Brotherhood in Battle | Aljamain Sterling & Merab Dvalishvili | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast - Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 2 (00:01):
as soon as the match is over, I went right upstairs.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
I threw up a lot, Joined today by two incredible
athletes, teammates, bestfriends and two of the best
fighters in the world todayAljamain Sterling and Marab
Davishvili.
Welcome to the show.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
He's definitely misspelled there.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Well, listen, we were talking about that last name.
I've done a good job right.
It was this guy in the back itwas this guy in the back, guys.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
He asked me before and he was like how do you
pronounce it right?
And I was like I mean I canprobably come close, but I was
like I'll probably mess it uptoo.
And I Devis Vili.

Speaker 5 (00:55):
Dwalish Vili, oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 (00:57):
We were off Dwalish.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
Vili.

Speaker 4 (00:59):
We were both off.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, I was close.
Do you know what?
I got the last name fromYouTube.
I've seen all thesecommentators saying your last
name, so everybody's getting itwrong, but now we know.
Anyways, welcome to the show,guys.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
Welcome to the show.
Straight out the lair.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, I know there's a lot of things we can talk
about and it's finally good toget you guys in the gym.
You live up the streetliterally.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Both of us, we're neighbors, that's what I'm
saying.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
These guys are in the hood.
They need to be in this hood.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
I know, I know Well, we got a chance to show you guys
around the gym, so now, noexcuses, you can come anytime.
And obviously now you know myoffice, don't knock.

Speaker 5 (01:35):
I'm always sleeping, I'm joking.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
But we can really go into so many different uh you
know different waters, from theget-go, from the from the jump.
But I think, more than anythingelse, me as a fan of, of mma
for for again, since I was veryyoung the fact that you guys
have this fantastic friendshipis so rare, where sports of you
guys in the same weight divisioncome up together, um, support
you one another in all yourfights and then you know you,

(02:08):
you had this, this conversationabout potentially fighting each
other, and you guys refused todo so.
I think that is a testament tothe friendship that you guys
truly have, because most peoplewould be like, fuck, we just got
to do it.
But it seems from the outsidein that you guys had a pact that
you weren't going to do that.
Is that true?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, for me one it didn't make any sense because I
think a lot of people kind ofrelate their scenarios with
their training partners and Ithink that's the difference.
They're just training partnerswhere we actually hang out
outside of the gym, we do stuffwith each other, help out each
other's family.
I've been to his country ofgeorgia, he's been in my country

(02:51):
of jamaica, so I I think therelationship is just a little
bit which I say a lot differentfrom the typical mma gyms where
guys are just in their trainingpartners, they spar, they go
home, they never really hang out, talk to each other.
So it's a very differentdynamic.
We came in both at the sametime to to ray longo's gym and
we pretty much just kind of grewfrom there and, um, I was one
of my main training partners,marab was one of my main
training partners and we'vealways just been really cool and

(03:13):
now we're neighbors in here invegas it's, honestly it's.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
It's it's awesome to to watch the growth of both of
you guys, right, because both ofyou guys are chasing dreams.
Both of you guys, you knowyou've already been to the
pinnacle and you're now justlike working on legacy in this
other division.
Right, gonna get that beltagain.
He's about to get it right.
So, it's like you know, tell us, tell us about those hardships,
man.
It's like you know you guys areboth, you know, at the top of

(03:38):
the sport.
Now, you know, and obviously itdidn't start there, right,
there was a lot of, there was alot to just get to where you are
now.
Tell us a little bit about thatand how it worked.

Speaker 5 (03:52):
Can I say that?
So when I moved from Georgia tothe United States, I wasted a
lot of big time because I wasn'table to find the right gym,
because I don't have trainingpartners.
And when I finally found theSerra Longo team and when I
started training there, aljo wasalready there and he was

(04:15):
already CFFC champion and he waslike 7-0 or something
professional.
I had a lot of fights inGeorgia, but here I wasn't able
to fight.
Those fights didn't count inthe professional record and I
had to start from here to zero.
Oh, wow, yeah, I was a fighteralready.
But those fights, my friends,that we fight the same night,

(04:38):
they have an unprofessionalrecord, but I don't have somehow
the organization president orsomething.
They don't put my name as awhatever.
And so, yeah, I was look up,I'll do.
You know, he was already goodfighter.
And then he he actually, whenwe sparring first time, he

(05:02):
choked me.
So, okay, it happened like this.
You know I was, I startedtraining there, right, and I was
doing good with the other guysand Ray Longo asked me you wanna
spar one round with Aljo?
Because Aljo was sparring withone guy, and the next round,
other guy and next round.
Other guy.
I'm like, of course, and I'malready like I have 10 fights in

(05:26):
Georgia and then three amateurfights here and four kickboxing
because I wasn't fine mma, Iwasn't able to fight in mma and
then four, four boxing fightsand two kickboxing.
I'm thinking I'm like.
I was like my mind, I'mchampion and so I should do our

(05:49):
Joe.
He just just once I shootdouble leg and he just go down,
but I'm already in triangle andI'm gonna sleep and I'll just
choke me again.
I'm like, no, like I'm like hemake me so humble.
I'm like I'm like differentlevel.

(06:10):
And then from there, and yeah,I mean that time I don't speak
zero english and, um, little bylittle, I wish I get better and
and uh, and then I, a coupleyears later, I came.
I'll just maintain partner.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Like you know, sometimes I was like Pedro Munoz
, sometimes Jimmy Rivera yeahthat's how it's happened you got
any early stories of Marabcoming to the gym that you can
tell that maybe you've not toldbefore?

Speaker 2 (06:45):
I don't think there's any that I haven't really told.
The main things that I rememberis just he would just never
stop, like even though I wouldget submissions, he would get
right back up and it was likenothing ever happened.
It was just right back in yourface trying to attack you and it
was like, even if you get meonce, I'm going to get you
eventually.
So that was the mentality Iloved, because and it's like,

(07:05):
even if you get me once, I'mgoing to get you eventually.
So that was the mentality Iloved, because some guys, you'll
see, if you submit them or youput them in a TKO situation and
the coaches stop the positionand you reset back to your feet,
you can kind of see them alittle deflated and their whole
demeanor changes.
It was just like a brand newday.
Nothing ever happened.
It was like, god damn it, wegot to do this all over again.
So to see him, and then whennew guys would spar with him or

(07:30):
just do wrestling or jiu-jitsu,and they'll do okay for like a
minute, and then, as the roundgets going, I'm just sitting
there smiling and watching and Ican see now Marab's starting to
take over and they're startingto get tired.
He'll start putting them inthese situations and getting
these finishes, or he'll getthem in like a scarf hold, which
is like a headlock in wrestling, and then I'll just watch him
like yeah, now you know what itfeels like.

(07:51):
Now you know what it?
Feels like to be down there tosee what I have to deal with on
a daily basis.
This is not easy.

Speaker 3 (07:58):
What about you, murab ?
Anything on Aljo from the earlydays, from the early days.

Speaker 5 (08:02):
Aljo was always smart , organized, he comes, he
teaches us new techniques.
I was always surprised MMAfighter.
He was intelligent in how heset up his own training and then
he started.
We were training old schoollike kickboxing, and for

(08:26):
jiu-jitsu we were going toMetzera school and we don't have
MMA training.
And Al he started, you knowit's.
We was training old school likekickboxing and for jujitsu we
was going medsera school and wedon't have my training.
And I'll just start uh, startmma classes in uh in the gym.
And then after this, we allstarted growing up.
You know wow and yeah, and I'lldo always like very organized,
very smart and even give us goodadvice, like Like when I was
UFC, I win a couple fights andhe told me like I buy a house,

(08:49):
you should buy a house too, andI buy a house in New York and
you know, it was the bestdecision in my life.
You know, because if Aljo don'ttell us and he was talking to
us like he share his advice forus and first time I hear like
real, like real estate, likefrom Aljo, you know, because you
know I'm an immigrant, I don'tknow nothing here, you know, and
then I take that's how it'ssupposed to be, boys.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, it's like we cheer for each other, we root
for each other, we're there foreach other.
You know, that's what it'sabout.
I'd say, all the guys in thisroom, I feel like that.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
So it's more like you're saying with Aljo as well.
He was outside of anythingfighter related.
It was more of a mentorship andinvesting and business and
strategizing things differently.

Speaker 5 (09:33):
Yes, and also very good teammate.
You know he's even up untilthis day he's trying to
matchmaking for not matchmaking.
You know management, liketeammates, we have a group chat.
When we are living here fouryears we still have a group chat
new york, when we are livinghere four years, we still have a
group chat to new yorkteammates.
And then aljo like telling oh,I got text from promoter,

(09:53):
they're looking for these weightclass guys, fighters.
And then sometimes aljo go applyit, corner them, and always
used aljo used to do that andit's crazy how it's.
You know you have yourself, youtraining, you are your trainer,
you just you set up you I'll do.
Whenever alger has a fight he's, he has own training camp like

(10:13):
set up, like organize what dayhe's training, who's training
partner.
He's gonna use everything elsethen help other fighters.
You know, in mma it's it's's,it's a new sport and like we
don't have like it's, we don'thave like coach, like training
like this.
We have good coaches buteverybody busy, everybody has a
family and they have like a big,responsible, big team and and

(10:37):
then we kind of like set up ourtraining camps and then I'll do
he, he always organized histraining camp and then help also
other fighters.
This is, this is very hard.
You know me, I'm trying, butit's very hard.
It's very hard to do everything.

Speaker 4 (10:53):
It's not easy and so, aljo's, as he's been giving you
this vice and like kind of, youknow, teaching you things about
the states and all this otherstuff, I already know like he
must have given you a few pickuplines to like go approach the
girls, right.

Speaker 5 (11:07):
Like let's talk about that a little bit, right,
because you had the languagebarrier.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
But like now you got the pretty US girls right.
So like Aljo probably had thegame already on lock and he had
to have given you some of thatgame.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
So like I'd love to hear some of these pickup lines
Come on, go in there, go inthere, rob.
Just go say hello.

Speaker 3 (11:24):
I see all these chicks in the comment section on
your fucking page, bro.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
I've been seeing the content lately bro Excuse me.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (11:31):
Let me tell you what advice I take from Aljo about
girls.
So okay, Aljo has a beautifulgirlfriend, he loves girls, but
he stops always because he loveshis girlfriend Never.
Yo chill out bro.
I'm like, okay, I don't want agirlfriend, like you know.

(11:51):
Okay, either it's one oreveryone.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
I'm like, okay, you're here, you're here, you're
single, ready to mingle, right?
I?

Speaker 5 (11:58):
take advice from Aljo .
Like maybe if I met somebodyspecial one, then I stay single
and I stay single.
Like maybe if, if, if if, if,if if if, if, if, if, if, if, if
, if, if, if, if, if if if, if,if, if if if if if, if, if, if
if if

Speaker 3 (12:18):
if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if Go get it.

Speaker 5 (12:20):
The accent helps right.

Speaker 3 (12:21):
The accent helps.

Speaker 5 (12:23):
I don't know you got to.
You know, not accent, notaccent.
Okay, when I moved to theUnited States, I get zero, I get
nothing.
At least you're honest.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (12:36):
That experience helps .
You know, I remember those days.
Like you know, hard days andnow.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
You guys have such a fantastic relationship, as I
mentioned earlier.
You've just seen the dynamic.
As you mentioned, he's been toJamaica, he's been to Georgia.
You guys have experienced somuch stuff broken bread together
.
But you guys ever had adisagreement?
If so, how do you solve it?
You fight.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
Actually no.
Not that I can think of wehaven't no I have so much
respect for him I can see, youknow, and then like I mean
whatever, maybe maybe one

Speaker 4 (13:13):
oh come on you gotta go come on only the way he cuts
weight sometimes yeah, we werejust talking about this last
night because he cuts weight.

Speaker 3 (13:21):
Still like old school , still the old school way which
I used to do all the time, butthen I learned old school way,
which I used to do it all thetime.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
But then I learned the new way and I'm like, wow,
this is so much better.
I can eat a little bit, I candrink a little bit.
But he's gotten better.

Speaker 4 (13:33):
But in the beginning I was just like bro man well, we
were just talking about me andhe's like yeah no, this is the
way I do it.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
This is the way I'm like, all right, I I can't fight
him on it because this is whathe does and it works.
He shows up and he performs.
But I'm like it could just be alittle bit easier, just a
little bit easier, but it'sstill going to suck.

Speaker 4 (13:50):
Yeah.
But I would say you I meanyou've had some massive weight
cuts and we see you off-seasonYou're bulking up, you're
walking around 180 pounds, I getbig, yeah, what.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah, what's the biggest you've gone up to, Aljo
I mean.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
I've seen on the scale plus 185.
Oh yeah.
What.
That's like my cheeks are blownup yeah.
It's like super chinky.
My legs are starting to chafeon my thighs in between when I
walk.

Speaker 4 (14:20):
You're eating good.
Sounds like a bodybuilder.
Yeah, my stomach.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Welcome to my old life, yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
It doesn't feel good.
No, it does not feel good atall.
That's after I make 135, so Igo from being shredded like
crazy and then your body justpacks on all this weight and I
just can't stop stuffing my facewith food.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
It's insane.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
What's the about 157.
Non-champion the heaviest I'vebeen at making 135 was about 152
, 153.
But now at 45, I've gotten upto 65, which is good, so I'm
happy with that.
20 pounds is nice.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
And, on that note, obviously you've gone up a
division.
Now You're chasing the title inthe new division.
Now you're chasing the, thetitle in the new division that
you're going to be fighting in.
And you said, obviously the cut, was it a tough cut for you to
make 135 and that's why you madethe decision go up.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
Oh yeah people think it's like oh you, just I don't
know.
It's like the discipline waslike there's no way you could
tell me anything aboutdiscipline, like for me to walk
around 170, 175 pounds and cutdown to 135, that takes a lot of
discipline because my body fatpercentage is not very high.
So for me to get down is verydifficult and I need time to do
it the right way so I couldslowly make my increments, make

(15:35):
the changes without drasticallykilling my body, and try to
maintain the strength as much asI can, plus all the surgeries
I've had, plus all the surgeriesI've had.
Like if I do it too fast, Ifeel like all these old injuries
start to ache a little bit frommy neck surgery, my bicep, my
wrist hernia, my shoulders.
So it's not easy, man, but I'vealways been able to do it Like
if I tell myself I'm going to dosomething, I get it done.

Speaker 3 (15:57):
That's very interesting to think.
Now you're going the new schoolroute right, Because obviously
bodybuilding we cut down over aperiod of like 20 weeks, so we
can preserve all our muscle,yeah, so we don't any, we don't
do any drastic 20 pounds of thisof you know, of the same week
of the um of the show, becausewe're pulling water from the
muscle and that's gonna have tobe exaggerated.

(16:19):
So you know, having a newschool mentality because I come
from the old school too when Iwas boxing we'd cut like fucking
20 pounds last week.
You've obviously seen that,that improvement by doing this
style.
And was this something youhired a nutritionist for?
Or is this something that youfollowed on your own, on your
own knowledge, with this cut?

Speaker 2 (16:40):
I kind of just watch other people do it.
Like you see, some of theseguys they do the water load with
like the one gallon, twogallons.
I can't drink two gallons ofwater.
There's just no way in hell Icould do that.
It's way too much.
But I could do a gallon a day.
You start on a Sunday andwatching how they were doing I
was like watching that processBefore I just don't eat.
I would just fast in themorning, have a little bit of

(17:06):
water to hydrate back up alittle bit and then have like a
very small meal at night to kindof hold me over to sleep.
Hopefully I float like one totwo pounds, wake up, do it again
and your body's just achingeverything hurts, everything's
sore, you're starting to move inslow motion.
I'm like, yeah, it's wednesday,yes, thursday, and then you got
that one more day.
You step on the scale andyou're like thank god it's over.
But that's.
That's like the very old schoolway I used to do it.
Sometimes I would just eat likea candy bar, like a Snickers or

(17:27):
something All day.
That would be like my one thingthat I have and it would hold
me over until night and I'd getmy second workout in.
Then I could have somethingsmall like a piece of chicken,
no sodium, nothing on it, and itjust wasn't fun.
That's why I'm like doing itthat way versus doing it the way
I do it now.
This is like night and day, andI wish I knew that back then,
because maybe my performancescould have been a little bit

(17:49):
better.
I have no idea, but I mean Idid pretty, I did all right.

Speaker 3 (17:54):
You did all right.
Yeah, you did just fine.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
And I would say at 135,.

Speaker 4 (17:58):
You were like, you were big at 135.
I feel like a lot of guys youlike would step in and almost
like even to get to the weigh-inand then be like, oh, he's
bigger than he's bigger than Iwas even expecting, or they get
in there with you and you'rebigger than expecting.
Like was that advantage?
Like, are you feeling anadvantage like that at 145, with
strength, I mean.
Like what are you feeling there?

Speaker 2 (18:19):
I feel like at 145, I feel just as strong as a lot of
these other guys.
In the beginning I wasn't surewhat was going to happen because
I was very nervous about theweight cut and going up a weight
class, going up 10 pounds.
You see, some of these guys,there's some killers at that
weight class.
So I'm like man, I'm a 135er.
But then I go up and I have tostart to build that confidence

(18:41):
little by little in the gym,going with more featherweights
and trying to go with some ofthe lightweights and seeing how
I do with those guys, and Ithink that gave me the
confidence knowing that when Iget in certain positions the
same thing I could do at 35, Icould do it at 45, but better,
because now my strength when Iwould cut down to 35, I would
train around 55, 60.
So that would be like my walkaround weight.

(19:02):
That will get me comfortableenough to know I can make 135.
Now at 45 I'm walking around 65, 6, um 60, 65 and from there I
feel just as strong and I know,like man, this is how I should
be feeling every time I stepinto the octagon.
So now it's just kind of ano-brainer.
I think with anyone at thisweight class, strength for

(19:23):
strength if we're going towrestling, squeezing, cage
control, anything like that,where I'm primarily that's my
dominant base I think I could gowith anyone of those guys, even
some of those guys at 55, Ireally do truly believe that.
I think I'm just as strong asthose guys.

Speaker 3 (19:38):
How much did that cut take out of your performance
for 135?

Speaker 2 (19:45):
I think we've trained .
I feel like when we train after, when I'm getting ready for 135
, and then when I make theweight, like I don't feel the
same on the fight, like I feellike I think it was like 2017,
2018, I think when I fought thePedro Munoz fight, I think that
might have been 2019.
That's when I started to um thepage of movements.
I think that was that might'vebeen 2019.

(20:06):
That's when I started to noticelike a significant difference
in my cardio.
Like man, like normally, Ishould not be getting tired at
the end of this fight.
Um, I used to think that I wasa machine and then I would start
to get tired.
I'm like nah, man, thissomething's going on.
And then I started to realizelike, nah, you're just getting
bigger as you get older, theweight's going up higher.
And I'm like man, because Iknow you walk around when you

(20:28):
say 55, 58, 60 now.

Speaker 5 (20:31):
Yeah, I used to be like 55.
Now I'm like 160s, like now nowyeah, he's got some weight to
lose.
We were talking about Aljo likewhen I met him 2000, 2013, he
was skinny, like muscular,ripped, ripped, like like very

(20:53):
ripped and then like very skinny, but he, once he grabs you like
squeeze, like he was like oh mygod, like nightmare, you know
anaconda grabbing you right verystrong and after, like you know
, like you know, he was justwrestling jiu-jitsu like squeeze
and like hard work, but thenafter, of course, technique and

(21:14):
he just, and then, yeah, like hesaid, he mentioned, after, even
like last, I think last coupleyears, you grow up a lot like
physically, yeah, your muscle,it just grew up like even in the
pitches I see the difference.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
I'm like, yeah, this was the right move, yeah.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
I think it's a good weight class for you.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
I agree, I agree and with, obviously, fighters.
There's this misconceptionabout eating in the off season
and training with weights yeah.
I don't see that with you guys.
You're kind of the new school,right.
You guys use weights, you useobviously with your S&C.
Or is that a new thing that'sjust come about?

Speaker 2 (21:56):
I mean I lifted a little bit before this fight,
the last one with Calvin Cater.
It was just to get moreconfidence and build strength in
certain areas after they didthe testing on me to improve
some of those numbers and Ithink it helped.
But then towards like the last,like two to three weeks, I kind
of go back to my old school wayof lifting, which is just a
plate.

(22:16):
I think we've done a plateworkout before.
Yeah, I just do crazy roundswith the plates curls overhead,
press, chest press, trying tohold it out, burn out the
shoulders.
Curls overhead press, chestpress trying to hold it out,
burn out the shoulders.
Deadlifts, split squats, thingslike that, lunges, all that
stuff with just the plate tryingto hold it for the whole
five-minute round and X amountof rounds.

(22:36):
That I would do and I would feellike that would help my
conditioning for the grapplingaspect going into punches.
So that's the way I typicallylive, and before I would have to
do fasted training sessions tomake 135 because I couldn't make
the weight if I would eat ameal in the morning.
I had to do all my workoutsfasted.
Now I'm eating before training.

(22:57):
I'm like this is nice.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
This is real nice Throwing in that Snickers bar
anymore.

Speaker 2 (23:03):
Once in a while I don't really have.
Like I have a really bad sweettooth.
Like I love chocolates.
Yeah, I love chocolate and Iknow he loves ice cream well,
let's talk about.

Speaker 4 (23:14):
Let's talk about you guys live in.
You guys live in las vegas.
Now, right?

Speaker 5 (23:17):
so now there's a lot of temptations out.

Speaker 4 (23:19):
Right, you know, maybe staying out drinking
partying.

Speaker 5 (23:22):
Right right, we got a girlfriend, but like, how has
it been living here in las?

Speaker 4 (23:24):
vegas.
You know, maybe staying outdrinking, partying, right, we
got a girlfriend, but like, howhas it been living here in Las
Vegas?
You know, obviously it's anonstop, 24-7 town.
You know there's partieseverywhere.
There's somebody in townprobably every week going, oh
Joe, like let's go out, likelet's go crazy.
People want to go crazy whenthey come here.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
How has it been living in Sin sin city?
I love how he did he did.

Speaker 5 (23:46):
He'll pass that one believe or not, I have very
peace here in las vegas.
You know like we live in niceneighborhood and um and of
course las vegas, alwayssomething going on.
We got invites somewhere likegood, like pool party or
something, but it's important.
You got to go show up.

(24:07):
You see how people party.

Speaker 4 (24:11):
Cut loose a little bit sometimes right.
Yeah, for sure it's good itdefinitely can be a place I feel
like where, like your friendshave more fun than you do, you
know, because they come in allthe time.
It's like one of those places,right.
Yeah, the good thing, becausehe doesn't drink or smoke, which
is good for me is like if I goand I'm in that environment, I'm
just like Ah, you know what Imean, let me get my arm in there

(24:33):
.

Speaker 3 (24:33):
Let me get my arm in there.
He's like this no, don't makeme do it, yeah.

Speaker 4 (24:37):
Do you guys gamble at all?

Speaker 2 (24:47):
Do you of get into a little streak here, because I
was up and then I lost the moneyand I lost a little bit.
I was like, yeah, and this iswhy I stopped yeah, I'm stopping
again.

Speaker 3 (24:54):
Yeah, I was on a great streak and then I lost it
all that's how it works.
I'm not gonna mention ourmutual friends who lost my
fucking streak but, it's in theUFC fucking betting realm, but
yeah.

Speaker 4 (25:05):
I used to bet a lot, I used to gamble a lot and then
I lost a big chunk one time thatlike made me sick and literally
it was like I've barely evergambled since that time, because
it was one of those like whatare you doing?
You know it was like it was abad one.

Speaker 5 (25:18):
I think if you live in Las Vegas and you're like
gambling, Nah, it's not theplace.

Speaker 4 (25:23):
It's not the place Go somewhere else, do you?

Speaker 3 (25:26):
know what I love about Las Vegas and I've been
here for three years now Alittle bit over three years.
I think the fact thattemptation is there is why I'm
so comfortable where I'm at.
I don't have to look for it.
As you said, it's fuckingMonday is Saturday, it's Sunday
is the fact.
It's just.
Whatever is going on everysingle day of the week there's
something, and there's alwaysthat allure to bring you in and

(25:48):
I like that.
Yeah.
You know otherwise, when I wasliving, you know, in Tennessee,
I was like looking for something.

Speaker 4 (25:59):
It.
Honestly, it makes it like whenyou do go other places, it
spoils you, right, becauseeverything's open 24 hours and,
like you know, even like whenyou're back home, you're like
smoking a joint and you're like,so I'm gonna join, and you're
like what's open and there'snothing open, right, like
everything's open here.
You can actually, if you wantto, you know, get into trouble.
You can get into trouble, right, or you can stay in the burbs
and and live your life here, umand and so I have a peaceful
life, but I like that you haveyou have the option you have the

(26:23):
option, option to go and dothose things.

Speaker 3 (26:25):
Do you know this?
When he tells stories, he's gotthe handbrake on, because he
could tell so many stories aboutgetting into trouble, oh bro.

Speaker 4 (26:31):
He knows a few.

Speaker 3 (26:32):
Yeah, well, I knew a few as well, I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yeah, there's definitely a few of in trouble
stories yeah especially becausefor us we're like 12, 15 minutes
away from the strip, sowhenever we want to go we can go
.
Sometimes I'm just like thatjust seems like a lot of work
right now.

Speaker 4 (26:47):
Yeah it does, Just the parking right the parking.

Speaker 2 (26:51):
Then I got to go.
If we see fans then it's thestopping to have a random
conversation, and then sometimesit's a little bit, sometimes
it's a lot and I'm just likeit's giving a lot of energy,
right?
Yeah, Like you're giving a lotof energy.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
Also the drunkenness and then you don't want to be
like a dick, because then it'slike somebody comes up and is
like really excited to meet youand you're already like in a bad
mood.
Yeah, you're checked out, andthen they're like oh, Aljo's a
dick, you know yeah.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
It's like with you guys.
You know, marab, when you goback home what and, and what is
it like for you to get off thatplane and and be greeted by all
your fellow countrymen.

Speaker 5 (27:31):
It's the mayor right here, I know yeah, usually I go
after my fight, um, but yeah,like every time I go my my home
country, georgia, I feel likeit's crazy going out there,
because even airports, of course, usually people are waiting for
me, and even me and Aljo wewent like almost two, three

(27:51):
years ago.

Speaker 4 (27:52):
Yeah, July is going to be three years, Any groupies
or get any groupies out there.
Now You're like a well, youwant to explain that.
You take that one.
Well, you want to explain youtake that one.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
Groupies are, like you know, athletes or
celebrities.
They go places and they have,like these groupie girls, that
they try to like, get theirattention or try to get their
money.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
Maybe they want to give you something else, I don't
know.

Speaker 3 (28:19):
That's a very nice way of putting it.

Speaker 2 (28:21):
They want to show you a fun time.

Speaker 5 (28:23):
I mean, like you know , like when I go back to Georgia
I feel like I'm home.
Of course it's very.
I talk like we talk everybodysame language and everything.
You know.
I know that we are kind of samepeople because it's not a big
country.
You know we are all same.
You know, like it's not.
We all know each other.

(28:44):
We all respect each other.
We all respect each other.
It's different.
We're all happy for each other,like now the Georgian soccer
team.
They are competing in theEuropean Championship.
We all support him.
When I fight, they support me.
We are small and we all supporteach other.
That's how all countries are.

(29:08):
If we fight, we fight eachother.
If we, you know, we support, wesupport and it feels good, of
course, every time I go toGeorgia.
But now I went, like maybethree weeks ago there and then I
don't even tell any media.
I don't want people in theairport.

(29:29):
I want to go.
I was going to see my family,but once I get there,
journalists find out.
Everybody calling me pleasecome here, please go restaurant.
Everybody wants to see me.
It feels good Everywhere theyrecognize me.
You know like you know,wherever I go, I get stuck
because hundreds people come andtake pictures it's cool though

(29:53):
it's good it's good but like I,I love it.
I love to be in georgia, but toI need to be here to train hard,
you know, because the US is bigand I'm more humble here in
training and go do my thing,because if I'm in Georgia every
day, I'll be in the restaurantsand hang out.

(30:15):
Right.

Speaker 4 (30:16):
Speaking of home day parades, I've seen we got an
Aljo day.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
Yeah, yeah, tell us about that.
So that was after I defendedthe belt against Piotr Jan.
I guess they didn't want to doit when I first won the belt
because obviously it was adisqualification.
It was like, yeah, we're notcelebrating that.
So we ran it back.
I won and we came back home.
They were like when are youcoming back to New York?
We want to set something up foryou.

(30:42):
We want to put together apresentation and a parade.
I didn't know what to expect,but it was cool.
They brought out a You're aholiday now bro.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
Yeah, it's pretty wild.
I know Just for Nassau Countythough.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
Did the kids get off school?

Speaker 4 (30:54):
I hope so Right, because they love you, bro,
they'll love you.
That's our guy.
We fuck without you.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
It took us on like this little, not a trolley, I
forget what you call it, but ithad the name on it and
everything.
I was with the Nassau CountyExecutive of the entire county,
so all the towns, probably like50 plus towns.
He was like the man to controlall that, everything that goes
on in those neighborhoods.
So he took us around like fourneighborhoods that were by.

(31:23):
We had like police, escorts,motorcycles, everything playing
the horn, some music.
It was cool.
And then we went to my highschool.
They had everyone outside, allthe students.
They got to talk and then theygave me an opportunity to talk
to the kids for a little bit.
I was like man, this isactually wild.
I never thought I would have.
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (31:41):
I thought I saw you like on a float or like it was
like that.
It was like a float, it was the.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
Popemobile.
Yeah, the Popemobile wasn't it.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
It was like he was going down the middle of the
street, you know, waving ateverybody.

Speaker 3 (31:51):
It was royal wave from the rest, you know how it
goes.

Speaker 4 (31:53):
I made it wave.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
It was kind, which is prettycool because he's a pretty big
deal in Nassau.

Speaker 4 (32:02):
Yeah, you're a pretty big deal there now too, bro.

Speaker 3 (32:06):
Does he have his own day?
Yeah, exactly, I don't think sothere we go there we go Murab
do you?
Have your own day.
Mate in Georgia, Do you haveyour own national holiday, Murab
day?
No, no.

Speaker 5 (32:25):
All right, we need to speak to the tourist board
because Marab needs his own day.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
No, no, I'm good man.
I'm good when he gets the belt,then he there, we go there, we
go there we go that was like avery good experience.

Speaker 5 (32:34):
I was there that day.
I was there and it was like wow, I was even shocked, you know,
because in America I don't seesomething like this.
You know, like how happyeverybody was for aljo and like
supportive, and everybody wascelebrating this day, and then
kids outside and everybody happyand it's like new generation
and they inspire and then likeI'm sure everybody wants to be

(32:57):
like him.
Yeah, it's 100 real.
Yeah, you know you yourself aswell, right, these kids, they
look up to you guys and theywant to be like you and and do
these kids.

Speaker 4 (33:03):
They look up to you guys and they want to be like
you and and do what you're doingright like you guys are living
the dream right now.
So there's definitely kidslooking at exactly what you guys
are doing and I mean, I thinkthat's all part of like what
makes it so great.
It's like you know, you'reproving it to your hometown,
you're proving it to the world,right like it's part of the
legacy.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
Yeah, the legacy, it's special it's special, you
know there's a lot of kids thatare growing up lost these days.
Obviously me, coming from wales, small country compared to
england, just like you, werekind of the proud of flying out
flag, especially when we faceany anybody in england, because
they were like the redheadedstepchild.
No offense, you know, nofucking pun intended.

(33:42):
I actually told you fromearlier he literally is the
redhead.
Close, yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:46):
I was in Wales earlier.
Come on bro, Last yearSeptember Shut up.

Speaker 3 (33:50):
You know what I'm like when I find out anybody's
been to Wales.
Where'd you go?

Speaker 2 (33:52):
I competed in September Shut up Against Mike
Grundy In Wales.
There's nothing over there.

Speaker 3 (34:01):
Fucking hell, bro.
What's this guy say?
Jack Shaw is from that area.
Yeah, I went to his gym.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Oban took me out.
Oban, oh you fucking maniacs.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
He took me to the local pub with all the mates
I've seen this fucking picture.
That's right.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
He went to a smaller local pub.
Had a couple of madris overthere with the boys.

Speaker 5 (34:21):
He got into trouble over there.
No, no, we did good.
Them Welsh boys will lead youastray, man.
They'll lead you astray.

Speaker 3 (34:26):
But that's fucking great.
He went to Wales, man, I knowthere's that part.
We call it the valleys.
Yeah, rolling green hills, it'svery pretty.

Speaker 2 (34:36):
But it was before my match, so I did drink, which I
always do, but I probably dranka lot more than I probably
should have and made that matchway harder than it needed to be.
But I was on vacation.
When they called me to evenoffer me that man, I was like,
guys, I don't really want to dothis because I'm just drinking,
I'm not training right now.
And then I took the match,whatever.
But then afterwards we didn'tget to stay.
We went to london to go see myfamily, okay, so otherwise we

(34:56):
just stayed and then we couldhave really partied and maybe
they would have shown me adifferent time.

Speaker 3 (35:00):
But we'll I'll try and speed that up for you, if I
can get the right connections.
But have you been to Wales,maramp, did you go with Aljo?

Speaker 2 (35:09):
just me and Jake alright, yeah, cause that was
after the O'Malley fight.
I went to Australia for thefight, then went to Bali for two
weeks and then they offered thematch and then I was like
alright, I guess I'm going toWales and then from Wales to
London and back home.

Speaker 4 (35:23):
So they just hit you up and they were like we want
you to jump in this and you'relike I'm on vacation, dude.

Speaker 3 (35:27):
Yeah, Polaris.
Does that affect your mindsetwhen?

Speaker 2 (35:30):
you're on vacation.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
I threw up a lot.

Speaker 2 (35:33):
As soon as the match was over, I went right upstairs.
I had to take a couple pictures.
I was like you guys, I got togo, I got to go.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
That was that Welsh ale coming up there.
But I was going back to thepoint of coming from Wales,
small country, there's a lot ofyoung kids that look up to both
of you guys, right, because ofyou know the small, humble
beginnings.
So you to have a literalnational holiday, you know, in
that area, National holiday orholiday.

Speaker 4 (36:00):
I think just a local.
We can call it national.
It's cool.
I support it.
I don't know how that workswhen you get.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
I guess whatever it is, but nonetheless it's such an
achievement, an honor to havethat day named after you.
And then you've got all thesekids who are lost.
They're in school, all thesedistractions, especially new
distractions that maybe wedidn't have when we were growing
up, and now they look atyourself that has gone through

(36:28):
that area, won the title andstill doing all these different
things and these devas and foryourself, come from Georgia,
come over here, live in theAmerican dream, as as did I, and
again from humble beginnings.
It's just an incredible journeyfor both you guys and you both
have two different stories andyet you've been able to connect
through like-mindedness and,again, just wanting each other

(36:49):
to achieve their own greatnessin their own pursuit.
So I think that thisrelationship is so unique and I
feel like when we spoke aboutthis off cameras.
I know many athletes who havedeveloped friendships, but
there's nothing like what youguys have and what you say about
him, what he says about you.

(37:10):
We can just sit back here andtruly see that this is a genuine
friendship where you both wanteach other to just win across
the board in everything you doand also, as I said, that you're
just inspiring, aspiring, thenext generation from Georgia,
from your area, new York, andacross the board, across the
United States as well, but kindof changing directions.

(37:32):
I know that yourself you'vereally been putting out some
funny shit right now, bro, isthis something?
you create or do you have?

Speaker 4 (37:41):
people to help you out.
We should have brought thefucking Sugar Sean guy dude.
We should have brought him.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
We should have brought we should have brought
the sugar sean guy we shouldhave brought.
Oh, we should have just burstthrough the door and I'll just
put the first election and myrap would have finished.

Speaker 5 (37:51):
Yeah I was hanging out with the guy.

Speaker 4 (37:53):
They were smoking together, yeah yeah, but where
did this guy come from?
Yeah, who come?
Who came up with that?
It was good yeah.

Speaker 5 (38:00):
So how it's happened is uh, so after my last fight
Henry Cejudo's fight I mean Ihad after the fight I was, and
then it was in the restaurantand when I go there people had
tables and everything.
But when I go there three hoursI was just taking pictures with

(38:20):
people, just big line andanyway.
So and I guess one guy take apicture with me and then
somebody, when he postedsomebody, tell him he looks like
sean.
And they said this guy lookslike sean.
I said no, and then, and afterhe shaved beer and put vegan, I
said yes, and then I and helives actually in LA, he's from

(38:45):
Georgia and I said okay, I needto apply this guy to here in
Vegas.
Let's make a couple funnyvideos.

Speaker 3 (38:54):
Yeah, they've been really funny and funny they have
been.

Speaker 5 (39:00):
It was easy to come up with this idea because Sean
smokes, he has 69, 69 tattoo.

Speaker 4 (39:09):
I liked when I forget I think it was after one of
your fights he jumped in thering or something like that, and
you took his coat.
Yeah, I jumped in the ring totalk shit and then you took his
coat.
That whole situation was prettyawesome.

Speaker 5 (39:24):
Can I explain that?
So usually that happens maybetwo times, when somebody wins
and they bring the like newchallenger or whatever potential
challenger, and then ithappened with Aljo and then,
like, aljo just wins, he dependshis belt and he's champion.
He must enjoy his time.
He's just doing depend his beltand he's champion, he, he, you

(39:45):
know he must enjoy his time andhe's just doing speech and then
we just we are.
We are like other side, like wejust just happy, aljovin hard
work done, now we can chill.
And then from nowhere shonamaricomes in and he's just bully
and he's like talking shit toaljo and they're very
disrespectful.

Speaker 4 (40:04):
And then especially after a fight, I feel like
having a dude come in that'strying to fight you after the
fight.
Obviously it's like you knowwhat they're doing.
Right, they're trying to pumpand get the fight, but like it's
kind of like it's like you knowthe business because it's
entertainment, but it's kind oflike man, get the fuck up out of
here.
Dude, like what, this is mymoment, like get the fuck out of
here.

Speaker 5 (40:23):
It's almost like it's gotta be hard to be in those
situations at times and if youdon't know, I'm sure you don't
know that he was gonna comethere what were you saying?

Speaker 2 (40:32):
he turned around.
I was like what the fuck?
How are you in this cage?

Speaker 3 (40:35):
right now.
Talk about having your bubbleburst.
Right, you just come off thisone Next thing they're putting
you against the next guy andit's like it's a WWE integration
.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Because you know Dana's famous thing.
His famous line is I don't makefights the night of the fights.
And somehow for my fight hemade a fight the night of the
fight, before I even had thechance to do my press interviews
or anything like that.
I didn't get to talk to him.
I didn't talk to anybody.
I'm taking pictures in the back.
And then someone came up to meand said yeah, they're going to

(41:09):
have you turn around in August.
I was like no, the fuck they'renot.
I was like, dude, I just fought.
My legs are swollen.
Like what are we talking aboutright now?

Speaker 4 (41:23):
Man that whole thing is just so exhausting.
I actually you know that you'resaying this because he was just
showing me a clip and basically, like I didn't know that you
were hurt going into the fight,well, I was.

Speaker 2 (41:29):
I was hurt going into the training camp, so they
wanted me to start the trainingcamp right away because it was
three and a half months away.
I need about three and a halfmonths to cut the weight, so for
that I couldn't train and it iswhat it is.
He got hurt in the trainingcamp.
I got hurt.
The difference was he got tosit and relax.
The difference for me is I justfought and had to start my

(41:52):
training camp behind the eightball, trying to catch up and
maintain, to keep myself incontrol, at the same time not
enjoy the fruits of my labor,because I literally just won.
Yeah, I'm gonna go on vacationand actually eat and enjoy
myself and let my body heal up.
So I didn't really get to dothat.
Um, I had to be mindful of myweight.
There's just a lot of littlenuances that go into it that

(42:13):
annoy me, but it is what it is.
I eventually said yes, whichyou know I should have just
stuck to my guns.
I should have.
I wish I had someone there tokind of just stay in my ear and
tell me like no, you said no,just wait.

Speaker 4 (42:26):
I remember at that time you were talking about I'm
going to take a little time off,and then it was like you signed
the fight and it was like, well, I got to stay while it's hot.
It was like you were almostconvincing me of why you didn't
do the break.

Speaker 3 (42:39):
Yeah, what made the decision for you to do that?
Pressure, or you kind of beingthe athlete you are?

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Pressure, they offered another fight for me,
not until the next year.
So from that May where I foughtHenry, I wouldn't have been
able to fight.
They said until next year,january, february or March.
So it would have been almost ayear layoff, which I didn't want
that either, because I know Ineed to stay active.
I which I didn't want thateither, because I know I need to
stay active.
I want to stay active while I'myoung and while I'm actually

(43:04):
feeling good.
I just need to give my body atime to reset and then get back
into the groove of getting theweight back down and doing
things the right way.
Starting the camp, I'm veryorganized, like Maraba was
saying.
I try to organize my stuff.
I'm like I didn't get to thetop by accident.
I didn't get to the top by justtaking foolish, foolish fights

(43:25):
and sometimes your mental needsto line up with the physical.
And that night I felt like mymental was just not there, like
I felt my reaction times wereslow.
I felt like, um, I was bored.
I felt like I just wanted to bedone with the fight and that's
what caused me to rush in andthrow on such a punch where even
if I thought I've thrown thatpunch multiple times where, even
if I miss, I always move myhead or at least put my hands up
or pull back.
I didn't do any of that, I justthrew the punch.

(43:45):
I saw that I was out ofposition and I just like my
brain was just like, yeah, youfucked up and I just stood there
, got cracked and tried todefend whatever, and then I
still think it's early stoppage.

Speaker 4 (43:56):
But I thought it was early yeah it is what it is man
Like.

Speaker 2 (43:58):
It is what it is man.
I'm so over that fight.
I'm like man, I don't even careabout it anymore.
I made the mistake the betterguy that night, because I will
say that I will die on my bedsaying that the better guy that
night won Any other night whereI get to do the same amount of
prep that he did.
I just know myself, I know mymentality and how I approach

(44:22):
fights and training camps thatthat would never happen again.

Speaker 3 (44:24):
But sit in opposite somebody you know that can
avenge at last for you.

Speaker 2 (44:27):
Yeah, and he's going to get the time to prepare.
He's had some time, O'Malley'sgot his time, so that's all it
is Like for me.
I just want a fair fight, youknow.

Speaker 4 (44:43):
I would say too, like you know.
I mean, if he ends up moving upin the future, is that a fight
you want to make?
Oh, that would be great.

Speaker 2 (44:44):
Is that a?
Fight you want, though, likeyou want to revenge, that fight
right.
I would like to fight MarlonMarais again.
I would like to fight RafaelSonsal again.
I would like to fight BrianCarraway again and O'Malley as
well.
You know I'm saying—.

Speaker 4 (44:56):
You want to get that back right, like if you get the
L, you're like I got to get thatW back.

Speaker 5 (45:01):
I can only imagine what you can do to those guys
today.

Speaker 2 (45:05):
Today, obviously, it's different.

Speaker 5 (45:07):
Even now, you can't beat today.
Just if you go out now, you canbeat today, man.

Speaker 3 (45:13):
I need Marabaro.
All day long.

Speaker 2 (45:17):
He's a fucking great hype guy.
It's just a mentality as acompetitor.
It's nothing to be like cockyor arrogant, it's just as a
fighter.
If you lose, you want to avengethe loss, like you've had
fights where you're like I wishI could get that motherfucker
back this time.
You know like we all think likethat and if you don't think
like that, I think that's aproblem.
Yeah, I agree I personallythink that's a problem, then I
don't think you have the fightthat and you've got to have that

(45:38):
competitive edge.

Speaker 4 (45:39):
Nobody wants to lose, right?
Nobody's in this thing to lose,so it's like avenging those
losses.
I feel like I'm just askingbecause there's times where it's
like there's a guy that like Idon't really need to go back and
fight this guy, but I just kindof want to.

Speaker 2 (45:54):
I think if the guy is just clearly better than you,
then it's like it is what it is.

Speaker 4 (45:57):
Got your number.

Speaker 2 (46:06):
Outskskilled, outgunned, you couldn't do
anything.
But I think when it comes tolike those, some of my losses,
two split decisions, I'm like Ithink I could have done a couple
different things and maybe thatfight goes in my favor.
I would like to run it back.
Obviously it's not going tohappen.
But then the marlon moraisthing, shooting like that, being
emotionally charged, I'm like Iguarantee, if I maintain my
composure, that doesn't happenagain and I I beat that guy once
we get out of the first round,or even maybe in the first round
, I take his back and finish himIn all due respect.
And then O'Malley, the samething.

(46:26):
It's like if I get a propertraining camp.
I just think it's just adifferent fight and I think, if
I were to think any other way,the problems are with me as an
athlete and I think some peopleon the social media they're like
you keep talking about it.
I'm like, well, people ask meabout it.
That's one.
But if you ask me my opinion,I'm going to give you my
freaking opinion.
That's just what it comes downto.
I'm not going to lie about itand I'm not going to be

(46:48):
uncomplimentary.
He does some very good thingsLike.
He's very skilled, verytalented.
I know where he's good at and Iknow where I'm good at.
I know if he's able to do whathe does, then he wins again.
But I just don't think thatwould happen.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
It's something we might see again in the future.
Right, because he might end upmoving up after Murab takes the
belt from who knows.
Right.

Speaker 3 (47:14):
Yeah, I'm talking about which it's very possible.
The big fight in the sphereHistory, my friend, that sphere
History, my friend, that'd begreat.
What an honor to be fighting inthe first ever sphere, maybe
the one and done, who knows?

Speaker 4 (47:26):
I hope it's not one and done.
No, not me.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
But even if it is, to see this guy fight and win
would be fucking incredible.
Do you feel the just anotherone.

Speaker 5 (47:38):
This is another fight for me, you know, of course,
like, I'll just say, omali isgood and I have all the as a
fighter, I know he's, he's goodfighter.
And then, um, I will prepare,you know, I will prepare for war
, and then it's gonna be big andyeah, actually, yeah, I want to

(47:59):
fight at the spare.
It's gonna be like first timeand it's going to be, of course,
the best.
And in Las Vegas.
I want to fight in Vegasbecause I live here.
It will be very comfortable forme, but it doesn't matter.
Whatever the fight will be, Iknow it will be big and I'm
ready.
I'm ready for that.
But I just think is, I don'tknow exactly when I'm fighting.

(48:22):
I'm ready for that, but I justthink is, I don't know exactly
when I'm fighting.

Speaker 3 (48:27):
I'm just hoping at the spare days O'Malley was
there, and then I'm just hopingit's going to happen, oh, so
there's doubt that it might nothappen in the sphere, because
from my perspective, that's howwe heard it was on.

Speaker 4 (48:36):
Yeah, I mean I've been seeing it everywhere that
the sphere was happening.

Speaker 5 (48:42):
But in me we are fighters.
I don't know what I'm feelingnow.
I don't have a contract, Idon't have a word from the
president or Hunter, yes, I'mfighting that day or that day.
They don't tell me nothing.
I'm just training and it's afeeling like you're training but
you don't know exactly the date.
It's not guaranteed yet.

Speaker 3 (49:07):
That's kind of like the unknown I mean from the fans
.
I'm learning this life.
I thought there was a fixeddate.
Obviously there's a tentativedate from what I've seen, and
the sphere was done.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
For the sphere, yeah, but for their fight at the
sphere, that's not set in stoneyet.

Speaker 3 (49:23):
Got you, got you, got you.
Well, that was news to me too.

Speaker 4 (49:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
All the news channels I follow says different, so
we're hearing it straight fromthe horse's mouth.

Speaker 4 (49:32):
That's it, you guys being in these big championship
fights.
Is it a distraction now Becauseyou have to go into fight week
and you've got to do moreinterviews, more content stuff,
right, more fan stuff?
Like, does that become adistraction for you guys like
going?

Speaker 5 (49:47):
into these fights.
Yeah, I will say this Like Imean I was, I'll just call it
the last couple title fight andthat was crazy man, like so,
like, okay, so, so, like, okay.
So we usually get in the hotellike Tuesday and then we got to
sign the posters and takingpictures, the UFC media and then

(50:18):
so many interviews from Asia.
Like Europe, like I, take Zoomcalls, zoom calls, and I'll just
finish, finish and they keepasking same question how are you
gonna do this?
And I'll just keep answeringsame questions, keep doing oh my
god, this is crazy.

Speaker 4 (50:31):
like okay, yeah it's got to be like especially you
guys are like cutting weightright like you're like in a bad
mood and it's like it's notgreat.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
You can't show it either, right, yeah, you can't.

Speaker 5 (50:40):
You try not to, at least you have to work out, you
have to sleep, you have to relax, you have to text.
You're like you have so manythings going on.
You know you have some sponsors, and then just you have like
very limited times and then backand back and back and it's like
it's like nothing we're doinglike press conference in the
little interviews.
This is nothing.

Speaker 4 (50:59):
The all the zoom calls yeah, and this is crazy I
mean, it's just a lot on yourmind, right, and both of you
guys now as well, right, likewe're in this social media age,
both of you guys are, you know,creating content.
You have a podcast.
Like you guys have so much, somany things going on, so it just
seems to me like going intothose fight weeks, having all
those extra interviews.

(51:20):
I'm like it's got to be taxingon you guys it's not easy.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
This is definitely a lot of work, especially when
it's the same questions over andover again like, what kind of
questions do you kind of like ohmy gosh, I've asked this again.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
How are you going to win?
Yeah, oh my god, how do you seethis fight going?

Speaker 5 (51:36):
and or how much do you wait yeah?
Get out of here.
Why are you?
Asking I'm gonna make way,what's the?

Speaker 4 (51:42):
matter, I'm being good right now, bro, leave me
some questions, yeah like areyou gonna help me cut it?

Speaker 2 (51:49):
like, so it shouldn't matter.
Is that the?

Speaker 3 (51:51):
hardest part of fight week you think for for you guys
.
Obviously you know I'm not nottalking about the weight cut
itself, but just throwing in theamount of media that you have
to do as well yeah, it's not.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Don't say it's the hardest part, but it's not the
most fun.
I mean I try to enjoy themoment, because one day this is
all going to be over right,we're going to be retired.
We're never going to be able todo this again, so I try to
enjoy it as best as I can, butGod, is it annoying.
It's just like.
There's one thing I could dowithout is definitely the media
on fight week, especially on aWednesday, thursday, when you're
just like dude, I just don'thave the energy.

Speaker 4 (52:25):
I just need some extra sleep.
Yeah, I don't want to talk toyou.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
I just want to cop Thursday night, like the day
before weigh-ins.
So you weigh-in Friday morningand Thursday night you have a
press conference and you arehungry, thirsty, you have to
dress up, nice suit andeverything, and then you have
press conference.

Speaker 4 (52:43):
You got to talk like you're with your opponent and
then, like I don't know howpeople are doing this, you guys
also have, like the pressdickheads right who are trying
to ask you questions that aregoing to make you answer
something like get you mad orget you you just like they want
you to answer in a specific way.
Like how do you handle thosetype questions?

Speaker 2 (53:07):
I don't know, I just try to have fun with it as much
as I can, but you should be ableto tell when someone's trying
to do something like that.
I think if you can figure like,see what they're doing and just
kind of like either keep itshort and try not to let it be
shown that they're, eithergetting in your skin.
Yeah, because, that could rileyou up a little bit.
That's wasted energy.
The Russian journalists.

(53:28):
They are worse they do that allthe time always they want the
drama.

Speaker 5 (53:32):
They ask you like stupid questions what do you
think?

Speaker 2 (53:34):
about Peter.
What do you think about Umar?

Speaker 4 (53:36):
they want that drama they're not fighting.

Speaker 2 (53:38):
I'm fighting.
Why are you asking me aboutUmar and Pyotr Yan and all these
other guys that are Russian?

Speaker 1 (53:44):
I'm like I don't care right now.
They want that soundbite.

Speaker 5 (53:47):
They want bad things, but why promote them and why
you want me to say my opinionand then you're going to attack
me?
Rob says yeah, they're tryingto catch you.

Speaker 4 (53:59):
They're trying to get you to quote something that
they can utilize to sell right,but it's tough.

Speaker 5 (54:04):
So like what happened .
They asked me what do you thinkabout Stalin?
I said Stalin was a fuckingdickhead, I don't know.
And then, of course, I saidtrue about Stalin.
And then I guess he has likefucking fans and like Stalin.
I guess some people like him.
Yeah, has like fucking fans andlike, oh, like Stalin.
I guess some people like him.
Yeah, bro has fans.
Yeah, like all stupid people,like some people, and they

(54:27):
attack me like oh, you fucking.
You don't know Stalin, stalinwas a hero.
I'm like fuck you, but you knowit's affecting me.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
You know what I'm saying Because all the negative
people, like you know.

Speaker 5 (54:38):
Like you know, let's say say, let's say, I have an
opinion, my, my opinion, ofcourse, like this stupid lgbt
people, right?

Speaker 4 (54:45):
but youtube we're gonna go back on that one.
We'll go back on that one if Isay if, I talk.

Speaker 5 (54:55):
True, now of course I will get attacked, right?
Yeah, you know, if you ask meabout them, you know.

Speaker 4 (55:00):
Yeah, well, it's a hard thing these days because we
have a lot of like subjectsthat are like, really like.
You know, that will get peoplekind of vexed right.
We have a lot of politics, youknow we have a lot of things
happening that those are goingto be hard to answer because,
like you're saying, right, Likeyou have a career, you have
sponsors, so there's like maybesometimes you want to say more.
Is it that case?

(55:21):
And you just kind of hold backbecause it's like not worth it
in that realm, right?

Speaker 2 (55:25):
Yeah, but sometimes you want to just keep it real,
keep it real, keep it real Likethis podcast.

Speaker 3 (55:30):
What was that that you?

Speaker 4 (55:31):
said yeah, I want to circle back to what you said you
mentioned one country and theLGB.

Speaker 2 (55:39):
Fuck, I'm going to butcher it I'll just stop right
there, but now you've seen thealphabet, people?

Speaker 3 (55:42):
yeah no offense, we love everybody minus a few.
But there's you mentionedRussia and that community have
you seen now in Russia the fightleague?
They're getting a lot of trans,trans people to fight over
there there's a wild federationover in Russia that are getting.
We've sent some clips once, oreither I seen one the other day

(56:03):
where they got this uh, transguy versus two females, or
something like that yeah, I meanit's, it's getting out of hand.

Speaker 4 (56:10):
I mean, what do you guys think about the, the, the
female male fight scenario?
It's stupid, identifying thing.

Speaker 2 (56:22):
Yeah, I mean there's a reason why there's a lot more
men that build houses and workin construction than females.
There's a reason why there's alot I would imagine that there's
a lot more female nurses thanthere are male nurses.
I mean, maybe that's changingnow because, you know, there's a
lot more broken wrists andcoming in to play you know, to
each his own.
Like I'm not judging, like Icould be friends with a.

(56:43):
I don't want like which one'smore polite to say Homosexual or
gay, yeah we have all walks oflife in this gym.

Speaker 3 (56:52):
I think for me where the line in the sand is when you
start being competitiveobviously having a daughter.
Yeah, that's weird when youhave somebody who was born a
different gender and then wantsto come and compete against my
daughter.
That's where I have problems.
Yeah, exactly Outside of that.

Speaker 4 (57:06):
live your life Gay is one thing, Gay is one thing,
but like a naturally born malecompeting against a naturally
born female is not right.
It's not fair for the women.
It's not fair for those women.
Or create your own league.

Speaker 2 (57:20):
Create your own league, totally create your own
league.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Yeah, I don't know how many, it's not fair.

Speaker 4 (57:24):
It's like your daughter's swimming right.
We're sitting there, you know,doing swimming lessons with the
daughter last night and it'slike imagine some dude who comes
in who was a professionalswimmer before right and wasn't
winning with the men, and thenjumps with the women and then
becomes the greatest femaleswimmer of all time crazy all
right, I will tell you, man.

Speaker 5 (57:43):
You know if, even if I I don't have a dora now, but
even if I see this, whateverthis transgender or somebody go
using ladies room, I'm gonnasmack what you know I don't
trust these people.

Speaker 3 (58:03):
Yeah, it's a tough thing, it's a wild, and the fact
that it's becoming accepted isbananas.

Speaker 4 (58:05):
I know you probably didn't think this was going in
this direction in the podcast,nor did I to be completely
honest yeah, back to the sphere,rob, rob, really, that's Rob's
fault.

Speaker 5 (58:10):
This is my Rob.
He took it in that direction.

Speaker 4 (58:12):
Fucking Russians again, oh jeez I usually try to
go with the rule of like.
I don't like to talk aboutpolitics or religion at the
dinner table.
Because, somebody gets offended, it's one of those things.
But you guys in your businessit can offend your work.
Essentially it can offend yoursponsorships, it can offend some
stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
The only thing I don't like when people say
you're an athlete, you have noexperience or you don't deserve
or you shouldn't have an opinionon politics.
I'm like so you think we justwake up every day and we don't
have to follow the same rulesthat you do in life?
I'm very confused why you'reentitled to an opinion and I'm
not.

Speaker 4 (58:51):
Right, you're a human who has a really cool job
because you built yourself intoit.

Speaker 3 (58:54):
And a champion.
Yeah, there's a fucking claim tothe top yeah, and a scene and
live.
You know you've traveled theworld, as did I, so you get
experience different culturesand you get to, you know, see
what truly is working in othercountries.
And then you come back to youknow, the place that I came to
when I was 19 years old and seehow much has changed.
I still see this country, asyou know, the greatest country

(59:15):
in the world and I'm here forthat reason.
I came here with a glass halffull $200, and I slept on the
sofa to chase my goal and mydream and, like you said, I'd
done okay, I think.

Speaker 5 (59:24):
You made it, bro, I made it.

Speaker 3 (59:26):
I made it, and still on my chase, as everybody is in
this room right.
So I guess for kind of like afollow-up question when fighting
is done, what aspirations doyou have?

Speaker 2 (59:39):
Question for both of you.
Well, I'm trying to get into acouple business ventures Right
now.
I have my energy drink company,nerd Focus, mostly online but
in a couple stores, amazoncomalso.
And then I have my othercompany that we're working on
because I enjoy drinking.
When I'm in training camp, Idrink.
I'm not getting like, oh, I'veseen you.

Speaker 4 (59:59):
Yeah, I'm not getting like blackout wasted.

Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
I'll have like one or two if I have a good like I'll.
My rule of thumb is when I'msparring in camp, I get a couple
weeks in and if I start tonotice that I had a really good
day where I did not get tired,I'm like, okay, you can have a
reward today, you can have adrink or two, and then I sleep
so much better.
I wake up feeling fresh, I'mlike it just feels like it's
that vice that lets me feel likeI'm still living a normal life

(01:00:24):
versus just being.
I gotta be super straight edgeno sex, no smoking, no alcohol,
go to bed at a certain time Like, bro, if I had, if I had a
fight like that life would be soboring for me and I can, I
cannot like I need something tokeep me feeling alive.
Otherwise, like, yeah, themoney is great Now it's great In
the beginning it wasn't.
Wouldn't it be worth the squeezefor me?

(01:00:45):
So I got my rum company, funkHarbor and hopefully ready for
sale in August and should beonline, hopefully a little
before that, right beforeJamaican Independence Day,
august 6th.
So it's a Jamaican rum, butthat's the venture that I want
to go down, podcasting as well.
It's making rum, but that's theadventure that I want to go
down podcasting as well isbecause these are things I enjoy
.
I enjoy talking, fighting, Ienjoy talking to good people and

(01:01:06):
, uh, maybe I'll start coachingas well.
I I just coached the other dayat uh, extreme couture and it
just kind of reminded me Ihaven't coached in a long time
and it reminded me of how much Iactually enjoy teaching and, um
, I feel like if I were toretire and not like share the
knowledge that I've learned,especially in the grappling
department, I feel like it wouldbe a disservice to the sport.

Speaker 5 (01:01:28):
Yeah, totally In my humble opinion.

Speaker 2 (01:01:30):
I just feel like there's a lot of things that I
see that people can improve on,and I just want to see good MMA.
Like Coach Dean Thomas wouldsay, I just want to see good MMA
.
That's why he helps me andthat's why I'm helping other
people, because I want to seegood MMA.
That's why he helps me andthat's why I'm helping other
people because I want to seegood MMA.

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
What about the journalist side of things?
Do you see yourself maybecommentating as well?

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
I can see myself doing that.
You've got great breakdowns.

Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
Analytics.
I've watched a lot of yourstuff.

Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
That's not out of the realm of possibility.
I think the only thing withthat is if I'm confined to a
schedule that I have to do it atthis time, then that's where I
kind of pull back a little bit,where I'm like you got to tell
me what to do.
That I don't like, you know.
I like to have like we're kindof our own boss, we have our own
schedule, we pick and choosewhen we could go.
But if I have to go and do thisat this time because you said

(01:02:13):
so, I'm not saying it's wrong,I'm just saying that would be a
change in my lifestyle that Iwould have to be comfortable
with and figure out how I canmake that Rob.

Speaker 5 (01:02:26):
I'm a little bit different.
I'm just good with coaching,good with journalists, like
breaking down fights, and Idon't have those talent, talents
I can share with somebody how II do things, how I take down,
how I get up, like I can showone and one.

(01:02:48):
But like he's great coach, likewith the group and 100 people
in his 100 people room,everybody getting good advice
and good, you know, likeeverybody getting good training.
So me, I'm not.
I do want to open a gym inGeorgia and maybe gyms in Vegas,

(01:03:10):
but this is for future.
But at first I want to justkeep fighting, keep training,
and I don't think I want toretire anytime soon.
I want to keep fighting, keeptraining and I don't think I
want to retire anytime soon.
You know I want to keepfighting.
You know Aljo, aljo is smart,you know he wants like, he has

(01:03:30):
his, like we said, organized, hewants, he's like he wants
finish on top, you know so he'smaybe in belt now and we depend
couple times and you know he's asmart man.
Yeah, well, it's another part ofour friendship.

Speaker 4 (01:03:44):
We have business conversations, we talk about
fight, we talk about girls, wetalk about all the things right.
But I think it's great for youguys both to be in that mindset
of striking while the iron's hotand utilizing the leverage of
your fans and all these kind ofthings and building businesses
while you guys are on your riseup, right, because I think it's

(01:04:05):
important and it's like one ofthose things where, like we saw
in the NBA, we saw in like othersports leagues, like you know,
guys would come in and didn'tknow how to build the business
of themselves outside of thebrand, right, and you had NFL
guys and NBA guys, you know,kind of going broke because they
just didn't understand how tolike manage their money and
stuff like that.
I mean, how have you guys kindof approached that?

(01:04:25):
You know?
Like, have you got moneymanagers?
Like how have you guys you knowagents that sort of thing Like
how have you guys approachedthat?

Speaker 5 (01:04:36):
So answer your question, or back to I mean okay
, okay, so, okay, after, after Iwill retire.
So I said I don't want tofinish fighting yet.
Um, I want to keep fightinglike like long time, but after I
want a family and I want tolike a business.

(01:04:56):
I don't want to work.
I don't want to go work likeevery day, like if you start
like commentating, you gotta go,or every day If you start
commentating, you've got to go.
Even if you're coaching,everybody has a fight every
weekend.
You've got to go.
You've got to play Texas.
I was there.
I was with Pumi Nikuta, ourteammate I love.
But if I have other guys that Ihave to Now I coach who is my

(01:05:20):
friend and who I feel like heneeds support like this.
But if I will be coached, thatwill be my job and I don't want
to fly every weekend in somestates and some country and just
for 15 minutes coaching, watchall the weight cuts and the guy
die before next day.
He's winning or lost.

(01:05:41):
You know what I'm saying.
It's a difficult job, so Idon't want to like this job.
You know, I want to have abusiness.
Business makes money Some maybemy friends running the business
and I make money.

Speaker 3 (01:05:52):
He's got it all piled up.
I want an easy job.
I want to travel.

Speaker 5 (01:05:57):
I want to be able to go where I want to go.
I want to be able to go where Iwant to go.
I want to be able to stay whereI want to stay.
I want to be free.
I want to be free.
I don't want to be like job,like full-time.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:06:08):
I started buying the house here in Vegas Great
investment and Aljo kind ofhelping you, push you to get to
that it's great.
I wish somebody pushed meearlier on in my life, for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
You mentioned the coaching, though, and to your
point right, I see you know.
Shout out to Eric Nixick, youobviously were training over
there at.
Xtreme.
Eric texted me.
Actually Eric called me.
I had to fucking hang up on himwhen we were on the podcast.
I said sorry, bro, I didn'tknow it was you.
I'm sorry so he sees it oncamera now but I see what Eric
does as a coach.
That guy is just so involvedwith every one of his athletes.

(01:06:39):
Obviously Salt Lake thisweekend with PFL and he's going
somewhere else, going somewhereelse and then outside of what he
puts into the gym he's 100%into his family.
So that balance is very hardand even when you're a
pre-existing fighter, as youguys are, just to have that
balance is hard with therelationships and stuff.
Even when I was doing what Iwas doing, I thought I was super

(01:07:01):
balanced until I retired andthen I realized like okay, maybe
I was balanced maybe a littleunbalanced yeah, you know, super
balanced, especially with.
You know, I had a, a young oneat the time.
So when I was winning theolympias, she was coming
everywhere with me.
Um, and then when I found outmy second one was on the way, I
was like, yeah, I'll retire onundefeated on my terms.

(01:07:25):
So it was me that retired.
It wasn't an injury, it wasn'tanything else.
So, for, what I'm getting atwith the point is, the next
evolution where I'm at right nowis the podcast with businesses
and there's so many other thingsthat I'm involved with is just
making sure that that balance isthere, more so than it was when
I was competing.
So it's it's hard as a fighterand just you know, talking about

(01:07:48):
what you were saying right now,you said like, right now, my,
my sole focus is my fighting,because that's the only thing
that that I need to focus onoutside of that.
Um, you know it's a distraction.
Um, obviously, for, for, forboth of you guys, you've got
business minds and seeminglyyou've been investing into
different businesses when, when,you're fighting because you are

(01:08:09):
a brand right.
Everybody has to recognize thatat a brand.
And um, one thing I will sayabout you, marab I think there's
a future there with comedy mate.
I don't know, mara, let me tellyou 2019, that was five years
ago.

Speaker 5 (01:08:22):
Like first, like Aljo was fighting, I believe, petro
Munoz maybe or whatever, orJimmy Rivera, and he said I have
this idea, I have to make afunny video, like skits, yeah.
And he was thinking all weightcuts and once he make weight,

(01:08:43):
and he just set up up like youhold the camera, you say this,
you did this, and then he makelike very funny video like with
cookies, I gotta find.

Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
I gotta find those in repostal.

Speaker 5 (01:08:51):
Yeah, those are so good, they're funny and then he,
like, he came like, like andthe first time like I I had no
idea and then you know, likemany years ago, but now I was,
yeah, like, so and now I try tomake fun videos, even those

(01:09:11):
experience like how Aljo wasdoing, and then like, and then
now I'm getting better likemaking funny videos and I had
fun.
I like positive, I don't likedrama and I'm just playing
myself.
But to be comedian, no, youknow, like now it's easy,
because I'm fighting, I make funof my opponent.

(01:09:33):
I was, I was, I was jokingabout Henry after he joke about
me and it was easy.

Speaker 4 (01:09:39):
But the poor pitcher you're not gonna do the open mic
, the open mic, the open micnight at the comedy shop.

Speaker 3 (01:09:45):
No, no, no the one you had with all the fighters
and you were.
You were talking shit about.
Oh my god, that was hilarious,did you come up with that?

Speaker 5 (01:09:52):
that was me.
That was me, but that was me,of course, the English, english.
I have an assistant who helpedme.
I tell her on my phone I wantthis, this, this, and she said
good English, but my idea,because I was scratching my head
First.
I was supposed to fightO'Malley.

(01:10:13):
I was number two contender.
So, yeah, o'malley was supposedto fight Aljo Rematch.
Aljo was Rematch.
I need Rematch.
He just got caught whatever tofight Aljo.
Rematch and Aljo asked RematchI need.
Rematch.
You know, he just got caught,whatever.
And then they said no, noRematch.
I was like what the fuck?
And I said if it's not Rematch,then I'm here, I'm here.
No, no, no, number six, whatthe fuck like you didn't have a

(01:10:35):
Rematch clause in that contract.

Speaker 2 (01:10:37):
I asked for one.
They said no they said, said no, you're gonna kill him.
They didn't show that in theclip, though.
Yeah no.

Speaker 5 (01:10:46):
And then so, and then like, and why number six?
Because he lost four years ago.
And then I mean I have lost two, I should.
I call the guy he's retired now, you know.
And then like I'm like maybe Ishould make a video.
That's's how I came up withthis idea, because I was like
what the fuck is going on?
It's like it's crazy.

(01:11:07):
And then so they came up likereally, really good video, you
know.

Speaker 3 (01:11:11):
Yes, I mean I love.
I think everybody loves it.

Speaker 5 (01:11:14):
And the second one was.
So, like you, like don't say mylast name, good.
Yeah, Like everybody fucks upmy last name.

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
Hey, I thought I did a good job.
No, no, no.
He's like no, no, no.

Speaker 5 (01:11:28):
When Henry Cejudo was talking about me and we were
supposed to fight and he fuckedup my name too.
I'm like.
Now I have to make a video toshow everybody.
Yeah, yeah, say it how you readit my name is Merab
Duvalishvili.
They came up.
Very funny too.

Speaker 4 (01:11:44):
Duvalishvili, say it how you read it.
Yeah, close.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
We were close, I was, I actually said it good.
You just babbled over it Imight have.
When we go back we'll realize,no, but guys, in wrapping up
this podcast, you have a coupleof questions, because I got one
or two from the fans.

Speaker 4 (01:12:04):
You jump in from the fans.

Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
So just to answer your question earlier, I do have
a financial advisor right now.
He's from Long Island.
He used to fight Aaron Freemanas a pro fighter, Just had a
series of bad injuries with hislegs so he had to retire, but he
does a great job for me.
The money that I have investedlike as soon as I get paid from
a fight, I literally put away my40% for taxes, even though I

(01:12:30):
know I'm going to take myexpenses because I have an
escort, and then I put away thepercentages for my coaches, for
my training partners and for themanager.
So I do all that stuff.
So this way I know exactly howmuch is my money and I put that
immediately all into the marketand I put some of my money away
for my SEP IRA for my retirementand that makes me my money on a

(01:12:51):
monthly, yearly basis.
So I have money that kind ofpays for itself.
That's just sitting in theaccount.
I love that.

Speaker 4 (01:12:59):
And this is the thing I think a lot of young fighters
just need to, you know, just tounderstand, to learn, and
because it's like we've seen itagain to go back.
We've seen it in the NBA, wesee in the NFL where guys were
making money but mismanaging it,you know, like not having the
long term strategies to makethat money work for them Right.
So I feel like it's animportant thing to talk about.

(01:13:19):
You know, as young fighterscome up and they don't really
have Again, feel like it's animportant thing to talk about.
You know, as young fighterscome up and they don't really
have a again, they're justthinking about fighting, but at
the same time, you got somebodyelse in your pocket, you got
somebody else doing this right.
So like you need to have thatprotection to have, just like I
think, a a little bit of abetter understanding of the
general piece of it and likewhere they should be going.
You know, and does the ufc likehelp on that side or is like

(01:13:41):
they're gonna it on your own.

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
They did it before the athlete retreat a couple
years ago, I think that was like2016.
But that was the one time thatI remember them sitting us down
and actually taking notebooksout, whiteboard and explaining
finances, and Forrest Griffithswas making a joke like do not go
and buy, you fight for a beltor whatever.
Do not go and take that moneyand go buy a Rolex watch.

(01:14:03):
Just don't do that.
He gave us examples of you knowsituations and people that took
their money and blew theirchecks and whatnot.
He was like don't be that guy.
So I was like, yeah, I'm notgoing to be that guy, I'm going
to buy a house.
Yeah.
So it's just one thing as afighter, that's just getting
into the UFC and you're justlike you're not making any money
on the regional level.
You get that first paymentbecause my first check was

(01:14:25):
$8,000.
So I needed to get to the fightin order to recoup the money
that I spent, even though itwasn't very much, because I was
poor.
I was broke at the time,working like as a teacher and
some side hustles as a coach.
Teacher, teacher yeah, whatwould you teach Physical
education?
I had my degree, yeah, so I wasdoing that.
And coaching wrestling for thekids.
So that was the main thing Iwas doing, to kind of pass my,

(01:14:47):
pass me, to get me by.
In the meanwhile I was a sub,though, so I wasn't a full time
pay, so it was like I think itwas one hundred dollars a day,
but I made it work.
So you figure out ways to makeit work, but you have your
expenses, you have your meals,you have your travel.
There's a lot of things that gointo it.
So when you get that firstcheck, sometimes it's so easy to
and especially if you don't winyou only get the one, and back

(01:15:09):
then I was getting 8 and 8.
Now I think they're getting 10and 10.
Hopefully it goes up to 12 and12 soon.
Personally, I think everyone onentry level should at least get
$100,000, because I think thatwould alleviate all stress for a
new coming fighter.
You felt like you really madeit and at least with that that's
reasonable to do something withit and invest in yourself and
your training.
That's just my two cents, dana,don't kill me.

Speaker 4 (01:15:32):
But it's an interesting point, right,
everybody wants to get paid moreBecause, like guys don't even
know, like I mean, how much do Ipay my coach?
How much am I paying you, mymanager?

Speaker 2 (01:15:40):
right, like those, a lot of guys aren't getting that
education like you had, you know, like you had it, but like a
lot of guys don't have thateducation stepping in, yeah,
just watching from other people,seeing the stuff that they did
wrong, other fighters before usthat were in the ufc and whatnot
, hearing their stories, hearingthe stories from matt sarah,
coaches, just understanding howpeople handle certain situations

(01:16:00):
when they get into a positionthat seems to be powerful and
everyone tends to try to kind ofget around that.
And now they're starting topull away because now you're the
money man, when really I'm like, yeah, I just made $8,000.
That's not that much.
Well, it was one night, but itlooks like what it is until you
cut it in half and all the otherstuff that you got to take out

(01:16:20):
of it.
But I forget what the questioneven was.
I mean, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:16:25):
No Financial advisor.

Speaker 4 (01:16:27):
Yeah, we were just talking about how you
financially prepared and howfighters should be prepared.

Speaker 2 (01:16:31):
I was just saying when guys get that first check,
it's so easy to spend it becauseyou never had money.
So now that you have it, younow overspend what's not really
yours, even though it is ours.
But Uncle Sam, gets his cut,even though he gets cut.

Speaker 4 (01:16:45):
It goes fast.

Speaker 2 (01:16:46):
Yeah, he gets a cut for everything, though.

Speaker 4 (01:16:48):
Uncle Sam's taking a lot of cuts right now guys A lot
of cuts right now.

Speaker 3 (01:16:51):
Hey, but we have to say, let's ask this question for
both you guys.
What was the first thing thatyou splurged out on that?
You were like, okay, I deservethis you got something oh you
say the.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
The first thing I I bought myself was a, a used car.
It was a, I think, a 20, 2010or 2012 um used audi a4 and I
overpaid by like $4,500.
And it was one of my friendsthat sold me the car, which is

(01:17:27):
no longer my friend.
I mean if I see him I say hello,but I kind of ripped into him a
little bit.
It's just like yo, you guysripped me off.
You knew they were ripping meoff and you just watched it
happen and it's like ah,whatever.
But that was like the nicestthing I bought at the time that
I could afford it.
But in all in all, I think thenicest thing I bought was my car
that I have today.
I mean, I bought my mom a house.

(01:17:47):
That's really nice.
But for me, what I bought forme was my GLE 63.
That brand new, that one 2024.
So that one that's my toy tomyself that I was able to afford
.
And I'm like super happy aboutthat, because before I used to
be like I don't understand whypeople live paycheck to paycheck

(01:18:07):
and then I got that car.
I'm like I kind of get it.

Speaker 1 (01:18:12):
I kind of get it.
I like this Totally worth it.

Speaker 4 (01:18:15):
I like this.
I like this.
It's a pretty nice car.
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:18:18):
I mean I guess I will answer these questions too.
So, like I just said before,ufc there was no money and I was
working construction andeverything, and so I signed to
UFC.
I mean, I depend my belt inring of combat.
And then I was there and now Iknow I'm in UFC, but I depend my

(01:18:44):
title fight June 2nd.
And then they all UFCcongratulations, but there is no
contract, there is no date.
And so June, no news.
July, August, september andlike end of October they told me
I'm fighting December.
Okay, good, I'm start.
So all this time I was workingbecause I don't have a fight

(01:19:05):
right, and then so Inconstruction In construction.
Yes, at first, when they told me, congratulations, you are UFC.
I was so tired from workingconstruction.
I was so happy that I'm like,oh, finally, I'm not going to
work anymore, I'm going to goUFC.
I'm going to go UFC.
I take a week off and I'mthinking when is my fight, when

(01:19:25):
am I going to fight?
And I go back to work again,you know, anyways, and then so
and so when the 10 days before Iget sick, I get some virus.
And before my UFC fight debutand I get sick and I still fight
, I still make weight.
You know, I still make weight,I fight, I lost.
I get so tired if you watchthis fight.

(01:19:47):
I was so tired I don't knowwhat I was doing.
I and and I lost.

Speaker 2 (01:19:53):
You went crazy in that fight.
That fight was insane.
It was like 30 somethingtakedowns.
It was like just nuts.

Speaker 5 (01:20:00):
The intent, then pace for having the flu is crazy
yeah, and then, and then I lostsplit decision despite and um,
so, but I get only like half umhave money like 10 000 right and
from there, yeah, we gotta paymanager, you gotta pay taxes or
little bit some whatever.

(01:20:20):
And then I buy the.
Before I had very old car andbroken everywhere and I was like
hardly.
And then once he finally thiscar died, and of course I buy
first I buy like good car, likenot good car, but good, good
condition car first.
And then I, and then now I haveno more money, right, I have

(01:20:41):
only one car, this old, old car.
I throw garbage, you know, anddonation something because it
wasn't, nobody would buy thiscar.
It was like and thank God,anyway, so I have a new car but
no more money.
I work construction again, andthen I have another fight and
now like I was winning thisfight, it was a great fight, and

(01:21:05):
then some the referee makes astupid decision, but anyway,
they give my opponent a winagain.
But I got $50,000 bonus fightof the night.
So now I have my show money$10,000, plus $50,000.
I have $60,000, I'm like sohappy Even the night I'm like
when they told me that I win the$50,000,.

(01:21:26):
I take my card, let's go.

Speaker 3 (01:21:27):
Bye-bye.

Speaker 5 (01:21:30):
From there I go crazy .
I go to my country, spend crazymoney.
I come here and then I was likefuck the work, I'm not going to
work anymore, I'm going to makemore money.
And I was spending this moneycrazy.
And then the next fight it wassix months later and when fight

(01:21:50):
fight day comes and I had I wasusing credit cards money and I
spent all my money because Iwasn't working.
I was like give somebody moneybut I, you know, buy some, I
don't know whatever I spentstupid.
And then I don't realize I haveto pay taxes on this money,

(01:22:11):
this $60,000 money.

Speaker 4 (01:22:13):
This is exactly what I'm talking about.
Yeah, because you didn't havethe understanding of what to do
with it properly, but I gotmoney.
Where are we going out tonight?

Speaker 5 (01:22:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:22:27):
Somebody's got to pay for lap dances for the big guy
over here.

Speaker 5 (01:22:30):
You know, my next fight was in russia.
I make 20 000, but from these20 000 and now I know like I
have to pay taxes my old,whatever money I make, this new
money where I have to pay taxes,everything, and then who knows
when I will have a fight next.
And then now I came smart.
I go back to work again and Iwas keep working.

(01:22:53):
I'm like now I had money, I wasfighting, but I was still keep
working because, oh, I don'twant to spend, I don't want to
experience this.
And then I finally retired in2020 when I was busy and I was
making money.
Now I know all experience andeverything, so I learned from my
mistakes.

Speaker 3 (01:23:14):
Must be great to see for the guys who worked within
construction to see where you'vecome started and where you are
now.

Speaker 4 (01:23:21):
You should see some pictures back in the old
construction days.
I've seen some photos of himworking construction.

Speaker 3 (01:23:26):
yeah, We'll finish off, guys.
You okay for one or twoquestions from the front?

Speaker 4 (01:23:31):
Can I throw one more in here?
You go ahead, my friend One moreonly Conor Conor McGregor,
right, like we were talkingabout the business side and we
were talking about, like youknow know, building businesses
and like I'd say he's probablyright, the best example of a guy
who was able to take thebusiness and go and start other
businesses and so and so on andso forth, was like watching

(01:23:53):
connor do that.
Was that like an inspirationfor you guys, like as you're
doing your businesses, as you'removing, you know was, was he
like a guy that you guys lookedup to you know, or was it more
like fuck this guy?
You know, I don't like a guythat you guys looked up to, you
know, or was it more like fuckthis guy, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:24:06):
I don't know, but I like his business in a sense.

Speaker 2 (01:24:07):
Right.
I never understood like I mean,obviously, the guys in his
weight class they're going tocompete with him.
Back then, when he was at 45, Ican understand a little bit of
the jealousy or the hate,whatever you want to describe it
as, whichever adjective youwant to use, but for me I was
like man, this guy is good forthe sport.
He's getting people to talkabout it.
He's getting people that wouldnever watch MMA and now
interested.
More eyeballs, that brings moremainstream media and I think

(01:24:32):
that was the very importantfactor that he brought to the
game and I think we allbenefited from that, you know,
just globally.
With that said, I even got tosee I was thinking about doing
this run for a while, for acouple of years now and to see
him bring up the tequila.
I don't know how long.

Speaker 4 (01:24:50):
Not the tequila, the proper 12, whiskey, whiskey,
bourbon, the stout right yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:24:55):
So to see him do that and how fast he did, I was like
I know it probably took sometime behind the scenes, but to
see him do that I'm like, yeah,this is possible, this is
something I can do.
So now that I'm almost there,the doorstep at the finish line
with all my compliances, I'm nowsuper excited and motivated to
try to have even somewhat of thesuccess that he's had.
I think there's more thanenough in the world to go around

(01:25:16):
for everybody.
I think it's just sometimespeople tend to be a little bit
too greedy and I don't thinkConor's like that, I'm just
saying in general.
So I don't look at people likethat who have success as being
jealous, Because you're not ahater, yeah dude, I'm happy for
you, I'm happy for everyone.
Like I always say, I want to seeall fighters get paid.
If everyone could become achamp, that'd be great, but we

(01:25:40):
know it's not know.
But we all have those dreamsand aspirations and I support
anyone who supports themselves.
So that's the way I try toapproach life in general and
yeah, so for me, Conor isdefinitely a big inspiration.
I think it's unfortunate he'snot in the fight anymore, but
hopefully he comes back healthyso he doesn't risk getting
injured again like he did cominginto this fight with Dustin the

(01:26:00):
first time, the second time oractually the third time that
they fought.
So I don't want to see no oneget hurt and I want to see
everyone compete at their best.
So for me, that's my two centson Conor McGregor.

Speaker 5 (01:26:13):
Yeah, for sure.
I mean he's a great fighter andI learned a lot from him, and
then even like how he like hisproper 12, like his brand, like
how he did.
So it's, of course, like it'sinspired for me to like do

(01:26:36):
something like that too, likeeven small.
But it's also like now we'regetting a lot of sponsors
because they see potential Likefrom sponsors oh, are we can
promote this, we can be like.
Yeah, of course, like I'mthinking like some things like
this, to even Georgian mineralwater, like they sponsor me
because they want to dosomething like this.

Speaker 4 (01:26:56):
But has it put more pressure on you guys to talk
shit to people?

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
I always talk shit.
So I mean, you know what I mean.
No, like this is day one, Ialways talk shit.
So for me, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:27:04):
No, like, but I feel like he kind of stepped up the
game on the shit talking gameand then I even feel like a lot
of people are like you know,it's like they're jumping on
that a little bit right and it'slike you're seeing more of that
happening now, like, do youthink that's a?

Speaker 5 (01:27:16):
so I think so, yeah, but that's that's he is.
He's like, he's just energized,he's just natural.
You know what I'm saying Me, Icannot never be like this.
Even I talk something, evenwhen Henry's able to disrespect
me, then I give myself proofthat, yes, now I can talk
something, make fun of him, butbefore, if I see the, my

(01:27:37):
opponent is a respectful guy andhe's like a family guy.
I can't watch what I saynegative to him.

Speaker 4 (01:27:44):
You don't want to take it too far.

Speaker 5 (01:27:45):
Yeah, so it's me.
Yeah, of course I cannot belike Conor McGregor.
He's just natural.
He talks shit, but that's howhe feels.
That's why if I play, then itwill be fake.
Same thing Aljo, he's himself.
If you ask Aljo, he's going toanswer because he's honest,

(01:28:06):
always honest right Me, I'm likethis.
Maybe I'm just, yeah, who I am.
You know, saying that everybody, yeah, like it's going to be
stupid if we take from ConorMcGregor this talk shaking If
you're not organic like this,it's going to be stupid.
So, organic like this, it'sgoing to be stupid.

Speaker 3 (01:28:21):
So it takes your opponent to say something for
you to kind of yeah, okay, ithas to be natural.
Yeah, the gloves are off now.
Yeah, yeah, no pun intended, ithas to be natural.

Speaker 5 (01:28:29):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:28:29):
If I don't hate the guy, you know I don't want to be
like Maybe a little bit like,but I feel like the WWE and
having to be a guy who gets onthe mic and does some stuff

(01:28:49):
right.
It's almost like it's startingto creep into that a little bit.
I'm seeing it more and more.
Is that how you guys see it?

Speaker 5 (01:28:56):
I don't know.
I'm always confused and shockedand like how is Kovac Havikton
doing this?
Because I like, when they askme question, I have to uh think
about, I have to say answernatural.
How I'm gonna remember all thislike somebody's nicknames and
like this, this, this, if you'reall, if you're not real natural

(01:29:18):
like this, how you're gonnatalk shit about people like this
, you know you may remember onething, but how you're gonna like
, how you're gonna say perfect,like this, you know, has to be
natural for people like this.
You may remember one thing, buthow are you going to say
perfect like this for me, likethis, I don't know, maybe some
people can do it like this.

Speaker 4 (01:29:31):
Flex when he makes fun of me.
I never know how he does it, hejust goes right off the top of
the dome it's just hit and hehits it, just a natural, my
friend talking of nicknames,though and you mentioned WWE
Funkmaster.

Speaker 3 (01:29:45):
That is a WWE name.
Any aspirations to move intothe WWE now that there's a?

Speaker 2 (01:29:50):
synergistic connection.
I mean I would do some.
I'll do a couple acts.

Speaker 4 (01:29:59):
Money talks, bullshit walks.
I think you just got a naturalcharm to do it.

Speaker 3 (01:30:03):
I look at you and I think, like if natural charm to
do it you just.
I look at you and I think, likeif anybody we were talking
about this, if anybody couldjust be that wrestler, I think
you would be one of them guysyeah, I mean I could get out
there.

Speaker 2 (01:30:13):
If there's anybody out there who thinks they can do
something to me tonight, I dareyou to walk in here and see
what happens oh.

Speaker 4 (01:30:21):
I'm sold Come get some I like it.

Speaker 3 (01:30:27):
Yeah, and then you'll have Marab wearing the guy's
jacket in the back.

Speaker 4 (01:30:30):
There it is.

Speaker 5 (01:30:33):
We just overslept somebody.

Speaker 4 (01:30:36):
We just went to that WWE thing at the Apex and the
girls, honestly, were awesome.
Wow, I was shocked, but the theladder, their ladder match or
whatever.
They have to climb a 30-footladder and grab and and honestly
it's like you know, obviouslywe, we all know we found out as
kids that wrestling wasn't real.
I'm sorry, but it really isreal.

(01:30:57):
At the same time, right likeit's like watching the
athleticism and some of thesestunts and like they're still
hitting that table and they'restill landing on that chair.

Speaker 3 (01:31:09):
And that's all real.

Speaker 4 (01:31:10):
And it's like that's all real and I know they get
hurt a lot, but it's like, uh,it was the first time I ever
actually went to one.

Speaker 3 (01:31:16):
I was supposed to go.

Speaker 4 (01:31:16):
Remember what happened, that was your fault.

Speaker 3 (01:31:19):
Yeah, I would have.

Speaker 4 (01:31:22):
I told him wrestling was fake and he was like I'm not
going.

Speaker 3 (01:31:27):
Tyus, you don't have a mic.
Normally we have Tyus, thatcomes in, but what are we at
time wise?
We are a little over 90 minutes.
Oh damn, we'll wrap this upthen, guys thank you very much
for our goal was one hour, so itjust goes to show.
I think we'll wrap this up then,guys.
Thank you very much for oh 90.
Damn damn.
Our goal was one hour, so itjust goes to show how easy this
has been.
I think we'll just end with onequestion from the fans and I

(01:31:50):
think we'll end up on a funnyone, if you can give me
something funny, which obviouslyhas been throughout the show
but what is the funniest prankyou've pulled on each other, on
each other?

Speaker 2 (01:32:02):
on each other.
On each other, I don't know.
Upper Decker.

Speaker 3 (01:32:08):
No, you guys are full of pranks, right?
I know, obviously Plastic wrapover the toilets?

Speaker 4 (01:32:13):
No, no.
Bounce back no, nothing.

Speaker 2 (01:32:17):
There's probably a lot of things that they've done
together.

Speaker 3 (01:32:20):
What about together then Together Shit.
Just go on Instagram.
It's full of it's full of funnyfucking stuff.
I've seen you guys together.

Speaker 2 (01:32:28):
Just one big comedy skit, yeah, not pranking each
other.
I don't, yeah, I don't thinkwe've ever did anything like
that.
No, no, no, no, yeah, no.
Oh, my gosh, I'm looking atthese.
They're terrible.

Speaker 3 (01:32:49):
Kind of a lot of stuff we've already of the
unsaid.
All right, this is kind of likethe second top one.
What's the wildest story fromyour training camp that you can
share?
A wild story Could be anything.

Speaker 2 (01:33:03):
Wild story?
I I mean, I don't know whatpeople consider wild.

Speaker 4 (01:33:07):
I like when.
I like when there's like arandom ass dude who tries to
walk in the gym and challengepeople, I like those.

Speaker 2 (01:33:13):
I mean, I guess we kind of have like Henry.
Cejudo's camp.
That kind of came at us while Iwas cutting weight and and
there were fighters too, whichwas made it even worse when I
just wanted to slap All theirfaces, because it's like, dude,
have some fucking respect.
Like I'm not fighting you guys,I'm fighting Henry.
Now, if you guys want to Turnthis into a fight and cancel our
fight With me and Henry, we cando that.

Speaker 4 (01:33:32):
You know what I mean.
And everybody loses money.

Speaker 2 (01:33:34):
Yeah, so it was just stupid.
I mean, but you guys probablyseen the video of that was just
yeah, it was just stupid.

Speaker 3 (01:33:42):
Let me see.

Speaker 2 (01:33:43):
While training.

Speaker 3 (01:33:44):
Let me see, let's have a look.
There's so many questions.

Speaker 5 (01:33:49):
When we come with trainings, we are professionals.
You know like we take itserious.

Speaker 3 (01:33:53):
And you're not going to kiss and tell either.
I know All right Backstage,just before you're walking out,
what is one of the things thatyou guys do to stay in your zone
that many other athletes thatI've spoken to have hired
coaches to be in their state ofmind they, they play the fight
in their head.
Is there anything that you guysdo specifically backstage to

(01:34:14):
stay calm or fight weak?

Speaker 2 (01:34:17):
I normally in the back room, I try to take a
couple seconds to myself, maybeminutes in the bathroom where I
can look myself in the eyes andjust more so, just reassurance,
like you did everything you weresupposed to do.
You deserve to be here, you'regoing to go out there, you're
going to battle.
We won't quit in no positions.

(01:34:38):
Always keep moving, keep doingall the things that we worked on
.
You're too fast, too strong,too quick and you won't be
broken.
And that's like my littlemantra to myself and it's always
helped me through tough,difficult fights.
Because you know, the fightgame is very mental man, like we
all know the same things andyou just never know what's going
to happen out there and all youcan do is ask for it is to be

(01:35:01):
as sharp as you can be, andthat's pretty much why I do that
, to kind of just let myselfknow.
Like it's almost go time, gametime.
This is not for jokes, this isfor keeps Ready to go.
Whatever happens, may the bestman win.
Is that like a ritual?
You?

Speaker 3 (01:35:14):
do every fight.
Yeah, rob.

Speaker 5 (01:35:21):
So me, like training camp, or if nothing goes perfect
, like training, becausesometimes you have injury.
Or maybe you're not sure whenyou're training for your
opponent, maybe you're not sureif he was training 100% good or
whatever.
Or maybe I'm not the best, butwhen it's a fight day and all

(01:35:44):
the hard work's done weight cutsand everything, interviews, or
just you have to, just in acouple minutes, go and fight,
I'm just focused on just doingmy best.
I'm just going to go and showup.
You know, I'm just going togive.
I don't want to be the guy say,oh, like you know, if I, oh, I
don't give all.

Speaker 4 (01:36:05):
Leave everything in the room.

Speaker 5 (01:36:06):
Yeah, leave everything, even my experience,
my, you know, and this way Iwon't be regret, you know, I
won't be like mad myself or sad.
You know I don't do this.
You know, if I lost this way,then I'll be like, okay, I tried
my best and I did my best, andit's of course.
Everything is possible,everything can happen over there

(01:36:30):
.
Because if we know we're goingto win or we lose, like some
people, yeah, you know, like Icannot bet myself I will tell
Jay Rock you know what, use allyour money, bet I'm going to win
or I'm going to lose.
I don't know, this way we canmake money, but yeah, I don't
know you know, saying I don'tknow I'm gonna win or loss, you
know I'm ready for everything,but I want to give everything,

(01:36:53):
uh, what I can, you know I Iwant all my knowledge or
experience, or my, my powerbring it all together at that
moment.

Speaker 3 (01:37:02):
Yeah, general, can't anyone end with?
No I you want to end with?

Speaker 4 (01:37:05):
No, I just want to say thank you both for coming on
.
You know we've been friends along time and it's just been a
really good conversation, justkind of catching up with you
guys.
Also, we're all so busysometimes we don't get to hang
out all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:37:19):
Yeah, and 90 minutes has just flown.
Yeah, our goal was one hour and90 minutes has just flown yeah
our goal was one hour so myapologies.

Speaker 4 (01:37:25):
I was gonna say I was gonna say 75 minutes, but 90.

Speaker 3 (01:37:28):
Yeah, that's good, we're moving well, we're moving
and we're grooving guys.
Thank you so much.
Do you know when your nextfight date is?
Have they given you officialdate yet?

Speaker 2 (01:37:36):
no, they said they had to get through the chaos
that was happening.
I'm guessing it was with theshuffle with Connor.
That they'll let me know in afew weeks.
So I'm going to just try tostart getting back into shape
and into the groove of things,working on technique and
hopefully in September.

Speaker 3 (01:37:51):
Well, not only am I looking forward to seeing you
back in there, man, but I'mlooking forward to trying some
of this rum.

Speaker 2 (01:37:57):
Oh yeah, I love rum now, man, quality rum not like
you know.
No offense Bacardi, no offenseCaptain Morgan, but not like the
low end, like this is proper,it's proper Jimmy.
Not proper 12, but it's properProper ting, proper ting.

Speaker 3 (01:38:13):
Amarab, excited to see you, my friend.
Hopefully, you know, the spherecomes about and they give you
that date, obviously news to us.
But regardless, whenever you'restepping in the next, I'm
excited.
Obviously there's there's hype,um, you know you're gonna
avenge your best friends, uh,you know fight and and then
hopefully see yourself back inthere with two champions, you

(01:38:34):
know standing, you know side byside.
So, both of you on yourjourneys and and I'm excited to
to cheer you both from afar, andI'm excited to see you in the
gym, you know now that you areliterally living up the street.

Speaker 4 (01:38:44):
New Dragon Slayer members right here, yeah yeah,
yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:38:47):
So again, guys, thank you so much From me, rock Marab
Aljamain.
We are out.

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Brotherhood in Battle | Aljamain Sterling & Merab Dvalishvili | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Brotherhood in Battle | Aljamain Sterling & Merab Dvalishvili | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast