Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor UFC 303 | SRS #106

[Music]. Michael Chandler welcome to the show man. man thank you so much for having me it's. been a long time coming it has been. watching you from afar so it's awesome. we've been kicking this back and forth. for what about probably close to 6. months now and uh you know I know you're. a busy guy totally totally get it and uh. I'm just happy to have you here and and. uh honored to have you sitting across. from me so absolutely man but um but. everybody starts off with an intro so.

here we. go husband and a father to two adopted. Sons a Christian American professional. mixed martial artist four-time NCAA. qualifier 2011. 20136 2021 and 2022 fight of the Year. nominations you're a three-time Bellator. lightweight champion 2021 UFC debut of. the year you're ranked currently number.

five in the world from what I understand. four UFC performance of the night. bonuses record is 23 wins eight losses. host of walk-on wisdom podcast and you. own a Jim here in Nashville what is the. name again Nashville MMA Nashville MMA. quite the uh quite the intro here yeah. thank you man that's uh it's really cool. to see it all ironed out right as as. hard Chargers was like we'll keep on. going I don't care about what I've. accomplished we'll keep on going you. know that's you know that's one thing.

that I notice a lot. about Ultra success stories is you don't. have time to gloat with the winds it's. just go go go go go go go and um that's. how I am and that's how a lot of it's. just there's no time you know what I. mean it's it's just keep going great we. did a win yeah and i' and I've learned. to uh I've learned that one of my one of. my downfalls was actually not putting. enough stock in being.

being proud of myself for what I have. accomplished you know so I do I have. learned to take the time every now and. then to Pat myself on the back right cuz. I was a guy who struggled with. self-image and self-confidence and not. believing in myself enough or not. believing I deserved it enough so you. can kind of get caught in that rut of. well okay I won this or I made this or I. did this but I was supposed to I got to. keep going going going and if you don't. ever stop to smell the roses stop to pet. yourself on the back not sit there and. and rest on your laurels so to speak but.

you know really look in the mirror and. say I am proud of you right so I've I've. learned to do that as I've gotten older. but for the most part it's like okay. yesterday was yesterday it's time to go. that's you know I'm glad you brought. that up because I'm not necessarily. saying that's a positive attribute yeah. I think it can also be a poison and it's. just a it's just a commonality that I. see amongst overachievers just call them. overachievers and you know I'm 100% with. you I I want to be able to to celebrate.

the. wins the thing that kind of helped me do. it is you know I I've always been I grew. up doing individual sports like. wrestling um a lot of the stuff that. I've done in the teams and the agency. are you know it's it's very team. oriented but you're always evaluated as. an individual. and and and the same with business from. you know doing the podcast now and what.

kind of slowed me down is is now I've. built this big enough to where I can. have a team around me and the team. deserves and the team deserves. recognition and so that has forced me to. slow down and celebrate the wins because. I want them to to be able to to. celebrate that and they deserve it. that's awesome but um but yeah you. definitely start yeah you definitely. start to realize you can't grow without. people right and you know obviously in. individual sport right I've always been.

in individual sports but without the. team you know I'm going into the cage by. myself I'm going into onto the wrestling. mat by myself but it was everybody who. had a little piece of a little bit of um. you know a little bit of sprinkle in. there whether it be the coaches the. training Partners the management. whatever that even though I the one who. decides whether I get my hand raised or. not it was all the individuals with me. on the entire uh on the entire process. the entire Journey no matter what yeah.

yeah but um before we get to into the. into the life story I have a patreon. account and I always give them an. opportunity to ask a question they're my. top supporters they're the reason I'm. here they're the reason you're here and. uh they've been with me the whole time. so this is one thing that I'm able to do. for them and so this is from Frank. Lewis what is one of the weirdest things. that an opponent of yours has done to. you either pre-fight or during the fight.

to get into your. head oh man uh there's been there's been. so many you know it's such an. interesting sport right because there's. the trash talk leading up to it there's. the there's the post are the pre-fight. press conferences and all those. different things that we have to do. media obligations uh I think when I. fought Tony Ferguson uh we were at the. we were at the press conference and then. they pulled the they pull the tables. away they pull the chairs away and then. we do the face off and it was really. funny and if anybody knows Tony Fergus. and you probably you probably do he's.

legend in the sport um he's just a funny. quirky guy he's known for saying weird. off-the-wall things doing weird. off-the-wall things his training videos. are just kind of off-the-wall uh but we. were standing we had faced off and then. we faced the crowd kind of give one of. these numbers Crowd Goes Crazy and he he. was standing there reached over went. down and touched my foot like really. really fast like he was going to ankle. pick me cuz he always talked about an. ankle pick which is a one of the. traditional wrestling takedowns right.

and then later on in an interview said. yeah I touched his ankle I would have. been able to ankle pick him right there. and it's just it's really funny because. it kind of it was It was kind of. hilarious but it was also kind of. serious you can't ever tell if Tony is. you know being serious or not but he. reached down touched my foot and I. looked down and I thought what the world. just happened here I've never had this. happen you know we're supposed to be. serious right like hey but then also in. his mind he's like okay I got one up on. him right now I touched his ankle he. wasn't ready for it I'm like of course I. wasn't ready for it bro I was standing.

here looking at the crowd doing what I'm. supposed to do so I think that was uh. that was probably the most off-the-wall. thing you know leading up to a fight and. then inside of the fight there's been. numerous times where we're talking back. and forth or or you hit somebody and. they're kind of making that that noise. where it's like uh uh you know and it's. just uh it's an interesting sport. because you're you are locked in and you. are focused on creating bodily damage to. another human being but it's still a. human being right so it's it's uh I'd.

say but i' say the Tony Ferguson was. thing was probably the funniest thing. that's ever happened interesting how how. uh I mean how much of that is real the. trash CH talking and and and the mind. games and stuff I mean how much of that. is theatrics for show business because. there has to be a certain aspect of show. business within the UFC and how much of. that is real you know I think it's a. great question cuz I I've I've gotten. asked it a decent amount um cuz. obviously there's there's the crossover. kind of of a little bit between WWE and.

UFC when it comes to how the U how the. WWE builds up wrestling matches and. fights and and rivalries and whatnot but. mixed martial arts is 100% it's 100%. real it's 100% you know whether it is. hey I'm going to play this character to. take this route to talk this much trash. to say hey this is the guy I'm fighting. and I believe these three angles are the. angles that I can do say.

to get in their head right I actually. just listened yesterday to an interview. with Conor. McGregor who uh was talking about his. return and they've talked about how he's. changed he now has four kids uh he and. his fiance D have been together for over. a decade and he went back to whenever he. fought Jose Aldo and he was using almost. an opposite tactic that somebody could. use on him now and say hey I don't have. any kids I don't have a wife I am solely. focused on fighting and that was his way. of getting in Jose's said hey you're not.

100% focused on fighting cuz you have a. a wife you have children and all these. things right so there's all these. different tactics you can use if you. will because the mental Warfare really. is part of it um it's really 100% of it. until we actually step inside of the. octagon and it and some of that trash. talk and some of that buildup that stuff. transcends into the cage and translates. into the cage um about how aggressive a. guy is do you want do you want him to be. do you want to lull him to to sleep with.

being friends with him and being nice. and cordial or do you want to get him so. far out of his comfort zone make him see. red so he then makes a mistake and I. think that's what happened in that fight. between Connor and Aldo Aldo got very. over eager over over anxious threw an. overhand right got knocked out um but. it's all real it's all it's all hey me. and you I got to do my research on you. if I want to be interesting I have to be. interested in you who you are as a man a. person a human being and then let me. dissect it let me feel back the layers.

let me do my research um and then of. course yeah it's some of it's a little. bit over sensationalized when you're on. the microphone to get to get eyeballs. and to get the chatter going do you guys. I mean do you have a do you have a. psychological training aspect to the to. your regiment you know to that that goes. into that or is that all just spur of. the- moment that's that's that's the. fighter that's trying to get inside the. head or is there is there a little bit. more that goes behind it it's a good. question you know there's uh. you know I think some of the best to.

ever do it cha sunnen uh Conor McGregor. um you know sha Al is doing a pretty. good job of it right now these days um. it also goes to goes back to who your. opponent is right you know my last. opponent Dustin porier there wasn't. going to be a lot of trash talk that I. needed to worry about right he wasn't a. big trash talker now the complete. opposite now I'm going up against the. biggest and best and baddest trash. talker in the game and Conor McGregor or. at least he used to be be I think he.

used to be a lot better at it than he is. now but so preparing myself for you I've. never had to really prepare myself for. press conferences prepare myself for. media obligations prepare myself for. being in the same room as a guy because. I've always felt like I was on par. linguistically as uh my opponent but you. going up against a guy like Conor. McGregor there's a little bit more. research a little bit more visualization. I've never really visualized the trash. talk aspect of things like I have now. after spending five six weeks with him.

in Vegas doing The Ultimate Fighter. being around him um doing my research on. him his career what he's done where his. faults are where his cracks and his. armor are where his chinks and his armor. are um so there's I don't have a a. psychological Trash Talk coach um but I. am my own you know my own little. Encyclopedia of who my next opponent is. Connor and uh I got it all right here to. be able to hopefully pull it when I need. it very cool very cool well thank you.

for answering that of course so all. right so we're going to do a life story. going from childhood through college a. little bit of Christianity adopting kids. fighting career we're going to cover it. all sir but um before we do that. everybody on the show gets a gift I. almost feel guilty giving this to you. cuz I know you're probably cutting. weight but uh which isn't going to help. you. but those are vigilance League gummy. bears legal in all 50 states all right.

made in the USA it's just candy man I. love it dude no hey I I am not cutting. weight yet um so we're still uh we can. still enjoy these gummy bears uh big. time and this next fight hopefully is at. 185 or 170 so I might even be able to. eat him in training camp right on man. there you go awesome thank you well if. you need some more let me know well I. have a a gift for you if it's okay so I. actually uh so we are almost coming up. on the one year anniversary um of the.

Covenant School shooting that happened. last March which actually happened a. half mile from my house um I Heard the. helicopters flying by I heard my wife. was calling me I was filming a podcast. it was just a a crazy A crazy tragedy. obviously um and I was fortunate enough. to be a part of a benefit concert that. they that they did I got on the. microphone I was able to say a few. things and I introduced Morgan Wallen. Jason Aldine was there need to breathe a. bunch of different artists and they gave. me this hat that said Covenant on it and.

I loved it wore it all over the place. but then I have my friends at melon and. I said hey guys I think there's. something bigger here let's let's create. a thousand of these things um so we put. up a website and for a $100 donation um. you get a awesome melon Covenant hat um. and you can wear it with pride here in. Nashville and around the world and it. goes toward ongoing resources for. emotional support uh financial support. for the school added security and. different ways that we can help them the. Covenant fund and it's you know fitting.

because it's about one year ago of a. crazy tragedy my son's baseball coach. his son went to Covenant his kids went. to Covenant um so it was very cool to. have him wear it and it's just uh The. Way Nashville and you probably saw it. the way Nashville stood up and stood in. solidarity and and supported during that. tragedy it was it was something to. behold obviously it's never never. something that you want to see happen. but The Shining Light through it the way. that that this this city our city stood. up I just I wanted to be a part of it.

and and help with the healing so we call. it the hat that heals and Covenant. hats.com and man that's rais some cool. cool funds I'll donate that's that's. awesome you know yeah I remember when. that happened it believe it or not my my. nanny's father is head of security there. and was head of security there and um. she got married there very very close. ties to the church so I um offered a my. expertise and gave them a a down and.

dirty security assessment on what I. thought they could approve on. immediately after that that happened and. and man. like you know I'd seen a lot of stuff. you know I've been to 14 years of war. and um but it had been a long time since. I've walked. into walked into the aftermath of. something like that happening and uh and. uh and never before had I seen it in my. own country with with little kids yeah.

you know and there. was it was all still there man and uh. yeah. tough tough sight to. see this show is sponsored by true. classic we talk a lot about everyday. carry here and one thing I've been. looking for to round out my EDC is a. perfect fitting daily driver t-shirt. true classic is made with premium. moisture wicking technology and looks. great no matter if I'm in the gym or if. I'm out to dinner for Limited time only. get 25% off when you shop now with my.

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decision yeah and and and anything you. know we can do for for the Covenant fund. I mean it goes to toward things exactly. like you people like yourself who says. hey we can here's how we can make it an. easier transition for those students The. Faculty to walk across that threshold. again you know cuz maybe the last time. that they did you know it was an. absolute nightmare so then the. transition back in and then even being. able to raise funds for more security um. in security measures whatever it may be.

people like yourself coming in and. saying hey this is how we can facilitate. things that will and different protocols. that will make people feel more. comfortable because our children need to. feel comfortable you know especially in. this in this beautiful country that we. have that sometimes feels like it's. going in the wrong direction you know we. we our children we we can handle it as. as adults as as men you know um but our. children man Safeguard them at all costs. safegard the helpless and that's kind of.

the mission behind what we're doing with. coven hats.com and you know I think it. could turn into a a nationwide Mission. as well obviously like we said you don't. want these kind of things to happen but. lo and behold in a fallen World um these. things are going to happen and we can we. can stand up something very quickly to. be able to help raise funds and it's. it's been cool so far yeah you know I. just want to say one other thing too is. when that happened you know there's all. these all these businesses always come. out of the Woodworks you know after. these tragedies and and and one thing I.

love about the Nashville area. is this is the volunteer state you know. and and not everything has to be a. business not everything has to be about. money and you know it's it's it's good. to serve your community and donate to. your community and and not make it about. business and just make where you live a. better place and and people like you and.

I who are I. think being a good example of that by. you know hey there's a lot of ways that. people could have capitalized on this. but but people have come out and and. donated their time their money their. expertise on on preventing that from. ever happening again yeah and uh I hope. that people take that example back to. where they live and and start to do the. same thing yeah but uh it was really. cool to see the way this this city this.

city stood up you know um and yeah like. you said it's one of those tra it's one. of those tragic events that you never. want to see happen ever um but the in. the light of it in the wake of it was. there was a lot of solidarity between. this whole city y yeah but all right. well let's get into your life story so I. know you grew up in Missouri you're. Missouri boy St Louis Missouri High. Ridge Missouri Jefferson County Missouri. I'm from Missouri.

well I am uneducated how the heck did I. not know that man born in Kansas city. grew up in a really small town called. chicoy Missouri and then uh went off to. the SEAL Teams and did some agency work. and actually moved back to St Louis for. a couple of years before I I uh left but. uh that's crazy my whole family lives in. St Louis St Louis except for my two. brothers my my one brother's in Oakland. and uh my other brother's here in. Nashville so my entire family lives in. St Louis well let's let's get back to to. you so grew up in St Louis Missouri what.

was the home life like yeah we uh you. know my first home was in House Springs. Missouri and then we moved my dad built. our house with his bare hands he's a. he's a carpenter union carpenter in St. Louis still is a carpenter he's actually. up in Upstate New York right now um so. you can kind of see where my uh my hard. work comes from the blue collar was a. blue collar kid dad is a carpenter and. my mom worked for my my Grandpa's family. business we owned a scrapyard still own. a scrapyard in uh in High Ridge Missouri.

and uh we were just three rambunctious. little boys running around we had. probably 100 acres of woods around us. until the woods got developed and turned. into a neighborhood so we kind of lived. out in the in the woods my dad had us in. the woods every single weekend basically. because we had this little property in. Union Missouri uh place called place. called Fawn Lake because my mom would. work you know 8:00 am to 5:00 P pm at. the scrapyard and then my grandpa also. owned a and had a uh Italian restaurant.

so then my my my mom would then become. switch out her regular clothes put on. her apron and her her waitress clothes. and then work 5 till midnight basically. so my mom and dad were working two and. three jobs to uh give me and my my. brothers every opportunity so my dad. would take us out to the woods and we'd. go camping he always he always talks. about being in diapers we were in the. woods since we were in diapers so um. there's three rambunctious kids running. around trying not to kill ourselves.

falling out of trees and stuff yeah what. um I mean what kind of stuff are we into. as a kid so my dad did I mean we did a. lot of fishing um did a decent amount of. hun hunting um I actually fished used to. fish tournaments with my dad so we we. were we were something we were a part of. a group called The pososi Bass Masters. and uh we fished from Lake the Ozarks uh. Table Rock Lake Kentucky Lake all the. all the different kind of Midwest Lakes. um um and me and my my two brothers were.

in sports we played a lot of baseball um. some football and then I really started. getting very very serious about the. sport of wrestling when I got into high. school and that was kind of my my my. forte because I wasn't going to be I was. 4'11 103 lbs I wasn't going to be the. Star Quarterback or the uh the starting. point guard on the basketball team so. 103 lb I was a wrestler at 14 years old. man you know that's I found that very. interesting I grew up wrestling I. started in seventh grade didn't have a.

great career by any means but um one. thing that when I was doing my research. on you I just I knew about your. wrestling background I just assumed you. probably started at 5 years old like. most of the state champs and and I was. very surprised to see you didn't start. until your freshman year yeah I mean you. really excelled. at a pace that I've not I've not heard. of yeah my my dad was a my dad wrestled.

2 or 3 years when he was in in middle. school and and I think that's that was. kind of the first moment you know what. what the sport of wrestling gave me it. was the first moment where I realized. okay I have a duty to my mom and dad. because of the opportunity that they're. giving me my my Dad could have been a. great wrestler but he had to quit. wrestling because my his mom in in St. Louis said either you know either you. keep wrestling and you walk to school or. you work and you get your own car right.

so we had to quit all sports to be able. to start working early in high school. right and they gave me an opportunity to. wrestle and support me and they bought. me a car and all those different things. so um I knew from a very young age that. there's there's a. duty to my my parents and every single. thing that I have right now in front of. me it all stems back to Mike and Betty. Chandler back in Jefferson County. Missouri working two and three jobs so. every day when I wake up I have an.

opportunity to honor them and now. obviously I have a wife and two kids and. and and I am now passing it on and and. showing them through through an example. of what being a good man is what being a. hardworking man is so my dad Wrestled a. couple years and then he he became a. volunteer coach for the Northwest High. School Little League or Northwest. wrestling Little League team so I did. wrestle a little bit when I was five and. six and seven but back then it was we I. barely competed and you were just. running around and you know playing.

jokes on kids you weren't really. actually learning technique and I picked. it back up as a freshman and and uh yeah. I just it it just uh I think we were. created for massive focus and if we can. massively focus on something we can this. guy is a limit we can do anything we. want and I made it my life I was the. only one who wrestled 365 days a year. guys would guys would start wrestling in. you know October quit wrestling in. February after the state tournament and. I just kept going and going and going I.

would just I'd find a rival team to go. train with even if it meant my teammates. were mad at me because I was training. with the fox guys or the sekman guys or. the Hillsboro guys the guys that we were. going to be wrestling like I don't care. if you're mad at me that I have friends. on other teams because this is about me. and I need to I need to hone my craft. and that's what turned me into being a. pretty decent wrestler man that's um you. know I one thing I love about wrestling. is. it is all it all comes down to you and.

it teaches you how to lose yeah uh very. very quickly it teaches you humility. teaches you how to lose teaches you how. to handle yourself when you win I mean. what what are some of your favorite. attributes that come from that sport. yeah I mean I think it's. it's you watch people these days not. being able to handle the pressures of of. life and I and I will concede and admit. you know the the way the world is today. we have so much undue pressure put on.

oursel because of the digital world the. media world the the fast pace of the. world and the these different societal. norms and societal pressures but when it. all gets boiled down to the pureness of. me and you stepping on that line shaking. hands and then one of us is going to win. one of us is going to lose I might get. absolutely flat-backed and absolutely. embarrassed in front of this entire. gymnasium back in the day now it's the. entire world right you know millions of.

people buying a pay-per-view and. hundreds of millions of people around. the world in these different bars and. restaurants and all these and the it's. just so massive but I'm okay with the. uncertainty that's about to happen. because I know I've done everything. every single thing that I need to do in. order to be in the best position. possible to be successful right now and. if it's not in the cards for me to win. it's not in the cards for me to win and. I'm okay with like you said you learn. how to lose if you're not if you're not. willing to break the unknown and be the. man in the arena and be willing to get.

laughed at and fingers pointed at you. and mocked then you're really not. stretching yourself outside of your. comfort zone and uh I think the sport of. wrestling slowly as as things got bigger. and bigger you know high school was a a. lot less impactful or pressure-filled. than College was and now college. wrestling is less impactful and pressure. filled than mixed martial arts is on a. world stage but it's slowly grown me and. slowly expanded my humor and slowly. added layers to myself and who I am and.

and also I think it's just U I think. it's a beautiful blessing to be in the. position to let people into the world of. what you have to deal with isn't as bad. as me getting knocked out in front of. hundreds of millions of people right. getting submitted in front of hundreds. of millions of people yeah you might. lose your business account yeah your. next podcast your next show might not. have the viewers that you want right um. but it's just not as painful right.

sometimes as the public the public. embarrassment of the loss right and I. think that's it started with the sport. of wrestling and it really comes back to. if you're not the hardest worker in the. room you're really bastardizing the. blessings that you have and uh I just. always felt very very fortunate and very. very full of gratitude and grateful for. the opportunity to have two capable arms. and two capable legs and if I went out.

there and lost I went out there and lost. and yesterday really did in last night. and today is a new day to get after it. what what I mean how fast did you excel. in wrestling I mean let's talk just. freshman year how far did you take it. decent decent you know I I uh I. qualified for State um you qualified for. stay on your first year yeah I actually. my first ever it actually was uh. I came in I should have been a 103.

pounder but I couldn't beat our 103. pound guy his name was Matt Moore um he. was a year older than me uh already had. a couple years of experience on me so I. couldn't beat him but I could beat the. 112 pounder so I was actually about 105. lbs wrestling 112 which obviously we. know guys are cutting weight so those. guys were probably 125 cutting down to. 112 So I was a little bit outmatched I. was wrestling you know seniors who were. 130 lb cutting down to 112 and my. actually my first match ever in high. school I got thrown into the mix right. before the season wrestle offs I beat.

the 112 pounder and wrestled Varsity my. first ever match and it was one of those. High School uh one of those High School. little gymnasiums where they shut off. all the lights and there's just one big. light over the mat and I'm like what am. I doing this is I how did this happen. and I'm like all right I guess I'll. strap up went out there and I actually. won my first match actually pinned the. guy um and it was just one of those. pivotal moments in my life where I. thought and I don't know if I was. supposed to be here but I was here and I.

was successful and I'm going to just. this is my calling this is what I'm. supposed to be doing two arms and two. legs I understand this thing and and the. man in front of me he might be better. than me he might have better shots than. me it might be better on top better on. bottom might have more skills than me. but he doesn't have a bigger heart than. me he doesn't have a bigger heart than. Mike and Betty. Chandler instilled in me over these last. 14 years of my life turning me into the. young man that I am and then now here we. are 20 something years later what kind.

of uh I mean what kind of did you have. any struggles as a child I. mean man you know not really you know I. I and and I probably did but I think. I've I've been given the gift of you. know sometimes it's a blessing sometimes. it's a curse sometimes we are we are. over I think overly optimistic or overly. and maybe sometimes we just ignore past. traumas or we ignore things that we've. had to go through which is a blessing. and a curse because sometimes there.

should be some confidence that you have. drawn from the things that you've gone. through but no man I that's where my my. confidence and my hard work and my. dedication comes from knowing that if my. dad had to wake up every single morning. at 4:30 and strap on his his his uh. drywall dusted work boots and his whites. and then come home at 3:00 4 p.m. thermos in his hand lunch pail in his. hand if he needed to go do another job. and another side job and build our house. with his bare hands he was going to do.

it right so my mom and dad made those. sacrifices um we were not rich by any. means we were low middle class living in. and Jefferson County Missouri didn't. have a lot of nice things but we didn't. have a lot but we weren't missing a dang. thing we weren't missing we we had love. we had support we had a roof over our. head we had hand me- down clothes but we. had clothes um we didn't have the the. best food the most nutritious food but. we had Salsbury steak and we had stofers. lasagna and we had hot dogs and we had.

cheap pasta but we had enough our. bellies were full our hearts were were. full and we were taking care of and and. that's something that you take you can. very easily take for granted because. until you know back when I was 14 I saw. that kids around me were struggling and. I and I had friends who were dirt floor. poor literally dirt floor poor CU I've. been to their houses in the Floor of. their house would have holes in it or. they'd have to walk across a 2x4 across. this little Ravine to get into their.

house cuz their little house by the. river didn't have a front deck on it so. I had seen it but where you're just so. young and you're so innocent and you're. so naive until the world beats you down. and and really starts to open your eyes. to the evil in the world you know we. were just young kids trying to you know. trying to squeeze every ounce of life. that we could every single day and I had. a great childhood and uh you know and I. can still say to this day I've had. haven't had much loss of people in my.

life truly truly blessed by that both of. my parents are still alive um my grandpa. is is now passed but for the most part. man I've been truly truly blessed and. and you get to a point where you see. where you're at and you see the platform. that you have and you see the great. crowd of witnesses and you realize that. the entire time God has had you in the. palm of his hand through every single. season and through every single up and. down and and you have no choice but to. be extremely grateful for it and if you.

can connect your gratitude and why you. do something to what you do um the sky. really is the limit and I've done that. since I was 14 years old man that's you. know that's that's amazing and um one. thing that I'm glad you recognize you. know how God has been with you all this. time because just in these interviews I. realize so many kids go through so much. trauma you know that's that's that's.

never been told they hide it they. suppress it you know and and there's. even been people on the show. that they'll talk about their childhood. trauma off camera cuz they don't want it. on camera and it's it's I would say the. majority of people I've. interviewed have grown up with a with a. with a rough childhood some type of. trauma whether it be sexual or abuse or. or whatever and um. it's it just seems to be happening more. and more you know so yeah and and.

especially you know and and like I say I. I believe I'm in a unique I'm not in a. unique position there are a lot of. people who have luckily scathed or been. been saved through things and and and. been protected through things to not. have those traumas and if you do or you. don't it's still just part of your. journey but those that. don't especially those that don't don't. realizing that there are so there is so.

much pain and so much so much neglect. and so much abuse and so much. downtrodden of of the human spirit in. this world the the devil lurks Among Us. you know and he's constantly trying to. know you more and distract you more and. and beat you down more and lie to you. more um so those who have been saved. from those those things and can say I. truly look back and say I don't have a. lot of things that I can say. I've had to go through it's a duty of.

mine to spread positivity and also don't. feel sorry for myself because anything. that I've gone through is nothing. compared to what so many people in this. world have gone through and so many. people are currently going through right. now as we speak yeah you know i' I've. read that you grew up up to a certain. age uh pretty devout Catholic and then. something changed mhm what was that yeah. so we uh we grew up on High Ridge.

Boulevard there was a a little a little. catholic church we went to PSR every. Monday night for for years Public School. religion um kind of our duty to go there. and learn Bible verses and and uh kind. of that hey learn learn this and learn. that cuz this is what God wants God. wants you to God wants you to know this. and God wants you to live this way and. if you don't live this way then where. the heck you know what's going to happen. to you type of deal Got My First Holy. Communion by the time I was I think it. was was 12 13 years old but then we. stopped going to church for a couple.

years once we fulfilled our duty of. finishing the uh PSR stuff and the First. Holy Communion in uh confirmation of us. being good enough to be you know the. next level of cath. Catholicism um and then my sophomore. year my sophomore year of high school I. wrestled with a guy named Kenny Bowen. and he was like hey man I go to this. church called Twin Rivers up over in. South County. and we have this really cool youth group. thing you know we sing some songs and.

someone go goes up there and gives a. message and we talk about you know Jesus. God and our faith and all these. different things and I was like oh man. I'll go sounds cool like Kenny was a. year older than me I respected him I. wanted to be like him he was a had a. great reputation in our high school. good-looking dude you know it's like he. he had the the IT thing it's like yeah. dude I'll go let's go I went and. immediately felt something different it. was the first time I had been in a. Spirit-filled church that was different. than kind of the X's and O's and. scriptures and and verses of of what.

you're supposed to be as a good little. boy uh in God's eyes and it was all. about Grace and it was all about. expanding your mind and it was all. about the beauty of this life being. reserved for God's God's people not the. devil's bunch and uh and then yeah. couple couple months of going to that uh. was when I really got saved there you. know they had an altar call and and it. was the first first time I really felt. the Holy Spirit working inside of my. body and working inside of my heart and.

it was just it was so much different. because it wasn't about it wasn't about. me and what I need to do I don't need to. do anything the deed was already done. when Jesus died on the cross for us and. it was the first time that I felt it and. it was the first time I thought man I. can just be me and I can just love him. and I can try to live for him and yes I. will fall flat on my face and yes I will. sin and no I am not perfect um but there.

is no striving there is no more that I. can do besides just be me and try to be. a good person and try to try to squeeze. every ounce of this life that I can and. then be a light to light for others did. you so you were the first one of the. family to to make the jump I was I you. know did they follow you yeah it was. it's it was kind of crazy so then my mom. and dad started going to that church uh. and then bringing my two brothers along. and they started going to the youth. group with me and we became really good. friends with the the pastor's kids and.

then we just got had a really cool group. of of of young you know Spirit-filled. kids there and then being around the. adults and and it was more Community. focused right and it was it was so it. was very interesting I think either at. that time I had a car and I drove myself. or Kenny picked me up and we went up up. there and then a couple more kids. started going from our our high school. team and then um then my mom and dad. started going and now they go to a. different Church in in town but they. still go to a Spirit-filled church it's.

a Faith Church in St Louis David Crank. and Nicole crank and uh so yeah it was. It was kind of crazy that I was the. first one who started going to Spirit fi. church at six or 15 years old or. whatever it was and then Mom and Dad. followed suit and then now we're all. living the dream man man that's awesome. that's let's get back to the we'll we'll. dive more into Faith later but let's get. back to your wrestling career so let's. Breeze through. sophomore junior year let's get into. your senior year what weight were you.

wrestling I was wrestling 152 senior. year so I was uh was about 160 lbs so I. didn't really need to cut much weight. and I was number one number two kid in. in the state um and I had you know. there's been a recurring theme that. happened in in high school and then into. college of I was good enough I worked. harder than anybody else but I never. gave permission to be the best I never. gave myself permission to stand on the.

top of the podium what do you mean by. that what do you mean you didn't give. yourself permission you know I think uh. I think so many times is in life it's so. easy for us to say you know what I've. I've I've gotten to this point and I. don't deserve the next point right I can. look at that guy and say hey that's. that's that's a champion that that way. that guy carries himself the way he. believes in himself but that's not me. that's I don't have that right or him or. him or him and I qualified all four.

years in high school and never and never. gave myself permission to to win and win. and win right I I fell short freshman. sophomore junior year and finally my. senior year I'm the number one kid in in. the state it was my opportunity to. either grasp or let go made it to the. state finals so finally I was going to. place for the first time finally as a. senior and I lost in the finals to a you. know a guy who was very good named. laramy Schaefer um. so I fell short again and you know. didn't get any scholarship offers to any.

division one schools um you didn't get a. scholarship I walked on to the. University of Missouri you walked on. let's let's go into that yeah. so you know I I won't say I didn't get. any scholarship offers but I didn't get. any division one scholarship offers. there was you know being from Missouri. you've heard of lyen wood and Missouri. Baptist Central Missouri State um. division 2 Division 3 ni schools and. there's nothing wrong with those schools. whatsoever but something in me for some. reason said if you're going to wrestle.

you have to wrestle at the highest level. and once again it goes back to Mike and. Betty Chandler if they had not given me. the permission and said you know what. yeah I'll pick up an extra shift or I'll. pick up an extra side job and we'll. we'll help you with college or we'll. take out loans or whatever I had the. permission to do that even though quite. frankly they thought it was a crazy idea. love my High School coaches they were. pumped up for it because they now they. had a guy who was going to go walk on a. missou but did they truly believe that I. could compete there all my teammates.

nobody had really wrestled division one. and I was going to try to be the the. first one to go out and do it um so I. said man I'm something in me says I need. to go walk on I don't care I didn't get. a scholarship coach Brian Smith who I. actually just talked to this morning cuz. our uh our maou boys just headed out to. Kansas City for the NCAA tournament this. weekend and uh he kind of knew who I was. but didn't really know who I was and. he's a very quiet stoic man who uh. didn't really look at me or talk to me.

for the entire first year I was there. everybody else got three four sets of. workout gear I got one set of workout. gear you know I was kind of the low guy. on the totem pole and but part of me. loved that part of me loved being behind. the eightball part of me loved loved. that I was around all these state. champions this state champ from. Pennsylvania this state champ from. California this state champ from. Illinois this state champ from all these. different places and I was just a lowly. little runnerup kid from Missouri who. walked on and and actually the guy who.

beat me in the state finals uh laramy. Schaefer came to missou as well and got. a scholarship and he ended up making it. the first year and then and moved on or. quit um but something in me thank God. said you got to you got to go there even. if you go and you ride the bench the. entire time even if you quit even if you. don't make it even if you never get to. strap on the black and gold singlet and. go out there and compete for the missou.

Tigers even if you're just a human dummy. and punching bag for five years go do it. and for some reason at 18 years old I. had that that Vision in my heart that I. was going to go try to do it and then. college career ended up going pretty. darn well how did it go so uh I came I. came in and I went you know 500 my. freshman. year uh my true freshman year which was. a red shirt year so I you have a red. shirt year then you're four years of. competing went 500 actually I think I. went worse than that I think I went 14.

and 16 uh my my freshman year at. wrestling at open tournaments and then I. beat out a uh a guy who was a sophomore. junior for the 157 spot uh my my red. shirt freshman year and I was a fouryear. ended up being a four-year starter. four-year National qualifier three-year. team captain and an All-America in my. senior year you know I think some of us. you know I have this saying in in my. life that's been constantly reoccurring.

it's it's not that we don't do the right. things it's that we don't do the right. things for long enough I wasn't supposed. to maybe be the state champion in high. school so then it would Propel me to. college and then maybe I wasn't supposed. to be the national champion or the. multiple time All-American in college so. that it will add layers to me to then. keep me hungry for the sport of mixed. martial arts to be a world champion to. be in this position at the biggest fight. of the last decade that we're going to. see between me and Connor as he comes. back from this in injury and the.

greatest the greatest comeback in Combat. Sports right. so. I I saw myself continuing to. self-sabotage myself I saw I saw myself. just like in high school making it to. the dance four years and then finally. you know becoming a a state Placer. runner up my senior year and I saw it in. college four years I worked harder than. I can I can say without a Shadow of. Doubt nobody lived a cleaner more. Championship lifestyle worked harder put.

more hours in than I did physically I. can honestly say that without a shadow. of a doubt CU I saw the way that guys. trained I saw the way that guys lived. their lives and I was Head and Shoulders. above them when it comes to time put in. reps put in sets put in and and the the. belief in working hard but it was the. lack of self-belief the battle between. my ears the mental battle the mental. struggle that was really what gave me. permission to self-sabotage myself too.

many times in college um but became an. All-American my senior year and uh it. kept me even more hungry for the sport. of mixed martial arts moving into. fighting in a cage for the last 15 years. what were you studying in college so I. was personal finance or personal. financial management services with a. minor in real estate so um you know when. I graduated with that degree I could. have went off and and started managing. people's finances and investing in real.

estate and and getting a job when in in. the financial Market but something in me. said I I still want to keep competing. God gave me some some rocks in these in. these hands and uh and I and I and I was. very fortunate too once again with the. people that were in my path the entire. time I wrestled with a guy named Ben. asran a guy named Tyron Woodley both of. both of which went on to mix martial. arts they were like my big brothers and. uh. I figured well I can join the work for.

Workforce whenever I want I want to keep. competing and then graduated in May of. 2009 with no training fought my first. fight in August of 2009 at Lake of the. Ozarks Missouri at some holiday in. Ballroom First Blood promotions and uh I. figured I'd try this mixed martial arts. thing and turns out I've been trying it. for 15 years before before we get into. that I do want to get into that but. before we do I want to talk about your. wrestling style you know most people. have they're either a takeown artist.

they're good on the mat what what was. yours mine was just non-stop pressure. and non-stop offense um until about my. junior senior year when I had got good. enough on top that I was able to uh get. riding time ride guys out hold them down. for an entire period pick them up put. them down push them out of bounds you. know it was the tiger Style mantra was. we had these 10 different things that we. did you we were the first to the line we. we push a harder Pace we wrestle seven. minutes we don't wrestle part of the.

match we wrestle the entire match we. push guys out of bounds we run back it. was more of a it was more of a Blood and. Guts hard nose iny face I might not be. the most talented but I am the most. tough I am the toughest guy on the mat. right now between me and you and I'm. going to put a pace on you and it. translated really well to wrestling but. I also took that translation into. fighting um and I've had to make some. adjustments but I was uh I wanted to get. takedowns I wanted to score points I. didn't like to keep matches close I like.

to get bonus points bonus points is. getting the a Tech fall or a a pin or a. major decision where you get extra. points for the team and uh I was just a. hard nose hard cardio High Pace non-stop. keep my hands on you at all times you. you might beat me but you're not going. to want to wrestle me again you might. out score me but you're going to go. through hell and you're going to walk. through fire trying trying to do it um. and I kept that mentality throughout my. entire wrestling career and then end of. my fight career and so moving in so you.

graduated college you're an. All-American I mean how did mixed. martial arts even come up on the map for. you so I. was I was solely focused on being the. best wrestler that I possibly could be. in college until about my senior year I. was I was still focused on it but that. was when I started opening my mind too. well my style of wrestling wasn't very. slick and flowy and fluid it was like a. hammer you know it was it was.

absolutely in your face headbutt you. smack you make you hate the seven. minutes that you're wrestling me and as. I I mentioned earlier with Ben Asar and. Tyron Woodley both of those guys who. were like my big brothers had started. mixed martial arts and they said he man. I think you'd be a hell of a fighter I. think you you love bleeding you love you. love headbutting you love of car crashes. on the wrestling mat I think people will.

throw punches at you and you will not. shy away from them you will keep a pace. on people you are strong You're athletic. um I think you'd be a hell of an MMA. fighter and I thought well yeah I mean I. don't get paid to wrestle I barely. finally got a scholarship my senior year. um a full ride where I was actually. getting a check from the University so I. can go into to mixed martial arts and I. can basically do what we're doing with. wrestling hand toand combat except I get. the punch and kick and KNE and elbow. people um and did you know how to do.

that yet no uh cuz people ask me so did. you you know rough childhood you getting. a lot of fights and I I never got in. street fights uh quite frankly I was. afraid of getting in trouble I was. afraid of Confrontation I was afraid I. never would have gotten a fight at. school you were afraid of Confrontation. yeah big time I was totally not. expecting big time like it it's it. scares me to death uh now if if. something happens and I need to step up. and and be be the guy and Safeguard the. helpless and protect people yeah it's. it's it's in my nature but when it comes.

to like me and you all of a sudden we. start to having a little confrontation. here like my my innate sense is say I'll. let you win this one that's fine I'm not. really worried about it you know so. never gotten fights uh. never there was times where stuff would. boil over in wrestling matches and I was. known as a guy who was a hard charger. guy but I I never wanted to be looked at. like like that guy who was just a punk. right you know I always wanted to be. probably too much a good little boy.

right I wanted to be a good little boy. and and uh so it was it was definitely. against my nature the actual fight. aspect of it but inside the confines of. competition I will rip your head off and. I will spit down your neck you know like. that's that's the mentality that I have. um when it comes to actually in the. confines of competition now I get my. hand raised you get your hand raised the. fight's over and someone wants to pick a. fight at a bar wants to pick a fight at. a restaurant like dude no I'm out I'm. not trying to get in trouble um so.

that's uh kind of how it happened and. Ben and Ben and Tyron thought it was. going to be uh I was going to be pretty. good at it and I stayed very focused. until March 8th or whatever it was my. senior year um when ncaa's ended and. there was still a uh there's a an. interview out there I still got my. headgear on still got my ankle bands on. still got my singlet pulled up of me. talking about I just took fifth beat. Matt moly from Bloomberg or something I.

believe and took fifth at the ncaa's and. uh started talking about my mixed. martial arts career how it was uh. Saturday and on Monday I was going to. start hitting Ms and rolling around and. doing Jiu-Jitsu no kidding what what. year is this this is 2009 March of 2009. graduated in May and then fought my. first fight August of 2009 did you were. you watching MMA were you watching pride. and UFC and man it's it's actually. really funny Once once again it goes. back to how it all gets orchestrated by.

a higher power man I had a one of my. favorite human beings that I will ever. come into contact with is is a is a man. named Raymond Jordan um and you want to. talk about a guy who's been through some. stuff you want to talk about a guy who. has who has suffered loss you want to. talk about a guy who if what I had was. was very very average or below average. he was down at the very bottom and and. was was barely given anything um he was.

from Newburn North Carolina uh came in. with me at the same year we roomed next. door to each other at the dorms the next. year my my parents bought a. condo uh in uh in Columbia Missouri we. became roommates and he would didn't. have a car didn't have anything had no. money had nothing um he would walk. almost a mile to the Blockbuster down. the road would go there and he would. rent vhs's and DVDs of Pride and UFC and.

so that was my first introduction to. mixed martial arts and and I wasn't. really keen on it you know I wasn't I. wasn't a big fan of it um but he'd be. like hey man watch this Fedor fighting. uh noera and watch this watch this Pride. fight you know you can throw kicks and. knees and elbows and he he loved the. sport I was like Raymond yeah that's. that's cool man but I I don't know let's. let's I'm I'm more of a wrestling guy. you know uh but he ended up becoming a. couple time All-American and just a.

sweet sweet amazing human being and uh. that was how I first really I saw my. first fight at my own house from a. rented VHS or dvd from Raymond Jordan in. Columbia Missouri and uh as I got a. little bit older and watched Ben and. Tyron start to transition into mixed. martial arts and you know you kind of. want to do what your big brothers do. right I looked at those guys as my big. brothers I'm like okay maybe start. taking a more of a look at it and. Raymond would keep walking a blockbuster. walking back walking a blockbuster and.

that's how I kind of got introduced to. it and started watching it a little bit. um and we always thought Raymond was. going to fight I was like man I feel. like Raymond he loves the sport and he. he was in Atlanta for a while train with. Brian Stan um those those guys in in. Atlanta but never gave it a shot but um. that's how I was introduced to it who. did you I mean who did you look up to. who did you who did you like watching. yeah so yeah so when I first kind of got. into the sport it was the it was the.

Heyday of of Matt Hughes George St Pier. Matt Sarah um Frankie Edgar was a couple. years older than me another wrestler. Gray Maynard couple years older than me. another wrestler uh cha son and you know. obviously I I I gravitated toward and. leaned towards the the American. wrestlers right cuz that's who I was and. thought hey if if they can do it I can. do it or if that's their style I know. what they went through in between the. four walls of their wrestling room for 5.

years at whatever college that they were. at or whatever Olympic Training Center. they were training. at and uh yeah so those were those were. kind of the guys and I it was it was. very interesting how I went. from across the mat against Jordan. Burrows or Jordan lean or um some of. these guys that I was wrestling Mike. poeta some of these guys I was wrestling. in college and thought yeah dude I. deserve to be here but I don't deserve. to beat you straight to walking into the. sport of mix martial arts and then just.

two years later standing across the cage. from Eddie Alvarez who's the number. three guy in the world and knowing. without a shadow of a doubt that I was. going to beat that man so there was just. this transition and and almost sometimes. too we have to ask ourselves if a bad. thing happens but a good thing comes. from it was it really a bad thing so I. look at the shortcomings I had and the. lack of belief I had in the sport of. wrestling it transitioning into massive. self-belief in mixed martial arts being.

right where I was supposed to be with a. self-confidence and self-image and self. self-concept that I had because of my. shortcomings because I was tired of. falling short um so it was just a it was. such a cool transition to be able to. almost rebirth myself you know CU we can. get caught in the Rut of the this one. lane that we're in and it's it's hard to. see growth until a a shift happens and. when I shift it over to mixed martial.

arts I was able to give myself. permission to be a successful mixed. martial artist because I wasn't as. successful of a wrestler as I should. have been I mean you're a phenomenal. wrestler obviously you get into the you. get into the ring where now you can hit. kick headbutt whatever I mean what is. that had to be now you can be on your. back fight from your back I mean there's. a lot of of differences yeah and so I. mean did you did you struggle with that.

at the beginning or did that come. naturally I think it uh it came Pretty. Natural you know I I I make no qualms. about sitting here and acting like I. have overcome so many things man I I. picked it up and I can I can watch I was. watching Tyron Woodley hit Ms and then I. was able to go do it and be able to. mimic him and his style and the way that. he moved um I was able to pick things up. very quickly um athleticism was not a.

problem strength was not a problem. cardio was not a problem a lot of that. has to do with the wrestling that I had. just done for the last 10 years prior to. that um but the sport of mixed martial. arts is very intricate in a lot of ways. but it does get boiled down very very. easily to punches and wrestling right. you know I was going to be I was going. to throw hard punches I was going throw. a lot of punches I was going to be able. to throw I think my first fight I went. out there took the guy down and threw.

about 250 punches on on top of the guy. in the first round and they end up. getting a TKO one of those deals where I. was like I'm just going to beat on this. drum until the until the referee comes. and pulls me off of him and uh that's. exactly what happened second fight very. similar um the crazy thing about my. mixed martial arts beginning of my. career was I in the first couple years. years I end up fighting for the world. title within two years of starting the.

sport um years two years yeah so I was. 12-0 12-0 with nine first round finishes. which is great but. also not the best thing from a. experience standpoint you know sometimes. it's great you want to go out go out. there get a knockout collect your. paycheck and get out of there but as. you're starting you need those rounds. Inside the Cage you need to feel the. pressure you need to be in competition. you need to get hit a couple times you. need to to second guess yourself a. little bit a little bit and be able to.

pull yourself out of a bad situation I. didn't have a lot of that until I I have. my first I had my first decision I think. my ninth or 10th fight in the Bellator. tournament and then um then I had. another decision and then I had a quick. finish and a quick finish and then I. fought Eddie my 12th fight who was the. number three guy in the world for the. Bellator World title in 2011 started in. 2009 fought for the world title in 2011. wow wow we came out hot we got shot out.

of a. cannon when is the first time that. that I mean maybe you doubted yourself. in the ring if that's ever happened I. mean maybe it was getting hit in the. face I mean when when did you know your. attention there's actually a there's. actually a really interesting story in. season I went through um cuz I really. had zero doubts zero apprehensions zero.

lack of self-belief um until. I beat Eddie I win the world title and. then I start putting so much pressure on. myself because what we can do from out. outside external forces we hear the. media we see the newspaper clippings we. see the op EDS and we see what people. are saying about us the new kid on the. Block the next big thing the guy I can't. wait to see him transition from Bellator. to the UFC and fight Benson Henderson.

and Anthony Pettis and who is the best. lightweight in the World Is It Michael. Chandler he's fighting in Bellator we. got the guys in the UFC who is it so. immediately I win that world title and I. I started putting so much pressure on. myself that it wasn't about being. successful anymore it was about being. perfect I needed to be perfect so that. meant if you and me were about to go do. a training session and I shoot for a. takedown and I don't get a takedown okay. I'm a loser you hit me a couple times. and I win 4 minutes and 43 seconds of.

that round but you hit me a couple times. and you do a little bit where you look a. you look a little bit good and I didn't. absolutely dominate you okay I'm a loser. um if I didn't have a great strength and. conditioning session okay you're a loser. CU you're not perfect it's either. perfect or failure so I started putting. this crazy amount of pressure on myself. and I won my next fight won the next. fight but then I rematch Eddie Alvarez. for the world title and I lose a split. decision great fight fight of the year.

one of the ones that you uh mentioned. earlier and. immediately in that moment I said I knew. it it's you know my time is up all the. doubters were correct that little voice. inside of you that said you're not that. good he is right you're not a champion. you're not supposed to be a champion no. you were not created for all this great. Glory that you thought you were going to. because of that one loss and in that. loss I forgot how good I was I wanted to. hide from everybody and then I started.

really finding myself in this jail cell. of self-pity and uh you know as I. mentioned the fight was up for fight of. the Year ESPN's calling me and Ariel. helwani and all the big MMA media. Outlets are calling me the world MMA. awards are calling me they want me to. present the award there and also accept. the award for fight of the year I didn't. answer the call didn't call them back I. hid from everybody I confined myself to. my home. in San Diego California and hid from. everybody um I was ashamed I was.

embarrassed um because I had never. experienced loss yet it had been two. years over two years now since I had. experienced losing lost in Lost in. wrestling but I hadn't lost in mixed. martial arts yet so I made those three. big mistakes and then. actually was supposed to rematch Eddie. for a Trilogy he ends up getting hurt. the week before opponent switch I lose. to a guy named will Brooks I had a back. injury but wasn't going to pull out of. the fight even though I probably should.

have pulled out of the fight cuz I had. no good training that entire time but my. ego and also just I got to write this. wrong I had a lost my last fight I need. to win this next one I'm going out there. and I'm going to write this ship lose. that fight and then I lose a rematch to. will Brooks I went 688 days without. winning a fight oh man almost two full. years without winning a fight and for. that you know for for a mixed martial. artist it's could be a career death. sentence you know that's when the the. doubt from everybody plus yourself.

continues to to Compound on itself um so. I hired a sports psychologist I really. started realizing I can do all the Reps. and all the sets and all the push-ups. and all the lifts and all the sparring. and all the sessions I can do all the. physical stuff but if I'm not building. up the mind I'm really just making a. bigger faster stronger more dangerous. subpar version of the man that I am. supposed to be if I don't won't start. doing the work inside my mind um so.

that's when I really started taking hold. of what's going on inside my mind. because you're what you are and where. you are because of what is going on. inside of your mind between your ears. and. uh we took a you know we we took another. fight I got back on the winning track um. and then won a couple fights in a row. got the world title back um lost the. world title again won the world title. back and that's how I ended up becoming. a three-time champion uh which is great. it sounds great but really you have to.

lose the champion you have to lose the. belt to then win the belt again to be a. three-time um so man it's just been ups. and downs. and that was when the self-doubt really. crept in and it's funny how I look at. failure now um because to me back in the. day back when I was undefeated and I put. all this pressure on myself it was so. easy to be a failure if I wasn't perfect. whereas now I realize it's all just part. of the journey every single day is just. part of the journey your wins are going.

to come your losses are going to come as. long as you stand here with 10 toes on. the ground head up chest up proud of. yourself you can come back from. anything wow man 6. 688 days Days yeah when I write a book. someday it's going to be called 688 days. I bet that's that's the vision I have I. mean it's it's just it's interesting to. me that you never been in a street fight. I mean you were full contact sport. wrestling but I mean just walking.

into a ring where I mean had you ever. been in a fight before no I mean little. spats here and there with in the. wrestling room but they were you know it. gets broken up very quickly and it. wasn't like big punches or blows it's. more it was more just very hard. wrestling you know very hard clubbing of. the head not actual punches did you feel. a lot of anxiety walking into that I. mean zero zero anxiety and that's. serious yeah you know I think my two my. two favorite there's been three really.

really amazing moments in my. career where you really know that you're. doing exactly what you're called to do. and that was my first fight when it was. something brand new a tons of new traps. and and things that could go wrong in. this new skill set called somebody. punching and kicking and kneeing and. elbowing all these different things that. I wasn't quite used to yet I'd never. done it before I felt zero pressure and.

zero anxiety zero apprehension going. into my first fight after losing those. three fights in a row that 688 days. without winning a fight the next fight. that I won um I felt like I was right. where I was supposed to be and I needed. to go through what I had just gone. through the last almost two years in. order to be the man that I was supposed. to be that night to get back on the. winning track and then my UFC debut. January 23rd of. 2021 uh which happens to be my son's. birthday as well that was my my UFC.

debut the biggest opportunity of my. life a huge crowd of witnesses. Pay-Per-View co-main event it was Conor. Conor McGregor versus Dustin porz the. main event myself versus Dan hooker the. number five guy in the world at the time. all of the pressure all of the lights. all of the camera all of the all of the. all of the ability to. take hold of making the right decision. of going to the UFC or making the worst.

decision of my life and it not going. well for me but I had the American flag. draped over me and I skipped to the cage. with so much joy so light so Airy so so. ready for the opportunity that was. probably those were the three best walks. I've ever taken in my entire life the. first fight ever right after the worst. time of my life and then the greatest. opportunity of my life all with great. amount of pressure to win because my.

life or my my career really was either. going to make or break me in that moment. and that's when you know you're doing. what you were called to do when your. greatest moment of opportunity you're. able to answer the question am I enough. and I knew that I was enough and um. sometimes you got to go through the The. Valleys to get to that mountain top. man that's uh excellent excellent let's. take a quick break before we get into.

UFC I want to talk about you know how. you met your wife your adopted children. some of that's some of the family life. that you got going on but that's a great. story we'll pick up that after the. break when I first started this whole. podcasting thing an online store was. about as far from my mind as you can get. and now most of you already know this. but I'm selling vigilance Elite gummy. bears online we actually have an entire. merch collection that's coming soon and. let me tell you it is so easy because.

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take a break from MMA and wrestling and. all that stuff and uh I want to know. about your family life you how long have. you been married it'll be 10 years this. September 10 years 10 years. congratulations man and I know you have. two two children I want to talk about. them as well but how did you meet your. wife when did she come in the picture. it's uh it's a little bit longer and. interest more interesting story than. most but the cliff note version is I've. got a chipped tooth right here in the. front um though it's funny how.

everything goes back to missou wrestling. in my life basically um so my wife is. from Columbia Missouri where missou is. right in the middle of the state um and. it was after my freshman year of. college I uh chipped this tooth and. there's a man named Kent Willet who was. a dentist in town who a lot of the. missou athletes would get sent to to for. dental work whether it be normal routine. cleaning or like mine I needed an actual. new tooth put in my head um.

and I knew of his reputation because. going back to our uh you know talking. about faith I our orthopedic surgeon bus. Tarbox and a couple other guys we. started a Bible study that was only just. three or four guys and now it's it's. grown over the years there's like 20. guys on the team that go to it um but. our team doctor orthopedic surgeon bus. Tarbox was mentored by Kent Willet um.

was a spiritual Mentor so I knew of his. reputation and I was excited to you know. maybe you know meet a a cool guy and he. was going to fix my tooth but I walk in. and I'm sitting in his sitting in his. waiting room and I see pictures of him. and I'm like a that's cool dude and he's. but there's this cute little brunette. girl in all these pictures and I'm like. man he's awesome he'd be an I've heard. I've heard of him and his reputation and. the man he is I wonder if she's anything. like him because she is gorgeous and.

she's got this smile and these eyes and. I fell in love with a picture of this. girl that I had never. met um I so then I actually immediately. go from okay this will be cool to meet a. cool guy who I've heard about to like. okay don't act like anything other than. an awesome dude and or maybe just don't. say anything so I probably didn't say. anything throughout the the entire time. he fixed my tooth or whatever but then I. also went to another Bible study with.

some other people who were friends with. this Brie Willet girl and they kept. talking about this Brie Willet girl and. I kept thinking I'm like that's that. girl that's Kent willett's daughter. so I had been to her house before I had. been to Kent willett's house because. he's got 60 Acres a little bit north of. town and he held a uh he hosted a. birthday party for one of the guys in. our Bible study and and I seriously. walked or drove up to this place I'm. like this is that girl's this is that. girl's house like this is where she grew.

up I saw more pictures of her and I even. went on the back deck and I looked out. on this Pond and I thought man I feel. like I'm going to be fishing on this. Pond someday and I I really really feel. like I want to marry this girl and I've. never even met her before and obviously. at that point in time Facebook. stalking uh you know I I had seen her. every picture just abs absolutely. gorgeous what she stood for who she was. how she carried herself um she was an ER.

physician assistant um she let's let's. talk about that what before you had met. her what did she stand for how did she. carry herself man just uh the ex the. epitome of the woman that I wanted to be. with like a a phenomenal just just a a. beautiful soul a Christian woman um had. had a great family uh she was an athlete. she was a three sport athlete in high. school could have played softball in.

college but decided to go the medical. route she was going to go to medical. school ended up going to Taylor. University um for undergrad and then. went to Southeast um I'm sorry SIU. Carbondale in Illinois for PA school and. then she had moved back to. Colombia to work at the University of. Missouri H Hospital in the ER as a. physician assistant but you could just I. don't I can't I it sounds so crazy. because it's I sound like a borderline. stalker but I honestly had this Vision I.

I thought like for some reason I can see. a life with this person in 2D or. whatever you call it on a on a on a. piece of paper on a picture on a printed. out picture and part of it had to do. with the man her dad was part of it had. to do with what she looked like I was. attracted to her I mean part of it had. but there was just this weird inkling. inside of me and uh so she just she. checked every single box of what I. thought without without ever meeting her.

so then years go by we did become. Facebook friends but we hadn't ever. talked thank God I I had some very. respectable mutual friends of hers in. this Bible study so you know back then. it would be like I I'll accept this. friend request even though I know don't. know that person but finally years later. I was living in Las Vegas um she was. working at the university University of. Missouri ER and I was like man I figured. I I also I was wrong about one thing I. was wrong about the fact that we were. going to cross paths I seriously had.

this Vision in my mind that at some. point stay on guard because at some. point you're going to run into this girl. you you can't think about her for this. long you can't have this this Vision on. your heart and it not just happen so I. was wrong about that we never ever. crossed paths so finally Facebook I said. I or I sent her a message on Facebook. and just something very out of the blue. obviously but luckily she saw that we. had some mutual friends she responded. but then also said hey I'm applying to. residencies at different places and I.

need know I'm going to deactivate my. Facebook account here's my email so we I. emailed her she waited about two months. to get back to me and I email her right. again back and she waited about another. month to get back to me and then email. her back finally um a couple years later. we emailed back and forth for 2 years. and it was mainly me emailing and then. her taking however long she wanted to. respond to me because she knew I was a. fighter at that point in time she didn't. really know what fighting was but she.

didn't because she didn't know it about. it she probably thought the typical. things of what a fighter is or the girls. that are throwing themselves at me or I. was some player or I was you know the. professional athlete guy right and. finally I asked her to to coffee called. his coffee in Columbia Missouri January. 24th um and she walked in the door and I. saw I saw her silhouette and I knew that. I was I I knew that my wife was walking. through the door and she uh I like the.

joke that she fell in love with me right. there um cuz uh you know she didn't but. you know I I I also had given not really. given up on it but I had stopped putting. so much pressure on it once again going. back to stop putting so much pressure on. it and just let it happen cuz I was like. man at some point I'm just ready to. either NX this and get this Vision out. of my life and I can move on or she's my. wife so I didn't put any pressure on it. we just sat there and we talked about. life and and we and she gave me as a.

typical Brie fashion she gave us one. hour I said hey I need to be done by. about you know 2:50 or 3:00 so I can get. to missou wrestling practice at 3:30. because at that point in time I was. coaching or I was I was going to go. train with the I was fighting already so. I was uh going to be kind of coaching. and helping out and training with the. guys so she's like okay we'll meet about. 215 so I'm like okay so you're going to. give us 40 minutes she gave us 45. minutes and I knew it was the the most. important interview of my life to try to.

to try to uh convince this girl that. that we should be together and we've. been together ever since and 10 years. later still in love like crazy wow so. you so you waited two years to make. contact and then another two years just. to meet off of a off of a photo it. actually turned out to be seven years. from Seven Years cuz I went I went. basically four years four years in. college. um and then over two years of us talking.

back and forth between Facebook and then. two years with email so it was about six. seven years wow you know and I I didn't. put my life on hold I had other dates. and and that kind of stuff of course I. wasn't that weird about it but I just I. could never ever get her out of my out. of my mind I could never I I I knew I. needed to at least there was. too. much passion for it to to not at least.

check it off and checking it off and. saying well she's not the right one I. didn't like this about her she didn't. like this about me whatever but. obviously that did not happen and and I. needed I needed to find out it was the. most interesting Quest I have ever had. in my entire life and and it's the most. impactful thing that has ever happened. to my entire life so he wait seven years. to meet this woman at a coffee shop in. Columbia Missouri y I mean what what do. you say when she sits down I actually. failed miserably because anybody who.

knows my wife um and I love this about. her she does not like to be the center. of attention she is she is Uber Uber. confident in herself and her abilities. but she is very reserved and and shy and. doesn't like to interviews on her thing. she she's not she's not this type of. person right um so we walk up and the. first mistake I make is cuz I didn't. care I'm not there for the coffee I'm. there for I want to meet my wife I want.

I want this date with this girl so we. walk up and you know the awkward little. hug or whatever um not awkward for me I. was like give me I I'm trying to get. this let me let me feel you for a second. and then she walks up and okay what do. you want she says she says uh brev. vanilla brev LTE which I never had one. and she orders that and I'm like I'll. take the same thing and in her mind. she's like dude doesn't have an opinion. dude doesn't stand up for himself he. just ordered what I ordered what I. ordered I need a man with a backbone I.

need a leader I need a head of a. household so I fail I failed right there. but really I didn't care what I was. drinking I was going to set it in front. of me and maybe take sips and act like I. liked it but really I just wanted to. fall in love with her even more second. mistake I make they go okay what's the. name for your order I said Bri and as I. just got done saying she does not like. to be the center of attention we're in. this tiny little town of Columbia. Missouri she works at the University of. Missouri ER it's cdi's coffee downtown. right by the ER so the chances of her.

somebody knowing her in that coffee shop. or working with her now being with some. guy on a date it's just awkward now I. just said her name so in 3 minutes time. they're going to yell order for Brie you. know so I failed miserably within the. first couple minutes of us meeting uh. and then the third thing is she she had. two pugs at the time and I said I didn't. really like pugs I wasn't a big pug guy. turns out we end getting married and and. getting another pug so we had PE three. pugs at one time and I love pugs but um.

so that's uh that's how how it how it. went down at the very beginning and then. we sat down and you know luckily luckily. I was just I was so nervous cuz I I had. built this up in my mind and my heart. for so long yet I felt so comfortable. and confident you know very similar like. to what I said you know making my UFC. debut it's so massive but for some. reason you're at peace in the midst of. of the massiveness of the moment and.

that's how I felt sitting right there. and I can close my eyes and I can see. her walking through the door in the. silhouette I see right where we're. sitting over on the wall at the little. two-person table I can I can Envision. the entire thing I can Envision her just. sitting there looking at me like this. and I'm like oh my gosh like this girl. might actually like me and then she you. know and she she was married to medicine. she was in love with medicine she loved. her job she's still to this day Works. two jobs actually because I never want. to take that away from her that's her. passion that's her what she likes to do.

um but so she was kind of dating guys. here and there kept her her options open. but wasn't really looking for anything. spectacular would you know leave guys on. on on red or ghost them for a little. while just like she did for me with. months at a time with the emails and. stuff but she said she admitted a couple. you know as we got into it and really. kind of fell in love she was like I. regret it only giving you 45 minutes or. 50 minutes of of of our time cuz I it. was the first time i' had been on a date. in my entire life that I thought oh no.

what am I going to do if this guy. doesn't call me or what am I going to do. if this guy doesn't call me back um and. then I was just like okay well shoot. maybe this whole crazy stalker Vision I. had on my heart is actually the way that. God has it planned for us and here we. are about to celebrate our 10 year. anniversary wow congratulations. what was it that you said that you think. that that that that that grabbed her. attention I think I think I needed to.

uh well number one I just needed to be. myself you know some sometimes we try to. be something that we think we need to be. in order for something to happen when. really you know if if I would have been. myself and she didn't like me or I. didn't like her then that's not the girl. I was supposed to be with but I just. needed I needed I needed the confidence. to just be myself but I also had to dig. myself out of the hole of the. preconceived Notions that she already. had of what a guy who fights in a cage. for a living is you know at that point.

in time I had already I had already won. the world title um had these big fights. there was highlights on YouTube and all. those different things she could do a. quick Google search and you know see the. way I looked see the way I carried. myself see see how I fight and think. okay I didn't have this vision of me. being with a guy who fights in a cage I. don't I don't want to be in the. spotlight I don't want to be a. profession professional athletes wife. even if he becomes a millionaire 100. millionaire and has this big successful.

MMA career as a professional athlete I. know I want to work I like to work work. is my passion um it's it's what makes me. tick it's part of my worth it's it's. what I like to do I don't want to give. everything up to be a professional. athletes wife and sit at home and be a. trophy wife you know so she had all. these different things of things that I. had to overcome and and those are all. completely normal thoughts right I don't. hold those against her but it's what a. lot of people think and then but my goal.

has always been to change people's mind. of what a mixed martial artist is of. sitting in front of them and talking to. them whether it be the grace that I show. them or how I carry myself or or the. little bit of love I have in my voice. compared to what they think I am and. then them leave the interaction thinking. wow I didn't realize a mixed martial. artist could be so filling the blank. with a positive superlative you know um. so I had a lot of a lot of catching up. to do to to prove that I could be a.

suitable mate for her um but here we are. almost 10 years in other than being a. professional athlete the the the the the. violence within the sport I mean was. that a hurdle for her no um It's. actually kind of funny cuz people make a. joke like you know she's she has set. broken arms she has stitched up up. people she has done Central lines and. she has cut people open and sewed them. back up you know she has saved she has.

seen trauma she has seen amputations she. has seen dead bodies you know I thought. about that the other day and sometimes I. still I still I can't think of it. because I I have yet to this day I've. never seen a dead body except for at a. funeral once or twice here and there but. she lived in the ER right she she saw an. ambulance pull up and someone come in on. a. come in in on a A gurnie or whatever you. call them a stretcher and just mangled. in Blood and all that stuff everywhere.

so the vi it's more the violence of. obviously somebody that she loves um and. the possible long-term repercussions of. of what I'm putting my body through but. the broken arms or the the broken. orbital bones or the cuts um the. Stitches the blood and the guts all that. stuff she's she's so used to that stuff. that she's you know she has taken my. stitches out she has. stitched me back up she's done you know. all all kinds of stuff like that so she. was cool with it all does she have any.

fear for you in that ring with injuries. I mean. concussions a lot is coming out with. concussions both in you know NFL UFC. obviously the veteran Community from. from explosions and and and blunt force. trauma I. mean is that a topic of discussion not. really I think uh I think she knows you. know it's no secret there's there's a. certain way that I fight that is a. little bit a lot more violent and a lot. more injury prone head trauma compared.

to most people and but I think that's. why I'm it's why I'm such a fan favorite. it's why I've become a pillar in the. industry because of the way that I fight. in my willingness to engage um I think. her and I have always we have this we. have this immense amount of trust with. each other when it comes to hey I know. when you're overworking yourself and I'm. going to not say anything for a very. long time and until it's time to me for. me to say something to for you to then. take an introspective look on maybe.

slowing down or cutting this off or. cutting that off um and her the same for. me she knows I have we have an immense. amount of respect and and Trust in each. other and I've always said I was going. to be more like Barry Sanders than I was. going to be more like one of those guys. who who continues to fight until the. wheels fall off you know I did just. watch the Barry Sanders documentary the. other day and watching the way that he. stepped away in his prime watching him. step away and people being mad at him.

watching him step away for his own um on. his own on his own terms he he didn't he. didn't let the sport chew him up and and. or swallow chew him up and spit him out. um he left on his own terms and I think. I think I will do that you know I think. essentially most of us end up doing that. um well not as many as as probably. should you know you you get caught up in. the the golden handcuffs of whether it.

be your ego and you need the adrenaline. you need the fight you need the the fame. and the notoriety or you need the money. or whatever it might be um so luckily. I've shown no signs whatsoever I'm sharp. as I ever have been and and uh I take. really good care of my body but we'll. know when it's time to to hang it up and. I and I've made a promise to her and my. sons that you know I will I will leave. before most people want me to do. you do you have any inclination of when.

that will be I had read a quote that. said that 10 or 15. years we going on 14 years yeah um you. know I think uh I think I think that was. a quote that came that I that I came out. with years and years ago you know I kind. of looked at 35 and thought yeah if I. fight from 22 to 35 that's a ID career. um I came into the UFC at. 34 I'm about to be 38 um I still feel.

like I'm 28 my body it's it's really. hard for people to to to take me. seriously and think that I'm not just. kind of Jedi Mind tricking myself into. being confident but I truly feel better. now than I did when I was in my mid 20s. maybe it's my lifestyle maybe it's. god-given gifts maybe it's how well I've. taken care of myself um but I still feel. absolutely at the top of my game so.

that's a blessing and a curse right. because I really could probably fight. another five years if I want to um. unless I came unless I went down hill. pretty quickly but um you know I. obviously we've got this huge fight. coming up huge platform which once again. will be a a golden handcuffs moment. where now it's okay we had this huge. fight this huge win this huge platform. and now it's going to lead to another. one and uh you know we'll have to sit. back and and get on the drawing board.

and say okay hey what what are the. options what you know I still believe. I'm going to wear UFC gold by the time I. retire I still believe I'm going to get. another title shot I still believe I. have the abilities and the skills and I. still believe that's God's calling on my. life do you. think I was this is where I was going. let's say let's say you beat. McGregor that would be ending it on an. extreme High Note have you considered. that you know it doesn't get any bigger. than that it really doesn't you know. it's an enviable position um this is a.

huge fight the entire world will be. watching and uh that could definitely be. a Barry Sanders moment right you know I. I probably won't send a fax in to the to. the UFC but uh which that's how it. happened and I think that's why so many. people were ticked off about it but if. you knew Barry Sanders that's how he he. wanted to operate that's how he wanted. to do it and he went off to London right. but I mean i' I've considered it but I. just don't I'm not even I feel like I'm. not even close to the end yet right um.

and I'm solely focused on that fight and. that opportunity and that and beating. this man um it it doesn't get any bigger. than this so at some point you think. well the only thing left to accomplish. after this is the UFC title um and if I. have to fight one more fight after this. to get the UFC title shot or if I get. the title shot after this fight because. of the magnitude of it because of still.

my only losses inside of the UFC have. been to the top two guys in the world at. at any given moment Charles Olivera. Dustin porier Justin gishi all number. two guys in the world or number three. guys in the world at the time of me. fighting them so I'm right in the mix um. I think I POS problems for Islam mateev. who is our champion at 155. I think uh with the devastation that I. am going to create um when I fight.

Connor I think people are going to see. people have been starved for what I. bring to the Octagon for the last 13. months when other people fight inside. the octagon and step inside the octagon. it's entertaining it's fun it's mixed. martial arts but it's not a Michael. Chandler fight so I think when I'm able. to put that on display to the entire. world um a title shot could happen so. we'll see. I won't press any further back to your. wife how long did you guys date before. you got. married uh we dated for 11 months got.

married and or sorry got got engaged we. were engaged for 5. months so once again I I had already. made up my mind you know I was I was. like hey if you are any you it was kind. of like when we when we got when we had. our first date in my mind it was almost. like if she's anything like I think she. might be she's probably my wife but she. actually exceeded expectations of what I. thought even what I thought she could be. um so then it was just trying to. convince her to uh you know to to be.

with me and and we dated for about 10 11. months and I got down on one knee in uh. in San Diego California and then we were. then we got married in San Diego. California five five or six months. later when did you and your wife decide. to. adopt. 201 uh 17 so that's uh actually you know. in it all goes back full circle you know. one of the pictures that I saw her one.

of the pictures that I saw of her was. with her and a little boy from Jamaica. so they they used to do so her dad being. a dentist um they used to do medical. mission trips Down To Jamaica um where. he would go down and serve and pull. people's teeth or fix people's teeth um. for a mission trip so she grew up doing. that she worked at an inter City Mission. in in Columbia as well um and. ever since she was like 13 14 15 years. old she always told people that she. wanted to adopt um obviously she she.

wanted to have a a a husband and a. family and that kind of stuff but but. she always knew that she wanted to adopt. so her parents knew it her friends knew. it everyone knew it um and then when we. got together of course I was on board. because I wanted to marry her I would. have said anything to you know to to for. her to be with me um and I had never. really thought about it much but as soon. as it became a real thing after we got. married and spent a couple years just us.

two together loving life and dating each. other and being young newlyweds for a. couple years she really felt like hey I. think I think this adoption thing on my. heart I feel like it's I feel like it's. becoming more and and more and more real. how are you feeling about it I was like. know I haven't really thought about it. I've just been you know I know we're. going to create a family but I hav. haven't really thought about it and we. uh we started praying about it more. seeking wise counsel doing a little bit. more research and then um decided to do.

it and then it's a huge stack of. paperwork and all the background checks. and all these different all these. different things um that takes about a. yearlong process it's a very intricate. process as it should be you know to make. sure that that these children are going. to a great. home and at uh 1:40. p.m. um on a day on a certain day uh we. got an email saying congratulations. you're eligible to adopt and then at. 1:46 p.m. uh we got a phone call saying.

hey um congratulations but by the way. hey there's this opportunity um would. you guys like to present so it's uh kind. of funny full circle it goes back to. wrestling it was a six-minute match um. you know like just like a high school. wrestling uh match it was a six-minute. match um and couple days later we were. on a in an undisclosed location um. adopting our first son.

hat so how did that feel I mean actually. we'll start there how did that feel it's. the scariest you know it's it's scary. it's crazy it's it's it's exciting it's. all of the emotions you know because it. was also me become becoming a father for. the first time and and and I and I. sometimes you know I have to I know how. I know how much pressure I put on myself. to to be a good man to be a good husband.

to be a good father um and it it's the. most important thing that I will ever. ever do in my entire life I could win. the world title a million times over and. and and make all the money and and be be. the guy that that the whole world wants. to wants to be like or wants to follow. or wants to emulate but but being a. father being a man being a man that that. your children get get to look up to is. the most important thing that I will. ever do in my entire life and I know how. how much I've wanted to be a father for.

a very very long time it needed to be. the right time so it was just a it was a. scary embarking on a New. Journey um and and it all happened very. very quickly it was it was all perfectly. timed the way it was supposed to be. there was even little delays here and. there um that once again a delay is not. always a bad thing God's timing works. out EX exactly the way that it's. supposed to every single time and as. human beings we we question it and we. second guess it or we're mad at God.

because this didn't happen or this door. closed but so many times doors close or. doors stay closed or stay locked until. the exact right time that they're. supposed to and it was it all happened. very quickly and we spent you know we. spent two weeks in a hotel room and um. bought a bunch of baby stuff cuz because. it all happened so fast and it was it. was just it was chaotic and it was and. it was but it was but it was but we were. right where we were supposed to to be. the timing worked out perfectly I wasn't. in a training camp and she was Bri was. able to take time off work and you know.

so where's he from so people always ask. to is it you know foreign or domestic. and it was both of our boys are are. domestic so how long after what's your. son's name hap hap hap how long. after hap came into the picture did you. and your wife decided to adopt again it. was years you know there was uh there. was a time time where we thought we. might just be one and done you know um. cuz you know she's she's a career woman.

and and I'm a a a career man and we we. uh we take it so seriously that it's. it's so important to us that do we have. the amount of resources that we need do. we have the amount of uh bandwidth that. we need and she's cut back and I've cut. back or made certain sacrifices like. even you know I train in Florida but I. fly home every single weekend on Friday. and then hop on the Sunday flight and. that's a physical sacrifice that I make. on my body to make sure that I am home.

and present with the boys for a couple. days during training camp it doesn't. matter I I made the decision that if my. fight career suffers because I want to. hop on a plane every single weekend and. and brave the unknown of possibly being. a little bit extra sore or stiff or a. little bit more injury prone or maybe I. get a little bit sick or whatever it. might be it's it's a sacrifice I'm. willing to make because time with them. is the most important time that I will. have so um it was a couple years um you. know so Ace there's a 5-year age Gap.

right now so hap is seven and Ace is two. uh he'll be two next month so a little. bit of a age Gap but I think it was it. was perfect you know it once again it's. if you can look back and and and see how. it was orchestrated and there was times. that we thought about it but it just. never really made made sense never. really worked out um but the time that. we got with hap him being an only child. for years was probably exactly what he. needed from his own unique perspective. and how he is and he's a wonderful.

wonderful Big Brother um and Ace is a. little firecracker man he is just a he's. a little tank you know so we got a we. got a seven-year-old and a bunch of. sports and we got Ace who actually today. he's he's almost he's not even two yet. he's got his his first private lesson. with a little basketball coach today so. we got in soccer I mean it's that's why. Nashville's so great too you know I mean. the the ability to have all these. different groups and and little sporting. events and little things we we've had. Ace and soccer before he was a year and. a half uh you know he's not really.

getting taught basketball but he's going. to play with Coach Kyle for 30 minutes. today to go throw a basketball in a hoop. or whatever you know so just keeping. them keeping them both active and busy. and around other. people I have a a tough question to ask. you but I think it's important so your. adopted children are black yep I would. imagine if it hasn't happened. already there are going to. be issues.

that tough issues that you're going to. encounter with them both a lot of. questions maybe things that you can't. relate to I mean have you thought about. how you're going to tackle stuff like. that when it arises yeah well number one. um you never know when the tough. questions are going to come when the. when the situations are going to arise. so it's it's more praying for wisdom. every single day James 1:5 he who lacks.

Wisdom ask for it and the Lord your God. will give it abundantly because whether. it be me and my family my children being. a father or my fight career my business. whatever it might be just asking for. wisdom and just asking that I will have. the right answers to the questions in. the moment and give them to me give me. the wisdom in the moment because. situations will AR guys um and there is. it's it's it's so obvious obviously if. you look at the way my boys look.

compared to me you say okay well their. skin is dark and his skin is light we. are a biracial family um but when I see. them they look exactly like me when I. see them I can't. imagine my sons not looking not like me. as the world would see it right um you. know so it's it's it's praying for. wisdom and asking for wisd and it's also. it's. also trying to bulletproof them as much. as possible when it comes to their. mindset and their self-esteem and their.

their. self-concept um you know cuz there. there's been moments I'm sure that that. has a rose and my son and sons who want. to be just like me they want to be just. like me but they know that their skin. color is different than me you know. that's the way that God made them um. they you know my son hap is going to be. probably 6 in just taller than I am. because he's already you know much. taller right so we are going to look. different in a lot of different ways but.

we're so similar in all the ways that. matter we're so similar in all the ways. that matter and and you get this. question too where it's like well hey. you're a a white dude from Missouri. living in Nashville how are you going to. raise black children and my thought is. and and it probably rubs people the. wrong way and it's probably the wrong. answer that people want to hear is is. I'm not raising black children I'm. raising children I'm not raising black. men I'm raising men and whether you are. black or you are white no matter what.

race that you are there are certain. things about being a man and being a. good man when it comes to character and. integrity and safeguarding the helpless. and sticking up for those who who need. it and being a good man a good man of. reputation none of that has to do with. skin color everything has to do with the. character of the man um and like I said. it's probably the probably not an answer. that some people would say is important. but that's where the world has gone. where we think that the most important.

thing about us is our skin color or our. gender or our or our our sex or our. political affiliation or all these. different identity politics or the. identities that we put on each other uh. when really we're just human beings on. this Earth and there are certain there. are certain things about being a good. person that transcend skin color and age.

and sex and religion and all of those. different things I love that answer how. yeah it's hard it's but it's what I feel. too you know I I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's it's but it's it's. it's me it's it's uniquely that's how I. feel about it so have any have you had. any tough questions as of yet from your. seven-year-old yeah you know I mean. there's uh. there's questions about skin color. obviously you know I mean because I it. makes a lot of sense right it's it's. like whether and and and just a call to.

action for men you know right we we we. grew up on Cowboys and Indians and gi. Jo's and superheroes and stuff and and. we we all want to feel like a superhero. right as the the male the male Gene we. want to feel like a like a superhero and. we are a superhero to our children right. we are a superhero to our children we. are a Godlike figure to our children. and we get that opportunity with each. and every one of our children that we. have and it doesn't matter if you're. doesn't matter where you're at on the.

socioeconomic ladder or what you have. accomplished or who you are you are a. superhero to them so yes when my son. sees me and he sees me like a superhero. and he can he can even watch me on TV. and his kids at school say your dad's. going to beat up Conor McGregor and and. so I have I have I'm like a superhero to. him yet he knows he can't be exactly. like me because of my because of skin. color right I'm sure in his. seven-year-old brain which really he'll. he'll understand um someday when he's a.

little bit older right so there's the. skin color you know difference obviously. um how do you handle that I mean with. what oneon-one with him you know I think. one-on-one I think it's the beauty of of. being a man of faith is is we were. called for a a time in a family such as. this this is exactly how God created us. to be this is exact how my family unit. was supposed to be before I was even. born this is exactly how it was supposed. to be before you were even born he knew.

that you were chosen for me and Mommy. and he knew that you were going to have. your skin color and he knew that I was. going to have my skin color and there's. and it's there's Beauty in that and it's. it's Unique to a lot of people it might. be foreign to some people but is. absolutely beautifully beautifully God. ordained and it's something that is. going to be a part of our testimony it's. a part it's it's something that is that. is that is making impacts through a.

butterfly effect that we don't even. understand yet whether it be people that. see me from afar people that see the way. that I love you the differences that we. do have compared to if we did have the. exact same skin color and the exact same. eyes and the exact same hair um this is. exactly the way God created you and you. were created in God's image and you were. created for so much more than you can. ever think or imagine and God has. commissioned me and and chosen me to be. your dad and the most important thing. that I can be is your dad and I tell him.

every single night I whisper whispered. into his ear and uh he probably gets. tired of hearing it but I thank him I'm. like I thank you so much for being my. son and I'm so proud to be your dad and. uh and I just think I just think I. didn't get that as much when I was a kid. I my parents loved me so much but they. didn't really make me feel like I could. run through that wall they didn't really. make me feel like I could go across. those county lines and go anywhere. across the world and do anything I want. to and I want my children to unlock.

something inside of themselves to make. them believe that they can do anything. and then I pray that prayer over them. every single night you are hap Chandler. you are Ace Chandler when you walk into. a room people take notice when you speak. people listen when you walk in a certain. direction people will follow you are a. child of God you are the head not the. tail you are above and not beneath and. you were chosen for a Time such as this. and I am so proud to be your father you. know and the best thing that we can do. is is pour into these kids because if I.

could be a superhero to him but somehow. that Superhero believes in him more than. the superhero believes in himself then. what can't he accomplish you know and. it's so much bigger and so much deeper. and so much more impactful than the our. differences our skin color the things. that are different about us because. we're so much more the same than we are. different. you. are man you are just a great example to. the world I'm uh thank you I love this.

discussion are there is there anything. that. you are anticipating or or are fearing. that's going to come up in the future. with your. sons um no I think I think the biggest. thing is uh you know a call to action. there there really is like I said I I am. not raising black children I am raising. children I'm not raising black men I am. raising men. um but with that I do there is a certain. commission for me to be more educated on.

things that my white friends with white. children don't need to study as much. right I do need to know more about. history um I do need to know the answers. to tough questions I do need to uh. educate myself more than your average. person who has just their biological. children of the same race um so that is. something that my wife and I have taken. seriously we have chosen our school. based upon the number of people with. skin like our sons um the number the.

number of adopted children um in the. school that's how exactly the most. important thing of how we chose our. school that our sons will go to um. having you know obviously pouring into. more and more friendships. um you know I. think I think it's just for me. continuing to try to be the best man. that I can but also realizing that I do. have a I do have the most important. people watching me at all times and how.

I love. people um and what I can do and uh just. constantly putting them around people. where they are not the odd man out they. are not the minority all the time right. um but yeah I mean it's it's uh I think. parenting as a whole is the most. challenging thing that we will ever do. if you care um yeah with you know I got. a couple extra wrinkles in mind but it's. all it's all a challenge and it's all. fun yeah.

yeah moving on with your children I mean. you are you know you are the greatest. example they'll ever have you are their. superhero you are in a profession that. is I mean you're a Moder day Gladiator. it's the most. primitive sport you could possibly. enter. injuries blood aggression.

violence do you want your kids to follow. in your footsteps would you want them to. become. Fighters if it is if it is in their. calling and if it is it it is the. calling on their life absolutely um but. I'm not I don't really have any visions. of of what I you know you know want them. to be necessarily I do want them to try. everything I do want them to definitely. for now enjoy enjoy the team sports.

right I think I think Sports in general. are and obviously I'm an athlete so I'm. biased but I think Sports in general are. just the. most. amazing activities that we can put our. children in at a young age you know the. group Sports the team sports the the ups. and the Downs the failures and the wins. you know everybody kind of gets a trophy. at the very beginning right and then all. of a sudden now my son is seven and he's. starting to play a little bit more which. it sounds crazy these kids are only. seven but it's eight and under and it's.

it's about to get a little bit more you. know hey if you're not the best kid on. the team or you're or you are the worst. kid on the team you might sit on the. bench a lot more you know it's not. everybody gets to play the equal amount. of time you it's a meritocracy you have. to earn the right to play right um which. there's so many lessons in that and. learning at a young age following down. and picking yourself back up hard work. dedication going to practice um when you. don't want to you know and some days.

they do sometimes they don't we got a. scrimmage tonight at 4:30 um so it'll be. you know that'll be fun and maybe we win. maybe we lose uh maybe he wants to go. maybe he doesn't I guess I'm asking I I. ask a lot of you know I I interview a. lot of my former colleagues Special. Operations guys and and one question. that I'm always interested in talking to. them about whether it's on camera off. camera is you. know since I was a kid I was infatuated. with GI Jo's I was always reading the.

Desert Storm stuff Vietnam stuff I. wanted. to become an operator I wanted to go to. war and then I experienced war and I. experienced everything that comes after. war. and well I wouldn't necessarily steer my. son away. from becoming a seal becoming a CIA. guy I don't necessarily want that for.

him. I does that make sense I don't want him. to because it is like from the outside. looking looking in it's all glory and. it's spectacular and it's it's I mean. it's it's what a lot of boys want to be. and then you get there and there's a. whole another side of that that people. don't see they don't see the trauma that. comes after they don't they don't see. the you know the the visuals that you.

carry for the rest of your life they. don't see the you know the record number. of suicides that are happening within. the veteran community and so you know if. he wanted to do that I would make damn. sure that he's educated on both sides of. that coin and not. just yeah buddy go get it you know go. fight the enemy like go for the glory. it's not. it's a very small aspect of it and so. you know being a professional MMA. fighter I think that's about as close as.

you're going to get. to that. experiencing that kind of violence and. and I mean and within MMA it does maybe. you don't have any of the injuries but. you know there are a lot of injuries. that you cannot see you know traumatic. brain injury is is a very serious injury. that. will take a major toll on you yeah you. know and so that's kind of why I'm. asking yeah I mean I think uh I the way.

I see it too and and I would never in a. million years compare it to actual. combat and what our men and women and in. uniform have to go through right but it. definitely does take a toll on your body. we don't get paid very well compared to. what we probably could be getting paid. compared to a lot what a lot of people. think right it takes a while you know. you can make a lot of money it just does. take a while and it's a very. small a small percentage that will make. it there right I think by the time my.

sons are would be of age to go into the. UFC or one of these major organizations. I think they're going to be getting paid. more and they'd have a little bit they. would have grown up around it enough to. to make the educated decision which is. what I did not have um I think it you. know my wife would say absolutely not I. would say man it'd be kind of really fun. I'd be scared to death but I would love. to watch my boys go out there and and. get after it you know uh but I'm also.

scared to death every time my little. seven-year-old in his little coach pitch. baseball game steps up to the plate I'm. scared to death for him of the. embarrassment or the strikeout or. whatever even though I know in my heart. of hearts I love you but I need you to. fail you're going to I need you to fail. and fail often and learn and move. forward right because failure is so. important for us right I don't want him. to fail but I know it's a byproduct of. success or success is a byproduct of the.

failures that we have to go through but. even though I know I you know I want him. to go through those things so he will. grow and grow and grow I'm still scared. to death for him every single time he. steps up to the plate as a. seven-year-old let alone if he was 25. fighting in a cage in front of millions. of people right so I guess my answer is. uh I wouldn't be opposed to it but I. definitely would not encourage it you. know I definitely am not going to. encourage it I want him to try I want. them to try it all and enjoy it all good. answer good answer let's take a quick.

break when we come back we'll get jump. back into your UFC career your debut and. uh get into Conor McGregor yes. sir those of you that have been around. SRS for a while know that we take mental. health very seriously here so seriously. that in almost every episode you'll find. a segment where we discuss how to. improve your mental health and part of. improving your mental health is keeping. your mind sharp and part of keeping your.

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SRS you'll get 20% off guys this is the. real deal these are the finest of. ingredients check it out lared. superfoods.com promo code SRS 20%. off over the past several years. vigilance lead patreon has fueled what. you now see today the Sha Ryan Show. because of our patrons and their support. has enabled us to produce the best. quality Productions that you see weekly. including our small team that continues.

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to have positive impacts on would have. never happened and for that I would like. to personally thank you you can join me. today for as little as $5 a month by. visiting vigilance Elite. patreon all right Michael we're back. from the break had a great segment about. your family I probably my favorite part. so far but um I want to get into your.

UFC debut and so let's go back just a. little bit what was it like when you got. the. call that they wanted you to move up to. the. UFC so um you know I I have I made a. really really great career outside of. the UFC I I I've always looked at myself. as a guy who if I'm a great employee if. I do the right things if I keep my nose. clean I make myself an indispensable. asset that's what I had did what's what. I did outside of the UFC I was with.

Bellator the number two organization in. the world for a very long time I was. there for almost 10 years Champion. numerous times the biggest name there. largest social media following biggest. you know biggest athletes biggest star. in Bellator um signed two or or three. different contracts but the decided to. fight out my last contract and move into. free agency um all very very interesting. timing covid hits uh the whole world.

gets shut down every sport gets shut. down even even fighting gets shut down. but the UFC is the first sport back on. TV they figured out little you know. fights at the Apex a thousand different. covid tests everyone masked up in the. corners and all these different things. all these different. protocols and uh so my fight got pushed. back my last fight on my contract got. pushed back and pushed back but I went. out there finally and and uh had a first. round finish at Benson Henderson and uh.

I knew I was going to go at least Test. free agency but most likely end up in. the UFC it and I was willing to take a. pay cut I was willing to go to the UFC. even if it meant getting paid less. because I. knew I always had this vision of. myself knowing how good I was how I. lived my life the champion lifestyle. that I. lived my abilities and my my. deservedness to be put on a huge. platform but I wasn't doing that if I.

wasn't in the UFC I had never tested. myself against the best guys in the. world I had never been on the biggest. platform with the brightest lights so I. always had this vision of myself as a as. a retired me laying on my bed at night. and putting my head on a a pillow that. felt like a cender block and I was going. to toss and I was going to turn because. I knew. that I didn't take that chance on myself. to leave the relative security and the. virtual certainty of finishing out my.

career and getting paid really well. outside of the UFC to go take a chance. on myself like the little 18-year-old. Michael did when I took a chance to walk. on to missou um even if it meant going. to the UFC and maybe I lose my first two. fights and I brave the unknown and I get. cut and everybody once again laughs at. me and everybody once again says I knew. you weren't that good I I at least knew. that I could lay my head on a on the. soft pillow of putting myself out there.

if I went to the UFC for the rest of my. life um so we go through all the. negotiations and stuff obviously the UFC. makes an offer Bellator doesn't match. they let me out of the out of the. contract I had multiple offers from. other organizations around the world. great offers um but I knew I needed to. be in the UFC I needed to go. take that chance and uh that was. September of. 2020 when it you know Dana White got on. ESPN and announces it the whole my whole.

world flips upside down and everybody. goes crazy with it then a month later I. I immediately go into training camp and. I become the backup for the world title. fight in October on fight Island in Abu. Dhabi so we fly 16 hours there I do the. weight cut do everything show up Flex on. the scale and and I'm the backup fighter. making weight obviously both both those. guys made it to the scale made it to the. fight gatei fights kabib khib retires.

that night so khib nagam medov was. undefeated number one guy in the world. pound-for-pound number one guy in our. weight class he retired that night um so. immediately we get back to the States. and we say okay where's where's my debut. going to be what's it going to be and. then they lined me up with Dan hooker. for January 23rd of 2021 as the co-main. event of Conor versus porier and that. was my my. debut I mean. what when you get yourself in the.

mindset for for something like that I. mean do you. have do you have a ritual or a routine. or I mean how do you get yourself in. there man I uh. mentally I'm not a huge uh music guy you. know like in the in the uh in the locker. room I I usually actually listen to for. a long time it was it was one song it. was called uh Washed by the Water by. need to breathe it's a Christian song um. you know it really just Wells up.

everything inside of me of of of what I. the journey I've been on uh how truly. blessed I have been what I have in my. life um I'm sure my team gets sick of it. because they're like holy cow dude this. song's been on now 20 times in a row as. we're warming up and stuff but it's for. me it's just been a soothing song for me. for the last decade or so um of my fight. career and uh but it's just it's a warm. up hard um it's gets sweating get the. juices flowing you kind of want to get.

that first round out of the way before. you get into the first round of the. fight um so you don't go out there cold. and stagnant I want to be already. muscles firing fast twitch muscles I. want to I want to inflict damage ASAP. and put pressure on whoever I'm fighting. um but that fight in particular was was. so different and special and almost an. outof body EXP experience because I had. you know it's hard to explain to anybody. the position that I was in I mean I I. had everything I needed I was getting.

paid really well I had the security the. love and adoration from my colleagues. outside of the UFC in Bellator and I was. taking a huge huge risk um because I was. read leaving a very very secure. organization that I had built my name. under I had helped build their promotion. but it just felt right for me to to go. and I was going at 34 years old I was no. spring chicken by any means you know I. was a lot of people have no idea that.

I'm almost 38 years old because they. thought I came over to the UFC as most. people do in their late 20s but I came. over as a 34y old man with a wife and a. child and multiple World titles and the. scars to prove it um but it was the. exact right time it was the door stays. stayed closed until it was the exact. right time. and then it was The Perfect Storm of. everything happening when it came to. kabib retiring and porier and Connor.

tied up in the trilogy thing that they. were going to do and I had my the UFC. debut and then fought for the title my. next fight you know so I was the UFC. knew what they had the UFC knew my. potential they they knew the stock of. myself and how quickly it could rise. given who I am how I carry myself you. know um the attributes that I have. inside the cage and outside of the. Octagon um but that that was a very very. special one because it was almost the. most defining moment of my it was it was. definitely the most defining moment of.

my professional life. because I was either going to Brave the. unknown and it pay off immensely and me. sitting here exactly where I am or it. was going to it was going to absolutely. Crash and Burn and it was the worst. career decision I could have ever made. in my entire life but it's in the. galvanization of that fire. that the human Spirit Wells up and and. you're really doing what you are called. to do you're really on the outskirts of. of your comfort zones um.

and I think people saw it and there's. definitely people around the world who. saw it and saw the chance that I took. and and are hopefully taking more and. more chances because I was willing to. bet on myself and hopefully more people. are betting on themselves by watching. the way that I conduct. myself when you're preparing for that I. mean are you envisioned. violence at all are you envisioning what. you're going to do to your opponent I. mean yeah yeah I mean uh visualization. for me is is so important just because I.

I am I mean as human beings we are prone. to wander we we are prone to uh look out. for the possible drawbacks the setbacks. the the footholds the the the stumbling. blocks the the negative you know we we. are prone to look at and gauge the risk. of version of every single decision that. we make right um so for me I have to you. know I talk about the uh my practice of. talking to myself instead of listening.

to myself also so a lot of times when. you see me walking to the cage you'll. see my mouth moving I'm not I'm not. singing the lyrics to my song I'm. actually talking to myself about how. much I deserve what I'm about to. accomplish how much I deserve to be. right where I'm at that I am chosen for. a Time such as this because if I am. talking right now I can't hear any. anything else I can't hear negativity I. can't hear that small guy from that. small town who was taught to do small. things inside of my brain cuz he's still. in there I'm never going to be able to.

get rid of him but if I'm talking he. can't talk at the exact time yet if I'm. silent I can start to hear him so. talking to myself and visualizing myself. in there things going perfectly things. going things going better than I. expected but also moments that I have to. overcome adversity moments that I have. to overcome. bad situations get out of certain. positions um be dead dog tired sit down. get back up with a heart my heart full. and my my eyes open and my ears open um.

so visualizing it all because it is. chaos it's absolute chaos um it's like. you're tied on to a tornado and you just. got to be there for the ride you got to. pull your hat down tight and and and uh. hope that the best happens that's. exactly what I was hoping for you know. when you get in and and I'm just I'm. fascinated by this stuff because I. mean totally different but you know we. would.

have things that we do before we go on. an OP you know in the SEAL Teams we'd. have things we would do before we go on. an OP at CIA and and there was always. some type of a process to get your to. get your mind into what you're about to. walk. into and then when we would get into it. it was like a switch was flipped and so. what I want to ask you is when you do. step in that ring and when that Bell. Rings is there a switch that's flipped.

is it a different you yes it's. absolutely a different me and it and it. doesn't and it doesn't actually flip. until um you hear the Clank of that cage. door closing because you've got you know. you walk in and either you get. introduced first or you get introduced. second either way there's an announcer. there you know it's Bruce Buffer there. and he's announcing you and and your. opponent and you're still there you're. still present I'm still I'm still. Michael Chandler the man um but then he.

gets done and he. walks about faces and goes straight. behind him walks out that door and you. hear the cling cling cling where they. lock it in and it's Steel on steel and. it's it's the it's in that moment that I. go from Michael Chandler the man to. Michael Chandler the warrior Michael. Chandler The Savage the the guy who. doesn't want to but I am willing to die. inside of this cage I am. willing to inflict bodily harm or or. have bodily harm inflicted upon me.

because that is what I was called to do. um so inside the confines of that and. that's when that happens as soon as the. announcer leaves or Bruce Buffer leaves. he's announcing our names that's when. the fight officially kind of starts and. then then it's the referee are you ready. are you ready and whether you're ready. or not they're going to they're going to. send you guys toward each other and. you're about to go to battle um and eat. throughout the entire process I am. talking to myself I am still visualizing.

I am feeling the canvas on my feet I am. running my hand my elbow my back my butt. my knees across the fence get a little. bit of abrasion on me get a little bit. of get a little bit of pain going. elbowing the cage a little bit squeezing. the cage kind of punching myself a. little bit cuz you're cuz you're about. to whether you like it or not those. fists are flying those knees are flying. those elbows are flying there's another. man across the cage who he might not. hate you but he loves his job and he. wants to take something from you um and.

that includes inflicting bodily harm in. whatever way that he can inside the. confines of the the the rules of mixed. martial arts. um and yeah it's it's. really to me you know you're called you. know you're doing what you're called to. do when you're able to live on on both. extremes for me and I've I've been given. the ability to live within one extreme. outside of the Octagon of of trying to.

be a man of service and and love my. family be a family man be a positive. light be a be a man of influence a. positive influence but then on the. complete other end of the spectrum be. something so ridiculously violent that. people can't understand how one man can. be both you know um and you've. experienced it right you know it's it's. something that that few are called to do. I think a lot of us a lot of us have it. in us that it never.

materializes but few um few are able to. capture it and take it and use it um and. use it for good and I. think as soon as the cage door opens. again Clank Clank Clank and the the the. the fight is over I'm able to you know. limp out and and go kiss my wife and get. my paycheck and and and uh you know go. back to to normal and and truly win lose. or draw every single time it's been it's. those have been some of the best moments. of my life because after you get done.

with that crazy of a CA crazy chaos um. and you're able to just let your guard. down and and just be normal again you've. just experienced something so crazy that. we were called to do we were we were we. were called for so much more um you know. it doesn't have to be violent it doesn't. have to be uh firefights you know it. doesn't have to be these big crazy. life-altering moments but we we were we. were called for for big big things as.

human beings you know and that this is. my masterpiece that I'm able to paint. 30s something times now inside of the. confines of mixed martial arts and the. world gets to see and Win Lose or Draw I. get to be the man in the man in the. arena whether I win or lose um and I'm. fulfilling my calling and it's it's. right where I'm supposed to be every. single time when you do flip that switch. when it's when it's on do you envision. yourself hurting your opponent you know.

it's funny I I never look at it like. hurting you know it's but it is I know. it is the the Michael the normal person. here I know it's the hurting right but. but in there it's it really is the X's. and O's it's not even a person to me you. know it's not a soul it's not a brain. it's not it's not the firing of synapsis. and and and all of the all the. biological stuff it's two arms and it's. two legs and it's and it's a mission and. it's a job to do it's targets it's a. face it's a head it's arms it's legs. it's a body you know um and I think for.

me that's the the best way um I have had. a couple fights in my career where where. there was too much of a feud there was. too much of a personal it was too. personal it was too much more like I. want I do want to hurt you um but I've. always looked at it like I'm not trying. to prove anybody wrong or I'm not trying. to hurt anybody I'm just trying to prove. myself and my supporters correct and go. out there and and perform my job to the. best of my ability um I know hurting.

somebody cutting them open possibly. knocking them out or choking them out or. making them quit in front of millions of. people is a is a byproduct of what we do. um but actually in there it's just kind. of ice cold and it has nothing to do. with humans it has everything to do with. just the punching bag in front of me. very similar very when you said say it's. just two arms and two legs there's no. soul it's not a human it's it's it's a. very similar mindset right as to.

uh what a lot of us what a lot of us get. into and um you know I have you ever. seen this documentary The smashing. machine with Mark Kerr I have not but I. know they're coming out with a movie. correct are they really yeah I think. they're coming out with a movie I think. the rock is playing the lead. well I I started watch I watched that. documentary probably 20 years ago damn. close to it. and. that documentary it's one of my favorite.

documentaries of all time and at the. very beginning it talk Mark Kerr is is. is talking about you know kind of his. mindset in the middle of a match and in. the middle of a fight and and he's is. discussing you know he's basically. saying you know what are you willing to. do to win are you willing to dig your. finger into a cut and pull it open a. little bit wider you know to get that. win and and he's talking about the you. know the the what it takes you know to.

win and. so I'd like to see what what you have to. say what are you willing to do to win I. mean it was so descriptive and so real I. mean I must have watched that part a. hundred times cuz I'm like man this guy. just. he gets it yeah and and it's funny too. because because if you you see the man. being interviewed and and to me at least. because I've lived it and and you've. lived it in a in a different Arena um is.

I look at that man and I'm like and I. don't think well he's a crazy person no. it's it's he's a normal person but the. person that steps inside of the the. confines of competition or the confines. of a a firefight or a a. mission that's a different side of him. and that's what needs to be done in that. moment right you know just just like we. are I'm a different person with my. family as I am with you and I'm a. different person inside of a cage than I. am in the practice and we're different.

there's these different Arenas that we. live in but the man in that Arena the. man inside of that that cage is willing. to do anything with within the the the. rules that we have set for ourselves to. to get the win you know and push himself. past past what he thinks he's capable of. and. and be willing to be willing to Brave. the unknown and be willing to to go to. where he needs to go and it's a and it's. a place where so many people just have.

not experienced that side of them or. they or they've experienced it in. different ways that really just. manifested itself as as coming unhinged. or having a psychotic break or having. having uh you know seeing red so to. speak you know I'm not seeing red when. I'm in there I'm not I'm I'm trying to. be. it's it's more about the X's and O's and. what I need to get done in front of me. um but I know I mean it's the. overarching theme to to believing in.

yourself and having self-confidence is. the trust that we have with oursel and. and making promises to oursel and. keeping those. promises at whatever cost it needs to be. I trust the man who steps inside of that. octagon I trust him I trust his heart I. trust his soul I trust his every ounce. of his being to be an. absolute Savage at every single moment. that he needs to be just like I trust. myself to be soft and sweet and and kind.

and and loving to to my family when I. need when I'm in the confines of my home. right um so I look at I look at that guy. like I I know him but I don't really. know him and he only comes out for 15 to. 25 minutes a couple times a year when he. needs to but I have an immense amount of. trust. for him because we have built him to. where he needs to be every single time. we Step Inside the Cage have you ever. done. anything. like have you ever done anything to put.

yourself on top or to get the win that. that. maybe was out of character for you that. maybe surprised you afterwards where. you're like man I um I didn't think I. could do that but I did no because I've. now there's times in now there's times. in a fight which it's unfortunate right. like even even my last fight so I I was. I was drilling this move I was drilling. this kind of series of of movements. where if I have a guy's back and I'm on.

top I reach down and I grab underneath. the chin pull up the chin and throw in a. throw in a choke last fight I did that. did it once unsuccessfully didn't work. tried it again the second time I. actually reached down and when a man has. a mouthpiece in it feels exactly like. the chin it's the same shape so I. actually stuck my fingers inside of my. opponent's mouth but in my mind all I. felt was chin I thought I reached deep. enough to grab the chin I thought I was. on the chin but I was actually breaking.

the rules illegally not knowing it with. my hand inside of my opponent's mouth. pulling his upper jaw up to then sink a. choke in now you go back and watch it. and I didn't even know it in the moment. I still thought I was on the channel you. go back and watch it and everywhere on. social media everybody's like Chandler's. a cheater stuck his hand in his mouth. and it's like. yes I did cheat it looks like but did I. knowingly cheat do guys. accidentally go for a go for a takedown. in their hand grabs the shorts and they.

grab it are they reaching back do they. grab the the cage you got to remember. too it's once again we're not human. beings we're human beings we have. heartbeats and brain things but we are. we are inside the confines of the. competition and it's chaos so there are. certain things certain times you can. look and say okay well that was a maybe. a cheap shot or that was this but these. people when we're inside the confines of. competition things are going to happen. you know we're moving right and I and. I've been public and said hey was that a.

cheating move yes was it intentional no. are you going to believe me that it's an. intentional probably not depends on how. much you like me or don't like me. whether or not you believe me or not um. but no I've never never intentionally. done something illegal because now like. what Mark Kerr was saying you'll. sticking your finger inside of a cut to. rip it open even more I don't know if. that's legal or illegal but if it's. legal it's pretty crazy it's pretty nuts. but I wouldn't fault a man for it right.

um but it's just you know it's so. chaotic and it's and it's you know there. there's been times where where I have. definitely you know done things where. you're just in it and something happens. whether it's kicking a guy in the nuts. or anything like that we like well it. wasn't it was inadvertent wasn't on. purpose but it's going to happen we're. in a we're in a sport where we are. winging our limbs at each other and. grabbing things to try to choke people. and manipulate joints and stuff um but.

no within the confines of of uh the rule. set I'm willing to be as absolutely. vicious as possible um but never want to. cross that line you know intentionally. at least right earlier you discussed we. were talking I was talking about Blen. force trauma to the Head traumatic brain. injury and you had mentioned that your. style kind of opens you up uh it sounded. like you were saying that maybe. vulnerable to that how would you. describe your style yeah I mean it's.

something I've had to adjust a little. bit because the wrestling style I had. was very you know and actually our first. line of defense for wrestling was our. head your head then your hands then your. then your arms then your then your hips. right that's the kind of the progression. of of stopping a shot stopping an attack. in mixed martial arts you don't want to. use your head as the first line of. defense however you know my uh inside. the competition when I first started I. was just like okay I'm going to go. forward I'm keep on coming forward get.

in his face and if I take a couple shots. and take a couple shots when you're. fighting the best guys in the world in 4. o gloves they can put your lights out. pretty quick right um and I still have. my moments where I look back and think. man just keep your keep your hands up a. little bit more protect yourself a. little bit more but you know my style is. is all G no breaks um it is it is. fast it is I know I'm I know I'm. fighting against flesh and blood but I. really am fighting against the spirit of.

a man too right I'm I'm fighting against. his mindset I'm fighting against his. Spirit his soul his heart um it is X's. and O's and your lights can be put out. at any given moment and I can put his. lights out at any given moment but this. idea of me beating beating on you and. putting so much pressure on you and. making you take a step backwards and. second guess yourself as much as I. possibly can to then Wilt your spirit. and watch your spirit break right in. front of me that's always been kind of. my style you know and I think it goes.

back to wrestling I started out as a guy. who I didn't have all the skills you. were more skilled than me so on paper. you were supposed to beat me but when it. comes to heart when it comes to cardio. when it comes to pushing the pace when. it comes to being the tougher human. being right now the more indomitable. spirit I believe I have that so maybe. you take me down a couple times and I. get back up and then by the third period. I'm gonna watch you wilt and I'm going. to break your spirit and sometimes that. works in mixed martial arts sometimes it. doesn't when you're fighting literally.

the toughest guys in the world the best. guys and most skilled guys in the world. at your weight class and it's bitten me. a couple times but it's also gotten me a. lot of finishes and a lot of Knockouts. and gotten me to where I am what do you. think you need to work on for this. McGregor fight coming up so if I was if. I was them I would say. he's the better Striker from a a crisp. longer more sniping um standpoint he's. got that great step back left he has had.

great success with guys who who uh. aggressively fight him who are a little. bit shorter than him stocky wrestlers. with an overhand he calls it um you know. there was there was khabib there was. there was uh Chad Mendes there was Eddie. Alvarez um so I think my uh what I need. to work on for this fight is contined to. be the best version of myself maybe a. little bit more tactical um realizing. that I've earned this realize that I am. the better fighter I am the tougher.

fighter I am the guy who deserves it. more um whether that be getting in his. face putting him up against the cage. picking him up putting him down wilting. his Spirit a little bit more taking the. wind out of his sails a little bit. more I don't need to be getting into a a. firefight with a guy who has got a. bigger rifle than me right um I think I. hit harder than he does I think my I. think I would venture to say his time. out of the cage has lent itself to his. timing not being what it used to be his. movement not being what it used to be. his his reflexes not being what they.

what they used to be being out of the. cage now for it'll be 3 years by the. time we fight. um so I'm just going to from the first. exchange hit him hit him with big. punches make him second guess himself. keep my hands up a little bit more than. I have in the past um pick them up put. him down if I want to choke him if I. want to. um go out there and get the finish and. just absolutely outclass and dominate. him because i' I've deserved this and. I've earned this what do you think he. needs to work on he's going I mean when. he gets back into the the training cycle.

um he's going to be exactly who I think. Connor has been when he was in his. Heyday um when you watch the. combinations he put on Eddie Alvarez his. ability to just barely Miss A Punch and. then fire back with two or three um. catching guys off guard great angles. fast leftand powerful left hand. Southpaw um his movement and his NE. navigation and negotiation of of the. distance between us two um that's where.

he's going to that's where he thinks he. can Excel that's where he can Excel if. I'm not on the top of my game and we. don't have our game plan right where we. need to be to suck all the oxygen out of. the Octagon the goal is to suck all of. the oxygen out of the Octagon he's. already ready to drown um with the. lifestyle that he has lived um and the. that he has not put in over the last. couple years I believe we suck the. oxygen out of the Octagon he looks for. the exit sign somewhere in the second. round and I I Usher him toward the.

door when you I'm sure you're. visualizing the fight already I mean is. this is this would you consider this to. be your biggest fight ever this is uh. yeah this is by far the biggest fight. ever um you know for a lot of different. reasons obviously the the platform you. know it's going to be a a huge fight. against the biggest name that the sport. has ever seen um we have the ultimate. fighter that we did we it was on for 12. weeks in a row on ESPN every single week.

The Ultimate Fighter reality show that. we did so we got to spend some time. together there was bad blood that boiled. over there there was an animosity there. the the Rivalry really started there he. and I have an immense amount of respect. for each. other um but we love to finish fights he. loves to get The Knockout I love to get. a knockout or a choke and break him um. it's also been the coiling of the spring. over the last 13 months now um that I've. had to wait on this opportunity it was.

always the right decision I have battled. the critics you know I've heard the. critics lot of people and it's a. compliment people want to see me fight. because of what I bring to the Octagon. the the excitement that I bring to the. to the to the platform and the stage um. but this was always the fight that was. going to happen this was always the the. dotted line that we signed on this was. always the opponent um this was always. The Showdown this was always the The. Comeback that that people want to see. for him and this is also the the the.

manifestation and the the the marination. of of what we have been waiting for for. this entire last year all of 2023. building this thing and now in summer of. 2024 the biggest fight in the last. decade I believe um is happening and uh. it's about to be a really fun one and. it's also it's the greatest moment of. opportunity for me and I have to ask. that question Michael are you enough and. I wouldn't have been ready 5 years ago. wouldn't have been ready two years ago. wouldn't been ready a decade ago but I. am ready and I was born for a Time such.

as this and it's about to be absolutely. masterful and the whole world gets to. see it how many times have you. visualized how this goes right now um. couple thousand probably how does a go. on your head man I think uh like I say. you can you can have a ton of respect. for somebody and you can you can even. have admiration for somebody um I admire. what the man has done I I respect what. the man has done but I don't see. any any.

Universe. where I'm not able to put my hands on. him and I'm not able to have him feel my. spirit inside there and know. that I'm the toughest man that he has. ever fought that when we meet in the. center of the octagon and I'm standing. in front of him and the first time my. leather lands on his face and the first. time my leather lands to his body and.

the first time I get my hands locked. around him and he feels the pressure and. he feels The Squeeze he feels his feet. leave the ground and his neck and head. hit the canvas I think he's going to. immediately know that he's outmatched um. and what what the good thing is going. back to trust I trust myself to know. where the fight is going to go and we. will be prepared and we will outclass. him in in every single aspect of the. Mixed Martial Arts competition um it's a.

contest of skill it's a contest of. spirit and will and uh I believe I'm the. better man and I and I don't just. believe I'm the Better Man by a little. bit I believe I'm the Better Man by a. long shot and uh then it's to the Moon. after that. I'm sure Conor is going to watch this. I'm sure he's watching everything you're. doing up to the fight and um so what I. want to ask you is what do you have to.

say to Conor McGregor right. now unfortunately for him I believe he. is stepping inside the octagon with a. man who who has who has been on a. journey that culminates with his losing. at at the hands of myself um you know. this you got to be the hero of your own. story. and there's been times where I've been. the the popper there's been times where. I have been lowlier than thou there's. been times where I have failed but every. single aspect of my journey has led me.

to the greatest moment of opportunity. this is so much bigger than mixed. martial arts this is so much bigger than. the UFC this is so much bigger than the. X's and O's and punches and kicks and. knees and elbows this is this is a man. versus another man and one man has. earned it and one man knows that he. hasn't one man that will talk a big game. and. get the people behind him and but in the. confines of his own mind in the confines. of his own home when in the quiet in The. Quiet Moments he knows he hasn't earned.

it but in my Quiet Moments I know that. I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I. know that I was destined for this and. sometimes you got to go through the mud. and the muck to get to the. Mountaintop and I've gone through more I. have worked more I've putting I've put a. million more reps in a million more. hours in I don't just talk a big game I. do the work and I just truly believe I'm. not just the better the better athlete I. just I believe I'm the better man in. this scenario and it's time that the.

good guy wins it's time it's time that. time that the better man wins and that's. where I'm at at and and it's it's an. unwavering confidence and belief in. myself trying not to go overboard with. uh the narcissism and the the uh the. self gloating but I was born for a Time. such as this and I will absolutely break. this man and the whole world is going to. get to see it and uh it's going to be. the best moment of my professional. life well Michael I can't wait to watch.

and um you know we're wrapping up the. interview now and I just want to say how. much I appreciate you coming here and. telling your story but you know more. importantly I want to tell you that I. just really appreciate how you carry. yourself the role model that you've. become there's not a lot of people in. your position that I think are are. positive role models for the Youth today. and. um you just got so many positive. attributes man and and uh it's just.

really nice to see somebody in your. position that's grounded that's a. Christian a man of Faith who is setting. a positive example for all of humanity. and. um I think that's more important than. you're fighting and uh thank you for. being that of course man and thank you. for the opportunity to sit down and and. the platform man we're just uh just a a. guy trying to chase a dream and uh it's. working out pretty well so my pleasure. it's an honor yes sir best of luck yes.

sir thank. [Music]. [Applause]. you no matter where you're watching sha. Ryan Show from if you get anything out. of this please like comment subscribe. and most importantly share this. everywhere you possibly can and if. you're feeling extra generous please. leave us review on Apple and Spotify.

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