are you going to do now? Then?
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Now we'll get a match. So I just keep training,
keep dropping a weight. Knock on wood, we don't get injured,
and let's sit, bro, we'll get back in there.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
What do you want to achieve in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
For you? By my birthdays in December. By December, if
fucking get signed to the UFC, that would be a
lifelong dream of mine. You know. I want to keep
improving my mental strength, my mental health, all that shit.
I'm very passionate about now at this stage of my life,
and fucking drop the weight, get active with the fighting being.
I've had a bad, bad run of injuries, like really bad,
(29:48):
you're west injury that you've had. Oh, Bro, I had
a boxing fight. Ten seconds into the fight, I disslocated
my sholder ten seconds in the first round. It was
this big island who's one hundred and sevent The killers
hit him hard and he came on me, helped me.
I pushed him off my hard. My shoulder went out.
So had to fight two rounds with a dangling shoulder,
and then I went to the hospital. Was trying to
(30:09):
yank it back into place for like two hours. Couldn't
get it in. They knocked me out, put me on ketamene.
Finally got it in and then I have to come
back to Sydney. I still couldn't move my arm, so
I'd torn heaps of ships. Had another surgery that's probably
the worst one. Torn both biceps off the bone, right shoulder,
front and back, calf ankle twice. No ligaman in my knee.
(30:34):
I've had a few bro bulging this low back neck.
I'm in pain.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Jesus Christ, I'm in pain. But just keep training, Just
keep going. Any regrets in your life, na, they learned
from it, Bro. You just learn from it. Yeah, you
just learn from it. Is what it is.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
You can't turn back time, so just try to make
the best of it, learn the lesson and move forward.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
What would you what would you? What would you describe you?
In two wards?
Speaker 2 (30:59):
You know what? Honestly this will surprise you. I'm a
big EmPATH. Yeah, yeah, big time. I feel a lot. Wow, Yeah,
I feel a lot. Bro. I'm going to do a
lot of stuff in the mental health mental strength area
as I go forward.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, you like, do you like helping kids and all
like that?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah, Bro, I do juvenile like mentoring. It's important work,
all the good ship you know should do. I'm into it, bro. Yeah,
because I'm a sweet kid. I'm a sweet guy. I
am a gentle giant. You know. Obviously I can if
you switch on if I need to. I don't want to,
but if I need to. That's what I kind of
(31:40):
trained for my life, just to keep myself safe, you know,
I mean, protect myself. But I'm a sweet guy. You know,
I've got a gentle heart. So I really want to
try and be, as you said, quite a beast, but
help people and humble and you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Because you knew what it was like when you were
a kid. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Correct, that's right. I've been on both sides, you know.
So yeah, I'm a i'd say i'm an EmPATH. Well yeah,
that's a good one.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I like that, you know what, Bro.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
I love that, you know, because this interview was fucking good.
And the fact is you're very humble guy.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Yeah, bro, like I got like if I if I
didn't know when I first met you, like I found it.
I didn't find it hard to talk to you. But
you've got to stand offish proana about you, do you think? So, yeah,
there's unless you get to know the person. It's like
you get you have to you have to trust that
person first before you'll open up to that person fair enough.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
You know what I mean, Like kind of keep to myself.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Yeah, you know you're private, but you're also how can
I say you you srust people out before you want
to open up a bit more to them, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Sometimes, especially if I'm not closed back.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
You know what I mean. But like, and I know that,
as I said, when we were there, there was other
people there, so it's a bit different. But as I've
got to know you since then, like I've seen you
and even on your videos too, that you you are.
You're a very humble guy.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Mate. Yeah, bro, Like I'm just being myself. You know,
I'm not trying to impress anyone. Like whatever someone thinks
to me, I don't know, it's not my business. I
don't care. I am who I am. I'm a dad,
I'm a good dad. I'm a sweet guy, you know
what I mean. I'm trying to make my dreams as
a fighter. I was a strong man. Blah blah Blahlah.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I am who I am. I'm a good person. I've
got a good heart. And I'll just tell it how
it is. You think you'll ever do barlifting again?
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Maybe one day when I retire from fighting, if I
can achieve my fighting dreams, I'll get jacked again. So yeah,
I still love it. It's in my blood and it
will take me like twelve weeks because you look.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Like who wants that title back again? Or you just
want to do it for the fun of it, the
love of it.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Probably the love of it. I don't know if I
want to get that big again.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Specially you need to get that big again to get
that title.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Probably not. I think I'm more of a technician now.
You know then I was. Back then it was a
bit more brute strength. Now I'm a lot more technical,
which helps. I need to get heavy, but I don't
think I need to get that heavy again. We'll say,
I'm sure I will compay it again, but I don't
think strong man like the strong man competition. I love
that ship.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Would you do that?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah? I would?
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's see. I can see you doing that me too,
but then again you've got to put those hounds on
it again.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Yeah, I wouldn't look I wouldn't be as as heavy
or as fat as I was because I do care
about my health. You know, I've got young kids. I
want to be healthy for them. But I do love
it bro being big and strong and jack. It's good man,
it's fucking great. It's great, and I love it, and
it's in my blood. You know. It's very easy for
me to get strong and it's a nice feeling. So
(34:38):
one day I'll be back.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Thanks man, Thank you, b Yeah, thanks for having me
appreciate it.
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