With Matt Serra out and about in Toronto during UFC 297 fight week, John Morgan tags along as a guest co-host for an episode of …
[Applause] that’s two straight finishes she hasn’t lost at 135 lbs nobody finish finish finish finish I am like Charles the Bron Myra sh Bueno Sil that’s the statement that he was looking to make and he could not have done it any better I know how hard I hit I know how good it was Striker am I know had decisions but I knock people out man Arnold Almighty Allen ladies and [Applause] gentlemen welcome to UFC unfilter please tell me that’s on video I’ve never been happier I’m made for a podcast we’re dangerous listen to me we’re at [Music] it all right well hi John on Matt’s away today uh thanks for joining and filling in how you doing I’m good man I mean I know uh to try to fill in for Matt Sarah is an absolute impossibility I don’t think anybody’s going to bring that type of energy to the table but uh we’ll do the best we can today it is weird Matt is a uh he’s a freight train and if you know henzo he’s very much the same way like they’re just these balls of energy um but it’s always a focused energy like uh when they’re talking about something they’re intensely and they’re both very captivating guys like I’ve seen henzo in the gym when he was promoting someone and there’s just a room full of people and he’s being hilarious and comfortable and that’s kind of how Matt is you know 100% just an absolute force of nature but uh the sincerity is there when you talk about both those guys with Matt hinzo like you know they’re not bullshitting you you know what I mean it’s sincere and it it makes you care like you said it’s captivating get your attention so Matt Sarah is a legend so I would never pretend to take his place I will just sit in the chair briefly for a day well Matt is uh there’s the thing about Matt too I talked about this recently there’s no lying in Matt like he he’s not he couldn’t I don’t think lie if he wanted to it’s just he’s too honest he’s emotionally honest uh he just can’t hide it so he’s very you always know exactly where you stand with him um and he’s with Dana right now and Dean Thomas around in uh Toronto doing looking for a fight oh look at that he’s getting the nice choice assignment although it’s a little chilly up there Toronto these days USC 297 fight week looking a little cold out there but I’m sure they’ll they’ll have a great time but yet to your point I do want to say that is an amazing quality in any human being and Matt Sarah has it just be honest I mean you know look Sean Strickland maybe a little brutally honest sometimes maybe says some things people don’t want to hear but honestly I’d rather just know where I stand and what you think on something than to try to BS somebody and play a game just let people know where they stand no one has ever said hey I met Sean Strickland I wonder where I stand with him you know immediately there’s no pretending and again some guys are just too emotionally truthful and they can’t hide it even if they wanted um what do you think of Shan against draus Dy uh as the uh the main event at 297 um I mean again nobody expected him to do what he did to Izzy um what do you think about him against draus it’s so wild right because this this whole middleweight division went down a path that we weren’t expecting right I mean all this buildup was to Israel aagna and dras dupy and the the intense rivalry they had and and the pride of Africa and all these things and that’s what we thought we were building to and then Sean strickling came in here and just spoiled the party man and put on a massal performance against Israel adisan and now I’ll be honest with Jim I’m as excited as this fight as I am for anything on the calendar right now just because I think a little bit of the unpredictability of it a little bit of the way the Styles match up I mean I don’t think either one of these guys is backing down they’ve they’ both been aggressive I mean they had round one in the crowd at T-Mobile Arena just to get you a little extra fired up about it and you know I think this fight week is is going to continue to play out and add some flavor to it but it’s an intriguing matchup man this to me is like a a 50-50 fight and those to me are my favorite kind of fights I mean MMA you never know for sure and that’s what’s awesome right you never know for sure but when you really look at a fight and you’re just like man this thing is 50/50 to me that excites me and that’s what I feel we’ve got here yeah it’s uh it’s one of those things where I think the thing I was most impressed with was Strickland over Izzy and I don’t remember if we talked about this I know I talked about it with Matt uh but it was round three that was the thing and we may have discussed that already but it was round one all right he had a great round uh for remember already almost finished him round two adna Wan he was like oh here it comes and then for for uh Strickland to be able to stop that momentum in round three and then impose his will it was It’s amazing um and I hope I’m sure people who watch a lot of fights recognize that but that to me was as impressive as the win was that round three uh I felt that was even more impressive than what he did at the end of round one yeah that’s a solid observation man because as you said you know when things start to shift the way okay yeah here’s what we thought we were going to say and for you to dig deep within yourself and say no we’re not going to and I I mean it just really was a mature performance and KN you know Sean knew that everybody was doubting him that nobody was giving him a chance but you know his team did and gosh man the leadership of Eric nixi I mean you can’t say enough about that and the type of emotions and and and the psychology that he brings to the table and yeah man it was just a great performance and listen I I think it’s one of those performances too I think it’s real easy for maybe people to step back and say yeah but I don’t know did Israel had aagna really have a a good night that night or wasn’t an off night and maybe it wasn’t maybe it wasn’t his best stuff but you can’t take away from Shan Strickland you can’t chalk it all up to oh well Izzy had a bad night so Shawn just got lucky he put in the work and it all paid off on that night and it was I thought it was a beautiful moment to see really for him to be Crown Champion yeah and I think that sometimes somebody has a bad night because of what they opponent is doing and uh he said something in between rounds if about how I can’t get my jab he complained about something that Strickland was doing which was frustrating him so he may have maybe he was a little off but I think that he had a bad night primarily because uh Strickland was really frustrating him and and just putting so much pressure on him and I think Strickland caused that shitty night I think you’re 100% right and I you know the other lasting image that fight for me will be you know obviously Sean Strickland doesn’t go sit down in the corner but they’re like having to like carral him back to the edge of the cage to even talk to like he’s like no I’m in the center let’s go we’re not stopping this thing let’s go and I don’t know man I thought it was an amazing performance and look I think he’s going to need a similarly amazing performance on Saturday night albe it in a much different style right because D is dup plus C brings something entirely different to the table it’s not that he’s going to bring that you know beautiful style and master of movement and master of distance and range like no he’s going to bring sheer unbridled aggression he’s got that wild timing you know kind of does everything on the offbeat it looks kind of awk awward but it’s so effective and uh I think we’re going to have a fun fight on Saturday night yeah and I think he’s 6 and0 if looking here looks like 6 and0 in the UFC and five of the six are stoppages and the only decision is Travaris who uh I mean he could probably go the distance with anybody I think the first time I saw uh Izzy fight with like in person like the first time I was at an Izzy fight if I remember correctly was uh him and Taris on a Thursday night uh fight night I think it was but uh and and and and he went the distance so yeah dupi has been uh I mean tko’s and who did he sub Darren Tilly submitted but not that till is known for his amazing ground game but still um very very impressive so far in the UFC Whitaker Brunson I mean he’s knocking out guys that are really just typically not easily stopped no not at all that’s as you said Brad tarus I mean the veteran that he is and how long he’s been around and what he brings to cage but listen I see a lot of people in the same way that a lot of people are kind of doubting Sean Strickland I see people doubting dricus as well by saying yeah but Darren till where was he at in his career at that moment ah Derek Brunson he was kind of on his way out so where was he Robert Whitaker I saw a report come out this week that Robert Whitaker begrudgingly kind of said yeah I did have an injury I don’t want to talk about it because I don’t make excuses that’s not me but I probably shouldn’t have had that fight that night um and so now people are saying well that amazing win over Robert Whitaker where everybody said now this guy’s a title Challenger maybe that didn’t mean things so that’s why I just think there’s so much at stake here so many question marks and why I think it is kind of a 5050 type fight again and then you add the way their Styles match up as well I I just I love this one on paper and Brunson before that even though he did lose to uh caner U before he lost to dupi but he had beaten till he had beaten Kevin Holland shabazi and I think he handed him his first loss when he was I want to say 10 and0 11 and0 uh Ian hinish so he wasn’t Elias th he theodoro he wasn’t fighting a shitty fight he was fighting really good Fighters and and Brunson looked great for a while I mean getting old I mean he’s like was he 38 now 39 yeah I was really hoping for a title shot because I love Derek Brunson um but you know I think that dupi uh loss may have really set him back a little bit um it looks like now uh oh Myra Bueno Silva is in the waiting room fighting rockel Pennington for that vacated belt in the co-main on Saturday really really interesting and rockel um has looked really good since that uh did she fight again after that Amanda lost she had I think she had two straight losses if I remember correctly was it Holly she lost to um why I just look at the sheet instead of guessing um um let’s bring in let’s bring in Myra right [Music] now how are you good uh very good um and how do you feel about this uh this this shot for the vacated belt um and and uh how did you find out you were getting this I’m feeling great uh about everything I’m ready for take my belt this belt now is my belt good uh do you feel better knowing I I thought it was very unfair uh what they did after the Holly home fight I thought that was unfair um they should not have taken that from you um but do you feel better now knowing that you’re okay and you don’t have to worry about that anymore with the medication uh I think everything happen for me helping another person stay the same the same the same place with me I think uh for me help other people’s now need help in the mental health so you’re comfortable I like that you’re comfortable being very open uh and letting your struggles kind of help somebody else cuz we all deal with things and it’s to hear a fighter so strong talking about having uh issues you know that that helps a lot of people yeah of course I can’t everybody need help one moment in your life I’m here for help because I can do I can’t talk about this because I stay in this same this this place yes uh and John I don’t want to if you wanted to if there’s something you wanted to ask I don’t want to just feel free please yeah absolutely my I I was just curious maybe how challenging this has been with people maybe not giving the title the respect it deserves because Amanda Nunes walked away but this is a UFC title fight and I feel like maybe people aren’t giving you to the respect that you deserve and this moment has that been challenging for you to maybe not receive the respect you think you deserve in a UFC title fight no I I feel uh everything’s happen Er When I knock her out when I win it take my belt everybody go to the homes talk about me and then my next fight is different you gonna be different let me ask as well as they say because we know what is next after this fight right is Juliana pñ who’s been out there there talking a lot and I just wonder how much of a struggle it’s been to focus on Raquel Pennington right because she’s a durable fighter a great athlete you know there’s a match up with Juliana Peña but how hard has been to not think about Juliana Peña and to just stay centered on this matchup ma’am when I win Raquel everything is more easy because H is tough but julana is money easy money um also you know Raquel after that lost to Amanda she uh she she lost to Germaine and then she has won six out of her seven last fights she’s looked really really good since that uh that loss she did lose a decision to Holly what do you think that she has changed or what have you noticed different in her since those two losses I think she improved her mind her mind her mentality and because she fights like like the same fight them the same things but I think she improved her mind her mind how have you handled you handle the pressure so well you you you have not been in the UFC that long and already you’ve made EV vented you’re fighting for the title um has it been a a struggle for you with the with with the uh the pressure the all of a sudden pressure you seem to be doing very well with it man everything’s happening in my life because God blessed me God blessed me too much so you feel blessed and you don’t worry about the you know you don’t worry about the pressure because you feel like this is all part of how it’s supposed to be no I feel de pressure if if you want person talk about you don’t feel pression it’s everybody feel pression it’s but I support this pression because God bless me and then I am the chos one I prove for everybody I am the chos one do you visualize things some Fighters visualize the entire fight before it happens and go through through it in their minds and uh picture themselves with the belt how do you approach a fight mentally do you do you go through it like that and picture everything that might happen or how do you deal with that I always do this but this time is different uh I think about other things I’m nervous about other things not about the fight not about rock but about uh the fight about the press conference you know because they my first time that but but I feel great I feel great about that so you you’re not the nerves are not as much about the fight as they are about the spotlight from the other things being the co-main event yeah exactly I think in the Saturday I’m stay more nervous because the fight but now I’m I I I just uh enjoy the process I think that’s a good thing because it’s something else to focus on cuz you’ve done your training you’re not going to train more in the next 3 days so for your mind to be on something else it might actually be a good way to handle the nerves having other things so you don’t uh overthink the fight so you don’t over obsess about the fight ex LLY I have a lot of things before the fight I have C toate I have conference I have face to face and then fight on Saturday Saturday I think about the fight J Love job sure sure John Mar I was going to ask you mean Alexander panta obviously you’ve got a lot of people americ top team you can pull from but man what he’s had this year what he’s gone how much have you sought attention or advice from him I should say and what what has he had to say to you this week he helped me too much man I go I go I go the fight that that was when you fight I go to the fight I see everything I imagine in my my my moment I I feel everything he told told me hey look everything it’s happen with you and then enjoy now but folks in their fight when happen with you you stay more relaxed exactly this St exactly like I’m feel now that’s awesome he’s great advice and it’s funny because I’m telling you you need to stay focused on this fight but I do have to wonder sounds like the UFC going back to Brazil in May uh as a champion maybe the Easy Money fight with Juliana in Brazil do you see that as a goal as a possibility I love this idea I love this idea and with someone like Juliana who you have you don’t like what she said uh you don’t like the comment she made are you able is it hard for you to separate that in the cage like to not fight emotionally to not let yourself uh you know we saw the best case example would obviously be Jose against Connor allowing emotion to kind of dictate a mistake uh and some Fighters try to use that to get their opponent to make a mistake uh is that something that you uh are aware of and conscious of and careful of no I like separate I know like separate the things uh when I will I go I will fight with her I will use this for guys for me train more hard to train more but when we go fight everything’s change right you don’t allow it to to interfere uh and get to tional in the cage and and cause you to make errors exactly I I will show you for her who is shitara well Myra congratulations on getting this shot it’s a great fight and the co-main event um it’ll be very interesting to see as well uh how Rock hell responds um you know you know to getting this uh this shot number two against number three uh you’re both uh deserve this and uh if you win I really would love to see that P your fight in in Brazil but uh good luck with Rockell first I know you got to get through that and good luck fight I hope I hope you do well and have a great fight thank you so much God bless you thank you very much we’ll talk to you [Applause] again I know that Fighters especially cutting weight uh are always like you know you try to have them for a few minutes and don’t you know oh yeah John feel free to jump in by the way like please don’t wait for me just just pop in whenever you want you got it man I appreciate no it’s great you know listen this this is an interesting title fight as well because uh well first of all props to her for doing an interview in her second language I mean she’s I always applaud Fighters they’ll do that I know it sounds kind of bad to say like you should speak English maybe we should speak Portuguese but let’s just be on it the the majority of the audience is is here in the United States especially the pay-per-view buying audience so if you can communicate with them it’s great but I feel kind of bad for these two ladies because you know and this this happens when a champion walks away and then you have two people fill in to fight for that title you know the right away it kind of feels like yeah but they weren’t you know they weren’t the ones they’re only fighting because the champion walked away but and it’s unfortunate that that’s the way this played out and I hope that you know whoever is Victorious here can start making a charge and start erasing that because it just takes you know a couple of extra results a couple extra wins to for people to put that mindset away but it’s challenging right now because I don’t think they’re getting the respect they deserve for this fight but she said hey man you go out here and you get a big knockout then you go out there and you deal with Juliana pñ and maybe if they can do that fight in Brazil I mean now you start changing the perception a little bit so big opportunities there yeah it is one of those things where but but again especially when somebody like Amanda Nunes who was so dominant for so long it’s not somebody who just had the belt like when year prasa vacated it because of an injury like all right he’s a great fighter but he had like what he he had I don’t think he had defended at that point it’s it’s a different tone to then when someone’s so dominant walks away but again nobody ducked Amanda I mean uh Raquel did fight her she just Amanda was done um I hated that she retired because I enjoyed watching her fight but maybe she felt like nah this is I’ve done enough enough yeah I I hated that she walked away but I love the way she did it man I thought that was so cool to lay down two belts and to bring her kid into the cage and running around with a beer in there I mean what a scene that was but you’re right I mean it’s funny like you’re talk about pro wrestling pro wrestling they always say you know you got to give the rub to the young guy the old guys’s got to put the young guy over because that’s what happens there’s just this little vacuum where you go well I don’t know I don’t know if they’re really a deserving Champion so look I I think you know a statement can be made on Saturday night and then you start trying to link together defenses and you start you know pecking away at that perception so to speak so it’s a little bit of an uphill battle but two athletes that as you said deserve to be in the fight I mean they’re the ones at the top of the division they’re the ones that have gone on the win streaks they’re the ones that have got the results they deserve this opportunity yeah and we also have Arnold Allen uh coming on uh shortly fighting mosar iev and he’s a really I I the stat I read today I I mean I’m sure I watched so many of his fights but I didn’t realize he had not uh had any stoppages since he’s been in the UFC no it doesn’t mean anything um you know some some people just fight to decision a lot but you wonder if that goes into uh what does Arnold Allen think about that or any Fighter fighting someone that hasn’t stopped anybody does that tell you like uh anything about them I don’t even know what it would be I’m out a fighter do you know what I mean yeah no I mean look I think everybody wants to get those finishes everybody wants to get those highlights I mean when you’re competing at the highest level that’s easier said than done right when you’re facing the absolute best in the world on the other side that’s difficult to do you know when you’re when you’re on the regional scene fighting overmatched unqualified competition it’s a heck of a lot easier but yeah I think you know Arnold wants to make those statements wants to get him but it also says something about their character that they can push to the edge every single time they can go all the way to the end and and they’re going to be the ones to get their hand ra I mean he had some dominant performances along the way the exclamation points are nice they really are they add a little bit of something to the resume but man the win streak that he had I know I know he’s coming off a loss I know how frustrating that is um but man you can’t ignore that win streak he put together 10 and one in the UFC is incredible against guys like Calvin Kar Dan hooker uh sadique Yousef Nick l i he fought some really really good and look I mean Frankie Edgar had a I don’t know if he still has the record for most hours in the Octagon or most minutes in the Octagon but it’s like that as much as that gives you such a high fight IQ and great experience it also wears on you I mean uh you know what I mean like it really it wears on your body because you know you’re still you know being taken down taking people down getting hit you know it adds it takes away probably a little bit of longevity it’s the hard part about the sport right because the sport is so chaotic everything happens so fast in there and you hear people talk about and over time you get more comfortable in there that the fight slows down for you a little bit you can think you can hear your corner you can hear those instructions but as you said as you continue to get better and better mentally your body continues to get worse and worse physically until you just try to cross those paths somewhere at the right time to get you a title shot get you to the highest level of sport but yeah I mean this is not a sport you can do forever man your body just can’t take it so the faster you can get in there and get out the the better for self-preservation but there is value in those you know long fight sometimes just because you get comfortable in there and whenever I talk about like fighting with emotion where it hurts you I mean Jose Connor is the most obvious and one of the biggest ex but I mean uh I mean paoc Costa I think against Izzy I mean Izzy did kind freeze him but I think that he got a little bit psyched out before he went in there I I think that his head wasn’t in the right space um and if you can think of any other examples of guys I was thinking that as we were talking who else has gone in there and I thought really I thought Alvarez was overwhelmed uh by that moment at MSG against Conor but I don’t necessarily mean that is not the same as fighting with emotion where as Jose was so mad he wanted to uh get a quick knockout I’m trying to think of other examples of that listen Jo Jose is obviously the perfect example to go to but I did think man I’ll never never forget you know you said it right man um Conor McGregor is the master of that I thought Eddie Alvarez was good all week long and then at the press conference he kind of lost it you know what I mean and and then you you look at the fli like you know I think about when uh Nate Diaz knocked Cowboy cerrone’s head off back for the the old school you know he knocked his hat off at the at the at the star down and that pissed him off and then he went in with emotion he didn’t need to have I mean there’s examples of it along the way but I think about the other side of it too remember as dark as it was as terrible as a fight week that was but khabib and Connor remember at the press conference where khabib came out even before Dana White came out on the stage and said look press conference is starting let’s go and he gave it like 15 minutes Conor wasn’t there he got up and walked away was like my time’s done so there is such a masterful thing to to not allow yourself to kind of mentally fall into those traps and it’s weird because people may say well you want to you want to have that extra fire you want to have that extra adrenaline but yeah when you’re going there emotional like you said and you’re not really thinking things through and all you’re trying to do is just hurt that guy versus really implement the game plan and do what you know is best and hey we’ve worked on this we know where the openings are we know where the opportunities are going to be instead you just come out there you know eyes red looking to throw down that can be very that could be a very very bad thing I would love to ask Cormier I wonder if he ever felt that way against Jones because they they had such um such a animosity at times between them did that ever affect it’s hard to not let it like some guys are robotic and can just shut up the F like for khabib not to get uh flustered especially after the things Connor had said about his dad or about the whole Buzz like there was so much um and the fact that I think Connor was a little better uh on the floor than than khabib planned I I mean I think he probably thought he’d subit him in the first round And the fact I think it went to the fourth if I remember correctly um but yeah I it’s got to be hard to not let that interfere has to be as professional as Daniel corm is as you know experienced as he is I mean that was a blood Feud rivalry mean you think about obviously the the brawl in the MGM Lobby you think about you know that famous uh you know exchanged on the cameras where they were in the opposite rooms where he’s like I would literally kill you when they were go oh my gosh I mean that was blood Fus you know who else used to be amazing at that Michael Bisping used to get under people’s skins tremendously he was so good at uh just riling people up and again getting him to fight kind of out of character uh and really they just want to hurt the guy and shut the guy up and uh that that could be a weapon that mental Warfare is a weapon that you can use for your advantage CH sunon too um and I remember I want to say it was after the second Anderson fight when he tried that spinning back Fist and fell uh if I remember right he was doing very well in that first round was that the first round that happened or the second round I don’t remember early on yeah I mean it was about how great he did in the in the first fight I mean that was unbelievable and to come out and do that that was wild but was that the mental Warfare playing on the other side what was the reasoning behind that you know well I remember Silva um I think he cried after that fight like he was so overcome by emotion that he just I I think that fight meant so much to him because because the humiliation of uh of of the way CH was taunting him to have lost to him um would would have been too much it just seemed like if he was fighting with emotion maybe it didn’t affect his performance but if I remember he was losing that first round uh but yeah he lost all I mean it was the fifth that that he caught CH but I think he had lost every round except for that moment I I’ll never forget I I I had my I had my story basically written uh Oran cagide man because it was just like well nothing Chang in this fight and then and had to delete everything and start over when he got the miraculous come from behind finish man that was what a classic moment that was in UFC history and and it also I mean and you look at it’s so funny cha because Jones broke his toe when they fought uh in that I think in that first round and had had chel been able to you easier said than done but survive that first round he would have been Champion uh and he missed light heavweight championship and middleweight championship by like like very slim margins um and he could have fought uh Sila different in that fifth round and probably uh just kind of kept him at Bay and won that belt pretty easily you know what’s funny I just saw a clip from that recently pop up randomly on a timeline that I had totally forgotten about was afterwards CH was like you know the problem was I misunderstood the rules I thought if I tapped I just lost that round then I would win the fight and only CH Sun can get away with that where you’re like dude you are hilarious man the cha of one of the greatest ever on the microphone man it obviously continues to be so to this day yeah he he was uh and look him going you you can’t just sit there and do nothing against Anderson and and Coast to a win but I mean the fact that he was being as aggressive as he was uh was just it was just amazing it just shows how much he really wanted to finish that fight and he wanted to just do as much damage as possible but yeah this he was hilarious uh and there was always something when you see guys trying to do what cha was a master at uh a lot of guys are lacking something that he had uh because it was something that made you love ch even though he would say things that made people Furious uh it felt genuine and it felt like this is who this guy is uh but when people try to emulate that a lot of times it looks really bad yeah and it’s been such a pointed discussion lately right like where where does a trash talk go and what’s the line on it and are there are there certain things you shouldn’t talk about but I think that’s the biggest thing too you know hey we started off the show talking about sincerity I mean I think there’s some kind of sincerity and who you put out there as well I mean yes there is a little there’s no question there’s an entertainment side of fighting as well right it’s not just what happens in the cage and the techniques you know it’s the buildup and the discussion and you know like I said the fact that Shan strickly andrias dupy had this you know altercation in the crowd where where Shawn you know peacefully asked Gilbert Burn’s kids to step aside first before he jumped over I mean that stuff you know it’s fun but there are it’s got to be sincere you know what I mean I think I think there’s got to be some form of sincerity to it and ch ch was the master at it man if you’re ever going to pattern yourself after somebody and I think that’s the M the key is don’t necessarily pattern yourself after somebody maybe find a voice that Echoes your own and you could kind of emulate that but like don’t you’re not going to be Conor McGregor like Conor McGregor is unbelievable once in a generation amazing and if you try to do that I just think it it comes off horribly and I think people see right through it yes and we’ll bring Arnold Allen in right now and uh and to your point about that it’s funny even with Strickland who did uh move the kids but if you remember I think it look like he was punching him on the shoulder like he’s not stupid like he wasn’t trying to break his jaw and he wasn’t trying to break his own hand on dup’s you know Marble Head um so he did he he still had his witch about [Music] it Hey Arnold how you doing what’s up bud I’m good thanks man you ah very good buddy thanks for joining us um great great fight uh what what do you think about uh evev and look he’s undefeated in the UFC and has fought some great Fighters but you have really fought uh the the top fighters in the division um and what do you think about uh his record he’s accumulated and and him as a fighter in general yeah he’s very good very good he’s uh undefeated for a reason he’s on a hot streak you know he’s full of confidence and uh I’m sure he’s coming to try and stti a claim for a title shot but I’m going to put my name back in that hat and get back to it and how How would how are you doing after look losses affect different people differently I mean most guys just move on from it but you know you lost to one of the greatest Fighters it was a good fight and and and and how did you feel after that and how did you kind of get yourself situated again yeah it sucks but you know once to get back to training and uh have a couple weeks of eating my feelings and being a bit sad about it I’m back in the gym and uh trying to fix those problems and get better that’s you know I don’t dwell on it do you allow yourself to feel even whether not you say you have a great win do you allow yourself to kind of relish in that for a while and feel great about it or how long do you give yourself to kind of enjoy what you’re doing before you stop the the sadness or the enjoyment and go this I have to get back to business yeah like to be honest as soon as you you win a fight you know you you’re thinking of the next task as soon as you walk out the cage the first thing people are asking you who’s next what’s next no one cares anymore they want the next thing so you can’t you can’t relish it too long but you can eat food for a couple weeks AR I did want I mean listen every fighter would like to go out there and win every fight right like nobody wants to lose you get half your paycheck you get set back I mean it’s not fun right but I don’t know is there any benefit at all like there’s it seemed like there was pressure on you this win streak and you know what you had to do it’s like people are talking more about that necessarily than where you stand your skills that’s I mean is there any benefit at all that at least hey we don’t have to have that discussion anymore yeah yeah and I don’t know it’s the only question question I’ve been asked like this whole media week is uh about losing the max holay I’ve been asked more about that than I have about my opponent so it’s it’s a weird feeling but yeah I don’t know I know I’m I’m fully focused on this guy I’m over that over that fight and uh you know learn my lessons and gonna go back to the drawing board better and come back and prove I’ve improved it’s been and it’s been nine months I mean you’ve had plenty of time to to do what you had to do and train and how do you feel about quick turnaround fights like uh I mean again Vo is a different human being he’s a different person but he’s uh turning around relatively quickly after that uh uh makev uh fight and and how do you feel about quick turnarounds do you take kind of what they give you or are there times where you’re like I just no I don’t feel ready yet I need some time yeah I mean it’s it’s got to be it’s got to work for you isn’t it if you’re out the gym not training and you’re out of shape or you’re injury injured like what’s the point of taking a short notice you know unless unless it makes sense for you and you’re ready to go you know sometimes guys are training all year round healthy ready to go if an opportunity comes up three four five weeks it’s worthwhile but if you’re coming up an injury and you’re you’re not feeling good then is there any point but yeah I don’t like the quick turnaround for him to be honest after get knocked out by makev straight back into the gym into a camp I’m not a fan of it yeah you wonder when a person does that when when it’s a really hard knockout like that if part of it is just to shake that and get rid of that loss like if that becomes the thought like I just got to wipe this out as opposed to do I feel like this is the right time yeah like I mean if he goes in and looks great it’s almost like the loss didn’t happen right it’s like just forgot about he’s in the win column immediately you know so I don’t know I don’t think it’s a good idea personally and your shirt what does your shirt mean it’s my dad it is your dad is J yeah and uh you got I in the it was saying that you you learned a lot of your work ethic from your father who would fight and uh and what are the jobs that he have uh he was a strong man he was a Dorman he was a truck driver he’s an MMA fire you know he’s he’s a a man of many hats so he’s done it all and uh it’s definitely inspirational to see him because he did all these things and put all the work into it just seeing how much effort he put into those things is uh it carried off to me and my brother my brother doesn’t uh work quite as hard does it put pressure on you like because your dad when you look at the things your dad did they’re all like real man activities truck driver just even the things that aren’t it’s all that a man does um was there any pressure on you growing up like internally like well I I can’t paint for a living I have to do something physical um no like no he never never pressure us to do anything like really just kind of if we wanted to do it we always sort of guided into it and uh you know I’m 29 years old I can’t reverse a truck for so so there’s that yeah yeah no I I can’t either I’m always fascinated does he drive a tractor trailer or was it a smaller Box Truck Yeah proper tractor trailer yeah yeah I see them in New York all the time and it’s I I literally don’t know how anybody turns a corner in that thing my dad my dad drove a truck too and he and he took me in the cab one time and it’s just it’s incomprehensible to me how they don’t just Panic the second there’s a traffic or a turn on on on the highway that’s me and my car oh yeah it’s not not your skill set right yeah exactly exactly um what are you expecting out of evloev um and again I I asked this to John before and and as a non-f fighter does it mean anything to you at all that all of his fights again he has won all of his fights all of them have been by decision does that tell you anything about his approach as a fighter the fact that he hasn’t knocked anybody out or subbed anybody um does that give you any indication of anything at all or no uh I don’t take anything from it you know everyone everyone in MMA has got the ability to to hurt you and you know there’s so many ways you can get caught you know we got punches kicks you got submissions on the ground there’s so many ways so no and he’s been finding some top guys tough guys as well guys that are hard to finish but I think he’s he’s smart he’s got a smart approach you know when he needs to he’s happy to run the clock down and control and but when he works he works so uh I’m sure he’s going to be looking to try and get something you know he’s wants to prove this is his this is his big break for you know so he wants to prove it and come out and probably try his best to get a finish or something what about for you AR I mean does this feel like a big fight because it look to I’ll be honest from the outside looking in I think people are as excited about this fight as any other fight on the card save for maybe the main event obviously title on the line but I think people are really pumped up about not only what it means in the division but I mean just you two guys coming together it’s a hell of a fight on paper so I mean does this feel like a special moment an opportunity a chance to write something wrong or is this just the next assignment for you yeah no it’s a big opportunity I think it’s a big opportunity beating this guy he’s got undefeated record you know not a lot of guys wanted to to take the fight with him and uh you know I oblig I’m more than happy and I want to go out there and prove something you know take that guy’s out and uh put myself back up there put myself just I’m still here you know I’m not I’m not going anywhere what was there any hesitation I mean when this was the fight that was announced you say ah we we kind of need to fall back get more of a rebuilding type fight or anything or were you excited for the opportunity to face you know the undefeated guy yeah no I was excited I was excited uh I was annoyed that it was like 16 weeks notice but it was uh I was hoping to fight sooner but uh it worked out the camp was good it was hard work but uh yeah yeah I’m happy and I and I guess guys do avoid each other but it doesn’t seem like that’s that that shouldn’t be the mentality anybody has because you’re going to have to to go through people you don’t want to have to deal with I mean there’s no way you’re going to get to the championship fight and have all perfect stylistic matchups or guys that are ideal for you you’re going to have to go through a few nightmares um but there are guys that just nobody wants to deal with like if you look at the uh you know a lower weight division like morab is a guy that nobody wants to deal with until they have to because he never gets TI like you know so I guess there are those guys it’s uh yeah I mean it’s a funny thing it’s when I was ranked about 10 to 15 you always trying to fight whoever you think is the easiest fight above you right like the highest ranked guy that you think you could beat like oh that guy’s number six I think I beat him and um starwise it matches up so everyone does it everyone does it but then you get to number three four people start saying oh I’m not fighting 8 n 10 you know what I mean so wait right well you’re four and you’re fighting he’s nine so you but yeah for me is it’s a fight like the rankings are kind of you know the manipulated by it’s just whatever it’s whatever he’s a very good fighter and that’s all that matters well you’re saying when you’re in the top four then you start to be a little pickier about who below you you’re going to fight like you know what I mean because you have a lot more to you like again the example I always think of is when Frankie Edgar uh was it Max he was supposed to fight uh and then there was the injur in he F Ortega and he lost he wind up losing his shot at the belt I I believe that was Max had to step aside um so there’s a lot to risk when you’re in the top three or four yeah yeah you’re like on the door of that thing title right so yeah yeah well look uh Arnold you’re opening up the pay-per-view card I mean this is an unbelievable fight John is right I mean this is uh you’re both such great Fighters and you both fought other great Fighters uh and before I let you go do you watch a lot of tape uh on E lever or you not a guy who likes a whole lot of uh tape you like to let your coaches do it yeah I’ve watched some but a lot my coaches do it FR is one of the best in the game and when he watches the tape he he gives me the stuff to work on him we uh he sees things better than me from the outside have you ever watched too much tape and then found that you were expecting things or almost you you watch so much on your opponent because again I’ve seen it work for guys but then guys expect somebody to do something that they don’t do and it can actually it seems like it them up a little bit yeah no I actually never I never have really be much of a guy watch too much tape so I’m more like a intuitive you know I just rather go in there and feed it out see how it feels well good luck on uh Saturday man great fight an amazing amazing opening uh to this great card and and have a great fight man we’re happy to be to be watching you thank you buddy thank you thanks thank you arold take care yeah his dad is fascinating to me his dad uh just like one of those guys that is a like he just lives in a world that would be so difficult or foreign for me to survive in he is a character to say the least he’s been it’s been fun to see him in the corners he’s he’s a great guy man listen this is a big opportunity for our and I kind of hate to to hear it you know I was watching some of his media day and stuff and he’s right he’s getting a lot of questions about the loss but that’s understandable right it’s the first setback in the UFC and it was too a legend and you kind of wonder where it’s going to be in the career but man this is right back into another big opportunity if he wins this he’s right up there at the top of the division um you know I don’t know if if mosar has the Casual fans interest yet to know how good the guy is I can tell you the hardcores know how good the guy is I mean he’s been on the radar for a while so this would be a huge huge win and you know maybe line up something in the summertime for Arnold you know you’re talking about maybe some potential big UK shows over there I mean you’ve got Tom asol you got Leon Edwards you know trying to line some things out and and and that would be a big opportunity for Ronald Allen to fight you know back home in the UK at a big show like that so there’s a lot on the line I think it’s a big big fight and uh like I said I’m as excited for this one as as anything on the card yeah and uh but you’re going to get like you said when when it’s a loss to a guy like Max who looked really good and who’s been looking great uh as of late and it is the most recent fight because if he had knocked max out in the first round that’s still the thing that people would be asking him about um so you know your most recent fight if it’s noteworthy and not just a decision with a a decent fighter people are going to ask about um all right well John listen do you have any predictions who do you think’s going to happen between Strickland dupi man I feel like this is two bulls that are just gonna go out there and Collide in the center of the cage right I I to be honest uh you know I think drus D see I think the power early on uh what he brings to the table the aggression you know the grappling opportunities I think is is going to test Shawn but we’ve seen how durable Shawn is and and how much he’s able to to to last through that fire and to press past it and um you know I’m interested to see the energy levels in a five round fight if it goes that far how does drus hold up in that you know he’s had this surgery that’s supposedly helping him breathe better yeah you know helping his conditioning and all that so I I really I I like the power and the danger of drick is early um but I I like Shawn as this thing wears on and goes on so I’m torn I can really see either possibility happening uh and I’m excited for it I love fights like that I know I I could look could I see draus knocking anyone out yeah of course I mean he hits like a like a truck but I I’m going to take uh Strickland I think Strickland finds a way to drag him into the later rounds I think he’s smart enough he’s a high enough fight IQ uh to either tie him up uh if he’s feeling his power or or to just kind of press him enough where it’s hard for him to get off what he wants to so I think that Strickland will uh I don’t think it’ll be an easy fight for him at all but I do think that he winds up with the decision um and Pennington uh Myra Bueno Silva we’ll just do those two I’m gonna say that uh I’m going to think that buo Silva will I think she’s going to submit her uh within the first three rounds I think she Subs roel yeah I I think that’s a very likely scenario man I think she’s very dangerous and she’s proven that she seems to be just getting at a higher level um she seems to be the one in form M Keel binning as tough as they come we’ve seen it right durable she’s got great boxing um but yeah I I like bua Silva in this fight as well can’t can never count Raquel Penington out of a fight she’s that tough she’s that durable and and look she’s got the experience at this level like Maru was saying earlier right she’s never been through the big press conference she’s never been through the big ceremonial weigh-ins and you know you say you have all that and you feel confident and then you get there and it’s that night and it’s that title fight and everything that you thought you knew changes you know what I mean Raquel Bennington has been there done that so I think she’s mentally more prepared to deal with everything that’s going to pop up but I just look at the frame and the grappling skills of Bueno Silva and I favor that uh unless again people can freeze up people can have bad moments they can have bad nights um and Raquel Penning is capable of beating anybody so should should be competitive um but I like bua Silva as well and I mean we like story lines and stuff too right bua Silva and and Juliana p in Brazil sure would be a lot of fun that sure would be a lot of fun yeah and I think when you see your face on the poster and again she’s had a fight night but this is a major pay-per-view and your face is on the poster does it uh does it make you feel more confident does it throw you I guess every fighter reacts a little bit differently let me plug the fights before we wrap up UFC 297 is uh it’s in uh freezing Toronto uh this Saturday the 20th the early prelim starts 6:30 ESPN plus and Fight Pass uh the prelims of course are 8:00 also ESPN news and ESPN Plus and the main card is 10:00 ESPN plus pay-per-view and uh just a great great card Paul Vienna against Jillian Robertson starts off the prelims um really really awesome and uh gett Armfield against Brad Katona is the uh is the main fight I say main event the main fight of the preists but there’s some really good fights Chris Curtis is fighting on this uh card Neil Magny uh just an incredible uh incredible night yeah it really is I think there’s going to be a lot of fun fights and obviously a big night for Canada there’s a lot of Canadians on there that want to stand out fight fing at home and have some big moments you know you’re looking like Mike mot is in there Johan liones Jasmine Jazz of deis is I mean all of them looking to make statement so should be a lot of fun I know like you know as we’re starting to see this 298 299 300 card come together I mean you’ve got these massive Blockbusters coming up and so you might say oh this one’s not quite a stack but I think it’s going to be a fun night of fight great first pay-per-view of the year for the UFC well and on 300 just to they also obviously gatei Holloway for the BMF and uh another a fight that I’m really happy about I mean uh even though Bobby Green’s coming off a tough loss to jayen turn against uh Jim Miller I mean who the doesn’t want to see that fight I’m happy for Jim Miller that he gets the fight at 300 because he really wanted that uh and he earned it with that last fight I agree man Jim Miller you know it’s been a conversation point that man to me deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame the type of longevity the type of career that he’s had you don’t get to do that you don’t get to compete at the highest level for that long and not get some recognition for it so yeah it’s crazy he’ been been building to usfc 300 you’ve been talking about it you know for the past couple years after getting 100 and 200 and then to take a fight three months out from the car just kind of shows you the guy that he is he’s like well I mean I want to be on 300 but I’m a fighter I fight that’s what I do look fantastic in it against Bobby green as you said who man Bobby green is must see TV anytime he’s in there he’s gonna he’s gonna make it entertaining that’s a great great matchup um you know it does kind of make you wonder where that Paul Felder comeback is at Paul Felder was talking about maybe Jim Miller so you know is there fight of B so we’ll see and then as you said Justin gatei Max Holloway for the BMF title I mean violence excitement Insanity two of the most popular guys in the sport today I mean that’s going to be amazing and props to Max Holloway for never backing down to be able to to move up I’ll move up a weight class and fight a guy that is one of the most violent dudes in the history of sports sign me up takes a special individual yeah it’ll be interesting to see if Justin can get to his legs like uh can Justin chop his legs or is Matt Max able to stay away uh and avoid that cuz Hollow is just such a smart fighter and he’s just so long and he’s just uh he’s really hard to close distance so yeah I can’t wait for that but 300 is coming up thanks a lot John this was a lot of fun I appreciate you stepping in and as you said earlier uh easily replacing Matt sah and you are correct I appreciate you being here just like I said might as well get rid of that guy man let’s do this full time thank you very much buddy and uh we’ll talk to you soon and don’t forget the fight this Saturday night uh pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. thanks John thank you take care guys