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Michael the count Bisbing.

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And Anthony Lionheart Smith.

All right, so here we are. Believe you me. Of course, I'm joined by the Wanda, only the undisputed, no, the interim, soon to be undisputed, the interim heavyweight champion of the UFC, Tom Aspinall. I'm a huge fan, huge supporter, good friend. I'll get abuse in the comment section for kissing your ass, but I don't care. How the hell are you, Tom?

I'm doing well, thanks, Mike. Forget about the comment section. We're not bothered. We're happy. We're happy without them. Yeah, I'm doing good. Thanks, mate. Everything. Everything is on track. I've obviously got a big fight coming up in four weeks time or something like that. Working towards that, mate.

Yeah, yeah. The same old things. They all grind, isn't it? You know what I'm saying? But camp all going well? No injuries. Feeling good, feeling positive and all that good stuff.

Well, the fighters always say that, don't they? I'm not. I'm not going to. I'm not going to start telling you it shit, am I? No, but it's good, genuinely. I'm doing things in the gym and reaching heights now that I've never really reached before, in all honesty, and I'm really happy with the way it's going so far. Yeah? Happy with it.

Reaching new heights. Oh, my God. What is this man capable of now? I'm out here in Vegas, Tom. UFC 303 International fight week. Of course, if you weren't fighting, you'd probably be out here. But you're at home, you're slogging away, you're going to the gym every day. What's new outside of the fight camp, mate?

In all honesty, Mike. Nothing. It's just, you know, it's like, well, once I've got a date, that's it. That's all I'm thinking about. Do you know what I mean? I'm just doing the regular stuff. Training twice a day in between training sessions. I'm sleeping. I'm just. Yeah, that's it. Gym and sleep. Mate, there's nothing. I don't know for me personally. It's like I'm either all in or I'm not really in at all. Do you know what I mean? So when I'm fighting, I'm like, I want to be 100% in. Like, I'm not. I'm not focusing on anything else right now apart from beating Curtis blades. And that's it.

Yeah, no, of course, with this being a rematch, tom, you've been in there before people. I forget who it was. Someone was talking to me recently, or maybe I saw poll saying what people don't. I think it might have been Jon Jones actually saying what people don't realize, that Curtis was piecing him up in that first fight before he blew his knee out. That's not how I saw that. But coming into this one with it being a rematch, with it being, you know, call it 15 seconds, whatever it was, that's not enough time to really get a feel for the man. But what. How is the headspace and the emotions and all that type of stuff?

Well, this is actually the first rematch of my entire career, amateur and professional. I've never fought the same guy twice before, but I mean, the first one wasn't really a fight. You can't really judge your 15 seconds in a quick exchange. And, you know, I've trained for him before. I've done a full training camp for him before. So obviously I kind of studied him beforehand and I knew what to work towards beforehand. But, you know, things have changed since then. It's been like two years now. I've had fights, he's had fights. You know, there's been a lot, you know, things changed quick in MMA, as you know. So, you know, there's more footage on him, there's more footage on me, and I'm in a completely different headspace now than I was then. And, you know, I feel like the last fight, taking it on two weeks notice in the worst circumstances possible, and pulling that off, that's just giving me so much confidence that I didn't have before. So I think it's, you know, if he thinks he's going to be fighting the same person this time around, he's massively mistaken.

One thing, Tom, that, I mean, obviously when I was fighting, my career meant the world to me. So I would work my ass off and I would consistently over train. Given what you're saying here, do you monitor that? Do you have people around you to make sure that you're not overdoing it? Because I'm sure, you know, but people watching this might not realize over training can be worse than under training sometimes.

Definitely. And yeah, I do have. I need people around me to tell me to back off sometimes. A couple of weeks ago, we actually, we didn't have a week off, but I had like a few days in Spain where I just went, spent a bit of time in the sun. I did. I still train when I was there and stuff, but, like, I was still six weeks away from a fight at the time and I'd already, I'd already done a lot of hard work by that point. So, yeah, just trying to take my foot. I do need that, especially with fights like this, like big magnitude. Obviously, I want to really, really want to win this fight and I'll do everything that I can to win it. But as you said, sometimes you can want it a little bit too much, especially being a big guy over training is quite easily done, do you know what I mean? Especially when you're like me and I train with almost exclusively heavyweights now. It takes a lot out the body, so you do have to be careful. But luckily I've got some really, really good people around me who monitor that.

And I need it. I need it because I fucking want this more than anything. And sometimes as well, when you start over training, you start getting tired, or at least I do. I start thinking, shit, I need to do more. I'm not fit enough here. I'm feeling tired all the time. I need to push my conditioning more and it's not always the case.

Yeah, well, a great man, Jason Perillo, told me and it took me a long time to realize this. He said, and I've said this many times, it takes confidence to, to take a day off, you know, because a lot of fighters are of the mindset. Oh, you see him on social media, you see them training. I was talking to a fighter last week that shall remain nameless. He's got a fight coming up and he's like, this is driving me crazy. I'm here doing this and I see him on social media. I want to get back to the gym. I've got to get going, you know? And as to the original point, Jason Prilla was like, Mike, it takes confidence to say, I'm good. I'm trending above average. Everything's on track. I'm going to take a day off. I'm going to go for a walk, I'm going to get a massage, I'm going to have a nice little meal. You know, it takes a lot of confidence to do that, mate, which of course, you do have Curtis Blades. All the best of luck with that one, Tom. Of course I'll be there commentating it very, very much.

Looking forward to it. This is, we're beating a dead dog here, right? The Jon Jones stuff. What is the situation now? Is that all kind of died down? Are you over it? I mean, it is what it is. I saw you saying it's not going to define your legacy, but where is everything with that, Tom?

I don't. Honestly, I'm not really bothered about it at the moment. I'm just like, Curtis Blades is all that really matters to me right now. I'm not really thinking about that. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. And for right now, yeah, all I'm thinking about, mate, is Curtis Blades. I know that's a boring answer. I know that people want me to smack talk and some people don't. Some people stop crying about it, Tom. I'm like, I'm not crying about it. Every interview, people ask me about it. So I'm just choosing to for right now, until this fight's out the way and this is a very, very serious fight, a very big fight for me. So I'll be focused on Curtis Blaze till the fight's over with.

Yeah, no, I know, I know. And that is a boring answer, Tom, let's be honest. But it's the correct answer. It is the correct answer because you're not even firing him. But deal with Curtis Blades. That's the plan. You've got to think it's either stipe or Jon next and there will be some kind of madness if it wasn't.

Oh, court. Like, if I win this one in impressive fashion, the next thing for me is undisputed. And there's no two ways. I'm happy to wait or do whatever after that. Do you know what I mean? This one was in Manchester and it was a rematch with Curtis Blade. So obviously I want to get that one back because I've got a loss to him. But, yeah, after this one, mate, it has to be undisputed next because I deserve it.

Yeah, without question. Does that really feel like a lost old Tom? I know on the record it is and you know that most real fans know what happened, right? So mentally, to you, does it actually feel like a loss?

It says that I lost, so that means that I lost to me. Yeah. And I want to get it back. I'm so motivated to get it back. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Like, I mean, if it was a street fight, he would have been, uh.

He would have been stamping on your head while you were rolling around the floor like a little baby clutching your leg.

Exactly. Exactly. So he won that one and I'm happy to say that and I'm happy to move on from it. Like I said, that was. That was a long time ago now. And it's, uh. I'm happy to get the. To get the opportunity to get the win back over him. Do you know what I mean? And I respect. I respect Curtis as well. Do you know what I mean? He's a good guy. He's a good guy. He's got a great team around him. Really, like, solid human being. Nothing against him personally, but professionally, I owe him a beating.

Yeah. No, no, he's an awesome fella, you know what I mean? There's nothing to. Not like I saw you guys last time, you guys were sharing a beer and stuff like that. So it's just competition. It is what it is. Speaking of street fights, Tom, right, the new arena, you're going to be stepping in that octagon at about 04:00 in the morning? I would say something like that, you know, everyone's going to spill out. 506:00 in the morning. It's going to be a rowdy crowd. When I did the same thing at UFC 204, everybody was shit faced. It's going to be one hell of an atmosphere, mate.

I can only imagine. I can only imagine what that walks going to be like. Do you know what I mean? I don't think anything. I mean, I've headlined London a few times at this .3 times. I've had lined the all two. And that's a wild. And that's at 11:00 in London, now in Manchester at 05:00 a.m. i just can't even. I can't even imagine. Like, I feel like that's like a starter. If you're talking about a state, if you're talking about this being the steak dinner, that's like some shitty starter that you get the all two arena in comparison?

That's what moose bush.

Exactly. That's what I'm trying to say. Yeah. I feel like nothing is preparing me for that one.

No, exactly. Exactly. Well, best of luck, mate. I'm going to be there. It's going to be incredible. Where does somebody go at 06:00 in the morning when the fight's finished? What's the plan, Tom? Are you got, like, a little bougie brunch, a few mimosas, a bit of champagne with your bacon and egg? What is the plan, in your mind, mentally? Because when I did it, I had tons of plans. And all we did was we went back to the hotel room, we had a few beers, we celebrated, and then we all fell asleep, you know, but what are you doing afterwards if you get the win that you plan at the moment?

I don't even know. I was thinking the same. Like my. After I won the UFC interim heavyweight world title, I had the shittest after party ever. Like, it was like 03:00 a.m. in New York something. By the time I got done with Mediaev, I was walking around, they said, call it the city that never sleeps, mate. Nowhere was open. Everyone was asleep. Couldn't find anywhere open. Ended up in some dive bar, like just off Times Square until about 05:00 a.m. couple of drinks. No one was there. Then we went to bed. So this time, I've not got my hopes up for anything. I don't know, mate. Usually I like to think I'll go to bed and I get, like, I get on the booze and that the next day, but I can never sleep after my fights. You know what I mean? My adrenaline's pumping that much. It takes me about two days, three days before I start, you know, settle back in. Into normal life after. After a fight. So I don't know. I don't know. He's the honest weather. Spoons or something for breakfast.

We'll figure it out, Tom. We'll figure it out. Because you know what I'm doing when I get there? Because I'm just doing my flights right now and I'm debating do I fly back Sunday or do I fly back Monday? And I think I'm going to fly back Monday and we're not. Yeah, have a little bit of fun afterwards. Geez. Let me see, Tom. So Tom Aspinall is now the interim heavyweight champion of the world. Thomas, got a lot going on. You're stealing my jobs, Tom. I know you're doing. What is it, the fight lab? You're doing big things on TNT sports.

Oh, you know, we got Tom Aspinall's fight lab once a month before the. So it's like they play it on TNT Sports six days before the numbered event. And they play it every night. Yeah, every night. I. Oh, thanks, mate. I appreciate. Obviously, I'm new to the job. Do you know what I mean? It's brand new. It's brand new stuff for me. It's new territory. But I'm enjoying it. As a fighter, if you can't talk about fighting, what can you talk about? Do you know what I mean? And it's just a bit of an unusual show in the fact that we have a celebrity guest on every time and a different celebrity guest every time. There's me and Catarall, and we do like, visual breakdowns as well as like a breakdown on the board. We point all the stuff out and, yeah, we just generally talk about the fights. It's a good time. We have fun with it.

It's way easy when you've got somebody there and you can do a visual breakdown, because it's very hard. Like when we're sitting there like this and we're talking about fights and we're doing a pulse reaction or whatever. To try and paint the picture verbally is very hard. But when you can grab hold of someone and show the head position and do this, the underhook and all, whatever. So much easier. So much easier. You're doing a great job, Tom. So you had the guy from the script on. I was trying to think. I know the script. I can't think of one of his songs, though. He seemed like a lovely fella.

Danny, from the script? Yeah, Danny, mate, don't ask me about script songs. I don't know. He's got. What's it called? The man who can't.

He had a couple of big hits, though.

The man who can't be moved was a good one. And they start. The hall of fame was another good one he did with Will. I am, I believe. I don't know.

You got balloons going on.

Why is the balloons going on?

Because he's a champ, Tom. You've been celebrated. Everywhere you go, they're like, fiddle, send him some balloons.

But, yeah, he was good. Danny was really good. You know, he was really into it. And that's something else I like with the show as well. I think a lot of people maybe. Maybe more so in the UK. A lot of people now, they're kind of just getting into it, and they don't understand, like, the ins and outs of techniques and the intricacies of setups and takedowns and switching from transition to position and strikes to take downs and strikes to kicks and how to set things up and, you know, just to. Just to have the opportunity as well, just to educate people who don't know about it. It's really nice, and I'm happy to be able to do that a little bit.

Yeah, it's funny you say that, Tom, because I think you're involved with it. And if you know what I'm talking about, don't mention it, because we're not allowed. I was just a part of a show yesterday and doing a little bit today. Two guys that, you know, if, you know, I'll tell you after, but we can't talk about it. And the whole thing is convincing them about how great mixed martial arts. And the UFC is, you know, and to watch your point, what you spoke about, I remember I was on a movie shoot a couple of years ago, and a guy that I made friends with, great guy, a ton of respect for him, he was like, I don't like it. I don't like it, Mike. It's too violent, it's too dangerous. It's too this, it's too that, and I'm like, you don't know what you're talking about. And the point that I'm making is, it's crazy, because out here, I'm in Vegas, it's international fight week. The whole place is going crazy for UFC. And whilst there's been a massive, massive appreciation and an uptick in the appreciation in the UK, there's still quite a long way to go, I think.

Yeah, definitely. And by the way, I don't know what you're talking about there. You'll have to tell.

Well, they said they're going to be hunting you down and maybe talking to you in Manchester, so I thought maybe, you know, anyway, let me know.

But, yeah, if I can be like. I mean, I don't see myself as, like, a role model or anything like that, but if I can be like, a decent ish representation and represent our sport a little bit to someone who doesn't, you know, I think still, a lot of people look at it and think, oh, what load of thugs? Do you know what I mean? And I don't. I don't see myself like that, at least. And I see myself as a. As a professional athlete who's, you know, nearly on the top of his game, who's coming into his prime pretty soon. And I spent my life doing this, and if I can educate someone a little bit on that, that we're not all thugs. And we know, don't get me wrong, we're all tough lads, you know what I mean? We all like a scrap here and there, but we've all got somewhere to channel it towards. And that's, you know, it keeps us out of trouble. It keeps us on the straight and narrow. It keeps us in a mentally good place. It keeps us in, obviously, a physically good place. Yeah. Just somewhere to channel your energy towards.

And, as you said, give people an idea on the intricacies of it all because it's one of the most technical sports in the world.

Yeah. I was talking to this guy yesterday and I'm like, look, listen, so are you a fan of Olympic sports? He's like, yeah, I am. I said, do you like boxing? He's like, yeah. I said, oh, it's really hard, isn't it? He said, yeah. I said, what about wrestling? Do you have an appreciation for how tough wrestling is? He's like, yeah. I said, what about judo? And we went on and on Taekwondo? I said, well, this is four or five different Olympic sports. We're just doing them all at the same time. Anyway, I'm not telling you anything you don't know. When I first started with the UFC, I was on the train to London all the time, talking to journalists and stuff. And they used to ask me stuff like, can you bring weapons in? I'm like, oh, my God, no, you can't bring weapons. And when my first flight at the men, I did this, you would have seen her. I forget her name. She's always on, like, ITV news or weather. You know, she was doing a thing, and she's like. She was talking about doing the intro, and she referred to me as a barbarian.

And I said, I'm not a barbarian, by the way. She goes, well, you look like a barbarian. And I, you know, I had the skinhead and everything. I said, well, I'm not a barbarian. You've just met me. I said, I'll keep my thoughts to you about you to myself, but mutton dressed as lamb does spring to mind.

Yeah, you know what? I actually had a similar thing recently when I was on. It wasn't a media day for this fight. It must have. It was my last fight, or the one before. I don't know. You know when they do your little media tours around the UK and you got to go and do radio stations, tv shows and all that? They stuck me in on, like, some, I don't know, classic music kind of place. And they said, listen, you'll be the ideal person for it. You know what I mean? You're, like, pretty well spoken. You can speak about the sport, all that kind of stuff. Said, yeah, no problem, absolutely. One of the first questions the woman asked was something like, how does it feel to make someone else bleed? Or something ridiculous like that? And straight away, mate, the UFC staff came in and pulled me out the interview. They said, we don't. We don't. We don't want to be talking about stuff like that.

Well, well, well. Because clearly from that point, you know, there's an objective. They're not trying to give it a fair shake. They're going to be critical, and they're going to try and paint it in a light, you know, that that is not pleasing to their audience. Like, I was talking to these people yesterday. I said, listen, you can't skirt around the subject. It's a brutal sport. Of course it is. And it's not for the faint hearted, but it's also a beautiful sport. It's a tremendous sport. It's very, very tough and all the rest of it. So, anyway, anybody listening to this is getting bored of me by now, saying, great MMA is. You're a bit of an analyst these days, Tom. You would have been here.

I'm not.

Yeah, you are. You say this all the time. Tom Aspinall, analyst, supreme.

Dabbling. Dabbling in it. That's all.

Just starting off dabbling and taking my gigs. Alex Pereira. What do we think about this guy?

Beast. Absolutely beast, man. Yeah. Big fan. Big fan. Him a lot. Yeah, he's cool.

What is that? That was a weird answer.

What do you mean? I'm being honest. A big fan of his, mate. I think he's. I think he's really good. And I think, yeah, there's definitely something special about him.

Oh, without question. I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if you'd be sarcastic.

No, no. I'm being deadly serious, mate. I'm being deadly serious. I think. Big fan of his love, Yuri pro Hasker, as well. Absolutely love the fight, and the fact that the UFC have pulled this off on, like, what, two, three weeks notice is absolutely insane. They fought on the set like, we were on the same card the first time in Madison Square Garden. It was only, you know, six months ago, but they made it again. This is wild. This is why we love the UFC. Like, I'm a massive, massive fan of both guys, and, you know, I re watched the fight a couple of days ago. Pretty close. Actually, a lot closer than that.

He's doing well.

Yeah. I actually think much like, my. Your fight with GSP. Like, I thought that you and Yuri were both coming back into the fight and then got stopped.

Yeah.

Do you know what I mean? That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes.

You had to bring that up, didn't you? Yet, you know, when you lost at MSG and I won at MSG, I thought you were doing well. You were coming back into it, you one eyed prick. What Pereira's done now, it's hard not to be a fan of this guy. You know what I mean? Like, just the way he handles himself. I mean, just the other day leading up to the fight, he's changing an Uber driver's tire and stuff like that. He seems like a really good dude, what he's accomplished is incredible, but I actually, I think I've annoyed quite a lot of people on YouTube because I did a little video. I think Yuri, this will be my pick. I think Yuri knocks him out. I think Yuri's gonna do it. If Israel Adesanya did it, you know, Yuri can because he hits like a brick. Of course, that was at 185. So the whole weight cut stuff, you know, it affects your ability to take a shot. But in that first fight, he was landing shots. He had Pereri biting on the feints and stuff like that. I think Giri pulls it off, but what do I know?

What do you think, mate?

Tough to say, innit? It's really that they're both massive punchers. I think the first fight to me came down a lot to the like. Yuri pro Hasker stands with his legs really wide and that is susceptible a lot of the time to leg kicks, which Alex Pereira is fantastic at. The calf kicks, chopping away the thigh, and then that's when he starts to bring that really, really dangerous left hook in that he lands on everybody and he just seems to like, I don't know, he almost has like a sleeping pill in his. In his fist. It's wild that when he hits you, that's it. You just gonna. And I don't know, but to push for a prediction, I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way, but I always think, like, I think I would lean towards Pereira, to be honest. But you never know. I wouldn't be surprised either way, mate. They're both absolutely insane fighters. Both of them love watching. Both of them.

Yeah, no, exactly. It's one of those fights. It can go either way. All fights can. But this truly is one of those that both men have the finishing power. I've just got a feeling. I've just got a feeling you is going to do it. But there's just, it's just as likely Pereira knocks him out again. That's what makes it a great fight. Let me ask you something, Tom. If two weeks before the fight, if you bust your little pinky toe, is that it? You're calling it off?

What are you talking about? McGregor? Is that. Is that what he.

That was. That was a stupid way of segwaying.

I don't know. It depends on the circumstances, don't it? I mean, I can understand he's, he's on a bad run in him, McGregor, and he's trying to, he's trying to, like, get back on top. He doesn't want this to be the end he doesn't want to end like that. And I get that. That's probably why he's like, does. Even with a broken toe, like you say, there's a lot of people who would have continued with that and pushed for the fight, but in his spot, I think it probably is that because he can call the shots, mate. He's not like, one at one of the other, one of the other mortals do. You know what I mean? Like, where they'll just, you know, if you pull out, they'll replace you with someone else. He can just say to the, listen, me and Chandler will do it in December, for example, or last minute. You might go, listen, I don't want Chandler. Let's switch it over and do something. Like, he can do whatever he wants, and if I could do whatever I wanted, I'd probably do what's right for me.

Yeah, of course. I'm putting these glasses on. I took them off. They look massive in this. They're not this big in real life. You're right, though. You're right with respect to McGregor, because you've got to give him respect. And whenever I said this recently, people were like, why are you defending him? It's like, the man has done incredible things, but he has lost three out of his last four. If I'd lost three out of my last four and I broke my toe, I'd be like, no, bollocks to this. I want to go in 100%. Because if he loses to Chandler, the more, you know, will he still have big fights? Will he still sell out arenas? Yeah, of course he will. But then the whole narrative of him being one of the best still presently is done. It's out the window. So it was the right thing. Tom, last week I was in Saudi Arabia. You ever been there?

I've never been. How was it? I've heard mixed reviews on Saudi.

Yeah, yeah, no, the people were fantastic. The people were great. You know, I like a beer, though. So that was challenging. The reason I bring that up. Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov. They were competing. Volkov got the job done. What did you think of that? Did you see it?

Yes, I watched it. Yeah. Yeah. I wasn't surprised, to be honest. Volkov is very good also, I think, in my opinion, on heavyweights, it's like if someone's big and muscular and the winning fights, automatically, everyone just buys into it and goes, oh, my God, this guy's the best heavyweight ever. Do you know what I mean? And that. That, you know, Pavlovich, fair play to him. He was starch at everyone. He's a massive guy. He's muscly, he's strong, he's handsome, he's dangerous. He's got a lot going for him, but without kicking a man while he's down, he's quite one dimensional in his skillset. What I mean by that is he walks you down and he throws bombs, and if he lands them, your referee is going to be waking you up. Simple as that. But if you can negate that by overwhelming him with other stuff, being awkward, using your footwork, potentially using your wrestling, using your kicks like Volkov did, switching stances, staying off the center line like there is success to be had with him. And that's exactly what we saw with Volkov. Volkov's had about 500 fights. You know what I mean? He's an absolute veteran of the sport, and he's not going to be intimidated by a dangerous, dangerous prospect like Sergei Pavlovich.

You put that perfect, Tom, so I'm not going to add anything to it. And you're absolutely right in every way. The reason I brought it up, knowing that you're fighting Curtis just around the corner, seeing those guys fighting at a high level, Volkov going out there defeating Pavlovich, and you dispatching Volkov the way that you did, does it fill you with, you know, confidence and pride? You know, not from an arrogance standpoint, but it's good to see people that you've defeated fighting at the high level and know that you finished them both very quickly.

Yeah, well, I, uh. I'm gonna have to blow my own trumpet a bit here, man.

I will. That's what they'll all say.

I finished both guys. Both guys in under a round, but a combined time of under around both of them.

Wow.

Which, yeah, I'm gonna say that's quite impressive, but, yeah, mate, both very good. Both elite heavyweights. But it's mma. It doesn't always add up. Fight math doesn't add up like that. Do you know what I mean? Just because I beat somebody easily doesn't mean somebody else will be. I can beat one guy, he can beat the other guy, and then lose to him, and it's all over the place. You know what MMA is like. So, I know them guys have trained together a lot before, and, yeah, you know, it's MMA. Whoever shows up on the night wins. As simple as that. You know, I think we do a lot of these podcasts, and we do a lot of the breakdowns and we do. It's pretty simple. One guy wins and one guy loses. Sometimes it's not always that complicated. Whoever shows up at the best on the night wins. And that's it. Sometimes. And that's what Volkov did.

Very, very true words. I won't keep you too much longer, Tom. I know you've been training, I know you're tired. Where are you right now? You just pulled in the side of the road.

Yeah, on the way back from the gym, mate, and I just pulled in to chat to you.

Michael, is your dad in the car?

No, I'm on my own. I'm on my own.

Don't lie. You never leave the house without your father.

I do, I do. Honestly, I do.

Sometimes I'm very surprised. The reason I ask is, will Andy be in the corner in Manchester and if your hair gets a little messed up, will he be pulling out a comb and giving you a brush?

What, like that? As an analyst? Now, that, that is something that I've never seen before and I can't explain that either. That was fantastic. Loved it. Absolutely. Do you think, is he taking the piss? He's got to be taking the piss, Annie.

I don't know, but I had to take the piss on commentary. I'm like, what the is going on? These guys get on the side, they had a legit comb. I'm like, my God, I think they're going to be taking the piss. Do you think they had a laugh about it before?

I'm sure that I could see Volkov let out a little smirk there, trying not to, but he definitely laughs. Fantastic.

Brilliant. Brilliant. All right, Tom, I'll be in Manchester. I'll let you go, mate. I appreciate your time. So you got Pereira winning this weekend. You're, of course, very, very confident. You're going to beat Tom, beat Curtis, blaze, then you get to fight Jon Jones. What is the long goal? Where do you think this is going to take you? When do you think you'll retire? Last question.

You know, that's a difficult subject for me and I'm fully aware now that I'm in like the second half of my career. Let's say I'm closer to the end than now. In the beginning. I'm safe to say that now, but I don't know. I honestly don't know. Like, I absolutely love it. And each fight I love it more and more and each day I love it more and more. I'm doing well, everything's going good. I'm making money, I'm winning titles, I'm getting finishes. Do you know what I mean? As long as it's going like that, I'll be sticking around. So I don't really know is the honest answer. I absolutely love and live for this sport. There's not one person in this sport who loves it more than me. And I absolutely love fighting. People love it. It's everything to me. So to answer the question, Mike, I don't know. But also, I don't want to be one of them guys who sticks around getting knocked out left and right, you know what I mean? So when it starts slipping a bit, I might start thinking about that kind of thing. But for right now, everything's going good and I'm really, really having the time of my life in this sport.

So I'll stick at it until it doesn't go that well.

Tom, that was a beautiful answer because as you were saying that I'm sitting there and I'm smiling inside because I felt the exact same way. But you did depress me a little bit.

Go on, why?

Well, because you said you're in the second half of your fight career. I'm in the second half of my life. Do you know what I mean? The days are counting down now. They're not going up. Do you know what I mean? I've got to live to 92 to be able to match this, you know what I'm saying? It's like, I don't know if I'll make it to 92.

I believe in you, Mike. I reckon your best years are ahead. Your best years are ahead, I reckon.

Damn right they are. Tom, sorry to take up your time. All the best with the rest of training camp. I'll see you in Manchester, mate. Really appreciate your time. Hate to bother you.

Thank you, mate. Cheers, mate. See you next time.

All the best, pal. Take care, Tom. Well, I'm very excited about this new sponsor. I'm talking about hexclad, which is going to revolutionize your cooking experience with the hex clad cookware. Listen, cooking, it's a big thing in our house. Rebecca and Ellie, they are obsessed with not using non stick pans. So we're cooking with TAPD, cast iron pans, frying pans, skillets, whatever you want to call them, right? The problem is they're very heavy and they get bloody hot. Apparently it's better for you. The chemicals that they use on the non steak. Okay? Apparently that's not good for you. So Ellie and Rebecca delight, we can't use them anymore. We've got to use cast iron like your grandma does. But the problem is, as I say, super heavy and I'm always burning myself. But this is where hexclad comes in. It is designed to simplify your time in the kitchen whilst also adding a touch of elegance to every single male. Hexclad has changed the cookware industry with an all in one hybrid pan that gives you the convenience and the cleanup of the non steak, the versatility of grandma's cast iron pan, and the durability to last a lifetime.

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I'm in Las Vegas for three or three, working like a dog Harrington. That's why my light situation is a little off. You know what I mean? It's not the best. I'm a little orange. My glasses look absolutely gigantic. They look like comedy glasses. They don't look that big in real life, but on this, I'm not. That's why I was taking them off when I was talking to Tom. I'm like, when I put them on, they look huge on this camera or something like that. I don't know. Anyway, so that's hilarious. I don't look like that much of an idiot in real life. Three or three. Of course, the main event. Alex Pereira, Yuri Prohaska. I did a video yesterday on YouTube channel saying, I think, as I said to Tom, I think Yuri is going to knock him out. It's a tremendous fight. Of course, Pereira has the ability to knock him out. He's finished him already, and he does that to everybody. And I'm a massive fan of Alex Pereira. The way he handles himself, the way he carries himself. He's very stoic. He's very scary. But he's a nice big, seems to be a gentle sweetheart and a caring man underneath it.

Also, I wish him nothing but success. And I'm really, really happy for all the impact that he's made in mixed martial arts. But if I'm picking the fight, I'm going to say Yuri, perhaps Yuri Prohaska Harrington is accusing Pereira of using dark forces, correct?

Yeah. So he said that it's known by everybody that Alex taps into the spiritual realm when he goes into fights. You know what? I, let's let Yuri explain it with Ariel.

You were talking about Alex using shamans and spiritual. Explain that.

No, I know. I understand.

Thank you. Yes, everybody knows that. And he's doing these rituals before the fight. He's, everybody can feel that what's, what's around him and what's, what's going on. So. And I think Alex can't fight without that. So. And that's something. What's, what is, what are using like normally in a fighting. And let's see, this is like right now. This is my challenge to him. If we can fight in a clear way, in this case, yeah. To be, not without like some another things. Some, some whatever. But let, let, let the higher power be there in the cage to see who's the best in the world in the performance, in the pure performance. That's all.

Hey, listen, fair play. That's why I love Yuri Prohaska. And maybe that's why I picked him, because I just really, really enjoy his personality. Yes, of course, I do think he can knock him out. I'm kind of joking. The reality is, though, for Yuri, hey, listen, if it doesn't show up on a USADA or whatever the organization is called, test now, it's clean. You know what I mean? The shaman doesn't show up on the piss test, but it shows up in the octagon. I don't know if that's all, jokes aside, I don't know if that's. Is that a little bit of mental weakness, a little bit creaking in there, that he's trying to think of a reason why Pereira's being so successful. I know that you is a spiritual guy. He is a deep thinker. He is kind of a philosophical man. So maybe he's just looking deeper into it, or do you think there's a possibility that he's like, well, listen, he must have some kind of dark forces on his side because no man alive can be that successful?

Well, I mean, I think that that was my first inclination was obviously like, yo, this is a little bit nuts. But then, I don't know, I looked a little bit deeper into it and it's like, you know, as the kids say, you know, who has the best aura in the UFC? You know, like, that's like a. That's a big. A big talking point for them. And I feel like Alex is that dude, right? Like, Alex has that, like, feeling of invincibility, of invulnerability when he walks into the cage. And I feel like Yuri might be feeling that a little bit and he, look, he's not wrong. I have the video proof prepared that Alex Pereira does, in fact, have his shamans working diligently to get the win here.

Yeah, there's nothing there, Harrington, that would make me think that he's in line with the devil. You know, there's nothing that makes me think that he's cheating in any way, shape or form, that he's going through a traditional ceremony with his people, with his tribesmen, a throwback to where he comes from and recognizing the journey that he's been on. Nothing wrong with a bit of good old fashioned tradition. Hamilton, speaker one.

No, and I'm not saying there is, but when you are calling on the ancestral bloodline of that entire tribe to be. To be following you into the octagon, Yuri doesn't have that behind him. And for somebody who is as spiritually inclined as Yuri prohoska is, that actually might be a, you know, that might have an effect on him mentally.

Yeah. But this is fantastic for Pereira if he goes out there and he wins, because I'm assuming he sells a lot of merch, he has some pretty cool merch out there. He wears all his t shirts and stuff like that because, of course, that's the best advertisement. This is the perfect idea for a t shirt. You know, black magic, Pereira or whatever, you know, you know, like Costa has the secret juice and all the rest of it. That's a t shirt waiting to happen. It's a phenomenal fight, though. I saw a video someone posted on Twitter, and it slowed down some elements of the first fight where Yuri, because he does use these very over exaggerated faints, fainting motions, as if he's going to shoot for the legs and throw punches, like when he faints. He's really fainting. He's not just doing little twitches. He's shaking his head around like a madman. And he did have Yuri biting on, sorry, Pereira biting on them. And he did land a few times and he did kind of have Pereira, I'm not going to say hurt, but the punches definitely resonated and definitely had a big impact.

I just feel that he's not going to be quite as foolhardy to shoot in the way that he did. If he does shoot in, he's going to make sure that he has his head buried on the inside as opposed to the outside. You know, we can land the elbows and I think the offbeat rhythm and the timing will give Pereira some problems. And as I said before to Tom, Pereira is only human, as big of a fan as I am, because I am a huge fan. And people were saying, because I said I picked Yuri by knockout, people like Bispin always picks against him. And it's true. I have. I have. And it's not because I dislike the guy. It's not because I want him to lose. It's because I thought Jamal Hill might have been the guy to do it. Do you know what I mean? And the first time I thought switched on, he's going to do it. And now, once again, maybe I believe in the underdogs. Call it what you will, you know, who's your pick? Harrington.

I mean, coming into the, to the first Alex versus Yuri fight, I had Yuri just because I was concerned with whether or not Alex's power really translated to 205. Now we've seen three fights at 02:05. He didn't get the finish against Jan. Finished Jamal Hill in spectacular fashion. Finish Yuri. You know, some people say it was an early stoppage, whatever the case may be, but I mean, you saw his power on display. So as long as that power does translate up to 02:05 I, I can't pick against them, especially in a fight where I don't think wrestling is going to be going to be implied by, by Gary all that heavily.

Yeah, of course. And that's a fair point. And I think that's, it's a logical stance to take a, you know, I mean, he is knocking everybody out. That is his one trick. But it's a very, very successful trick. Do you know what I mean? You don't need, when you've got a trick like that, you don't need any other tricks. Just keep the fight on the feet, swing for the fences, use that left hook. Put everyone to sleep. Take them to the shadow realm and then go back home to the tribesmen, to the shamans, you know, and pray to your gods. Happy days. But I still think Yuri does it. I don't know. I've just got a feeling. I've just got a feeling. Of course, coal main event. In fact, Brian will let you be the middleman on this. Who you got, buddy?

I got Alex. Alex is one touch, you know, like, I mean, dudes, he's been knocking everybody out like you said. I think Alex is going to keep doing that for quite a while.

He's got the touch of death. Yeah, he does. He does, he does. I just love how, and I've said this before, he doesn't talk much. He's a man of few words and he doesn't really smile that much. But he does seem to have a very warm energy to him. You see him interacting with people, you see him changing the tire. And I've seen other examples of kind behavior like that as well. It makes you warm towards him, but.

He has a great sense of humor. Or maybe somebody on his team does, because the amount of just memes and trolls that he goes through on the Internet, it's great. He's a great follow on Twitter.

I see all those, like, you know, little viral clips and stuff. He's great. And then the translator that's always with him, you know, the big, heavy set dude. Those guys are close. I don't think I've ever seen Pereira without seeing him.

Well, I mean, if he's your interpreter in a foreign land where you don't speak the language, you kind of need that guy with you.

That's Tom Aspinall's version of his dad. Yeah, you gotta have a wing man. You gotta have your right hand man. Fair play. That fight is gonna be tremendous. Lionheart, though. Lionheart was making some headlines. Lionheart was getting some hate. Listen, when you're a fighter, you've got to believe in yourself. It's as simple as that. And there's nothing wrong with anything that Anthony said, but people like to shit on him. I was looking at some of the comments on Twitter because he was talking yesterday how everybody, well, say everybody, a lot of people, multiple people in the light heavyweight division turned him down and that's why he's having to fight a middleweight. Of course, Carlos Ulberg still don't know what the injury is. It's a shame that fire's not happening. De Lize steps in, Anthony says, because people didn't want to fight him. All the comment section like, yes, because you were nobody and there's no point fighting you. This is a lot of, that was a lot of the noise that I saw on Twitter. I was like, all right, okay, okay. But it is kind of a tough one for Anthony. It does bring in some extra pressure.

Ulberg was riding high on a six five win streak. De Lindsey's lost two in a row at middleweight, you know. So again, it's like one of those situations where if he gets the win, of course, it's another win. He's been active, part of a massive card, make a shit ton of money. They're all really, really, really big positives, you know? Course. But if he loses, it's like shit. That's. It's kind of tricky. It's tricky. So it's going to be, you know, Anthony's been there many times. He's made that walk so many times. So he's used to that feeling of pressure and nerves and anxiety pre fight, you know, but he is going to have to keep an eye on that. I think he's the better guy on the feet. I think he's the better guy on the ground. But I do think we got to watch de Lidze because early, he's going to come out swinging and he does. De Ligt is not really a refined, most technical striker that you'll see, but he does have a brutish, thuggish power, and the way that he delivers his shots is kind of wild, you know? And those kind of wild shots, when they're unorthodox, they're the ones that end up catching you.

And he is a big lump. He's fought at 02:05 before. He's got a complicated ground game. I saw DC saying this, and I agree wholeheartedly. The path to victory for Antony isn't quite as straightforward as Ulberg, because Ulberg, all he's got to do is take him down and he's by far the better man. Easier said than done. Not quite as clean cut or straightforward with Roman de Lize, but I would be very, very surprised if Anthony doesn't get him down and probably get a submission halfway through the second round or the third.

Interesting.

Why would you say?

I mean, I like the, I like the ground and pound finish, you know.

I think ground and pound, whatever. Take him down, get on top, control and beat the shit out of him. Submission. Beat him into submission. You know, as many ways, you know.

Skin make him tap. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Tap to strikes. That's my, that's my official prediction? No. I think that, I think in any Roman de lize fight comes down to who's the bigger dog in the fight. Right. And I think a lot is, it's very similar with Anthony Smith fights, and I think Anthony Smith doesn't lose those.

Right.

Like, Anthony Smith is typically, you know, he's, he's got the experience factor on his side. He's been there. He's done that. He is the bigger guy. He has the better power. And in my opinion, yeah. And I mean, like, you know, delizz is very opportunistic with his submission game. Like, he's, he's, he's always going for it, right. Like, if he's on bottom, he will find a way to, to try to get a transition and immediately go for the choke. He always chooses submission over position. So, yeah, I don't know. I think that Anthony knows how to deal with those guys very well. I don't think it's going to be an easy fight, but I do. I do think it's emphatically going to be an Anthony Smith win.

Yeah. The one thing on the ground you got to watch the leg. Lots de lids. They has a weird series of unorthodox. Unorthodox, pardon me, leg locks and submissions and stuff like that, knee bars, toe holds, etc. Etc. So. But, yeah, I've got full confidence, you know what I mean? You know, if you've been around the gym as many years as Anthony has, for the most part, you've seen all of those tricks. What else we got on that car? Just refresh my memory because I'm running around like a headless chicken here. I'm doing this tv show. I'm doing slap tomorrow. Paige van Zandt making a debut. Oh, I'm doing a thing. Say again?

She's making her debut tomorrow.

Paige van Zant will be slapping away at the fountain blue Casino tomorrow night. That's the newest and brightest fancy spot, fanciest casino in all of Las Vegas right now. And they're selling tickets. There's going to be thousands of people there. It's going to be fun.

Damn, that sounds fun as hell.

It does. It does, dude, I'm telling you. Check this out, though. So I've got to do, I'm doing an appearance. By the time this comes out, it will have been undone. Culture kings in Las Vegas is a big clothing store. I've never been there. Apparently it's a big, huge store, and I just had to do like a meet and greet, international fire week. Tons of fans in town. I'm like, yeah, sure. Get a nice little check for doing, you know, going out and meeting a few people. Easy money, and always happy to take it. They called me up last thing, and they were like, mike, we had an idea. There's gonna be a bunch of other fighters there. So, you know, like, you've done tales from the Octagon. We're just gonna think. We've said to them that you'll do like a tales from the Octagon, and you'll interview the fighters and tell stories and do this and do that. Have a bit of interaction with the crowd. I was like, what? I said, number one, when I did that, I was nervous as hell for months on end because I'm not a stand up comedian.

Secondly, months of prep went into that, and I worked with comedy writers and stuff. Do you know what I mean? I'm like, what the I you talking about? So now I've got Brendan Moreno, Steven wonder boy Thompson, and I've got rude boy Randy Brown right about now, and I'm just gonna, you know, on the fly, you know, off the cuff. Just come out with a whole little thing, entertain the crowd, and we all have a great time.

There you go. You have to prep a show on the fly. My God, dude, when did they hit you with this?

Last night. Last night? Oh, okay. It's fine. It's fine. All I'll do is I'll go out, say hi to everyone. We'll speak to the fighters, introduce them, ask the crowd some questions, who do you think is going to win and all that stuff? And then I think there's going to be, like, some kind of competition, and one of the fighters gets dunked with, like, a bunch of slime or something, which I'm not a part of, thank God, because I'm the host. I'm like, you know? So, anyway, fun times here in Las Vegas. Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. EBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, led headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts. For your number one ride or die. You'll always find exactly what you are looking for. And with eBay, guaranteed fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time, all your money back. Because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubberization, not cash, with all the parts that you need at the prices that you want.

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Second. So second fight down on the card. The co main event, Diego Lopez versus Brian Ortega. Interesting fight at 145. You heard Ortega talking earlier this week. He said that he was completely out on fights at 145, said nothing made sense for him, and he was looking ahead to possibly making his lightweight debut at UFC no chain September instead gets the call about this fight, a three round co main event, not a five rounder, but yeah, defending his spot against Diego Lopez.

Yeah, and I kind of get that from Ortega because Ortega is one of the top featherweights. But given the situation with Max Holloway becoming now the massive global superstar, certainly after the Justin Gagey fight, he's looking and honing in on title fights only or other big opportunities, defending the BMF belt against other people. Volkanovski is like the former pound for pound number one. He's like, I want to rematch with Toporia. Toporia. We don't know what he's doing, do you know what I mean? And all the while you've got Brian Ortega. That's only really lost to Volkanovski and Max Holloway because he popped his shoulder out against Rodriguez in the first one. So it was a tricky spot. Now, of course, you get this new guy, Diego Lopez. He's hot shit right now, so it's a big opportunity for him. I think he's a tough fight, though. But I saw this. I saw this and I was like, is Brian Ortega having a laugh? And then I saw Dominic Cruz and a bunch of other fighters down at the mexican PI doing the same thing, duct taping their mouth shuts. This was on the countdown show.

He said he was duct tape in his mouth because he can't control his excitement or something like that. And I thought, he's just having a laugh and being silly. Then I saw Dominic Cruze on a treadmill and a bunch of other fighters in the mirrors on the treadmill, all with the mouth tape shot. And I'm like, what is going on? If the idea is if the exercise is don't breathe through your mouth, only breathe through your nose, then only breathe through your nose.

You don't need to put bloody duct.

Tape on your mouth for sake, do we have any discipline?

Yeah, you're not going to have that duct tape in the fight. So what are we doing here?

Well, you know, maybe trying to increase their Vl two max or the cardiovascular system or whatever the science is, you know what I mean?

So it's like. It's like batting with a doughnut on, you know, like you get a couple of practice swings with it heavier, so that when you get the real bat in your hand, it's light. It's easy to do.

Yeah. I mean, again, I still don't know if Brian was just taking the piss. Maybe he saw Dominic Cruz's pulse, because that is the thing. That is the thing, right? Mixed martial arts has grown massively. It's a worldwide phenomenon. Definitely one of the biggest sports on the planet now, which is great, of course, as the sport gets bigger, bigger, more money involved, you know, more people are attracted towards it. And now we're getting all this new fandangled training methods. You know, I was talking to a fighter the other day. They believe a lot of the new fighters don't spar enough, that they don't go hard enough. I forget who it was. Who was it? Because I've got no problem dropping his name. It was when I was in Saudi Arabia. I forget. I honestly forget who he was. Right now. I'm tired. And he was like this. These, these new guys, they don't push themselves. They're not sparring as hard. You've got to go hard. Who was it was one of the bloody fighters coaches in Saudi. I forget. Anyway. And he's like, yeah, they don't. I'm in the gyms all the time. They're not sparring as hard as they should do.

Now, I know the risk versus reward. I know the injuries and all the rest of it. So you got to train appropriately. And then Michael Kiesta was saying that they don't really go that hard, you know, but you've got to train hard. Anyway, back to the original point. Sometimes the overcomplicated with science and all the rest of it. Yeah, there's great technique and yes, science when it comes to strength and conditioning is very important how the human body works. But sometimes it's just good old fashioned hard work. Do you know what I mean? And I don't need someone telling me to put a piece of duct tape on my mouth, right? It's like when I was. When I was fighting paradigm sports management, they brought in like a pr consultant, and we sat down at a table and there's me, Tony Ferguson. There was a bunch of other fighters all in the UFC. And I was late, of course. I just finished a training session. I had a big fight coming up. I get there a little bit late. I walk in. I think that ruffled the woman's feathers. She was a very nice lady, by the way, who shall remain nameless.

Very nice lady. And I walked. I think that ruffled the feathers because I was a little late. And I was like, you know, like, hair still wet and shit and sweat everywhere. I'm like, sorry, sorry, sorry. You know, because I was like, what is this crap? Anyway, anyway, they were telling us how to conduct ourselves in interviews and she says, right, I've got a little exercise for you all. And she wanted us to take pens, pens in our mouth while still trying to talk, because then you use different ex muscles in your mouth. It was at that point I said, listen, I'm sure you're very good at what you do, but I'm very busy. I'm trading for a fight. You guys take care. Good luck. I was very impressed that Tony Ferguson stayed, but I was like, this, I'm out of here. The point that I'm making is, yes, I'm sure there is some benefits to that, but at a certain point, we know what we're doing here. We don't need to duct tape our mouths, okay? And I'm sure Dominic Cruz is going to come out with all of the science. Just like when I was commentating a fight and somebody, a cornerman was saying, okay, seven at two.

What's the number? Nine? And I criticized that. And Dean Thomas came out, said, well, what it's doing is it, it's stimulating the, the lumbar system of the brain. And when they're doing that, then you know that they're present and all the rest of it. Yeah. You know what else is? How else you know that you're present? Just having a conversation. You know what I'm saying? Just like, you good, buddy? Yeah, I'm good. You know, so, like all these new fan dangled ways. Great. It's like when I was training Parillo, I've said this before, I had the strength and conditioning coach. It was tremendous. But he said, for this camp, michael, we don't want you to run too much, okay? Because running, you're going to wear your body down. You're going to burn a lot of muscle mass. We don't want you running too much. So I go into the gym on Monday morning, I'm like, yeah, you know, here's the plan with the strength and conditioning, and they don't want me running too much. And Jason goes, you know why? I said, why? He said, because running is free. They can't charge you $150 an hour or whatever the case is, you know, to go for a run.

They want you in here, Billinger. I'm like, yeah, you're absolutely f, right. Anyway, with all that said, harrington, who do you think wins that fight?

I think this is the year of the old guard just turning people back, right? Like, you know, you had it with Dustin Poirier versus Benoit St. Denis. I mean, because, you know, I can pull up 15 examples. I mean, hell, Anthony's fight against Peter Petrino is one that comes to mind. And there's just something in the air about, you know, the, this old guard just taking a stand, line in the stand and saying, no, we're not done yet. Like, this is not, I'm not giving up my spot to you. You have not earned this. I've been here for a decade putting in work. But you back of the line, kid. And I think Brian Ortega is ready to defend that spot. I mean, you know, the, the fight against Yair Rodriguez was about as, you know, just clean and perfect a fight you could have. So for me to pick against that guy when, when the only people who's lost to, as you said, are absolute title level people in Volkanovski and Holloway, I don't know. I can't pull the trigger on, on picking against Brian Ortega. Even if Diego Lopez down the line is the future of this division.

Yeah, I think I'm guilty of maybe a bit of recency bias. You know, on my predictions video, I said, lopez does it. And I'll still say that now to be consistent. But that's not because I've got any kind of underappreciation for Brian Ortega. He's phenomenal. He just hasn't been as active. And Lopez has been starching everybody in the first round. But for Ortega, if he can do that, if he can push back Diego Lopez, a man with his meteoric rise, then of course, it solidifies his place. And I think once the division kind of shakes out, we'll see Ortega fighting for a belt again in the near future. Here's one I'm very, very excited to talk about. Ian Gary, Michael Venom Page. Right? They've been chatting a bit of shit. Ian Gary is very outspoken. Michael Venom Page is a very nice guy. He's very, he's a gentleman. He is. But he has not been backwards in coming forward with a bit of shit talk when it comes to Ian Gary.

Yeah, I mean, I. Oh, well, let's watch it.

Same role with Connor. People love Connor. People like these massive fan base with you. People hate you.

And I think it's because we can.

All feel when something is not real in the same role. Connor. People love Connor. Now keep it going, Brian. There's some good stuff coming up, I believe.

Sorry, that clip was just that short.

Oh, give me some more.

I got Ian Gary.

Let's have Ian Gary coming right about to back now, mate. Let's be real about that. He's fighting. If this was in Bellator, he'd be fighting a can. How so? Let's. Let's it. Let's engage that. How so?

You didn't really elaborate.

I mean, I'm sure he.

What he's trying to do is talk out of his arse and make it that he's more elite than me. Seven wins in the UFC, 14 and zero undefeated. I've beaten three ranked opponents. I am on my way to be a world champion. There's a reason why everyone's talking about me being one of the best prospects of sports ever seen. MVP has come to the UFC to try legitimize his career at Bellator. I'm going to end that on Saturday night. I mean, listen, what they're both saying, you can't blame either of them. Ian Gary greats a lot of people. He does. And maybe a lot of it is due to, all right, his cocky, his cockiness, you know, his arrogance to a certain degree. You can't hold that against a fighter because you need that. You know, McGregor obviously was arrogant. I was cocky and probably arrogant in my self belief. Of course you need to have that. I think MVP had a great point because there is a certain element that has inspired Ian Gary and maybe trying to copy that, and he and MVP were saying that it comes across as fake, but you can't hold that against Ian Gary.

Of course he's going to be inspired by Conor McGregor. What do you think?

Well, I mean, for him to go out and say, I'm the most talked about, most elite prospect that the UFC's ever seen. It's like, come on, dude, who are you talking to here? You're talking to the MMA media. Who knows who these prospects actually are? Who watched Ilya Taporia, you know, rise up and immediately start talking about taking out the top of the division and went and did everything that he said he was going to do, consistently took the big jumps in competition and fought the toughest guys that he could. I don't see Ian Gary doing that. He's getting in there against Neil Magni and fighting very safely in the third round to a, you know, an obvious decision win, but not doing what it takes to be that Conor McGregor, to be that next super duper star who has finishes on his resume, highlights you can point to, to say, that's the next guy we know. You're not that dude. So why are you telling us you're that dude? You're. It's clearly fake and false.

And.

Brian, Brian, before you jump in, I just want to say, bring this version of Harrington every time. I like this version. Sorry, Brian.

Not only that, but he's not the story the most of the time. He's in the news. It's his wife and the dealings around his weird lifestyle. Like, it's not. It's not him knocking everyone out.

Yeah, well, as a UFC commentator, I got to keep it professional, so I'm going to keep the wife stuff, you know, to a bare minimum. But. But you're right, because he does talk about being the superstar, right. And as a guy that I'm not a media member, I'm no journalist and I don't ever want to be. I'm a fighter that still makes a living out of the fight, and I do a YouTube channel and we do a podcast, and we have a great time. But he talks about all these numbers. I've done videos on Ian Gary, and they've performed shit. That's why I don't bother doing them anymore. Do you know what I'm saying? So, like. And I think it's when he says that that's what greats people. People don't want someone to tell you to convince you how great they are. They want to see how great you are and make that opinion themselves. You know what I'm saying? Like, Conor McGregor was clearly great. He was clearly something special, and the world knew that. And then, of course, with his swagger and his charm and his wit and his charisma, you know, the Riz, they only made him even bigger, you know?

Yes, Ian Gary is doing great things. He is undefeated, and that's a great thing. And he's done very well, you know, but constantly telling everyone the whole time, and as you say, using a game plan that made for kind of a, you know, pedestrian paced fight in Jeff Neil doesn't necessarily go hand in hand. When McGregor was starching people, as I said, I'm not holding it against him for going to a decision, but don't say you're going to come out here and finish everyone in the first round, and you're the future of the sport. And the only reason why people are tuning in, you know, let other people say that about you.

It's the, it's the Colby effect all over again. Right? Like Colby Covington will say, oh, I'll be you up. I'll knock you out. I'll wrestle you into a million ways. I'll submit you, I'll do this. That the other. We all know if it's a Colby Covington fight, if he has any chance of winning, it is going to be a hotly contested five round decision fight. You know, so it's like, don't. There's a disconnect that you have there that you expect me not to notice as a fan. And it's, it's, you're, it's belittling to the fan base, I think.

So what you're saying is that Ian Gary wins in spectacular fashion Saturday night.

I'm saying, I'm saying I think MVP does legitimize himself a little bit. I just. Look, I think the range is going to be a problem for him. We've seen him have problems with, like I said, he was doing everything he could to not fall into a firefight with Neil Magni. Cuz he did think there was a path to him getting finished by Neil. If you have those concerns with Neil Magni, you're not ready for MVP.

Yeah, listen, you make some great points, Harrington. You really do. And as I say, solid performance today, brother. You've been on the Joe Biden debate, drugs tonight. I'm devastated by the way that I'm here. Like, me and Rebecca, we're not too much into politics, but we're all, we're all into this debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. And I'm here in Las Vegas and Rebecca's like, God because she's not been too well lately and she's kind of bed bound for a little bit, which is like, I thought we could just, you know, have some food, sit on the bed, watch the debate. And the whole theory is that they're pumping him full of drugs for him to be able to give it some. Now we get Brian.

No, there's just some wild shit going on. It's like a one to two minute delayed. They're gonna be cutting microphones for the person like it. There's a lot of crazy ass things are going on.

Yeah, yeah, no, I know, I know. How did I get onto that? What was it pumping in full of drugs? Yeah.

You were like, I can't believe I'm here watching debate with.

What was the comparison?

Oh, I. Cuz I actually showed up for a show for once.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go. Show up for every show. So, yeah, you bring up some great points. I think MVP. I think Ian Gary's gonna struggle. This is not because of any dislike or anything like that. When you look at his style, which is predicated on length range kickboxing, I think MVP does all those things better, and he has. He's faster at closing the distance. I think he has more power with small gloves and knees and kicks and elbows. Anything can happen. We're all capable of knocking somebody out, but I just think, stylistically, it's a really tough opponent for Ian Garry. However, I'm picking MVP to win. I think if he does win, there's a good job. Good chance of it being a stoppage. However, it wouldn't surprise me if Ian Gary wrestles him right from the get go. He's been training with Charles Oliveira and the shooter box team down in Brazil for quite some time now. Right. And Charles Olivera is really good at taking people down. When you're doing jiu jitsu at a high level. Yes. It's nothing. Jiu jitsu takedowns aren't like wrestling takedowns, but he's training high level jiu jitsu with MMA fighters that know how to wrestle.

Double leg, single leg, high crotch, all the rest of it. So it wouldn't surprise me if we see Ian Gary turn into a takedown artist, and we get to see MVP say, oh, so you're a wrestler now.

I mean, that is. It's. That's the frustrating part to me, too, because that is Ian Gary's path to victory, in my mind, is to make a it a Colby Covington style fight, and nobody wants that.

Yes. Well, we don't know. We don't know. I'm looking at the non MMA stories. We've got one or two other MMA stuff, and then we'll. We'll call this one a day, because I've got lots of shit to do. But there's a lot of stuff in there having to. In terms of non MMA, in your mind, what is the front runner? What is the top story?

I think I'm. I don't know. Just cause I don't have a video. Maybe not, but this one just seems interesting. A cop in South Carolina who got a demotion for using the city's surveillance cameras to spy on his wife because he assumed, or he thought in his mind, that she was having an affair with a fellow officer. He did use those same cameras to find them together in a target parking lot. Good police work.

Resourceful, really.

He wasn't a paranoid maniac. He was absolutely correct. Use the weapons and the tools at his disposal to prove it. Well, good for him. Speaker one.

Yeah, but turns out you're not allowed to use government property to find out if your wife is cheating on you. So while he did not lose his job and no criminal charges will be pressed against him, the lieutenant has now been busted down to the role of detective, I believe.

Not allows allowed to use government funding. Unless you're a politician, then it's fine. And you can travel around the world on the people's dollars, right? Today's episode is sponsored by Betterhelp, which, of course, is therapy done online, designed to be convenient, flexible, suited to your schedule, and of course, a very, very easy way for you to start becoming the best version of yourself. The problem is, with going to therapy, there's a lot of anxiety involved with that alone. Making the appointment, walking in the office, talking to the person. You know, you get a little nervous at that by yourself. Okay. In that alone, when you go to better health help, you just fill in a brief questionnaire. You'll be matched with a licensed professional therapist, and you can switch therapist at any time if you're not vibing with that person. So stop comparing yourself to others and start focusing on being the best version of yourself with Betterhelp. When you go to betterhelp.com, believe you will get 10% off your first month, regardless of whatever problem that you're dealing with. We all need a little bit of help, and speaking to a licensed professional therapist is definitely going to help.

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All right, so speaking of, speaking of government funding and misappropriation of funds, the Supreme Court has essentially made bribery legal. They just, they voted six to three to repeal a law that was, it was put in place so that people who, like, awarded government contracts to politicians who awarded government contracts would not be able to collect gifts or anything like that, that from the companies that they, that they gave it to. So, like, for instance, this case that came before the Supreme Court, a guy gave a trash business, like 1.1 million in funding, and they kicked him back twelve grand. So it's like. And the Supreme Court said that's allowed.

Speaker one. Yeah, well, I mean. I mean, what? What can you say? Nothing. I mean, number one, I don't know enough about it. I don't know enough about the legal system. But I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. They're all a bunch of bloody croaks. They're all a bunch of bloody croaks. I mean, these politicians are worth so much money, it's insane, you know, and every time there's a war or whatever, turns out a lot of these politicians are investing and buying stocks, you know, that are about to be used and make tons of money. The companies are about to make a ton of money. It's crazy. It's crazy. You know, it's a shame because these are the people that are supposed to be looking out for the people that are elected by the people, you know, to do a good job, when in fact, they just turn out to be lying in their own pocket. So do your own thing, ladies and gentlemen, and just look out for you. But anyway, this is an MMA show, not a politics show. This is not bloody Fox News. Jesus Christ, Harrington. What are you doing? What are their stories?

Sean Strickland, I see him in the news. There's a lot of Sean Strickland stuff in the news right now. There's him almost getting into a fight at a rock climbing place. We won't talk about that. We'll talk about him and Robert Whittaker. Because I said on the show, I think on Monday, I would love to see Robert Whittaker versus Sean Strickland. And I think other people have echoed that kind of same sentiment. And I think that's because that is, on paper, a great fight and b, a logical fight to make. Sean Strickland came out, refuted, all of that. He said, the world knows that I beat Dracus. I also beat Israel Adesanya, wait. On the sidelines, words to that effect. Right. There's nothing that I'm missing. No. And you know what? It's hard for Strickland because I don't necessarily disagree. It was a super close fight with Drake. I thought Drake has just edged it. But regardless, it was one of those. I'm certainly open to hearing arguments the other way. You know what I mean? I wouldn't say you're crazy. You don't know what you watch in a close fight. And he did beat Israel Adesanya, without question.

He dominated the fight. So I understand his stance. But we all know what happens when people wait on the sidelines. And drink is versus Israel. Adesanya is going to go down in Perth and you don't know what's going to happen. Let's just say Dracus wins, but let's say he's banged up and he's going to be out for six months. So what's Sean going to wait all this time? You know what I mean? Make hay while the sun shines. It's like Tom Aspinall said to me before we started, before we went live with the show, because I'm in Vegas, I'm doing this, that and the other. He's like, why do you work so hard? Why are you doing this and that? I said, well, yeah, you've got to make head while the sun shines. You know what I mean? I've got opportunities right now still, and I'm very thankful for my fight career. Sorry to talk about myself, but it's about Strickland, essentially. You know, I've got opportunities now, and hopefully they continue to come, but there might and probably will be a day where those opportunities stop to come in. And maybe that's mental weakness.

Maybe it's a little bit of a. Not enough confidence in myself or whatever, but, you know, it's like, you take these opportunities. There will come a day when Shaun Strickland wishes that he had an extra ten months of his fight career to have a couple more big fights. And I'm not saying that's necessarily going to happen, but there is a danger to that. There's definitely a danger. And in the meantime, you know, I mean, Robert just had a massive win, right, against the guy. A change of opponents on short notice. Look at what Dustin Poirier did against Benoit Saint Denis. You know, we don't know what's going to happen. You know what I mean? I'm just saying, I understand Sean's point and it's probably just a fan in me, but he should fight fucking Robert Whitaker.

He 100% should fight Robert Whitaker. The reason Sean Strickland got a title shot in the first place is by being the guy who would fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. Took a light heavyweight bout on short notice to begin the year last year, stepped up against Magamedov and got the knockout win, and that's what put him in line for the title shot on short notice. Right now, you want to be a guy who takes your ball and run with it. While Robert Whitaker accepts a fight against the boogeyman of the division, Hamza Chimaev accepts a last second, different opponent. Opponent with the words anyone, anytime, anywhere says, you know what, I'm not fighting at 03:05 I'm no one's backup. I am the main event, and I want to fight later on this year. Right. That's a guy who's staying active, by the way. His last win be before he knocked out Alska. That's the guy who you just beat, Sean, you know, and he did it in a more convincing, like, you know, obviously, you know, a more exciting fashion than you did. Right. So it's like, I don't see the case that Sean Strickland has. And I'm a guy who thinks that he beatrice, you know, and so in my mind, he's beaten Dracus, he's beaten Izzy.

He should be next in line. But you can't deny Robert Whitaker of. Robert Whitaker is going to be active and you're going to be fighting rock club managers.

Yes. Yeah. And great points and very, very well delivered, I might add, as well. I mean, again, keep that Joe Biden. I like this version. No, great points. Great points. I guess anytime you fight, though, there's always a risk. And I'm not saying Sean's doing it because he's scared of Robert Whittaker. I'm sure he's not scared. In fact, I'm positive he's not scared. You know, I love it when fans say, oh, he's scared. They ain't scared. Okay. They're never scared. But they do understand the threat. You know, there's definitely a distinction between the two, and it would be a tough fight. Robert Whitaker is not an easy fight for anybody, and for anyone to assume that is just ridiculous. But I do think to Sean's case, there's probably a point or a part of his mind where he's like, I've done this. I've been around the UFC for a long time. I've worked my ass up. I've taken those short notice fights that you mentioned. I'm just trying to put myself in his mind, you know, which is not an easy thing to do. And if you put yourself in Shaw Strickland's mind, it's a wild place.

Let me just tell you that. People are getting knocked out all over the place. Have you seen this shit he puts on Twitter? My God, he put one on today. I was letting bed this morning. What was it? It don't get me wrong, I love knocking a guy out as much as the next one or something like that. I forget what. Let me bring it up. Let me bring it up.

I thought you were talking about one of his ring video doorbell. Install installations for the week.

Let's have a look. What did he say this morning? Put on ice. She's going on about illegals. Life lessons from me. I love hitting a guy as much as the next guy. Literally sleeping someone on the streets of a bullshit is the most satisfying thing one can do. But when you're waking up at 07:00 a.m. to go sit in front of a judge to fight the government, you 100% will regret it. Well, he's not wrong. He's not wrong. Do you know what I find satisfaction in being man enough to walk away. There's a beauty in that. But anyway, the point that I was making, you know, for Sean, he's taking the long route. He's been around the UFC for a long time, and he got his chance, and he fulfilled that chance, that opportunity, and he became the champion. And in his mind, he's probably like, listen, I've done this. I've paid my dues. I want my shot. I want a rematch. But that isn't how the sport works. And he may or may not regret that, because who knows? Maybe it works out. What do I know? I have no idea, you know, but generally, the case and the way forward would be to continue to fight, create those opportunities, force them.

Force the UFC's hand. I don't mean literally continue to win fights, continue to be a fan favorite, have the crowd and the fans demanding that he gets another shot, because right now it's kind of. Well, Whittaker is making a pretty good case at the moment as well. But Dracus has beaten Whittaker and Israel Adesanya has beaten Whittaker twice as well. So, you know, there is that. Speaking of the Perth card, Oliveira reportedly has turned down several fights. Is that what you're saying?

No. So what I'm seeing is, is that everybody and their mother is linking Charles Oliveira to fights. And Charles Olivera is saying, what? I have no knowledge of these things. So it started like Dan Hooker came out yesterday, said, I'm fighting him at, at Perth. I've already signed the contract, so I'm just waiting on Charles Oliveira, but I'm sure it'll be signed in just a couple of minutes. I saw somebody say that he is, the UFC is going back to Canada sometime in the fall, so he's going to fight Mattaus Gamrod there. I saw another thing saying he's going to fight Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Paris later this year. And then there was, there was one other one but it's like, oh, Volkanovski was apparently supposed to be moving up to lightweight to fight him. So it's like, you know that and everyone's saying all these things. Charles Olivaris said, yeah, dude, I don't know. I'm getting booked in a lot of fights. Maybe in the metaverse, but not in real life.

Yeah, poor old Charles is just chilling at home in Brazil and he's like, what's going on? Oh, dear. All right, listen, I got a ton of stuff to do today. I will be at coach Kings later on. If you do go there, hopefully I'll see you there. But by the time you see this, this that's been in God. Anyway, Harrington, great job today. UFC three or three this weekend. Let's go Lionheart. Heart. I think I could say that on behalf of all the believers and all these people working on this show, thanks for watching. Subscribe and ring the bell. What am I saying? It's not the end of a YouTube video. We're not going to do questions today. I've got a busy schedule. But if you do have a question for Monday, send it into bympod@gmail.com.

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Have a good weekend. Enjoy the fights of.