UFC 311 Special | Ep. 145

Summary

FULL SEND PODCAST: UFC 311 Special | Ep. 145 Summary

Hosted by Shots Podcast Network and brought to you by Happy Dad Hard Seltzer, the FULL SEND PODCAST delivers an in-depth discussion centered around UFC 311. This episode, released on January 16, 2025, features prominent fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, alongside guest appearances from influencers like Bradley Martyn and Arman Tsarukyan. The conversation delves into upcoming fights, training regimens, personal anecdotes, and the fighters' perspectives on their careers.

---

1. Fight Analysis and Predictions

Islam Makhachev on Upcoming Fights: Islam Makhachev engages in a detailed analysis of his upcoming bout, highlighting his strategy and mindset. He emphasizes his confidence in securing a knockout victory, stating, “[10:17] Islam Makhachev: Knock him in, him out and yeah, just think every day about that, that believe myself and I can do that.” Makhachev also reflects on his previous fights, expressing respect for his opponents while asserting his own strengths.

Merab Dvalishvili’s Perspective: Merab Dvalishvili discusses his preparation for upcoming matches, particularly his rematch with Sean O’Malley. He shares insights into his training adjustments and mental preparation, saying, “[65:35] Merab Dvalishvili: He was himself, but I... I have to fight to show I'm much better than him.” Dvalishvili also touches on the challenges of facing top-tier fighters and the importance of staying focused.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Insights: Khabib Nurmagomedov provides his take on the competitive nature of UFC, emphasizing the necessity of sacrifice and relentless training. He remarks, “[46:37] Khabib Nurmagomedov: If you want to be champion, you have to sacrifice.” Khabib also shares his aspirations, including his desire to become one of the greatest fighters and his thoughts on future title defenses.

---

2. Training Insights and Lifestyle

Weight Cutting and Training Regimens: The podcast delves into the rigorous training and weight-cutting processes fighters undergo. Merab Dvalishvili shares his evolved approach to weight cutting, highlighting improvements in his protocol: “[85:24] Merab Dvalishvili: ... now I have some water here like just to sip.” He contrasts his past extreme measures with his current more sustainable practices, emphasizing the importance of effective hydration and nutrition.

Personal Sacrifices: Merab and other fighters discuss the personal sacrifices made to excel in MMA. Merab states, “[29:23] Merab Dvalishvili: I have. Of course, all my life, you know, the discipline I follow.” This underscores the dedication required to maintain peak physical condition and competitive edge.

---

3. Personal Stories and Anecdotes

Cars, Watches, and Lifestyle: The conversation opens with light-hearted exchanges about luxury items. Islam Makhachev and Danny Duncan engage in a playful barter over watches, reflecting the camaraderie and informal interactions among fighters: “[02:10] Merab Dvalishvili: Yeah. I got almost 20 horses in the village in Dagestan.” These anecdotes provide a glimpse into the personal lives and interests of the fighters outside the octagon.

Merab’s Ice Lake Incident: A standout personal story is Merab Dvalishvili’s daring plunge into a frozen lake, which he recounts with a mix of humor and humility: “[68:02] Merab Dvalishvili: ... I set up my phone and leave it in the snow. And I take my clothes off and I decide to just jump in the water.” The incident not only highlights his adventurous spirit but also serves as a humorous reminder of the unpredictability of life outside training.

---

4. Fighter Interactions and Banter

Friendly Rivalries: The episode features spirited exchanges between fighters, showcasing a blend of respect and rivalry. Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili engage in a playful debate about street fighting and UFC strategies, demonstrating mutual respect despite competitive tensions: “[61:24] Merab Dvalishvili: ... I have my Georgian music where I walk on but it's of course give me extra, extra motivation and extra pumped.”

Challenges and Respect: Discussions about feared opponents and respect for peers are prevalent. Merab addresses challenges posed by fighters like Sean O’Malley, expressing both respect and determination: “[64:35] Merab Dvalishvili: ... I wanted to challenge the best guy and then most deserving guy.”

---

5. Fighter Perspectives and Future Aspirations

Islam Makhachev’s Future Plans: Islam articulates his transition from title contention to pursuing more lucrative fights post-championship. He explains, “[11:27] Danny Duncan: Did you say on the podcast you're gonna start fighting just for money and it's not about legacy anymore? Islam Makhachev: No, right now I'm fighting for the title and after title, I'm gonna fight for the money.” This shift reflects his evolving priorities and long-term career strategy.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Goals: Khabib shares his ambition to secure and defend his title, aiming to cement his legacy within the UFC. He confidently states, “[57:26] Khabib Nurmagomedov: I have many times I saw even dream how they give it to me belt, you know, soon it's gonna become true.” His focus remains steadfast on excellence and dominance in the ring.

---

Conclusion

This UFC 311 Special episode of the FULL SEND PODCAST offers a multifaceted look into the lives, strategies, and personalities of some of the sport's top fighters. From in-depth fight analyses and training insights to personal anecdotes and lively interactions, the episode provides listeners with an engaging and comprehensive understanding of what drives these athletes both inside and outside the octagon. Whether discussing the intricacies of weight cutting or sharing humorous stories, the podcast captures the essence of the fighters' dedication, resilience, and camaraderie.

Notable Quotes:

• Islam Makhachev at [10:17]: "Knock him in, him out and yeah, just think every day about that, that believe myself and I can do that."
• Merab Dvalishvili at [65:35]: "I have to fight to show I'm much better than him."
• Khabib Nurmagomedov at [46:37]: "If you want to be champion, you have to sacrifice."
• Merab Dvalishvili at [85:24]: "Now I have some water here like just to sip."

---

This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and moments from the FULL SEND PODCAST's UFC 311 Special, providing a rich and engaging overview for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Kyle Forgeard]

Boys, Happy dad is now available in Oregon just in time for summer. We made the best tasting seltzer and tea that's low in sugar, gluten free and has no artificial flavors. Make sure to stock up at Winco, Walmart and US market. Get it before it's gone. You have to be 21 plus to drink and buy Happy Dad. Alright boys, we have a massive UFC pod today. The co main event and the main event all on one pod. This is insane. Before we get into it, if you guys have not downloaded the Prizepix app, you gotta try it. It's an absolute no brainer. I have fired every app when it comes to firing on sports and prize picks is by far the best, hands down. We have a special play this weekend, so all the Nelk boys, we've agreed on one play for UFC and it's live on the app right now. It's our community play. So if you guys are looking to fire this weekend on the fights, ride with us on our picks. We all agreed on this pick. It's going to hit guaranteed. Also, people that ride with us on these UFC picks Prize picks is going to be giving out 50 pieces of merch to people that win. So that's pretty sick. If you ride with us, you have a chance to win an exclusive piece of merch. This is like the best time too to firearm prize picks. NFL playoffs. Sweating prize picks and watching NFL playoffs, there is nothing like it. Also we got the college finals Monday. There's a free square right here. Add this to any of your picks. It's just gonna boost your entire lineup. And as always, we got you guys on code Nelk. If you guys put in $5, you get three $50 for free. No strings attached with that code. I love prize picks. There is no better time to fire NFL playoffs, ufc, college, Super Bowls coming up. Download the Prize picks app, use code Nelk.

[Steiny]

Let's get in the pod and real quick.

[Kyle Forgeard]

In the spirit of UFC, we just dropped brand new UFC fullsend stuff on fullsend.com. if you guys head over there, we got tees, we got hoodies, super simple, super clean.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I like this shit.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You can just rock it anywhere. You can rock it to the club.

[Bradley Martyn]

I love this shit.

[Kyle Forgeard]

UFC Fullsend. So go to fullsend.com right now. Grab some USC full sen in the pot.

[Islam Makhachev]

I'm selling it.

[Danny Duncan]

Are you?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

Should I just buy it from you right now?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

How much you want for? I'll give you 30, 70, 70.

[Islam Makhachev]

Oh, 50.

[Danny Duncan]

What year is it?

[Islam Makhachev]

50 what p. What piece is that?

[Steiny]

Steiny.

[Danny Duncan]

Presidential 60.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

All right, I'll go 45. That's the highest.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I'll do bro this in.

[Islam Makhachev]

In a Rolex store. 50,000.

[Danny Duncan]

I could get one of those right now. They're all over.

[Steiny]

Is that similar to mine? Sty or.

[Danny Duncan]

No?

[Islam Makhachev]

Almost.

[Danny Duncan]

His is nicer. Oh, yeah, Maybe.

[Islam Makhachev]

I'm going. I'm selling this.

[Danny Duncan]

Well, what are you going to do? Buy another. Another one or what?

[Islam Makhachev]

I don't know. Just buy something new.

[Steiny]

What's your watch collection like? How many pieces you have?

[Islam Makhachev]

Not a lot.

[Steiny]

Not a lot.

[Islam Makhachev]

Not yet.

[Steiny]

Not yet.

[Islam Makhachev]

After this fight, maybe.

[Steiny]

Yeah. How many would you like to have?

[Islam Makhachev]

50.

[Steiny]

50 watches?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah. 50. 60.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

But just in case you can sell it if you need the money, you know, not bad investment if you get from the. From the store, you know.

[Steiny]

How about cars?

[Islam Makhachev]

Cars. No cars. You're gonna, like, lose money.

[Danny Duncan]

But what's your. What's your fleet right now? What cars do you have?

[Islam Makhachev]

Urus S class G Wagon.

[Danny Duncan]

I'm a little confused because I. I saw you were on Usman and Jehudo's podcast and you talked about Bronco.

[Islam Makhachev]

I have Bronco in my Raptor. No, no, just simple.

[Danny Duncan]

He's got the Raptor.

[Steiny]

Oh, Brad.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Whoa.

[Steiny]

You spawned.

[Danny Duncan]

You didn't get the Raptor version?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, it's too expensive.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Oh. I feel like I had to give him mine or something.

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no.

[Danny Duncan]

Great. You would never do something that generous. I mean, you know, 260.

[Islam Makhachev]

I've never had American cars. I just wanted to try.

[Danny Duncan]

What do you think of the quality?

[Islam Makhachev]

I don't like it. I want to sell it. No, Maybe Bronco. Yeah, I'm. I'll. I. I spend time in Miami, so the road is so, like, good when you drive Bronco. It's not good. You know, you gotta come here or like, have a. Like mountains or something. Yeah, Drive Bronco. It don't make sense to have it there. So. Yeah, yeah, here is better to have a Bronco.

[Danny Duncan]

So that's what I was asking is I saw on that podcast you talked about how you're focused on just money fights now.

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, after this fight.

[Danny Duncan]

After this fight. But I was looking at Oliver and I saw that what you made is online. So now I'm wondering how. How are you able to get all these watches and all these cars?

[Islam Makhachev]

It's from my father.

[Danny Duncan]

Oh, okay.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah. Because after the fight, you can just buy one watch and that's it.

[Danny Duncan]

I like that.

[Steiny]

That's like tiny.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

But whatever.

[Danny Duncan]

We Own it.

[Islam Makhachev]

Right now, I'm making a bad. Not bad.

[Danny Duncan]

It feels good when it starts coming from you, not your father.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, very good.

[Danny Duncan]

And you can go like this.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What was it. What was it like growing up and how has it shaped you as, like, a fighter?

[Islam Makhachev]

When I was.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Yeah, just growing up in Armenia and, like, how you had it easy and, like, you know.

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, I grew up in Russia.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Oh, you grew up in Russia?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, I grew up in Russia. Playing hockey, fighting.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Easy.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

On a farm.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Growing up.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

It sounds kind of.

[Danny Duncan]

Wait. But that he's. It's interesting. Like, most of the fighters you see come from backgrounds where they don't come from money. Like, you don't see people who come from money always get into fighting. So how did you get into fighting with that kind of background?

[Islam Makhachev]

I just don't like to work. I like fighting. Especially when I was kid, I always fought with my brother. You see this guy?

[Danny Duncan]

Older brother?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, his older one. He always beat me, and I wanted beat him as well. So that's why, like, because of that, maybe I became a fighter as well.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Were you.

[Steiny]

Were you good at hockey and do you still watch the NHL at all?

[Islam Makhachev]

Sometimes. Sometimes I watch ballet. I don't have a time, you know.

[Steiny]

You have, like, a favorite player.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, Ovechkin.

[Steiny]

Ovechkin?

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Ovechkin's a man.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, Ovechkin and Malkin.

[Steiny]

Malkin, yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

He's a beast.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, Malkin, Ovechkin. And. Yeah, a lot of the. When I was young, I was watching all his trainings. The. He used to play in Pittsburgh, the captain with Crosby. Crosby, yeah.

[Steiny]

You like Crosby?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, I used to watch all his interview. All his. How he trained, you know?

[Danny Duncan]

Like, were you fighting on the ice, too?

[Islam Makhachev]

Of course. Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

How was your record on the ice?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

You think you could take Ovechkin in a scrap on the ice?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, he's too big. He's too big in the eyes. I wasn't good. I was waiting when we go into the lacroom and, like, beat somebody.

[Steiny]

Oh, locker room. Yeah, you wait for the locker room.

[Islam Makhachev]

Boxing, because buckets on. On the. On the ice, I'm. I was a.

[Danny Duncan]

You know, you got to have reach on there.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, but like, on the. On the locker room, it's easier, you know?

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

Especially I knew how to wrestle, so it's. It was easy for me.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I know maybe they asked you this before I came, but what's the biggest thing that is different from where you were born and, like, where you live now? Like.

[Islam Makhachev]

Like Culturally, Armenia and Russia, it's still pretty similar. And Georgia as well. It's like, we have almost like the same culture.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

But I mean. I mean, moving to America and like, spending time here, what is the most, like, noticeable thing that you're like, wow, so this is so different.

[Islam Makhachev]

I just come here for my training camp, but I'm not living here, so.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, but, but when you're here, what's.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, yeah, it's completely different. So, like, let's see, we have like, a lot of situation in the street, you know, and like, someone, like, can say you and like, you just can say, ah, you too, and that's it, you know? But in Russia, nobody gonna say you, you. If someone say you, you, you gotta beat him up, you know? And like, it's a different. Or like someone like, behaves, you know.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like bad people treat each other much differently.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, yeah. Because they know they can. They can. They can get in trouble, you know, and that's why, like, completely different cultures, you know? Yeah. More respect.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You means you.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, you means you.

[Islam Makhachev]

Like here, there. If you say something, you gotta, like, do that, you know. But like, how did we get so lost?

[Danny Duncan]

You're in a rough here.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It's all talk, right?

[Steiny]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

You would need a lot more fights if you were in Russia, because you'd have to actually back yourself.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Well, no, I probably just wouldn't say. That's like, you know, you go to Texas, you can't show up, up somewhere, they're going to blast you.

[Danny Duncan]

You know?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

They're going to blast you.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, I know, but like, you're saying I would talk here because I know nothing would happen, but there you wouldn't talk.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Well, because, I mean, unless I'm like, yo, I'm having a bad day and I want that. I want the smoke.

[Danny Duncan]

He's going to ask you in 15 minutes if.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

No, I'm not going to ask you about it. I'm not going to do that.

[Islam Makhachev]

Too big. I will fight.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Arman.

[Islam Makhachev]

Arman.

[Danny Duncan]

I want to fight with you, bro. Against him.

[Islam Makhachev]

Arman, He's a bodybuilder.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

There we go.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Hell, yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

You look like a bodybuilder.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Thank you. I mean, feel good. I ain't going to lie.

[Kyle Forgeard]

All right, boys. As you guys know, bitcoin has been on fire. I just opened up the Moonpay app and it is absolutely booming. I've been really focused on holding more crypto recently, and I have switched to Moonpay. I find it the easiest app for anything crypto related. So what I really like about Moonpay that I discovered is you can use Apple Pay, you can use like any credit or debit card and you can use PayPal to buy crypto, which I love. It's super easy, like you could buy it in any way and it always works. If you hold different cryptos like Bitcoin, Eth, Solana, you can monitor in real time the changing of the markets on Moonpay app. Moonpay also has 24. 7 customer support that's there at all times, which I love. So, guys, if you're looking to get into crypto buying, selling, holding, make sure you download the Moonpay app. Trump's back in office. So we've seen what's happened already. Who knows what's going to come. If I was you guys, I'd be holding. That's what I'm doing. The Moonpay app is available on the iPhone and the Android or you can go to moonpay.com to sign up. We also have a link in the description as well. Make sure you guys follow Elkboys and Oonpay on X because we're going to be doing a ton of crypto giveaways, like for real. So make sure you guys follow us. Don't miss out on that. It's going to be absolutely free money. We're going to be doing that every month, so don't miss out on that. It's literally free, free money. Just follow Nelk boys and Moonpay on X and be looking out for it, boys. Buy some crypto, Take advantage of what's to come. Trump's back in office. We never know what's going to happen. I'm feeling good about it. I'm holding. Download the Moonpay app. Let's get back into the pod.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What was that? What was like the most fun you ever had, like in the octagon, opponent.

[Islam Makhachev]

Wise, like your favorite fight you ever had with Dariush. Yeah, I knocked him out very fast and it was easy. Quick money. So I was happy with that fight.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

No injuries.

[Islam Makhachev]

No injuries. Yeah, it was good. Fast and yeah, that's the best when you go there and the first, in the first, first minute and like, no, Bruce is nothing and just get bonus and live.

[Steiny]

How do you, how do you see yourself winning this fight? Because you guys have very similar styles wrestling and you're both really good at striking. So how do you see yourself, like winning this fight?

[Islam Makhachev]

Knock him in, him out and yeah, just think every day about that, that believe myself and I can do that.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

So what do you think is going to be like the biggest difference in this fight between you and Islam?

[Islam Makhachev]

It's going to be more striking than it used to be. The last fight was more wrestling and now I think it's going to be more, more striking than. Than the last one.

[Steiny]

I saw. You weren't impressed by his performance with Poirier.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

You didn't, you didn't think he did a good job.

[Islam Makhachev]

He couldn't wrestle him, you know, he. Maybe Dustin was so good, you know, but I was, I was thinking like Islam gonna take him down and just hold him like 25 minutes or. But Dustin like could get up and like be on the feet, you know, and he got tired fast. I don't know why. Maybe because of wake up or. I don't know. Or maybe Dustin like hit his body a lot. That's why. Maybe he got tired as well.

[Danny Duncan]

Did you say on the podcast you're gonna start fighting just for money and it's not about legacy anymore?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, right now I'm fighting for the title and after title, I'm gonna fight for the money.

[Danny Duncan]

What made you just decide, like, I'm done and this is going to be.

[Islam Makhachev]

Because you got the goal that you wanted so much and like, okay, what are you going to do? Just make money, you know?

[Danny Duncan]

Does it bother you that you're like fighting Oliveira and Islam for like a minimum?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yes, a little bit. But like I know like my family going to give me good present when I love that.

[Steiny]

What's a post win fight present look like? Like, what was the last?

[Islam Makhachev]

I heard like my friend of mine already like bad for me. M5 competition, new one. So I'm not gonna get it a lot, a lot of presents.

[Danny Duncan]

What about Pops?

[Islam Makhachev]

That I don't know yet.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

He can't be cheap.

[Danny Duncan]

After Islam.

[Steiny]

What was the last. What was the last one?

[Islam Makhachev]

Last one was the. There was the watch Adamarp again.

[Danny Duncan]

Nice.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Wait, but you're gonna win the title and then just fight for money but not try to keep winning more?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, I want to win. Of course.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Of course you want to win. But you don't think like that's more important for.

[Islam Makhachev]

No, I mean like, or you can fight with. Leave the title fight with someone corner or whatever. Like just a regular fight. No, no title. And I, I would pick just money fight, not like defend the title.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

So you're not concerned with like, like winning?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, I don't want to like, I don't wanna like be defend as much as possible. I just want to make as much as Possible money for my future. Yeah. Who do you see those fights anyway? Like they gonna say this is like a UFC champion.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yes.

[Steiny]

Who do you think those money fights are?

[Islam Makhachev]

It's Oliveira fight for sure. It's Chandler. Like all guys would be good. So maybe Ilya Tapuria is good too. Yeah. Yeah.

[Steiny]

How about McGregor? You think he ever fights again?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, for sure.

[Steiny]

You think he's going to come back?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I believe he comes back and win one fight and fight for the title.

[Steiny]

Are you like, were you ever a fan of like McGregor or like what was your.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, of course. But when he fought with Habib. Yeah, I was supporting Habib because I. He's from Russia and like when I was young, I always watch his fights, but like in general I always watch and I'm big fan of Conor. He does.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Who's your top three favorite fighters like of all time?

[Islam Makhachev]

Jon Jones, Habib. There are a lot. But Connor is good too. Connor did a lot of statement.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Did you hear you see him get kicked off the plane recently?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Is that like.

[Islam Makhachev]

Oh, no, no, no. The. You mean the Habib?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, he got kicked off the plane because I guess he was like in an exit row and he was like.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, I don't know what happened. I don't know.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He didn't see anything?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no. I saw the Instagram, but I don't know what happened exactly. Why they. He kicked out.

[Steiny]

Armand's not going to be on Frontier Airlines, right?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's not taking.

[Danny Duncan]

Tell dad to send the plane, bro.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I mean.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

So why he. They kicked him out.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He was in an exit room. And I think like some, you know, obviously they come and they ask you, are you good to do this? And I think. I don't know if he was just not answering or if he was answering in a way that they didn't like it or it was like a weird situation. Obviously I wasn't there. I just. I just watched the, you know, people's takes on it. But I think because the way he was answering was not as like they didn't want. They want you to hear like a yes or whatever.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You don't got to worry about that.

[Islam Makhachev]

He should just fly a private jet.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I was fair, humble guys. Frontier.

[Islam Makhachev]

Even like economic class.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's like, yeah. In the back.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He didn't care.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah. He's a. So, so humble.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, he's a good dude.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

What do you think about Topuria? Do you think he moves up to your division?

[Islam Makhachev]

I think so. He's he's big for. For 145, and I heard he cuts weight very hard and he should move. Yeah. And we're gonna have a lot of good fighters.

[Steiny]

Is that a fight that you'd potentially like down the line?

[Islam Makhachev]

No.

[Steiny]

I mean, that'd be a massive fight.

[Danny Duncan]

Right?

[Islam Makhachev]

Right now I need to just. I'm just focusing on my, like, coming up fight, just Islam, you know, and after that title, we'll see what. What happened.

[Steiny]

Is it intimidating at all having Khabib in the corner?

[Islam Makhachev]

It's more motivating me. Yeah. It's like if you beat Islam, you beat Habib.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah. You and Islam are friendly, right?

[Islam Makhachev]

We're okay. You know, just.

[Danny Duncan]

Is it different fighting guys that for you and you kind of, like, get along with them as opposed to, like, people you hate, or do you take it the same?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, for me, it's the same. Same. Nothing different. It's. For me, it's a sport, you know, I just go there, do my job. He wants to. What's the best time of day to get a deal? All day with Jack in the box's all day. Big deal. Meal. You get to choose from four entrees like the supreme croissant and five tasty sides, plus a drink starting at $5. So hurry in or take your time. You've got all day at Jack. Every bite's a big deal.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

This episode is brought to you by Amazon. Sometimes the most painful part of getting sick is the getting better part. Waiting on hold for an appointment, sitting in crowded waiting rooms, standing in line at the pharmacy. That's painful. Amazon One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy remove those painful parts of getting better with things like 24. 7 virtual visitors, visits, and prescriptions delivered to your door thanks to Amazon Pharmacy and Amazon One Medical Healthcare just got less painful.

[Islam Makhachev]

Beat me. I won't. I won't beat him as well, so just sport.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah. I don't know about these guys, but.

[Islam Makhachev]

But it's better to be, like, not angry, you know? Like, when you're too much angry and don't, like, hate someone, you're, like, going crazy right away. It's better to be like this, like, cool, you know?

[Danny Duncan]

You know, no rage. No roid rage.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Have you ever gotten angry in the ring?

[Islam Makhachev]

Not yet.

[Steiny]

Yeah, not yet.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

Just curious, because they're. They're big Russia, Dagestani guys. Are you guys supporting him or Islam? Because I'm with you. Yeah, I just want to let you know I'm with you, bro.

[Steiny]

If the other guys wait, wait till Islam's here.

[Danny Duncan]

I'm standing on business with them. I'll tell him to his face. I'm with you.

[Islam Makhachev]

Let's go.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

Should we beat them?

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, me and Ubers. Well, let's just get him first.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

I'll probably just take on Steiny.

[Steiny]

No, I think you guys could take off. You could take off.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Yeah, I'll take off.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I'll take on.

[Kyle Forgeard]

All right, boys, this podcast is sponsored by Shopify. I couldn't be happier because we have used Shopify since the very beginning for the last like 10 years to be able to sell full send merch and now happy dad merch board jerky. A ton of different stuff to you guys. So if you guys have a new business venture this year that you guys want to start, Shopify is by far the best e commerce platform that you guys need to use. No matter what stage you your business at, if you're at our stage in your business or if you guys haven't even started a business, if you're brand new, Shopify is there for you every step of the way. And it's so easy to get started. Guys, take it from me, I did this back in the day about 12 years ago. And Shopify is good for any different type of business venture. If you're starting a fitness company or you're selling granola bars, whatever you're doing, it doesn't matter. Shopify's back end is unmatched. My favorite thing about it too is like I said, whether you you're small or big, it has everything you need to take control of your business and take it to the next level. They're always there for you every step of the way. Shopify powers 10% of all E commerce in the US. They are truly a global force in e commerce. They're in over 170 countries plus Shopify's award winning customer service is there to help you every step of the way. Boys, don't wait. Now starting Your business in 2025 is the year to do it. We got you guys on a special deal. If you guys want to sign up, go to shopify.com full send and you get a $1 per month free trial. Easy as that. I want to see you guys getting fired and starting your own businesses. Shopify.com full send. I love Shopify. Like I said guys, take it from me, as an entrepreneur and someone that has been using Shopify Literally for 12 years, I don't even know what other platform I would use used by Shopify. It's literally just a one stop shop. They are the best in the game. So go to shopify.com full send, $1 per month, free trial and take your business to the next level.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Today you said earlier about someone is asking a question about, I guess, sort of training, but you kind of mentioned, I don't know how directly you do this or not. I'm curious, do you visualize, like, is that a part of your training? Obviously you're training to fight, you're training to win. And in your training, you're like, learning these things to help you win. But do you ever practice, like, any sort of. I'm not saying meditation, but do you, like, sit and think about what it would be like and, you know, when you win, what it's going to feel like? Do you do anything like that?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, a lot. Almost every day. Yeah, every day I'm thinking about that.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like, what it's like when you're winning.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

How Dana White give me bell, how I go, how I leave the cage, how I'll celebrate.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

And you gotta believe yourself. And, like, you gotta, like, say, it's simple days, nothing like crazy. Just go there, do your job, and, like, get whatever you want in this life. It's. Everything is possible. Like, people underestimate themselves, you know, and that's why they never get that. They want it, you know, so just.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

As much as actually fighting you. You do that every day, too?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, every day. Listen, books, like, you gotta be strong here on your mindset, you know? And if nobody believe you, like, you gotta believe yourself, you know?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Had you done that throughout your whole career or is that something you learned?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, I learned, like, last three years. I started doing that last three years or four years.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

And you think it's made a big difference?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah. And yeah, I started read books and like, okay, let's leave. Like a book says, and like, bomb one happened, second happened. Like, the same. Exactly. Things what book says. And, like, I'm just living with that book.

[Danny Duncan]

Like, you read books on, like, personal growth or, like, what books on what?

[Islam Makhachev]

I'm listening. I'm listening to books, but I guess.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He'S talking about what? Like, like books about manifestation books about.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, what kind of books are they?

[Islam Makhachev]

That's like, for the mindset. Yeah, it's Russian books.

[Danny Duncan]

What made you decide to do that one?

[Islam Makhachev]

My friend, he. He told me, like, read this book. He. I know the guy. Like, he's a billionaire. He lives with this book. And, like, and I started read that book as well. And, like, I became a region, like, became like, I got whatever I wanted in this life. And I just read that book. Yeah. And I started to read that book and like. Yeah, it changed my life.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

That's awesome for you, man.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

This is a billionaire in Armenia.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, we have a billionaire.

[Danny Duncan]

Is he getting you anything?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You should get you a town or something.

[Danny Duncan]

What else do you want, man? It sounds like you have got all the whips, all the watches.

[Islam Makhachev]

No, I mean, if you have a belt, you want a two belt, right?

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, it's true.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah. This watch I'm thinking about like Richard Mille Patek. When you have Patek, I don't know. You have. You want what you want, like building. You have a house, you want building. You have a building. You have two buildings, you know?

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

And we never stop, you know, in this life. That's why like we have a billionaires like or like, like Elon Musk, he has like so much money. He. He doesn't think about money. Right. He just doing this for the people.

[Danny Duncan]

Have any other athletes or celebrities, like, reached out to you, like letting you know you're their favorite fighter?

[Islam Makhachev]

I don't remember.

[Danny Duncan]

Probably Right.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

Like, we asked GSP this one time and he said that there was one fight where he noticed like a female in the. In the audience and he got distracted while he was in the ring. Have you ever gotten distracted like that?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, no.

[Danny Duncan]

You just stay locked in.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

None of the outside noise ever gets to you?

[Islam Makhachev]

No, no, no.

[Steiny]

Are you married or kids?

[Islam Makhachev]

I'm married.

[Danny Duncan]

Oh, there you go.

[Steiny]

How are the girls in our. In Armenia?

[Islam Makhachev]

They're beautiful. There are. Yeah, yeah. In Russia as well. Everywhere. I mean, like, here's beautiful too.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Miami is that number one spot though.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah, but when you're married, right?

[Danny Duncan]

Of course, of course.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You're trying to.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

You're trying to get good, right? Locked up.

[Danny Duncan]

No, that's my dad. What are you talking about? It's my fighter. Who are you rooting for, Brad? Why don't you be honest?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I'm just saying over here you're trying to like. Oh, the girls in Miami. You're in Miami, right?

[Danny Duncan]

I would never set you up for some like that.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

We'll do that.

[Islam Makhachev]

No worries.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, sorry.

[Danny Duncan]

Who are you rooting for or who are you supporting?

[Islam Makhachev]

Islam?

[Danny Duncan]

Come on, bro.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You put me on the spot.

[Danny Duncan]

It's pretty easy. You're either with this guy or the other guy, right?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, no, but it's like the guy. I can't. It's like I can't what to say the other guy. It's like He's.

[Danny Duncan]

We don't want you. That's what I'll say. We don't want you.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Well, it's not that I. Bro, it's obviously like. It's not that I don't think you can win. I just like. I just see more of the other guy, that's all.

[Danny Duncan]

So I'm just like, well be ready for a surprise from my guy.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

No, he's a amazing fighter. I'm like, not. There's. There's no, like no shade.

[Danny Duncan]

No.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's trying to pin us against each other.

[Danny Duncan]

Let's go. You got this.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's a hater, dude.

[Steiny]

Yeah, I think we're good. We don't want to take up too much your time. We know you got a big week.

[Kyle Forgeard]

We appreciate you coming through, brother.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

How's the weight cut been so far still, bro.

[Bradley Martyn]

Drinking too much water.

[Steiny]

I think last time we saw you was in Elbris in the mountains. When we go back, I want to come back. We were gonna ask you. I think we need to come there for like two weeks plus and actually train.

[Bradley Martyn]

And the best months I think is May, April, May. You can come.

[Steiny]

Did you go back up there for.

[Bradley Martyn]

This camp where we went to Kislovsk. It's not far from the Elbrus. It's maybe two or two, three hour by drive. But there have big Olympic center. Last time when we saw there like together with the like small camp. It's not like real for Olympic level, like training camp. But now it's. We find some new place. It's really big. They have hotel for like 600 athletes, you know, and they have all sports.

[Steiny]

That was probably the. One of the coolest things we ever did is come to Russia. And then seven hour drive.

[Bradley Martyn]

You have the hard, hard time there.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Bradley Martyn]

When you come jet lag everything, you come by a bus. Like winter snow everywhere. Next time you have to enjoy, you know, come April, May, it's a good weather, good time.

[Danny Duncan]

Where's your ranch at with all the horses? I saw you're riding a horse.

[Bradley Martyn]

It's close. Mahachala.

[Danny Duncan]

And what you have? Horses, goats.

[Bradley Martyn]

Horses, goats. It's now become. It's big. I make and like new like horse table for many horse now. And I will bring more animals there. I have like almost 20 horse in the village in Dagestan. And everybody gift me the horse. You know, you just keep. And I bought. I bought like two months ago some horse from us special for racing.

[Danny Duncan]

How much was that delivered?

[Bradley Martyn]

I pay 18,000.

[Danny Duncan]

Oh, that's not bad.

[Bradley Martyn]

Just for the delivery though.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

That's a splash on a horse though.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Bradley Martyn]

I buy in the auction or the guy who like talk very fast.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

You don't know what your bid was to win.

[Bradley Martyn]

This is secret.

[Danny Duncan]

Secret. So you got your best sources from.

[Bradley Martyn]

The U.S. i hope maybe nobody know what's gonna be never. It's her just two years old, you know. And maybe it's gonna be good. Maybe it's gonna.

[Steiny]

You're gonna put it into racing.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah. And after one year she have to training. Training? Yeah, mountains training there and we'll see. I hope. Because I want. Because all my horses for. Not for racing. You know, just my king. My friends can come to. We go somewhere. But the racing for racing horse is different. The like exactly same like professional athlete training. In the morning they put in the stable, sleep like rest all day. Evening time the train again, eat like same things what the athletes did. Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

So you're saying you're going to take a horse from the US and make him stronger and better in Dagesan?

[Bradley Martyn]

I hope. I hope. Yeah. I hope.

[Danny Duncan]

What is it about Dagestan that you know, you guys always talk about that's the best place to train. What is it that you guys offer.

[Bradley Martyn]

That you know, why I told this basically like all country you can do like things for the training. You know, bring some gym, like a lot of things. But first of all in Dagestan, food, all food is organic from the farm, like very close. And gym we have very big gym. Everything inside the gym cage. Coaches, we have a lot of coaches. And it's not mostly important, not expensive for the fighters, you know, who can come from other countries for like us UF US like everything explained. But Dagestan you can come like maybe maximum like one and a half thousand, $1,000 you spent for the one month drink.

[Steiny]

Yeah. I remember when we went there, the food was. You could taste the difference.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah. Because they're organic. And in our gym we even don't have the fridge to put the food. You know, we every. Every morning they start to cook for the athletes. Fresh, fresh, fresh every day.

[Steiny]

I saw Khabib talking recently in an interview and he said that even yourself included, you guys have not. You just don't just have the discipline. But you guys have sacrificed like so much over the last 10 years to. To get to where you are.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Steiny]

Do you feel like you've sacrificed a lot to get to where you are?

[Bradley Martyn]

Of course. All my life, you know, the discipline I follow. All my life. And this is the Key, you know, I'm never go some bad place, never do some bad things. Sleep on time, wake up, eat, try to eat, always clean, you know. And that's why when the even you were very young. No, not very young. I'm. When I understood, you know, I'm. I'm gonna be professional athlete and I follow all this, you know, if you want to be sacrifice and you want to be in the high level many years, you have to follow this. Like for example, Cristiano Ronaldo. How many years, how old is he now? And he's still in the top because he followed all discipline, full of. Look how he look, you know. Now in like 39 or 38, still in very good shape because of it. Because of sleep.

[Danny Duncan]

Who do you think is better, him or Messi?

[Bradley Martyn]

Like person. Ronaldo I like more. But players, they're both good.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Is there a specific person who like inspired you to get into mma?

[Bradley Martyn]

No, no, no, Nothing. Because Dagestan, everybody training, you know, everybody training science, they go school, you know, eight years old, they start. Start to do some things not like mma. And it's not good idea to put your kids when they become 8, 9 years old to the MMA. We have a lot of Olympic sports. Wrestling, judo, sambo. Sambo, not Olympics, but some like other sports, you know, like myself, what I did, I go Taekwondo, wrestling, sambo, judo. And I moved to the mma, you know, because Sambo or all the other sports, amateur sports, help you to be successful, help you to be like good athlete, you know, Because I own. I have 25, 26 professional fights, but in amateur career, I have almost 300, 200 fights, 300amateur. Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

What age did you move to or go at the beginning?

[Bradley Martyn]

When I go to the some competition, like 10 years old.

[Danny Duncan]

Okay.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Wow.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Take your whole life. Did you ever play any other like random sports that anyone would know about? Like just that aren't fighting.

[Bradley Martyn]

I play soccer. I have a couple medal from the soccer. I did wrestling, sambo a lot.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Never golf or anything like that.

[Steiny]

You don't like golf, right? You played.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

You sent me a message saying that like golf sucks.

[Bradley Martyn]

Maybe I don't understand what it is. Okay, you shot one times and go like buy a golf car. Why you not.

[Danny Duncan]

It's a mental game too though.

[Bradley Martyn]

You're not burn calories, nothing.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, you can walk maybe.

[Bradley Martyn]

I think I thought like it's good area. Nobody see you. Like, you go with your friends and talk some like, you know, you can talk, you can spend time, but not. I don't listen.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Golf's Golf's good.

[Steiny]

When you start to. When you start to see improvements and you start hitting good shots, you get addicted. It gets addicting.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Because it's all mental too, right? I know. You mean it's.

[Bradley Martyn]

We play one time is Canada. It's golf. Not for me. I like to do some activity, you know, moving sound like. But one shot I'm waiting for other people go. I told them, hey, let's go by run to the other place, you know, because golf car. It's.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

You know, it'd be a good video if we came back. Is to verse you guys in Dagestani. Basketball.

[Bradley Martyn]

Dagestan basketball, you know. You know, you're moving too much.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I feel like they're fighting now for some reason.

[Bradley Martyn]

Too much. Like play wrestling. Everything but golf. It's not for me. I start to play now. Padel, are you good at that? Yeah, yeah. It's. I like it so much. And I planning to open some paddle center in Dagestan.

[Steiny]

We could probably take them.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, we would be. You probably. Can you play tennis or any other paddle? Ping pong?

[Bradley Martyn]

No paddle. I'm good.

[Danny Duncan]

This battle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We could play 2v2. Whatever you want.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah, we will. When I open the center. You will play there.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah. We were talking a little bit earlier with your opponent Armin, but we were talking about manifestation and like that part of the training which obviously is not like, you know, it's not the actual fight specific. But how important do you think is that in your training sort of seeing or believing what it's going to be before it is the fight, like how it's gonna go and in your mind what you think is going to happen.

[Bradley Martyn]

This is important things. You have to thinking in Blake, you know, because you have to. In your mind, you have to put you in some bad position always if. If this happen, what I'm gonna do. And in the training also, of course. Oh, okay. If like my training partner, they cannot take me down. If they. They can take me down. You know, I have to let them like take me down and beginning from this position because maybe in the fight something can happen. It can take me down and it's have to be not surprise for me, not something new. You know, I have to be ready for that moment. And in my mind, always I put myself on some position and I think what I'm going to do from this position.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

How long do you see yourself in the UFC and like your plan after in the ufc?

[Bradley Martyn]

I have one goal. I don't want to leave the UFC without second belt. And after what I'm gonna do, I don't know, you know, spend more time with family, friends. Because last 10 years I travel a lot, a lot, you know, my kids, my friend, my family even not see me, you know, that's why I have to spend more time in.

[Steiny]

Do you think this could be the last fight if you win at lightweight?

[Bradley Martyn]

It's not my job. You know, we will sit and talk with Dana, with my managers and. But I want to fight more years.

[Steiny]

Because if you beat Arman, you've cleaned out the entire division.

[Danny Duncan]

Right.

[Bradley Martyn]

But even right now, it's a rematch, you know. Yeah, it's not big sense, you know, to make the rematch. I always want some new name on my list and. But if we're looking for the rankings, Armani, he's deserved fight for the title for sure. He's the number one contender right now and I don't want to look behind him, but I don't see some new, new challenge.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Is there, is there a fight that you do really want? Obviously, you know, we're talking about this one now, but is there one in the future that you do want?

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah, because first time we go all distance is really good fights. We took the bonus performance of the night and. But right now I want to finish him because I'm always good in the rematch and I want to finish him.

[Steiny]

How do you see yourself getting that.

[Bradley Martyn]

Finish inside three rounds? I will because, you know, any chance I have to my. If my opponent give me like small chance to finish, I always looking for the finish and if I have something small option, I will.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What do you think is going to be the biggest difference in this fight than last one with Armand?

[Bradley Martyn]

I don't think it's gonna be a big difference because he have always same style and it's not like secret. I have also good wrestling, same style always. I try to take it by my. My opponents, hold him, make some damage and finish, you know.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Are you keeping in mind the secret, like technique he's talking about?

[Bradley Martyn]

Of course we have plan. We always make plan for any opponents. We sit with the coaches, with the team and we made the plan before.

[Danny Duncan]

You came in here. Brad was trying to tell us that he could beat you in a street fight.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I didn't say that.

[Danny Duncan]

Really big. So I just want to see how you feel.

[Bradley Martyn]

If you want. We have a couple guys here.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, well, you could run it right now. It sounds.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I didn't say it.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I didn't say it. I actually said I thought you'd win.

[Bradley Martyn]

The fight we have Assad, he's really good in the street fight and he have crazy experience, you know.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Have you ever been in a street fight?

[Danny Duncan]

I think the real question is, have you?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I have, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bradley Martyn]

Assad have also fight in the UFC cage. He jumped to the cage and landed couple punch on the McGregor.

[Danny Duncan]

All right. Oh, nice.

[Steiny]

Do you think, do you think he ever fights again, my Gregor?

[Bradley Martyn]

No, I don't think.

[Steiny]

You don't think he'll ever come back? I don't think because I saw Dana said today that he's gonna fight in the fall.

[Bradley Martyn]

No, no. Too much drunks, too much marijuana.

[Danny Duncan]

What if he came to Dageshan and you trained him? Could you get him right?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Who?

[Danny Duncan]

McGregor?

[Steiny]

That guy's not stepping foot in dance.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's not going.

[Danny Duncan]

What I mean by that is like if he came there, could you, could you guys fix him?

[Bradley Martyn]

No, too far, too gone. You know, we're going to come to Dagestan and we're not friends. Yeah, we don't want to come.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

If you weren't fighting, what do you think you'd be doing in your life?

[Bradley Martyn]

I don't know, maybe some business. Honestly, because, you know, all my life I did same things. I never thinking like I will do, I will do this because. And I'm still not doing some business because I don't want to. Thinking in the training, I was my business of going there. I have my, my team, my brothers who take care of this, where I invest some money. But I'm never thinking about this, like.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Singular focus on the fight.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah, of course. Because if you're thinking about something inside the gym, it's dangerous. You know, you have to be 100% in the gym training, focus. But if you're thinking, oh, how much I make today, how much my company, how much my business. Thinking you're not in the gym, you're.

[Steiny]

Getting a lot of business opportunities, I'm sure. So you're purposely just saving.

[Bradley Martyn]

Of course I did. I did something. Some investing.

[Steiny]

Yeah.

[Bradley Martyn]

But I have people who take care of, you know, if I need, I can ask them what are the numbers like last month. But I don't control. I never go inside to watch, you know. No, I have one job and I am 100% there, and I don't have times to control something.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

In your opinion, who do you think is the most underrated fighter in the UFC right now?

[Bradley Martyn]

Mossad. Mossar, 1:49. Yeah, this guy's tough. His style, you know, hard to finish opponents. You know, he has style, pressure Them take them down, make some damage, but it's hard to finish. But last fight, he. He have good fight against Aljaman. But who can finish Algerman? You know, they both have almost same style. And Algerman former champion, you know, But Mouse are looking good in this fight. Try to. He tried. He told us, I will try to finish it, but very hard. Mossad just beginning to strike with him. Audio go try to take him down. You know, it's very good fighting, but he's a. He has. He have opportunity to be a UFC champion, you know.

[Steiny]

How do you see the Umar and Merab fight playing out?

[Bradley Martyn]

It's tough fight. Merab, you know, it's hard worker, you know, who come from the bad life and training because of hard work. He's a champion right now, you know, And I know he want to defense his belt. And he training so hard for Omar. But Omar is also last 10 years he training with us. Hard worker, you know, he's his dream. He wake up, he sleep with the to be UFC champion. He have everything to be UFC champion. Because, you know, this guy is so hungry.

[Steiny]

I've seen you guys talking too recently about Coach Habib.

[Bradley Martyn]

Is.

[Steiny]

Is he like a little too crazy in the gym now pushing you guys? Because the way you guys talk about it seems.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah, of course. Always not executes, always training just one way. Training, training so hard.

[Steiny]

What makes him so crazy? Like in the gym, he's just like more, more and more.

[Bradley Martyn]

It's not crazy, you know, I understood. You know, he's. This is like what his father did always. But with his father, we can sit and talk a coach today I'm a little bit tired. Can I do something else? But with Habib, it's not working.

[Steiny]

What happens if you tell him, like, I'm a bit tired today.

[Bradley Martyn]

Do something else. Go running, but not rest. One day I asked him Wednesday, like middle of the week, you know, maybe I'm gonna rest because tomorrow I have sparring. He said yes, okay, okay, you can rest. And Friday after training, I made the video and asked him, hey, how's this week? How's everybody working? What do you think your opinion? I just make Instagram story say like I put from the five. Four. I say. I asked him, why four? Because everybody working hard this week. Because Wednesday you take rest. That's why. It's for who.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Who's your. When you train with your crew, who gives you the toughest challenge?

[Bradley Martyn]

I have my training partner. You know, I'm not sparred with Habib. He's So big now he's not sparring, but I have one of the best sparring partners now. What. What the make our team. It's great. You know, we have Lara high level athletes and we push each other every day. Everybody have good coaches, good gyms. But one of the things what we have more than everybody, they're the killers in the gym.

[Danny Duncan]

You know, it's like tapping out. Ever an option or would you pass out before?

[Bradley Martyn]

No, I sleep.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Bradley Martyn]

Our. Our rules inside the gym.

[Danny Duncan]

Tapping outs never, never happens in Dagestan, does it?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Damn.

[Bradley Martyn]

Sometimes happens. You know, you have to be smart. You know, it's not about, like, unpossible. I mean, but you have to be smart. And I don't want to put myself in some position where I have to tap.

[Danny Duncan]

How come isn't Hasbullah from Dagestan? Yeah, how come his grappling's still pretty weak?

[Bradley Martyn]

He improved.

[Danny Duncan]

Have you been? Can we get him? I mean, he's right down the street from you.

[Bradley Martyn]

He has to make some fight, you know, to show people.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Stan, you should go over there and.

[Bradley Martyn]

Challenge him and show people his level in mma because you hang with him.

[Steiny]

Once in a while.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah, we just meet him last night. He came from Dagestan yesterday with Korban. Corban bring me honey after the win. I own Dagestan. Honey try.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Awesome.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, that's great.

[Steiny]

You don't want to take too much of your time. I know you're cutting weight.

[Bradley Martyn]

You had a big week.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Do you have any of that honey you said you had? Honey.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You have some of that. I want to try it.

[Danny Duncan]

It's not your honey, bro.

[Bradley Martyn]

No, obviously it's when you come to Dagestan, you will try.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Okay.

[Bradley Martyn]

Nothing.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

We should go again. Yeah, I love to go again.

[Danny Duncan]

We're all rooting for you. We're all in your corner, so thank you. If that makes sense.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Hold on a second. You asked me last last time and you were rooting for the other guy.

[Danny Duncan]

Who?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Armin. You just said. You said you.

[Danny Duncan]

I like. I said I like to make the underdog feel good. You know what I mean?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I was just crazy.

[Bradley Martyn]

I'm waiting for you in.

[Danny Duncan]

You're way more intimidating when you're saying April, April, April.

[Bradley Martyn]

You will come to Dagestan, brother.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, I'll be there.

[Bradley Martyn]

Invite you.

[Steiny]

Danny was scared to come last time he didn't come.

[Danny Duncan]

I'm not scared of why. I said busy.

[Bradley Martyn]

He didn't come by this guy who I make the podcast. What is guy name? I don't know. She asked me, Russia have WI fi.

[Danny Duncan]

You do? Obviously, bro. What do you think about that? When they people like that think you guys are living in a village, man.

[Bradley Martyn]

Just open YouTube or, I don't know, Google. Yeah, this is crazy question make me like, surprise. You know, Russia have WI fi. They think everybody training with beer, like, you know, it's crazy. And you guys have to come to Russia and show us people how it's beautiful and they have best WI fi in the world, very cheap and speed very high.

[Danny Duncan]

Sounds good.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Awesome.

[Danny Duncan]

Thank you, bro.

[Bradley Martyn]

Thank you, guys.

[Kyle Forgeard]

We'll be rooting for you, bro.

[Steiny]

Thanks, brother.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

All right.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Good morning. How's this camp been for you so far?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Awesome. Good training camp and we're ready.

[Steiny]

Is this your first time doing a. A long camp in the United States?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Before fight in ufc? We're always doing. We always prepare here.

[Steiny]

Is it different when you like, leave Dagestan to come train to the United States? Do you like it here?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

You know, we have to do this. It's not about like or not like if you want to be champion, you have to sacrifice. And we always came to us before on fight, like six or seven weeks.

[Steiny]

I saw Khabib talking about sacrifice and we asked Islam too. But do you feel like you've had to sacrifice a lot to. To get to where you are now?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

It's not. It's. It's not. It's not nothing special. You know, everybody have to do this. If you want to be successful, you have to sacrifice.

[Steiny]

How do you. How do you see yourself beating Merab in this fight?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Destroy. Maybe it's. It's going to be some finished. But I want to destroy him, show him like. I want to show people is my, like who I am. And I am much better than him as a fighter.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

In. In one word. How would you describe your like, fighting style?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

New generation fighter, you know, everybody upcoming like me. Everybody know how is grapple, wrestle, how is punching kicks. You know, a lot of guys now like doing mix.

[Steiny]

What do you like to do in Dagestan when you're not training?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I'm always training, unfortunately. Unfortunately.

[Bradley Martyn]

Right.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Unfortunately, we always have to train. And I, I do sometimes I go some natural filming on the like on drone.

[Steiny]

Oh, you fly the drone?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Yes. I love it. And sometimes I spent my. I try to spend time with my family, with my friends, be on the camp, not like before fights, like six or eight weeks. But even I have to train, you know, I have to be in good shape. And you never know when opportunity will come.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I feel like you guys are like robots out there. Almost like you guys are just. Everyone has the same sort of answers as far as like what they're doing.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

It's just like even with these schedules, I felt I'm not trained how I have to, you know, even, even if I train all the time, I think I have to because a lot of guys are coming, you know, a lot of guys. Will everybody want to beat you, right? In ufc, in, outside the ufc, in other organizations, everybody want to take this build and you have to compare with high level fighters and you can say I won't if you want, you have to retire it.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What's like the most exciting part of.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Fighting for you in the cage or in the cage when they said like fight, when judge said fight, that moment exciting and after that for you all, your all world for you, it's in the cage.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

This, this idea because we keep, we interview a lot of people. Like we just talk to Islam, but it's from the people from Dagestan and Russia in general. Is, is it like everyone treats themselves very like, like very singularly focused on what they're doing or is it just specifically in the fight game or is it specifically in that camp where you guys all are.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

If we're talking about my teammate, I saw our guys all the time in the gym, you know, okay, you have training camp, it's six or seven, eight weeks, right? For that moment, you train to prepare for the fight condition. What about other time you can just rest because you have to improve your skills. You have to become much better in grappling, in wrestling, in kicks, in like everywhere, right? Because it's a high level competitive sport. And if you, if you will after fight, go to some places enjoying there like three weeks and you will come back to home, do like some other things what can, like take your time, you know, you will not, you will be fighter. A fighter like who win three times, lose three times and you like middle fighter, like middle level fighter. But if you want to be champion, you have to sacrifice.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

So like losing zero momentum is kind of the goal. Like never taking kind of time off. Is this like the diet, the food, the sleep, everything. Even outside of like your training camps, it's always, you're just always dialed.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

No, no, even if I'm not on the diet, my weight not coming up, you know, because of I, I do train. Like even if I do one time, even if I came to gym and grapple like 30 minutes, it's enough, you know, you will be in the good shape, you know, and about diet. I eat burgers, I drank, I drink soda, you know like. And so you do that during camp?

[Steiny]

During camp, like water.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

No, like I know I don't mean alcohol. I mean like sodas, like some juices, you know. And I'm not the person who like. Like Christiana, I know he's following diet all his life, you know I'm not like that. But when I'm trained like even one time my, my ways stopping like like 155, 158 middle like that always like same.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

But you guys, you never like let loose. You never just like off and like.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Yes. I'm not become obese like fat. I always.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

No I mean like do you ever.

[Danny Duncan]

Just like he said he's a burger in a soda once in a while.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

No. Yeah, I guess. I mean not just diy, it's like just the rest of your life. You're just.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

It's after fight. I raised, I raised one one or two week. I'm not trained. It's for me like no trace. Yes. I'm not training. Then I, I go to.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

That sounds so fun.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I, I, I try to spend with my. I do regular life, you know. I'm going walk with my. I play with my kids. Go with my family family some somewhere see like meet with my friends his parents go to my village to mountain village and try to be there a couple days with my father and try to go or hunt you know with him, you know and a lot of things like like a regular life, you know. And we, we when we racing we're going always to Umrah, it's in Saudi. We're going to do like it's worship, you know like for us. And I try to spend my time with good things.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

How many kids do you have?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I have two.

[Bradley Martyn]

Two kids?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Yes, I have a two boy and girl.

[Danny Duncan]

I saw yesterday you and me Rob were going back and forth and you guys seem like you're friendly. But he kept kind of saying that you have to become the man first. Kind of saying like he's giving you this platform. He's the bigger name. Did you feel that way?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

People can talk. People can talk about anything. And you know in my life I never do something what can put in the question like my main things, you know. I always try to act like a man and what he talking about. I don't know if he like what he mean. Like I want to even right now I'm not like logistic understand what he mean. What want to like like explain to me like what about you Talking man, if you're talking about disrespect and you think everybody have to respect to Mirab and they will mends. A lot of guys don't care about Mirab and they don't think he's a man, you know. And even me, I think I'm the more Georgian and a man more than him. If we will look at how he follow Georgian traditional. How is how he follow like his country traditional? Okay. He represent his country with tattoo and with black papa. And what about else? What about life outside the doors? You know what he doing?

[Danny Duncan]

So you think you're probably a better role model.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Anybody better than him?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, but how do you deal with a guy who can like face plant ice and like swim forever? And has the crazy.

[Danny Duncan]

Have you seen that clip of him diving?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Even this video was like some kind. You know, like everybody laughing, you know, nobody understand why he did this. Because he can jump with legs, right. He will go down, but with eyes to his head. I don't know, maybe he won't some hype. But if we will see if you watch two other videos where he did with some women's like what he did with some like, he think it's funny. He do his bets with alcohol and I don't know, like for me, is he propaganda a lot of bad things and he. I think he have to think about himself before to tell anything to me.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

That's what I'm saying.

[Danny Duncan]

Like a strong neck, right?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He just stood up like nothing happened.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Other guys can do this. Like you think just him.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Give like, you know, like a lot of guys, like you can open YouTube and looking for something crazy. Thanks. Are a lot of guys gonna come to that and you will see how people do something stupid things. It's not just him, Umar.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

If you could fight anyone in UFC history or like share the octagon with, who would it be?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

So it's going to be. It's all history. Jose Aldo on his prime.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Yeah. He was amazing fighter.

[Danny Duncan]

How special is it for you to just share this card with Islam? Seems like you guys have a lot of daggies came over here.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

It's.

[Danny Duncan]

How many are there over here? Probably like 150.

[Steiny]

Yeah. How many Dagestan made the trip boys.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Came with with us? 30 or more. Some of guys will come to like close to fight, you know, support and you know, for me, of course, I'm, you know, feeling like awesome and I even can explain to you guys what what I feel when we like, I'm like, no amazing card. Amazing Fights and two builds for our team. And three. Three. All of us will fighting amazing. You know, it's amazing.

[Steiny]

Do you envision that moment in the octagon, like getting the belt wrapped around you?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I have many times I saw even dream how they give it to me belt, you know, soon it's gonna become true.

[Steiny]

Do you think you got Marab's head at all? I know the.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I don't care about that. I don't think about that. I don't. I really don't care what he. He about him. Like, what his mind, like, why he do something, why he. It's not my business, you know, I have to. I did everything what I have to. I prepare for this fight. I. I'm ready and I will take this belt. And for me it's enough. You know how he act, how he do he have to think wrestling.

[Steiny]

Wise people say he's like, obviously an amazing wrestler. How do you compare your wrestling to his?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I don't care about that. And I think even if you like, if. If it's going to happen, me and him will do wrestling match. I will not lose. I will smash there too. You know, I don't care about his wrestling skills, about something like, no, I'm good, I'm confident.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What's the first thing you do after, like a big win?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I'm gonna wish Islam to win first of all, inshallah. I want to give it to him good energy. And after that I will continue train. It's not gonna be first thing what I will do, but it's not enough. It's not finished for me. I will become a champion and I want to become one of the greatest fighters.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Who.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Who would you want to be like the first title defense once you.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

For me, it doesn't matter, but probably it's looking like it's gonna be Shonamele because he right now number one, you know, and it's looking like it's gonna be him. And it's gonna be I think in summer easy fight.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

How do you think you finish Merab?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

I don't like to talk like I will do something exactly, you know, but then I have to do this when you're talking, you have to do. But for me, it doesn't matter. I just want to show like I'm much better than him. And I just want to beat this guy and take both. For me it's this one. Important things for me are there all of like Finnish destroyed. Like, I'm good. I know I will not give it to him even one round after the.

[Steiny]

Fight, is there or when you come here and you're not about to fight, Is there any American fast food that you like?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

We have some good places to eat where we want to go to eat. You know, like burgers, like some meals. What we can eat after fights?

[Steiny]

After fight. Is there a specific spot like McDonald's or.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Like, we're looking for this and we find in Instagram, there is restaurants. We're looking for, like, you know, in. There's pages, like, good. Good meals and I think. But, you know, always, like, after fights, nothing important. You know, you just enjoy. You don't care about food, water, drinks, and you just want to go home to see your family.

[Danny Duncan]

He was saying before you came in here that he would beat you in a street fight.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He's saying this to everyone now.

[Danny Duncan]

The big guy over there, he's saying.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

He will tie it.

[Danny Duncan]

Huh?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

He will tire it. Two minutes.

[Danny Duncan]

That's what. Yeah. I was taking your bag after that.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

What you're gonna do?

[Danny Duncan]

That's what I think, too. Yeah. So there you have it. Yeah.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

You don't need this.

[Danny Duncan]

You don't want it.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I didn't say that, but it's. It's okay.

[Danny Duncan]

Stand on business one time.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I haven't. If I said it, I would say it. I would stand on it. You just keep.

[Danny Duncan]

I get scared once you're sitting with you. It's crazy, bro. Yeah.

[Islam Makhachev]

All right.

[Steiny]

We don't want to take up too much your time. We know you're cutting weight, you got a big week, and we wish you the best of luck, bro.

[Danny Duncan]

Thank you. Appreciate you.

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Thank you so much.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Thank you.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yes.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Thank you, Ali.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

See you, brother. One.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yes.

[Bradley Martyn]

Yes, sir.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What's going, man?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Good.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Good to meet you, bro.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Be careful what you wish for.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

You want to fight professional fighter, right?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I want.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Get guy.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Every time I see him, he tries to get me.

[Danny Duncan]

Before you were here, you were saying he could take two of you.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

He did say that.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He did say that wrong. No, I didn't say that. No, he.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

He did say that. He said two.

[Islam Makhachev]

Just do.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Trolley.

[Danny Duncan]

What's up, bro?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

What's up?

[Steiny]

Robbing the house.

[Danny Duncan]

How are you?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Let's go. I'm good. Before we start, I guess you guys are friends with Sean O'Malley, right?

[Danny Duncan]

It's our guy.

[Steiny]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry.

[Bradley Martyn]

Whoa.

[Danny Duncan]

That's our guy, bro. You got it.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I'm sorry, but not sorry.

[Danny Duncan]

You want to go to him? You get through all four of us. If you want to. If you want that to happen. We can.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, I beat him. Nobody. I don't see nobody there. Nobody helping him.

[Steiny]

We tried to hop in. They wouldn't let us.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, it's okay. It's okay. Team Walt tried to help, but we'll see.

[Danny Duncan]

What's up with that clip of him calling you out?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

What was he saying?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, okay. He say, merabi, you have to be patient. But that's. That's cheating. That's not. That's not. That's not sports. Sports and sportsmanship way, you know, to beat me, you have to train hard. Not like I try to distract me.

[Steiny]

When you're in the octagon, you can, like, hear that.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, I'm very focused that time when I fight, of course, I see everything. You see when Sean throws, spinning back kick, and then he. I back up. He missed it.

[Islam Makhachev]

I'm like.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I make fun of him. Did you see this? So, yeah, I'm worried when I'm fighting. Very patient, you know, I see everything. I see my opponent, and really, I hear. Because the. His corner was close to me, and he was. He was. Talk to me, and usually my corner is calling my name and they give me instructions and telling me what to do or something like this. But once I start fighting and he started talking about me and I tell him, talk to your guy. Don't. Don't do this to me. You know, this is not right. And then.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, sounds like you let him get in your head a little bit.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He sounds like you let him get in your head a little bit.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, but, bro, I'm a normal guy, you know, I'm not. How I'm gonna ignore, you know, like, you call me, know, I'm. I don't know. I don't understand.

[Steiny]

Is this one more personal than the sugar fight?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yes, Sugar fight. I mean, you know, he. He disrespect me sometimes. He was just ignoring me. That was nothing personal with, like, nothing like, other than, like, he was. Omali was talking trash. Me and my friend Aljo and stuff like this. He's. Well, he's who he is. But, like, nothing like this, you know, he. No, Umar is personal.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

He said something about representing your country better than you or something like that, like in this podcast.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

So, yes, the things like that. Yeah, like, he. He even say, I'm not Georgian. I'm.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

This is what he was saying.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah. So that's. Yeah, that's okay. He's going to. He's going to get slapped for that. So Umar said, I'm not Georgian?

[Steiny]

No, he said he's more Georgian than you. And he represents Georgian values better than you.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, bro, he represents nothing. He can't represent Dagestan. He's not Russian. He's not Georgian. He can't represent nothing. You know, he's not Russian. He's the from Dagestan, but he represents Russia. What kind of. And then he's saying he's Georgian now. Good luck. Okay, how do you see.

[Steiny]

How do you see this fight playing out?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

It's gonna be tough fight. He's. As a fighter, he's good. Well, not well rounded. But my main train partner is Al Jama Sterling, the best grappler and, you know, high level fighter and I train with him and I trained with Ilya Topuria and many high level guys. Pachy mix.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Do you. Did you train this fight any differently than the Sean O'Malley? Do you focus on anything?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yes, of course. Every fight is different. Shauna Mali, he's more stand up and he has a knockout power. He hits hard.

[Islam Makhachev]

He.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

He's smart. And despite Omar, we all know he. He wrestling and grappling still. And yeah, I was training a little bit different for this fight.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Who's like the hardest hitter you faced? Like in the octagon?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I would say Josialdo O'Malley is tricky. You know, if he. If you not be patient, he hits harder.

[Steiny]

Do you think that was the best Sean O'Malley that night, or do you think it was your style that just threw him off?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

He said himself, no excuse. Yeah, yeah, you know, he. I think he was. He was himself, but I. Yeah, he was. He was best. Yeah, I mean, I believe. I mean, now he's saying after the interview, he said he. He had no excuse, he lost the fight. And next day, I think he say he watched the fight, he win the fight and he wants rematch. I said, okay, let's go because we both in same situation. We can fight in November because you know, me and Omali, we fought same day and we have same time until next fight. We was in same situation and I said, let's fight in November because. But when you were saying, oh, how about I fight November, bro. No, you was relaxing. He was waiting. Not you, you. For you. I need more time. I need preparation. You like sitting in a couch and training. I need more time with you. And this is new fight. But with Omali, yes, no problem. Whenever he will come back, I. I'm. I'm willing to give him rematch. No problem.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You know, you think the hip, the hip is just. Or he didn't get surgery because he had like hip surgery.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

So like we all have some problems. Like, you know, I have some problems and I'm dealing with this and I will DO surgery maybe 10 years later or whenever, when I have it layoff, like between fights, I will do surgery. I did the surgery right after I put Peterian. I was, my hand was broken and I did after the fight, you know that I injured before the fight. I did surgery, I win. Then after the fight when I fought Breadcrumb 2019, I had big problem in my arbor, some nerve. And I did surgery right after fight. So I mean he was dealing with this injury before years and so that was his choice.

[Danny Duncan]

That viral clip of you when you dove into the ice lake, did you. Did you not go far down deep enough to test if there was ice or was it because it looked pretty cold. So I was a little confused. It wasn't the summertime.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, you gotta wake up my friend.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah. No, no, but I made you. I mean you took it like a champ. I'm just curious.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah, you didn't want to test it.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

You guys saw what happened there.

[Danny Duncan]

You look like a beast. Like it didn't hurt you.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, no. Okay, stop. You just like, you don't have to. You don't have to lick my ass. So tell me.

[Danny Duncan]

Okay, I thought. I mean. Yeah, you didn't look like the smartest guy jumping into the ice.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yes. Okay, say like this. Got it. So what happened was, you know, me and Aljo, we. We both was training New York. And the New York is summertime. No, winter time. It's. Sometimes snow comes. And when snow comes, the gym was closed and they said road is not clear, stay home. And I was running to the park and there is the lake in the park and I decide to jump dive in a cold water after run. You know, I was sweating and stuff like this and I. I set up my phone, I just turn it on and leave it in the snow. And I take my clothes off and I decide to just jump in the water. But so water was like this deep because I know, I know before like it wasn't too deep. So I. And the on top looks like a snow. But I don't realize it was freezed. Why I don't check it was freeze because when it's cold, oh, I don't want to feel it, I just want to dive it, you know. And so. And I was more focused to jump smart to don't hit the ground. I wanted to just jump like this. And then just I. I set up my phone and Video because I want to just post a 10 second story in Instagram. And did you feel rocked at all?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Were you like that? Kind of.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

So I take my clothes off and I'm focusing to dive. Smart. And as soon as I dive, I felt in my skin cut off. I grabbed my head and I felt that skin was coming off and I'm like, I'm so stupid.

[Danny Duncan]

I have to give you credit because I didn't know that you recorded it and you posted it. So after doing it, you're like from.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Throwing this story and, and then of course, soon as I cut my hair head, I forget this video and everything. I'm, I'm so stupid. I should check because I was worried to. Don't, don't miss two days from the gym that I was running and trying my best to stay in a shave. But now I have to miss one week or even maybe 10 days because I have to do stitches. Right? I'm worried about this. I have to go hospital, stay in the line, get cold there, you know, it's up. And so I put my T shirts on her head and I'm walking home. Now I can't even run. I have cuts all over my head and oh, I, I, I forgot. I take a video and check my phone. I look and I laugh at myself. You know, should I post this? But if I post, a lot of people like you will say I'm stupid. But you know what I said, I'm not hiding nothing. I will post it. I once I posted like at least 10, 000 followers added and they show news in Georgia, in Europe, like UFC fight Ameridolish really breaking.

[Danny Duncan]

He said, wait really quick. I just want to say you, you took it like a beast. So that's what I took away. I was like, how the is he walking after that? That's how I looked at it. Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

You'Re good.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, it was, it's a legendary quit.

[Steiny]

It's legendary.

[Danny Duncan]

Savage.

[Steiny]

Was, was Dana upset at that one too, or.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

No?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, that time I wasn't busy in ufc. I was, yeah, I was waiting for my fight. I don't had any fights and I'm sure then I don't see, then I don't never, never like tells you in person like this. You know, when Mehdi ask, how about Mera did this? How about Merap not doing this? And then he's like, mera, does it.

[Steiny]

Suck when you see Dana like saying that, seeing that, saying, you know, last.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Time he said good things about me. The, the media try to ask him oh, how about Merab was going crazy with Umar and you're gonna punish Merab? And then I say, what are you talking about? You know, I was gonna go somewhere else that day. Now actually, I moved this something else. And now actually, I'm going to this fight. That's how I upset. I am. And he actually defend me. And then I'm like, oh, thank you. Like, because it's always hard, you know, Even Aljo, my friend, you know, when our boss talking public about us, we want to because we are company. Every time they tell us, hey, you have to fight there. Okay, let's go fight. No problem. We always step up, and that's what we're doing. And we are grateful for UFC and we love. We are. We are very loyal and. Yeah, so. But sometimes the journalists try to provocate.

[Steiny]

What did you do after you won the belt?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Celebrate with my friends and family members.

[Danny Duncan]

Excess.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Excess. Yeah.

[Steiny]

You guys have a lot of chicks there or no?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, yeah, but I was so busy. I was like at least three hours. I was taking pictures.

[Steiny]

You got to let some girls hold the belt, though, right?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Oh, yeah, of course. That's very important, bro.

[Steiny]

That's the right ones only, though.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Any girl can hold the belts, no problem.

[Steiny]

Really? That's your style?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, no holdables. That's fine. But yeah, right one you got.

[Steiny]

You guys live in Vegas, right? Do you guys go out? Go out there.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

We have fun. Aljo has fiance. He's getting married. He's been good, good boy since I know him. And me, I'm trying to date smart girls, you know?

[Steiny]

Yeah. Have you been dating at all or. No.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Keep a secret?

[Bradley Martyn]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Well, if you were. If you were to take a girl, what's your like, Go to first date if you take a girl out.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Keep it. Keep it.

[Danny Duncan]

That's just. I like that you got to be mysterious. You can't let them know what they're getting into. Right.

[Steiny]

I'm just.

[Danny Duncan]

What's yours, bro?

[Steiny]

I feel like topgolf in Vegas is a nice day.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, that's a good one. Can you. Do you play any other sports? Recreationally.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Any other sports? Actually, I'm only good with fighting.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Good swimmer, though. What, you're a good swimmer, though?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, I can swim, but I'm not gonna say I'm a good swimmer.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah. I like swim. I like play football.

[Danny Duncan]

American football?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No. Georgian football? No, not American football. Yeah.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Rob, is there a fighter you always wanted to face, like in the UFC, but haven't yet?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Sean O'Malley was the guy I always wanted to fight Sean O'Malley. And even I already thought I would like to fight him again. Because we all know like rematches it's not go always same way. Like Kamaruzma beat Leon Edwards. Next fight was different, you know, Leonidas knock him out and I mean, you know, I want to give him chance, you know. And other than Shannon Mali, it's no. No one else even a different weight class. Old fighter, new fighter, that is. I'm. I. I just always want to challenge the best guy and then most deserving guy, you know, whoever deserved more.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Did you. Did you notice after the Sean O'Malley fight if you got more popular? You know, we talked earlier about getting like 10000 followers after the viral sort of like incident with your head.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

After the Sean O'Malley fight, did you get. Get a lot more followers? Like did you notice that?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Not much. I was. I was just maybe. Maybe 100, 000. What do you mean? Like just no knowing.

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like after the fight, you. How much did your like, did it grow significantly your account?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Not much after the fight. Not much. But. But yeah, I'm a champion now.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

And I always had this question. I. You do a lot of like really kind of funny comedy skits. Is that. Is that just you doing it or do you have people helping you come with the ideas?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

It's usually my idea. It's organic, you know, because like it was so easy to make fun of Sean O'Malley because. Yeah, and I was trying to try to. It was so easy. And then especially I find the. The guy that. Who look like Omali. That was so much easy. And yeah, I have my. My brother, my friend who's helping me with editing and. But usually it's my idea and maybe we talk together sometimes. Me Aljo. Aljo used to do this fine, fine funny skits like even five, six years ago. And he's very good with this. You know, I'll do is good but usually like it's organic. Yeah, like I don't have to.

[Danny Duncan]

You're pretty. You're a funny guy.

[Steiny]

Yeah, very, very funny guy.

[Danny Duncan]

It's good. Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Thank you guys.

[Steiny]

What do you expect from the press conference tomorrow? Because last time you guys kind of stole the show.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, because I was mad about him.

[Danny Duncan]

He.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Like I said, you know, he. He disrespect me online and in. In, in. In. In press conference, he said I never disrespect. And then that was not right for me. And this time just. I will like we're gonna fight Saturday, so. And then I'm, I'm, I'm. I don't have like nothing to prove tomorrow. I don't want to fight there. You know, like one month ago I really wanted to fight him, you know, in, outside really. Now I want to fight in a cage.

[Danny Duncan]

Once somebody starts talking about your country and like where you come from, is that when it really triggers you?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Of course, man. Country is more than religion for me and my country is everything for me. And I'm ready for die for my country, you know, because we are small country and we always used to defend our country from enemies. And you know, Georgia, my country means everything for me. And when somebody disrespect, disrespect my country. Of course. Yeah, yeah. My country also. It's a nice beautiful country and smart people and good people, you know, you.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Think the fight goes the distance to decision.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Who knows?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

But one thing I know I'm gonna win this fight.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

What do you, what do you think is going to be the biggest difference in this fight for you?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, I don't, I mean, I don't know. It's going to be a good fight. It's going to be a good fight. You know Umar is a good fighter. He never lost before. And we all know his Kabir's cousin, he got little easy way to got here because he wasn't fighting a ranked opponent. And then he got straight to Corey Sanhegan and he win against Corey Sanhegan. Now boom, straight to the belt. But usually you have to fight the ranked guys like, like Aljo was fighting ranked guys. Like he beat so many ranked guys. Like you know that time you had.

[Steiny]

A long way to the belt too. You really, you earned it probably more than anyone.

[Danny Duncan]

Peter. Yawn, right?

[Steiny]

We watched, we were there for that fight that you, you were dumping them Beast there.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Was a good one too.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I think after Peter I deserve to fight for the belt. But Sean fight rematch against Chito Vera and I have to fight somewhere else and then if we know more, you fight more there is more risk that you may lose and you never maybe get title.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Opportunity and thank God I was able to win all my fights and I earned that title fight. And when Umar call me fake champion, of course I'm mad. You know, that's the problem.

[Steiny]

Is it intimidating having Khabib in their corner?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, it's, it's. For me it's nothing. I'm professional.

[Steiny]

And he might be yelling more than Tim Welch, right?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, but he will yell it but he's not gonna tell me anything, you know, I'm saying he's professional. Khabib is respectful fighter and a respectful coach. He's not going to try this cheap way and like cheating way. You know, I respect the Umar's team and no problem. I have no problem with them. They never disrespect me or something like this. And yeah, the one I saw before me and Omali fight, I see Tim Walsh interview with Schmo and he say, oh, Merab has seven inch nose, he's five, three and we're going to target his nose. And it's not coach job to make fun of me, you know, I was mad the time too, you know, because coach, you have to focus on your fight, you have to focus on your training and not like talk trash because me and Omali, we can talk trash because we're going to fight, we're going to find out who's better fighter, somebody will give respect, shake hands, move on, that's okay. But when somebody teammate talking about fighter or coach, it's not right, you know, because we are professional fighters, we deserve respect, you know, that's all. Yeah.

[Steiny]

How do you see your like title reign playing out? Like how many times do you want to fight and would you ever move? I guess Toporia is up at the next weight class.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

But so me, I just want to be busy. Like my plan was to after Omali fight, come back in March and start from there like after six months like usually every champion does. But now I have to come back quick, turn around with Umar. God willing, I'm going to win this fight. And after I want to do same plan like I had before. I want to fight in March. If Omali will be ready for March, I will fight O'Malley. If not, Peter is ready March. I will fight Peter.

[Steiny]

March already?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Wow.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Like I had plans before and then I think O'Malley wants to come back in April and I will fight April in Miami too. So. And then March and April, if they give me.

[Danny Duncan]

You would do that?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I will do it. If UFC wants this, I will do it. Wow. Because after I fought Henry Cejudo three weeks later, I make weight again for no. I was Becca fighter for Omali Chitovera. And so in 11 months, this is my fourth time making weight, which is pretty impressive. Yes. Because the weight cut is the hardest. Because now as you guys saw me, I'm skinny now. I'm like 10 pounds lighter than what I usually I am and I still have to cut 10 more pounds, which is the hardest I have to workout. I will done interviews with you guys. I have to sweat tonight. I have to cut five pounds and stay without drink, without food. And tomorrow also no food, no drink. And tomorrow I still have to cut.

[Steiny]

No food at all.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, that's. I have a little bit my own style and. And tomorrow. So I have to sweat a lot to cut like four pounds and lay down in bed. No sleep comes.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah.

[Steiny]

Obviously we have so much respect for you guys and what you do like in the ring, but the weight cutting to me and then you guys have to do all this media, too. I don't know how you guys do it.

[Danny Duncan]

You. Did you sleep the night before the O'Malley fight?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Night before? I sleep like a baby. No problem. But to Wayne, before, like, Thursday night, like Friday morning, I can't sleep. Like, zero.

[Steiny]

Just too excited or. Because the weight cut?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

The weight cut?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, because. Yeah, you need water. You need like, just. You lay down and you so hydrated and you just. You just want to check weight.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Do you ever try to, like, take melatonin just to get you to go to sleep?

[Steiny]

I'm like, actually, how about rain sounds?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Just.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Yeah, like rain sounds or like something to calm you down.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

You're right. I'm sorry.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

No, I'm serious.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right. UFC PI actually give us melatonin, like pills, but I will take two nights. But tomorrow you need to drink water to. When you take period.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

You'll take the gummy bear ones if you have. There's like gummy sleep ones that are.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like 10 of these.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Because we have a friend, Siddiq. He takes something. He was edible. He was high.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Oh, he's talking.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I don't think.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

No, like, I'm talking about the cvs.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I've never tried. Maybe Paul Joe.

[Islam Makhachev]

I was.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

I'm generally curious.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I got a question, though, about the. Obviously the weight cut. I understand why you have a hard time sleeping.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

It's.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

It's really because, like, the water and because of the carbohydrates, it really makes it really hard if you're not eating enough to sleep. But have you noticed more fights? It's gotten harder for you to do the weight cuts to get to weight. Like, as you fought more and more throughout your career, as you've aged, has it gotten harder?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, actually, it's getting easy because I learned some things from Aljo and they always pushing me. Come on, bro, drink more water. And then I. I learned a little bit easier way. So before I used to kill myself, I used to From Monday to Friday morning I used to not drink and not eat nothing. But now today I was still sipping water. Like I said I have some water here like just to sip. And like yesterday I was drinking, I was drinking. So like Monday and Tuesday I'm still drinking. Wednesday sipping. And now of course like I'm not really drinking anything. And so only last two days. I. I do my.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You have a better protocol now, like a better plan?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, much, much better. I think when you're young. I was kid like 13 years old and I was cutting weight to wrestling and I was. Imagine a kid stay without food two days and still have to swing like sweat and run. And that was crazy. So terrible and killed myself and I didn't know what to eat after. And like we all go through. I'm sure Alju is all American and we all have to cut weight and do we learn hard ways. But now thank God technology goes better. I hope my English gets better. I can read good and I can maybe one day understand then trust the process because I have problem. I don't trust. I still do kind of my all the ways, you know.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Because they told me oh keep drink water, keep eating these snacks. But I'm like no, no, no, I don't want to risk, you know. Yeah, that's the thing.

[Steiny]

And then after you feel good once you.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Oh yeah, once I make weight that I have no problem, never issue. I start drinking like sipping water like, like water period lights like minerals like stuff like this. Your water first and like. Like maybe one liter water. You have to. You have like 20 minutes to finish. Don't like drink everything like little by little. And after you can, you can eat fruits like a watermelon, blueberry and raspberry. And because it's easy to digest after you know this you are staying hungry. It's easy to digest first. And after you can start eating pasta, carp and like stuff like this. And I'm good. And like I. I mean daytime I'm still slow but night time, I already coming back, you know, the morning I'm good. Let's go.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

What do you, what do you think you actually fight at? Like when you step in the. In the ring?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

I think like I'm gaining back 18 pounds.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

What?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, yeah, at least.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

18 to 20 pounds is next day is so crazy even night.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

Yeah. 155.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

And then imagine like I keep drinking all this water eating and I don't even go for p. Do like this. I'm so thirsty, dry. Oh yeah. Because imagine like in five days I lose 20 pounds and because it's all water. That's what we do. Yeah. This is the, this is the hardest way to. You know.

[Steiny]

Yeah.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Fighting is real. We all are fighting. You know, it's. It's nothing. Even Aljo now moved up 145 Division and look at him. And he's like, he's how I was making 135. This is sucks. It's like he's like this is not good.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

I feel like you got the most energy out of everyone so far.

[Steiny]

Yeah.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, you do. You got a lot of personality.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Okay.

[Steiny]

Yeah, you're a funny ass guy.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No, you guys cool. And I'm sorry again I beat your friend O'Malley.

[Danny Duncan]

But we'll see in the rematch.

[Steiny]

We're hoping for the rematch. Rematch?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, rematch. If I beat him, rematch, we'll do it again.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

ST doesn't think there's going to be a rematch because he thinks you're going to lose.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Okay. What I'm trying to say.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, FYI I did not say that.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You said that earlier.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

ST Bro, he said you were going to lose.

[Danny Duncan]

I'm taking. I'm siding with you right now. No, I'm not. I can't do that.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Okay. Now he's.

[Danny Duncan]

I don't switch up on my team. Sorry.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

That's crazy. Okay. I was trying, I was trying to come friends with you guys and you want to fight me.

[Danny Duncan]

You can be friends with them but I stay loyal to my people. So if they don't want to loyal.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

To every guy who comes in here. He's loyal to the last one.

[Danny Duncan]

I'm not sure I have to.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, okay. But I respect you already shaking.

[Steiny]

We've had too many legendary.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

He already back up. He's cool. He's cool. So you know, fair enough. I'm joking.

[Danny Duncan]

No, you're just. Do you have any like. Do you have a pre fight ritual or something that you go through every time before the fight?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Nothing. I'm Christian just. I will say God bless me and that's it. You know, nothing. Nothing. I don't. You know I have my Georgian music where I walk on but it's of course give me extra, extra motivation and extra pumped but I don't have nothing specific. You know, as long as I will warm up good. I'm good. Yeah. Nothing I. I believe hard work and I always training hard push my limits and when I go to fights and I all I'm focus on do my best. That's long as I will do my best. I'm happy because even if I lost, but I did my best, I'm happy because I try. I do my best. You know that. That's. I'm. I'm doing same thing in training. Trying to do my best and fighting Same thing. Do my best.

[Danny Duncan]

Yes.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Wait, when you. When you picked up, I think it was Cejudo and you, like, carried him around the ring. Like, did you ever. Do you ever think about that stuff before it happens? Or you're just like, you just. Because I'm just trying to imagine you mid fight, trying to focus on a.

[Steiny]

Fight or like the licking. Did you lick sugar or something?

[Khabib Nurmagomedov]

Yeah.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You kiss?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

No.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You kissed it back. You kissed Omali's back?

[Islam Makhachev]

Yeah.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

You can't kiss him.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like, what's up with that?

[Steiny]

Is that like a troll or is it like totally a troll?

[Arman Tsarukyan]

What?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, because so when I was fighting him, I was controlling him, and he can do really nothing. And. And I tried to choke him. And. And I heard the bell, 10 seconds left, and. And I'm like, no way he's gonna tap out now. But let me make fun of him. Give him father kiss. And I was just kissing, you know, a little bit. Yeah, a little bit make. But. And then, you know, that was a little bit love, you know, from father and. And rapper. He called me, hey, stop that. And I thought it was time over. I let go. I'm like, touch him and like, good job and turn around. And I felt the punch. I realized the time wasn't over. I'm like, oh. And that was it. And then Henry Cejudo. I wasn't thinking before, but before the fight, I was so pocuset. Like, I am now with Umar because Henry Cejudo was Olympic champion and he's a good wrestler. And my style is take people down, right? And. But when I was taking down and when I shoot him and lift, I know that he was my baby. You know, I can hold it. I can control. But as soon as I lift and I was. I lived this way, right? And I was looking for. I turned around, I was looking for Mark Zuckenberg because I know that he was in the. In the crowd. He was sitting next. Next to Octagon. I make eye contact with him. If. If I don't make eye contact with Mark Zuckerberg, and if I don't bring it to him, I will have a fun with sehood. I will walk around, talk, maybe every other person like this. But once I make eye contact with Mark Zuckerberg, I throw in front of him and I punch Them, but it's.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Like, are you mid fight thinking about doing this? So you're just like, you're just like. Because it's like I'm.

[Steiny]

That's crazy to think of in the moment.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

You're just like, I'll do this, this.

[Danny Duncan]

Why, why did that cross your mind? Find Zuckerberg.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Okay, what happened was, yeah, me and Aljo, we are friends with Mark Zuckerberg, you know, online. We, you know, he's, he's training in MMA and he's supporting us when we fighting. And, and actually day before Mark Zuckerberg messaged me, hey, Merab, I will be at your fights tomorrow and good luck. And once I walk to the cage for the fight, I said, hey, Mark, you know, how are you? And then, and then, and you know, I was all time I was talking to hit him. Had had fun, you know, just. But I had confidence. I don't know, I was winning, I was controlling fight and, and it's just hard work, man. It's just. I don't know, something.

[Danny Duncan]

Having a little fun in there.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Yeah, a little fun, you know, last question.

[Umar Nurmagomedov]

But who's like the toughest fighter you've ever faced?

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Like in the Octagon, I will say Josiah Aldo was hard because he's a good takedown defense and he hits hard and he was, he was, when I fought him, he was three fight winning streak and then that was hardest matchup, I would say. Yeah. And yeah, also Peter Yan was good also. And yeah, unfortunately. No, it's okay. I don't want to talk.

[Danny Duncan]

Yeah, yeah, all right.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

But, but to also answer your question, every next fight is tough opponent because it's a new challenge, you know? You know, every next fight now, I'm not focused of my past. I'm looking for my future. And so after tomorrow, right? No, Saturday. Saturday, Saturday. Almost there, almost there. Yeah, yeah.

[Steiny]

This card is sweet though. We're pumped up.

[Arman Tsarukyan]

Really good.

[Danny Duncan]

We'll be there.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Nice.

[Danny Duncan]

You might hear something from the audience because it sounds like you get distracted a little easy.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Oh, good, Please. Hey, cheer for me and chair for Alger when we fight. And you know, if you need the strong friends like me and Aljo, we're here. Okay. For you guys.

[Steiny]

All right, thank you. Thank you, bro.

[Merab Dvalishvili]

Thank you, guys.