Conceive, believe, achieve. Shut the fk up.

You're listening to believe you me with Michael the Count Bisbing. You know my name yet? And Anthony Lionhardt-Smith.

Yo, what is up, everybody? Welcome back to the believe you me podcast. Mike Hamilton, how are you doing, buddy?

You're never better. The real question is, Michael Bisbing, how are you?

I'm flying. Obviously, I had neck surgery on Tuesday, two Yesterday, woke up, felt like a million dollars, went for a little walk in the sun, all the rest of it. I thought, Oh, this ain't too bad. Woke up at five o'clock this morning, I'm like, I'm dying. What am I doing? I've got a live podcast to do. Why have I done this? I've got to speak to Khalil Roundry. I got to speak to Brian Battle. More importantly, I got to speak to Mike Harrington nonstop for a goddamn hour, which is enough to drive anyone over the limit.

Some say that's the next surgery of podcasting.

Yeah, no, it really is. Do you know what? I mean, obviously, they went in through my neck here. They removed the disk, put a new disk in. So quite in-depth stuff. But compared to some of the other surgeries I've had, really not that bad, to be quite honest. To be quite honest, compared to the knee replacements and stuff like that, it's literally a walk in the park.

There you go. I mean, that's pretty odd. You were psyching us up for it. You were going to You're going to be down and out. You're going to be the man in the iron mask for a couple of weeks there. That's what you said. When you hit us up yesterday, I think I'm going to be good. Let's book the guest. Let's lock this in so I can't back out. I was like, Oh, okay.

Yeah. Well, if we were doing the show tomorrow, I would not have sent those messages. Because the way I feel today isn't the best. My throat is absolutely killing it. If you were to look deep down into my throat, which no one wants to do, it is a mess down there. There's been all kinds of tubes, of redness and blah, blah, blah. I will just share this stuff real quick. I had to go for a fancy scan. Hopefully this operation fixes it. I might have to do three. I had to go for a fancy scan, and I just got the billing information. For a scan, $13,000 is what the insurance company has been charged. Thirteen, not for the operation, for a scan alone. It's just unbelievable. It is a scam. Anyway, in But enough about that. I am on pain medication, so hopefully nothing too crazy. We do have two great guests joining us. But enough about me, enough about my neck. Who's here in the chat? We've got a few people joining us. Well, thank you all for being here on this Thursday morning. What should we get into? What's the big MMA story while we wait for our first guest, Harrington?

Well, I think there's two big ones that a lot of people are talking about. I think probably the most pressing one is the stuff that came out in the late hours of last night, early this morning. It's what every MMA site is leading with, that the announcement of the announcement from Dana White. What is that? He says he has big news coming. He spoke about McGregor, and there's news coming for him very shortly. He said there's news coming for Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Michael Chandler, of course, in that announcement.

You got to think the big news for McGregor and One of the big news for Chandler is that they're fighting one another. The one I want to know is what is the big news for Oliveira? Because I know there were some rumors online that Volkanovski was going to fight Oliveira. He was thinking about maybe fighting at 155. But Volkanovski told me in Manchester that he's fighting for the belt next. And I'm sure I saw something after Teporia and Holloway, after they've done their business, he's going to fight the winner. So I'm assuming that's what they're going to announce for Volkanovski, that he will get title fight. But Charles Oliveira, I don't know what that could be, but I will say this, I'm just happy to see Charles back. By far, I think he's one of the most exciting fighters in all of the sport. I love the I've been making a mention for it of him lately, you know what I mean? From the guy that apparently was the quitter to this guy that is just an absolute goddamn animal. But if you had to make one pick, Hervé, who would that be?For.

Charles Oliveira to fight?Yeah. Dan Hooker.

Oh, yeah.

Tell me that's not a fun, fun, fun fight.

Or is it going to be Michael Chandler? Because you never know. Maybe the news from McGregor, you know what I mean? I don't know. I'm just spitballing because Dan Huck and Michael Chandler, before, before. Dan Huck said he wants to fight him again. Maybe they rebook that and they're going to do Chandler versus McGregor later in the year. Who knows? Who knows? We are pontificating. That wasn't the big story that I thought you were going to lead with You were saying to me all week, the big story was Sean Strickland going at Machine Gun Kelly, them two going back and forth. I thought that that's what you were going to lead with, not news stories about a story about a possible booking that no one knows about. That's not a news story, Harrington. That's, oh, guy, by the way, we got something coming up.

Yeah, no, I agree. I said we had two very big stories. I just figured the boss, anytime the boss says, We got some big stuff coming down the pipe, I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach where it's like, Oh, we're about to be blessed with a pretty cool quarter coming up. He usually makes these big announcements to be like, Hey, the next three months of the UFC are going to be stacked, and here's why. So I loved all that. But yeah, no, obviously, I think the big thing that most people are talking about, the most mainstream thing, certainly Crossover, SGK, Sean Strickland, the beef.

Yeah, I mean, this all goes back to, I think it was at a Power Slap event. Sean Strickland met Machine Gun Kelly. I'm not sure what happened there. Did they have some running, some beef? But I have seen a clip of Machine Gun Kelly talking about Sean Strickland. In fact, Brian, I do believe we have that clip. Let's have a look.

I do nothing but commit myself to art. There's another funny factor of just the art of me standing or existing makes people furious. I saw one of them.

I don't know if one. Which one?

The Strickland one. I don't know this I'm the guy from a crumb of bread. I didn't know who he was when I met him. I got hip afterwards that he's insanely racist and homophobic and just not my type of guy, so I would have never even wanted to shake hands with him in the first place. But He also is just a representative of every person who's too scared to just be themselves, because if you're comfortable as yourself, you don't care who anybody else is and how they are.

Agreed. I met him that night, too, and I can't say anything bad because my experience was vastly different because I'm not you, and he didn't have a visceral reaction. We shook hands. It was very cordial. We talked for five minutes and I walked away. But I know of everything that he exists as on Twitter, and he fits very nicely into that community of exactly what you just said, which is intolerance and just desire to spew hatred.

He's so dumb that I'm going to tell him right now, You should not keep saying stuff because it just makes me look better, but you're going to keep saying stuff. So I know that you'll react and say more things.

This is a very long clip. Let's end that one there. Do you know what I want to do right now? I want to be Logan Paul. You see the way Logan Paul was just like, I'm staying out of this. I'm saying nothing. There's no right answer. There's lots of wrong answers. You're going to piss some community off. But Sean Strickland is not a man that stays quiet. Brian, do we have the response? I believe If you put a tweet out, and he had something to say, which was, Getting lectured by a guy who drinks blood and wears a purse. Dog, you had a midlife crisis and tattooed your entire body. The ex community of intoler that you all hang out with toxic trolls any day over this, C-U-N-T. See you next Tuesday. Go back to cutting yourself. Oh, God's sake. Jeez, Louise. I mean, Look, listen, there's every type of person on this planet, and that's what I think makes this world a great place. Not everybody is for everybody. Sterling doesn't seem like Machine Gun Kelly is necessarily my type of guy. Doesn't seem like Sean Strickland is Machine Gun Kelly's type of guy.

Do you know what I mean? But when the paths cross, I guess. And Machine Gun Kelly does seem to rub people up the wrong way. Remember Conor McGrace? I go, Conor McGregor wasn't a fan. There might have been a bit of something going on with... What's his girlfriend called again? Megan Fox.

Megan Fox.

I don't know if she was in the middle of all that stuff, but it's just... It's hilarious how Sean Strickland. I mean, he does say a lot of insane stuff, and he does say a lot of hateful stuff. And she did, Megan Fox, message Sean Strickland as well, saying, Hey, my kids are not usual people, but I don't want to talk too much about this stuff because as I said, there's lots of wrong things you can say. Sean Strickland is out of his goddamn mind. Machine Gun Kelly is a little bit of a unique individual as well, though, let's be honest.

When you That has to do something to a fighter, right? Like the most alpha dude in the room, when you see Megan Fox walking around with a dude with a feather boa on, you're like, this doesn't make any... In every caricature I can imagine, I'm the big tough guy. I should be dating the hot girl. Why is this guy? And I think it makes people spaz.

Well, no. If you look at me, he's a famous guy, right? He's loaded, right? I'm assuming. I don't know his net worth or anything, but I'm assuming he's successful, he's tall, he's unique, is individual. Girls like tattoos for some reason. They love dudes that are covered in tats. I don't know about that extent, though. There is a lot of tattoos. In fact, there's not a lot of tattoos. It's just black, isn't it? Is it his entire skin It was just black?

So he had a bunch of bad tattoos, and so to cover that up, he just covered his entire body in black ink instead.

Oh, I see. I see. Well, that seems like a smart thing to do. How about just get the tattoos removed? You can do that very, very effectively these days. Anyway, this is not MMA in the slightest. I don't want to go down Sean Strickland's rabbit holes as much as Machine Gun Kelly doesn't want to bump into Sean Strickland. So we'll leave that one there. I'll tell you what, this was something sad that I noticed, and it's not the biggest name in mixed martial arts, but I did want to touch on it. Darren Stewart. Darren Stewart was a British mixed martial artist, very, very good fighter. I had a good run in the UFC, sadly got let go, went back and forth for cagewise for a little while, and he put out a statement just recently. Brian, maybe we got the statement that I can just read out. And it's not necessarily because a lot of people are probably like, Darren Stewart If you're new to the UFC world, it just illustrates how tough the path of a fighter is. Because you put your body, you put your mind, your heart, soul, everything goes on hold when you become a mixed martial artist.

You make all these sacrifices, and for a lot of people, it works out, and for a lot of people, it doesn't. And if you've got the statement on screen so I can read it, that would be even better, guys. I'm trying to fill. There we go. He says, It hurts me I'd like to write this, but I think it's time to call it a day. Not my choice, but I'm forced to do this because I've lost a lot to this game trying to survive, and I can't do it no more. When the UFC let me go, I should have invested something, but instead I put all my eggs in one basket again to get back to the top. And life has even gotten worse. Can you scroll down a bit, Brian? I think there might be a bit more. But even though, yeah, it goes on. I've got family, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I spoke a few times, so I'm not going to go on about it. Maybe I'll get into boxing if it ever arises, but MMA, yeah, I'm done. It brings tears right in this, but seriously, it is what it is.

And listen, Darren was a great fighter, but it's a cruel sport. Athletics, sports in general is tough. And I I think Darren, he won a few bonuses in the USA. I think he got fired the night or three award bonuses anyway, three times. So I wish him nothing but the best. But it is tough because fighters, they go out there, they make all these sacrifices, they put their entire life on hold. They could go off, they could become something else. They could become a doctor, a lawyer, or whatever. With the amount of time, effort, training that they put into this career, they could do so many other things, but this is what they choose. And that's why I respect anyone that fights. And that's why I wanted to bring this up, because you see a lot of MMA fans, and there's probably some in the chat right now that are talking a bit of shit, but they don't understand what these guys go through. And they're doing it for the children, they're doing it for the family. And when I see something like that from Darren Stewart, it's sad to see. But sadly, it's a story that we see all the time.

I always bring this one up. One of my old training partners, I won't say his name, but he helped me train, spar. We kicked the crap out of each other the entire time. And financially, he's still not doing very well. And he was a very good fighter. He was world-class, but just on the night, just couldn't put it together. Do you know what I mean? So for whatever reason, under the big lights, the pressure, whatever the case may be, just couldn't perform. And a lot of people are like that. Every gym I go into all over the world, I train with people that are world-class. I'm like, Well, this guy's incredible. He could be a world champion, and they're sleeping on someone's couch or they're living in the car. And on the big shows or a show when the pressure's on, they just You just can't get it done. That's why you got to respect all these guys. All right? Before you all start talking crap on social media, just remember that next time. I guarantee you've been out there and talked a bit of shit on social media, Harrington. Come on, don't lie.

I do it to people's face all the time. I remember telling Tyron Woodley that Darren Till was going to beat the crap out of him next time he saw him while Woodley was working the desk. Yeah, I screamed it at him as I was walking out of the arena, and I feel bad about this to this day. I'm like, That was so immature and childish. Yeah, I'm an asshole.

That's actually pretty funny. I don't know why. Did you really? It's not. It's just the image of Tyrone Woodley, who's a smooth guy. You know what I mean? Takes himself seriously. He's always dressed very, very nicely. He's probably got a camera crew with him. He's working Fox Sports, and there's Mike Harrington, the old version of Mike Harrington, who, let's remember, used to live on on a park bench screaming at Tyrone Woodley. That was just going to knock you out.

Yeah, well, this is in the in between time. This is when I could afford UFC tickets before I started working in comedy like an idiot. But no, yeah, I went in. I went in on him, but it's like, he made me look a fool when he stopped there until in the second round. So it's like, I don't see how my words are going to affect someone like that. But I do understand it's messed up when you're talking about fighters, the the guys living in their car who could be world champion, because how many world champions have that in their story? I was living in a car, I was living on a friend's couch, I did whatever it took to survive. So it's like there's no point where you should be hitting that red flag to be like, I've gone too far. I should probably stop. Because you've seen the success stories come out of circumstances that you're in.

Yeah, but that's the hard part because it comes to a point where you're like, I've come so far down this path that if I stop now, it's all been for nothing. Do you know what I mean? It's literally I've done 6, 7, maybe 10 years. And if I stop now, then it's all been for nothing. And in your mind, because fighters, we all believe in ourselves. We all conceive, believe, and achieve, well, some achieve, you still believe you can get it done. That's why you need people around you that are going to support you. I was always very lucky. Rebecca always supported me. But you do need people around you. Sometimes that will give you a reality check. The problem is, though, when you've come that far, now Now you're probably in your mid-30s, and that's literally all you know. Speaking of talking a bit of crap on social media, Tony Ferguson, Habib Nama made of... Well, it's Tony. They're still going throwing at one another. There's been a couple of tweets, Brian, when you get a chance, just bring them up on screen because... By the way, Tony Ferguson, when he tweets, he loves a good emoji.

This man loves an emoji, but Habib Nama made of, I just like the most polite response. So Tony says, Lucky Punch. I don't get the context.

So I can give you the context.

Yeah, please do.

Somebody told Tony Ferguson that Khabib said the only way that Tony Ferguson would have stood a chance against him was maybe with a lucky punch. So Tony wrote that and then goes into this tirade.

So he says, Lucky Punch. And what is that? I don't know what that is. Now, I was going to leave you alone. Yeah, it's a little chef. Okay, okay. I used to love the little chef in England. It's a chain of motorway restaurants. But you, and he puts a sheep, I just couldn't help it. You fat PHUK, don't want to get thrown off YouTube. What an effing pussy. Coward like chicken. Keep hiding. Keebieber, 29 and 1. It's on like donkey Kong, the H. Champ, CSO, champ shit only. Tiramisu, Tuesday, on and on and on until No further notice. And Habib comes back. That's a lot of abuse from Tony Ferguson. You know what's interesting? No, no, no. He said, Brother, you know what's interesting? I just didn't say anything about you. People post whatever they want on the internet and write that it's Habib. But he ends with, Enjoy your life and your family. Leave this sport for the young fighters. I mean, that's a 10-7 from Khabib. And then he came out and said, You know what? Yeah, he never said anything about him whatsoever. However, Tony Ferguson, what is he doing? What is he doing?

He still wants to fight, right?

Yeah, as far as I know, but it's like, I mean, he just put it in there, champ shit only. It's all he's concerned with is champ shit. It's not Tony Ferguson is going to go have a sitcom where he's running a bar. You know what I mean? This is it. Tony Ferguson, he's a fighter through and through.

What is that now? Nine in a row or eight?

I believe it's eight. I could be mistaken. Eight in a row.

I wish Tony nothing but the best as well. Tony is an absolute bloody legend. But again, it goes back to what we were just saying about Darren Stewart. It's a tough sport. It picks you up, it chews you out. I mean, look at me. I've literally chewed out. I just had surgery yesterday. That's what this sport does. But it also gives you the highest highs. It's the best feeling. You get to make money, you get to change your life. And if you're lucky, you get out on the other side like Habib, undefeated and with two eyeballs. But not everybody goes through that. But it's still the greatest sport on planet Earth. Sticking on this disrespect theme, Ousman. He's annoyed at a few fans as well.

Yeah, he's frustrated, right? It's a lot of guys like me talking crap to a world champion. He says the people who are throwing these allegations out here, they don't know about the sacrifice that I've taken throughout my career, right? The amount of punishment I've taken, quick turnaround fights, stuff I've done to entertain these fans, and that stuff compiles. And yes, it does hurt later into your career, but you're forgetting on everything I did over this journey to build myself into the champion that I eventually became. So don't come out here calling me Wash. That's just disrespectful. You have no clue what I got left in the tank.

Yeah. I mean, let's remember, Kamara Usman at one time was the pound for pound number one on the planet. I didn't really agree with that at the time. That's not a With respect to Usman. I think he's an incredible fighter, clearly one of the best, but pound for pound number one is something special. But still, regardless, a long-time world champion, so there's no debate how great he was. But for people to say that he's washed, yeah, he's lost three in a row, and that paints that narrative. But he lost to Lyon in a fight that he was dominated until the last second. Then he loses a really close one to Lyon, and then he has a really good fight against Hamza, gets dominated in round one, round two was close, and round three, I think he won round three. You could even argue a draw in that fight. And as we know, Hamza Chimeyev, if he gets through Robert Whittaker, should be fighting for the middleweight strap, maybe.

And that was Ousman's debut at 185.

Yeah, that's a good point. What would you do with Ousman next?

Look, I've been saying it for a while. Yeah, Shovcat, in theory, is next in line for the belt, but it's like he was supposed to fight Jack Delamattalaina. There was a number of guys.

What? Listen, Usman's great. You can't put him in for a title fight.

No, I was going to say, I don't think Shovcat's done enough right now to warrant a title. Usman, obviously, you can't put him for a title fight off of three losses. Why not have those two fight each other? Winner gets the title shot.

So in that case, though, who would you have Bilal fight? Because Bilal needs somebody, and it certainly does seem that the person is Shovcat. So who would Bilal fight in the meantime?

You know what I mean?

Don't say Ian Gary.

No, I would never. No, but why not, though?

Listen, Ian Gary is a polarizing guy, but he is on a seven-fight win streak.

I mean, I'll tell you why, because the same reason that it took John Fish, 15 wins in the UFC to get a title fight, right? The guy is not... Yes, he's undefeated, but he's not exciting. He's not like... He can talk, but his fight style is the same reason that they deny had Balal the title for the longest time. He has a very similar fight style, and nobody's like... I don't feel like I'm telling any tales out of school here, but I mean, if it's between Shabqat and Ian Gary, it's definitely going to be Shovcat.

Yeah, 18, no, 18 finishes. I guess what you're saying is with Shabqat, I'm looking at his record, Stephen Thompson, Jeff Neil, Neil Magne, Carson Harris, Michel Prazeras. So the name value isn't really there, but it isn't really on Ian Gary. Other than MVP. He was only his second fight in the UFC. No massive name value there either. But still, what else we got going on while we wait for... Who's the first guest? Brian Battle. Who's Brian Battle, the worst nickname. And I know he changed his name, but I'm still going to call him Poobar. And if you got any questions for Brian Battle or Khalil Rountry, who will, of course, be fighting Alex Pereira, very, very soon. If you got any questions, let him know in the chat, and you never know. Maybe I just asked him, but What else we got, Harrington?

Probably this one I think is cool. Izzy's coach, Eugene Behrman, says that Israel Adesanja will be back before year's end.

Yeah, and of course, I mean, how long did he just have off? What was it? By Israel Adesanja standards, a very, very long layoff. I mean, he's the type of guy that was extremely busy, one of the busiest chants we've ever seen. I think it was what, January or not? October Last year, weren't it? Or was it January? Regardless, about 10 months off. About 10 months off, took some time away, came back, lost to Drinkus. Of course, you want to get ride back on the horse. Speaking of horse, my voice is horse. Jeez Louise, it is an effort pushing these sounds out, but he's going to get back in there. He wants to be the champion again. What do you think, though, if you had to pick an opponent Do we think Kael Bahaya, who just won last week? And if you haven't seen that interview, check it out on the channel. Kael Bahaya is calling out Israel out of Sonia. That's a tricky one for Kael. Not that I'm saying Kael can't win, but it's like, if you're coming up as a fighter and there's Israel and Asana, who is ruling the roost of the middleweight division for so long, and you want to get a title fight, and then you want to take on the guy that was the guy for so long.

And it's like in any other world, if you beat him, you're the champ. But now, if you beat him, you just get a shot at being the champ. Do you know what I mean? But that's the game. Who would you choose?

I feel like it was even more extreme in your case, when it was Sylvan, it was like, that was the guy who ruled the division for a decade. Now, I'm beating him, and it just means I get to go fight. Louvra, that makes no sense. I should be champion. I beat Sylvan.

I didn't even get a shot. I didn't even get a shot at the belt. That wasn't even a number one contender matchup. Yeah. No, I thought Anderson Silva was the man forever. I thought him, lost half in my face, still got the victory, and it wasn't a robbery. All these dickheads love to talk and say, Oh, yeah, that was hometown decisioning. No, it wasn't. I won rounds one, two, and five, quite clearly. So shut up. But yeah, I didn't even get a title for it. Kyle Bahio, Israel Adesanya, who else is there for Izzy?

I mean, you could run it back with any of the guys who fought for the title. You know, your Batoris, your Cannoneers, Imovov is up there somewhere. There's a number of guys, but I think that's the fight we all want to see, right? Like, Kael is going to stand on the feet with him. He's going to trade. It's going to be very exciting. It's a striking battle. If Israel Adesanya wants to make this quick turnaround, his coach came out and said the Drigas Duplaisey loss was like, they actually took some good things out of it. He said he's never going to recover from the Sean Strickland loss. That was just a bad performance on the night. He was completely He still is losing sleep over that one. The DDP loss, he's like, it happens. There were some mistakes made. You can blame that on fatigue. It wasn't game plan. It wasn't what he brought into the cage. If he wants to get right back on that horse, like you're saying, being like, All right, I still have this. I need to defend against these young lions, there's no more exciting fight. There's certainly no better fight to remind people just who Israel Adesanya is and what he can do.

It's interesting that it's the Sean Strickland fight that he can't get over. Did Bermond go into any detail? Did he elaborate? Why?

Yeah, it was essentially that, that it was just bad game planning. He got surprised and he's still kicking himself over not being himself on that night.

Basically, he blames himself for that one, whereas Dricky's I see was the better man. He beat him fair and square, and that he can take. And that's what I always say to people, and that's what I was telling Anthony recently. It's what I tell everybody. When you're training for a fight, you've got to give it your all, because when this is all done, You're going to look back, and if you don't do that, if you don't work your ass off, if you don't make the sacrifices, if you don't get out of bed and run, if you don't follow a strict diet or whatever the case may be, if you don't lay off the boots, I know I've got a reputation for having a drink. I don't really. And when I was in training camp, oh my God, unless it was a George St. Pierre press conference, when I was in training camp, there was no booze whatsoever because you only get one shot. So yeah, listen, Izzy He wasn't himself in that fight. I thought it was going to be just simply because Strickland, in his mind, was an unexpected champion or a contender, didn't expect him to beat him.

And of course, there was a lot of psychological torment leading into that one as well. So that always hurts. I'm trying to think what fight's in mind. I've come to terms with all of them now. I mean, the one that stings is the Calvin Gastel and fight, of course. I shouldn't have taken that fight. But the Tim Kennedy one, the Tim Kennedy one, he still does my head in with that. He brings it up all the time. It's like, bro, it was 2013. It was 11 years ago. I just lost an eyeball. I just come back. I had no business being in there, and you dry-humped my leg. You didn't fight me. You dry-humped me for 15 minutes, bro. It's not exactly bragging rights, but yeah, that one hurts me a little bit. We've got... What time is We got Brian Battle, supposedly joining us in just a minute. He's actually two minutes late. Pooba, what's his new name?

The Butcher.

The Butcher. Well, he's bloody... He's Uber all day to me now because he's keeping us bloody late. We're behind schedule. I don't want to get into a news topic because he's going to jump on and be like, We'll have to stop. Let's have a look. I have to message this guy right now. Come on, bro. He's posting it on Instagram. He's posting it on Instagram.

Oh, there he is.

There he is. What is going on?

How are you doing, bro?

Brian, poobar battle.

The one and only, the one and only. How are you doing, Mr. Business?

I'm good, man. I'm good. Listen, I know you got a big fight coming up. So thank you for the time. Really, really appreciate it. How's everything going?

Everything's going good, man. Just taking it day by day, you know what I'm saying?

Doing the normal-Oh, yeah. He's got a phone call. This is the problem, everyone, with going bloody live. Because if this happens on a pre-recorded show, we can just edit around it, et cetera, et cetera. I think at this point now as well, Michael Harrington has probably gone for a bathroom break. He's ran off, so he's left me riding solo. He budget it.

I didn't run out. I grabbed my charger because I don't want my computer to die while this is going.

Jesus. Hamilton. You haven't even got your computer plugged in. All right, get out of it. Go on.

All right. Sorry about that.

Sorry about that. No, you're good, bro. You're good. What was it? Let me guess. Phone call, right? Yeah. God damn.

This is a random phone call. Spam phone call.

Just throw everything off. You got a big fight coming up in Paris, buddy.

Yeah, I'm very excited about it. Very excited. We're looking to make a statement.

Yeah, give me the details. I know it's Kevin Jusset, but how are you feeling about this matchup?

I feel good about the matchup. I'm excited because this is the first time I'm fighting someone who's not 5, 10 and below. You know what I'm saying? So I get to show a little bit more range. You know what I'm saying? I get to show a different skillset, you know I'm saying, against a bigger guy. So he's got a little bit of hype. It would have been nice to get someone with a little bit more of a UFC record, a little bit more name recognition. But once again, I'm not complaining. I'll take whatever they give me. And fighting in Paris is like, badass. It's a good match up. You know what I'm saying? I think Kevin, he's not going to come in soft. So it's going to make me come out even harder. And I think it's going to be a fun fight. You know what I mean?

And he's French, right?

Yeah.

Yeah. And the last guy that you fought was French.

No, he wasn't French.

He was- Orange Lucey? That was your last guy, right? No, hold on. Who was it? Yeah, Orange. He's French?

Well, I think his name is French, but he was from Switzerland or something like that.

Okay. Well, he's French, that. He's definitely European. Yeah. The last time we saw you in the octagon was against Arjan. It was a bit of an accidental eye poke and all the rest of it. You were very, very fired up after that one. How are you feeling about all that now?

I still think he pushed my finger with his eye. I didn't poke him with my finger. You know what I'm saying? He ran into my finger. But it was definitely bittersweet because that was one of those things where it became a moment You know what I'm saying? And definitely, I got a lot of fans just from that post-fight chaos. But now that things have all settled down, I'd really rather... Having it five, one, and one instead of it just being six and one is whack. And then I know I was going to finish them, too. So it's all right. You know what I'm saying? I think my stock still went up. You know what I'm saying? I got more fans off of it. But if I could have had just a regular W, that would have been preferable.

Yeah, no, of course. Brian, I got to say, whatever it is that you're doing, it is working, buddy, because every time we see you, you are getting better and better. Where do you train? What team are you with?

My main team is Carolina combat sports. I've been with my coach that I've been with since day one, Tom Ziegler. He's the man. When I first started training, I came from a small gym, highest in MMA in North Carolina. And I came in at 21 with no prior experience. He was someone who got started late, and we both just had this irrational dream of I wanted to compete at the next level. He wanted to coach someone at the next level. So it's just like we went through the whole journey together. Today is my busiest day. So I start off with a boxing private, then I go to the jiu-jitsu spot. I do jiu-jitsu there for an hour and a half, then I come over to the strength and conditioning spot, do strength and conditioning for an hour. Then I go back to the MMA gym to teach kids classes and then do MMA kickboxing and MMA grappling tonight.

Hold on, you're doing three training sessions, jumping on a podcast with me, then you're going back to teach kids tonight.

Yeah. Then train after kids class.

Hold on, four sessions?

Four Five and a half hours today. Five and a half hours today.

Jesus Christ. Brian, has anyone ever talked to you about overtraining?

Yeah, man.

But it's like- Or do you believe that's a myth? Because I did.

I'll go, I'll go. And then when I feel like I'm just getting diminishing returns, I'll pull back for a couple of days. But if I feel good, like you said, I got to keep on pushing my So it's like I hit my peak, then I pull back. And the idea is to keep on pushing my peak a little bit further and further every time. So I'm excited about this fight, man. Every time I get to fight, it's exciting because I bust my ass all the time. So every time I get to fight, it's just like, get to show off something new. You know what I mean?

With that question, then you always do. I mean, you're doing big things in the UFC. You won the ultimate fighter. When was that? Back in, what year was that? 2022?

2022, I think. Was it 2021? It might have been 2021.

Yeah, no, it's '21. Three years ago. Gilbert Urbina, right? Yeah. So three years ago, you win the ultimate fighter. You're flying now. I mean, what's your record in the UFC? Five, one, and one. Doing incredible things. Last weekend, we just had the ultimate fighter again. There was two more guys, weren't it? I won the ultimate fighter as well. So it It's also a special place in my heart. But for you, coming into the UFC after winning the ultimate fighter, what did that do for you?

I mean, for me, it did a couple of things. One, it gave me a sense I had a lot of confidence. Coming in, it was like, I'm the ultimate fighter. You know what I'm saying? I had something to... Some guys, they got regional titles or titles and other promotions when they come in. I had the ultimate fighter title. And the other thing is just off the rip, it It gave me the ability to train full-time. You know what I'm saying? Coming off of the Ultimate fighter after winning that, that was the first time I was able to just train and focus on little things that I didn't really necessarily have the time. Before that, when you're working, you're just doing the bare necessities. You know what I'm saying? You're like, This is the stuff I need to do to win. And after the Ultimate fighter, I really could sit down and be like, Okay, I want to work on this. And I could just go and work on that specifically and get better in this area. It's I have the ability to do that now. And so as long as it's giving me something to stand on as far as the title of being the ultimate fighter also gave me the ability to just become a more complete fighter and a better fighter.

Yeah, because I always say for me, obviously, it's a great title to have, but just being a part of that process for two months or whatever it is, being around these great legendary coaches and living in the house, that was one of the best experiences of my life.

Yeah. No, for real. Because I had Volk as a coach, and it's like, we're in training camp the whole time.

No, that must have been good.

It was great. It was great. He was such a great guy. And like I said, we're in training camp the whole time, so they can show us a couple of techniques, but there's not a whole lot of things you can really implement into your game. But just watching Volk in the way that he carried himself, they made sure... We trained twice a day. He made sure that him and his guys, they also trained twice a day, and they were finishing up right as we were coming in. So every day we were coming in, and they would be just dripping in sweat, busting their ass. And it was like, okay, you know what I'm saying? This This isn't just... He's in there with us. This is a world champion. We're trying to reach the top. You know what I'm saying? And just the way he carried himself, his demeanor, his approach to the game, how smart he was about it, all those things. I I tell people it's like, this is how your coaches wants you to fight. And then after a while, you're like, that's impossible. I cannot fight exactly how they're telling me to fight.

You know what I'm saying? Constantly fainting, good footwork. You know what I'm saying? Constantly mixing things up. But then being around Volk, you're like, okay, he's doing absolutely everything right. You know what I'm saying? Just watching him in the practice room. His mixing up, the level changes with the strikes. You know what I'm saying? His approach to grappling, the pace that he was able to keep. I was like, damn, dude. All right. Well, this is what it takes. You know what I'm saying? It was like, this is really... If I want to get to that level, this is the stuff I have to be able to do. So just being around Volk, you know what I'm saying, was really an incredible experience.

Yeah, exactly. And that's a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Can you share anything? Nothing bad, nothing controversial. What's the story about Volkanoffski that didn't make it to air? Because when I was on the Ultimate fighter, I did three seasons. There's a lot of stuff that never made it? Was there anything funny involving Volkina Faso that you think, you think that should have been on the show, but it didn't?

Oh, man, there's a lot of things. They wanted to do a lot of pranks that the cast, because by the time you get to our season, all this stuff- It's been done. It's been done. And then there's certain things they're like, We're not doing that again. If you have an idea for a prank and it's been done, they're like, The repercussions of this prank just are not working, you guys. We're like, We want to get the other team with water guns. They're like, No, you're going to mess up the microphone equipment. You know what I'm saying? We want to hit them with eggs. No, because then we're going to have to clean up the eggs before it dries and peels the pain off the house. You know what I'm saying? So there was a lot of jokes that they wanted to do that the production team wouldn't let them do. One thing, me and my buddy Ryder, we played Volk and his coach, Uncle Joe, in a game of pool, and the loser had to streak around the tough house naked. The two losers had to streak around the tough house naked. Now, granted, Volk and his coach didn't lose, so that wasn't necessarily embarrassing for Volk and them.

But that was just off the top of my head, because like you said, there's so many things that were absolutely hilarious that happened on that season that didn't actually make the cut. But that was one of them. I mean, Volk was a while. The whole coaches stuff. Craig Jones, You know what I'm saying?

He's a funny guy.

You know what I'm saying? Young Kobe, Big Wood, the whole coaching staff, they're all a fucking riot. So there was a million things that happened that season that didn't make the air. That really blew my mind. I was like, there's no way you all shouldn't have put that on TV. You know what I'm saying?

But whatever. Yeah, I still think, humbly, that we did the greatest prank ever. You probably didn't see it, but we had four in a synchronized attack, four sledgehammers through the walls of Jason Miller's team. You stuck fire extinguishes through the holes, four fire extinguishers, blasted them all, the entire team. And then when they were freaking out, we sent it a mariachi band that we'd I had in Vegas. It was absolutely hilarious.

I watched that live. Oh, you did? Yeah, I watched that when it came on. Hell, yeah. That was a good tough guy.

Bro, I have never laughed so hard in my life. I was dying. I was dying. It was good stuff. All right, listen, I don't want to take up too much more of your time. North Carolina, that's where you're from, right? Yes, sir. My wife is obsessed with us moving to North Carolina. She's googling all these places because in her mind, it's the perfect... She's never been. She's never been. She has no idea what to expect. So we're doing research, and we're going to go visit it soon. But if you were to suggest to an Australian woman that's lived a lot of life in California California and England to move to North Carolina, where would the place be?

Weddington. Weddington, North Carolina.

Weddington?

Weddington, North Carolina. Yeah. What's so good about it?

She wants mountains. Okay. She wants mountains? She wants land. She wants a farm. She wants forests. She wants lakes. I'm going to have to win the goddamn lottery for everything she wants.

You can find all that. But I think the reason I say Weddington, one, Weddington, you can get three of those four things on on your property, but it's close enough to the mountains that you could go to the mountains, but it's also close enough to Charlotte that if you need to go to a city, you could go to a big city. So Weddington is about 30, 40 minutes away from anything you want to go do specifically, but it's country enough that it's like, yeah, you can have some land. You know what I'm saying? You can have a backyard.

And is it like... Because I'm going to need a couple of bars. I'm going to need some restaurants. I'm going to need a little bit of people watching. There's a bit There's something going on as well.

The downtown Weddington, downtown Waxaus is popping off right now. You know what I'm saying? Let's go. Like I said, it's close enough to other things like downtown Matthews. I stay over in Matthews, which is right next to Weddington, in between Weddington and Charlotte. So, yeah, man, North Carolina is popping. Kenny Florian moved over here. I know. Chris Wyman, he's out. Chris Wyman, he's out here. In fact, I'm at the strength and conditioning spot right now. I think he's going to pull up anytime now. You know what I mean?

But it- It's a hotspot for talent. Listen, I won't keep you too much longer. Real quick, Kevin, you say, of course, you're going to get the win. Ideal world, what happens?

I see a lot of opportunities. I see opportunities for a quick finish, but I don't think it gets out the second round. You know what I'm saying? Unless something crazy happens, there's no reason why he survives 10 minutes with me. You know what I mean? In any way, shape, or form. Whether it goes to the ground, my grappling has been really sharp lately, whether it stays on the feet, you know what I'm saying? I see holes in his striking game. So I'm getting them out of there within, too, for sure. I could see avenues to getting them out of there in one, but for sure, too.

Okay, well, listen, best of luck with the rest of training camp. I'll see you out there in Paris. Enjoy the fly, enjoy the croissons, enjoy the time difference. Reference.

And then when you move to North Carolina, we'll get some training in. You know what I'm saying? Let's go.

100 %. I'm going to get some working with the butcher. Brian, you're the man. Thank you for your time today. All the best with everything. You take care, buddy.

Yes, sir. You have a good one.

I knew, bud. There he is. There he is. Harrodne Bone, did you run off for a pee while I was gone? No. Whilst I was working here tirelessly after recovering from surgery?

No, that was the notification that I was getting my charger earlier.

You're a liar. Brian even put it in the chat. Harrington is peeing.

Yeah, he said I was going to pee. All right. I didn't know what he was doing. I just saw him walk away.

Well, I'll tell you what we're doing right now. We're just going to go to a quick commercial break. Khalil Roundry coming up. Don't go anywhere. 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. So Supercharges, 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're 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 rubber, not cash. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors. Com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. Exclusions do apply. I'm just back. Never mind you peeing. I just sprinted like a madman to the toilet. I sat here for a second. I'm like, I need to pee.

I've got to go. I got to go. That was fast.

That was fast. Dude, I was your little window and it was just an empty seat and we had this much left in the ad. I was like, Oh, man, I'm going to give it to him. So good.

No man alive should be doing a podcast, A, when they need a pee, B, when they've just had surgery, and three, when they're on phoning pills. I'll tell you that right now. I am just about keeping this together, guys, but I think we're doing all right. We're doing all right. Brian Battle. I did. I sprinted, man. I sprinted. Deep breath, everybody. Are you an Oasis fan, Harrington?

I mean, who is it? If you grew up in the '90s, I feel like it was just the background music to every movie and TV show you watched.

Were they a big deal in America?

Oh, yeah, for sure. I remember it was my freshman year of high school, I think I discovered Oasis, and it was just like, All right, that's in heavy rotation for the next month.

Yeah, I mean, they did some great music. I was a big Oasis fan. I always labeled myself as from Manchester. I'm from Clithero, but the nearest city is Manchester. So I always said Manchester, certainly on the ultimate fighter. No one's heard of Clithero still to this day. And everyone always used to say, Why didn't you come out to Oasis? Definitely, as opposed to Blur, which is the song that came out to Blur's song, too. And because Blur and Oasis, They hated each other. So it seemed like I was picking aside in that battle. I wasn't. Anyway, where I'm going with this is everyone's probably seen the news by now. Oasis. Apparently, they're getting back together. They're going to do another tour. Hopefully, I get to go to that. I'm not counting any chickens, though, because you know how this works. You know what I mean? All the tickets are going to be ridiculously expensive. They're all going to get bought up by scalpers. All the real fans are going to suffer and sacrifice. So I think tickets are going to be absolutely sky high. Brian.

And who knows what's going to happen with the actual show? I don't know if you've seen this, but a long time ago, there's theater shows of Noel sitting in the audience, heckling his brother. Oh, really? They were beefing. So he was like, Fuck this. I'm not playing. I'll go in the audience, and he just heckled him.

Oh, yeah. And that's what I love about the Gallagher brothers, mainly Liam. Liam Gallagher is absolutely hilarious. I go down rabbit holes sometimes. I'm just watching Liam Gallagher interview. Brian, I sent one to you, and this is a classic. This sums up every time someone wants to go for a beer. This is great. You're coming out for a beer and you're going, I'm trying to be good. And he goes, Just come for one. What is the point of going for one? You know what I mean? They just try to pull the wall over your eyes, aren't they? You know what I mean? Whoever has one. I'm going to get up I'll put my clothes on, meet you in the booze, all right, man, how's it going off? Your dog died. No, you got to listen to that. And then you have the beer and that is it. If we're going out, we're going to go out, we're going to have 100. You know what I mean? Yeah, we're going to have 100. No, we're not going to have 100, but that is it. No one ever... That is the biggest lie when the lads say, Come on, we just have one.

Come on, come and have a beer. Fortunately, these days, I can do that. But when I went to the pub when we were younger, there was no having one beer. Absolutely no having. Why are you shaking your head? You don't drink.

No, but I do understand the notion. I mean, I used to drink there. You don't not drink unless you used to drink a lot. It's a thing where it's like, I might be going out for one drink with this guy, but I'm going to see this guy there, too. I got to have a drink with him. And before you know it, it's 2 AM and the place is closing up.

Yeah, Rebecca used to hate me because on a Friday night, I'd go to work. We'd come straight out of the factory. We go across the road to the pub. It's Friday night, end of the week, just a few games of pool. I'm just winding down with the guys. I'll be home at 6:00. Okay, cool. She goes, Right, well, I'm making dinner. I said, Yeah, no worries. No worries. And then I'll be like, Oh, sorry, babe. I'll be home at 7:00. She goes, Right, but you're definitely coming home. Yeah, I'm coming back. And then it's, I'll be home at 9:00. What is going on there? What are you getting handed?

A baby just handed me a Snorkel. Don't pay it no mind.

Jeez, Louise. Anyway, before you know it, I'd stall in at 2:00 in the morning, and she would just be pissed. The old classic one. What's your favorite Oasis song?

Probably I don't know. I'm not smart or good. I don't like good G-Cuts of anything. No. Wonderwall is a great song. It's a great song.

Wonderwall is a great song. Champagne Supernova, that's a good one. Tom Aspenal came out to Rock 'n' Roll Star. I think that's what you call it. Oh, yeah? For his last fight. But he came out to the opening part to it, and before it actually kicked off, your baby is really trying to get in on this show, isn't she?

Oh, yeah, desperately. I'm not paying her any mind, I'm locked in on you. What are we talking about?

At what point do you give Aurora just a little tap on the hands? Never. You got to do that. You got to draw these boundaries.

No, you can't hit your kid.

That's not hitting.

You're only five on the wrist.

It's like we discussions. They got to learn yes or no. When I'm speaking to Michael Bishman, when I'm on the podcast, no one alive or a baby gets in the way.

You don't hit him, Mike. You shake him a little bit.

Just a little bit. Just a dad. Mr. Bloody sensitive on getting It just kicked off YouTube. My God, when it comes out with that one. Sticking with the UK theme, you sent a video to me of some guys trying ribs for the first time, and you thought it was absolutely imperative we played this on the show.

Well, I mean, this is a seminal moment in every British man's life when he finds out what good meat actually tastes like.

What's going on? I know you're from where you're from.

We're foreign.

What are we doing?

We're going to stop with the knife. You don't need a knife?

No, you pull it apart with your hand and listen, hold up. You take your fingers and you lift it up and you eat it. Not with a fork. Okay. Absolutely.

Sorry. Enjoy holding your food and eating it like that. I love eating with that.

All right. Thank you so much. Okay.

I'm sorry I let it get that far.

No, no, no.

That's fine. I'm going to say completely. We're not used to meat being soft enough to just rip it apart without a knife.

That's not normal. Cheers.

Cheers to the best ribs in America.

Oh, my.

Yeah. Gosh. Thanks, Brian. We don't want to watch them two just losing their minds over ribs. I will say this, though. You guys do do some good barbecue. You really do. There's other countries do good barbecue, Australia as well. But yeah, when I came out here, the barbecue game definitely got massively, massively improved. You're muted. This is a classic. You're still muted. Say something.

There was a screaming baby, so I had to hit the mute button. She got kicked out and she's not happy about it. No, I mean, there's different styles, too.

The baby is still screaming, though, but go on.

She's on the other side of the door trying to get in. I mean, there's Carolina barbecue, there's St. Louis. There's obviously Texas barbecue. It doesn't matter what city you're in in America. I would say it's a coin flip whether or not they got good barbecue, but it's a different type you're going to get based on what region you're in. For a foreigner, whenever you come to New York, try the barbecue, man. That's what we got.

It's what we do well. You're going to go to the barbecue. Kaleel Rountry Jr. Joins the show. Khalil, how are you doing, brother?

Good. How are you guys?

I'm good, man. I'm good. We were just discussing barbecue in the United States of America. Are you a barbecue fan?

Yeah, I do like a good barbecue, for sure.

What do you go for?

I'm a brisket guy. I really like a smoked brisket. No sauce or anything. Just give me some good reasoning and some smoked brisket, and I'm good to go.

That is delicious, especially when you're training for a fight because lots of protein, low carbs, have some nice sides. If you're picking sides, what do you usually go for? I do coleslaw and beans.

I know that this is not very barbecue, but I'm always a French fries on the side guy. If I go to a barbecue place and they got some type of potato, a fried potato or something, whether it's tater tots or French fries, that's always my go to. If not, then... Yeah, I mean, maybe a mac and cheese.

Yeah. Well, anyway, who cares? You didn't come here to discuss barbecue. We were literally just Just chatting about it there. Khalil, first off, congratulations on all your success. You've had quite the length of the UFC career now. You've been in here, a part of the show for a long time. Congrats on everything. And of course, congrats on the title fight, man. This is absolutely huge. How did this all come about?

Man, first off, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, it's been a hell of a journey in the UFC, and I'm very happy to finally be in this position. So it came about just a random phone call from the UFC that I wasn't expecting. Yeah, I got a phone call in the middle of the day, wasn't having the best day. And yeah, they were just like, okay, well, something to make your day a little bit brighter. How about you fight Alex on October fifth in Salt Lake City? And I obviously said yes immediately. And Yeah, life's just been crazy since that phone call.

Yeah, no, I can imagine. I mean, it changes everything, right? You put your life into being a mixed martial artist, and now here you are in the position that we all dream of being. So how do things change now? Because you take yourself seriously, you train very hard, you have the fries with the barbecue, but generally, you're always pushing hard. How do you level up from what you were already doing?

I'm not really sure that a lot of things changed. I think the reason why I've been on a streak and things like that is because I've changed just my lifestyle in general. So even if there's no fight booked, I'm training as if there is because I've had my eyes and my heart on fighting for a title soon. And that's just how I've lived my life, I'd say, for the past three years now. As soon as I came back from Thailand, I made the commitment to myself that, okay, if I got to go back to the United States, then I'm going to make sure that I dedicate everything that I have to becoming the best and really reaching the pinnacle. So nothing really changed other than like, okay, now we have an opponent, and it's just time to get dialed in for this moment and for this person.

Yeah, I'm glad you When you brought up Thailand there because I've spent many months out there training, so I know what a special place it is. But for you personally, if you wouldn't mind sharing with everyone, what was it about going to Thailand that just changed your approach to training and preparing for a fight?

Well, I think when I first started MMA, the martial art that intrigued me most was Muay Thai. And I did my best to learn Muay Thai here in the States. I got to learn a version of Muay Thai from guys like Vanderlay Silva and that era of shoot the box Muay Thai. Very different. But I've always been a fan and always been intrigued with Muay Thai. So when I got there, I got to see it for what it really is. And I got to be in the presence of young guys who are younger than me who have had 500 fights, 400 fights, just so many. And I got to see their lifestyle and what it means to really be a Muay Thai fighter. And so their lives are very simple. They live in the gym, they go, they run, they eat, and they train, and that's it. And then for fun, maybe at night they go to the night market or they just spend time around each other. And it really just gave me a different perspective of fighting in general, even going to stadium fights and seeing that these guys were pretty peaceful. They're warming up in the same locker rooms.

They're showing each other respect in the back and even after. So I got to see a different side of fighting that I identified with because I didn't think that it always had to be this I'm violent. I'm pissed off at my opponents, trash talking type of thing. So when I got to see the martial art that I loved performed at its purest, I think it did a lot for me internally. And I did everything I could to step into that and to embrace that and to embody it and be able to take what I learned from that culture and implement it into my fighting style and what I do in the cage.

Yeah, with that question. And I'm sure there was appreciation as well, because we're competing in the UFC, living in the United States. Life is good. We're making a good living. And I've been there. I've seen it first. And these Guys, they're not making a lot of money, and they're fighting week after week after week for an absolute pittance. And they're making so many sacrifices and training so hard, and they're doing it, A, because they love, and that is literally how they're putting food on the table because that's an expression that gets thrown around too much. But that's what they do to put food on the table.

Yeah, 100 %. And like you said, it is very passion-based because the pay is so low for a majority of the fighters there, and there are so many fighters. So it showed me like, yeah, they are doing this to put food on the table, but win or lose, these guys are happy. They're happy to do what they love to do and to just really embrace like, I am a Muay Thai fighter. This is what I do. This is the path that I chose. And it's really humbling to see, man. It's humbling to see that, yeah, these guys are doing this for low pay and mostly for passion. So it was a lot. And I think also just being around the culture of Thai people, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that before I went there, I was striving for a lot. I wanted the big house and the big car and you know what I mean? The fancy things. And then the people that I met there that embraced me showed me that there's so much more to life than having the new and best things. I met people who cooked food in their front yard and didn't even want new furniture.

They were just like, no, I'm happy with what I have so long as I get to do something that brings happiness to the people around me. And so immerscing myself in that I think it really made a huge impact on my being, for sure.

Yeah, that's the trap of the Western world, sadly, isn't it? Last thing on Thailand, what part of Thailand were you in and where did you train?

I initially I went to Bangkok, not the outskirts, but I wasn't in a very tourist area of Bangkok.

Ram Campaign, by any chance?

No.

That's where I was. I went to a part of Bangkok that had It's like you said, no tourists whatsoever. I had to learn the most basic Thai language to be able to just get around there. I remember jumping in taxis. I learned, which is straight on, side, left, kua, right. I would jump in Yeah, I jump in with a skinhead back in the day. Just jump in, jump high, jump high. And looking back in their mind, they're like, Some crazy English guys just jumped in the car and just going straight on, straight on, straight on. And I would direct them. But it was fun to immerse myself into that culture. But sorry, go on. I just had to share that.

Yeah, no. So I was not far from the Grand Palace. So that's very central. We would wake up in the morning and go run our laps around the Grand Palace. So not far from there. But yeah, very similar experience. It's just like I learned how to speak enough Thai to take my taxi, order my food, just converse with the locals a little bit to show them, Hey, I'm giving some effort. But yeah, I was in Bangkok. And then when I had... For the Eric Anders fight, I went over to Phuket, to Tiger Muay Thai, because they had more MMA guys there. In Bangkok, I was living in the Muay Thai gym there, and there wasn't enough MMA training. No MMA training at all. So when I did have fights coming up, specifically the Eric Anders fight, I went down to Phuket, where there would be a little bit more MMA.

Yeah, no, it makes It makes sense. Right. So sounds like the perfect place to be training for the last however long it's been to take on Alex Pereira. This man's come over. The big story is that he can't grapple and he doesn't need the grappling. He's knocking everybody already out. He's taking over the sport. He's one of the biggest stars, a champion of two weight divisions, defended the belt multiple times. How do you feel coming into this fight? Do you feel that this is almost destiny, that you've been out there perfecting this craft, becoming a new version of yourself, and then now you get to test it against Alex Pereira? This is like something from a movie.

Yeah, it is something from a movie. I'd say, man, every time I answer this question, I'm very happy. This is such a good fight and a good matchup that I'm looking forward to. I think not only did I spend time in Thailand, but I've always been a striker in my whole career. People know me for the same thing. So I think that a fight at this magnitude against a guy with his accolades, I couldn't ask for a better fight. I I couldn't ask for a better fight stylistically. I couldn't ask for a better opponent. So I'm just really grateful, man. I thank God every day that I'm in this position and that it gets to happen the way that it does.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but the stat is correct that Khalil Rountree Jr. Has never attempted a takedown inside the UFC.

Yeah, not one.

And this ain't the fight where it's going to start.

No, no, no. I have no intentions on shooting any takedowns or trying to take what people would consider the easy route. I'm here to Honestly, I want to put on a fight to remember. Because for me, this is a fight that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life, and this is a moment in my story that I'm going to remember. So I want to do the same thing and deliver the same thing for the fans. I want this to be one of those fights where people talk about for years to come. Hopefully, the both of us do enough in our careers where this fight can make the Hall of Fame, something like that. So when I think about this fight, I think about something that is pure entertainment for the fans and for ourselves that him and I both get to really just put on our best performances against each other.

So I really respect what you're saying there. But what would you say? Because if I was coaching you, I would say, Khalil, that's all well and good. But this is about becoming champion of the world. This is about legacy. This is about you reaching the ability and reaching the pinnacle of the sport and doing something that other people don't get to do. So let's take the path of least resistance. Of course, you can go out there, you can use your Muay Thai, and you can have moments of that, and you can put on a blood sport-esque type of battle. But let's work on some grappling as well. Let's grab that single leg. We saw the takedown defense and the grappling ability against Israel at a time maybe wasn't the best. So let's expose that as well. What would you say to somebody that would say that to you?

If it were my coach, I'd say, Maybe I need to look for another coach, man.

Wow. Really? Yeah. Yeah.

Wow. I mean, it doesn't make sense. I'm not a wrestler. Yes, I'm a mixed martial artist. I'm able to do a lot of different things. My grappling is good. My wrestling is decent, but that's just not me. That's not my instinct. And so why would I put myself in harm's way to try to secure this victory when that's just not me? That's just not my style. So it would just show me that if my coach were telling me, Hey, this is the way, I'd be like, Man, then who are you coaching? Because this has never been the game plan. So why at the height of my career would we switch everything that we've ever done, you know what I mean? To try to secure some victory. Where's your belief in what I do? So it makes me question my coaches, if anything. Not that I would immediately say, You're fired. But I wouldn't just say, okay, oh, yeah. No, there would be a serious discussion around that topic. And like, guys, let's be real. Why, in 10 years, 11 years, however long I've been with the UFC, if I've never attempted a single leg or a double leg or a takedown, why now at the height of my career?

Why not just do what we've been doing? I do realize that it's an important moment. And yeah, I'm having a chance to reach the pinnacle and win the belt. But there's also ways of going about it that I can still stay true to myself and the victory be a lot more meaningful.

Khalil, I got to say, I respect that answer so much. I truly do. I mean, I was just being jovial saying that, but what you said there, it makes so much sense. Why would you change what's got you here in the first place? And the fact that you stand there that's so strong-Go ahead.

Yeah, there's no... I don't want to I don't want to get things wrong and say, Yeah, it's impossible. I'll never do this, because in fight situations, things happen. But for me, it's not necessarily a part of my plan and my strategy. And I'm not spending hours trying to figure out the best takedowns and things. Like I said, I want this to be a memorable fight. And if there comes a moment where I just instinctively have to dive or something, then so be it. But was it planned? Absolutely not.

Yeah, no, without question. So Alex Pereira, it is a big fight nonetheless. So what do we do from here on? Of course, you've got all your training partners and your coaches. Are you trying to find taller guys that are maybe going to fly in some kickboxers to try and just have the best training possible?

Definitely. Whatever it takes to have To have the best training partners. My coaches are doing a great job at just staying on point with things that we need to work on, habits that I should fix and vice versa. My training partners are giving me their absolute best on a day to day basis. I have a very strong and supportive team right now. I think everyone who's involved in my camp knows how long and how much I've wanted this moment. So everybody is fully invested. And I feel very good about the people that I have around me right now What's the guy called from Glory?

He's one-on-one with Pereira, and he's making the switch to mixed martial arts. I forget his name now. I forget his name. Do you know who I'm talking about?

He was a chap. He's already in the UFC?

No, he's not in the UFC, but he's fighting mixed martial arts. He might be going on the contender. He's one on one with Pereira in glory. I think you might train in Vegas as well. No, you're not. Forget it. I'm not sure. Okay, it'll come back to me. As soon as this interview ends, the name will come back to me. But what do you think people have done wrong so far against Pereira?

What have people done wrong?

Or is it just a case of what he's doing right?

Yeah, I can't say that people have done anything wrong, really. I think that everyone has gone in there and they've tried their best, and he's had an answer for that. And yeah, so I don't think that there was anything wrong. I think anybody going in there, they know what to prepare for, and that's it. So, yeah, I can't be the judge of right or wrong. I'd I'm in a similar boat, right? It's not that I am saying, Yeah, I know everything right. No, I believe in myself. I believe in my skills and my abilities. And now I get to be the next guy to go in there and put it to the test. And if he has an answer for it, he has an answer for it. But I really feel good about myself in this one, and I feel good about the people around me, like I said. So I'm very excited, very excited.

Well, another person that feels good about you going into this one is Chael P. Sonnen. You must have seen this. He says that you are going to go right through Alex Pereira.

Thanks, Chael. Actually, I haven't seen it. I haven't seen it. I don't, especially now, honestly, Mike, I don't pay attention to what people have to say. I have enough thoughts in my head alone, so I don't really want to get caught up into the thousands of unsolicited thoughts and opinions around what's going to happen. I do appreciate that he has such high belief in me. It's nice to know, especially coming from a person like Chael. But for me, man, this is really a time that I am just taking time to really zero in on my own skills and not feed into the hype and not feed into the hate. Like I said, anybody who supports me, I'm 100 % grateful and thankful for the the belief and the support. And anybody who hates me, then I'm thankful for that as well. But I don't pay attention to what the headlines say, what the comments say. I'm 100 % focused on UFC 307.

That's it. And absolutely rightly so. One thing that I did, when I fought Anderson Silva, that was a guy that I'd put on a pedest for so long, and I wanted to fight him, and I worshiped him, and I still a massive fan. But when I was I was going to fight him, I had to take him off that pedestal. I couldn't look at him as the long-time champion that he was. I had to bring him down and strip him down to just an average man. Are you doing anything like that personally in your own mind, saying, listen, Prairie, you're just another man. We all wake up in the morning, we put our pants on the same way as everyone else, one leg at a time. Are you doing any mental training or mental exercises to help you in this fight?

I think the mental exercises that I do are just for my life in general. I think one of the things that you said is accurate is like, yeah, all of us are just another man. But I don't have any I'm just happy about this. I don't have to mentally psych myself up or create these practices to make things less or more than what they are. I think he's a great champion. I think he's highly skilled. I think He's intelligent. And I don't need to change that. I don't need to dumb it down to be prepared for this fight. I take it for what it is. And any mental training that I do, like I said, it's for myself and for my life so that even after this fight, I'm just in a good place and I can still continue to try to make a difference and inspire people who are followers of me and just continue to make a good career out of what I'm doing. So all my mental training goes around that to where regardless of any outcome now or in the future, that I'm okay and my mind and my heart isn't damaged from results of fights.

See, that is so beautiful, Khalil, because a lot of the time, fighters, and myself included, you don't appreciate or even enjoy the moment that you're living through because you put so much pressure on ourselves to perform. And it doesn't sound like you're doing that. You're just living in the moment and taking as it comes. All the best for the fight. Really, really looking forward to it, especially since talking to you today. Sounds like everything's going to be fantastic, and it's going to be an incredible matchup. Khalil, thank you for your time, brother.

Thanks, Mike. I'll see you soon, man.

Truly appreciate your time. Take care. Bye-bye. I mean, talk about a man that is absolutely dialed in. You stay dialed in because we'll be right back. We're about to go to an ad break, and I guarantee Brian's having a... All right, this episode is sponsored by Prizepicks, which is America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active members. Prizepicks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Unlike other apps on prizepicks, it's just you against the numbers. You just pick more or less on a two to six players' stat projection, and you watch the winnings roll in. Chicago bears, Caleb Williams. Football gets started again very, very soon. Caleb Williams, if he gets one yard, he will get you a win. So one Caleb Williams passing yard gets you one win on Prize week's Picks every week in September. That is right. Only one yard gets you an automatic win every football weekend in September. You can now win up to 100 times your money on prize Picks with as little as four correct Picks. Also, you got to remember, price pics puts their members first. All withdrawals are fast, safe, and secure.

With my Picks here, I can get my money in as quick as 15 minutes. That is correct. Download the price pics app today. Use the code believe and get $50 instantly when you play $5. That is code BELIEVE on price pics to get $50 instantly when you just play $5. You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It is guaranteed Guaranteed. Pricepicks, run your game. I mean, that's a tremendous offer. Go and download the pricepicks app. Use the code BELIEVE, play $5. You don't even need to win and you get given $50 as a bonus. It's All right. I mean, I tell you what, after speaking to Khalil, I'm excited for this fight. I tell you what, he seems dialed in. He's saying all the right things because as I said there, we put so much pressure on ourselves, and then we get stressed out. I used to go to the gym and I would... Sometimes it's going to blow your mind, Harrington. Sometimes I can be a bit of a dick. Do you know what I mean? And especially when I'm... I've been known. You're under pressure, you got the fight, maybe you lost your last one.

So the pressure is looming. But Kaleo just seems like he's just taking it all as it comes. He went down to Thailand. I think it's a five-fight win streak. He's looking better than ever, truly believes in himself, wants to go out there and test his style. I think this is going to be a real test for Pereira.

It's super active, too. I believe it's like those five fights have all been within the last two years or something like that. I mean, this guy is clearly on a on a trajectory. He's one of the most exciting fighters, and that whole have never shot a takedown stat, that's really all the UFC needs to do to advertise this fight. Hey, just so you know, just so you know, neither one of these guys has taken anyone down. This is going to be a bloody standup affair on the feet. And that response about firing his coach, if that doesn't fire you up, if that does not get you hype watching this, you don't have a pulse.

Yeah, because what I was saying was, when you're training for an MMA fight, we have jiu-jitsu coaches, we have wrestling coaches, multi-boxing, whatever, striking style, strength and conditioning. And if I was Khalil's wrestling coach, I'd be like, Listen, bro, you've got a good blast double. You've got a great single. How about we just try and blend it in a little bit? And he was like, I would fire that coach or at least have a serious discussion. And I understand why. He's like, No, that's not who I am. That's not what got me this position in the first place. And I tell you what, that speaks about the mental toughness and the strength that he has within himself, because that is not the easiest path to victory, but that's the one that he wants to choose and the one that he wants to pursue. And I respect that so much. And when I was talking about Thailand there, any young fighter watching this, I say it all the time, you got to go out and do some training in Thailand. You've got to go to Thailand, first of all. The people are amazing. They're so funny.

The place, the food is incredible. The weather's amazing. The people are fantastic. The martial arts training is next level. But when you go out there, your striking will improve. That's without question. But then when you see the sacrifices they make and what they're going through, it does, as Khalil said, it puts things into perspective in a major way.

I mean, you want to know a testament to that? I dare anyone watching this to sound off in the comments, tell me the fighter who went to Thailand, spent a significant amount of time there, and came back worse, whose UFC record did not improve significantly after. I mean, you hear this story at least once a year. One guy goes to Thailand and Stella gets his groove back, just falls in love with fighting again and comes back a completely rejuvenated fighter. So I'm so happy for Cleal to get this shot.

Yeah, Robert Valentin, who won the ultimate fight. Did he win or did he lose? I'm not sure. He fought in the final on Saturday night. He went out to Thailand and was living out there for a while, and He said he heard me talking about it on the Rogan podcast, and that's when he decided to do it. So that was very nice of him to bring that up. What's not so nice of some people, well, what's not so nice is what Aljimane Sterling is saying about Sugar, Sean O'Malley. I will allow you to read out the quote, please, Harrington, seeing as you isolated this one. You put it in the notes, and I've been talking for long enough, and I need a sip of water to rejuvenate my pipes.

Yeah. So he said essentially Sean O'Malley had a very easy schedule leading up to his UFC title shot. He said he only fought one guy in the top five. Split decision at that. He said that they gave him the Cehuto fight to soften him up for O'Malley leading forward, and that O'Malley was just getting put over despite having not really fought anyone.

Yeah. Look, listen, when you look at Sean O'Malley, yeah, there was a It was a definite progression. You know what I mean? It gradually got harder and harder. But that's generally what you see now in the UFC. Back in the old school days, you did win two fights, and there you go, Chuck Liddell or or whoever the case, you're fighting Cumbly or a big name or whatever. But now with so many fires, with the ranking system in place, remember, it takes a long time before you even get ranked. And then when you get ranked, there's a logical progression most of the time. And unless you're a big star and unless you take on someone on short notice and get leapfrogged from 15 to 6 or whatever the case may be. So I had no issue with Sean O'Malley. And then, by the way, when he did get a test against Pyori Yann, as close as it was, He won that fight. Simple as that. And then when he fought Aljamain Sterling, he knocked him out cold. So I like Aljomane, but he's coming across as a little bit salty there, if you ask me.

Anytime I read a headline that says he didn't have any good opponents, and it's from one of the guy's opponents, I'm just scratching my head there. Like, what are we doing?

What are you...

Aljo, come on, man.

Aljo is great. When I see him, I always enjoy interacting with him. He's great. But yeah, he's like, Bro, think about what you just said. You're basically criticizing yourself. But not here to shit on Al Jamain Sterling, but that one was a bit... It was a bit... But What do we say? Left field? Is that what we say? All right, we're going to go to questions in a minute, but is there anything pressing that we need to get to in your breaking news stories, Harrington?

So I thought this was interesting. Iliya Teporia gave an interview, I believe it was to I may fight him. If I'm mistaken on that, my bad. But he said he was asked, who does he look at? There's a fight between Aljimane Sterling and Mozart Evolev coming up, and there's a fight between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes. He said, Which one do you see as the number one contender fight? And Ilya Teporia said, Without a doubt, it's the Diego Lopes versus Brian Ortega fight. He said, That's just extremely exciting name recognition. I'm looking at that way before I'm looking at Aljo versus Movesar, despite Movesar being undefeated.

Yeah, hold on. Teporia. Oh, yeah, because Aljo may have come up to 145. Sorry. Movesar, I have Lowev. Tremendous fight. They're still undefeated. I guess just stylistically, The style that he has hasn't allowed him to go on a perhaps the bigger fan base. And if you're Elia Teporia, when you become the champ, you want the biggest matchups possible. I mean, if the UFC come to you and they say, Listen, here's two opponents for you. One that isn't particularly popular, but he's a really tough stylistic matchup there, who knows? Might beat you. Or there's another one that's going to play into your strengths. It's going to be a wild fight. On top of you may be winning, you're also going to get performance off the night. And he's really well known, and you're going to sell loads of pay-per-views. It's an easy one to choose. It's not that Ilia is looking for easier opponents, but I understand. Brian Ortega has been around top of the division forever. Diego Lopez is just absolutely flying and surging in popularity. I mean, it's just unreal how he's exploded into the sport of MMA. So that one doesn't... No surprises to me there at all.

Oh, go on then. I was going to say something, but go on. What are you going to say?

I was going to say I have a a shocking one, something that should shock you, I should say.

I am being shocked right now, but go on. I have a shocking pain in my throat, but go on.

John Jones saw that Tom Tom Aspenal, he was interviewed for a video. They asked him who the goats of certain things were. They asked him who the goat of ducking fights was. He said John Jones, and John Jones himself felt the need to reply in the comment section on this, and it has gone massively viral. In general sense.

Hold on. Who was John Jones responding to?

To the content creator, whoever posted this video of Tom Aspenal doing a silly thing in what looks like a chip shop somewhere in England.

Oh, really? I haven't I'm saying that one.

This is one of those quotes that you should read in self-censor, Harrington, because-Okay.

Yeah, I read this, and I don't think it's suitable for YouTube, Brian. Do you want to just read out what Jon Jones said? And apparently, I also saw this. It's already been deleted.

I was looking for this video all over the place and could not find it or the comment on it, so I can't confirm nor deny that. But yeah, probably. I would imagine this was something that was written at 2:00 in the morning. And then when you wake up at 8:00 to go to the gym, you're like, What did I do last night? What did I do in the morning?

No, listen. I mean, look, you're a world-class fighter. You're famous, you're a champion. You're Jon Jones. I someone of McGregor, someone of that level, you're getting scrutinized a lot. But we're also just human beings. We're just normal people. My classic one is, last Friday, I think it was, I sat by myself, I had a table for one in a restaurant in Vegas. I just flown in. I was commentating the next day, sat at the table, had a steak, had a couple of glasses of wine. Just a couple of glasses on, but I'm nice and relaxed. And I'm like, I can have a sit here and stare into the abyss like a weirdo, which is what everyone must have used to do back in the day. Do you know what I mean? Or I can bury myself into the phone. Now, granted, I could have done a lot of research for the fight, but I've done most of my research anyway. People talk shit about social media. It is a great way of passing some time. Do you know what I mean? If you want to pass some time and not look like a psycho, just sitting there like your raw dog in your plane, in a restaurant because you do look like a weirdo, or you could just bury your head in the phone.

So I'm doing a little Q&A. Do you know what I'm saying? You're answering, and you get a little bit silly here and there, and you say something, and maybe you think it's funny, or it maybe gets taken out of context. The The problem is if you're someone like a Jon Jones or a Connor or whatever, that stuff is going to get screenshotted in a heartbeat. But anyway, who cares? That's about it. As I said, it was going to be a shorter one today. If you're a hardcore believer, you're even lucky you got a show today because no one alive should be doing a podcast in this condition. I'll tell you that right now, but I'm glad that I did it. And Kaleel Rountree was amazing. Brian, just jump on real quick, buddy. Do we have any questions today or do we have any chats we I need to get to- I got a written question, and then I have a video question sent in by a lady who I have some receipts for some of her accusations at the end of her episode here, at the end of her question here.

But the first question we got is from Leo, and he wants to know what your guy's thoughts on Marab being the betting favorite three weeks out of the fight is.

Marab being the betting favorite against Sean O'Malley? Yes, sir. Interesting. I mean, I mean, you know more about the betting side of things. We can't bet on the fight as fighters. And to be honest, I'm not really too much of a gambler anyway. I never have been. But you being a degenerate, you being a guy, you being a guy, see this is the thing. Guys like you, you don't drink alcohol. So you get on your high horse. Guys, I don't drink. I don't drink. But you're gambling your family's savings away every weekend.

What savings?

Yeah.

Why are you out like, I have a high horse here? When do I ever cast judgment on people for drinking? I'm the, Hey, get two more, so I seem interesting, guy. I know.

I'm joking, Harrington. I'm joking. No, but gambling, the way that it works, is that probably because a ton of money is coming on Sean O'Malley?

No, it's the opposite, actually. So if more money comes in on a guy, he'll become more and more of a favorite. This fight, I think when it was announced, it was like a minus 110, even action on both sides. And it seems like a little bit more money has come in on Marab Disvalubili to make him the slight favorite, heading into three weeks out.

They're probably just looking at it stylistically, given the success that Marab's had recently. I I mean, it is getting better and better. The way that he beats Sahudo at his own game, outwrestled Sahudo, picked him up in the air, carried him across the octagon. They probably think if he could do that to Sahudo, he's got a good chance of doing that to Sean O'Malley. The problem is, is getting on the inside, it's getting to the legs of Sean O'Malley. O'malley understands the distance so well and the range game. And his footwork is just so beautiful, the way that it glides around the octagon. And he has that reach in that range. He'll lower his base, he'll fire out straight shots, jabs, right hands. He's going to be very economical with his strikes as well. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. So getting on the inside is going to be the hard part for Marab. However, once he gets on the inside, and listen, there's 25 minutes, he's going to have some success. I do think Marab, he's definitely going to test O'Malley. I do think once he gets on the inside, if he can get a hold of O'Malley, it's going to be really interesting.

Now, granted for O'Malley because he's tall, those guys are a pain in the ass to take down. They just start because you pick them up and then the other leg is touching the ground. So they've always got somewhere to base themselves. Dominic Cruz always uses the analogy. It's like trying to take down a table with four legs. If you pick up one leg, there's the three other legs, if you will, to hold it up. And that's what it's like. To all the guys, it's a pain in the ass. And of course, getting on the inside is going to be difficult, but there it is. It is what it is. Did you say we had to go on?

I was also going to say from a gambler's perspective, sometimes when those early numbers come out, there's a hard limit on them, and syndicates will go to bet them one way so that they can get favorable odds on the guy they actually want to bet on when the limits are higher. So there could be some messing with the lines there by some pretty powerful people.

Okay, so I'm just going to look at the quick chat now. Davy Vee says, Who is the better fight, Hamza or Ancalyev? I think, to be honest, Davy, I think the better. I mean, we've just seen more of Ancalyev so far, and he doesn't seem to get us tired. I'm just going to go through some of these chats. It is a live show. We're going to make it a little bit interactive. What about Max going down to 145? This is from Amberly Rose, going He went down to 145 after looking so good, if not better than at 155. Are we worried? We talked about this on Monday. I'm surprised he's going back down to 145. But sure, Max Holloway was never a guy that came up to 155 because he was getting knocked out. Normally, guys go up a weight class because those drastic weight cuts are so bad. But that's not what we saw from Max Holloway. He was just no longer the champion and took on a challenging fight in Justin Gagey, smoked him, and then earned a title fight. So it makes sense. Marab coming out clean. Let's have a look. We got any other good questions?

If not, it's just a lot of abuse, a lot of stories about Rebecca, a lot of comments about Rebecca. Tiger Monk, Tiger. I'm telling you. Okay, nothing too tasty. Brian, what did we have? Did we have a video question?

Yeah, we did have a video question. I believe she gives her her name.

Okay.

Hi, guys.

My name is Kristen from New York, and I have a question.

I've been watching UFC since 2018 or so, so not a veteran by any means.

But over the last year, I have noticed that there seems to be more fights that have been canceled. Some seem randomly canceled, fights that are booked and then rebooked, and It seems like there's more injuries.

It seems like there could be more training injuries.

Michael, you were just commenting a few weeks ago about how you're noticing there was three fighters on a card and that they all missed weight. You were talking about how you've never missed weight your whole career, and none of your appointments did either. I'm wondering if you guys are noticing these trends, and if you are, if you have any thoughts about what that could be about. I also have a comment. This is the fourth question I've submitted, and Brian totally doesn't pick them.

That's it.

Thank you. Bye.

Well, Kristen, her name's Kristin.

Her name is Kristin.

Kristin, thank you for your question. I will reprimand Brian off her.

Oh, no, no, no, no, questions over three years. The first one is, why is Dominic Cruise a D-bag? The second one had something to do with somebody's sexual orientation. And this is the first question she has given that was airable.

Yeah, we don't play those games, Kristen, but that was a good question. It's an interesting one. I mean, it was a long question. So basically, though, why are more people getting injured? Why are more people pulling out of fights? That's what she wanted to know.

Missing weight more.

A missing weight as well. Yeah, we touched on it recently. It's easy to sit there and go, Oh, it's this new generation, right? The new generation, not fighters of people. I'm telling you, I saw a story yesterday where now they're coming out with parental stress. Did you not see that? No. It's a real thing. And employers need to give people time off because of parental stress. Doctors are labeling it parental stress. It's like, Shut up. Get a grip. What are you doing?

I want to sign up for it.

Yeah, because you're soft. You got to deal with it. You have a child, you deal with it. You don't need time You have time off. It's not a medical condition, having parental stress. Yeah, you have good days, you have bad days. You don't get time off work. The new generation can be like that. No, I think because the sport has got so big, And it attracts so many people because the roster is so big as well. There's so many more fights on. I mean, it's probably something like 48 out of 52 weeks of the year there's UFC or maybe 45. I don't know what it is, but it It's up there. It's very high. Way more fights, way more fighters, way more possibility for injuries, for people to miss weight. I do think there is, regarding the missing weight stuff, I do think there is some people that maybe don't take it quite as seriously as others. I know there is people that think that they miss weight strategically to come in with an advantage. I have a hard time believing that. Dominic Cruz believes that big time, and he says, it on her. I honestly, in my heart, cannot think.

I just can't understand the fighter saying, You know what? I'm just going to miss weight. I'm just going to miss weight. I'm going to walk in, I'm going to be stronger. I'm going to be heavier. I'm not going to do a weight cut. Actually, now I'm saying it like that. It makes a lot of sense. But I just can't imagine not trying to make weight. So I just think maybe some people are making the sacrifices, maybe. And just because the organization is so much bigger now, it just seems like a much, much bigger thing than it used to be because it's more frequent.

Yeah, and it's like... But I don't know. I watched the guys in the tough house making weight five times inside of eight weeks or whatever it comes out to. And it's like, I don't hear about those problems there. So if guys who are hungry for a shot to get into the UFC can do it, what excuse could you possibly make for it?

Yeah. Well, the problem is as well is that sometimes people don't have the best coaches around them. Sometimes people give bad advice. Sometimes people don't make the necessary commitments that they need to make, or they don't make... They don't cut out the food, the diet, the running. Sometimes people are a little bit lazy They rest on the laurels and all the rest of it. And I, I am going to wrap this one up because I did have surgery, and I'm telling you right now, I feel like we can end this one here and we're okay. Because doing a show on pain medication like this, it's been challenging. It's been challenging. My face is puffy. I'm on all kinds of medication. I managed to hold it together. So no more topics, Harrington. We will be back on Monday with the Lionheart himself, Mr. Anthony Smith, who is taking on Dominic Reyes. You might have saw that. My God, it was like pulling teeth. It was like pulling bloody teeth. You would think he would want to give us an exclusive, but we'll be back on Monday with another show. Thank you all for watching, tuning in.

And Monday, I'm going to be better. Thanks again to Khalil Roundtree and of course, Brian Battle. Take care. Bye-bye.