Fill her up.

You're listening to the Gas.

It's on the record.

Conceive, believe, achieve. Shut the fuck up.

You're listening to Believe You Me with.

Michael the Count, Big Bang, and Anthony Lionheart Smith.

Are you drinking coffee over there, boy?

No, it's a regular coffee.

It's a regular coffee? In a fancy man's life. Well, today is not a regular episode of the Believe You Me podcast. Boys, look at this. We're starting with all three on stage right at the beginning. Thank you, everyone, for being here. It is another episode, I believe you me. Anthony Smith is not going to be here because, of course, he's fighting this weekend. I'm also leaving to England in just a few days. Tale from the octagon. I don't know about you boys. Have you ever promoted, organized, wrote, written, made an entire show happen where there's going to be thousands of people showing up?

Well, here's the thing. Yes, but not one that I was also starring in, which sounds like it's an absolute nightmare of an undertaking. I can understand why you're hyped.

Listen, listen, I am hyped. Ticket sales are going great. The show now, I finally figured it out. I'll tell you what, it's a lot of stress. They came to me and said, Right, listen, Matt, I got another idea for a show for you. Do you want to do it? Then I had to go away and come up with the show, with the concept of the show, write the show. I'm not a stand-up comedian. Do you know what I mean? It's a little bit of a challenge, shall we say. But now I'm in a good mood because I finally got it down what I'm going to say. I'm going to come on, I'm going to do about 25, 30 minutes at the beginning. Then we're going to get some crowd participation. We're going to bring out Tom Aspeno, we're going to bring out Paul Craig. Brendan Loughlin, I'm happy to announce he will be joining us as well. We got some fun and games with the audience. I'll be doing a live Q and A. We got one of those Spin a Wheel things. We got all kinds of forfeits on there. We've got all kinds of madness.

So there is some tickets still available, myticket. Co. Uk. But I'll tell you what, for anyone that wants to lose weight, just go out there and create a show, okay? I'm down from like 235 to 210 pounds simply through stress and not eating.

I'm getting this felt.

I'm getting this felt, baby. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. Let's go. That's all people say. Anyway, enough about that. But I will see you all there. Anyone that's bought a ticket, you're not going to be disappointed because the show is going to be brilliant. I'm very excited. Brendan Loughlin, stepping up last minute. We've got a third guest as well, and we've got something very, very funny in store. But you're going to have to come and see the show. Harrison, how are you, sir?

Dude, I'm absolutely great. I know we're moving on fromtails in the octagon, but just listen, if you're on the fence about buying tickets to this thing, Mike behind the scenes for the last month has been obsessing over this show. There is no doubt in my mind it is going to be a very worthwhile evening spent out with the boys.

Well, thank you very much. You clearly have a lot of faith in me. The first one was great. It went down so well, but I was shitting it. I haven't been this light since the last show. That's what I mean. All you got to do is do a show, ladies and gentlemen, and you will lose a lot of weight. I've been waking up in the middle of the night. Last time I was having dreams and nightmares that, as I started, everyone was just leaving. They are real nightmares that I have. This time I haven't been having them ones, but I have been waking up in the middle of the night and thinking of other things and then picking up my phone at three o'clock in the morning. My wife's like, What the hell are you doing? She thinks I'm slightly texting somebody. I'm like, No, I've got another idea, and I'm writing it in my phone and stuff before I forget it. But anyway, enough about that. Anthony Smith will be stepping back in the Oxcon this weekend. I've seen him talking this week. He's talking about how if he gets this done, there's a good possibility he might fight for the title.

But of course, he's got to focus on Kaleel Roundtree. Kaleel is not walking the park. And this new version of Kaleel Roundtree, even if wants to discredit him, even if Sean Strickland wants to talk shit, remember that? Remember when Sean was going on because Kaleel was crying and stuff?

I do not remember this, but that sounds...

No, you must.

Remember that. That sounds like a very much of Sean Strickland. We all out.

Brian, do you remember that?

It was not ringing any bells.

Yeah, it wasn't too long ago. It was after his last win when he got all emotional after it, right? Yeah. He said, Matt shouldn't be crying.

Yeah, no, he was in typical Sean Strickland fashion. But hey, listen, I do love that about Sean. He's not arsed. He will say whatever he wants to say, whether it's he and Gary, whether it's on women, whether they should be back in the kitchen. His words, Not mine before you, feminists and leftists come for me. That's his words. But it is refreshing to see somebody of his stature just not giving a shit.

Well, he's like the only one who can, right? I personally cannot not say a word about Kaleel Roundtree crying because that man could murder me with one eye. You know what I mean? It's just not a thought for him. So the only guy who can actually mock someone for crying when you're that good of a fighter is somebody who's a world champion fighter. It's Sean Strickland. Incredible position to.

Be in. What did you do?

Just finger-kiss.

Just do it again.

Just do it again.

Do it one more time. Guys. Now, never do that again. Okay? That was terrible. That was terrible. Anyway, we're going on a bit of a tangent. Bit of a segue there. Anthony Smith, how are you feeling about the fact? I'll be honest. I haven't spoken to Anthony because I don't want to be bothering him. He's got his hands full. He's in Las Vegas. Took it on what? Two weeks?

Yeah, I think maybe a little bit less, like 10 days. Yeah, it was two weeks because he needed the extra week to prepare.

That's right. So two weeks. I'm looking at Kaleel's record, 12 and 5, 8 knockouts, no submissions. Chris Dawkins, just Dusty and Jacobi, Carl Robertson, and Modestas Bukowskius. Modestas Bukowskius, remember, that was that awful leg break when he did that oblique kick. Carl Robertson took him out of there. Dusty and Jacobi, who's a really good fighter as well. Then last time out knocked out Chris Dawkins in two minutes, 40 seconds. But Chris Dawkins was coming down from heavyweight, wasn't he? I think he'd been knocked out a few times. I think when you look at this fight, obviously, it's short notice for Antony. And as we've said before, that speaks volumes to the type of man that he is. It's not an easy fight. It's not an easy fight for anybody. I do think that Antony is the better striker. He's taller, he's longer, he's got way more experience. He's better on the ground. I think when you look at it like that, I think skill for skill, Antony is the better guy. I think he is the better wrestler. Kaleel is powerful. He does like to kick legs a lot, and we know that's been an issue for Anthony.

He's been very open about that. But I'd also be surprised if he hasn't been working on that. You know what I mean? No Man Alive! Should be taking that many leg kicks and not learning how to block them. Do you know what I mean? I am sure he's been working on that. But as I said, skill for skill, he's the better guy. He really is. He's the better martial artist. But it's a fight and anything can happen and one good shot can change everything. What do you think, Harrington?

Yeah. I mean, all the guys you were naming, I remember especially the Dustin and Jacob fight, for my recollection, Jacob was having a lot of success against Roundtree before Roundtree just found that big combination and really changed the complexion of the fight. So that is terrifying, especially the first five minutes with that guy and the leg kicks. But I do think Anthony is the type of guy we saw it. I mean, the Johnny Walker fight where every single thing that could have gone wrong went wrong, Anthony still got that to a 15-minute decision. And I think Kaleel Roundtree is the guy where if you're hanging around for 15 minutes with him, you'll find the opening that you need to turn the tide in the fight.

Yeah. No, I totally agree. And if I'm not mistaken, the Kaleel Roundtree and Dustin Jacob won, that was controversial. The decision was controversial, weren't it? I think a lot of people thought Jacob won that.

I'm trying to remember if that was the one or if that was a TKO. But you might be right about that. Like I said, I do remember Dustin Jacob having-.

Yeah, it was a split decision, Kelvin Cater versus Brendan Allen. Yeah, I commented that because some people message me afterwards and were like, Do you not think that was a robbery? And I don't know if it was a robbery, but it was one of those. It could have gone either way. That's why it was a split decision. It's just because we care about Anthony. Go on.

That's right. I do remember this fight now, and I remember Jacobi had a big, big, big round three. And I remember thinking if he had poured on the gas a little bit instead of going for a take down, he might have been able to get the finish there. I think Anthony, being the veteran that he is, makes the right decision in a moment like that.

What approach do you think Anthony is going to use? I think he'll probably use the reach, stay on the outside, use his jabs. I think he's going to look to take him down. I mean, that's his MO a lot of the time. He labels himself as a jiu-kitsu guy. He's got great striking. I'll never forget, all right, he lost against Glover to Sherra. But I was there, it was Jacksonville, right in the pandemic, and I was doing the Pulse Fight show, so I was watching the fight. I remembered the hand speed on Anthony. In that fight, he looked very fast and very crisp. I think he's faster. I think he's longer. He's got the better wrestling. By far, I've got the better jiu-jitsu. It's the power of Kaleel. That's what he's going to watch. And as friends, that's what worries me. Anthony's got a chin now. I don't think he's got a habit of getting knocked out. I mean, let's just have a look. How many times has Anthony been knocked out? Just looking because it's a conversation. Yeah, he's been knocked out 10 times. Hold on. But knockout is one thing I think TKO.

Magamad and Kaliiv, that's classed as a TKO, so that's one of them. Glover to Cher. I mean, what a fight that was. I mean, that was legendary, wasn't it? I mean-The.

Brazilian zombie.

That part where Glover is puling him and then the teeth come out.

I mean, that's the most gangster shit I've seen in the U-of-C- -It is. -i think ever. He just picked up his teeth, handed them to the refs and said, Hold on to these.

We've spoke about that many times, but I don't mind talking about that time after time again because he knocks his teeth out, gives them to the ref, and then Glove is like, I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry. Andy's like, It is what it is. Take some more shots. It was great. It really was. So yeah, I don't think I have to say this, but on behalf of the Believe Me Podcast, let's go, Anthony.

Oh, tentatively. Watch us, watch along on the YouTube.

Oh, yeah. No, that is correct. We will be doing a live watch-along, guys. We'll be live, the three of us, calling the fights, being very, very nervous. Harrington is going to be overreacting to every little thing that Anthony does.

Yeah, I am.

He moves his hand. He didn't hit anything, and you're jumping out of your skin. I'm like, Relax for crying out loud. My God.

Mike, I don't know if you know this. When you know the guy who's in there, it's very emotional for you.

Is it? Really? Is it really? So yeah, no, we're all excited about that one. We had some big fight bookings yesterday. None of the Giga Gikazay, you probably saw this. Everyone's seen the video doing the rounds online. He was sparring, getting ready for his fight against Josh Emma. Throw was a kick, tore his groin, hit the canvas straight away. I saw the news yesterday. None other than Mr. Flatearth himself. Evolution is a ploy sent by the devil worshippers. What else did he say?

Dinners or dinosaurs are fake and Earth is flat.

-and we can't go to the North Pole because it's all sectioned off. There's a wall around it on the other side of the world. There's all kinds of crazy creatures. We're talking about Bryce Mitchell, everybody.

And the world ended three months ago.

It.

Did.

Remember?

No. Yeah, I know how it did. Now, people that believe in that stuff will say, No, that was a figure of speech. That is the world ending. It's coming to an end. The raptor is coming. It is the end of days. The pets' heads are falling off. The roof is collapsing. Okay, morality is out the window. Men can be women. Day is night. Dark equals light. And the devil is coming for all of us.

I read the Bible one time that pets' heads falling off is a sign of the Apocalyptic.

Is it really? Are you serious? Oh, man. Okay. Because I was going to say it because my pet's in love recently. It just happened. It just happened. Oh, dear. So Bryce Mitchell stepping up against Josh Schemann. I do like Bryce Mitchell.

Okay. It's a long drink after saying the words I like Bryce Mitchell.

No, I was handing you the baton, Aaron. Back and forth, brother.

Dude, this is a huge platform. If I'm not mistaken, Bryce Mitchell's lone loss is to Iliath Teporia, who is now fighting for a title. So coming out of that earlier this year, I think, Bryce Mitchell's stock had fallen just a little bit, but he comes out, he gets the big win his last time out. Now he finds himself in a position up against Emmett, who recently fought for an interim title, where he's now one fight away from potentially getting himself back in the title talks.

Yeah, I don't know if one win... I mean, listen, yeah, Emmett did just fight. Was that the undisputed or the interim belt?

It was the interim belt while on the same card, Volkinovsky fought Malkyach the.

First time. Oh, yeah, that's right. That's right. Pardon me. Yeah. Listen, if he beats him, and as you say, the only loss was to Elia, to Poria. It does. Noney, I was going to politely disagree with you there, but actually thinking about it, you're right. No, I agree. Yeah, very, very important fight. Josh Emmett, I love watching that guy as well. So that's a tremendous fight. Usc 296 next week. Can't wait for that one. That's going to be absolutely fantastic. I mean, top to bottom, that's a tremendous fight card. Did you see that... Leon Edwood says that Kolby's going to be in for a shock?

Oh, yeah. He's 100 %. That title is coming home, baby.

Well, no, because he's saying that everyone that Colby fought is around 35, 36, that the Tyrone Woodley that Colby beat was past his best, which is fair enough. Robbie Lawler was way past his Prime. And again, it was one of his final fights. And then who else? He said Jorge Mazvidal, okay? That was his last fight in the USC. So I think he's got a point. But I do also think that, and we spoke about this with it being his last ever title fight with Trump being in the building with all the pressure and everything that was at stake. I think Kobe is going to give him a tough test. He's still only 35 years old, and Leon's 322. So it's not like they're that different in terms of miles on the clock.

True. But I mean, it is nuts to think about, right? For Colby's entire run for him to have not fought anybody under the age of probably Camara, was the youngest guy that he fought, and that was a guy who, when he was fighting Kolby, had to walk on grass because pavement was too hard on his knees. So for somebody like Leon Edwards, I do think that's going to present a whole new set of challenges that might not be ready for.

Well, I don't know if he won't be ready for it. I think he knows what he's expecting. I mean, Leon Edwards is a pretty straightforward guy. When I say straightforward, he's going to come out and strike you. Now, of course, he was able to take Camaro down in the first round when they fought the second time, mounted him, took his back. I think he's got some sneaky grappling, but for the most part, his motus operandi is always on the feet. So Colby knows what he's going to do. He's going to fight him like he fights everybody. I don't think there'll be any surprises, so to speak. But early prediction on that one, Harrington, what are you saying?

I mean, Colby has to enter with his very basic boxing game, and I think that feeds right into what Leon does well. Anytime Colby's coming in with some looping punches, Leon is going to be standing there with straights right back in his face to keep distance. Anytime Colby tries to rush and go for a shot, Leon is going to be very quick with the knee. I don't see the path for a successful entry from Kolby Covington with Leon's game.

Yeah, it is going to be tough. And of course, Leon's way taller, he's way longer. He's way faster. He is more technical as well. So it's a tough one for Kolby. I think Leon probably gets the job done. I think Kolby will have some moments. When you look at those fights with the Camara, Uzman, yes, when you look at the record, two losses. But there were some big moments for Kobe in both those fights. He definitely wobbled Camara a couple of times. He definitely made Camara, Ujman, dig deep. You know what I mean?

I feel like any time you have a high lever-level striker versus grappler, at least one of the five rounds, no matter how big the skill difference is, you're going to have that grappler who's just going to steal a round by getting the take down and riding out of round.

Yeah. All right. Today's episode is sponsored by chalk. Com. That is C-H-O-Q. Com. And they specialize in all natural supplements. And they have a new product on the market. Yes, they have Chadmode, which is the best, cleanest pre-workout, and it is the best way to get the ultimate pump up when you go to the gym naturally, of course. Chad mode will give you the edge that you need before any activity, whether you're lifting, hiking, staying up late, or just having a long day's work. It will keep you dialed in. It will keep you focused. And of course, it's natural. Unlike 99 % of the garbage-filled supplements on the market, Chad mode is completely free of artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and dyes. All that stuff that's going to give you cancer down the line. You don't want to be taking on all these chemicals. In this Chad mode, it's just got organic lemon, cherry, and maple crystals, and no synthetic caffeine either. It's just organic green bean coffee extract. Now, Chox uses full disclosure labeling to tell you the exact amount of every ingredient in there. There is no label fluffing or under dosing. All ingredients are measured to exact clinical research.

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And on that note, I never saw the footage, but all over Instagram yesterday, he kept saying Kim-Jong-Gun, of North Korea fame, of course, was crying his eyes out, begging North Korean women to have more children for the same reasons. So, Brian, what is going on there? Because I'm not sure. Are people not having babies in Russia and North Korea?

People aren't having babies anywhere. Birth rates have been declining dramatically over the past 10 years, and it really is like a culture war thing. So nations need babies to uphold the workforce in a few years. And if the countries aren't having kids, there's going to be a huge economic collapse in the next generation because one, nobody knows how to do anything, and two, the people that do know how to do stuff are going to be too aged out. Yeah.

No, no, no, I agree with that. Put yourself in the middle, I reckon, because when I look at my monitor, it's like I'm looking away from you. There we go. Hello. If you don't mind, just look up the population of Russia today compared to the population of Russia 50 years ago, because you both said adamantly that people aren't having as many babies.

As.

Many children. The population isn't getting boosted. I'd like to see by what stats, what number we're dealing with here to the point where Kim, Jong-un, is crying his eyes out. Now, surely Kim Jong-un, given the fair democratic leader that he is, I'm sure he can sort that situation.

Yeah, it.

Would be an ethical dilemma.

Well, it will be an ethical dilemma, but they're going hungry in North Korea. They can't... I mean, I don't know what the rules are in North Korea, but there's a lot.

There's a lot. There's a few.

There are. So it says here, this year, Russian population is estimated to be 144 million and change. In 1940, the population was almost 180 million.

Wow. I've got 1973, which was exactly 50 years ago, and it was 132 million. So typically over a 35-year stretch, you're supposed to see populations double, Russia is up about 10 percentsent since the 1970s.

Which is surprising because Russia has a lot of good looking women.

You.

Know what I mean? If you like that look, if you like the blonde, the blue eyes, the long legs-Yeah. -the bitchiness.

No, you can hold on to all that.

Not.

Into that, Brian, that doesn't flow your boat?

Yeah.

It was mostly sarcasm.

Yeah, no, no, no, that is interesting. What about the US? Is the US population declining? Because you both said it's worldwide.

Yeah, birth rates worldwide have been down for year over year for, like Brian was saying, for the last little.

Bit here. Sean Strickland's right. All this feminist movement, all this independent women like, these people getting out there standing on their own two feet being girl bosses, it's going to be the end of the world.

This is going to be a real controversial thing to say, but access to birth control really has a hard-armed human population because there used to be a cost to having sex where it was like a risk-reward situation, I guess, if you want to look at it like that, where now it's no longer functional, but in society it's-.

Yeah, but hold on. But on the flip side, you don't want people not to have the choice.

I'm.

Just saying that- You know what I mean? I'm just saying that I believe a woman should be able to choose. I believe that a man should be able to put a condom on if he doesn't want to get a woman pregnant. That's not what I'm saying.

I'm not taking a side on it either way. I'm just saying that access to birth control.

Has- Contributeded to lower birth rates.

-accelerated the lower birth rates.

Well, yeah, of course, it has to. I mean, if you just look at it, if you look at what it is, it controls people getting pregnant. Right. You know what I mean? So before that, yeah, every time I don't know what the success rate is at conceiving a child.

Oh, yeah. I don't.

Know that. You throw the pill in the mix, then that's down to zero.

100 % is how it works. Just one time and you have a child. That's how it goes.

No.

This is what happened to Mike.

You.

Had sex one time in your life, and now you've got a child?

Now he has a baby.

I had the sex that would produce a baby one time in my life.

Or it was the immaculate conception.

Yeah, dude, that was it. That was my Hale Mary. It'd be one in a million shots.

It worked out perfect. Rebecca was like that. She was incredibly fertile.

I.

Just looked at her and she popped.

Out a kid. She's a baby making machine, I'm telling you. All right, well, I don't know too much about this subject. I just wanted to see the footage of Kim Jon-Gun crying his eyes out. Can we get that hope? Yeah. Sorry. I meant to.

Find it a second ago. The Fox news article that we have is not cooperating. One second.

Yeah. No, it's all good. It's all good. I mean, I do see a lot of people saying that we're talking too much about politics, and this is lingering into politics a little bit.

Well, but I think it's more of a social thing where it's like if it's worldwide that people are not having babies, then it's not a political thing. It's a generational thing where why is this generation choosing to just stay children and not grow up and have kids?

Well, because as the population, as human beings get more civilized and technology becomes better, whether that's medicine or technology in the traditional sense, we get smarter and we figure out ways to control our destiny and our future. And I guess ultimately, that's a good thing. You know what I mean? And by the way, aren't all the bloody so-called experts saying that the world is massively overpopulated, and we need to have less people on the planet anyway? I think that's very similar-What's all.

They're crying about? I think that's very similar to the global warming argument where it's a lot more conjecture than it is based on actual data.

Yeah, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I've seen people like bloody Bill Gates, which I wouldn't trust a word that comes out of his mouth. Oh, no. You know what I mean? No, I know.

I have friends in my life, and this is probably pretty unique to my situation in the business that I work in, but they're like literal millionaires who.

Just.

Don't want to have a family. And it blows my mind where it's like if I had all the money in the world, Alex would never stop being pregnant. Being a dad is that much fun that it's like I just don't understand why these people who are around my age and younger don't value that whatsoever.

Well, I agree. And it is the greatest joy on planet Earth. But for some people, they don't necessarily need that. Like Ricky Givays, have you seen him talk about it? Ricky Givays did a whole bit on it on one of his stand-up specials, and he was saying there. He said, Listen, I don't have children. And people always think that's weird. And he's like, I don't want a child. I'm very happy living my life. And that's the choice that him and his wife or partner have come to or the agreement that they've came to. And you have to respect that as well. Do you know what I mean? It's like if they don't have children, they don't have children. Granted, as a father of three, I think they're missing out. But they don't know that.

I discount Ricky Dravet a little bit because he is an atheist and a bit of a Nialist, like a bit of... It's all.

Just going into- He's an atheist, so therefore, you're just going to get rid of his opinion.

I'm not going to get rid of his opinion, but that's somebody who doesn't believe that there is a calling to one's life other that is higher than self.

Obviously, he's a big self. I don't believe in God. I'm an atheist, but I have three children. What's your point?

I just think that... Oh, all right, fair enough. I just think that when you make yourself God, then obviously you're going to make decisions that are going to put you first over anything, whereas you speak about being family first.

I haven't seen the- I.

Think there's a genetic directive.

Say again, Brian.

Oh, sorry. I said I think that there's a genetic directive. Even after you dismiss the religion aspect of it, you still have a genetic directive to forward your lineage. I wouldn't use that argument.

Yeah, but everyone's free to make their own choices, and they decided not to have a child. I haven't seen the stand-up special for quite some time, so I can't remember. If I'd seen it more recent, I would remember the reasons why. But as I said, you know what I mean? The point I was just bloody going up, we're going on about Rick and Jeev's and having a very polite argument and disagreement over it, he just chose to not have children. Some people do. Some people do. It is the greatest joy on planet Earth. Of course it is. But not everybody... We're all different. We're all individuals. Do you know what I mean? And if you're going to talk shit about Rick and Jeev's, we're going to fall out, Brett. I'm going to stumble as that.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

Yeah, he's a very funny man. And if he doesn't want to have a baby, Hamilton, who the fuck are you to give him shit about it?

I don't know. I saw that movie he did with Jennifer Garner. He had a kid in that movie. I feel like he's depriving the world.

Yeah, he's acting that. Today's episode is sponsored by Price Picks, which is the largest independently-owned daily fantasy sports platform in North America. And they are the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports, DFS. It's just you against the numbers. It's very simple. Even my wife could do it. Instead of battling thousands of other players, including professionals and sharks, you just pick more or less than the game. For example, this weekend, it's the USC. The one and only, Anthony Smith, is stepping up on very short notice. Will this fight against Kahlil Roundtree, will it go over or under seven and a half minutes? What do you think? Make your pick. Tim Elliot, he's fighting. Will he land more or less over or under two take downs? And if you want to go over the main event, what about Song-Yidong? Will Song-Yidong land over or under 85.5 significant strike? Right. As I said, it is extremely easy, and this is a way that you can 25X your money. Listen, you can test your skills on price picks. You can turn $10 into $250 with just a few simple caps, okay? By the way, Price Picks offers weekly promotions that can lead to big payouts like tack on Tuesday.

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Not acting.

He's not. Do you think he is? A little bit? Probably a little bit.

Probably a little bit. I feel like.

Everybody is. I think Sean's playing up to the character and he's having fun. He's having fun with it. You know what I mean? And you know what? God bless him. We're talking about, of course, we're going back to this whole Ian Garry situation. When that whole thing came out with Ian and the How to be a Wag stuff, Sean was very vocal. A lot of people were vocal. Ian didn't like what he said, and there was threats of lawsuits and things like that. I don't want to get into all that stuff. But then Sean Strickland put a video out yesterday. Of course, he's fighting next week. He and Gary. He was at the PI, and he came face to face, and he and Gary was looking at him hard. You guys, I went to the PI today, and I ran into Gary.

Awkward, man.

Awkward. He looked at me hard. Security had to escort us around. Fucking awkward shit, right? I'm laughing my ass off. But anyways, Gary, I don't hate you, dude. I actually like you. I think you're a funny little dwebe. You make me laugh. I think you're a dumb ass kid who got some pussy that was too good for him and it got in his head and it f*cking you up. I look at you like a victim. I don't want to fight you, bro. I'm happy for your success. I'm happy for you. But if you look at me hard and you're feeling some way, if you're feeling some way that you need to get this shit handled and you want to look at me hard and that's what you want, slide up in the DMs, bro. I don't want it. But if that's what you want, you know where to find me, man. See you guys. I wanted to be on. Hey, and listen, not fair enough. If he and Gary is talking shit online, which he has been and Sean's been talking shit and granted, you might be able to sway an argument in Ian and Gary's favor saying that he shouldn't be talking about his wife, which I totally understand.

But they're both fighters. They're both very good fighters. They're both similar weight classes, Sean's weight class above. I think we talked about this a few weeks ago when first happened. Ian going down this threatening lawsuits and things like that, that never made sense to me. What he should do is go out there and try and beat Vincente Luque, and then get on the microphone and call out Sean Strickland, say, Hey, listen, I'm now seven in a row, okay? But I'm in line for a title fight. But never mind, Leon Edwards, I'm moving up. I want Sean Strickland. You've been talking shit. You've been talking about my wife. Bla, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, all the rest of it. And if Sean gets through Drikaz, you never know. Crazy things have happened.

Yeah. What you definitely don't want to do is show up to the performance in an institute, which is your mutual place of business and try to make things awkward there where security has to get involved. Because at that point, you're not selling pay-per-views. You're not getting the narrative forward. You're simply creating a hostile work environment, something he's been accused of now in two different gyms, and now the PI. What are you doing? You're a fighter. Settle it like a fighter, not some angry chick who's going to show up to your job.

Yeah. Not to mention that that is U. F. C. Ground. You know what I'm saying? And then the reality is the USC, now, Dan has always said he's dealt with this for however many years it is now since they bought the company. A lot of crazy shit goes down. I don't know what the roster is. I think it's like 750, something like that. Let's just say it's 800 people. It's got 800 people that are, quote-unquote, cage fighters for a living. You know what I mean? So shit goes down. People see each other. A little bit of tempest flair. People have to get separated. It's not too often it escalates into a full-on fight. And most of the time when it does, they end up clinging, which is bizarre. Just like professional boxers, I forget who it was now, I think it was Herbie Hyde back in the day and someone else. Two world-class boxers got into a scrap, and within seconds, they're rolling around on the floor.

Do you think that has something to do with a self-preservation instinct, like we don't really want to throw hands with no gloves and nobody stopping us, so we're just going to grapple and roll around?

Well, no, because in a boxing match, they do clinch a lot as well, and the referee has to step in and break them up. I just think that that's why knowing how to grapple in a real fight situation, which we saw in U. F. C. 1, let's be honest, is absolutely imperative to knowing how to fight and how to handle yourself in the street. Because two boxes, you go in, you throw the punches, it's certainly in the street, and there's other people around, and it's a close environment. It's hard not to clinch a little bit, you know what I mean? Yeah, I don't think so. But anyway, they don't want to be doing that at the PI because that will cause shit. But you brought up the fact that he's getting thrown out of a lot of gyms, Harrington.

I mean, he is, and I think it's because of behavior like this, right? You're bringing in a Twitter beef and just trying to stare someone down. It's like you know you're going to be in the same space as this guy. He's the champion of the world who lives in Las Vegas who trains a lot out of the Performance Institute. You knew you were going to run into him. Do you need headlines this bad to just be staring someone down? Or can you handle this in a way that people are going to look on more favorably?

Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. I agree. I know that Ian's tearing of all the comments on his social media because he doesn't want that shit. Just doing stuff like this is probably going to make it worse. I think all he needs to do is just focus on Vincent and Luca. Go out, have a great performance, and then just not address it. Just not address it and stop trying to... I don't know. I wasn't there. We're taking Sean's version of events as gospel, right? None of us were there. We don't know. But if it is like that, yeah, just settle down and all of that. I understand as a human being, when people are talking about you, that's one thing. When people are talking about your wife, it's very easy to get triggered. You know what I'm saying? You can say anything you want about me all day long. I get it all day, every day. I've had it throughout my career. I'm an easy target. You know what I mean? I'm a loudmouth. I do a podcast. I was fighting. I was promoting fights. Therefore, as I say, easy target. If you give some, you're going to take some.

But when someone starts talking about your wife and your family situation, all of a sudden you're acting in a way that maybe you wouldn't in the cold light of day. You know what I'm saying? If someone on the street was attacking Aura, no, I don't mean attacking. I mean, talking shit to your family, you're walking down the street. I mean, what would she say?

No, I understand that. But this isn't walking down the street. This is online. And people talk shit about my wife online quite a bit. They say very-You're.

Going to hate me for some reason. What's her name again? Alex. Fuck. Yeah, of course it is. What would she say? I was hoping you would say Alex. I was trying to like, Alex, yeah. Why do people talk shit about Alex?

Because it's just fun to talk shit about people that you see on comedy. The podcast. Like, people who are fans of this content, they want to be in on the joke, too. They see other people making fun. I get on here all the time for a reason, because that's fun for people to do.

But that's a joke, and you know that is.

Right. But it's like if you're in Ian Gary's shoes, you knew going into this arrangement that you have whatever it is, whatever situation you have with your living, with her ex-husband, and he's your nutritionist, and I'm not any judgment on that, but you have to know that's a less than normal scenario that you're putting yourself into. So if you're secure and you made this woman your wife, and this is how you're going to build your life, be secure in that decision and don't let this get to you. Don't let this bother you. You have to have had 10 times worse conversations in your head than whatever anyone's saying to you. So for you to then freak out like this, it just shows your own insecurity and projections that you're putting on this situation.

Yeah, I agree with everything you said, to be honest. I don't disagree with anything. And if that whole situation, and we haven't really talked about this in-depth, that whole situation, it is unusual, you know what I mean? And it's hard for a lot of people to understand and contemplate and to even imagine that reality. And that's why Sean is coming out and using words like cook and all the rest of it. And it is unusual. To be honest, you've got to be mature enough, because if they're mature enough to have that situation. Of course, there's going to be a lot of maturity in that situation. If everything we've heard is true, there's going to be a lot of maturity there. If you're that mature, you've got to be mature enough to understand that people are going to hear that and they're going to come out and they're going to talk shit. That's just the reality of the situation because it is a very unusual situation.

And you didn't get to the point where you're at where this is now headline worthy, and everyone can make this now a months-long topic of conversation without being very good at your job. And it seems like he's lost focus on the like, I'm a top fighter in the world. I should be fighting for a world title, into this personal drama. It's like have some conviction in the choices that you've made in life and stand by that. Let your fighting do the talking for you.

Oh, shit. You're really coming after him. You're fired up on this. No, I like it. I like it. I'm not giving you shit. I'm like, You're really firing out these facts and opinions here. You're really going after him.

I mean, look, as someone who has a very unconventional life myself, I get taken to the woodshed constantly for the choice that I've made in my life. But I stand by those choices, right? I would not be in the position that I'm in having the life that I have right now, which I love without having been homeless, for instance. So nothing anyone throws at me can hurt my feelings. So why are you letting this get under your skin when you're a world-class fighter?

Yeah. No, no, no. When you put it like that, you do raise a good point because he's successful. I don't know his financial situation, but I'm sure it's pretty good. Again, I don't want to talk. I just don't like talking about it simply because I work for the U. F. C, I see him around. I met him down in Brazil recently. He was great, so I don't want to pass judgment. But I do agree with what you're saying. And when you're stable, you're successful, he's young, he's good looking, he's charismatic, he talks well. He is being his own worst enemy right now. I understand to a certain degree turning off the comments on his Instagram and all the rest of it because people are just going to come out with shit and you'd rather not see that, and he's trying to focus on the fight. I think he should have addressed it coming up to the fight, though. I think he should. I think he'd probably do himself a favor by coming out and just say, Hey, listen, I know what you're all going to ask about. I know what you're all probably thinking. Here's what I'm going to say about it.

I'm going to say about this. This is my private life. This is my woman. She's the mother of my child. And then let's just leave it there. And if you guys don't like it, you don't like it. But we do, and we're very happy. But I understand what you're saying in reacting to such a fever pitch every time and trying to fight Sean Strickland. Sean Strickland ain't putting on an act. Sean Strickland will not around then you will find out. And also talking of putting on acts. This act got me yesterday. I was watching this and I'll play the tape in just a second when I request. It's Rick Fler and Michael Chandler. And I should have known. I should have known, right? But now as we know Michael Chanler is such a great promoter. He gets on the microphone and he's always got a good promo and I'm very much inspired by Rick Fler. And Rick Fler has been doing the rounds on a lot of podcasts lately. And Idie because they're in a bar, they're in a pub, Rick Fler gets into his face and he's talking shit and all the rest of it.

And Chanler, I tell you, he's a good little actor because he had me fooled, right?

I was got by this.

100 %. 100 %. Like I said, Michael Chanler is going to be in movies if he was two foot taller. He's going to be in movies. Chanler's given him so much shit and his reactions were spot on. And the only way it was the punch of Rick Fler. The punch, it was like, Okay, this is fake. But go on, Bryan, I can't play the tank because this was really good. I don't know what you do. I don't know what you're doing this.

For 60 years.

I don't know what you're doing. I don't know what.

You've been doing for 60, 52, not over the You've been doing a entire.

Hammer in your face. I don't do lines, Rick.

I don't do lines. Well, then your car's shooting you're hanging there. You're doing bullshit. I get it. You've done the thing.

You're a fucking piss man. I'm not in this game here.

I know.

You're not. I don't know.

I apologize. You were in.

The locker room and it wasn't...

I'm talking to.

You now. What do you think about it? No, it was good. Move my hand.

Move my hand. No, me?

Move my hand.

You're a legend.

No, I'm.

Not trying to do shit. I'm not trying to do anything.

Actually, you are a cocky old man who just passed his prime and you.

Keep on.

Doing your thing. 5-0 is too dumb, dude. Just don't...

Just.

Like, dude. You're right.

No.

Five dollars. It was a good bit. Fair play. Because you know the reality is that could happen. Rick Flaire is doing the rounds, they're in a bar, they're in a pub. Michael Chanler, that's the one part, actually, that you should know. Michael Chanler does not frequent bars. Okay.

Definitely not the bars Rick Flaire is.

Drinking at. No, Michael Chanlet is at home doing wholesome activities. He's chopping wood, he's mixing protein shakes, and he's doing squats and deadlifts.

Well, Rick Flaire is notoriously like... He gets a little tipsy, and then he does have moments. So when I saw this, I was like, Oh, my God. Michael Chanler has the most self-control of any man I've ever seen.

No, I know, because Rick Flaire, I mean, listen, I'm sure he was a handful back in his day, and I'm sure down the senior citizens club, he could handle his own for sure. But let's be honest, if Michael Chanler decided to just go crazy, it would have been... It would have been bad. It would have been bad. What would Connor and McGregor have done in that same situation, though?

In old man in a bar?

Come on. You know exactly what you're doing. An old man in a bar? Come on. An old man in a bar. Come on.

Would have knocked him right out.

Oh, shit. It's okay with musical chairs with Brian McKay. Yeah, we know what McGregor would have done in that situation.

Two hits. Mcgregor hitting him, hitting him hitting the floor.

Is McGregor in the notes? You put McGregor in the notes somewhere, right? I did, yeah. We talked about this the other day, didn't we?

I didn't put him in the MMA section. I put him in the non-MMA section because the man, he's gotten some grief over some of the things that he said on social media. The Prime Minister was saying he was inciting riots and this and that the other thing. Mcgregor's had enough of it. Time for a new PM, Mr. Mcgregor himself.

Yeah, we talked about this.

We did not talk about him talking about running for political office now.

Yeah. All right. Okay. I did see this because obviously I follow McGregor. Do you think he's serious? And jump on, Brian, let's have a three-way conversation. Do you think he's actually serious?

Fucking who knows? For real.

No, I genuinely do think he is, because why not? Once you've done-.

Well, no, go on, go on, go on. I was.

Going to say once you've done as much as he has in the country of Ireland and you are a naturalized citizen where you can run for the highest office in the land, what left is there to do?

Yeah, when you put it like that, but... And listen, with the level of success that he's had, with that comes a certain confidence, and with that comes a certain sense of sometimes maybe arrogance, maybe delusion or whatever. And I'm not saying he is deluded, but I'm saying when you've come to the USC, you've taken over the sport, you've become the biggest star by non. You've got ridiculous amounts of money, your social media is absolutely gigantic. You've got security guards with you wherever you go. You know what? When you could do that, you think you can do other things like Dan Bullsearion. I remember Dan Bullsearion doing that interview.

I just blocked a thing on him.

Did you really? Sunk. Oh, my God. Dan Bullsearion, I saw him doing this interview, and I'm not raping on him, but it's a similar thing. He was doing an interview and the guy's like, What's one thing that you would like to do? And he goes, I think I'd like to run for President one day. Just like a bucket list thing. You just say, I did it. Yeah, I think I could do that. I'll become President one day, and I was watching it, and again, I don't mean to rip on him, but this is what I'm talking about. You get successful and all the rest of it, and you think anything is possible. But the reality is... Now I know there's a bit of a love-hate thing going on with McGregor, but I think the amount of people that love him would probably be enough if they went to a general election. Connor McGregor, Prime Minister of Ireland.

Yeah. I mean, think about it like this. Think about the demographics for voting in your mind. How many do you think? How many registered voters do you think are big-time USC fans?

I think he wins by a landslide if he gets a ballot.

Do you know what I'm saying? I think he brings out a significant amount of people who have just skipped voting for the last 20 years because it's been that long since they've had a candidate they actually cared about one way or another, and you'd bring out a lot of jaded millennials.

There's a lot of jokes here, but I'm not going to say, you know what I mean? There's a lot. There's a lot. I mean, McGregor is a bit of a colorful history, shall we say? A bit of a colorful past. I don't know what... Sorry.

I said, Look at Donald Trump. I would imagine it's a very similar situation. You get a huge star for one reason or another, and I think Dark Horse, I think he would win it.

Yeah, and to be fair, a lot of those things are just allegations. None of them. None of the charges came through and stuff like that. We got cocaine popping up at the White House. You know what I mean?

We don't mean that's the least of the bullshit that's coming out of the White.

House these days. Rob Ford and Marion Barry both got elected again after going to jail for crack cocaine.

Sorry, who did? I'm not familiar with it. Say again.

It's a Canadian politicians. They were mayors.

Right?

Marion Barry, I think.

Was-maryon Barry was DC.

Yeah. Who was the mayor of Toronto? The mayor of Toronto who was a wild man.

The big fat dude, right?

Yeah, the big fat dude.

He got reelected after he went to jail for crack.

I liked that guy. I saw an interview with him. I thought he was hilarious. Then the more I found out about his past and what he does, I was like, This guy is great. Now, granted. I don't know if I want him running a city like Toronto, but-.

No, but my local bar- Sounds like a fun guy.

Yeah, I've run a bar.

To.

Be fair to McGregor, I do think he's been planting these seeds for quite a while, right? You think back during the pandemic when nurses and doctors couldn't get personal protective equipment. Mcgregor himself went to hospitals with like... I mean, there's video of him doing it, right? He's been very early to donate into charities and things of that nature, building homes for the homeless in Dublin. You can make a case. Connor McGregor has done more for the people of Ireland over the last five years than the Irish government.

So why not? And especially with the way that the Irish government is being essentially lambasted right now for their open immigration policy. I mean, you see what's going on.

The whole-But that's what I was just about to say. Sorry. Yeah, that's what I was about to say. I'm in the immigration and a lot of people are sick of it. Of course, immigration is a good thing. People need help, but it's just out of control and being exploited and taken advantage of, and it's uprooting and causing a lot of problems for the people that live there. I sent you a video the other day, didn't I? From Russell Brand. He was talking about it. It was actually very, very interesting watching.

Because it's happening in the UK, too.

Of course, yeah. Of course. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's a big issue there as well. But still. Anyway, should move on. Al Jermaine Sterling is talking about going up to 1:45, fighting Max Halloway, and then getting a shot at Alexander Volkinowski.

Yeah. So he was saying obviously the plan was beat Sean O'Malley, go up to 1:45, immediately challenge Volkinowski. He's retooled that into... He does definitely want to take the fight at 1:45. He says Max Halloway is right there, and he thinks it'll put him into title contention. Volkinowski agrees. He says with his resume at Banthem weight, get that win over Max Halloway, and I'm right here waiting for you.

First of all, that's great, Volkinowski, to welcome another contender. You know what I mean? Not trying to say, Well, no, he's got to have a few more fights first. He's got to really establish himself. I think Mel Jermaine Sterling gets a lot of shit from people. I mean, he always did. Even when he was champion, who did he beat? It was Sehoodo. He beat Sehoodo then he was getting booed in New Jersey. Remember that?

Yeah, like a home game for him.

His hometown pretty much, and he was getting booed there. He doesn't get the respect that he deserves, that's a fact. But he's a tremendous fighter, which again, just speaks loudly as to the improvements of Sugar, Sean O'Malley. And that's why I'm high to that fight with Cheetoh. But yeah, listen, going up to 145, he was massive at Bantam weight, and that's going right into the deep end. And as we know, Max Halloway is the next best guy. He's the next best guy after Volkinovsky. Yeah, he's.

The- Go on. I was going to say he's the best number one contender in any division.

Oh, God. Well, he was like the benton weight, Robert Whitaker for a long time. Robert Whitaker is not that guy anymore, if you know what I'm saying, because he lost a Dukes du Plessie. I'm not talking shit about Whitaker. But do you think if... So Wokanowski is saying that because he probably thinks in his mind he's going to be Iliya, Toporia, and you understand why he thinks that, but that's not a foregone conclusion. He's probably thinking if he can get through, Al Jamey, can get through Holloway, then great, there's another fight for me. Do you think if Holloway beats Al Jamey and Sterling, that creates the next fight for Holloway against Volkinovsky?

At a certain point, you just have to, right? Volkinovsky said, Do not feed Iliad Tepore to Max Holloway because I need a contender, right? He needs to fight someone. And when you're a guy like Volkinovsky who between him and Holloway, I feel like they've beaten every single person in the top 10. You just need the new blood. And if that new blood isn't going to come, I guess we're in for a fourth Max Holloway fight.

Yeah, well, he beat Arnold Allen, he beat Changs on John, he beat Yayo Rodriguez, Kelvin Cater, Frankie Edger, and the only man since 2019, or I granted he went up to Lightweight for Dustin Poyer and lost by decision. But at 145, it's Volkinovsky. That's it. Everyone else, he breezes through them. He really does. And not saying he makes it look easy because that's an insult. Arnold Allen definitely showed up and had some success, but it was a clear victory for Max Halloway. Arnold knew that. The crowd knew that. We all knew that. But Arnold definitely gave him some... He made him work, made him work. But it was a clear victory. I wouldn't mind seeing a fourth one because we still have the question, right? We still have the question because he keeps beating these contenders. I think if he was to fight Alex a fourth time, we can't have a fifth. That has to be the last one.

We said that after the third.

I know, but it's not okay. We're going to give you a fourth shot. It's like fucking Colby, Covington. Do you know what I mean? How many tile fights is he going to get? This is the last one. How many tile fights does Colby, Covington had?

He's had two against Camaro.

He's had three.

Well, yeah, he had the interim title.

Fight as well. Exactly. Because I said that on a YouTube video and everyone in the comments is like, What the has been? He's only had two. No, he fought Havi does San just for the interim belt. Okay, so you got to give him his credit there and then two against Camaro. But yeah, that's got to be it. That absolutely has to be the final one.

So would you prefer a fourth fight or him going up to Lightweight and getting an instant number one contender fight.

Who was the opponent that he was rumored to be facing? Was he talking about Justin? Yeah, it was Justin Geiji, right? Were people talking about that?

He said that he would always help you fight.

And again, that's what you got to love about Max. I don't think many people are calling out Justin Gagey. Certainly somebody at 145 that isn't the champion. When Justin Gagey is not the champion, you know what I mean? In some ways, there's not really much to gain other than respect and another payday, but you can do that with far lesser opponents and far less dangerous than Justin Gagey. As I said, that's why you got to love the old maxi baby. Yeah, I'm a big fan of that guy. He's great, man. What else have we got before we get to questions? We'll have to make it a shorter one. Oh, Hamza, says that he will be having surgery to repair his torn ligament this week, and will be ready to return for about a U. F. C. 300. That's a shame.

Well, I don't know. You knew that it was likely coming. I would assume it was a thing where... Because he knew that the ligament was torn right after the Camara fight. So I'm assuming it was a thing where he left it for a few weeks to see if it started to heal on his own. And then the doctor said, No, you need surgery.

No, that makes sense. Of course, I'm just saying it's a shame that he won't be able to fight before then. Usc 300, a lot of people are wrangling to be on USC 300. It seems like almost every week another fight is coming out and they're saying it. And of course, I understand why it's going to be one of the biggest cards of the year. I think out of all the people, and do we know who those people are off the top of your head? Who are some of the people that have been calling for it? Of course, there.

Is-.

Mcgregor, Chanler. -jim Miller. Jim Miller. No, Chanler, McGregor is not going to be on it.

No. Okay.

John Cavanagh came out, didn't he?

Oh, did he? Really?

Did you not see that he was speaking to Ariel Hawani a few weeks ago? Now, a few weeks ago, he said that, Yeah, no, that fight is not happening then. They're going to push it to International Fire week.

Okay.

Wow. That's when McGregor was like, They're messing with my mental health.

God, that sucks. You're going to.

Be the Prime Minister of England, of Ireland. Relax. Your mental health is fine. You're right. The one that's suffering mental health issues is Michael Chanler. That's why he's out there putting on skits with fucking Rick Flehr. Because he's like, I've got nothing else to do. I've done my 5,000 steps. I've done 100 pullups, 25 squats. I've had three protein shakes. I've had eight hours sleep, and I've read two books today. Now I'm going to go fuck around with Rick Fleier because I certainly haven't got a fight. At what point do you think Michael Chanler just says, That's it. Enough is enough. I'm going to take another fight.

Never. I think he came to the USC to fight Connor McGregor.

I know, but at some point, at some point, the pride as a man has to kick in. At some point because you're just waiting for McGregor. That's all you're waiting for. And how long has it been now? It's been a long time. At some point, I'm not ripping on McGregor. Mcgregor is his own man. He can do whatever he wants. I'm saying at some point, you've got to say to yourself, and I'm not ripping on Chanler, I'm just sympathizing with it. At some point, you're going to say, Well, I'm not dancing to someone else's tune. Dana, can I get into the fight in the meantime, please?

Yeah, but he's waited almost a year at this point, right? They announced that McGregor versus Chanler was going to be the season for Tough in February of this year, right? So we're two months away from being a year now that he's had McGregor on his radar. It's like, why would you give that up when you can? He's not falling in the rankings. It's not hurting his standing with the company. It's still the biggest fight arguably that they can book right now.

He gets to.

Be a personality who's a top five USC lightweight.

And also if he loses a fight, that fight is off the table.

Right. No, all valid points. But another valid point is that July 2024 is a long way away. Okay, that's a long time. And guess what? People get injured in training camps. Connor McGregor might get arrested for hate speech. Do you know what I mean?

-he might get -Connor McGregor might get assassinated in the street.

He might get assassinated. Do you.

Know what I mean? That's a real possibility for him if he tries to take over the country.

I.

Think he's going to get some IRA connections. I think he's going to be all right in the street. Yeah, do you know what I mean? I think you'll be all right in the streets, but who knows? Maybe some poisonous darts or something might come through the window. But my point is, and I totally get it, of course it's the big payday, and of course he's waited this long, so why not wait longer? I'm just saying at some point, Wendy, and of course, if you lose, then you don't get that fight. But that's not how fighters think. Fighters think, Well, I'm going to win. Give me another fight. Give me somewhere a bit down the peck in order just so I can stay fresh, just so I can stay making money, stay motivated, stay in the public light, bolster that case, show, Hey, listen, here's the reason why you should fight me, McGregor. Because I was ballsy enough to take another fight in the interim, and I walked his ass. And you owe me that fight. We faced off in the octagon. We did the season of The Ultimate Fight. I just knocked him out cold.

Come on, step. Stop being a pussy. Step up, get in the octagon. Stop fighting your battles on Twitter and let's go.

Well, yeah, that's the thing, right? It's like if you win, you have so much more leverage. If you win a fight in the interim, you're like, No, you. That's absolutely my next fight. Does he.

Have that much?

But if you lose, you're out.

But hold on. But if he lost, is the fight off the table? I don't know if it is. Mcgregor lost his last one. They still coached the ultimate fighter. You know what I mean? It could still be on the table.

That's.

Fair. Mcgregor is coming off of two straight losses, so it would match up with the way the USC typically books matches.

Yeah. I just want to see the fight. I do want to see the fight. And at the same time, I feel for Channely. He's one of the nicest guys, man. He really is.

Bit of breaking news this morning. In Alexander Ratkitch says that Yambukovych has pulled out of their fight. I think it was U-of-C 297 in January, and he asked for a short notice replacement, said, Does Jiri Prahaska have the balls to step up? Jiri responded saying that he would be available for a fight as early as February or March and asked if that timetable works for Ratkitch.

Oh, interesting. Anthony Smith could do it. He could jump in. He loves a short notice fight.

Oh, against Rakeh?

What they fought before. Yeah, get that back. He lost my decision, right? Get that one back.

There you go. Then your case is made.

Oh, yes, definitely, mate. We know Anthony wants to fight for the battle. If he beats Kaleel Roundtree Saturday night, on the microphone. Hey, Ratkitch, you're looking for an opponent? I'm right here, brother. That's two big paydays back to back for Anthony Smith, and that is 100 % putting him in line for a title fight. That's the plan. That's the play. Be as what it may. Lay by the bay. Make things out of clay. They just may listen to what he say.

He's going to make some hay Saturday.

I'm impressed by that one, to be.

Completely honest. You like that one?

That one was good.

I didn't know where I was going with it. Oh, shit. That would be good, though. That would be good. And a legend would be born. I mean, come on, that would be some gangster shit right there. All right, let's talk about Shopify. Com that are sponsoring today's episode. If you have a business, if you're an entrepreneur or you have a business idea, you need to be online. You need to sell online to the worldwide marketplace. Now, often that can sound complicated. That can sound daunting, time-consuming, and expensive, but not with Shopify. Shopify is there to assist you every single step of the way, and it makes it so easy. Instantly, we'll let you sell on the internet. Instantly, we'll let you sell an all-in-one e-commerce platform. And even less you sell on social media marketplaces like TikTok, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. By the way, it's packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth. And Shopify gives you complete control of your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. By the way, they also have 24-7 help and an extensive business library course if you want to learn about the systems and just basically better yourself.

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All right, so we got one good question today. This one is from Hayden, and he's asking about some jiu-jitsu etiquette. What's up, guys? Hayden from right outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, here. I got a question. Just competed in a jiu-jitsu tournament. Went really well, but I got a really solid toe-hold on a guy. He didn't tap. I had all the cracking and popping and all that stuff, so I jumped up, let go. He's stunned, writhing in pain a little bit, didn't tap. The ref is telling me, Look, he didn't tap. Get back on him. The match isn't over. I was like, Man, his foot's not okay, so I'm not going to do that. Then after about 30 seconds of arguing, the dude was like, Yeah, I can't go anymore. But I mean, I don't know. I just want to know your opinion on one, what's your philosophy on that? Didn't verbally tap. This is a jiu-jui tournament. This isn't even like a submission hunter pro. There's money here. And then two, should that guy tap? Or is it okay for what I did? Or should he have tapped to, if anything, because you don't want your opponent to feel bad for your stupidity situation?

Anyway, I don't know. Love the podcast. Been watching for 500 episodes. Let's go.

My guy, thank you very much. Yeah, no, that's an interesting question, and there's no real set answer to it, because when you're out there doing jiu-jitsu and toll-hold specifically, they're ones that will generate a few cracks and a few pops. And the reason I say it's a bit of a tricky one is because sometimes when you hear a crack and a pop, sometimes that's just air. You know what I mean? I've done toll-holds on people and I've heard tremendous amounts of popping, and I've shit my pants. I've told the story a while ago. I was in New Orleans, actually. I was doing a seminar with, my God, something... Heagen, Heagen, Machado. We were doing a seminar in New Orleans. Or was it New Orleans? Baton Rouge, just outside. And I did a rolling toll hold, and it popped to hell and I was like, Oh, shit. But the guy was totally fine. No injuries. And that much is just your competition. You shouldn't be trying to hurt your opponent, okay? It's not the USC. There's no money at stake. There's nothing at stake. A bit of pride. So you don't want to hurt anybody. Heel hooks, of course.

Very dangerous. Armbars, again. You know what I mean? Armbars will generate a lot of pains, and generally, people will tap before you start hearing popping. If the arm starts popping, you got to start stopping. You know what I mean? But the toll-hold is a weird one. There's air in there. You can hear your knuckle crack and stuff like that. I guess you could have held it on and just said, Rev, his legs popping. Do you know what I mean? Should I start stopping? I don't know. I don't know. What?

I'm just wondering because I remember people had an issue with Paul Harris, just the fact that he would go for leg locks in general, right?

People used to-Yeah, no, but that's different. That is way different. What he was doing, he was doing heel hooks. He was tearing the tendons out of people's legs, ripping ligaments and just not giving a damn and then holding it on after the referee would stop the fight. That's something completely different. And that's also a professional mixed martial arts where you're fighting and you're on a quest to become champion of the world and you're getting compensated good amounts of money. That's your professional career. These are just some guys going to a local competition, testing their skills, getting involved in the jiu-jitsu community. And generally, it's a nice vibe. That's why I always say children should do jiu-jitsu, because when you go into those environments, it's not overly competitive. Everyone's there to learn to get better. Unless it's like a professional team, unless it's like a competition team, pardon me, the vibe isn't overly competitive. Yeah, you have some guys that you have a good role with here and there, but it's not like tooth and nail you rolling your head off. So a competition like that, low-level amateur thing, there's no hard and fast rule. I guess you just play it by ear.

It sounds like you did the right thing.

Well, I'm just saying for something like that, wouldn't it make sense to be like, Hey, guys, no leg locks. They're too easy to hurt a joint or mess up a knee thing, and this is an amateur nonsense thing. So let's keep it above the waste for all your submission attempts.

But that's what they do have in most of them. They have no heel hooks. Because again, the toe hold, you're going to be fine. You're going to be fine. At the very most, I'm not sure I'm not a doctor, but it's just like you might stretch some tendons, you know what I mean? But you're not going to do what you're going to do on a heel hook. A heel hook, you're going to rip the ACL, you're going to tear tendons and ligaments. You might not compete again, and you're certainly going to be out to 6-9 months on the worst end of the spectrum. Heel hooks more for the most part, or band. In England, the way they do mixed martial arts is that you have amateur, semi-pro, and professional. Amature, it might have changed a little bit because I haven't been there for a while, and I'm not involved in the regional team guys. Amature, no shots to the head, I believe. Semi-pro, it is shots to the head, but there's no leg locks, no heel hooks. And obviously pro is pro. So that's like your progression, your steps up. But yeah, well, thank you for the question.

Monday, hopefully we're going to be back. Well, we are going to be back. Hopefully, Anthony is going to be back. Hopefully, he's going to be back successful. Hopefully, he's going to be back healthy. That's first and foremost. Get through the fight. You want to be successful, but you want to make sure that you have your faculties, you don't have any injuries, he doesn't end up in surgery or anything like that. I'm going to look at Modestas, Goscast. Hopefully, he makes it to the show on Monday, fine and healthy. That's number one. Number two is comes back victorious. Number three tells us all about it. Number four brings it. Thank you for supporting the show. Ladies and gentlemen, it's a short one today, so we apologize for that. But we'll be back on Saturday. We're going to do a live stream. Keep an eye for that. I'll post something. We're going to schedule it pretty soon. Put your reminders on Saturday. Me, Hamilton, Brian, live stream, alternative commentary. Let's go, Anthony Smith. Enjoy your weekends. See you on Monday.