The Joe Rogan Experience - JRE MMA Show #165 with Jiří Procházka

Episode Date: January 25, 2025

Joe sits down with Jiří Procházka, a professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jiri-prochazka Take ownership of your health with AG1 and get a FREE bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 AND 5 free Travel Packs with your first subscription. Go to drinkag1.com/joerogan Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using dkng.co/rogan or through my promo code ROGAN. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, [phone] or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT) or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT/OR/NH. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min. $5 bet. Max. $200 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: dkng.co/dk-offer-terms. Ends 2/9/25 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Joe Rogan Experience. Trained by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. Great to have you in, man. Great to be here. How you feeling? You must be feeling fantastic. Many things were successful, so even I like was a little bit had a flu Many things you had a flu before that fight. Yeah for one week like five five days

Five days five days before five week. I was in How to say that Heat like bodies fever Fever. Fever. Yeah. Fever. So yeah. That's crazy. That was, that was, yeah, that was something where I, but every time, maybe I'm a little

bit glad for that because I'm every time trying to push my preparation too much that I'm every time like hurt myself or I'm over trained. Right. So that's why I'm maybe just a little bit glad for that. That's interesting, right? Like it's so hard because you want to prepare so hard, you're so disciplined, so driven, but you can do yourself a disservice. You can go too far and then

you don't recover enough and then you go into the fight a little compromised yeah that's right yeah we've seen that many times with fighters who just get so enthusiastic about their training yeah I'm because I feel like self-confidence and still there is something what you can do better, yeah, every day. And that's my idea of the training life idea to go better every day, 1% better, 1% better. Even if you don't, if you can't train, you can sit in the meditation and visualize it, how you train, how how does bodies working mm-hmm sometimes is the most

biggest like The biggest thing what you can do is just Rest like like you show me the floating. Yes Yeah, you need one of those man if all All the people that I know, you need one. Sensory deprivation tank, you should get one of those. Because I know you're into meditation, I know you spend a lot of time in dark rooms. That's meditation times 100.

Do you monitor your heart rate every day to see what your recovery is at, or you just go by feel? Feeling. Feeling. Feeling. I did that in high altitude training in all the November in Mexico. Mexico City. Where is the two thousand three hundred two hundred meters? Yeah, seven thousand seven hundred feet above sea level I believe.

Yes and there I monitor everything like take a blood exams before, in and after this camp, four weeks camp there and man amazing, amazing. Well your endurance was incredible in that fight because that was such a high paced fight. And still I felt like after that flu I felt a little bit down. Well that's pretty amazing then. You must have been in insane shape before the flu. Yeah, it's that fine line, that balance. Yeah. Yeah, so you went to Mexico City. Did you know a gym up there? Did you bring your camp up there?

I was there in UFC performance Institute there. There's a new one. Nice man. Yeah, you have everything here. Yeah, the performance Institute like regeneration things what I took from the last fight with Pereira, to work on the hands up a little bit, just a little bit. A little bit. But we were talking about it in the broadcast, your hands down sometimes has a benefit. There's a real

advantage to it because no one sees where those punches are coming from. So for the people that don't know what I'm talking about. Not just punches, movement, head movement, head movement was excellent. Your head movement was excellent. And the feeling with the hands up is another one with the hands down. Because this is your natural posture. So you spend the most of the time in this. And it's about just feeling the space, feeling the... I can't explain to another person like this one, because when I am in, in the flow, like you want to be in the flow, in the fight, some between the flow and uncomfortable, somewhere in the center.

So when I achieved this attitude, that's why I don't need to keep my hands up because this for me means and for everybody, that means defending. I don't need to defend myself when I see everything, when I feel everything. But like I understand in this preparation where I tried, where I did all the camp hands up like this gives you the calm in a close distance. In a close distance it's not so sometimes it's not so smart to keep hands down. But I'm crazy enough to go through, to be in the moment, to stress my body so much in this situation, to see every movement, every start of the movement of my opponent that I can react before he starts. And the next level is to try to read the thinking

of the opponent, what he wants to do before he do that. So there is many levels of that. So, but sometimes I can't explain that. So there are many levels of that. But sometimes I can't explain that. Sometimes like in the second fight with Pereira, I was a little bit punched in the end of the first round. So I stepped to the second round and I said to myself I was too courageous and keep the hands down so that's why it happened. Right, you should have been more defensive maybe to recover. Yes, yes. One thing you said after that fight you said you have to evolve and one thing that I saw

in this last fight with Jamal Hill was evolution. I really saw it. You really see it. Like the counters, the head movement and the counters were brilliant. There's one that I put on my Instagram stories. It was so incredible. He threw a punch, you slid slightly out of the way, landed a straight left and then the right hook that dropped him, but it was so dynamic It was so fast and precise. I was like that's a different Yuri Prochaska like the your earlier fights

Were always excellent. You always had amazing power and very unusual movement very difficult to predict But the sharpness of your counters was on another level in this fight. That's what I worked on. Yeah. To be not just connect to the opponent and react what's happened right now, but a little bit be a little bit before what will happen. Yes. Well, you're definitely getting better, which is so fascinating. You know, you had a very brilliant approach.

You waited until you had reached very brilliant approach. You waited until you had reached a certain level before you entered the UFC. You could have been in the UFC years earlier. Yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right. Fitness isn't just about what you do in the gym. It's also about your nutrition. But even with the best diet, some nutrients can be hard to get, and AG1 can help fill those gaps. AG1 delivers optimal amounts of nutrients in forms that help your body perform. AG1 can help fill those gaps. AG1 delivers optimal amounts of nutrients in forms that help your body perform. AG1 makes foundational nutrition easy because there aren't a million different pills and

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their recipe to dial it in. This is all part of why I've partnered with AG1 for years. So get started with AG1 this holiday season and get a free bottle of vitamin D3, K2 and five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase at www.drinkag1.com Joe Rogan. That's a $76 value gift for free if you go to www.drinkag1.com Joe Rogan. Seriously, get on this. And I have to say thank you to my coaches for that because we worked on my style, we are consulting, like communicate about that style, what to make it better, how to do that. That's why I'm keeping my two coaches, what I began with, all the time with me. Because I think that's the only thing you can go to be a master in something, to stay

with some people, with some... Tight circle. Yeah, tight circle in some and go deeper, you can go really deep. Yeah. It's also, I value loyalty. Loyalty is very important. And this is it. It means a lot, you know, and when people worked really hard to get you to a certain level. What I like is there's some coaches that they recognize that maybe there's other skill sets they can bring in so they work with other people as well you know

but always stay with the people that brought as long as the relationship is good always stay with the people that brought you to the game. Sure sure because in the end you can you can change whoever but you you you have to start again with with the same people and go. And again, you will go to the same level, to the same problems with these people, because it's not about them. It's always about you to recognize what's in you. How much tape do you watch?

Do you watch a lot of film? Do you watch videos of fights? Yeah. Yeah. I was five days sick because before the fight so so I just watched a Spartans 300 Onkback I watch

Man, that's wild shit. Yeah, no wild shit, but I was really inspired. I was really hungry for to see something because long time I didn't see some good, not good movie. It doesn't matter if it's like good or new, but these old classics of the fighting Jean Claude Van Damme with kickboxer and all these things. That's what made a spark inside me to a true love for martial arts because in that movies they live that, really live that and they have no other chance to solve their their problems just just by martial arts and something so that's that's why I'm so you got inspired by movies yeah do you watch a lot of films of fight footage like your fights your opponents fights yeah yeah yeah but I don't need to I don't need many times to study that I

just need to like see once once I I just see the attitude like attitude of the start of the fight how he's fighting his how to say his spirit his mindset how he's thinking how is the start of moving of his body how is reacting for not just for opponent for the many situation for a slipping and movement but everything like a personal and studying the that guy knows energy just his energy his wife how is he always reacting how is react in in a in some situation like these eye pokes and all these things like some breaks in the fight every every time because it shows you how he have under control himself all the time all the time and this is something what Alex Pereira, I don't know what is his story behind,

but he handled that. He handled that and that's why he is how he is. Now he's starting to be more relaxed and I wish him to stay sharp. Well I think he's more relaxed outside the fight, but in the fight, he's always very calm. Very calm and very focused. Yes, yes. Did you watch your first fight with him before you watched the second,

before you have fought him the second time? Yes, sure, sure. I studied him a lot, but the second fight, I, I, a little push it too much. Too aggressive? No, no, no. I mean like training. After the fight, I was like, I want to experience after I'm ready for him right now I'm ready too but I'm open for for whoever will UFC will gave

me like like like a next opponent to prove that I am but I want a true challenge like I want a true challenge of from the I think top five guys right the interesting thing about the light heavyweight division is there's only about five really exciting contenders, four or five really exciting. It's not a deep pool of fighters that would be very interesting to see you fight. That's right because there is a, like I said today, there's a few guys who really have the taste, have the drive to go to the top. I want to go to the top.

I want to take it. I have the, I feel the energy of the crown and I can take it. So and that's why, that's why I'm, I'm why I'm doing that. That's why I'm still talking about that to be there. Because I really feel that I can be the top. And one thing what I needed is that I had to be stable. Stable to not just get to the top and back and out but to go to the top and know how it is to be there. Know to keep all these weights on the top. What therehmm What it would what there is? Yeah, defending the title is more difficult even than than getting the title And then it's improving while you're champion You know, they say that Daniel Kwame always says that every champion improves like significantly once they become champion because you have the confidence of being champion and it's just

How long can you maintain the kind of energy that's required to constantly get better? Because it's not just about maintaining right it's about constantly improving It's a constant and analysis of all your movements and and what you're doing right and what your mistakes that were made What the thought process was before the mistake and how to eliminate that. Yeah, this is something what is, like I said, the style of Japanese, they call that kaizen. Yes. Kaizen, like daily improvements, small improvements, daily recognizing what's bad, what's good. And sometimes I feel like it's like a sick, like to be upset, too much obsessed in that. Man, you need a little break. That's why I think the life gave me this little

break before this. A little flu. Was that why you came in so light? Yeah. Was that why? That was why. Because I was watching a video with Luke Thomas was going over your performance. Everybody was very impressed and he was as well. But one of the things that he was talking about was that you only weighed 208 pounds when

you walked into the cage. I thought I will do my best whenever go to the sauna night before the wedding and spend there and again I I change I switch myself in the sauna and I was there like for two hours oh no like 15 minutes 15 15 like many rounds right right right two hours there and do you do sauna cold or just sauna relax relax relax okay no no no sauna cold okay so and call back in the sauna yes sure and cold normally like the cold cold punch I'm doing that daily because I have the at home the cold punch yes I'm using that yeah they're fantastic. Yeah, but the fun is the second day after that and I didn't drink anything after the sauna and next day morning I went to do the

control weight and then I have, I don't know how to say it in a little bit, 91 kilograms. I'm fighting in 93 and a half and I was two and a half kilogram under my weight. It sounds like 200 pounds. So yeah, so I was the only one guy who was was in row to the weights waiting and I Tried to hide myself before other guys and I true drink what one liter one liter of the water secondly Just you didn't want to weigh in light because yeah, I would because I spent too much time in the sauna man Wow That's crazy because you only weighed 208.

Yeah, I felt really really like you look great. You look very lean and fast man fast you look fat like significantly. You've always been very fast, but you looked even faster. It's just all about this man. And well if you have the reason why and you can not just you want it like your ego just want it but you feel it like it's your destiny these moments and you it's yours so then then it will happen. So do you feel like maybe even the fights with Pereira are a blessing in that it showed you what you need to work on?

Every time it's, this is the only way how to, how I want to see that. Yeah. Yeah. especially the guy like him who's really top guy and his style, his mindset, what he showed till now was something what I needed to work on still. I'm on the way. Well his style is extraordinary. It's very unusual as is yours. But the thing that's shocking the most about him is that he only needs to hit you once. Is it much different, the power that you feel from him than anybody else?

There is a difference from other guys. Yeah, there is a difference from other guys. Yeah, there is a difference but only one thing I can say like I know the recipe. You know the recipe. Yeah. What's the recipe? What's the recipe? How to because you have to you have to know how to give the punch and how to act like to how to accept the punches how to move with how to move with it and how to overcome the bad moments and all these things but it's better much better to defend the punch with the hand or defend the punch with the movement. Did you ever watch any of his glory kickboxing fights? Yeah.

This is a good one to watch the Artem Vahitov fight. Yeah. Because Vahitov is very technical. I think he won. He won a very close decision. It was very close. It was one of those fights where you could call it either way. But he won he won a very close decision it was very close it was one of those fights where you could call it either way but but he won but he's very technical very interesting to watch him deal with the style of Pereira because Pereira is such an unusual way of moving like even the way like holds his hands up and looks different so do you you look different like there's only a few fighters that if you saw their silhouette I can go, oh that's Yuri Prochaska. I can see it right away. I know how you move, you know. And Alex is that way as well. It's like very unique

way of moving. But his, the way Vahitov handled it is a good blueprint for a lot of people to avoid the power and you know keep the volume on him. What was your original style? What was the first martial art that you learned? Muay Thai. Muay Thai. Yeah, I started in my high school. I started with karate because it was in a daily schedule. What kind of karate? Shotokan. And judo, there was two. And I felt like I need something more contact, more aggressive. So, not aggressive, but more potent. So I started with Muay Thai. The most potent. Muay Thai is is fascinating to me that this one island

You figured out how to fight better than anybody on the feet. Yeah, that's right. And a lot of it They did it through gambling. Yeah, that's a lot of it They're so into gambling that they had so many fights and then people just fought a lot and then they're like what works best And then they figured it out. Yeah, and right now after watching on back I'm just I'm just still realizing what is the what is the best style what is the best movements best deadly techniques what to do and right now after the watch the one back, I see the Muay Boran, right? Like my next chapter to what I want to see real, real like in Thailand, to see really

how to use that and how to, because I'm the man who's like taking the piece here, taking the piece here and making the piece here, and making... Combining it all together. Yeah, all together. So, have you trained in Thailand? Thailand, yeah. Yeah, just a little bit for like... three weeks there before the title fight with Teixeira. Then I was there for camp.

Yeah, Phuket. The... one of the greatest knockouts that you had was that Dominic Reyes spinning elbow, which is beautiful Muay Thai. Flow. Beautiful flow. It's like you just timed that out. That was a real coming out party for you that fight because that was when people like, my God, like this guy.

Yeah, always find a way yeah yeah when you first started fighting in MMA was this something first of all how old were you when you had your first fight when I was first fight in my 18 19 and were you looking at it as a career yeah yeah fright from the beginning were you looking at it as a career? Yeah. Yeah, right from the beginning. Were you looking at it to do, that was what you wanted to do professionally? Yeah. Right away?

Right away, yeah, from my, yeah, 2020, around my 20, yeah. You knew you wanted to be a championship fighter. Yes, yes, because that was something what I was too inspired by because I was a young guy who tried to challenge everything around himself, everything, every man, every situation, everywhere. I am better than this. I am better than this. And it may may not the school just just not in the school but I like the fighting I fall in love in with the fighting with looking for finding my biggest strength and that's that's the why I'm going every time to the nature, to sleeping in the mountains, to that's why I'm living in the cottage, to be in the contact with the nature, to feel the present

moment and rare natural power of the water, fire, of all these things, of the sun. of the water, fire, of all these things, of the sun. Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. When did you start this training in nature? Because when you look at your setup that you have at your place, and everything's outside, you put pads over trees, and you punch and kick trees. Sometimes it looks weird, but you know,

Yeah, sometimes it looks weird, but you know, wow, I don't like to... I don't like... Right now I realize I need to, I want to overcome the people, the men, the sparring partners in the training. But like in my personal way, I was inspired by once I was inspired by Masutatsu Oyama, who was the founder of Kyokushinkai Karate. And I saw his movie and how he spent more than one year, one and a half year in the mountains and he trained just in the mountains under the waterfall in the winter in the winter and he made from himself a really really something like unshakeable mind self-confidence so deep because he found a way how to overcome, how to rule his body, how to... he's describing that in his book like the mind without the thinking, like without the thoughts, pure mind, pure focus, pure

consciousness right here, right now. And I took that like my own way. And I think it was year 2014, 2015. And I took everything in myself. I took a tent, and I went to the mountains, and I slept there for just for like one week, two weeks, one and a half week. I was inspired too much, so I did the same thing. I ran there and I punched to the rock and yeah and I just want to fight with the environment

like with the nature around me and in the end you can realize there is no fighting, there is nothing, this is the pure life because this is the pure life because the life has the one reason to overcome everything around and survive, survive, survive and this is the nature what is in us hmm, so this is and as deeper you can go in this uncomfortable environment and all these things That deep you can

Understand the life and like be a philosopher about that like understand more life and like be a Philosopher about that like understand understand more deeply and I Don't know what to say. Yeah. No, you're saying it. Yeah, I understand what you're saying so that's why so I was inspired by the Masuda Tsuyama and that's why I Decide after the second fight with Alex I need to go to Japan to Japan to the places to make a black belt from Kyokushinkai karate and really feel all these things like realest realest not just think about that how it can be how

how is this style can be, but to live that. That's it. Because I like to take an inspiration and take it and go there. Fight that, fight that guy. Live that experience. This is it. This is it. Playoffs.

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gaming resources, see dkng.co.slash.audio. Well, you're obviously very physically talented, but I think one of the things that does separate you from other fighters is this mindset that you've cultivated and that you embrace. And I think it's also something fascinating about the fact that you do do it outside. I think that scares people. I think something about the fact that you like to be fighting in nature and punching trees like this because I'm coming like from from from from one village where was there a lot of like good guys but everybody we were we were we are still like really crazy when we are celebrating it's all the time about right now we are trying to slow down to

to show others like we are an adults like we know we are the man but still it's about like the showing the strength yeah how what's to what to destroy how to how to punch other guy how to how to show show the strength above others. So, when there was, when there started, okay, like I said, when on these parties started level of like, it was really, a fire and firearms and the cars and fire and it was not safe. Then I said, guys, okay, we are a man. Let's be mature.

Let's yeah, please. Yeah, take it down a notch. Because somebody could die. Yeah. Yeah. That's something what you what you have to realize. And this essence of looking for a strength, this something, this true madness,

like when I see this picture of that. when I see this picture of that and it remembered me that when I saw that when I came here. The JRE logo. Yeah, the logo. Yeah, and when I saw that it remembered me like, yes, go through, going through all the time, choose the hardest way and go through, overcome whatever and show you are the boss. And this is it. This is why I came from that place where we are trying to show each other this one and I trying to carry that energy and put it in the calm way to show it in the cage. And that's why the samurai ideas, the Bushido Codex helping me in that to show it. That's all.

I understand. And then you feel that in training in nature, and then experiencing the wild and getting it out there, it becomes even more pure because you recognize that all around you is survival. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you You are on the wave We're on the same wave. Yeah, so when what year did you start doing this training in the wild? like I said in 2014 yeah, like I was I started was inspired by by Masuda to OYAMA and

Then I realized it's not about the opponents man.'s about just your body just about rule your body how much you can you can rule your body rule your mind rule your emotions logical state of thinking yeah to find the way how to not overcome how to rule your breath because this is this is it this is the way and because this is the most primal thing of the body yeah first when the child is born like first his breath everything is like you can you can settle by by the breath in in the body not just by thoughts and over the thinking and thoughts is like a great surf but a bad boss. Yeah, really. So it serves you well but you can't let it control you.

Yes, so there's many levels what you have to, what you have to rule in your body, what you have to understand and put it in, put it in one way in the present moment. So you had your first fights when you were around 18, 19? And then how long, when did you decide that you were ready for the UFC and how did you make that decision? Because I do know that you were offered fights before, but you said I want more development time. That was in us somewhere in the center of between me in my sixth, seventh fight in

the rising. So around the year 2017 to 2018. Yeah, something like that. And yeah, I realized that, man, there is a way in the rising yet. Yeah, so I need Japan like yeah to to rule the rule these guys real really and Then I can go to the to the league of the best Because if you want to go to the league of the best better to be prepared for yeah, and no Yeah, I think that happens too often. That's why I can fight for a title in three fights. I think boxing has it right.

And in that boxing, they look at fighters, managers look at fighters as an investment. So if you are a manager and you have like Floyd Mayweather, you don't give Floyd Mayweather the best fight fight you can get him right away with the toughest guy you want to see how he performs with a guy who is an inside puncher a body body puncher who's a brawler you want to see how he handles a slick guy like Emmanuel Augustus with unorthodox movement you want to how's he handled Diego Corrales long tall reach and you build them with

fighters that you think, you got to know when they're ready. And then there's an objective assessment, okay, he's ready. Then you start moving him into top 10 contenders, then you move him to a title shot. The UFC throws you right to the wolves. Yeah, yeah. It's good to have these objective views. And if you, I like to be just a watcher of my progress, of the situation, think about that, how to plan it, how to see that not personally, just to see yourself as another person and Put it in in myself in a way where

Where it will be the best for these for these targets? Mm-hmm, and then go in and do that Yeah, yeah, and when you you had a very quick rise in the UFC to a title fight. So you fought, was Volkan Oztomir your first fight? Yeah. So you beat Volkan Oztomir, then Dominic Reyes was the second fight? Yes. And then bam, title shot. Yeah.

Crazy. So that's the reason to be so prepared. Yes. Because if you're successful, things go very quickly. That's right. You have to be ready. When you look at your first fight with Volkan Oztomir, and then you look at your fight with Jamal Hill, do you see significant improvement? With who? The first one. When you look at your first

fight in the UFC, when you fought Volkan Oztemir and now you look at yourself now in the most spectacular performance against Jamal Hill, do you see the improvement? Right now I can say yes. Yeah. Yeah, because there was a With the book as the mirror there was a just a pure raw power real raw the aggression aggression aggression, but not so Refined. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah So yeah, you can see the thing the fight man. There was there was just a pure Chaos fight man there was there was just a pure chaos chaos man I was too too too much sometimes is the self-confident like when you are too much self-confident

it's a bad thing yeah like because ego will took you to another another line and it will it will destroy you yeah it will burn you so you have to keep that burn that fire under control and to give the these these attacks these aggressive aggressive aggressiveness in just a small in just a small... to keep it under control just now. I like what you just said, that ego will take you to another line. Man, it's good to be... to have it.

We can't live without, in this world, with cooperation, with collaboration talking Relationships. Yeah, you can't live without but also you have to cultivate that in like so there is a two two worlds like Without in life so you have to go in Yeah, they have to be working together the mind and the ego have to be working together and the no mind. The zen. The strength. The flow. Yeah. And the ego will take you out of the flow. The ego will be like, I'm going to fuck him up and then boom you get hit. I like what you said though about it takes you out of the line because it takes you into a different line. It takes

you in a different line of fighting and then sometimes in that line you'll realize you're out of place you realize you're leaving openings that shouldn't be there and you're trying to force yeah good force yeah and power yeah yeah and good when you you said like when you realize that it's bad when you don't realize yeah sometimes it's good when you have the people around you to bring you back. That's why I'm sometimes really glad for my team, my people around me to keep me back. That's what's amazing about having a coach who knows you. Having trainers who know you.

They know where you're at. Like, come down, come down. Everything's great, but you're hitting the gas too much. Be a little more more technical move around more yeah yeah but not too much not too much not too much right because sometimes is that these wildness do it the aggression do yeah to take over like it's too necessary but well that's what I asked you after the fight I said there's something about you where you thrive you get better when it's chaotic yeah there's something about you where you thrive you get better when it's chaotic Yeah, there's something like it seems like you relish in the chaos of these wild exchanges Yeah, it's very because sometimes

Fighters like to piece people up where they're not getting hit like Jamal Hill is really good at that like the Glover to share a fight. He had a fantastic job of Utilizing his game and his accuracy and reach and he just put it on Glover. But they don't want to be in these wild exchanges. You seem to want to be in these wild exchanges because you thrive there. Yeah that's right. That's right and sometimes it's I don't know where is the keeping yourself and the control is going from sometimes it's going from the fear to be not hit sometimes it's going from to be careful for the takedowns and

but I want to be like fearless in that like to stay behind stay before the opponent and have no no fear no You can go as close you want, as close you want, and try to hit me and you will not hit me because I'm here and I feel you, I got you. So I can't explain it and I don't wanna explain it. I wanna show that in a fight. So.

I know what you're saying. When you, one of the things that we were talking about, Daniel and I were talking about when we were doing the commentary, was your head movement was so good. It was different than before. It was like at another level. What specifically had you done to prepare that made your head movement so much better? I have like a long time I I'm working on that like since my before I stepped in the

you know since my title finding now I really I really exactly know what what when I started to work on especially on that because I realized that this is my game this is really what's me and And it was around the title fight with King Mo Laval in Ryzen. So that was a title fight in Ryzen. And it's about the feeling the opponent, the feel the opponent, but not be but to not be how to say to not let this feeling to to to to push you in some way you know understand to to feel the space but still be calm be unshakable and you can feel the the then you can feel the the space around you the everything and whatever will move right now you will react for that and and naturally because you will feel the these all these things like yours like

yourself like everything is you and then then you can step to the level I'm everywhere because there is no different between me this this thing this thing the opponent but still but still and that's sometimes why I need to be, why I need to be a little bit hit to feel the aggression back to the fight. That was before the UFC. And I was needed to get hit because I need to, because I felt him, felt the movement,

felt the right movement, everything was right. But I also needed to be more aggressive, to want it to go through the opponent. Because I was too, how to say, too nice for them. To just show them I can sleep and I can move everything you can you don't you can't hit me but it this is not the fight the fight is to answer to get to catch him in in the right moment I said, to be everything, but still to not be pushed by this feeling like to be so nice, not too much aggressive, but something in the middle, still control that.

It's all about control. Balance. Yeah. I like what you said, like that There's no difference between you and your opponent Like you're not even you just in this flow of movement and life Yeah, and this thing you're you're choosing to do there's no difference in you and them. You're not you don't even exist Yeah, you're just a part of it all. Yes, and the bad is bad for fighting is when you really realized We are doing realized we are doing this, we are fighting each other and right now I'm going to hurt other person and you don't see really the difference between you and him. So you know you are doing to yourself.

But this is the game what we chose. And we are here to have a fun. So not just have a fun to live this experience. To live this experience and an extreme experience that will teach you about yourself like no other experience. If you want to learn about yourself, go fight. You really find out. You can bullshit yourself all you want until you fight. And when you go through a loss, like the losses to Pereira. What is your process like of like evaluating what

went wrong and how to how to change things? What's what's wrong? Yeah, like how do you what do you what's your process like what do you do when you when you lose a fight and then you come back like what is your thought process what do you say I have to learn I have to figure out what went wrong let me know after that last last the second fight. First time I can first time in my life, I realized that man, that was really like, I will not say what was that, how hard it was because I don't like it, but it was something what I didn't experience yet, not like till now. how powerful the meditation and this true self-talking with true how the true meditation look like because I have no other chance than the start stop stop doing a bullshit, stop doing just a pure inspirational training in the garden, stop doing all these things and start doing just things what really matter, can what have to a real effect how you can feel how you

want to be and yeah the power of true self-talking power of true overcoming the mistakes in a lot in in the life and be the boss of your mind because sometimes it's sometimes it's Yeah, it was it was the next level. Yeah, very difficult to recover from a loss like that but you yeah, because especially when you lost like That was that was bad. For me, like, how to say, like a man who likes the honor and all these,

all these coats, like from Bushido moral code, like that was something was for me really bad. He gotcha. Yeah, yeah. That's how it goes. Man, you say it like you can say it like that, but I really work on every, every move, every thought, every catching, every move in the fighting. And now this happened.

That was not me. That was really... It was me. But, man, you showed yourself your worst. Your worst to the world, man. But, so that's why... But then you came after that and showed your best so this is the thing about overcoming a loss like that is that I'm

sure it was awful but because of it the pain that you felt from it caused you to rise to another level that's what is life above yeah yeah I'm still yeah this is the challenge do you need the Tong Po. Yeah, no, no. That's right. And how I see this world, and this is what I wanted to speak with you. What is here right now the true challenges in this world, in this age, like in a human's life. What is there? Because how I see that, there is not too much thing what we...

Not too much, there is a lot, but still we can go right now, we have to go to another level because there is too much of the comfort life of the people because like that you can have the food, like that you can have a drink, a massage, everything. So there is no price, like I see, in the young people what they want to pay to achieve something, really achieve something. Because, yeah. They just want things handed to them.

That's it. Yeah, this is an entitlement error because things are very easy. That's it. Yeah, this is an entitlement error because things are very easy. And when things are easy, it's very difficult to develop character. That's why for young people, I always tell them you should choose to do something hard. Choose to do something hard for your human development. For you as a human being. Because if you just live your life in comfort, you will have a terrible life.

Yeah, I think... And only one reason, only one thing what I realized like maybe the one thing the step up will be like take us two step back and understand the true life. I think so. I think we'll realize that the people that live this way are living disastrous lives, and people will learn from that mistake because this level of comfort that most people have is very new historically. It's very new in human history.

There's never really been a time where the poor people were fat. This is a weird time. The poorest amongst us have no worries about About starving to death they're in America. They're fat. It's more common than not I think some crazy number of people in this country are obese. What was the number was like 60%? 60% of people are obese something crazy like that, which is just nuts and It's too easy. it's too easy to exist.

And I don't mean it's too easy, like you don't have to work and I'm sure everybody has to work and your work sucks, it's hard and you gotta get up every day. But physically, you have to do something to test your will and your discipline and if you don't, you're gonna have a shitty life. That's right, that's right, that's right. And you won't be able to control yourself

in situations that require you to stay calm I think right now it's up to Like it was in every culture up to the the old Older all the people to teach the younger. Yeah to real life to tell them Like the simply tell them the stories listen the stories yes live the true life man because we are forgot forgotten for all these things because we have the phones and this is the fake lives it's a fake life it's a fake life and it's bad for you it's bad for your development it'll hinder your potential

like whatever you want to do in life if you want to be an artist if you want to be a musician whatever you want to you want to be an author it will hinder your potential like whatever you want to do in life if you want to be an artist if you want to be a musician Whatever you want to be you want to be an author it will hinder your Development if you live the comfort life and okay, so yeah, this is it Yeah, and how you how you see the like in a 10 years in the 50 years in 100 years was the next step for the Right now I'm I'm trying to to lead you in some way but no this is your podcast I'm curious about that because I'm I'm trying to this is my this is my a motivation. The human evolution, the evolution of myself. How to fight better, how to overcome the opponent better, how to show him that I am everywhere and you have no chance around me.

Please, keep, hold your head down and tell the other I'm the winner. You know, this is like, yeah, my ego wants this, but the way to this, there is, but still, in some humble way, humble way, to show it like, peacefully, show it, show it like show violence peacefully yeah that's it yeah it was nice seeing you and Jamal Hill out after the fight having a drink together that was nice to see yeah I bought him the like my original drink, what I'm drinking, the vodka, vodka, soda, lime. And I told him like, we fight together, we drink together. Let's go. Let's go for that. Yeah, because man, we are

everybody we are, we are one in the end, there there is no enemy even if you even with your the baddest enemy of the world man it was a good life it was a good fight let's drink together let's celebrate together that's all was it cool was it cool hanging out with him that was that cool. That's something what I like to do with my opponents, whoever won, you win, you lose, whatever. That's great. It's always nice to see. That's one thing that people really do love about a great fight is afterwards when the guys hug. Yeah, but still, still, I don't like to speak about opponent in some way, in some bad way before the fight. And after fight, change it. Like, it does not exist. And right now we are friends and everything good, please yeah let's be honest you talk a shit about me talk a

shit about me okay so you are the motherfucker but doesn't matter let's drink together you are who you are I am who I am let's drink there but stay stay honest right man that energy man yeah yeah because that's that's why I like to keep Same word same attitude before the fight in the preparation and after the fight in the fight after the fight all the time like the same that's me Yeah, and I want to show me not me before and me after Right. There's a lot of guys just for the sake of promotion.

They talk a lot of shit and they're just trying to stir things up and make the fight more exciting by insulting people, insulting their families. Yeah. And it gets, it gets very ugly. And I think the audience turns on them over that. And one of the things that's shown with your success and your popularity and guys like Alex is that you don't even have to speak English.

It doesn't matter if you kick ass. It doesn't matter. You could talk all the shit you want, get everything hyped up. What really matters is how you perform inside the Octagon. When you perform inside the Octagon, like Alex has, like you have, it doesn't, there's no need for shit talking.

It's, people love you, and they love you just by the style of your fighting, and you're expressing your soul inside that cage, like who you are as a man inside that cage. You don't have to talk shit about someone's wife or all that crap. Yeah, that's why many people around me like my manager team tried to be more More focused for a promo and all these things and man

The fight will do the promo. This is the main thing of everything yeah, not selling these things these things, these things, these, these. The main thing is the... The fight. The performance. The performance. That's what kind of drives me crazy about when championship level fighters have to do a lot of promotion before the fight. I'm like, man, leave that guy alone. What's really important is how he's going to perform. If you want to promote it, have a bunch of people like me or Daniel Cormier or Chael Sonnen,

have people talk about the fight. Hype the fight up. You don't have to bother this guy at seven o'clock in the morning and talk to him for an hour about some fucking nonsense. Leave him alone. That's what I like on UFC. They are focused for performance. That's great. Every time. Leave him alone. That's what I like on UFC. They are focused for performance.

That's great. Every time. And no talking. Before one fight, other fight, no special promo before the... Afterwards, do interviews like right now. Afterwards, relax. But when leading up to the fight, the most important thing is that you're 100% prepared and anything that distracts from that should be eliminated. That's right that's right that's right and yeah and many many many fighters are yeah we are like focused for yeah. So there are things about shit talking that I do like and what I do like is that first of all it gets a lot of people excited about it

Which makes me happy because I want more people to watch the sport But also there's a psychological aspect, especially Conor McGregor He's so good at talking shit that he gets people so angry that like when he fought Jose Aldo for instance It's like no one had ever treated Jose Aldo anyway anyway other than with respect. He was one of the greatest champions He's an elite fighter. He defended his title multiple times Destroyed his division. Yes, but you could tell that all that shit talking from Connor had an effect on him emotionally And I think his ego made him go out of line So he ran right at Connor and tried to hit him. And Connor stepped back and cracked him.

He was so energetic. So now imagine if instead, if Jose Aldo fought that fight and dragged it into the fourth and fifth round and started using the leg kicks that he used on Uriah Faber and started like picking him apart from be careful in the beginning, but stay inside the game plan, stay inside him or fight the best of your ability don't get emotional and then that could have been a very different fight that's

right but that's the weapon the weapon of shit talking yeah and especially if you know how to use that oh yeah he uses it better than anybody he gets people so mad that's that's right that's that's right but, but still it's a big weight. It's a big weight what you need to, what you need to handle, what you know how to handle that. Well it's also that big weight weighs on you as well. It doesn't just weigh on your opponent. When you talk a lot of shit it puts extra weight on you. And that can get you out of line Yeah, that the part the additional pressure you might hear the audience boo. Yeah when they introduce you like oh shit

What have I done? Yeah? Yeah, that's right. Not everybody had these these these big self confident to to Mm-hmm to keep that yeah, it's um it's an interesting aspect But I don't like if I've had to choose one way or the other, I would say just fight. There's no need to talk shit. We should behave like martial artists. You know, my attitude about that is a true self-confident man, a true man who

overcomes and understands his body, his mind, his opponent's mind and body and and his mind don't need to that guy don't need to to talk shit talk shit to doesn't matter to to add to to to to crowd or to fear the opponent. Because why? I know that and all I don't need to make this show to anybody because I know it. I know what will happen. I have this self-confidence. So the thing about talking shit though. It does make you more money Because it does it does cause more people to pay like a good example of Someone who doesn't need to talk shit, but talks a lot of shit becomes successful is Gordon Ryan. You know Gordon Ryan Yeah, just you champion. That's his belt up there. That's his Abu Dhabi. Yeah, Gordon talks a lot of shit Yeah, and he's the greatest of all time. Yeah, and he still talks a lot of shit and he's the greatest of all time. And he still talks a lot of shit.

That's him. But that's also why he's so popular. Is because people talk shit back to him and there's a lot of back and forth on social media. The most important thing is to be him. To be not like to play it. To play it. To be true yourself right when you are like that Yeah, okay be a bad guy or or whatever, but just show yourself

That's it right who are you for real? Express who you are in there, and you might not even like who you are after it. That's right Yeah, so a lot of guys that aggression especially after a loss it leads them to a place where they're like I don't even like how I behave a lot of guys that aggression, especially after a loss, it leads them to a place where they're like, I don't even like how I behave, I don't even like me. Especially with the bad feelings of a loss. So when you have all this aggression and shit talking, and then a loss, and a bad loss,

and you have this feeling of like, I was an asshole, and I lost. And the crowd cheered when I lost. Fuck. That's the game they play though. That's the game, and this is something what is for me, I can't forget, like for myself, because I wanna show really true myself,

so I can't talk shit, and. Yeah, you've gotta be yourself, yeah. That's me. Yeah, you can't, especially now, if you try to be yourself. Yeah, that's me. That's yeah, you can't especially now If you try to become an asshole now, everybody would be confused Like what what's what's going on if you took a heel turn? I am asshole So So big ones, so I need to keep myself like so straight so I can't I

can't do that because Because that will be just Like I said eagle line. I will show you just this one line. No, I need to show you the center Yeah, you need to be pure you need to be you you with no bullshit and that's how you perform at your best So after a fight like this, there was a lot of spin This is I brought back to the Luke Thomas video He was saying like you could be a middleweight champion Like if you made to oh you fought at 208 like that's a lot lighter probably than Drekas du Plessis

Yeah, Drekas is huge. I look at him I was like how does Drekas make 185? He's so big. Have you thought about that? I know there was some talk about that. Yes, yes I thought about that but the main thing for me is right now I see the way in light heavyweight because I'm this one of the strongest guy in in this division and I still feel like there is a way in in light heavyweight and I said to myself like okay you can go to the middleweight but first show the consistency in light heavyweight take a belt then you can with a belt from light heavyweight you can fight for the belt from for middleweight. To be a double champion. Yeah. So yeah. Well you know it's interesting because weight

cutting is in my opinion the worst aspect of the sport. Josh Barnett was just talking about this. He was on the Ariel Helwani show and he was talking about the dangers of weight cutting in reference to Armand Sarukian's having to pull out of that fight. Armand is big. He's big.

When I stand next to him, I cannot believe he makes 155. He's very muscular, very dense and and very lean and so for him to make 155 it must be an absolutely brutal weight cut I gotta think he weighs 180 easy maybe more you know he's big and I think off when he's out of camp I bet he weighs closer to 200. I mean he's fucking thick man. Why so for a guy like why they do that Why do you don't fighting in? in in a Higher weight class in a highway well the thing is at that weight class

Islam Makachev is so fucking good, and he's so big He's another one you stand next to him you like how the fuck does this guy make 170 and he was actually talking about his first Fight with Alexander Volkovsky, and one of the problems that he faced was that the fight was very early Australia time so that it could be on pay-per-view in America. So he was getting ready at 5 a.m. So he did not have the time to recover from the weight cut from the previous day. So instead of having a full 24 plus hours,

so if you're weighing in at 10 o'clock in the morning now, is it what time do you weigh in? What time did you weigh in in Los Angeles? Eight. Eight in the morning. Eight in the morning. So eight in the morning, and then you have a full 36 hours plus before you fight.

Which is plenty of time to recover and rehydrate. But he did not get that with the Volkonovsky fight, and you saw it in his performance. He didn't look as good. And because he's fucking big, man. So I think weight cutting should be eliminated. I said this to Ari Emanuel when they first bought the UFC. I said, listen, man, you know what you should do?

Get rid of weight cutting. Just stop it. Look, if you can randomly test people for drugs, you can randomly test their weight. Show up with a scale. Hey hey buddy, step on the scale. You're 190 pounds, how the fuck are you making 145? You know, like do something like that. And come up with more weight classes.

There should be a weight class every 10 pounds. This idea of these giant gaps like 185 to 205, that's a 20 pound gap, that's huge. That doesn't exist in boxing So you should have every 10 pounds 85 95 205 225 and then unlimited instead of 265 Let them weigh whatever the fuck they weigh yeah He's got giant guys out there that can't fight in the UFC because they can't make 265 which is kind of crazy Yeah, right like Bigfoot Bigfoot Silva when he was at his prime when he was when he was saucy

He was like 300 pounds. It was fucking huge. So I like the way the open weights. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah open weight Not 265 let Francis and Ghana weigh whatever the fuck he weighs when he doesn't cut weight probably weighs like 290 instead of Having weight cuts just take the champions find out what the champion weighs. Like don't get rid of the championship belts, find out what does Islam Makachev weigh? Islam Makachev is a UFC champion, best pound for pound fighter on earth,

find out what he weighs. What do you weigh if you were healthy, if weight cutting didn't exist? Would it be 185? Okay, 190? Whatever that is, that's how you fight now And we're not gonna weigh you in the day before and let you rehydrate. That's crazy talk fight people your size Yeah, and and also the fights would be better because too many guys get depleted horribly by these weight like Max

Holloway said he would never make one 50 145 again after he fought Ilya to play Yeah, so I can't do it anymore because he had gone up to 55 he got thicker and then he went back to 45 He's just drained. He just wasn't himself. He didn't look good So I think that would be and I know this is not an easy thing to do But I do think it's just like getting steroids out of fighting when they brought in You saw that when you saw it came, you saw people's physiques melt. You saw people that were doing steroids on a regular basis and gaming the system and testing negative on the day of the fight, but all throughout their camp they were using,

you saw their bodies change. They had started looking like doughy and flabby because they didn't have any testosterone anymore. They had fucked up their endocrine systems. Instead of allowing that, they brought in USADA and USADA started randomly testing and a lot of people fell off. Great champions fell off. Guys like Vitor Belfort fell off.

Great fighters who when they were using were unbelievably good but then as soon as they had to be natural. Okay, so we realized that we're going gonna have to sacrifice some fighters for that. This is the same approach that should be made with weight cutting. Weight cutting should not exist. It's terrible for you. It's unnecessary. It's not necessary. It's just sanctioned cheating that we've done forever. If you're telling me that Alex Pereira, when he fought, is there a lot of sun yet? He weighed 185 one day and 226 the next day. That's crazy. It's crazy. It's not a slight against Alex because Alex is willing to fight heavyweight.

He's willing to fight to what he weighs. It should you weight cutting is something that exists It's it's sanctioned. They allow it to happen. They know what's going on and it's cheating. That's right They're not really a hundred and seventy pounds that guy's 195 He's depleted and dried out and then he's gonna swell back up again and he's gonna look huge the next day Trickers everything is evolving. So yes, they should evolve that because for the safety of the fighters for the safety of the fighters It's not good to dehydrate your brain 24 hours before a cage fight. That's right. It's dumb. Yep, but nobody's gonna listen to me Nobody listens to me Yuri. Nobody maybe after this. Yeah, I don't think they should even have cages I think it should be an open floor. I think it should be an open floor like a basketball court. Yeah. Because I think it was the best. Yeah. The

cage allows you to get up when you wouldn't ordinarily be able to get up. You could walk, wall walk. The cage allows someone to press you up against an unnatural object. There's a cage there. So you could press a guy up against a cage. Whereas if you were standing in the center, you could do Muay Thai sweeps, you could rotate around each other, there'd be more action, there'd be more movement. I also think if someone takes you down at the beginning of the first round,

at the end of the round, you're on your back, you start that second round in the same position. Yeah, you see that like, yeah, I have the similar of the fighting. First I thought like, why there is a rules? Why there is a... Eye gouging. Eye pokes is not allowed.

So I'm glad for after this last fight. It's not allowed. It shouldn't be allowed, but it's very effective. Man, yeah, but show all your weapon of your body how you can defeat this man. That's all. One against one. Yes, one against one. That's all.

And the minimal amount of rules possible. You know another thing that I think they should do, and I'm going to talk to Dana about this this week? Cover the fingers. There's no reason to have these fingers exposed It doesn't help anything. It doesn't help grappling you never grapple like this, right? You never you never use the finger. No, no, nobody does you do this Yes, or you do this. Yes, or you do different things with your hands, but you're still the

Still the feeling still the feeling I understand But the problem is the pokes because everybody does this because you're used to sparring with gloves on so I love the poll I books man everybody you will you know what will what will happen everybody will be more prepared for for I know for no for I pull for every possible attack for an eye because eyes is the weapon too for my especially I can I can speak about that because I'm using that like I see mm-hmm so I know what you're saying maybe maybe it's weird yeah man the problem is you don't want people to go blind like Michael Bisping can't see out of his right eye yep you

know and that I just I feel like for the sake of the athletes future... But everybody will took every fucking... sorry... every fight so seriously so preparation will be so... and every people in the crowd will watch that with the man in this fight there can happen something what after that fight we will not can nobody can change right right so we will like the fighters we will speak better perform better train better be prepared to die. Right. And not like just in our mind, just to die, to show the best performance, like I mean that like philosophically, like you have to stop thinking and be in the moment and all these things. Right. But like, but that's what that's we are right now speaking like about ancient fights, like about the fight for life.

Real fight. Yeah, real fight. No rules at all. Do you think maybe get rid of cups too and allow kicks to the balls? That's real. It's a real target. It's a vulnerability of the human body. To ignore vulnerability of the balls that's real it's a real target it's a vulnerability of the human body to ignore it sounds weird in especially in

this age of the full of laws and all these things yeah but that's that's how I am how I see that we are living in the age where the laws is for laws and the system is working. So we put the we have to put some some system on the fighting to. Right. So Eddie Bravo actually came up with an idea. He was joking around but he wanted to call it ultimate sack fighting where you were allowed to kick a guy on the balls and that your balls would be exposed So it's like when the balls are in play the game changes and then the idea was that like your balls are so vulnerable

But yet you cover them like a tie cup, you know Yeah, and that if he didn't if the balls were hanging out like your chin is hanging out that it would change everything Yeah, he was just joking around was very funny that the guy who would win would just have iron balls. But nobody has iron balls. I mean, the human body has, the eye pokes and ball shots, bizarre vulnerabilities. You didn't saw the monks, how they kicking. I don't understand that.

I think they're just hitting each other in the taint I think their balls are tucked up I think otherwise it doesn't make any sense that you could just slam your foot because also the way they're doing it the monks They're kicking up. They're kicking up. So yeah, I think they're just slamming their shin into the instep into the taint Yes, it's not really the balls man Like if you front kick that month in the balls just front you snap front it would fall down dead he'd be like nobody has iron balls nobody has iron eyeballs either you know that's the problem with eyeballs is yeah these guys yeah see how he's doing that yeah he's getting kicked in the middle yeah yeah he's getting kicked in the tank his balls I can even see the way his sack has pulled up see that little thing that he's got on there. Let's do he's right. Yeah

He probably has a little balls too, unfortunately It's stupid either way that's stupid That doesn't it doesn't if that was the only way like if you could train that way and you know Like a lot of the ties they kick banana trees and kick sandbags and we have a sandbag out there it's so brutal to kick but if you do that enough you'll develop those micro fractures on your shins and it'll make your shins much tougher you can't make your balls tougher you can't make your balls tougher I think there is no no no reason just punched himself in the dick reason

Ridiculous is this so ridiculous as guys you just take oh no fuck man. Oh, oh no don't do it Oh God, you know it slam the nut very a log He's got just hit each other the balls But again, I think if you step to one of those guys and front snap kicked him right in the balls This is stupid Realized when I saw the like a lot of masters of Lot of masters of these Kung Fu doing these weird stuff and all these things so there is a way to Like about obsession of the of the martial arts of the doing something

in in your life to the deepest level. But still this is a fighting. Yeah about this about the win. So I don't know if this will can can will help you to really defeat the no no no especially this is just defense yeah okay so you are the preferred prepared to defense your your boss and so man really like think about it in real, don't give it too much on this side of an art, of the like just doing, it's good to know one thing, one, two, one, two, really, really deeply so you can time that, timing that in every situation to know how to do this movement in every situation.

But these movements... They're not an effective use of your time. Yes. Yeah, it's not going to help you be a better fighter. There's a lot of ancient movements that are probably good for the development of your consciousness and they're probably good overall for your ability to be a better martial artist because they teach you certain movements which are almost like a form like kata a lot of people talk about forms and they say it's a waste of time but I think

it's a moving meditation I used to think it was a waste of time when I was a young man everything is when I got my black belt I just learned the katas and then afterwards I had forgotten them. As soon as I just learned them so that I could pass the next test and then once I knew all the forms and the katas, I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to fight. So like that.

Yeah, but all these moves. They're important. Are written in your body. Yes. Maybe you don't realize that yet, but in hardest situation in maybe there will one move will right Wow will will jump up and bomb because you've trained you will do them you've trained your system with those things

like the neo in the matrix man yeah I know the kung fu yeah yeah they think they're gonna be able to do that now this is a day I was just reading an article about that and they were comparing it to neo in the matrix They think they're going to be able to download skills into people's brains What sucks this is no, but it sucks because I want them to learn the way you learned. I think no man. There's a The ego the force The force we will do that by I I will take it and there it is. Dmitry. That's Dmitry.

Hey, Dmitry, hey. And instead of like to take a, find a real snake and whatever, I cannot describe on the snake. So. I know what you're saying, train those movements so when the punch comes you block you counter and then that it's in your mind. You will take some information and by the force you will give it in in yourself yeah to I don't know which which form you you meant like like the way they made like the matrix we spoke let's google that because they were Jamie will find the article maybe like Elon Musk have that do a link I

don't think or something like that I don't think it was that invasive I think it was it was some other technology that they think they're gonna to be able to utilize. Scientists use matrix-style learning to write skills into human brains, see non-invasively, so they don't have to inject anything, put a wire in your brain. Techniques use real-time brain imagery and neurofeedback. It bypasses learning processes that require effort, study, or practice. With our method, not only can we nudge complex patterns around in the brain towards known ones, but also for the first time, write directly a new pattern into the brain and measure what effect that has on a person's behavior,

said Dr. Coraline Lorden, lead author of the study and assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. That's crazy. Okay, and this is this is the one one side. The second side how I'm how I'm looking at how I'm taking that is about right now I have no antenna, right? But it's not about about just about the hair. It's about to be open, to connect with consciousness.

And there, I don't know how it work in, but it's working to be just connected for all the information what's whatever happened and will happen is there in this moment right here right now and it's just about the state if you are if you can be really connect for that because I don't know where. Many moves, I didn't... Rehearse them. I didn't train. They just came out while you're fighting. They just came out.

And in the fighting, in the fight, and I don't know where, and I didn't train spinning elbow. Never. Really? I didn't train that, never. That's crazy! And just follow.

You just saw it. It was just there. I'm just following the flow, following the movement because there is one elbow, okay, you have to, and it's going really slow. You have a second. Here it is. Yeah, you have the second elbow. We'll see it here.

Use that. Boom, you have the second level. See it use that boom Boom and between one and second one. There was a long conversation of you can do that try to do that Okay, I don't believe that No, do that, please and This was such a phenomenal exchange People love that antenna too. They love that crazy hair are you gonna bring that back I like you like this yeah I streamlined I don't worry about that antenna like that could get caught in something I do what it could get caught like if you're in a situation and you know people grab shorts I don't think

anyone should wear shorts either I think you should wear tight maybe I can grab it like that's what I'm so good, you could you know what you could and it would be legal Dominic Reyes caught me in a in a guillotine in guillotine And I was there and and I said my fuck man. I have the hair big fucking hair. I can't can't give the Heads up so yeah, that was the problem. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, I think shaved is better for you But it looks cool, and that's what I'm saying. That was the problem, yeah, in that moment. Yeah, I think shaved is better for you, but it looks cool. And that's what I'm saying. Like it's not about, right now I feel like it's not about hair. It's not about anything.

It's just about to, I have to say, to be there. Be here and now. That's all. That's all what... No bullshit. Just be in the moment. Especially right now. You have all this momentum on your side because of that spectacular victory. So you must be very energized right now. You must be really feeling like you're on the right path. Yeah, but still this is a This state and these feeling have the two sides yeah, so that's why I Because I know how it is to be a champion. How is this all these feeling and still how is

What is the? Do not be the champion to really lost lost like a shit, fell on the ground like a shit after. So I realized that it's about to be just here right now, to be just here right now in this moment and show true yourself. Right. Not playing, not, you don't do stupid shit, don't do, don't have the war hair, be angry, be no.

Just be. That's it. Show your true self. Yeah. That's all. And that's what I like on the States, on America. Like they... everywhere, like they are... They are okay with that, to show yourself, true yourself.

And we, in Europe, we have some special thinking about America. There is something better than everywhere. And you here just pushing more to everyone to just live through yourself. And I'm wrong no you're right but freedom this is free freedom fuck man freedom allows you to be your best self yeah and this is something what man what is for me so inspirational yeah but But still, it's a gift, a big gift, but a big, how to say, big weight. Yes, big responsibility. Responsibility, big responsibility, because if you don't know how to work with the gun, it can be dangerous. Right, right, right.

Yeah, with great power comes great responsibility. it can be dangerous. Right. Yeah. So. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. With great power comes great responsibility. Yeah. Where you sit right now at the top of the heap, like after Ankolayev, especially after that performance, it's very likely that either you or a lot of people are forgetting about Yan Bohovych. I always like to give him his props,

because Jan Bojovic is still one of the best fighters in the world, and I would like to see him get another shot, because he's also 41 or 42, I think, now. And he doesn't have much time left in his prime. And Jan is maintained, even at 40 years old, still doesn't show any signs of deterioration. That's right. When I thought about my next opponents, old still yeah doesn't show any signs of deterioration that's right man um when I

thought about opponent my next opponents there was just like these guys uncle live Pereira the prayer as most but let's see him sell how the negotiations will be the prayer uncle life and maybe thevych. So these three guys I see, still there I see the challenge. Yes. The challenge because I want to go somewhere where I will feel I can... Because every time when there is a challenge, there is a new you.

There is something new, what you need to overcome, what you need to overcome, what you need to rule, what you need to observe. Yes, they're the elite level of the game. Jan Bojovic, he's one of the, I think the only gods to go the distance with Pereira other than Bruno Silva, right? Yeah, because he have the hands up. Also, that guy's made out of iron.

I mean, I'll never forget the fight with Ankalayev when he was just going shin to shin with Ankalayev and Ankalayev could barely walk. Jan Bojovic is made out of rocks, man. Man, I thought like he won that fight, but... Very close, very close fight, but you could definitely see giving it to Jan Bojovic there's a lot of those fights here's another thing that I think should happen in the UFC I think we need more than three judges I don't

even think that the judges some judges are very good I think the judging in California was very good I think overall I think we need at least five judges I think three is too little I think we need because least five judges. I think three is too little. I think we need, because there's too many times where two judges get it wrong, and the crowd is like, what the fuck? I think if you had five judges, then you have two judges that would counterbalance that other, and there'd be three, two

in the right direction, and you'd get a good result. I think you're more likely to get a good result, an accurate result of what the fans and the experts see about the result of a fight, than you would if there was only three judges or fighting to win yeah fighting to win well that that's the I mean what Gordon likes to do Gordon Ryan likes to do is no no time limit fights he does no time limit fights with no points like listen we're going to submission this is what this game is about it's a bit me strangling you. That's right

Yeah, yeah, yeah, imagine that if they started doing the UFC like the old UFC like UFC one No rules, maybe for somebody it will be a little bit Mm-hmm, like they will not like it because we'll be maybe sometimes it will belong maybe but maybe so what yeah Yeah, that's fighting. Yeah, that's fighting. People watch baseball. Yeah, no offense against baseball But that shit's boring as fuck compared to fighting. You know, what's my theory about that? So there is a Sports a lot of sports, but the first one first sport first First version of sports? For the version of sport was like one man wants to overcome the second man. And it came from DNA, from fight, from fight for this piece of...

From being cavemen, food. From food. Fighting predators. Yeah, yeah. That's why it came from. Piece of cavemen for food from eat for food fighting for This is it this this that's why it came from and in the in the in the time there was like Let's let's do some other another competition another competition to not be So violent so why and but But to be honest, the realest one, competition, is the one man against the second man. That's why that sport translates through all languages. It's the only sport that translates. Cricket is huge in other parts of the world. Nobody watches cricket in America.

In other parts of the world, billions of people watch cricket. Nobody gives a fuck about cricket here. Put cricket on TV, no one's gonna watch. And we, in the time, we gave the some rules, the kimonos, all these things. No, let's... Well that was the beauty of the first UFC. The first UFC was just wild. No weight classes, no real rules other than eye pokes. Joe San was fighting Keith Hackney and Keith Hackney was caught in a guillotine and he's just punching Joe San in the balls. It's a famous scene. Do you remember that? Yeah, I remember watching that going, oh, this is I said I was like I remember watch that going. Oh This is awful. This is awful

There's another one in Brazil big daddy good rich was fighting this guy named the pager look at this just pure nutshots Just one after the other right to the balls Show me the monk training, but here's the thing if he's wearing a cup Especially if he's wearing a tie cup a steel cup, which I also think should be illegal No, I don't think you should have steel cups because steel cups act as a leverage point as well Okay, you know not only you could break your foot on it It's an unnatural object and then if you get someone an armbar with a steel cup. Yeah, you could break it It's like it's an extra leverage point. It's like bending a stick over a rock.

Use it like a weapon. Yeah, and Kenny Florian used to always fight with a Thai steel cup, and he's like, I don't know why anybody would fight with anything else, because it hurts them when they kick me. Yeah, and it really is a good leverage point. It's also good for the mount. If somebody mounts you, there was a guy

that I used to train with, Mir Rinovardi, and he used to get on top of you and mount you and drive his cup, drive his dick into your solar plexus and you'd want to tap. It was horrible. But it was smart. I mean, if it's legal, it's a smart thing. Find a way between the laws. Imagine if nobody had cups, if cups were illegal. There'd be so much more nut shots. Maybe somebody will find a way how to jump with these couple to do a face I don't think so. I don't think that's real. I don't think that would work. But other than that, you know the rules

They're pretty good. They're getting a little bit better I'd like knees on the ground as well knees to the head I don't think a prone it should be allowed to be in a turtle when your head is vulnerable you have to move you have to avoid those knees and that's a like before my last fight right now the referee sorry I didn't with a big mustache of Mike Beltran my belt yes sorry my Beltran because he's a good guy and he tried to to tell me like how to when because I didn't know that the change of the rules the change of the rules when the hands down right when he's not when he's not the elbow when the hands down

and you staying and the legs and hands down you can knee the opponent to the head yes still yes man that's that's better that's better much better much better because guys were gaming the system they put a hand down so they couldn't get need in the face that's crazy yeah that doesn't make any sense you should not be doing that yeah that that's a good rule that they changed another rule is the 12 to 6 elbow that should be legal and now that's legal again that's the only reason for John Jones ever having a loss you know so there's this good movement on the rules rise in allowed knees to the head to a grounded opponent and kicking yeah did you get accustomed to that and have to like get that out of

your system when you came to the UFC is there any moments we like thought about throwing a soccer no no I didn't thought about that but um when you are still When you are in the control in the fighting what's the I think the the biggest? biggest thing in the fighter in the fighting to to to stay in in the control so you know what to do what can't to do and But some there's a moments when you don't what can't you do, but there's a moment when you don't control yourself too much. So it's dangerous. But in raising I used that. I did that like I think twice.

Yeah, it's very effective. It should be allowed. I think it should be allowed. I think the only problem with soccer kicks is the cage. So the cage, if your head is right there and you get stomped, you can't move. So it's the unnatural barrier of the cage that's the problem. That's why I think basketball court. Yeah, matted down basketball court.

Just two men in the center of it. Have a warning track where you go outside the warning track too many times you lose points because you're trying to avoid the fight. Plenty of movement, plenty of time to room and if someone gets you down I was just trying to imagine that and it's good it's much better

because you wouldn't be able to just stall the fight out by holding someone against the cage because sometimes when fighters are exhausted they'll just clinch against the cage to try to catch their breath that wouldn't be allowed you couldn't do it, there would be no opportunity to do that that's right that's right also if you've got taken down you'd have to get up with skill you can't just use the cage to get up it's very hard especially if you got a great wrestler like Islam on top of you very hard to get up any other way than wall walking yeah just right now I'm

thinking about it I think about about the name of the movie Hunger Games? Yeah, just to put somebody and somebody somewhere Yeah, and they will find each other's in the natural environment and remnants and they will fight together and everybody will watch that So yeah, so give them weapons Well, have you seen those they do have like people with armor on fighting sword fights now. Yeah, yeah. Crazy. Just a matter of time before they take that armor off. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, that's right.

In some crazy country, some wilder country that just million dollar purse, you fight with swords. So jeez. Then you're back to the Roman days, the Colosseum. Yeah, but still, how I see that, when we are going higher in understanding everything, we have to go, maybe I'm wrong, deeper in these raw things. We want to see more raw, because be not yeah and you understand me yes I do because the consequences are higher you have to get more pure so but I'm did you ever read any Miyamoto Musashi you know I read yeah of course I don't

even have to ask but the book of five rings he talks about that because Miyamoto Musashi was such a great sword fighter that he believed the only way to fight at your best was you have to be a balanced person. Very balanced. You have to be an artist. You have to be able to do calligraphy and write poetry.

You can't just be aggression. You have to be completely balanced. And he believed in that so strongly and taught that so strongly in the Book of Five Rings that if you think about how he applied it to sword fighting it makes sense everything what you're saying makes sense because you have to be completely pure when it's just two men and and swords yeah you can't have any bullshit you can't let the ego get you on the wrong line because you're not

just gonna get punched in the face you're gonna lose your head. That's right. Yeah. That's right. There is no time and that's why I don't like it. There's no time for talking. There is no time for a bad word in your talk. No time for a bad move in the fighting. So your mind has to stay controlled, stay present and use, do nothing what's not useful for this moment.

Right now we are in nature here, but when our lives will, these podcasts, these talking, maybe when you will not talk everything honestly, it will cost you a life so we will ever we both we will pay attention of every our word because in in that ages of Miyamoto Musashi there was a even even the word can cost somebody's life. Yes.

So that's why they were so precise in everything, in every, that's the Japan, every movement, every, even the teapot, even the tea ritual is the art. So that's why they was, and still they are, so precise in the thinking, in expressing your true self, not just talking whatever matter fucker hey how are you, hey what's up? This is something that I don't like to America. Like everybody asks you, hey how are you?

And don't care about your answer. And I want to stay and, hey I'm great, how are you today? No way, he's going somewhere So why why why why ask me why are you doing this? So right? So it's a figure of speech But still it's a it's a kind figure Yes, but it's not real they don't really care what you're doing. They don't care how are you. I understand. It's Kaizen. Let's be real. But sometimes don't push it too much to the I'm important, every my word is important, every movement. movement so the true power is coming is coming with a lightness to be lightness

and lightness is not to take in so much seriously and take into too much lights so taking like like don't care about what I'm saying so some still balance balance this is balance this constant balance and staying pure. Is that what you're feeling when you stare your opponents down? Because like these, one of the fights with Pereira and the fight with Jamal Hill, you just lock on your opponent and you stare. And is that what you're doing in that moment? Just trying to be completely present? Just empty yourself of all bullshit?

That's the, yeah, this is the moment before the fight. Yeah. It's all about that because there is no opponent. There is just this moment. I'm everywhere. You're everywhere. That's all. I like it. I'm everywhere. You're everywhere. That's all. I like it. I'm everywhere. Yeah, but this is not something what

I'm telling you that because I wanna be cool. No, no, no. I don't think you are. This is a real truth. Yeah. That's all. So now that you have this big victory, what happens next? Do you wait for the UFC to call you? Do you wait for Ankalive and Pereira to fight to see what happens next? This is what I am right now not expecting, what I want to see the fight. If they fight will happen because they are translating that so much this their fight.

So let's see. let's see who's the best and my attitude and right now I know that how I what's to do to not to get better to do a real serious preparation to get prepared for both of them, doesn't matter who, and be ready for negotiation about the next fight. I want a title, but I will let the life to give me who's before me right now. Who's the challenge right now before me? So it's just about whatever the challenge is, accept it and then try to find your best self

for this next performance as well. That's right. It's an exciting time for you, man. How old are you right now? 32. It's a perfect prime. That's in your prime. It's an exciting time.

Are you enjoying this life yes yes yes yes enjoying but man a long time nobody asked me for like for these questions so I didn't thought about that long time but yes since I decide I want to go this way of the of the warrior of a true man to to to feel the true power and take it to out to my life and live with that. Not just to feel that and go away, but to keep it in a daily life. Yes, I'm enjoying that. And I don't know who said that like watch yourself like an art,

like a David you are. Right, you're making a masterpiece. Make a masterpiece from your life. And that's what I like to do in my meditations, to take a step up, watch yourself, watch where you're going, who you spend time with, where is your daily, what's your daily routines, how it make it better and then go into the deepest level of the present moment and Leave that and stay with these

Your best ideas what you what you are connected with Yes, so Yes, you asked me. Yes. I You ask me, yes, I live that, but I didn't in the time right now, I can say it right now, I didn't expect it will cost you everything. It will cost you your old personality and you will reborn like a new personality. Yeah. But still, I know somebody, my spirit, whoever choose that because I know this is the way. One of the things that I have to talk to you about was in the Alex Pereira fight, you thought that they were using some magic spirits.

Black magic, yeah. Black magic. Yeah. Why did you think that? You know, okay, I will take it from another start. Okay. When I'm doing something, I'm doing that like, I'm extreme in everything what I'm doing so I want to go to the to the bottom to the bottom of the to the start where it the source the source of that

where it's going and the source of the spiritual world of that question what is the spiritual world where is the source is if there is some weapons how they use that in the cage and I went in that so deep so I get lost really so I am who I am who to believe just for ideas, which I started with like the martial arts and all these things and Just be in the gym and train don't do another these bullshit because with the Pereira I do another these bullshit because with the Pereira I really get lost and I started to believe to another people to not just myself and this is something this is the way to the

hell to when you start stop believing yourself you're true yourself and when you start believing some spiritual guys who's trying to protect you or giving you something and trying to lead you and they know what's the best for you and that was my biggest school in this life I think. So yeah, that was my last preparation to just believe in myself, go to the gym and train. Do a good camp, do a camp. What was the first, your biggest inspiration? So in Japan, I made a camp in Japan. Then I made in high altitude training in Mexico. Then I went back to my city, Bruno, for my guys,

for my team, and we made a solid, good camp, hard camp. And the last fight, I'm happy that... happy. What is it about getting down to the source that made you think he was using black magic? a big, no big difference, experience. I said that, that word, big power when you are... Responsibility? Responsibility, it's big responsibility, not just big responsibility. We are, we are, I want to speak right now, so I don't want to speak about that fully because still it is something what I am humble for and I can say this is it. This is it. everyone everyone have has the their own way and nobody is like even me prepared

for just saying some something what what can be for somebody like take it seriously you know you know maybe yeah again I get lost in that so the thing is I just started to believe I will not speak about where is the magic what how to use the magic but you believed that there was magic working against you man I and I, and that was the, that was the biggest power to my, for my opponent, because I was focused for him, not for me. You know. And that's where the black magic lies. And then. Because it gets you outside of your own head. Is that, but is that black magic or is that just his presence as a champion? Because that's the aura of a fighter is a weapon. He has. Israel had a sign. You know when he was in

his prime had that. Mike Tyson in his prime had that. Anderson Silva had that. There's an aura that champions have when they're in their prime that makes you think about them instead of yourself. And it probably seems like black magic. Yeah, but still this is the just for me is the pure self-confidence and to be pure self-confident you you can't think about your opponent and that was the that was something what I made that was something that I really went to another level. Yeah. Yeah. So, when you look at yourself now in this amazing performance against Jamal Hill, are

you imagining yourself even better? Are you constantly imagining yourself even more precise even more accurate even more effective? Yeah, yeah sure, but right now. I'm more in reality about that Not not just in Not just in imagination. I want to see that in video. I want to be real. I want to see the My the results of my work, all these things real, not just think like still think about I can be better, I can do this but I know I want to be a champion and I'm going for it and I wanna show that to everyone. That's all and I will show that

and then then we can speak about about the black magic know because So right now you don't even want to concentrate on the idea of that Yeah, and to protect yourself from that you just don't think about it and be in your own mind. It's all about that.

Because like I said the mind is a big great deserve but the baddest the boss. So that's why it can run away from you. Yeah. Yeah. That's why I had to go back to Japan where like my old belief started to go really deep because there I started to be I don't know how to say it, like not just inspired, but to live it, really live it without anything. In managing your mind, I'm sure one of the most important things is to not have a lot of like negative influences not have a lot of negative thoughts and that do you spend any time on social media when you're in camp yeah yeah but but I'm

doing just some posts and that's all yeah just post and post and that's it that's how to do it post and maybe some answer to just a few of my friends and that's all. No reading comments, no reading anything because I'm here to, right now, I'm here to show you my way of the martial arts, my way to the strength where I still feel the way. And this is it. What is the days that you spend in darkness and silence? What does that do for you? Still, it's about exploring your mind.

Keep your mind disciplined, keep your thoughts on the ground, observe the mind. It's all about the mind and then about the training because I trained there too in that dark, you mean that dark room. And yeah. Yeah. So meditation, observing mind, follow, follow your, and find the best, the best of your, what you can, what you can achieve in this life,

what you can, if you can, if you want really. And this is the question what everybody have to answer for to ourselves, which life we wanna live, which thoughts is the useful, which not, which I need to let go and which I want to keep in my life. And so it's just a deep exploration of your own mind. Yes, maybe the because there is a lot of levels like imagination, see some visualization, some life dreams, all these things because after three's there is an opening the third third eyes opening and you can see

you can you can see truly who you are and maybe sometimes it somebody needs more days without foods so it's going to be then it's without food it's going to be, then without food, it's going to be like more intensive. Yeah, everything's going much faster. So yeah. So when you started doing this, you do no food? Do you just drink water when you're in there? Yeah. And if you do to understand me, all these things I'm doing, because I really decide like to use everything like a weapon in a fighting to use my mind use my visualization use the everything and that's that's why I went to do this trip of the spirituality so deep because I fall I thought there will be some special weapons what I can use in the fighting and

The biggest special Weapon is to be yourself the realest yourself that's all. There is the, that's the key. That's the key. Yeah. Well, listen, brother, I'm a big fan. I love watching you fight. I really enjoyed talking to you. I wish you nothing but success and I can't wait to see you get after it again. And I'm very happy for you and your improvement. The last fight was incredible. And thank you

for everything. Thank you. Thank you too. Tell everybody, do you have a website? Do you have a website online? What is your website? I have just a brand. You mean like... Do you have a website or you just have social media? Social media, yeah Instagram, Yuri Kaprowaska. Yuri Kaprowaska, yes. In Instagram, Twitter too. Twitter is Yuri BJP. There it is. Yep. That's it. What does BJP stand for?

Wow, man. This is, wow, what I came from, the stands, Well, what I came from the stands, that's that's young, eerie, not young eerie, the true eerie, who's a but UFC don't like that. Because I'm trying to tell them like this is the best Yuri Prochaska but in the real is in Czech is a bombiac picture and that means like bombs as fuck so because yeah that's it that's it so it's bomb as fuck Yuri Prochaska that's right that's it that's right beautiful yeah looking for a biggest strength that's all yes Yes, sir. That's all right. Thank you, brother. This was awesome. Thank you.

Really appreciate you. Thank you very much. All right. Bye, everybody.