Chael Sonnen: WWE & UFC War Stories | Planet Tyrus

Summary

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Planet Tyrus – “Chael Sonnen: WWE & UFC War Stories”

Podcast: Planet Tyrus
Host: Tyrus (Outkick)
Special Guest: Chael Sonnen
Air Date: March 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This high-energy, story-packed episode brings together Tyrus—a pro-wrestler turned comedian and Fox News contributor—and his close friend and guest, MMA legend, commentator, and notorious “heel” Chael Sonnen. True to the Planet Tyrus style, the conversation is brash, unfiltered, and laced with humor, taking listeners backstage into the worlds of pro wrestling and UFC, with detours into culture, politics, and old-school locker room philosophy. The two open up about their roots in combat sports, share outrageous war stories, and don’t shy from hot takes on everything from Ronda Rousey’s reputation to college athlete compensation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brotherhood, Banter, and Song Wars

[01:01-03:27]

• Tyrus introduces Chael Sonnens as his “BFF,” praising his honesty, sarcasm, and wit.
• The two reminisce about how they instantly became friends—over a shared distaste for Tyrus’s entrance music in WWE, which originally belonged to Ernest “The Cat” Miller.
  • Tyrus: “They put his music to me… when they let him go. I tried to reach out… I’d rather come out to AC/DC or Ice Cube.”
  • Chael (02:47): “That's a huge compliment. I really appreciate that… I haven't made a friend in 10 years except for you.”

2. The Realities of Pro Wrestling Creative

[03:27-05:41]

• Tyrus discusses how little control talent has over entrance music and creative direction, relating it to UFC athletes being nudged by promoters.
• He stresses the importance of owning your space as a performer, regardless of creative decisions above you.

3. Toughness, Tryouts, and Tales from the Power Plant

[16:26-27:10]

• Both recount their intense roads into wrestling:
  • Chael tried out at the infamous WCW Power Plant, surviving a grueling physical test:
    • “This trial process was so incredibly hard… like a Navy SEAL process. Two of us made it.” — Chael, 16:48
  • Tyrus on his WWE developmental tryout:
    • “I’m just not gonna quit. I might not win… but they're not gonna get that out of me.” (21:44)
• Both lament today’s “easier” route to wrestling, drawing a contrast to their brutal initiation.
  • “We took away that level of… push to get the best guy, opposed to ‘Well, this guy’s popular on Facebook.’” — Tyrus, 26:32

4. Rhonda Rousey: Victim of Her Own Success?

[06:04-09:13]

• The hosts debate Ronda Rousey’s “heel turn” and public reception:
  • Tyrus: “She's the best heel… People are watching, hoping she gets her ass kicked… She's better off being the bad guy.”
  • Chael: “The best characters are themselves turned up… I do wish more athletes did that, whether the crowd likes it or not.”

5. Legendary War Stories: Booed Heels and Barroom Brawls

[08:20-12:44]

• Tyrus discusses the art of being a heel:
  • “I know what you cheer for. Your boos build my self esteem.”
  • Shares a hilarious story about drinking warm Mexican beer at ringside, nearly vomiting mid-match, then escaping a fine for bleeding by “selling” outside the WWE ring rather than inside.
• Both hosts reflect on bodily fluid mishaps in wrestling vs. UFC, the psychology of the heel, and never letting the crowd (or blood) see you sweat.

6. The Old-School Athlete’s Work Ethic (Or Lack Thereof Today)

[29:13-32:20]

• Both express concern over modern athletes not facing real adversity, softening of tryout and coaching atmospheres, and the implications for sports culture.

7. Crossing the Wrestling/UFC Divide & Chael’s Origin Story

[31:55-34:19]

• Chael reveals he initially intended to be a pro wrestler but pivoted when the opportunity lapsed, instead finding himself pulled into MMA practices led by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson:
  • “I had a fantasy of running into Rowdy Roddy Piper to ask how to get into wrestling. Never ran into him. Ended up meeting Dana White. There's my story.”

8. The Evolution of MMA and Fighter Pay

[34:47-41:22]

• Stories from MMA’s Wild West–era:
  • “We used to have to fight two guys in a night… with no commission, no weigh-ins, no money…” — Chael, 36:39
  • Criticism of UFC’s “evil empire” label and appreciation for Dana White’s advocacy for fighters, despite bad contracts and lawsuits:
    • “It's really never about the money they made. It's about if the company made money.” — Chael, 41:22
  • Tyrus compares it to WWE’s creative and contract structures and calls for more accountability among athletes.

9. College Athlete Compensation, the Transfer Portal, and NIL

[42:30-47:37]

• Vigorous debate on the shift in NCAA policies letting athletes transfer or profit via NIL, and whether this erodes work ethic or loyalty.
• Both hosts advocate for educating athletes on financial responsibility and alternatives to traditional academics:
  • “There's something about loyalty… but I also think teaching our young men and women no accountability doesn't serve them at all.” — Tyrus, 44:44

10. The Power of Sports as Diplomacy (and Trump’s Sports Acumen)

[47:37-51:53]

• Chael connects the funding of U.S. college sports to Olympic and geopolitical influence:
  • “Whoever has more medals in theory has a better military… that's not discussed, but it's one reason presidents show up at the Olympics.” — Chael, 47:37
• Tyrus praises Trump’s engagement in sports, noting his relationships with Ali, Frazier, and the wrestling world.

11. Political Crossover: Succession Talk and Leadership Styles

[51:53-57:02]

• Banter about Marco Rubio’s emergence and the leadership contrasts among right-leaning political stars.
• Tyrus: “He's just a get shit done guy… We’re going to get stability and carry on without the noise.”

12. Amateur Wrestling’s Resurgence & Real American Freestyle

[57:02-63:04]

• Chael describes participating in the commercial campaign for Hulk Hogan’s Real American freestyle wrestling before Hogan’s death—an emotional, surreal episode.
• Tyrus and Chael marvel at the unexpected surge in popularity for amateur wrestling events and credit Eric Bischoff’s quiet, strategic leadership.

13. How Locker Room Talk Made Tyrus a Fox News Star

[65:12-74:38]

• Tyrus recounts his “locker room talk” style that earned him an unlikely spot on Fox News, citing unfiltered “common sense” and a refusal to play television games.
  • “Do I got to wear a suit? No, be you. People lean forward when you talk. We don’t know what it is, but no one else has it.” — Tyrus, 71:08
• Emphasizes the value of being authentic and betting on yourself, even amid the risks of post-athlete life.

14. Q&A: Grappling, Greatness, and Life Lessons

[83:38–95:45]

• Harry and Ryan, show regulars, pepper Chael with questions about the Nogueira brothers meme (“F them if they can’t take a joke”), the real/fake divide in grappling matches, and his famous loss to Craig Jones (“If you want this match to go on, you gotta throw up moves I’ve seen before.” — Chael, 91:13).
• Chael offers sincere inspiration for people facing career struggles:
  • “When you feel those storms, there’s only one way through it, which is forward… Never stop learning, never stop being curious… don't get stuck in the cracks.”
  • [94:47]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the art of the heel
  • Tyrus (08:20): “I know what you cheer for. Your boos build my self esteem.”
• On Ronda Rousey:
  • Tyrus (06:08): “She’s better off at this point, people watching, hoping she gets her ass kicked, opposed to wanting to see her win.”
  • Chael (07:42): “The best characters are just themselves, and they turn it up.”
• On old-school work ethic:
  • Chael (16:48): “This trial process was so incredibly hard… like a Navy SEAL process. Two of us made it.”
  • Tyrus (21:44): “…I’m just not gonna quit. I might not win… but they're not gonna get that out of me.”
• On UFC’s early days:
  • Chael (36:39): “You couldn't have a dream to be an MMA fighter… it was a passion and a hobby… It wasn’t a really good way to like meet a girl.”
  • Tyrus (41:49): “You don’t really have a right to complain now. When your contract’s up, you can come back and be like, hey, I’ve done this… but you signed that piece of paper.”
• Life advice from Chael:
  • Chael (93:21): “When you feel those storms, there’s only one way through it… which is forward… Never stop learning, never stop being curious, but never forget that the world is a big place.”
• Bischoff’s leadership in amateur wrestling:
  • Chael (63:19): “He doesn’t get enough credit. He has done things without using words… this very quiet leadership. I’ve also been very impressed with him.”

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Important Timestamps

• 01:01–03:27 — Tyrus & Chael banter, origins of their friendship, entrance music drama.
• 06:04–09:13 — Ronda Rousey: protagonist, heel, or both?
• 16:26–21:44 — Power Plant tryouts, the old-school wrestler and physical adversity.
• 29:13–32:20 — How modern tryouts and coaching have “softened.”
• 34:47–41:22 — UFC pay and the evolution of fighter contracts.
• 42:30–47:37 — Transfer Portal, NIL, and the meaning of athletic contracts.
• 65:12–71:08 — How Tyrus landed at Fox News: “locker room talk” and authenticity.
• 83:38–95:33 — Q&A segment with Chael: grappling, memes, and inspiration.

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Tone & Style

• Brash, unfiltered, and authentic — Tyrus and Chael speak in a direct, irreverent manner, blending humor with insight (“I called that stupid 800 number a thousand times…”, “If they can't take a joke, F them.”).
• A flourish of “locker room” camaraderie — The banter is genuine and welcoming, with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor and storytelling bravado.
• Generational perspective — Both men mourn the fading of the “old school” ethic, using war stories to impart lessons.

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Summary Takeaways

• WWE and UFC locker rooms, despite the “kayfabe” (performance), are defined by real bonds, competition, and trials of toughness.
• Success requires betting on yourself, embracing whatever role you’re given, and never forgetting your roots—regardless of whether you’re being booed in the ring or fighting for fair pay.
• The business and culture of sports—from pro wrestling to college athletics to MMA—are evolving rapidly, with the tension between tradition and modernity ever-present.
• Whether discussing Ronda Rousey’s reputation, Trump’s affinity for combat sports, or how to get noticed in today’s crowded media landscape, Chael and Tyrus stay true to straight talk and common sense.
• Final lesson: outlast the storm, learn from every setback, and never quit—whether in the ring, cage, or life.

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For wrestling and MMA fans, as well as anyone fascinated by the intersection of sports, culture, and media, this episode delivers raw honesty and memorable anecdotes in every segment.

Transcript

[Tyrus]

This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals. When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail] own the dream.

[Chael Sonnen]

I called the number.

[Tyrus]

Jody Hamilton. I called it. They hung up on me and a girl turns around. I turn to look.

[Harry]

It's a freestyle wrestling match. You and Craig. Real American freestyle. What do you think?

[Chael Sonnen]

They're talking about it. They're talking about it right now. You know what? We're not going to answer your last question. What we're going to do for the last is we're going to tell you a joke because there's a new hot joke going around. Have you guys heard it? What is 6ft tall, charming and disappears in an instant?

[Tyrus]

What it is. Welcome to probably my most favorite anticipated podcast because one of my, well, you don't have a lot of them, but he is my bff. We are brothers from another mother. He is one of the most honest, straight up men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And his smart assery, sarcasm timing is phenomenal. And that's just his bedside manner. And he is a UFC hall of famer. I mean this guy's resume is phenomenal. He's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite people. He's also a podcaster, media personality, a mixed martial art master, and he's one of the most, one of the greatest talkers wrestling UFC of all time. Hands down. And you've already probably already guessed. I'm talking about the one and only Chael Sonnen, one of my favorite people on the planet. Let's not even waste any time. Let's just get him on. Let's get this thing. Let's get it on. You, I don't mind. And again, I state this since I don't feel like we have to continue to bring this, but I also, as a person who is an. Has an addiction to heterosexuality. You are one. You are one of my favorite people on the planet. Like hands down, hands down for a very simple reason. You are so direct and honest that it really brings out the character of other people when you talk to them because you have no filter. But it's not a bad fil. It's not a negative thing. A man Always knows where he stands with you, good, bad, or indifferent. And that, to me, is the best person to know, opposed to a guy

[Chael Sonnen]

who's always a huge compliment. I really appreciate that. You know, I haven't made a friend in 10 years except for you. And I would love to just tell the audience real fast how we, like, hit it off. So we work on gut feel. We get done, and you're walking out. You're walking out of the building. And like, my way of saying goodbye to you is I said somebody calling my mama, like, you turn around and you go, I hate that song. Come back over. And then you give me the full. You know, you give me the full rundown. And you were related to Haku when you were coming, is a shooter. And all of a sudden you're this big guy that's dancing. And I have a totally different opinion. I think that song is so iconic. I do not say that to tease you. I love that song.

[Tyrus]

No, the reason why. But the reason why. I hate the reason why I didn't like the song because it wasn't my song. It was Ernest the Cat Miller song, who was a world champion martial artist and somebody that I looked up to and I spent a lot of time with. And when they let him go, they gave his. They put his music to me. And I. And I saw an interview where he was very upset about it. And so I was like. I tried to reach out to him and be like, you know, I don't make those decisions. You know, I'm a. I rather come out to acdc, Back in Black or Ice Cube or something. You know what I'm saying? Or. Or even I was trying to get P Funk. P Funk was in love with the Funkasaurus character because of, you know, Bootsy Collins. And he was like, I'll make a song for you. I'll do. We'll do a video. We'll do the whole thing. And the WWE was like, no. And then we have a song for you. And when it came out, I was like, okay, I can make this work as a guy who is not a dancer to be politically correct. And so when I was loving the song and I didn't know that it was his music, because I remember from a different company. So when I heard, he didn't say it to me. He just said it on a radio show. He basically was just saying, I stole his shit. And I was just like, ernest, this maybe is working a gimmick maybe. You know, maybe he's trying to work something where we get a Match or something like that. So I just. I just let it play it out. So that's the reason why I was like. But the other side of it is when you play that song, you don't think of the other guy. And that's not my fault. So I won't apologize for that. If anything, you'd be like, I kept your music going. But again, that's the difference between why you're my BFF and. And Ernest isn't, because I would be. I love the guy, but I haven't talked to him in years. And I just think it's a stupid thing when, you know, we have literally no control over what WWE Creative does. You know, it's just that. That. And I'm sure that UFC is the same thing. When they certain. They want to go a certain direction with a guy, you. You got to do it, you know, like, hey, we're going to. We're going to push you. We're going to do this. Mute. We're going to do this and that. And they're not really concerned if it stepped on a former guy's term. If they say you're the best pound per pound guy ever. And last. Last year, they said it was Tito Ortiz or somebody, you know, maybe that guy's offended, but that's not your fault.

[Chael Sonnen]

I fully agree. Ernest Miller had an interesting story, by the way, and it's something like this, but he was a martial arts instructor for, like, Bischoff's son. It was something like that. Or Ted Turner son. It was one of the bosses. And they wouldn't talk to him. They go, hey, why don't you come over here? And you go to the Big Cat. He was fun. He was fun in mma, but I did not realize that that was his song. That didn't really live with him.

[Tyrus]

I didn't know it either.

[Chael Sonnen]

Did you catch Ronda Rousey's press conference yesterday? Because she went heel.

[Tyrus]

Yeah, I think she's the best heel. Not as good as you, but she's, I think, because of her kind of. We only. This. This, I think, is so unfair for Rhonda. And I don't know her personally, but I feel sometimes she's a victim of her own success. She had what could best be described as a Hall of Fame historic run, and she really put women's fighting on the map. And when she had that first loss, she didn't handle it like her fan base would have thought, like, someone like yourself, who will give alms to the. To the victor. Look at yourself and be Like, I could have done this better, that better, you know, and humbly move on. And then your next fight, everyone can't wait because you're that guy. She came off very. And I don't know if I'm sure that wasn't the intention, but she came off whiny and it just really rubbed people the wrong way. And again then when she had the fight with Holly, it was kind of the same thing. And then when she got to the wwe, it was kind of the same thing. So I think for her being the heel, if she digs and embraces it, she should be. Be the bad guy. You know, not with Incorporated, of course, but like, I'm just saying, I think that's her route to get people to buy tickets. She's better off at this point. People watching, hoping she gets her ass kicked, opposed to wanting to see her win. The problem is I don't know if her opponent kind of brings out that underdog feel. It's a weird. Because they're both heels to, to mainstream. They're both bad guys. Yes.

[Chael Sonnen]

And Rhonda largely like, kind of does have this gray cloud over her head. Like life wasn't easy for Rhonda. She lived in a car at one point and she left school her sophomore year because, you know, her family was trying to make this Olympic team. Like life was kind of hard. And so they say the best characters are just themselves and they, and they turn it up. And I felt like it was very natural. I believe.

[Tyrus]

I, I love that part about. Yeah, just be.

[Chael Sonnen]

I thought that she was like coming out and just like sharing, you know, that she's got some anger packed. If she's got anger towards the wwe, she's got resentment towards the ufc. Like she was just telling us how she felt and it was very compelling. And I do wish that more athletes did that. Then whether the crowd likes it or

[Tyrus]

they don't like that, but they're going to go. They're either going to want to see her get beat up or they're gonna wanna see her win, but either way they're invested. And I always tell people. Cause when I was a heel, I used to get booed out of the building. And I always say, I know what you cheer for. Your boos build my self esteem. It's the same feeling, it's the same adrenaline hitting their favorite guy and watching him crumble and the crowd throwing beer cans. And I was in Mexico, I was beating up Rey Mysterio and they're throwing. The only mistake I made is I Hopped out of the ring, walked over to the guy who was yelling at me and took his beer from him, and I chugged it and then spit it on the crowd. Problem was room temperature Mexican beer on an American stomach who's eating clean at the time. Got back in the ring, doing my thing. About eight minutes into the ring, I realized, oh, shit, I heard it all go. And I was like, ray, we got to get it. We got to get out of here. He hit his deal and of course, his finish as he splashes. And now Rey Mysterio is, like, soaking wet. Maybe a buck 70, you know, maybe 200, you know, but he weighs 500 when he lands on you, he's the stiffest mother you've ever. I'll take Mark Henry, Big Show, King Kong Bundy at the same time, before I would ever let Rey Mysterio land on me. I don't know how he does it, but he hit me. They could not count three fast enough. I was supposed to kick out, but I was like, it's either kick out and throw up all over the ring, embarrass myself, besmirch my good name, or. Or take the L, roll out, get my head under, do what I have to do, and then come back out. And luckily I did it as such a pro. I didn't get one speck on my beard. Rolled back in the ring and then beat him up. Had his buddies hit me with a chair, and everybody went home happy. I got through the back and they were like, what the hell happened? And I said, I drank Mexican beer on an empty stomach. It was a bad. It was a bad move. It was a bad move, but it's legendary because I didn't get one. I've got two things I don't think any other wrestler has ever done. I got hard way in a match with Christian and Alberto for the title. Christian hit me in the face of the ladder. Now, at this time, you got fined if you bled in the ring. And when it was the smallest ladder, when it hit, it did a lateral cut, and I needed like 14 staples. It started like a stuck Irish pit. It just started coming right, and I. All I thought about was, I'm not paying a fine. So I threw myself out through the second ring and hit the ground, and it looks like a murder scene. There's a pile of blood in me selling. There's not one drop in the ring. So when I got to the back and they're doing the staples, I said, hey, I don't get fined, right? Because I didn't bleed in the ring. They're like, no, we've never. No, you did not bleed in the ring. You did. But they were just like. And I remember Dusty was like, hey, baby, we're ready to run in the Omni. He's like, did you gig yourself? I was like, no, I did not. You know, but those are two things you should never, ever, especially in a controlled, simulated combat like wrestling, you should never have a bodily fluids issue. UFC is a little different. Guy chokes you out, you piss your pants. I get it. I understand that. Shit happens. Ufc, you guys don't hop out of the cage and drink beer, which maybe we had an added effect. Maybe the overtime round, you know, for a draw, is everyone chugs, chugs a bunch of drinks, and then we bar fight it out. The team's bar fight it out. I'm open to a lot of things, but I've always admired the presence that you guys have. Rhonda has that presence. You have that presence. And then just kind of put a button on her. I think we're going to see the best version of her. Probably not. We're not going to see the. The Ronda in the UFC that was legendary. I think those days are probably behind her. But if she ever made a return to wrestling, I think she would be phenomenal because I think she knows how to channel that anger now. The older you get, the wiser you get. You go through some things. I think that's why the great wrestlers that we grew up watching, they're all in their 40s. All those guys came from all over the country. By the time they got to the wwf, they were already top guys everywhere. So you basically had an all star cast of guys who knew what the hell they were doing every night. Every guy was a star. And I think with wrestling with someone like Ronda, wrestling in her 20s and 30s through a UFC mindset, I don't think works because it's a lot. You have to learn to kick your own ass. That's what wrestling is. And UFC is anything but that. So it's a. It's a huge adjustment for especially high level. This episode is brought to you by Cologuard. Do you know what's really scary?

[Chael Sonnen]

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[Tyrus]

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[Chael Sonnen]

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[Tyrus]

screen UFC guys, I'm not talking about guys who dabbled in, you know, they had a little bit of a brush, maybe they, you know, they did a few things, but they're never a top guy or that, that crossover is a lot easier because they don't have the, the time or the championship level and experience. So I think it's tougher for her. I think now if she was going back to wrestling now, I think she'd be phenomenal.

[Chael Sonnen]

I agree. And so many of the top heels love to tell you the same expression, which is, you know, the, the booze are heels. Cheers. And it's a nice thing to say and they heard it from someone else, but they don't mean it.

[Tyrus]

No, no, no, they don't. They get upset. They get. I love the booze because I don't like people. So when you boo me, I'm already booing you on the inside. So we already have one thing we agree about. I don't like you, you don't like me. That's what's good about it. We are sharing. So I don't want to be a part of their little soiree to begin with. Being a baby face was hard for me, and they knew that because I'm such a smart ass, just like yourself. In the locker room, I pick and tease guys and I also knew that they weren't going to do too much, you know, So I would, I would. That was who I was in the locker room. So how they, how they try to simmer me down, they made me dance and they made me have kids in the ring with me, like the junkyard dog at the end of my thing. And I remember I was Kofi Kingston and I were tag champs in Brazil and we had just beat. We had just won the titles. And the kids jumped in the ring and they were dancing with us and Kofi was cracking up and one of the kids touched my belt and I leaned down and said, hey, you're not a champion. Don't put your hands on my title, kid. You got to earn it. And I just turned and looked and Kofi was just. Did you just say that to a kid? I was like, yeah. He tried to touch my title. He didn't win the title. I won the title. And we just had. I had a great laugh about it. But it became like, this dude is like, I'm the Same guy as the clown in the Simpsons, apparently. When I was, you know, I was doing the show for the kids, but deep down I was like, if I still had that mentality, like, hey, I'm just doing this for a little while so I can get in the championship picture and get my hands on Cena. That was always my mindset when I got to the WWE and I looked at the landscape, I saw all the baby faces. I don't look like them, I said, but I. I look like something that's under your bed. So for me, my bottom line was to be as mean and differently as most big guys who are mean are quiet and raw and beat on their chest. I can psychologically get in your head and then put the big guy on you. So that's what I thought. Always made me different. And that's why I enjoyed you so much, because you did it at such a high level and you always had a happy smile on your face, which tells me it's like a cat who plays with his. With his toy, with his mouse. Like you're. You could end it at any time physically, but you're enjoying the process. You want to hear what the guy has to say, see if you can get any inspiration from it. And that takes a lot of tremendous confidence and understanding who you are. And that's one of the things that I just admire about you, and it's made it to where you would be. I think you could give Ric Flair a run for his model, run for his money. In terms of wrestling championships. You would be a 15, 16 time guy. I don't know how you feel about dyeing your hair blonde, but I'm telling you, you would be the most hated man in the business. Not since Roddy Piper. Would that have been a guy on the mic like you.

[Chael Sonnen]

I appreciate that. I went through, by the way I went through. There was a trial process. It was only a three day trial process, but at the power plant, when they used to do the money, not.

[Tyrus]

I called the number.

[Chael Sonnen]

I called the number Jody Hamilton.

[Tyrus]

I called it. They hung up on me.

[Chael Sonnen]

Did they really? I went out and did it.

[Tyrus]

I called that stupid 800 number a thousand times and it wasn't Cyrus.

[Chael Sonnen]

It was so hard. This trial process was so incredibly hard. I was an All American that year for ncaa and I was really at the height of like, you know, my, my, my physical conditioning. I, it was everything I could do to get through it. And it was kind of like a Navy SEAL process. We're going to start this, and when you've had enough. Just leave.

[Tyrus]

Yeah, that's what it is.

[Chael Sonnen]

Two of us made it. And not only did two of us made it, there was three of us that made it to the second day and then only two of us made it to the third day. Everybody else not only was out on the first day, man, they were out within like an hour.

[Tyrus]

Yep.

[Chael Sonnen]

And they got a bucket. It was a five gallon bucket. You tipped it upside down and you had to do these, these squats and you had to throw your hands up, come on your toes, but your butt had to hit the bucket.

[Tyrus]

Yes.

[Chael Sonnen]

The problem with that is you can't see the bucket.

[Tyrus]

So you.

[Chael Sonnen]

And it had a lip on it. And we had to do so many squats, it was cutting, it was like cutting into the back of your legs and then you drop down. You did 25 push ups, 50 sit ups, get up and do it all over again. And we just kept doing this and the final, the final day and it was in Atlanta. They actually took us outside. It's real hot. And they had us do sprints. But aside from those sprints, all we did was push ups, sit ups and squats. And it was brutal. I mean, it was so brutal. Aside from the boring factor. Aside from Sarge, you know, write your check.

[Tyrus]

Oh yeah, he was a real sweetheart. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

So he was good at that job.

[Tyrus]

So ironically, again, we mirror ourselves. So when I got my tryout, I had to go to McDonough, Georgia. Jody Hamilton, who ran Power Plant, was now running WWE's developmental and his head trainer was Bill Demont. They are his old school and they did the same thing. Now when I came in for my trial, I had. It was a Tommy Dreamer saw me at Saddle Ranch in a huge bar fight and he was entertained because I was laughing and giggling when I was dealing with the individuals. Now I'm going to tell you, I'm going to preface this. These were not great and worthy opponents. So I don't want you to think that I'm. I'm trying to fluff my resume. Okay. Basically what had, what had happened was, is that I ran a club with a couple of my buddies. We were the biggest bodyguard crew in la. Tiny Winston, who does a bunch of commercials. He's seven feet tall. Keys, who's Snoop's bodyguard. He's six, nine. I'm the pretty boy, the smart ass at six, seven and a half. Then I had Phil at six six, Bo at six four. We didn't wear headsets. We all could see over the sea. So we would just Watch. And if one of us disappeared, you know, that's all. We also made sure guys were doing their job and not talking to the ladies because we would. We would always look for someone to get caught slipping, not doing their gig because then we would make them pay for dinner, which was not cheap. When you talk about the amount of manhood and mass that was around there and 1300 people, women dancing on the bars. I'm in my spot. People came to see the bodyguards. Like there would be. We'd have harems formed around us taking pictures and stuff. And so the girls would dance around us because they could dance without the, you know, the, the drunk guys grabbing on them and stuff. Because women form herds on the dance floor. And I'm saying that with respect. It is a herd. They form their little herds and they little their little dancing groups. And I'm watching them and all of a sudden, while the girls are dancing, one would disappear, just drop out of sight. And they come up flustered and like grabbing her chest and bottom region. And I'm like. And then, then again, it was like an ocean where. It was like a duck poop disappeared. Happened again and again. And finally I looked across and my boy saw the same thing. Tiny was like. I said, I'm gonna go investigate. So I'm walking to and it's packed and I'm just parting. I'm like the Red Sea. And I go to the. I said, ladies, what's going on? They're like some, they're quote, some asshole grabbed my ass and pulled. Tried to pull my blouse off. And I was like, where? Who? Can you see him? She's like, no, I couldn't see him. And I'm looking around and then as I'm talking, I see it happen again. Boom. And a girl turns around. I turn to look, it's a midget. He's had too much to drink and he's getting handsy. So I walk over to him and I say, hey, hey, bruh, I think you're having a little too much fun with the ladies. Please stop doing this. I didn't want to throw him out, you know. And so I was kind of leaning down talking to him, and he turned and looked at me and he's like, get out of my face. And I was like, I'm impressed, but I'm puzzled. I wouldn't talk this way to a nine foot man. I would give him his day, wait till I got to my car and be like, I could have took his leg, but I wouldn't have said that. In front of him. And while I was talking to him, I did my. My. No one was watching my six. And while I was like, hey, man, cut it out or I'm gonna throw you out. I really don't want to throw anybody out tonight. Don't touch the ladies again, you know? And while I was talking to him, I got punched. There was two of them. His buddy was with him. And his buddy ran over and punched me. I don't know if you also a. Yes, a small person.

[Chael Sonnen]

All right.

[Tyrus]

And he hit me. And when I turned and I was like, did you just hit me? And I realized he was another little person. And when he looked at me, he had his hands like. He was like, I'm a giant killer. And I was like, I couldn't hear because the music was loud. And I said, I'm sorry, what? And while I said that, the other one gave me a body shot. And I looked at him both. And I looked at the tag team. Yeah. But the ladies saw I had no chance, you understand? I would have let it go. Their punching power, considering for their size and bone structure, was not impressive. So I was just gonna let it go. I was just gonna say, hey, have a good night, fellas. But unfortunately, there was an audience. So I did the only thing that a man would do. I thought they should meet. And I bumped their little heads together, which left them dazed and confused. And I grabbed them by their belt buckles and. And carried them out like. I call it suitcase. So while I was carrying them out, Tommy Dreamer is on the stage going, oh, my God, this is amazing. And I. And I dropped him off and I threw him out and came back. And Tommy's like, you can you do that on tv? And I was like, yeah, right. And he's like, I'm the head of talent for the wwe. And I said, well, I'm the head of talent for security here. And I. And I knew. A big fan of Tommy Dreamers. Ecw. All that stuff. Wrestling fan, you know, every question he asked me, what was the opening match? WrestleMania 1. I'm like, please. Tito Santana, executioner. Like, come on, bro. Like, this is. You know, I go to sports bars to watch wrestling. And he was like, no, no, I'm serious. I'd like to invite you down for a tryout. And I was like, okay, sure. You know, right? You know, and WrestleMania 20 was in California that year in L. A. He's like, hey, I got tickets to Wrestlemania. I said, I watched that at home. He's like. I said, could I have Tickets to the hall of fame. Because Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff was going in. And he was my favorite wrestler of all time. So he hooked it up. And then about a month later, I get a call from him going, hey, we want to bring you for a tryout. I went down the McDonough. It was the same shit. There was me and eight guys, and they were all big guys. And they brought us all in. And basically, like, one. We only need one. And what they did was, we didn't do the bucket. What they made us do was crisscross. So you hit the ropes, hit the ground. Guy jump up and you keep going. And you got to do this for seven minutes. First group goes, big guy, big dreads. He was like six, nine. Looked like Predator. He started to cry. He was. By the third minute because of fatigue, he was so tired, he was done. And then he fell out of the ring. And the other guy stopped. And they told him, why the did you stop? And he's like, because he went down. He's like, you're both done. And the guy's crying. He's like, I know my dream is over. And he was saying all that stuff. And I was just sitting there and I was like, that's not going to be me. And then there were some guys that were in phenomenal shape. I'm shredded. Shredded guys. And they were just going and going and going. And they started dying and dying and fell out. And I'm watching. I'm watching and I'm like, everyone's going balls out. I'm gonna try something different. I'm just gonna. And at this time, I'm 385 pounds, and I'm worried. Cause it's been a while since football. And I'm like, I'm just not gonna quit. I might not win. I might get let go, but I'm not gonna be like that. They're not gonna get that out of me. So I jogged it. I was going at just a nice little clip. The other guy was going by me. And I just kept going, drop down, kept going, drop down. The other guy faded out. He was a little fatter. He was shorter and wider. He didn't last long. But I just kept going and kept going. And I remember Bill Demont was like, this guy's milking it. And then I heard Jody's like, but he's not quitting. And I kept going and going and going. And then they said, stop time. And then they made me do a bunch of bumps. And I'm sitting there and he's looking at me. And then it was. We had to do a bunch of, like, they wanted to do some shoot wrestling stuff just to see what you were made of. And luckily for me, I was just naturally strong, so I could throw Bill off me every time he'd grab me. Every time a shooter would grab me, my first thing was get my hands on their wrists and get them off me. I could strong enough to get guys off me. So next thing I knew, I rolled out and I was sitting there exhausted, didn't want to throw up, hamstrings, wanted to blow, you know, Then you had to go sit on the wall. So I'm doing all this stuff, and I'm just waiting to hear, hey, you're done. I didn't realize that everyone else had already quit. I was the last one. But even if you're the last one, you still have to finish. So it's not like a game show where, like, I'm the last guy. They're like, oh, no, no, you, rest period's shorter now. And while I'm doing it, John, Larry Nidis comes in, Bill comes in. They're looking at me and they're like, something about you. And I'll tell you what, lose 50 pounds, we'll give you a deal. And I lost 75 and I got my deal. But it was the same thing where it was that you got to earn it. You got to walk through fire. The easy part is when you get in the ring and learn to work. The hard part is, is earning the right to be there. And I've always been. I think that's what hurts the product today, is that we took away that level of sac, like that push to get the best guy opposed to. Well, this guy has. He's really popular on Facebook, so we're going to give him a deal. And I think. And I think that's hurt athletics across the board to where now those guys get fired for doing the things that we had to do for a tryout. Like if.

[Chael Sonnen]

385, by the way. I could only imagine how difficult that was when you were running the ropes. Had you done that before or did you learn it that day? How to sit into the second rope?

[Tyrus]

I fell through twice. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

And then you would.

[Tyrus]

Yeah. And then I noticed John Larinaitis hopped in the ring, and that's when I was like, okay, I'm making an impression. He ran the ropes different. He always put his leg up. He was the old school guy who put the leg up. Right. So when I hit the rope and hit the leg up. I automatically kind of just a natural grab. So once I figured that little trick out, I didn't fall through anymore. And then when my big ass got tired. 385. Leaning on the rope is like a slingshot. So I would catch my breath when I hit the rope. And I know I was going to get at least a couple steps without actually having to put actual effort because then I would slow down. But once I figured out the balance, the little balance act of that, I was fine. But they also had some fun with me, you know, like learning how to go over the top rope. You only hook one arm. Bill let me hook two arms. Went through the. The whole thing. Like I was like a speed, like a top. But that was football. Two it A's was probably. I would say about the same in terms of. But when you're younger, it's different. It's like, this was different then. I was just wanting to play football. This. I was like, this could change my life. I'm more than just a bodyguard and a substitute teacher. Like, this football went the way it went. This is a sec. So my whole mindset was like, you're not gonna. You're not gonna beat me unless you drag me out of here. And I think that's been lost with a lot of things today. Do you see that now? Like, guys that. When you talk about that work ethic, they say their coach is abusive and shit like that. And I'm like, I don't know if that's abuse is pushing you to your limits because you're being prepared. By the time I left Midsummer Bill and Jody, and I was nothing. That I was nothing I was going to see in the WWE in terms of mind games was going to even faze me because I just went through that on the ground level, and I survived it. And you just have a different mentality. You think that's missing today in our athletic world?

[Chael Sonnen]

I definitely do. And I resent it to a degree. Like, being a college athlete, I really still like the NCAAs. And I only share. So they got this new nil process. And with the nil process, they've also created something called the Portal. And I transferred when I was in college. I signed with Brigham Young University. Byu.

[Tyrus]

Holy shit. I almost went to byu. I even got dumped in the water and everything.

[Chael Sonnen]

Beautiful. Oh, it's so beautiful. Promo was so beautiful. I'm a Catholic, though, and I must tell you, I was not welcomed.

[Tyrus]

No, I'm gonna be honest with you. After I read that war chapter in the book, I was not welcome either because I asked President Webb, never forget his name. I was like, excuse me, sir. So the ones they marked brown can't get into the top heaven. And he's like, it's a matter of interpretation, but yeah, but Purgatory is beautiful. I'm like, how do you know? So I immediately had a problem, you know, and the whole you can't drink Coke thing was kind of a little stiff, you know. I was like, ah. So I guess the Jack and Coke is out of the question. So there was a lot of, A lot of rules to a young, aggressive man that was like, not following. And then the whole mission thing, and I was just like, yeah, I'm not. I grew up broke. I'm not going to go hang out with broke.

[Chael Sonnen]

You. You will not meet a lot of black Mormons. But there is a belief that the black skin was put as a curse. Yes, the curse was removed, but that the skin remains as a reminder. Now, I was required to take Book of Mormon in the year that I was there. And I remember the day that that came up. And I remember, I just remember being so uncomfortable and there was nothing but white people in the class, but I was so uncomfortable hearing this. And the professor really didn't want to say it, by the way, but he's like, this is the official stance of the church. And I go, oh, that's the reason. I don't know any black Mormons, period,

[Tyrus]

unless they're on the football team or basketball team. Yeah, no. And I was in Sacrament when that read. And I just went, I have a question, you know, and it was horrible timing. Horrible timing.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yeah.

[Tyrus]

Then after that, I, I. And I had already been. I. Because you had to get baptized to go. I had already done all that stuff. And then I just said this, this ain't for me. And my buddy went, Will Knight. He went and played tackle for them and. But it just, it just wasn't for me. But I'll let you continue. But that is amazing how our. We've. Our paths are so intertwined. And then, you know, you went on to your. So what was the. I guess I was supposed to ask you a question by origin, but I just. It's always nice to talk to a buddy. I was always curious what made the transition to UFC for you.

[Chael Sonnen]

I wanted to go into wcw, so I went to that Power Plant thing, and that was in 1998, and I made it. Now I only weighed 191 pounds, and that was a problem. The Cruiser weights were not out yet. The High Flyer error wasn't here. Like, it was a problem. But the gentleman, he still allowed me, and I got invited back. Now, being invited back was a little bit of a hustle that. That meant that I had to write a check.

[Tyrus]

Yes. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

There was a business side to it that I was a little naive to, but. But at any rate, I went back. I was only a sophomore, so I had two years of college left. And by the time I graduated, WCW was gone and the Internet wasn't really the thing. Believe it or not, I didn't know how to find them. I didn't know how to get into wrestling. Now.

[Tyrus]

It was very hard. I didn't know either they have to find you.

[Chael Sonnen]

Right. It was just.

[Tyrus]

Or you got to know somebody. Yeah. Getting the WWE and F they find you. Like, I never would have came close to him had Tommy Dreamer not decided to go have potato skins and chicken wings at Saddle Ranch in Van Nuys, California. If that didn't. If that doesn't happen, this we. Because there was. I didn't even think it was a possibility, you know, And I had tried out.

[Chael Sonnen]

Potato skins are hard to find, by the way. And that is one of the great treats of life. If you're ever at a restaurant and you see potato skins, you order that shit.

[Tyrus]

Yes, you do.

[Chael Sonnen]

Every time.

[Tyrus]

I don't. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

Don't be afraid to dip one of those in a nice ranch, by the way.

[Tyrus]

I would have an issue if you did not.

[Chael Sonnen]

Right.

[Tyrus]

You used the appropriate Kouterman. But we digress, if I can tell you.

[Chael Sonnen]

I mean, because my story was just very simple, but Randy Couture and Dan Henderson were training in Oregon at the time. And I found out about these workouts, and I was going and just joining. I just inserted myself. So it was just the three of us, and we were all trying to make an Olympic team in 2000. And so the Olympic trials ended. We all ended up as alternates. And I just went back to practice on Monday at 3 o' clock the same time, and I got in there and they said, hey, take your shoes off and put these on. And they handed me gloves, and they said, we're doing MMA now. And that was it. And those guys were already signed. They were already with the ufc. And I was more of just a workout partner, but. But that was my process. I didn't know. I had this fantasy. I was in Oregon. I had a fantasy of running into Rowdy Roddy Piper at some point and asking him, how do I get into the wrestling business, I never ran into him. I ended up meeting Dana White, and there's my story.

[Tyrus]

But again, the nice thing about wrestling is until you're 72, there's always time. That's the nice thing about simulated combat. It's not the same thing. And was it lightning in a bottle? Was it frustrating? Because that's a whole different hustle to throw, striking in. I mean, your amateur wrestling background is second to none. But when you get into the jiu jitsu side and the, the hand to hand comments, that. Was that a huge adjustment for you? Oh, yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

And then it was. It was also just a different time. Like, Randy Couture was the champion of the world. But I can tell you how we train, because I trained with him every day. We would go in not knowing what we're doing. We had no coach, so we would maybe have seen something on a previous ufc, and then the three of us would, like, try to figure out how he was doing it, and that would be the experiment for the day. And then if you could find a jiu jitsu guy, and there was only six Gracie certified black belts in America at that time.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

So if you found a jiu jitsu guy, it kind of meant like, he knew an arm lock. But then you. You were desperate to learn that arm lock. And, you know, and so some days you'd either, you like, move your coffee table out of the way and you get a black belt magazine, you'd be flipping through the pictures and you'd be trying it. And as silly as that sounds, that's what your opponent was doing, too. And then one day, maybe you'd go to Gold's Gym and lift weights and one day and say, you know, you put it all together, and then two or three times a year, you try to put it together in the ring. It took Randy Couture to a world championship just because that's what everybody was doing. There was no such thing as an MMA gym.

[Tyrus]

Right.

[Chael Sonnen]

The boxing gym over here. And this guy knows a little jujitsu or something like this. And my only point is, yes, it was very difficult rise. But at that time, you didn't have to be a master of everything. You didn't have to be a black belt because nobody was or you didn't have to be a great boxer because nobody was. Everybody was trying to learn it, so we were all equally as bad is really what it was. And then the sport kind of grew. And when the sport grew, that was a real challenge. I mean, start guys started to come in and get good fast and tires, by the way. There was no money. Like, you couldn't, you couldn't have a dream to be an MMA fighter. That was going to be something you were going to do, kind of like making an Olympic team. That was something that was a passion and a hobby. He kind of had a dad that was behind it. So you had a bedroom to sleep in. I mean, it was kind of a weird thing. It wasn't a really good way to like meet a girl.

[Tyrus]

No.

[Chael Sonnen]

It was insane.

[Tyrus]

You guys, three, sometimes two, three times a night.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yes.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

I came through the tournament era, and I didn't come. It used to be eight, man. So it was three fights. When I did it, it was two. But I will tell you, looking back, fighting two men in one night, that's a very difficult thing to do at the time. That's what it was. And by the way, you got three grand if you won the tournament.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

You know, so you got to fight these two. It was just a different time.

[Tyrus]

So by the time, hotel and dinner, you owe them 20 bucks.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yes. I watch all these things. Tyrus, I'm so sorry to cut you off, but I watch all these things of this evil empire known as the ufc. This evil greedy man known as Dana White. And it's like, guys, you're new. We used to have to fight two guys in a night with no commission, no weigh ins, no wrapping of the hands, no money. Dana White's given away 400 grand, giving in bonus money. 400 grand every single Saturday. Like it is crazy. The, the, the, the, the generosity, not to mention just the, the pure organization. Like so many fight promoters over history and wrestling promoters will hold an event and then the promoters out of town before the event overs and nobody gets paid.

[Tyrus]

Oh, yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

There's a reason the government had to come in and regulate wrestling and boxing, which is now mma. And I just share like this, this evil empire of Dana White. Just nothing could be further from the truth. And it's, it is annoying kind of to hear that sometimes.

[Tyrus]

Well, isn't it, Isn't it kind of? Unfortunately, everyone who's successful, everyone who's not, just has a problem with it. Yeah. You know, and I've never met Dana, but everything I've seen about him, he seems like a decent dude to me. And I, it's. He does run a business, but you want the guys to make more money. You always want the athletes to be taken care of, but you also have to look at the long, the longevity of the sport. And UFC has been Basically on crack in terms of growth. Like, it has gone from to where a guy like me, you know, who was at the time when UFC first started, and I was, I was probably about 350 pounds and if, if I could, and I had a good punch and so, hey, I'm going to go try to make three grand tonight and go down and try out for ufc. It's, it went from that. I mean, you had a guy your size fighting a 400 pound sumo wrestler. You know, I'm saying a firefighter. Like, it went from that kind of mixed cage, barbaric, where people are like, oh my God, this is so terrible, to basically a sweet science that rivals boxing, that rivals the NBA, that rivals the NFL. Like, when you see a UFC event, it is a, it is no longer a small thing for macho guys. It is a happening, it is, it has become something, it's worldwide and in such a short time. And guys have gone from basically, to your point, three grand. And that's just. And you got trainers and everything else, you know, travel, I mean, you're doing it for the love of the sport. Now guys are putting himself in position to have not only a wonderful career, retirement, if they manage their money right, and stars like yourself are able to sit in a chair and talk about it and get a check for it. Like, that is the, that is the beauty of what he's done it. I always think the guys that complain about stuff are, are usually. It's something else. It's their lack of success, their poor choices, bad marriage, whatever it is, and instead of looking at yourself saying, I'm getting screwed. But you signed the deal, you know, and I had like, for example, wwe, when you sign your contract in the wwe, it says on there any properties or identities or you come up with is theirs. So. And at that time, I wanted my first contract. I didn't give a shit. So Brodus, Clay, Funkosaurus, even though they were my brain babies, they belonged to them. And then I see guys going, it's bullshit. They robbed me. They took my likeness, they took this. And I sit there and go, but you read the contract. You could have said, no, I want the rights to my stuff. And then maybe they said, you know what, maybe we're not going to sign you, we're going to sign another guy, you know, and, but you may, you sign that piece of paper. So you don't really have a right to complain now. When your contract's up, you can come back and be like, hey, I've done this, I've Done. And listen, nobody should been more upset than me. I had the number one toy in Mattel. You know, I was the only guy without a champion ship that had the plush buddy. You know what I'm saying? And I could have been like, oh, this is bullshit. Funkasaurus sold $2 million in toys and only got 4%. You know what I'm saying? But I signed that contract. So when I hear people complain and bitch, I'm like, then don't sign the contract. But they won't do that.

[Chael Sonnen]

That's where it all comes down to, like, it's really never about the money that they made. It's about if the company made money. Yes, the UFC just got sued over this and lost. But the lawsuit was never that an athlete was claiming I was shorted or I was. Wasn't paid enough. The argument was, you made too much. And that's kind of a tough one. You know, it's kind of like they didn't know if they were gonna sell your Mattel doll. And if there would have been a loss, it's not like you would have come in and gone, well, then I'm gonna give you 4%.

[Tyrus]

Exactly.

[Chael Sonnen]

It's kind of one of these things where I agree with you that you have a responsibility, you want an opportunity, you signed a contract, and the day you do it, everybody's so excited. And then over time, if there's a success, you know, then they feel shorted, and they try to turn the gun back. And we were talking the NCAA earlier, but they did this thing with Nil, and it opened up something called the Portal. When I transferred from byu, man, that was a thing. There was rules about transferring. You had to leave the conference. You had to get the ad to sign. It was a thing. Now these kids don't even have to tell the coach. They don't need anyone's permission. They just go online. So they have a tough practice, or the coach got up their ass a little bit, they go home, and they go into something called the Portal.

[Tyrus]

And.

[Chael Sonnen]

And I do think that's tough. I don't know if that's a great message.

[Tyrus]

No, I think it's. I think it's horrible. I think you need to treat. And again, I'm not a mathematician. I'm not a financial guy, but I do think if you treated college in terms of you. When you sign your letter of intent, it's a contract. And instead of having one, the one. Because here's the deal. And again, this is. As a lineman, when I see quarterbacks get Big money. I'm always like, you lucky son of a bitch. Because the only reason why you're able to do it is because those four dogs, those five dogs in front of you keep your ass safe. So what should happen is they should have a salary cap and they should be able to. The quarterback gets this and just hold. Everyone on the team, from the punter to the fourth string guy gets a damn check just like in real life. And if you sign a four year letter of intent, then that's what you. And if you want to get out, you have arbor just like everyone else. I don't. This hopping through the portal thing, I don't think serves these young men well. I think for a small few, they make a lot of money. But if they have dreams of playing at the professional level afterwards, I think it puts a real albatross around their neck. A lot of these kids, especially ones who are getting big money, who pulled that shit, where they go like, I'm leaving, I'm hopping, because I don't think we're going to win next year. That's just a horrible mentality. There is something about loyalty. There's traditional. You know, I get it. NFL's not promised. UFC is not promised. WWE's not promised. And if you can be in college and make enough money to where you can buy your first home and your car when you graduate and have no debt, I'm all for that. But I also think teaching our young men and women no accountability in life does not serve them at all. Because athletics is not promised at all. Money from this stuff, what we're doing, this is not promise. When I see a guy lose an entertainment job and he's crying, I'm like, bro, this was not promised. Everyone else works construction, everyone else works real jobs. So I feel like this is a blessing to be able to. And you earn the right and you bust your ass. You have a right to do things. Bet on yourself. But when it comes to things like the portal, the way it is right now, I don't think it's doing a good service to our young men and women and sending the wrong message.

[Chael Sonnen]

And there's nothing worse than somebody that complains like you and I as people that follow politics, there's nothing worse than a congressperson that complains but doesn't offer a different suggestion. No, they just wait for your idea and then tell you all the problems with it. It's annoying. And I gotta tell you, I'm doing a little of that. Like, yes, the way the NCAA was, where they Kept all the money, didn't give any, wasn't right. But now where the athlete has all the power, it also isn't right. But I don't have that suggestion yet. I don't know, do you put it in an escrow account and you wait until he grad or until he gives you four years? I don't know the answer to that. I just know a lot of people aren't graduating now. And a lot of people, a lot of these athletes are decent.

[Tyrus]

But here's the other. But here's the other thing is sports and academics necessarily need to go together? Do you really need to go get a teaching degree? If your goal is to play in the NFL, that's time. You could be used for training and then go to college to get your education or a trade. You know, a few months back at the super bowl where the Chiefs got murdered, I had a sit down with Lawrence Taylor and he had his grandson with him, and his grandson was getting ready to attend, I think North Carolina, where his. But he was already electrician. So I was supposed to be talking to Lawrence Taylor, who is one of my favorite human beings on the planet. But I was like, can you bring your grandson in, please? So his grandson came in and I said, explain this to me, young man. At 21 years of age. You have your. You. You're a certified electrician. He's like, oh, I wanted to have a backup plan if the NFL didn't work out. I was like, I love this kid. Why this. This kid? Why is this kid not on a Wheaties box? Like, he's. He's got it figured out. And at one, at some point, Lawrence was like, hey. I was like, no, no, you're the man. But like, we need to celebrate these young men. Because I'm like, if you're not going to. If you don't want to go to college, be a learned doctor or a lawyer or teacher or whatever your deal is, and you just want to bet on yourself and do athletics. I don't think it's fair that you have to go into the education route. They should make it, I think, optional. If you're. If you're 18 and ready and physically ready for it and you have whatever. Baseball. We see it in baseball, we see it in football. I would push back. Ufc, I would push back. You need to be older, a little more mature, a little more into your physical structure. But I. I think that is a conversation that maybe we just need to look at the whole structure of forcing kids to go to these universities. For an education opposed to them going. Them as, let's say they, they come in as a free, not free agent, independent contractors. I think that would be, again, neither one of us. This, this isn't our lane. But just in terms of like independent contractor. You sign your deal and you, you know, you do your football stuff and then if you want to further your education, go for it. But again, that's a, that's, that's my hot take on that.

[Chael Sonnen]

No, I agree with you. And there's unforeseen. I mean there's always unforeseen. But one thing that's happening with these universities, particularly these, these top 10 ones, is they're putting all the money for this into football and, or basketball. And so it takes away from the soccer teams or the wrestling teams. And Trump actually had to do a thing on this. He said something very interesting. But he said these are our Olympic sports. We, we can't have these universities, right, that are, that are feeders to our Olympics. The Olympics, by the way, are extremely important. And a lot of times this is an advertisement the reason that the top countries, China, Russia, the US Put so much money into the Olympics. In theory, whoever gets more medals at the Olympics is a military superpower. That's the flex that they do that they're not talking about. They're going, look, this is the same age 18 to 25. This is the same sacrifice and the ability to learn and the ability to persevere. So whoever has more medals in theory has a better military. And a lot of times that's not discussed. It's like kind of a high level thing. But it's one of the reasons that Obama or Clinton or Trump actually show up to the Olympics or it's a flex or Putin like this.

[Tyrus]

Our people are better. We're better with us.

[Chael Sonnen]

My 18 to 25 year old my.

[Tyrus]

Kick yours ass.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yep, Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney.

[Tyrus]

Let's go get ready for a new case.

[Chael Sonnen]

We're the greatest partners of all time. New friends, Gary the Snake and your

[Tyrus]

last name, the snake Dream Team.

[Chael Sonnen]

New habitats. Zootopia has a secret reptile population. You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home. Zootopia 2 now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG. Right now you can get Disney plus and Hulu for just $4.99 a month for three months with a special limited time offer. Ends March 24. After three months, Plan Auto renews at $12.99 a month. Terms apply. And even if we're going to contest this with a 100 yard dash. If I can beat you there in theory, I don't have to bomb. It's kind of an interesting thing, but I only share with you. Trump was doing a thing saying, man, I'm gonna pass an executive order. If they were to put all this money into football and basketball, fine, but you're not gonna take it from our Olympic sports. And he stood up for the Olympic sports. I never thought of it in that capacity. I just thought you might think that was interesting. It was not.

[Tyrus]

I was following it. I was following it. And one thing I will say about him is that when it comes to athletics, his attention to detail is phenomenal. Like, he's really always looked at. And that goes back to. Again, no one ever talks about. I know that he was a avid boxing fan. Never missed. He was at. When I got a chance to talk with him, he talked about, he was there for Frazier, Ali, you know, and he. I was asking about that. What outfit did you wear? Because, you know, in the 70s, you know, they were looking. They were fly back then. You know, they all had the day suits and all that. But I also. He would. Him and Ali had a very close relief. Him and Frazier had a close relationship and his boxing was his thing. He would, you know, him and Don King had a relationship. He loves the ufc, loves the NFL. So when it comes to, to sports and stuff, he really looks at it from a very positive, like, hey, I want to make sure what's best for the athletes. And I don't know if we've had a president who's even taken time to give a shit. You know, it's just not their purview. And I think that's what makes him a little bit different. And I, I've been following this closely because I was waiting to get a. A text about, like, hey, what do you think? You know, when it comes to athletics and stuff? Because I think he's on. I think he has the right idea, an executive order of some sort, because it is out of control. But that's one of the nice things about, like I said, when you have a president who's a wrestler, because he is. He has a WrestleMania under his belt. He's got, you know, and first thing I did when I met him, when we. I had my interview with him was I thanked him for WrestleMania 4 and 5. That's the first thing I did was like, hey, appreciate that. That was, you know, and he was like, oh, yeah. And I said, he's in the hall of Fame, so it's nice Wrestler. Talking to another wrestler. But I kind of like that. He's. He's a. He's a dirt under your fingernails kind of a president. He's. For guys like us, and we. We very rarely get guys like us, you know, in terms of just plain talk, common sense, straight up, take it, leave it. Like me, hate me, I don't care. This is where I am. And I think that's what makes him different. I think that's why the sports world, especially athletes, tend to gravitate to him, because it's just, you know, where you stand with him. Yes.

[Chael Sonnen]

You want to know who has been an amazing rising star? Is Marco Rubio.

[Tyrus]

Yeah. Okay.

[Chael Sonnen]

He kind of got ran out of the election, but he's a different guy now. He really is.

[Tyrus]

He's got swag.

[Chael Sonnen]

I don't know that I. I don't know that I agree that he's gonna just sidestep for Vance in 2020.

[Tyrus]

No, no, no. That's gonna be a fight. I don't think I. If you asked me, if we were to pick a fight to tell of the tape, I would put all my money on Rubio, because I think he's showing just not just unbelievable leadership. The way he deals with the Senate, he.

[Chael Sonnen]

He just.

[Tyrus]

I know. I know. You sons of bitches. I know what you're about. And when he just. When they try to hit him with stuff, he's just unwavering. He doesn't get emotional. He's just there, and he has. He has been tested. He got shellacked by President Trump. Most people who get publicly destroyed would never bend the knee and go work to be a part of something bigger than themselves. And that says a lot to me. It's just like you go for a big prize fight, you know, or a wrestling match, and you get. You get squashed. The guy catch you with an overhand right. Three seconds into the fight, you're knocked out, and now the guy's like, hey, you want to be a part of my PR team? No. You know, you're like, no, I hate this guy. He ruined my life. You know, like, every time I see you, I hate you. I'd hit you, but I know what happened the first time. So I'm just going to keep it bottled up inside and make a fake X account and just troll you. You know, my wife doesn't look at me at the same. My kids have your poster on my wall. I hate you. You know, But Hillary.

[Chael Sonnen]

Hillary had to swallow that same bullet when Barack called, but she didn't do it. The phone call. But yeah. Hey, I think that this Pete Hegseth, by the way, I mean I think that he's rising up.

[Tyrus]

I don't. There's an all star card on the right. The biggest problem is going to be is when Trump goes, is the population going to go. We need a break.

[Chael Sonnen]

Sure.

[Tyrus]

Voting is going to drop substantially because he is the show. He is the top guy. It's like when you lose a Michael Jordan, there's a drop off wrestling when Hogan and everybody kind of aged out there was that period of the manator and you know, Max Moon and everyone was just kind of throwing, trying to see what would ignite the people and this little ball headed guy in a vest came around and everything, everything changed. I don't. My. I think Rubio isn't going to be. His only problem is he doesn't have the charm and charisma because he's just a, he's just a get done guy and I think that will probably serve him well because he's such an opposite from Trump. You're not going to get the, the witty, the, the comedy, the wrestling. He's cutting promos, you know and I don't think we're going to get, we're going to get stability and carry on without the noise. So I, I think that's why he's going to be. Unless something changes, I think he's going to be a front runner by. I don't think it's going to be close. I don't, I really don't. And that's no shade on J.D. vance. J.D. vance is doing a great job. I just, he's, I don't think he's ready yet in terms of. Yeah, I think, I think Rubio is. It's just a difference of opinion. But I agree with you on that. Now look, I want to talk about a little bit of that, the new amateur wrestling because I, I'm gonna be honest with you. I, I know you and I have an interesting story but we're not, we're not sharing that. That's between us. But of the debut, the commercials and stuff. But the, the reaction, the reaction from fans and actually has been phenomenal. Like it is really something and I, I loved when the guys lost their last week. I loved it. I was like, oh man. Game on. I need to do a commentary with you one time. I mean I, we can do it from a couch somewhere. I don't care. But like it is something that, just when you think there isn't room for something New when it comes to and and amateur Greco Roman it is, it is one of the most oldest celebrated sports ever. It made countries sign treaties based off who lost in the Olympics. You know, like the Romans, their wrestling team smoked everyone. And again to Your point, our 18-25s pin all your guys. So Germania, we'll just set up tents, we'll just call it good. You know, so the, and to see that because the, when I watched it, you know when you see it in college and we had that great match in college when President Trump showed up and the young, young man beat the basically the irresistible immovable object. The most unbeatable guy in wrestling is one of the greatest stories. If you, if it was a wwe, they couldn't have wrote it better if they tried. But just seeing, just. And I'm an old guy, but I was excited and I'm seeing, I'm seeing, I'm looking online, I'm seeing young kids and all of a sudden I'm seeing kids want to join the wrestling team. I just think that's a phenomenal, absolute phenomenal thing. And it's different from ufc.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yeah, that's right. Real American freestyle. So it was the last project Hulk Hogan was working on before he passed.

[Tyrus]

Yes.

[Chael Sonnen]

I got in, I got invited and I know I'm name dropping when you bring up Hulk Hogan, but I got invited to fly out to Vegas and make a commercial about this with Hulk Hogan. So I take my son out of school, we fly to Vegas, man, he's, I can't believe it. We're, we're about to meet the Hulkster. We get up in the morning, man, everything's going to our way. We got breakfast getting delivered at 6:30 in the morning. We've showered, we're going to get in the car, we're going to go do a commercial with the Hulkster. Like this is the greatest day. Comes across Fox News, Terry Bolio wrestler Hulk Hogan dead.

[Tyrus]

Then you text me and say I'm in an uncomfortable position right now. I don't know what to do. I'm on set waiting for the Is this true? And I was like with his closest friends.

[Chael Sonnen]

I mean Bischoff's there like Hulk Hogan's business partners. I haven't met these guys yet. Yeah, this is the, this is my first day. So they're in tears. I don't know what to do. I give them a hug. Do I console? I don't. So I go to you, I'm like, what? How do I act? Nobody knows how to act in that situation.

[Tyrus]

No. And I don't even know if my advice was good. I was just. I'm here with you. We'll just get through this together. You know, because that was. And then I was asked, like, within minutes, like, hey, can you make a comment? And I was like, I didn't even. I didn't believe it was true.

[Chael Sonnen]

Right.

[Tyrus]

I didn't believe it. You know, and then I had to go on tv, and I was. I chose to. I didn't have to. I chose to because, again, people always talk about the bad side of people. And I. I'm a firm believer when you pass, your debt is paid. With a few exceptions. Hitler, you know, but with. What I'm saying is, your debt is paid. And, you know, I had a real. It was a really surprising thing, but I just remember going. I. To this day, I couldn't. I don't think I could have handled it any better than you did, because that was just awkward because you can't even ask, like, so are we gonna do the commercial, or should I just. You know what? I'm just gonna. I'm just gonna sit here for a while and just.

[Chael Sonnen]

And that's what it was.

[Tyrus]

Yeah, it was just. You could drop a pin. Just awkward.

[Chael Sonnen]

And they were getting phone calls, like. You know, Bish is getting phone calls, and he's dealing with the family. Then we're coming back and trying to do the spot, and we're trying to do the spot, like. Like, as a tribute to. This is what would have wanted.

[Tyrus]

Right.

[Chael Sonnen]

Which is probably true.

[Tyrus]

I mean, the theory would have said, do the show. He would. A thousand percent. He would have said, next, man up. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

But it was one of these things, you know? So we're doing a spawn. We're trying to have good energy, and then Fox is calling. They want. They want Bischoff to come on and do life, so they've got to go. I mean, it was just. It was a day. It was for my first day, for my first day with these guys.

[Tyrus]

That is a doozy. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

Real American freestyle, that Fox Nation, just for the quick plug. Next show is. And you talked about that scuffle that you saw last week, that was Armin Tsarukian and. And guy named Giorgio. They're gonna rematch next Saturday, March 28th. I think that's two Saturdays from now. But it's just a huge event, man. Henry Cejudo's on there against Merab d', Washvili, which is a pretty big deal considering these are UFC stars and Dana's letting them go over to Fox Nation and do this other thing. I cannot totally explain to you why this works. And I even came home and told my wife this. I go, I don't know why this.

[Tyrus]

I don't know either. Because for a long time it was. And with all due respect to the. It is the toughest sport and an athlete trains for. Hands down, I had to cut weight in football. I had to do a month of wrestling. Dear God, the trash bags, the steps, the weigh ins, the throwing up, the sitting in a sauna with a trash bag on, crying, begging, please, please, I won't eat for a week. Just let me out of this box, man. I, it is any. I challenge anyone, do it for, just get through a week of it. Your entire outlook on fitness and life will be completely different. But for whatever reason, it never caught on. And I, you know, you were, you went pro, you went to wrestling. Wwe. No, not the same thing. Kurt Angle, exception to the rule. Bob Acklin, you know, guys that were. And there was several other guys in between there. But in terms, Brock is another guy, but it was it. They had to go there. Imagine if, if Brock was able to come out of college and go right into professional amateur style wrestling. I mean, he would, you know what I'm saying? Like, it would probably, he would probably be up there with Jordan right now in terms of where the sport has gone. And it's blowing up in a very limited window too. No disrespect to Fox Nation, but it's a growing streaming service too. So the amount of excitement behind it is kind of. It's like a unicorn. You can't explain it. In this day of I can't wait. I need this or I need crazy fights with aged fighters and all this other hoopla. And then here's this thing where it's just pitting pure athleticism against each other and it's on fire. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

And I came back and I told my wife, I said, honey, I've watched wrestling my whole life. I've studied this. I thought about this all the plane ride. Like, why was this different? Why was this special? And I can't explain it, but Tyrus, I can feel it when I'm there. There is an energy in that room and the way that it flows and the music and whatever it is. We were out two weeks ago in Arizona. They sold out. I mean, they've only been at this for six events and they sold out. It was a small venue show, but they sold out.

[Tyrus]

They are building something.

[Chael Sonnen]

Big deal.

[Tyrus]

Because they would, I'm telling you right now, three years ago, they wouldn't have sold out.

[Chael Sonnen]

No, no. This is stunning. Like, Hulk Hogan comes over to prevent, you know, you. You bring Bischoff in. I mean, I'm just saying, like, what do these guys know about putting on amateur wrestling?

[Tyrus]

Eric Bischoff does not get enough credit. He is a genius. He can. He could take. He could take a flea circus and get people to show up. Yes. You know, and that very quiet leadership, by the way. Yes. I love him. He's one of my favorite people.

[Chael Sonnen]

I agree with what you said. He doesn't get enough credit. He has done things without using words. Like, he told me one time, he said, don't interview that guy. The match was over. Said, don't interview him. And I said, okay.

[Tyrus]

Why?

[Chael Sonnen]

And he said, I want to send a message to these guys. If you interview is a reward. So without having a meeting with the guys and telling them this, he just doesn't interview me. He makes everybody look around and realize what's happening. But he does lots of things that way. This very quiet leadership. I've also been very impressed with him.

[Tyrus]

Yeah. Because here's the deal. When you get that interview, you know, you did something and you get to. You get. You get to do something again. Now, for a guy who's. Who maybe doesn't have your ability on the mic, it will grow, you know, and as his confidence grows and as he gets those interviews and they're a reward, then he's excited to do it. He's no longer like, oh, I got to do interviews. You. It's like, I've got the interview. I'm the man right now. And it will be a completely different interview because it's like, we're coming to you because you were the man. You bust. You. You did what you needed to do. And now here's the. So that works. Same thing with wrestling. Top guys get the interview. Boxing, main event interview. Very rarely does the loser, unless he had an amazing performance in defeat, will they ask him to stay? Usually the loser's banished. And then the guy who won gets to talk shit for 15 minutes, thank God, then cuss out his baby's mama and then call out a guy who he knows is never going to fight him, you know, and it's just a whole, whole thing. And so I think, again, that's the genius of Bischoff. Yep.

[Chael Sonnen]

I fully agree. You know, he's the first one there. He's the last one to leave. Like, no, he does deserve a lot of credit. Hey, let me Ask you something. The first time I ever saw you come on Fox News, you come in, you're in street clothes, you got a hat on backwards, you got the NWA belt. And I remember stopping and going, all right, let's see what this is. But I didn't assume you were going to have something to say on politics. I didn't. You were going to have an opinion on these. Where did that come from?

[Tyrus]

I'm an offensive lineman. Boom.

[Chael Sonnen]

First rang and they invite you on Fox News. Were you in over your head? And then you had to. What happened? Why did you turn out to be so good at that?

[Tyrus]

Because it's just locker room talk. It's common sense. And locker room. I have been the biggest mouth, with all due respect, because we never shared a locker room, so we give each other a run for our money. But I have been the smart ass in the locker room in football. One time, my office of line coach, Coach Martinez said, do you ever stop talking? How do you breathe out there? He's like, I hear you. You're talking about his grade point average. Like, what is, what is wrong with you? And I'm like, well, the more I talk to him, the later he gets off the ball, you know, So I would have people find out, grade point average. Did he break up with his girlfriend? I needed dirt to mess with guys on the line to where they wanted to beat me up. If you were so focused on fighting me, you can't get to the quarterback. And then worse, you get pancaked. And the guy was like, well, this explains the poor school performance because you have, you're clearly not good at football either. I don't know what you guys are going to do, man. Like, do you come from money? I was like, your family going to be able to support you because you're horrible. Your teammates are, look, your teammates ain't even looking at you, you know, or worse, come up to the guy like, man, I saw your scouting report. You are really good. I don't know what I'm going to do tonight. And then to hear a guy go, really? Like, ladies and gentlemen, my new bitch. I own you now. So it's always been there. He's a mark. I got him, you know, so it was always there. And it hurt me a lot. It hurt me in wrestling a lot. Because I didn't mind making fun of a taker, even though you're not allowed to, you know, because I remember one time, you know, he walks in the room and I'm like, you know, for a guy that makes as much money he does, you think you'd have better tanner and eyeliner? I thought it was hilarious. Apparently not.

[Chael Sonnen]

Did he take it well?

[Tyrus]

No, he wasn't. He's nice to me now, but there he was kind of always like. He always make jokes about my hair, and I love Taker, but he's not funny. And he would always say, oh, nice hairdo. And I'm thinking, there's so many things I'd like to say, but out of respect, I will not. And then I just got to a point where, like, I don't. I'm just gonna. I'm gonna be me. I'll go down with the ship. No title. Cool. I'll bet on myself. So what happened was. Is Greg on X? Was. Somebody was talking shit to him. I didn't know Greg from Adam, and somehow I got into it. They posted a meme of the Funkasaurus, and they said, you're as fake as wrestling. And I got tagged in it. And it just so happened. I just come back from Japan, and it was three in the morning, I couldn't sleep, and I was trying to figure out how I was going to pay my bills, pay my support. Like, I was not in a good place. And I'm looking at my feeds full of these two guys arguing. And I just jumped on there. I was like, hey, fellas, fellas, I'm going through some shit right now. I said, I don't have time for this on my feed. What if we all just got together, got a beer, maybe catch a game and a bucks game. I'll fly you guys out and we can all be friends, you know, maybe find some common ground instead of all this arguing shit. And the guy wrote back immediately, really? Can I bring my friend? And I wrote back, no. And I blocked him. I forgot to block Greg. Greg thought it was hilarious. And he says, hey, do you want to come on my show? And I went on the show one time, he asked me about Arroyo Grande licking donuts with her boyfriend. And he came to me and I looked at him and I just said. He's like, do you need to prep? I was like, no, I can answer that. We can do that right now. He's like, all right, let's do it. And he's like. When he, you know, they played the clip and he. He asked me, he's like, your thoughts? I'm like, it's gross, Greg. Back to you. Don't do that shit. Like, you know. And he literally. Commercial break, he's dying, laughing. And he just said, if you lived in New York, I'd make you my co host. And I said, that ain't happened. I hate New York. I'm an outdoorsman. And then it was, hey, what about once a month? And I said, hey, you know, with my wrestling schedule and I was trying to do movies and feed my family and, you know, trying to get back. I was with tna and they were having some financial stuff, and I was going to Japan. So I was like. I had a lot of things going on, just trying to find, you know, I bet on myself. WWE basically was like, we're letting you go. You know, a couple months. Give us a call back. We'll see where you're at. And I was like, this is the one guy that's not going to have to call back. That was my passion. Like, I am not gonna be the guy with his back up against the wall when the promoters walk by, hey, can I get a dark match? Or, hey, boss, I got a gimmick, you know, you think you'd give me a thing? So I was inspired to get myself, like, I'm gonna have a show with more ratings than you watch, you know, and everyone thought I was crazy. And I had no idea it was gonna be FOX at all. Never in my life. There was never a time when I was bodyguarding for Snoop, playing ball wrestling, where I sat around with buddies like you and said, you know what, man? This shit's not working out. I'm gonna take my ass down to Fox News and tell it what it is. Never. It was. I actually didn't. I didn't even like Bill O'Reilly. Like, Snoop hated those guys, you know, and politics. I just kind of. All I cared about was taxation. Like, all I cared. Every time I got taxed, I was pissed, you know, So I was. Small government was always my thing, but I wasn't something that I needed to talk to everybody about. I always thought it was very personal. I always thought politics, religion, and sex with your wife as things you keep to yourself, you know, because nothing good comes from talking about it. So. And then he just started asking my opinion. And then it really was. It was about police brutality. That changed it because I said I would think I was the first guy to ever say, you can have two thoughts on one subject. You can respect law enforcement, support law enforcement, and you can hate a bad cop just like you hate anything else in life. All police aren't bad. You can focus on the individual, say his name, not his job. And it just blew up, went viral. And Greg's like, We need you. How much you making as a wrestler? And I remember going, huh? And it wasn't great, you know, So I, you know. But pride. I was like, oh, like a hundred. And he's like, okay, we can do 110. And I was like, let me call my accountant. Which I basically sat there on the phone for 10 seconds and called back.

[Chael Sonnen]

So this is when you realize they're serious. You probably didn't even take him seriously.

[Tyrus]

I thought he was with me.

[Chael Sonnen]

Sure. Come be my co host. Yeah, I wouldn't take that serious either.

[Tyrus]

No. And then next thing I know, I'm flying out and I go, oh, we're going to pay you. Retro. And like. And I was like, well, what if I don't want to say? And they're like, we don't care what you say. Just be you. Do I got to wear a suit? Quote? No, be you. People lean forward when you talk. We don't know what it is. That is you, but no one else has it, so just be yourself. And I, WWE and NWA Billy Corgan was the same way. Just. I don't care if they hate you. Be you. And. And allowing me just to. It's the only place where I've had freedom like that to be. So I. I have. I don't care. If CNN offered me $2 million more, I. I wouldn't leave. Because there's something about somebody believing in you when nobody else does that. Fox, Susan Scott, Greg Powers, that be, they were just like, do you. And that is. And I've delivered. That's the. I mean, you can be yourself, but if it doesn't put asses in the seat, nobody gives a shit. But I've delivered and we've been riding this roller coaster and it's allowed me to make, like, great friends like you and just stay true to myself. And the older I get, the more fun it is. I no longer give a shit.

[Chael Sonnen]

It was a really. It was a really bold move by Fox, though.

[Tyrus]

I mean. Oh, yeah. 1,000%.

[Chael Sonnen]

No one. I remember the first.

[Tyrus]

Nobody would have brought me in. Nobody.

[Chael Sonnen]

Clothes hat on the way it is now.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

You got the NWA belt? No. It was such an interesting thing.

[Tyrus]

What a meathead. Like, you got this. You know, I'm getting on the blood. Well, you know. You know, I'm saying when I, you know, if it's not pro, you know, all that. That is just like yourself. Oh, he's got to be punch drunk. He's a UFC guy. He's got to be a criminal. You know, he's a monster. And then you, you drop knowledge and you articulate and you can talk about, you can talk about anything with anyone for at least 10 minutes. That's what I pride myself on. If an astrophysics came on this show right now and you And I, for 10 minutes, we could at least carry a tune to make him think. We understand now when it got to the 11th minute that we go to a commercial break and get out of there. But I'm saying, like in terms of cocktail parties and, you know, if, if you, if you end up being governor of Oregon, you're going to be able to talk to any diplomat for at least 10 minutes before you go to your guy going, all right, give me all the information and then tomorrow I'll be prepared. So that's really. It's the locker room. This, this was groomed, molded, forged in locker rooms from the time I was 8 years old till the last locker room I walked out of when I retired at 49 years old in the NWA, like, it has just been, I hold court, and I know you hold court, and that's what they would call it. And it was just. And it's just been one of those things where I'm getting to do something I love to do. And it's. And it's made life. My daughter jumps horses. Never would have happened. My son's on every travel baseball team in the country. My other daughter plays the bassoon. She's the only one who owns her bassoon. You know, my other daughter's working on being a model. Hopefully she grows out of that. But, you know, it has made my life completely different. And I don't have to be the gladiator without an arena. And I've seen that. So we've all seen it. It's heartbreaking to see guys who were once and there's nothing for them. Did you know only 6% of people are getting enough fiber? That's why Quaker created Fiber February, a month long movement to show your gut a little more love.

[Ryan]

It's like dry January, only easier and more delicious. Quaker has over a hundred delicious options that are a good source of fiber. So go buy Quaker oats today and

[Tyrus]

join the Fiber February movement for a healthy gut. Bad management, bad marriage, it doesn't matter. At one time they were at the top of their game as an athlete, and now they're, you know, you see them at these signing shows with one guy trying to decide if he's gonna buy their pitcher, you know, and then asking him, hey, is Kurt Angle here? You Know, it's just. It's. It's heartbreaking and so. But you gotta bet on yourself. You gotta believe in yourself. And sometimes you just gotta say it. I'm gonna ride with me. And if it doesn't work out, I got no one to blame but me. And that's the nice thing about. If I get canceled tomorrow for saying something on tv, I can't say Fox made me say it. I don't even write my own shit. Greg. I don't do meetings with Greg. I don't. He never knows. I. I refuse. It's wrestling. Call it out there. See you out there, kid. And like, well, hey, what about this one? Don't be a mark. See you out there. So. And that has been.

[Chael Sonnen]

Call it in the ring. I like that.

[Tyrus]

I like that. Call it out there. You know, and every time you come on, like when he was trying to ask you questions and once you got on him about his little dog shirt changed the whole dynamic of the shirt, the whole show Dynamic of the show was changed, and it became absolutely hilarious. Like, just. You threw a curveball and his sweater was the topic of every segment.

[Chael Sonnen]

I remember Cat. Cat's like, he doesn't even know that. I thought it was like a tribute to a dog at home or a dog that died. And Cat's like, he doesn't even know that dog.

[Tyrus]

Exactly.

[Chael Sonnen]

That's a funny moment. I appreciate that you remember that.

[Tyrus]

Oh, no, it's classic. If there was a time life best of for Gutfeld, that's on there.

[Chael Sonnen]

All right. Tyrus Worker shoot. Bill Clinton is being deposed by Nancy Mace a couple of weeks ago. Worker shoot. He takes a cup. Now, the cup clearly doesn't have anything in it or it would have spilled all over, but when he brings the cup to his mouth, he's doing a shaking gimmick. I don't want to tease him if the poor guy's got the shakes, but I'm just saying, like, out of nowhere, he starts doing this shaking gimmick. It was at work, wasn't it?

[Tyrus]

He knew that it was empty. He was trying to. He's trying to get that Biden thing where he's such a sweet old man. He doesn't have it anymore. Biden was a shoot. You know how he went to work? Because when he was looking at the old pictures, he was laughing and giggling because he knew they didn't have shit on him. Everyone was like, oh, no. He was. No, no. He was like, this is all I got. He was euphoric. You know, it's like, you and I beat a guy. We beat up a bunch of guys in the bar and all they have is that a picture of us double parking outside and they're writing us citation. We're giggling. Look at. That's all I got. They don't have. Yeah. Where do I sign?

[Chael Sonnen]

Well, for a guy. Yeah, for. For a guy that is kind of known for this and he had the White House and the cigar moment. Like, it is a very different thing. If you supply pictures and she's touching me, we're good.

[Tyrus]

Exactly.

[Chael Sonnen]

If I'm sitting there and her hands are on my shoulders, it's a completely different photo.

[Tyrus]

And you go from going,

[Chael Sonnen]

oh, I'm

[Tyrus]

having it until that's it. Oh, please continue. And then he was laughing and giggling. How long were you in the hot tub? I don't know. 45 minutes? I don't know. 5. I don't know. I don't remember. It was a lot of people. It was a big hot tub. I went to the pool because he knew at that point they had nothing on him. Which is sad, you know, and maybe there was nothing. I don't know. I wasn't there. And I. The Epstein thing, I think all the victims should be taken care of. They have a fund for them. The main villain's dead, so it's like, you know, his wife's in jail and a lot of the guys that were doing were being protected by the Biden administration and all of those guys are out of their stuff. So it's like, at this point, I don't know what else these things are going to do other than distraction. I think make sure you take care of the victims and the victims can civilly sue the people that they know. Misabuse them. We saw that OJ it was civil court that brought him to justice. So my thing is, like, why don't go after the. They're gonna settle with you. You know, they're not gonna, you know, so. But yeah, Clinton, he's working us all. He's playing with house money. And he knows it because he knows he's safe.

[Chael Sonnen]

Well. And he really is. When they bring him into a situation like that, like, there's really nothing other than embarrassment. Unless you could get him on a perj. But anything else would have a statute of limitations. Not to mention the provability. Not to mention, to your point, the villain is dead. But there was one thing interesting. I would just like to bring it up. Cuz I think I'm so smart. I think I'm so smart.

[Tyrus]

I Will second that amendment. I will second. Hear, hear. I second that. You're smart.

[Chael Sonnen]

But Tyrus, everything she asked him, she would then include Epstein Island. She would say, did you do this on Epstein Island? Did you fly to a private jet to Epstein Island? Everything included Epstein Island. And my only problem point to you is there's no way to lie. Like, if you open up a map anywhere in the world, there is no place called Epstein Island.

[Tyrus]

Epstein island is a colonialism. Never been there.

[Chael Sonnen]

It's a media. And I've never been there. Never been to Epstein Island. That would be very provable because there's no such place. And I'm just bringing that to the audience's attention. That I didn't know if Nancy was just misspeaking. Like, she seemed very sincere and passionate. But sometimes the great workers do. It's like, why are you going out of your way to say Epstein Island? What does it matter where it was was. If you're asking about girls or underage.

[Tyrus]

Did you touch a girl? Did you do. You don't leave the. But that I think is by design. I do too. I think that. That the biggest work in the world is government wrestling. Ain't got shit on the government. I think they. Everything's in place. They launder money. They're safe. Everyone knows it. You can and complain when you search. Unless the guy is stupid and keeps gold bars in his closet, you got nothing on him. So I think. I think the system is designed to. It's all show. Were you on Epstein Island? Well, any decent lawyer who hasn't even passed the bar was like, well, it's not a place. So you're not lying. However you answer, that's brilliant. And that's why. That's why you are who you are. Now, if I have to transition because literally my guys are having a heart attack. Harry. My B team, Harry and Ryan. Harry is. And again, he is stoked in heterosexualism. But he is in love with you, sir.

[Chael Sonnen]

Harry. I met him earlier. He's a very nice guy.

[Tyrus]

And he has. He would like if the B team has worked hard and they do the right things. I reward them. And one of the things I said is if he was. If he did everything he needed to do this week, that I would. I would ask you if he could sit down and ask you five questions with Ryan. Ryan is not athletic, but he's. He's a good guy. They would like if they could ask. Take a few more minutes of your time and. And the. Yeah. Come on in, fellas. And again, Ryan Is our project, so bear with him.

[Chael Sonnen]

And by the way, you got a cool studio. Where are you? Are you in Florida now?

[Tyrus]

No, I wish. Oh, I wish. No, I'm in New York, but they made me a man cave.

[Chael Sonnen]

Well, it's a great setup, but I still.

[Tyrus]

I need a bad guy ink. Sign, please. Honorary member.

[Chael Sonnen]

Absolutely.

[Tyrus]

All right, hold on. All right, fellas. All right. All right.

[Ryan]

Yeah, there is.

[Harry]

Oh, wait, tires. Oh, this is mine now.

[Tyrus]

You stole my wallet. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

Hey, handsome guy.

[Tyrus]

You don't have.

[Chael Sonnen]

You don't have to be athletic if you're. I know Ryan, man. I know Ryan.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I know you. Chill. I can't believe. Unbelievable. You've seen me. You've seen me take you down in the green.

[Tyrus]

Absolutely times.

[Ryan]

You've seen me take you down a few times.

[Harry]

I. Wait, chill. Hold on. I gotta get ready. How these look? Can you see me?

[Chael Sonnen]

Sharp. They actually look very sharp.

[Ryan]

He can see you.

[Harry]

My mom. We have two pairs. My mom has a pair, but, like, they're actually really magnified. They hurt my head, so I couldn't wear them.

[Ryan]

All right.

[Chael Sonnen]

I have the magnifying kind, by the way.

[Harry]

Oh, dear. I like him.

[Ryan]

Harry's so excited, so I'll let him start.

[Harry]

We got to talk a little bit before the show and then we had to do some technical things, so I'm sorry about that. I was the one with the zoom. I was on the zoom.

[Chael Sonnen]

Do you think I Forgot this was 30? You think I've forgotten you?

[Ryan]

Dude, he's not.

[Chael Sonnen]

I have forgotten that we were discussing in the fight. Pass. And I have a story for you.

[Harry]

Yes, But I don't know.

[Chael Sonnen]

Is that what you think of me? Really?

[Harry]

Well, I have glasses on now, so I look different.

[Chael Sonnen]

By the way, what do you got next to you there? Is that a water? You got a little vodka? You got a little Grandpa's cough syrup, just in case.

[Harry]

Yeah, this is Tyrus water, actually.

[Ryan]

Why is it cloudy?

[Harry]

Oh, wait, it's not water. It's something else.

[Chael Sonnen]

No, it's a little vodka. It helps to calm the nerves before you drive. You know, kind of like eases things down.

[Harry]

It's true. That's very important. All right. Are you ready, Ryan? You want me to ask a question or. I'll go first.

[Ryan]

You'll go first, since you're excited and I'm not athletic and I'm fat and I'm just. I suck, you know.

[Chael Sonnen]

Five questions with Uncle Chael. Where do we begin?

[Harry]

All right, chael. I'm a two time grappling industry silver medalist at the 200 pound blue belt division. I just wanted to throw that in there at the beginning of my respect. Thank you. At one time, I was the best White Belt at 200 pounds in the Greater Syracuse area. I also want to throw that in. Have the Nogueira brothers figured out what buses are?

[Chael Sonnen]

Yes, yes. It was a horse issue. Was. Was more the problem. They thought that the bus was a horse. And by the way, that meme apparently was so effective that they have not forgiven me. Now, it turns out that they are very nice guys, but they have not forgiven me. When I come around, like, I'll see them in the corner of the room talking about me. Apparently they got teased by so many people that either thought that was real or pretended to think it was real. They haven't let it go. That was over 13 years ago. They still haven't forgiven me.

[Ryan]

Wow, that's great.

[Chael Sonnen]

You know what? F them if they can't take a joke.

[Harry]

Yeah, F them. We can bleep that.

[Ryan]

Chael, can you even see me?

[Chael Sonnen]

The BLEEP was saying F. Yes, we can.

[Tyrus]

That's the bleep we.

[Harry]

I still think we should bleep that part just to be safe.

[Chael Sonnen]

Oh, all right. Better safe than sorry.

[Harry]

Fm.

[Ryan]

Chael, can you even see me right now?

[Chael Sonnen]

Absolutely.

[Ryan]

You can? Okay. Because I see you on this little tv. Harry's got you on the big screen. So I got a question for you, right? And I put it on a nice little cue card. All right? So the UFC card in the White House is happening in June. So I really wanna hear your thoughts on it. And do you think that it's a good idea and that it can actually logistically work? Because you've seen all the models of how big this thing is gonna be. What are your honest takes on it?

[Chael Sonnen]

Well, it's amazing. First off, I mean, the geopolitical issues, Listen, they were going to put. Put a Muslim on top of the card. And I only say that's a cool thing. Like, Dana White does not do politics. And you go, well, yes, he does. He campaigned for Trump. No, he campaigned for Trump. He never touched one policy issue and never has. He does not do with his own organization. He's gonna go to the White House. And there's no way that a time when we're bombing Iran that they want a Muslim on top of the car. Dana doesn't do that. He's gonna bring the card he's going to bring. I mean, I'm just saying, like, it's actually a very interesting thing. That's what sport was designed for the Olympic Games come around largely so that we can all put our weapons down, go out there and shake hands when it's done. Like, this is the spirit of sport. But you don't see that there's not other sports professionals that would do this or not bring politics in. But Dana does not. You know, it's one thing to say I'm not doing. It's another thing to not. He's gonna go on the White House lawn and he's gonna bring his guys. And if you wanna bring in what nation they're from or what religion they're from, go talk to somebody else. Cause he is not hearing it.

[Ryan]

So can I believe.

[Chael Sonnen]

I think that's a very honorable thing, and I hope that you guys do too.

[Ryan]

Can I be your plus one?

[Chael Sonnen]

You know what I say?

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Harry]

All right.

[Ryan]

You already had.

[Chael Sonnen]

You already hear my attitude. I've never had more people ask, could I be your plus one? Now, now, the truth is.

[Ryan]

Oh, I wasn't talking about the event. I'm just saying in life.

[Chael Sonnen]

Oh, oh, absolutely. Yes, you absolutely can. Hey, I don't know if we get a plus one. Like, they got really tight in security, multiple time convicted felon. So if I can get in to call the event, which I am, I would imagine I could get you in. But I don't want to over promise because it doesn't turn out to be a Blake. I don't want you thinking, hey, that chill guy goes and throws promises around. If I say it, I'm good for it. And I'm letting you know. I don't know if I can pull that off.

[Ryan]

I remember that next time I see you. All right, Harry, go ahead.

[Harry]

Ryan, I think you're athletic.

[Tyrus]

Thank you.

[Ryan]

What do you think? Actually, you know what? And this is not a any shot at me. So I saw. This is a few years ago, I saw Chael, met him for the first time, then he came back on. He came back on a few months after that, and he said, wow, you look great. You lost some weight. I did. You noticed. I think Chael thinks I'm a fit guy too. So thank you. Appreciate it.

[Harry]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

I don't know where they would get non athlete from you. You look in fairness, like you got a rich mother. Like you're really well dressed. You know, I imagine mom kind of takes care. You know, you probably grew up with a butler type situation, but wow, he did. I don't know where you were getting on it. You know, you got the nice straight teeth that Somebody, you know, you, you were definitely a well cared for.

[Ryan]

Thank you. Yeah, well, yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah.

[Chael Sonnen]

But that's a good thing, right?

[Ryan]

It's a good thing. All right, Harry, go ahead, chill.

[Harry]

I know you said that folk style wrestling is the best base for mma. This is more of an Raf question. So what do you think it is about freestyle, as opposed to folk, that appeals to people?

[Chael Sonnen]

I will tell you. And first off, thank you for putting over real American freestyle. They are really trying hard and they deserve that, I can tell you real quickly. So the reason that American wrestlers have done really well in the UFC and Olympic and world champions from other countries have not one reason. In folk style wrestling, which is only done in America, it doesn't exist anywhere else in the world, you were encouraged, one, to get off the bottom with a guy on top. If a guy's on top of, you've got to turn and hand fight and get away. You have to do that per the rules. But you're also encouraged to keep a guy down against his will to, if you're the top man, to keep him down while he's trying to get away. In freestyle, you just lay in that position, you stay there, you try to defend, and then the referee will bring you to your feet. So every style but folk is just a takedown game. Once you get the takedown, you, the American wrestlers know, if it didn't go their way, how to get back to their feet, but more importantly, how to maintain that position. And I hope I explained that well, because it is a massive distinction. In fact, it is the only distinction.

[Harry]

Absolutely. I think it's important for people to know that.

[Chael Sonnen]

What a genius. What did you. You know, sometimes I hear myself talk and I just sit back and I think, wow, are these guys glad that they have access to my dimension?

[Harry]

One billion, one billion percent.

[Chael Sonnen]

Truly, in the presence of.

[Ryan]

You're like the MMA Gandhi.

[Harry]

Yes. So, Tyrus, jujitsu question now. So you had a match with Craig Jones. You went to sleep twice with a buggy choke.

[Chael Sonnen]

Yes, well, I, I defended the. I made him let go of the choke two different times in a little bit of an unconventional manner. But, I mean, you can call it going to sleep if you want. It's a very pessimistic attitude.

[Ryan]

Yeah, no, you'll see.

[Chael Sonnen]

Twice against the best guy in the world on one day's notice. I got out of the best guy in the world choke twice.

[Harry]

I'm about to defend you here.

[Chael Sonnen]

Thank you.

[Harry]

You tricked Tyrus by going to sleep twice, but you did not trick me. Was it a ploy? Was it. Was it predetermined? You and Craig sit down, shake hands.

[Chael Sonnen]

Heavens, no. And it's such an interesting question to get asked that. I've only been asked that for that competition. Like, there was something about that. And I. John McCarthy refereed it. And he said that to. I've never told him, but he actually said to me, he goes, hey, were you really out? And it was such an interesting thing. Like, I could not imagine doing a work and being on the short side of it, I would accept if somebody else wanted to throw one for me. I couldn't imagine doing that. And then secondly, when it's not a work, when you're giving your best performance and it looks so bad that people are making an excuse for you saying it's a work, it's like, I didn't really know how to respond. It was embarrassing. It actually embarrassed me. But it's like, no, the problem wasn't me. The problem is that guy is so good. He doesn't know how good he is. And he did not want me to go out. He thought I would have, like, a better defense. But, you know, from. From a grappler. I'm inside control. I have nothing to worry about. I'm in control. Then he comes up with this move, this. This buggy choke business. I got a black belt. I have never even heard the word buggy joke, let alone been put in one. And that's the problem with Craig. It's like, Craig, you don't understand how good you are. If you want this match to go on, you got to throw up. Moves that I've seen before.

[Harry]

Chael, freestyle wrestling match. You and Craig, Real American freestyle. What do you think?

[Chael Sonnen]

They're talking about it. They're talking about it right now. I am into it. They're also talking for old Chael against Francis Ngannou. And I think they are.

[Tyrus]

I'm the cornerman. I'm your cornerman. I'm the cornerman.

[Chael Sonnen]

Oh, absolutely. I was just going to tell these guys. So Tyrus, when he was getting back in weight, a lot of the workout that he was doing is. He was doing boxing workouts. And I invited him. I tried to get him to come and coach with me on the Ultimate Fighter. And then I opened my mouth and I told everybody and they were so. And all the guys keep, hey, is this the. The day? Is this the day Tyrus is coming out and the schedules didn't work? You know, like, he agreed because he wanted to help me, but he hadn't looked at his schedule. It's one of these. You know, these things happen.

[Tyrus]

And.

[Chael Sonnen]

But anyway, the guys were pumped, man. The guys were pumped. And then Tyrus had some videos. He was sending us videos. He was just working out. He was just showing, like, man, I'm in there. So I would show these guys these videos, and it was inspiring everybody. Anyway, shout out to Tyrus. That's my point.

[Harry]

Shout out to Tyrus. That's all I have for you. Chill. Ryan.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I got one more for you, because I know. I know you probably have better things to do than sit with two unathletic guys,

[Tyrus]

so.

[Ryan]

Harry and I are both young in our careers, right? And we know that when you're young in your career, you could face a lot of hardships. How can you compare the early stages of your career in the UFC and in MMA and compare that to people like us? How can we feel inspired to get through those tough times, get through those, you know, mountains and valleys and work for forward to be successful like you?

[Chael Sonnen]

I love that question. There was a compliment in there for me, and you're entrusting me to give you valuable advice. I really appreciate that. Thank you for that question. Okay, so I'll tell you this, and all I've got is the same buzzwords that anyone else will tell you. That is when you feel those storms, there's only one way through it, which is forward. And it seems like such a storm when you're in it. You know, you've got this car payment, you got this other thing, and. And you've got these goals, and you're trying to plan for your future, but then you're on this fixed income, and it's one of these things, and Tyrus and I were actually discussing that a little bit earlier, and everybody goes through it. It seems like such a big deal when you're the one in the storm, but once it passes, you look back and go, hey, that wasn't so bad. And it's just such an opportunity. It's such an opportunity to have somewhere to go, to be part of it. And to answer your question, you know, never stop learning, never stop being curious, but never forget that the world is a big place. Do not get stuck in the cracks. And a lot of people do. I've even got people from high school, you know, that dropped the pass in the game, and they're still alcoholics to this day. And this is before there was even an Internet. Like, this doesn't even exist on film anywhere. But they got stuck in the Cracks. And it's really important not to do that, particularly for you. You guys are handsome guys and you're successful, and Ryan, you're a trust fund baby. I mean, like, you guys got it all, you know, going your way.

[Ryan]

So it just never stops.

[Chael Sonnen]

Sometimes can be tough, you know, I mean, you're. You're working with the greatest guy in the world.

[Harry]

You.

[Chael Sonnen]

You live in what many consider to be the greatest city in the world. It is a very important thing. And you learn it too late in life. You learn it older. But if you can wake up every day with gratitude and just think about it, like when you're in bed and your alarm clothes, alarm clock goes off. If you could just think of a few things that you're grateful for, like the ability to have a hot shower. The richest person in the world a hundred years ago did not have a hot shot. Kings did not have a hot shower. Like, there's. There's some things that we just have now as Americans that are so wonderful and we take them for granted. And if you can force yourself not to. Boy, I tell you, your outlook and your positivity, which is contagious, it will change instantly.

[Ryan]

That's great. I guess really quick. If you could not be a UFC legend and you had big rush.

[Chael Sonnen]

You've been trying to rush me ever since. Like, what were these supposed to be? Rapid fire questions. Well, you know, where is it you have to be?

[Ryan]

Your tires has a policy.

[Chael Sonnen]

Tires has ever since I got. You know what? Yeah. We're not going to answer your last question. What we're going to do for the last is we're going to tell you a joke because there's a new hot joke going around. Have you guys heard it? What is six feet tall, charming, and disappears in an instant?

[Harry]

Oh, my God. He glitched out at the punchline.

[Ryan]

Yeah.

[Tyrus]

Yeah.

[Harry]

Oh, my. I actually had questions for him.

[Tyrus]

Okay. What did you. Harry, thank you. Great job.

[Harry]

Thanks.

[Ryan]

What's up, boss?

[Tyrus]

Chael hung up on us. Are you proud of you?

[Ryan]

He said I could be his plus one for the White House. So I think.

[Tyrus]

You think after he hung up on you, he's gonna do that?

[Ryan]

I'm gonna go. Yeah, I'm gonna. Thanks for having me on.

[Tyrus]

Cha. He's not here. Yeah, because he hung up. I was really excited to hear that joke. Guess we'll never know. No, he'll go, Ryan.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I'm going to.

[Tyrus]

Yeah, go. Nice job, Ryan.