UFC 301: The King of Rio Returns! | Good Guy / Bad Guy [FULL SHOW] On this episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy…The King of Rio …
chill you see my tan you see my tan I’m enjoying the Brazilian beaches but chill every time I’m on the beach I get one question why is Chill Sun hate Brazil I don’t hate Brazil what’s Brazil ever done for old chill you know I spent a month there one time I got jumped by a guy named daa my mother ran into him in a hotel lobby in New York and he walked up and apologized to her that is a true story [Music] what’s happening guys I’m CH he’s Daniel and you are all in for a treat cuz it’s fight week the big guy is in Brazil right now going to tell us everything that’s going on Daniel nice to see you it’s nice to see you too CH chill listen I’ve been in Brazil I love this place I love the food the fada the f is good but what I remember most about this place is that when you’re in there especially as a visiting fighter they’re not nice to you I mean you drove them crazy chill you drove them crazy when you fought Anderson but there was another guy chill that drove him crazy I remember one time being in Brazil and watching Kobe Covington fight Damian Maya he beat him called him the whole town horrible names the whole country actually dude I’ve never seen more trash thrown at a human being leaving the Octagon then on that night with Kobe Covington I said in the Octagon I go y’all might hate him here but they love him in Clovis California because Kobe Covington was born there dude it was crazy it was an insane night and CH true story guards armed stay at Kobe Covington’s door all night long until he got on the plane the next day they had to escort him from the hotel to the airport to the gate onto the plane and then they left him Kobe Covington somehow managed to become Public Enemy Number One even more than the old bad guy you know it it really was an incredible thing and I I had to smile when you talked about all the trash being thrown uh into the ring it just reminded me of the old uh NWO when as they would go off the air as they’re fading to Black and rolling the credits I got to tell you I did The Ultimate Fighter there and Dana had assured me that there would be security I didn’t really know what that meant in all fairness so I I get off the plane with my wife we’re going to baggage claim and there is six guys and they’re all in a row and this is like men and black man they’re in the nice suits they got the earpieces they got the Shaded glasses they took us outside to an uh bulletproof vehicle and I just remember thinking if all of this is necessary Neary why am I here like what are we doing and why did I uh bring my wife turned out we had the most wonderful time they treated so good and you want to know what’s underrated is the food it is so good in Brazil yeah it’s crazy it’s a great place man and I’m I’m happy to be here I’m enjoying my time this isn’t the first time A lot of times I used to opt out of doing it but now I come to Brazil every single time because it’s always great to return right anytime you can make a splash a big return and they’re MMA crazy down in Brazil so when we get off the plane and we’re walking around town they treat us like kings but there’s only one true king of Rio and that’s Jose Aldo he returns this week in the fight Jonathan Martinez now chill a lot will be made about Jose Aldo fighting because a lot should be made about Jose Aldo fighting but we like to kind of when you ask the when you figure out the answer we change the question here at good guy bad guy so the question is not about the excitement of Jose Aldo fighting the question is why is Jose Aldo fighting when so much was made of his 2022 retirement CH sunn Daniel this is fascinating to me it is never done this way a guy is never uh brought back he never gets his Farewell and gets to do it in his hometown it just doesn’t go that way Jose revealed to us last week he said my contract wasn’t up he said I have one fight left and I only offer that to you this wasn’t a reigning he reentered the pool at some point when Jose rode off into the sunset he started doing boxing like I I actually watched his boxing matches I watched him and Jeremy Stevens and it was very close Jose there was a rumor not happening chill chill chill wait wait wait wait CH let me ask you this let me ask you this oh my go I never thought about this there is no more testing pool limitation now so maybe this is the first time we’ve seen a guy able to come back sooner because he didn’t have the six month weight in usada I never thought about that well it’s very relevant I I’m very glad that you brought that up Dan because it’s very relevant you might remember at the end of 2023 but there was this speculation around Conor McGregor and then as we were getting ready for 300 there was talk of Ronda Rousey there was talk of Brock Lesnar and one thing that was holding that up was the interpretation within the rule and that never got tested and frankly I never agreed with that I read that thing a hundred different times I never thought that it had to uh be 180 days I only share that with you because you’re right if this is one of those situations this does open up some more opportunity and for them to bring Jose Aldo back in Rio by the way and please hear me on this this is very relevant particularly to the smart marks and the cheap seats he did not get a new contract he is just finishing out his existing contract and Daniel it never works that way if you don’t extend if you don’t resign if you don’t have uh several other that you can give you’re generally not getting that last one in a feature spot they respect Jose Aldo so much they are showing him the absolute proper roll out of the red carpet if you will it is every Fighter’s dream to get to go out on his own terms in his hometown and Jose’s actually going to get to do it you know for me when I start thinking about it I wonder because this isn’t the first opportunity for Jose Aldo to fight because the last time that the UFC went back to Brazil Jose Aldo was offered the opportunity but he didn’t take it that time he was still boxing and everything else so everything must have worked together to get him back when you have a fight card like this a pay-per-view in Rio de Janeiro and you have Jose Aldo and UFC 300 is so stacked and you need someone to help Elevate UFC 301 you have to be lucky to have a guy that has retired sure but is still competing he’s still doing something competitively if Jose Aldo retired in the way that I did chill or the way that you did that’s not an option if Jose Aldo retired in the way that some athletes do that’s not an option so having a former champion who is still actively pursuing a career in fighting granted it’s not it’s not mixed martial arts it’s fighting though you can call on him to come back because the one thing that Jose Aldo did not lose in retirement chill is his ability defend takedowns we all know that the first one of those Strikers that developed that tremendous takedown defense was Jose Aldo and you go man if they all start to defend like this with their striking ability these guys are going to be insanely hard to fight although was the first one we saw him beat up on Chad Mendes because Chad couldn’t take him down we saw him defending takedowns from so many high level wresters he didn’t lose that he still boxes so he can he doesn’t forget how to kick Jonathan Martinez isn’t a boxer this is the right matchup for Jose Aldo and I wonder if he took note of all of that before he signed on the dotted line and said okay I’m ready to come back I’m very interested to see what he says about all this this week and also how he looks when he walks to the Octagon on Saturday night look the reception is going to be crazy but ultimately I’m excited to know what he looks like today inside of a mixed martial arts fight yeah and Daniel I really appreciate the observation you made about the defense of Jose Aldo I uh used to say about George St Pierre that he had the best wrestling offense in the octagon and Jose had equally as good of wrestling but he used it defensively in the octagon and those hips were something else man he would stand straight up and I remember Chad Mendes shot into him it was like hitting a brick wall and Jose just bounced him off I want to tell you this in many ways this is an easy fight for Jose now please hear me out it is not an easy opponent there’s a very tough opponent but it’s an easy fight Jose has been living in the five round Club 25-minute atmospheres training for uh five round contest training for Main Events all the media all the pressure on him there is so many things about this for for guys return which historically doesn’t go great but for a guy’s return to go a little bit lower on the card 15-minute situation look Jose is a very live dog to have the perfect farewell yeah it’s a great fight and having him back is fun it’s always going to be fun but then it leads me to to this Hall of Fame Jose Aldo went to the Hall of Fame and as we all do we’re walking out there and the UFC does a tremendous job chill they play your walkout song one last time so they give you your last walk J it’s emotional you’re crying you you’re like you’re overwhelmed in the moment knowing that you’re respected by your peers and the organization for the last night you get to be treated like a king we see this in football we see this in baseball we see this in basketball everybody when they get that moment they’re o it’s just a rush of emotions but when it comes to football baseball there’s a time limit that you have to be retired before you can make that final walk because they want to ensure that it’s not Hall of Famer Hall of Famer Hall of Famer when they’re still inside the Octagon or on the football field it’s like Five Seasons or something for the NFL before you even eligible to go into the Hall of Fame with Jose Aldo coming back a year not even a year after making that final walk should there be a limit or at least a minimum amount of years that you should be out of the game before you can go in to the Hall of Fame as a distinguished member a very interesting point I I I’ve also o noticed that about MMA I’ve appreciated it and but but I’ve never known if this is the trajectory we’re going to go or if our Hall of Fame is so new and our sport is so young right 1993 The Dana White era starts in in 2001 where some of those exceptions at least at the beginning had to be made I’ve wondered the same thing and I will tell you like all artists they say they become more valuable after their death now I understand it’s a death of a career but there is something about that man there is a a massive Nostalgia again if I was just to go back to 300 we were hearing the crazy rumors but it was going to be the return of kabib and the return of St pier and the return of rhon the return of Brock I love that stuff that’s fun for me I like when those old dogs make the walk we just saw the Olympic trials every four years there’s somebody that comes back ruong Gardner was flirting with it Daniel but that’s fun I like it if if they want to put those parameters down the road I think they’re most likely coming but right now it’s so new I think some guys are going to be able to do both comp repat and be recognized yeah and you know I think that a at a point there will be a time a time frame in which you can go into the Hall of Fame but for the new fans that don’t know who Jose Aldo is you’re looking at one of the greatest featherweights of all time he had eight title fight win six performance bonuses and CH and I were speaking of his takedown defense this guy’s a striker of the highest order 91% this guy was defending nine of 10 takedowns at a time jail when that weight class was full of wrestlers there was Frankie Edgar there was Chad Mendes they had so many guys intent on taking Jose Aldo down and none of them could he was just next level and I remember it was when he came over from the wec right after he knocked out Cub Swanson with the double knee it was in a vent every time Jose Aldo walked to the octagon and I think I didn’t respect small guys to that degree before Aldo so there is no Max or Connor or any respect for the smaller dudes If Aldo didn’t kind of lead the way with his performances and I believe the moment that I truly recognize his star was when he fought Chad Mendes the second time do you remember that CHP when Chad behind him he’s got a lock on the waist Jose turns gives him a knee puts Chad down down jumps over the Octagon rushes to the crowd in real is holding the flag they’re picking him up they’re jumping it was a mob scene and I thought to myself wow that if I could have one moment just one moment to feel what this guy is feeling right now my entire Athletics career will be complete one moment to feel what he felt after watching his Joy his excitement and the way he inspired a country the way he inspired his City I wanted it one time bro that’s what Jose Aldo was he was he was tremendous and the fact that he’s back it excites me so much I was also very envious to that you know Hey listen all those wonderful things that you said about Jose that is how he is renowned and that how he is viewed and I’ll tell you what Daniel it’s also what came to bite him when Conor McGregor flipped the script I mean not for nothing Jose didn’t know how to handle that nobody had ever talk to him any different than you and I are praising him right now I would like to get tell you one thing about Jose that maybe the audience doesn’t know is he is one of the guys that when he got up in the Loft he left the ladder down behind him so other guys could get up he is a massive leader in his gym he’s brought people through some guys didn’t have dues some guys didn’t have the money to buy gloves and wraps it was just one of those situations where uh he did pass the torch he was the captain of that team Andre Peres gave a lot to Jose but Jose gave back to the club that is the the rumor and reputation he has and I really can’t think of anything stronger than being somebody that helps other people you know what I love about him and ped neris also chill is that they’re still together their bond is unbreakable like Jose goes to boxing he’s got Andre pedar Jose’s in MMA he’s got Andre pedys to have it’s like you in Coach Hines it’s like when you can go to the top there’s nothing better than I remember W walking over to Bob cook or Javier Mendes or Rosendo and them when you can give those guys the belt because nobody knows what go through with you in preparation so watching Jose and Andre pedis in their relationship it really is inspiring to me because these guys were just meant for each other and there is no Jose Aldo without coach obviously but those coaches take a lot from these athletes too and Jose Aldo is one of those great athletes that built the bond that I really do like and I really do respect the way that they are uh with each other and I do respect Jose for what he did but he also has a very tough fight this weekend against Jonathan Martinez but CH we’re here to watch The Champ Alexandre Pantoja take on Steve EG this main event is much more interesting than people think you look at EG’s number oh number 10 why is he fighting number 10 CH sometimes you don’t need to be there for a long time you just got to be there for a good time and while Steve EG doesn’t look like the typical fighter this dude is a Savage man he beat the number seven great guy in the in the world in his UFC debut against Dvorak what do you makeing this matchup oh ‘s a very big problem anybody that’s looking at those rankings and those numbers man I I I could see those numbers but I I could raise you a whole bunch of them too I could raise you a 12 onone record uh just for example I I I could raise you a stoppage over the number seven guy in the world in the third round just by example like don’t get into a numbers game and tell me that ersc can’t go out there and handle business not to mention there’s a lot of pressure on panta I mean Pantoja has been begging for this literally begging to be part of this car but don’t forget he went out to Florida a long time ago he started training at the American top team it’s very relevant that he’s going back home and Daniel as we know in all sports there is such a thing as home field advantage but not in cage fighting at least not from my experience man you’re fighting at home in front of everybody you’ve told your whole life how tough you are people that treat you a certain way now your phone’s ringing now you got to do the local radio shows now you got to do uh everybody’s going to want tickets I mean there’s an Afterparty I’m just sharing with you like fighting at home puts a lot of pressure on you and ersc that doesn’t have that you hear a lot of sports guys like you and I talk about pressure but they never go the further step to tell the audience why that matters it matters because it creates a stress which creates a fatigue if you have the pressure on you you can fatigue before your opponent I think urich’s in a great spot to get some real good minutes in I’m not going to go as far as to predict an upset but I do think he’s the right guy you know CH when you talk about fighting at home and you talk about the dangers one thing that I always wonder especially in this guy situation is because do you remember chill when panto won the belt he said Daddy are you proud of me now you remember that of course what if his father’s around what if he sees him what if he sees members of his family that he hasn’t seen for years there’s something deep lying in that when in your biggest moment that is the first thing out of your mouth what about those things that play into Pantoja if he’s at home fighting and those people that he I CU I don’t know if he was wanting a proud father moment or if it was a stick it to my dad moment you know what I’m saying I don’t know what that was it felt like a stick it to my dad moment those things outside of the tickets and everything else can be a massive factor in this fight this weekend and for EG he has shown time and time again that he has so much ability to compete and the term youthful ignorance CH while Steve EG is not a kid while he looks like Astro Boy his his name is Astro Boy while he looks like the guy from the office and he’s very unassuming he doesn’t know that he’s not supposed to compete at the highest level and when you don’t know sometimes you allow yourself to do things that are not realistic because you just don’t know and even going back to Connor chill that is why he was so good because when he looked at Aldo he saw nothing different all he did was knock people out so he figured I’m supposed to knock this guy out and look at what happened I think EG is the same type of guy he hasn’t been here long enough to respect Pantoja in the way that most would so he’s gonna go at him the same way that he would go at anybody else because right now it’s like playing with The house’s money I watch kids wrestle constantly now high school kids wrestle college kids and they wrestle senior level guys men and they beat them because when you’re wrestling someone you’re not supposed to beat or you’re fighting someone you’re not supposed to you’re playing with his money even if you lose you’re supposed to but if you win you can change your life and right now EG has that potential to do that and maybe and hopefully that is how he’s looking at it Daniel I I woke up on third place here wearing it catchers mitt did you say that panta won the belt and and then did an interview and said to his father like his father wasn’t there and didn’t support him and he’s saying dad what do you think of me now and he like didn’t know what happened there this this is a very painful story is that what happened in the Octagon chill after he won the belt not last fight when he beat Brandon Moreno he said Papa or Daddy are you proud of me now with Rogan in the Octagon he asked his father Can You See Me Now that’s crazy imagine if that man shows up if you’re harboring that emotion towards him chill that you say that in your biggest moment imagine if Dad shows up at the fight hotel or if Dad’s in the arena catch a glimpse of him as you’re going into the Octagon there are a lot of things that can be detrimental to him fighting in Brazil I’m not saying they will be they can be no no it’s a great point but Dan I just want to make sure that I have this right had he not met his father had his father abandoned him or what did it mean or it was in a high pressure situation you might remember Oscar De La Hoya his dad was always there but his dad never once told him good job what are we dealing with here this this is heartbreaking did P not know his father I never I never really like followed but like up but again this happened a couple like a year and a half ago and my brain don’t work like it used to but he was in the octagon and he said that so I don’t know and I’m pretty sure Ariel asked him on the show afterwards I could probably find it but I don’t know that it was a hey are you proud or hey you left me and yo we see this in football all the time right these young men over overcome and they become Superstars and they look at the camera and they tell their fathers who walked away see see even Shaq even Shaq’s biological dad wasn’t there but then Shaq accepted him back into his life because Shaq’s a big man right Shaq’s the man so he accepted him but it felt like Pantoja had those underlying things I’m only saying this to you chill to again tell you another factor that could play into fight at home you hey you don’t deal with that when you’re fighting in the United States because visas passports all these things father would have to go through in order to get here now you’re in the country you just go to the fight yeah no that’s a very incredible thing and I know the pent toan story very well I remember that interview I remember him doing I remember he had to put his championship shirt on I remember that whole thing I guess I didn’t quite get it through The Interpreter what he was saying and Daniel I I will add this just speaking of pentos but when he wanted this so bad when he came and he was training with the American top team in Brazil he was also working a full-time job plus hours they were saying about 50 to 55 hours a week he was delivering food for Uber Eats and I only bring that to you it’s so difficult to have the right energy to train and no people are going to look down on me for saying this but it’s very important that an athlete can get a little bit of a nap in the afternoon right when he does the morning session a little bit of a rest to re get that energy to go in in the evening and knowing that he was putting in 55 hours knowing that he was at a weight class like 125 lbs which financially has not had the opportunity they do not command the main events of pay-per-views like he’s getting right here I mean he willed this into existence he asked Dana White at least four times that I heard for this very opportunity he even had competition because Alex Pier wanted this spot not for nothing what a great moment for Pantoja you know what I hope his father does show up I don’t know what I hope after that I don’t I don’t I don’t want his father to have a bad moment though I have a very evil side right now I I do not like I do not like this story and I I’m very impressed that that young man overcame he’s unbelievable and the way that he fights is so fun it’s going to be a great Main Event in a couple days I’m excited that I get to be here and call it again I I have the greatest seat in the house man and I’m so blessed and lucky to do the job that I do but CH Brazil is a place that has tremendous fights over and over again in this weekend we have another one Pantoja Defenders belt versus Steve EG The Return of the King Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez Anthony Smith introduces vtor patrino to the top of the division Michelle P takes on E portieria and Paul Craig versus Kyle Balo starts the main card of UFC 301 Saturday night 10 Eastern 7 Pacific live on espnplus.com ppv CH this month in UFC history five years ago Jessica andrj Spike heard round the world becomes the UFC Champion by beating Rose nunas what do you remember about that night that performance and Jessica andr and then I’ll tell you that story that I said I want to tell you at the top of the show I remember the whole thing I remember where I was I I was right here in my house I was in the other room my little guy snuck out of bed came down watched that fight with me and we were surprised I mean I’ve got to tell you I never met on so I had a real bias I’ll happily disclose that you know towards Pat Barry and Rose and I just remember the strength of andage and I have never forgot that I mean not only is that what dreams are made of but I have never like every time she walks in the Octagon I have always felt she’s the favorite just cuz she is so physically strong and she really put it on display that night against Rose I got to hear your story though I’m hurrying my bit because you you’ve got me on the edge of my seat what happened okay so I was there and I watched it I remember getting to the high crotch and spiking her when in the fight it was unbelievable but what set was really uh sat out to me or stuck out to me was the next day on the airplane bro Rose nunis seemed like she was happier than she’d ever been in her life no crying no disappointment she got on the plane and she just went home it was nuts but here’s my story chill and I don’t know if this is true maybe you’ve heard it I heard this is crazy dog this is so crazy got what so crazy so bro we went to Brazil and I’m always afraid when I Go in different countries so I don’t go anywhere but the first time they went to Brazil we had this great Beach Hotel and everybody they give you all the safety precautions because you know in these other countries you got to be careful with all your stuff anyways something happened with the UFC staff they said it didn’t matter I heard that Jessica Andra got robbed in Brazil after winning the World Championship in Brazil bro I heard they took her in Brazil have you ever heard this I haven’t heard about andr I can confirm for you Shogun got robbed one time a guy pulled up on a motorcycle and robbed Shogun and I mean this board is huge there like it’s the number I don’t know why you find that to be so funny I guess because you couldn’t imagine like if you go you go to rob somebody and all of a sudden Mike Tyson gets out of the car like yeah the gig is up the gig is up you just won a World title one of the biggest moments in the history and we’re going to take the belt I think they took the belt I think the belt is what got wow that’s wow that is unbelievable they think I’m going to go and Google that story that is very interesting hey by the way when I was looking at that card that you just flashed up are oh D you have something I’m sorry no no hey hey and then they were tell listen to this though swe hey hand to God CH they told us to be very careful being by yourself different times we leave I promise you bro 3:00 a.m. I’m in my hotel I look down on the beach there’s a little Shack where you can get a hamburger middle of the night they tell you don’t hold your phone up keep everything closed chill 3:00 a. after the fights I see this it’s dark outside the beach one guy on the phone holding his phone in one hand holding a burger in the other he’s eating he’s by himself I cannot believe it when I look closely chill guess who it was guess who was sitting out there in the middle of the night vtor bort Dominic Cruz Dom Dominic Cruz hey doic Cruz was on the beach doing everything they were told not to do eating a burger with one hand holding his phone away from him with the other I called him and I go get inside the hotel you stupid stop being an idiot you’re gonna get yourself Rob he goes I wish somebody would try to rob me he’s crazy he’s a Savage he don’t care chil he doesn’t care he did it all wrong and he was Sav his non-fear made him safe Daniel when he finally made it when Domino Cruz became the champion of the world started getting participation points all of a sudden he’s putting some six figure checks away he moved back into the hood he moved into his dream home that had the bars on the windows and nobody wanted to go visit him and he couldn’t figure it out he was like showing this pad off I was in Canada with him and we went to a type of Burger King it was a knockoff Burger King but they had a Whopper Jr and we go through the line and I sit down with my food and Jessica Rose Clark and Hans is there we sit and Dom doesn’t have any food and I said Dom aren’t you going to eat and he had a Whopper Junior and he put it in his pocket and and I said why is it in your pocket he said I’m going to eat it later I said but I don’t understand I said you you wait you have a Whopper in your pocket he looks at me goes it’s a Whopper Jr the next day I see him in the security line at the airport and I said hey still got that Whopper junor he says no I ate it at 3:00 a.m. I bet you were hungry I was prepared I plan ahead and he T and I I’ll never forget that Whopper Jr for whatever reason that he stuck that in his pocket and then pulled it out at 3:00 a.m. and rubbed it in that he had one and I didn’t come on man that’s Dom that is that is absolutely Dominic Cruz guys don’t ever miss good guy bad guy we’re on every Monday and Thursday wherever you get your podcast ESPN MMA YouTube We also on ESPN 2 yeah you can pretty much get us everywhere ESPN related but get us wherever you get your podcast another great show chill always fun chill Sun I’m Daniel Cormier until next time guys peace