Why Men Are Under Attack in 2024: UFC Fighter Speaks Out | Jorge Masvidal DSH #930

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Why Men Are Under Attack in 2024 – UFC Fighter Jorge Masvidal Speaks Out | DSH #930

Release Date: November 28, 2024
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Jorge Masvidal

In episode #930 of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly delves deep into the pressing issue of masculinity in modern society with renowned UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal. The conversation traverses a wide array of topics, from societal challenges faced by men today to the intricacies of professional fighting, political stances, and the influence of personal beliefs on one’s career longevity. Below is a comprehensive summary capturing the essence of their engaging dialogue.

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1. The Struggle of Modern Masculinity

Jorge Masvidal opens the discussion by highlighting the tumultuous landscape men navigate in 2024. He articulates the confusion and misplaced attacks men face simply for being male in today's sociocultural climate.

“If you're a man, they try to confuse you so much... We've never been more attacked as men in the history of men, just for being a man. You get crucified and shit. It's crazy.” (00:00)

Masvidal emphasizes that men are often unfairly judged and stigmatized based on their interests and behaviors, making it an exceptionally challenging era for masculinity.

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2. From the Cage to the Poker Table: Mental Strategies

Transitioning from societal issues to personal experiences, Masvidal shares his past as an avid poker player and how it complemented his fighting career.

“I used to play a ton of poker from, like I started at 14... I would make some ends meet numerous times... So there was a time where it was putting some food on the table.” (01:01)

He reflects on the patience and strategic thinking developed through poker, suggesting that while it aided his mindset, his primary focus remained on martial arts.

“I would think to anybody hearing all my athletes out there here, probably stay away from poker, hit the gym hard, and that'll make you a better fighter.” (01:40)

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3. Faith and Longevity in MMA

A pivotal part of the conversation revolves around Masvidal’s enduring career in MMA, which he attributes significantly to his faith.

“Religion's the number one motivator for me. Not. Not religion. I would just say my relationship with God... something happened to me in my childhood... that changed my outlook on life.” (03:27)

He credits his relationship with God as the cornerstone of his resilience and sustained performance in the demanding world of mixed martial arts.

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4. Political Stance and Its Consequences

Masvidal doesn’t shy away from discussing his political views, particularly his support for Donald Trump, and the repercussions thereof.

“I was part of the Trump movement because he's... I feel that he tackles the issue of communism and socialism like nobody does.” (04:35)

He candidly shares how his political allegiance led to significant financial setbacks, including loss of sponsorships and de-monetization on major platforms.

“So you lost millions by backing him. Basically, you know, but really I don't give a fuck because this is the greatest country in the world... I have to use it to speak the truth.” (05:46)

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5. Fearlessness in the Face of Cancel Culture

Highlighting his unwavering stance, Masvidal discusses his resilience against cancel culture and societal backlash.

“I'm a thug. I don't give a fuck... God's got my back. I'll figure it out later.” (06:28)

He underscores the importance of staying true to one's beliefs despite potential social and financial repercussions.

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6. Critique of Fighting Judging Systems

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Masvidal’s candid criticism of the judging systems in both MMA and boxing. He points out the inherent corruption and incompetence that plague these sports.

“Boxing is more corruption than anything... in mma, it's a combination of maybe a little bit of corruption, but a lot of ignorant people that should not be judging fights.” (09:12)

Masvidal advocates for the involvement of seasoned fighters and knowledgeable individuals in officiating roles to enhance the integrity of the sport.

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7. Controversy Surrounding Referee Herb Dean

One of the most intense segments features Masvidal’s detailed grievances against referee Herb Dean, whom he labels as the worst referee in the game.

“He's done atrocities. It's all on video. I think he's one of the worst referees, period.” (12:00)

Masvidal recounts specific instances where Dean's poor decision-making adversely affected fight outcomes, emphasizing the need for more competent officiating.

“He waved it off like this... he robbed me from smashing this guy's face.” (12:22)

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8. Early Aspirations and UFC’s Influence

Reflecting on his youth, Masvidal shares how the emergence of the UFC on his birthday ignited his passion for fighting.

“I discovered [UFC] when I was nine years old... since then, I was completely hooked to it.” (16:20)

He nostalgically recalls convincing his mother of his fighting aspirations, underscoring his long-standing dedication to martial arts.

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9. Emotional Rollercoaster: Highs and Lows of a Fighter

Masvidal delves into the emotional toll of a fighting career, describing how every victory and loss leaves a lasting impact.

“Every single loss hurt like a million needles... every single victory was the greatest thing ever in life.” (19:10)

He speaks to the intense personal investment fighters make, where the stakes are not just monetary but deeply personal.

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10. Future Endeavors and Staying Connected

Concluding the episode, Masvidal discusses his future plans, including upcoming fights and his bare-knuckle league, Gamebread Bare Knuckle.

“We're going to have the next one probably March, April next year, Miami. It’s gonna be lit.” (18:20)

He encourages fans to follow his journey through various social media platforms, emphasizing his continued passion and commitment to the sport.

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Key Takeaways:

• Masculinity in Modern Society: Men face unprecedented scrutiny and challenges, often being unfairly judged for natural interests and behaviors.

• Mental Strategies: Skills from poker, such as patience and strategic thinking, can complement physical disciplines like MMA, though Masvidal prioritizes martial arts.

• Faith and Resilience: A strong relationship with God provides the foundation for longevity and resilience in the physically and mentally demanding world of professional fighting.

• Political Stance Risks: Vocal political opinions, especially support for polarizing figures like Donald Trump, can lead to significant financial and social repercussions.

• Judging Systems Flaws: Both MMA and boxing suffer from corrupt and incompetent judging systems, necessitating reforms and the inclusion of seasoned professionals in officiating roles.

• Referee Accountability: Specific criticisms of ref Herb Dean highlight the urgent need for more competent and fair officiating in combat sports.

• Early Passion: The UFC’s inception played a crucial role in shaping Masvidal’s career aspirations from a young age.

• Emotional Impact of Fighting: The highs of victory and the lows of defeat deeply affect fighters, highlighting the emotional and psychological demands of the sport.

• Future Plans: Continued involvement in MMA and bare-knuckle fighting, with upcoming events slated to engage and entertain fans.

Notable Quotes:

1. “We've never been more attacked as men in the history of men, just for being a man. You get crucified and shit. It's crazy.” – (00:00)

2. “Religion's the number one motivator for me. My relationship with God... changed my outlook on life.” – (03:28)

3. “I'm a thug. I don't give a fuck... God's got my back. I'll figure it out later.” – (06:28)

4. “He's done atrocities. It's all on video. I think he's one of the worst referees, period.” – (14:09)

5. “Every single loss hurt like a million needles... every single victory was the greatest thing ever in life.” – (19:10)

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For listeners who missed the episode, Digital Social Hour offers an unfiltered and insightful conversation with Jorge Masvidal, shedding light on the complex interplay between societal expectations, personal beliefs, and the relentless world of professional fighting.

Transcript

[A]

Like, if you're a man, they try to confuse you so much. If you're in the this, if you're into that, if you're in the right body, if, you know, if you're toxic because you're fucking, like sports and you like women and this and that. So it's a crazy time nowadays to be a man. We've never been more attacked as men in. In the history of men, you know, just for being a man. You get fucking, you know, crucified and shit. It's crazy.

[B]

All right, guys, Jorge Masvidal here today. What happened? Man? Got knocked out early, dog.

[A]

He got me. I had some good hands. The first one. I had a nice boat. I was doing good on my chips. I had threes with sevens, and buddy had eights with sevens, so he got me, man, there's a lot of stuff on the table. I thought I was good with my. With my set to turn into a boat. I put them on a straight. So at first I was a little hesitant. I didn't want to bet too much or anything. So then when I made the. The boat, I was like, I think I got him wrong, you know?

[B]

Boat over boat.

[A]

Boat over boat.

[B]

You play a lot of poker?

[A]

I used to play a ton of poker from, like, I started at 14, then at 18. I was always in the casinos then. I'm going to say from like 24, 23 years old to about, like, 31. Played a lot? Yeah, five hours a day. A lot.

[B]

Okay, so you were nice.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

So you're making a living off it or just on the side?

[A]

When I was still fighting early on in my career, like, I was still fighting for, like, Strike Force and some other organizations. I was playing a lot, lot, and I would make some ends meet numerous times, you know, get a little tournament, cash out in the tournament, go to a cash game, make some money, you know, so there was a time where it was putting some food on the table, you know?

[B]

Do you think being good at poker helped you with the mindset with fighting, too?

[A]

Maybe just with, like, the patience part and stuff, you know? But I. I would think to anybody hearing all my athletes out there here, probably stay away from poker, hit the gym hard, and that'll make you a better fighter.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

But it's definitely fun. It's one of my. I love it because it just takes my mind off everything. When I'm in the table, I'm not thinking about anything ye. What I got to do and what I'm going to do. I'm just Having a blast.

[B]

I feel that. Did you watch the Paul Tyson fight?

[A]

Not really, brother. I had an event that day. I had. I have a bare knuckle league. When we went live that day, we had 12 UFC veterans fighting, total of 11 fights. We had a great show. So I didn't. I didn't get to watch the Tyson Paul fight. I saw some highlights on social media and stuff, but I can't say I watched the whole thing.

[B]

Yeah. What do you think of the highlights, though? You fought Jake Paul, so.

[A]

No.

[B]

Oh, you didn't?

[A]

No.

[B]

I thought you boxed.

[A]

Love to. No, I'd love to. I'd love to fight Jake Paul. Break his face. Nothing personal. I just. Break his face. No, I didn't get to fight him, though. But I just. I don't know. I really. You know, for that type of money, man, you got to be violent, you know, you gotta be putting people to sleep, man, getting all that type of money. It's just both sides was, like, a little lackluster, man. I'm not gonna lie. You know? But there was the Jon Jones fight on Saturday, which was amazing.

[B]

That made up for it. I mean, dude, that finish was one of the best I've ever seen.

[A]

Yeah, the whole fight itself was amazing.

[B]

You got him as your goat.

[A]

Jon Jones, he's definitely up there. There's not, I think, one guy over everybody in mma, my book, in my opinion, but he's definitely up there's. One of the greatest of all time. Undisputed.

[B]

You know, the longevity is insane, too.

[A]

The longevity is insane. The way he's finished some of these top guys on his way up was some of the most impressive stuff that I've seen, you know, like Shogun, Leoto, Machida, how you finish those guys. And those guys are amazing to me. Some of the very, very best. So Jones is. He's a special guy, man.

[B]

Yeah. And you've had a long career, too, man. Not a lot of guys last that long. What do you attribute that to?

[A]

Jesus.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Purpose, right?

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Yeah. Jesus. Has that always played a big role for you?

[A]

Yeah, definitely. Religion's the number one motivator for me. Not. Not religion. I would just say my relationship with God, you know.

[B]

Was that something your family kind of put you in growing up?

[A]

Nah, just something happened to me in my childhood when I was young, like around five years old, that changed my, like, outlook on life and a lot of different things. So since that moment on.

[B]

Nice. Yeah. I think a lot of guys struggle with that purpose. Right. Like an identity Crisis, almost.

[A]

Oh yeah. Especially I think nowadays with like, if you're a man, they try to confuse you so much. If you're in the this, if you're into that, if you're in the right body, if, you know, if you're toxic because you're like sports and you like women and this and that. So it's a crazy time nowadays to be a man. We've never been more attacked is men in, in the history of men, you know, just for being a man, you get, you know, crucified and it's crazy, right?

[B]

A lot of shame and guilt, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, was that a big reason you were a part of that, that Trump movement because you felt like that was under attack by the left?

[A]

I was part of the Trump woman because he's. It's a much bigger than even that, you know, besides gender ideology and identity stuff. I just feel that Trump overall, to sum it up kind of rather quick, I feel that he tackles the issue of communism and socialism like nobody does. And I believe in my heart the Democratic Party has been infiltrated by communists and there's only one guy that's fucking fighting him head on, and that's Donald J. Trump, you know, so that in short, is like a lot of the good that I think that he does besides the economy, keeping the border safe and stuff. But I really like his stance against socialism and communism and he understands it's right around the corner. It's not some far distant theory. No, it's like right there, you know.

[B]

And I appreciate what you did because you were rocking with him for a while.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And back then, 16 and back then you would get like a lot of sponsorship money, would go away, gone, gone.

[A]

Unmonetized on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. So you lost millions overnight, man. Almost Facebook and YouTube overnight with no warning, nothing. Just unmonetized me and like all my earning potential there's still to this day is like shit on dance. To this day, to this day, YouTube and Facebook.

[B]

So you lost millions by backing him.

[A]

Basically, you know, but really I don't give a fuck because this is the greatest country in the world. I rather lose my salary than, you know, not. I'm not saying that I won the election me, you know, standing up for it. But it does feel that if I have a platform, I have to use it to speak the truth, to feel what I think is right for, for myself and for my peers around me. So I, I never regret it. I don't give a. You know, we do it all over again.

[B]

Love it. You were the first fighter, I think, to back up 100.

[A]

100. That's why he loves me, you know?

[B]

And now Jon Jones is doing it. A lot of guys.

[A]

A lot of guys.

[B]

I think a lot of guys supported him. Like, low key. Yeah, at first, but they didn't want.

[A]

To come out here and fear that drama that he. Me, I'm a thug. I don't give a.

[B]

You're not scared of the Internet? Cancel culture?

[A]

No, no, none of that. You know, you guys take the money away. I don't give a. You. Yeah, God's got my back. I'll figure it out later.

[B]

Wow, that's big, man. Could you beat Bradley Martin in a street fight?

[A]

Who the is that?

[B]

You don't know who that is?

[A]

He must be like some Bruce Lee. You asking me about him? This guy must be like Jon Jones or something.

[B]

He's a big dude.

[A]

Big dude.

[B]

Yeah. I got to pull up a big. Yeah, he's 260.

[A]

Oh, I know who you're talking about. The dudes that ask every fighter if he.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I wish he'd asked me that question.

[B]

Yeah, Logan Paul beat him. He pulled up to. Or Logan Paul pulled up on him and that.

[A]

And that was like. Like MMA or boxing.

[B]

I don't know what they did. They didn't film it, but you saw after how his head got.

[A]

I like Logan Paul and all, but if it's a fight, I'll put that guy in the hospital.

[B]

Logan Paul.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Well, it's what I do for a living, bro. I don't fucking cut tick tock videos for a living, you know?

[B]

Yeah. You don't mix the friendship with business.

[A]

No, I. I will. If it came to a fight, I would. I would love to fight him, but when I step in that cage, I don't matter if it's my mom, it's. I knock her out, but she's not gonna win here.

[B]

You've probably had to fight for close friends before in the past, right?

[A]

Yeah, in the sport, I find some people that I'm cool with and then just growing up, you know, when motherfuckers like me, I got into some fight with a couple of my friends. Not something that I did a lot or something that I'm proud of or care to ever do is fight with friends, you know? Yeah, but fighting professionally, I love it. Thing I've ever done.

[B]

Yeah, you're still doing it, man. Now you're boxing. You just box. Nate Diaz.

[A]

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

[B]

You plan on fighting again? Boxing?

[A]

No, not Boxing right now, something comes up, I'll take it. But right now my eyes are focused. I'm coming back to the ufc. April.

[B]

Oh, nice. Let's go.

[A]

Yes, sir. Miami.

[B]

You got an opponent planned?

[A]

Not yet. Hopefully we know by December, but as of yet, we're just scoping them out, seeing who's available.

[B]

Let's go. So you like ufc More than boxing?

[A]

100. That's why I picked UFC from. From the start, you know?

[B]

Yeah, I feel that. Well, dude, that's awesome. Yeah, I watched that match. It was a good match. You and Nate, I thought you were gonna take it.

[A]

I thought I won it, man. But, you know, the judges saw it different. Yeah, that's NATO walked out with a headache, busted lip, busted eyes, so he knows he didn't win, you know?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, there was a fight before Jake Paul's fight with the girls.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And people were pissed because the judging.

[A]

Yeah, like Serrano, apparently. Yeah, yeah. Serrano won, apparently.

[B]

Yeah. Do you think there should be a better system for judging?

[A]

It's. It's complicated. You gotta go attack the infrastructure of judging, you know, especially for mma boxing, it's a whole other thing. Boxing is more corruption than anything. While we have these ridiculously incompetent judges, it's straight up corruption. In mma, it's a combination of maybe a little bit of corruption, but a lot of ignorant people that should not be judging fights. So, you know, it's getting a lot better. A lot of fighters and a lot of individuals that have been in the sport, whether it be a coach or a sparring partner, getting involved in the sport and officiating. So now I think it's gonna start getting better and better. I feel like it's getting better every year.

[B]

Yeah. Why do you think there's so much corruption in boxing?

[A]

Money.

[B]

So they get paid off, basically.

[A]

The judges, Judges commission you. Look, a lot of these big time fighters, they were giving up big, massive gifts to referees, to judges, to anybody associated with the things. You know, they were gifting them cars, large bonuses for Christmas, things like that. And. And the money in boxing is so much that you can corrupt people. That. That's a lot of reason why, at the same time, boxing kind of fell off because this A level superstar over here didn't want to fight anybody that could possibly beat him, so he would just rather keep his O than lose it, you know, so that's something in boxing. Didn't used to be like that in, like the 80s, the 90s, and slowly but surely they started making more Belts, more divisions and that's it. That kind of like messed up the sport, but the sport's in a much better place. And I think boxing's in its best place. It's been for a while.

[B]

Yeah. You attribute that to the influencers getting involved, kind of bringing it back to the spotlight.

[A]

I think a combination of, think of the influencers and long night. I think that and fighters saying, you know, the last like four or five years, like, man, all these other greats fought each other way past your prime. Let's not do that, let's just get to it, you know. And I think Ryan Garcia gets a lot of credit for that because he kind of set that off with Tank Davis. He fought one of the most dangerous guys. And since then people started more like calling out each other and fighting each other again. How supposed to be? Because if you're the best in the world, you're fighting everybody. You're not just fighting Joe Blow and a six year old, you know, you're fighting the world's best, no matter who they are, where they're from. Yeah, that's the greatest thing about sports and combat, you know, but in boxing it's, it's, it's starting to get better. There's a great fight right now. David Morel's fighting David Benavidez. That's gonna be one of the.

[B]

Is that today?

[A]

That's fight. No, no, no, that's coming up. That's in December something. But that's gonna be a amazing fight.

[B]

Yeah, I'd love to see that. Instead of just patting your stats for like 20 fights.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

Being 20 0. But you fought against no one good.

[A]

But you bunch of taxicab drivers. Some third world country.

[B]

Yeah. Did you do that when you were coming up? Fight easy fights?

[A]

No, no. Because in there wasn't such a talent pool that you could pick from, you know, guys who weren't that good because everybody was kind of decent and MMA's like, not like that. So if you lost an MMA did, it wasn't the end of the world. It's like just get back on the horse, win a couple fights, do it impressively and you could get back on track. So in mma it was just everybody's fighting everybody free for all.

[B]

I feel that you posted on X. Herb Dean is the worst referee in the game.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What made you feel that way?

[A]

Because he's the worst referee in the game. You know, on a personal level, I like the dude, I get along with him well. But like if you just go look up my Fights that he's called with me, in the horrendous jobs that he's done a couple times with me, he's done atrocities. And it's been more than like three of them. It's literally, I think three of them that he's completely dropped the ball. So I, I, like he called it.

[B]

Too early or what happened.

[A]

Numerous, numerous things. Like, I fought Donald Cowboy Cerrone, and I. I dropped him, and when I dropped him, I get on top of him and the. The ten second thing rings, you know, so right after that, I drop them, and I'm hitting him, and he pulls me off and he waves it off like this, right? So you never. You never do that unless it's off. If it's the bell rung, you go like this. But he comes in and he waves it off. So right after he does this, the bell goes. So I would have had two seconds that he robbed me from smash potato in this guy's face. But not just that. He did this. And it's all on video. When you do this, that means the fight is over. He didn't do this separate. It's the next round. He did this. And the bell sounding made me think, oh, okay, the fight's won. I raised my hands. Donald's corner comes in, which I don't blame him. They're supposed to do. So they do. They. They did a great job. They grab their guy and they take him to the corner and sit him down. And Herb looks at them. He's like, oh, yeah, the fight's still on. You can see it all on video. It's like all on video. And he. Any. Not only is he like a bad ref, but he lets himself get, like, impulse and have, like, feelings when he shouldn't have. Feelings when he should do what it's right. Like, you literally stopped it like a second or two before that bell rings, and then you. You let it continue, you know? So then it goes into the second round, the same thing happens. I drop him again. He gets back up, and he's up in the corner, and I start landing body shots on it. And then this guy just gets in and stops it, you know, like, it wasn't a bad stop anyways. It was going to end up being bad for. For Donald. He was going to take a lot more damage, but now he's standing on his two feet, hands are up, he's defending himself intelligently, and he it up. But it's not just with me. He's. He's up over like 20, 30 fights that I've seen with my own eyes, bro.

[B]

That's crazy.

[A]

I think he's one of the worst referees, period.

[B]

They put him on all the big fights though, right?

[A]

I know, because he's just there, you know, But I really think he's trash.

[B]

Damn. That's wild because I thought people considered him the best ref.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, everybody has opinions. I fought another guy, Jake Ellenberger, and Jake Ellenberger caught my leg. And when I took my leg, the way I took it out is I exposed my back. So as I exposed my back, he came with a flying knee. The counter to that is like you could either block or you could attack the foot that's in the bottom and sweep him.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So I swept him, but his foot got caught in the cage. That ain't my fault. Is that my fault? You trying to kill me with a knee to my face? Now I made you miss. Now your foot got caught in the cage. Am I supposed to stop? Hell no. So I start giving this shots and trying to kill him. Herb Dean stops it, right? And then like two minutes later, he's telling the commission, no, no, his foot got stuck. This is a no contest. The you talking about. He's the one that threw a strike, and that's how his foot ended up there, you know?

[B]

Wow.

[A]

He hadn't thrown that strike, so I just think this guy's basura.

[B]

Damn. That's crazy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is there a rule for that though, if your foot gets stuck?

[A]

No. Yeah, it's fight, you know, it's like if. If you're on bottom and I throw a punch at your face and you move your face and I hit the canvas, and when I hit the canvas, I break my hand. Whose fault is that?

[B]

Right?

[A]

You know?

[B]

Yeah. You got to take responsibility, Right. For the position you're in.

[A]

That's why I joined this sport. Full accountability, man.

[B]

Yeah. I'm a chess player, so the only way you lose is off your mistake.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

So it's similar.

[A]

What's your favorite piece?

[B]

Oh, that's a good ass question. I've never been asked that. I would say probably the horse, because the horse is tricky.

[A]

Yeah. The night. Can't predict a lot of shit with the night.

[B]

Yeah. You play chess?

[A]

Not great at it, but I love it, brother. It's a great sport. It's a fun sport, man.

[B]

Yeah, it is. It's a lost game, though. A lot of kids don't play that stuff.

[A]

No, they don't.

[B]

Same with fighting, Right. That's not really a commonly, I think, more common now. Oh, it Is when I was growing.

[A]

Up, it was maybe boxing and like karate and stuff. And then the UFC came and, yeah, I did karate.

[B]

That was a joke though. I feel like I don't use any of that.

[A]

Yeah, you know, some karate's are wish washy, some are more legit, you know, but ever since UFC came into the picture, it's like a different.

[B]

And that was before you, like got into fighting, right? Like, it came out later.

[A]

UFC.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

UFC came out on my birthday, November 12th, when I was nine years old. 1990 something. I forgot the exact date.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Yeah, I discovered. And I was 11, like two years later. And since then, I was completely hooked to it, you know.

[B]

Damn. So you had this dream for a.

[A]

While, A long time, since a kid, I told my mama, mom, you can put that apron up. You ain't got to work no more. As soon as you got a plan.

[B]

You know, at 9 years old, you said that.

[A]

No, like at 12, 13 years old, she's like, what? What's the plan? I told her, listen, they got this thing called the Ultimate Fighting Championships. If you win a tournament, which meant you fought four times in the night, bare knuckle, and you beat four guys, jeez, you got $50,000, right? I told my mom, I'll do like three of those a year. We're rich. And my mom looked at me like, you the dumbest son of a bitch. Some guys getting a kid. This is back then. I'm talking about like 30 years. More than 30 years. You gonna get in a cage and do what? You get in the cage, right? I'm trying to explain. So you get in the cage, right, with another guy that's been like, training, and then we fight, there's like no rules. And then the winner advances, and then you fight again, and then the winner advances and you fight again, and then she's like, what the fuck? And then. And then if you win that one, you fight a fourth time. And my mom's like, what the fuck are you talking. This is the craziest I'm taking to church right now.

[B]

Crazy. No gloves too. God damn.

[A]

But back then. But by the time I got around to it, there was gloves, there was a lot more rules and stuff. But this is when I'm like 13 years old. You know, the sports still getting sorted out.

[B]

Yeah, well, they brought the bare knuckle stuff back now, right? You said you were like, I have.

[A]

A bare knuckle league. Bare knuckle, mma. All the same rules as mma, but just no gloves.

[B]

Wow. So those punches do way more damage.

[A]

Way more damage. There's a lot more submissions, a lot more action on the ground, because the gloves kind of stall things out as far as, like, grappling goes. But when you take the gloves off, more submissions, more knockouts, more everything.

[B]

Wow. I got to check that out. You said you just had an event, right?

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

Game bread. Bare knuckle.

[B]

When's the next one?

[A]

We're going to have the next one probably March, April next year, Miami.

[B]

Okay. It's gonna be lit. I'll pull up. Oh, sounds fun.

[A]

Love for you to put up, bro. You have a blast, man.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Have you fought in that?

[A]

No, I can't. I'm signed to the ufc, so.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

It's my company, but I can't fight nowhere else but the Youth fc.

[B]

Nice. So you won that tournament, though, with the four fights. That's how you.

[A]

No, no, no. So when I. I told my mom this. I'm 13 years old, right. And this is what's happening at the time. I don't turn pro till I'm, like, 18, 19, and the rules change already dramatically by the time I'm like, a big guy, you know, and I could get ready to compete in the ufc.

[B]

Yeah. Because four fights is too many, right?

[A]

I mean, four fights in one night, it's nuts. No weight classes. You get eye gouge, you can hit somebody in the jewels, you could fish hook them. You do a million different things that you can't do no more.

[B]

Damn. Which loss hurt the most for you? Like, you still think about, you know.

[A]

Literally every single one of them.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Any one of them. I don't care if it was for a title or for the. Every single loss hurt like a million needles. And every single victory was. But no small one or big one was, like, the greatest thing ever in life.

[B]

High highs and low lows. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you come in with a plan, and it probably doesn't work out half the time. Right.

[A]

You know, you spent, you know, besides your whole life to that point, whatever, months dialed in, not, you know, doing all the. That leads to failure. You know, doing everything that leads to success and sacrificing yourself, and then you come up short. It hurts, you know?

[B]

Yeah. But as a fighter, I mean, as.

[A]

A fighter, you keep fighting, unless you're.

[B]

Jon Jones, it's inevitable you're going to lose.

[A]

Yeah. You just get better. And even Jon Jones has had some nights that, you know, the judges gave it to him, but a majority of the people that watched felt oh, he lost that fight, you know, so nobody's really like undefeated in that cage in a way. You know, the judges might, might have said you won, but it's, it's hard to go out there without taking damage and actually winning every fight, you know?

[B]

Absolutely. What was the favorite fight you've ever had?

[A]

All of them, man.

[B]

Ben Askren.

[A]

Ben Askren was fun, but, you know, his ass was just a five second thing, man. It's just all of them have been fun. All the fights are fun. The 25 minute ones, the five second ones. I love it, man. I, I love the fight. That's why I got into it so young and I didn't really care about the money. If the money came, I was awesome. But just that they were giving out $50,000 for one championship. I was like, that. That's amazing that they're even paying me because literally at the end of the day, what I love most, what I have, my basketball game, my pickup game, is fighting, you know.

[B]

Do you still have the same passion now as you did when you first started?

[A]

Definitely. When I'm competing, you know, once I'm in there, once I'm in the sparring room, once I'm in the gym, you know, when I was younger, I was a little bit maybe hungrier to learn more stuff, to be more in the gym, but when it's competition time, just as hungry.

[B]

I feel that. Dude, it's been fun. Where can people find you? Keep up with the events and everything.

[A]

Keep up with the events. At Gamebread Bear Knuckle, we got the YouTube page, we got the Instagram page, we got the page on Extra. You can't miss out anything. And always just my Instagram with everybody know at Game Bird Fighter.

[B]

All right below. Thanks for coming on.