BTG 02 - Kevin Lee

[Music] all right hello everyone I'm Robert Rhys dumb here with my co-host David Avila and our very special guest Kevin Lee you are watching episode 2 of breaking the guard Dave Kevin how you guys doing doing wonderful Kevin it's good to have you here yeah it's good to be on you know I like doing the podcast Rob hit me up this morning asked me if I doing I'm like yeah of course I'm always a moyes down to talk to some folks I can learn from yeah well Kevin comes to train with us with us falling off for a while now and uh you know we not only you know coach kind of you know doing really [ __ ] but also the friendship so it's fun to have you on here Kevin really appreciate you taking on short notice yeah and yeah we got let's talk about man yeah you know I was looking into your like looking some more old articles and whatnot and one thing that jumped out I wasn't where we would have a commonality is your background and wrestling and particularly you didn't get feta so from a silver spoon you know like you had to grind your way out starting from a small wrestling program and you know I know it's like when I started my team we never had a full roster it was always like 10 guys and we lose every match pretty much by in forfeits you know so how is that like coming up in that rank you know I think in hindsight it kind of was the best thing for me even now like there was no time I've done a lot more like physically challenging practices and things but there was no time that I remember it being as hard as when I came up wrestling when I was like 16 17 because I came in I literally started at 16 you know I tried to go out for the team at 15 we didn't have a lot of money for me to get back and forth to school or anything so one until I was 16 a junior and I'm wrestling kids like you know they've been wrestling since I was four years old and you know they had a lot more money in these schools and a lot more you know kind of background and resource for it so we like you said we will always be losing we always be the last seed of the of the tournament's and we would go against the best team out there but it taught me a lot mentally I think about like how to you kind of got to get over it at some point and and I didn't really get it then but in hindsight I think that was like really where you hear it said a lot like oh wrestling is where you know the best fighters come from or you know you should start off your kid and wrestler anything like that I think it's really just the mentality of it that kind of you get over that that we got I got over losing quit there's a selection process to goes on like the very very toughest strongest most athletic most like tough minded people make it to the heart because the truth is it's it's hard it's brutal and there's a lot of hardship along the way and there's a few rewards like I mean we think about wrestling like okay what's what's a career for us is like Olympics yeah yeah and they can be a coach at a college or something but University of cents it's it's different from other combat sports I feel like like boxing that you know the top of the pyramid is what make an entertainer knowledge before a weather exactly like anything and I think that might play a role it's like selecting like some of the very toughest people that come out of you know wrestling into other sports probably because I can remember like times especially on high school I would be physically trying to fight my dad to go to wrestling practice you know he didn't see that that same goal especially coming from Detroit because you know we had Floyd Mayweather come out of Michigan and you would look at Floyd and be like oh you know he's hundreds and hundreds of million dollars and you know helped his whole family come up but in wrestling you look around and it was none of that you know you can go to the Olympics you can make ten thousand and kind of get out I think where I kind of differ from a lot of wrestlers they get into MMA is I I went out for wrestling with the intention of getting into fighting you know when I saw fighting for the first time I was 15 and then I just was like okay you know I can't go to an MMA gym or anything like that so I just go out for the wrestling team but it's still with that same type of nobody else all division but me you know I mean and that's kind of how its you know it's funny you just touch on a point I know like we can go on this you know so many different ways but you mentioned something you start when you were 16 who's that and you know III think I'd really I've always believed it's a kind of a crucial age you know for any fighter I used by decade between 14 and 18 those are the crucial years I feel like you know we see this a lot in James like parents really pushing their kids and making them run sprints and eight nine and then 18 they could burn it burn it peaked and like you have SEC would you would you I relate a lot to what you just said I'm sure Dave does Jim most people have been doing this for like 20 years like we have a will relate to it like you couldn't keep me out of the gym yeah like there's nothing you could have done not gonna I'm gonna go train like I don't care if my knee is broken I don't care if it's raining I don't care I'll do I show up sick like it doesn't matter what the circumstances were you just do what you got to do right and I really believe that you know best thing you can do if you're around someone like that with potential is just support them and make it a little bit easier perhaps but you just have to know the hemant like it's just like you can't force someone to be someone who they're not like it doesn't matter even if you have the talent if your mind is not there you're not it's not made for you you know one thing that makes wrestling kind of unique compared to all the other sports it's a one sport that doesn't cut you right like football you get cuttin basketball you get cut so they only get the top way you have to have natural ability to get in you job right yeah but wrestling it's about the toughest guy yeah and wrestler wrestling coaches know that and they push you hard like I remember is equally is it's like probably the hardest sport there is I really I baby gymnastics is like Harley yeah probably you're not as hard as wrestling I'll tell you that when I started with my team I started a sophomore year also so I was like same idea I started watching the UFC's saw Dan Severn Matthews and something on that okay I'm gonna go to wrestling path first because there was no MMA gyms back like in 1997 you know so when I got there day one there was like 60 people on the mats it's just like you couldn't run you know it's like a full circle everybody you know at the other season it was like 13 people you know and because coach everybody pushed you hard as well you know nobody could stand you know that yeah I mean and like you said that's that's the thing and you said if you have someone like that it's 16 or 15 maybe not having that support is what's kind of like a good thing like I said I remember exactly trying to fight my dad to go to wrestle practice you know because it's to earn it that's kinda how would I look forward to during the day you know I mean like I didn't have much else growing up and that's kind of where I mean yeah yeah it gave me something so maybe if if I because when I fought him to do it when I was there no matter how like hard and how tired I was and how like [ __ ] beat up and you just want to go home they eat you want to quit and I'm like [ __ ] I fought on the beer like I might as well you enjoyed this while I'm here you know this is like it's half the fun of it and you know it's a finite like to me it's such a treasure that you have that because I remember like up to like the time I retired and people will talk about meaning and purpose and like how hard it is to find purpose in life and I'm like what are you talking about like I don't know where people were talking about cuz I had it it was going to the gym every day yeah he's like one of those saying you don't know what unhappiness is until you got you experience it like you're like a life is great and there's something really bad happens to you um like that's exactly how I feel about this you know like people talk about purpose when you find that purpose early in life it's such a beautiful thing you know because he just kind of keeps you like everything is just like shuts off and you just like this is a beautiful place to be in because it just keeps you on the track no distractions yeah I mean I think about that a lot and especially like what it is because I get this question a lot like what it is that made me a little bit different from especially the people that I grew up around and and in the situation's that I grew up around like for me like people I never judge anybody for anything that they do because I know so many people that other people like consider to be bad people yeah you know I mean or you know that just was normal to us in our neighborhoods and everything there was no doctors and lawyers and you know people are you worked out at the hospital like no there was drug dealers gang members like killer but they were good people and that's just who we who we kind of grew up around if that makes sense and I never really I think it's hard for me to really like explain what it is that's that's different but maybe it is that fine and purpose at a young age like I remember just at 13 or 14 just something in me which is like I just want to be different you know I mean I wanted to find that purpose on him when I saw him and made for the first time and saw it was George and BJ that fight and I didn't really understand what it was I was watching I can remember like sitting as a kid like I don't know like there's four one there's no way I'm gonna be able to do that for sure like I never thought that I thought BJ Penn was huge you know I thought I was like I was like a book like 20 you know I mean I was like no way I'm a [ __ ] like a kid possibly do it but it gave me that vision a vision into the future and that and I just been following that for as long as that it's been and has just been [ __ ] like but like this is is it's a it's a beautiful thing but like it's something that's deep inside you Kevin like I like that point like we you a you had that you know you probably had that a young age of if not because I remember looking for they probably felt the same way like near teenager especially there's a turning point in your life like you're looking for something like some people find out in like you're you're lucky to find what your calling is you know I can't Philly was always combat don't know I just feel about it but I can even as a child always play with GI Joes I had to do like fighting like Heights or cars cartoons were violence you know you got a ninja I watch that again these movies get crap you're as I get older they okay funny I've made the mistake of watching Highland you guys ever watch yeah yeah and when I was a child as the greatest movie ever this is the greatest movie ever made you made the mistake of like watching it like maybe a year ago like five minutes and this is horrible actually bought it on Amazon this is I think maybe perspective you know absolutely I think if you have a classic in your head that if you can do is like never touch it just leave it you know we could sometimes they say don't meet you you know I say don't meet the heroes and all that like don't rewatch the oceans one thing about having that tough upbringing because like something I read also that you used to sleep in the gym and there's like there'll be no heating and it's in the winter and stuff like I don't know most people probably never have to go through that you know so it to me it makes me wonder like what if I had come up working with like the best team infinite resources you know like what I have become better because I've had more around me or what I've been spoiled you know because it's to the point it would have been like oh I just have everything I take it for granted you know because when you have that tough I'll bring in you don't take anything for granted you know when you have a coach when you have any partners when you have good facilities like man a Masonic treasure it's like somebody who's never starved and you try to get them to cut weight it's like being born rich yeah words like you don't see the value in money when your boy gear and fathers a millionaires like I I'm with you massive great point you know not to make it yeah I mean I can just remember because I had to to wrestle against these kids had been wrestling Sega four or five years old especially when I got to college that's kind of when it when it clicked for me and I got to like a different level of it and guys have been not only were they wrestling since four or five they were the best of that so they're my physical abilities wasn't enough to kind of you know we know from jujitsu like sometimes it's just it's the technique of it you and there's nothing that that if you don't understand that technique then there's nothing that you can really do to make up for it so it always made it to where I had to work ten times harder than then they did in order to level the playing field if that makes sense so I feel like maybe if if I would have had you know better situations and better coaching and I went to like the type high school where you know everybody was coming out and already a state champ you know four-time state champs and all this I think maybe if that wouldn't have been it wouldn't I wouldn't have the same I may have been better technically and I may have been better overall but I think one of the big reasons that I've got where I am now so young is because I've just had that and work ethic to to try and beat the next guy even though he's got [ __ ] ten years old me you know I mean I get anything I can do about it you get more tape but 10 years or more technique it's like it's what makes you strong at the end of the day it's just having that resolution do it to like I think that in itself is an exercise mm-hmm like going back to Dave's point it's kind of like that hardship yeah I think that right there sculpts you in a way that even I don't know I'd rather have that journey of hardship you know yeah small little war than that like you get handed everything and then you know with no hardship if there's no sculpting of the character they sit on the on the journey you know you're missing on the most precious thing which is actually battling really hard for something yeah because at the end of the day once this is all over and said and done you still have to be you have to be you have to have that purpose still you know and you still had to be happy like I see guys now that are like either already retiring or Akana I can see them on there their second half of this yeah and some of them I can still see you had that same purpose like I said something that was built into you at a young age and you just have to keep that same that same focus but then some guys a look and see maybe they just had where they're just gonna keep pushing and keep you know they're defining themselves by something different they're defining themselves by fighting they're defining themselves by how good they are instead of they said just had that that same perfect it's a difficult thing like a you know me and Dave talked about this at length but like it's almost like you have to reinvent yourself to because of someone like you know for so many years it's your identity and then when you retire it's like okay like you don't have to rethink about because like it's great you have skills but at some point you have you're gonna retire one day you're gonna go like oh I'm gonna be a manager I'm your trainer I mean a business or a restaurant but it's it's it's developing other aspects of yourself to not only other there's always somebody on your tails to no there's no such thing as like being ahead you're yeah target yes it's a it's a it's a flow it's like money you know that you you touch in a million dollars you never have you never physically sit there and hold it you know I mean it's it's it's the game you know there's always going to be somebody coming in behind you like people look at me now like there's I say I'm so young in a game and all this but I can see the guys that are coming up that are 21 22 doing this and I'm like oh I'll find another I'm 26 so you know I mean still haven't hit my physical prime as a man I'm probably like just coming into it but you know I can still see the guys that are coming up behind me yeah you know now I'm I'm gonna be good man best believe and just because I'm gonna do my thing I can still see like where they going you know what I mean I'm trying to like learn from them of it because one day I'm like the level is gone like so much higher like it's never been better like I feel like every single guy and they're so well-rounded so good like you can see like you know but it's one of those things like just the same thing Brazilian jiu-jitsu it's like you know you we were when we were trading when we were grabs through our grappling we were that first generation was trying figure like what worked and what didn't work out like we were picking and choose and we're grabbing from wrestling from judo like it wasn't you know but now I thought the young generation is like they had like the laboratory has been there for the last 25 years testing what works and what doesn't people know exactly what to pull from you know I'm saying like the things like the bad techniques have been weeded out and like people really stuck the best training best training methods and the best techniques and yeah the levels never been so high but one thing that's really can you know a little off topic but I feel like it's it's become more more similar to I kind of like the old ways in a way was like this guy was wrestling this guy was karate this guy was there was a lot there's more of that like guys are more specific to their style I feel that now like fighters are becoming more and more similar as a result of this the techniques have been selected and the styles that work have been selected I think that's been I think that might be just for now though until somebody reinvestigating you know they're like you say you constantly trying to even reinvent yourself and that's kind of where where I've always been you know is trying to reinvent myself constantly try and reinvent the game yeah when I first started this I seriously did not think I could do it so now when I look at it I really don't know the possibilities of where it could go to yeah so I'm always trying to you know Georgeson beer he's the reason why I kind of got started in his game because I could see he was different than you know the The Voice Gracie brawler down era you know where's just like this guy's just a barroom brawl he was ahead of his time when I saw his George I saw somebody that was calculating somebody that was a true athlete and and really when well-rounded yeah and and you could tell he was he was on top of his game so from that's always been kind of my inspiration is to be that you know and to be the most well-rounded you know I think sometimes people just look at it from okay you got striking grappling and you got wrestling you know and then okay you got better striking oh yeah better grappling but they don't really break those subsets down yeah but you know can you move forward can you move backwards can you switch stances can you you know it's so many things just in striking alone you know that can be reimagined you know and I think eventually you're gonna see the game the whole game change you know what I mean I I like that I think that that evolution is one of my favorite things about MMA and the beautiful thing about Minmei like it's been like part of prom the greatest revolution when the greatest revolution the history of martial arts is because it has been like that lab that I was describing like you've been late be able like really still like what's working it's constantly changing like I like that about it but as a result would come up with everyone's like learning even like the latest little trained it kind of know what works and what doesn't like you can't BS people in a more like it could twenty years ago like some move that like it looks great on tape in a movie but it's just not really a thing command made like okay this stuff doesn't work this is what works people the techniques you know it's become very unpopular in movies now is that the whole ninja kill like I'm trying to turn somebody is you seeing people like throwing arm bars and and really effective martial art that's kind of what made me fall in love with it is is so many endless possibilities and so many like you know fighting has been around forever you know I mean like that's what two people do when they get into not only two people but any two animals you can see them like this they're gonna fight at some point they're gonna find some point you gonna fight well you know you're gonna no matter what how many people are in a room if you all leave them in there long enough at some point somebody gonna fight yeah you know I mean yeah it's just like it's very primal either you're gonna fight and you know it's funny cuz like you know we're 2093 is when a UFC was found it took that long for it something I mean other forms of like closer than Mayo calm it had that existed before but we think about how popular martial arts or around the world its kind of surprised that it took so long for something like well let's put all these styles together and let's find out what really works when you think about it's like it sure like you think that would have happened like a hundred years ago you know but it's fairly recent I'm glad it exists you know that I think that it's it's like I said it's we did all the good you know we're not the bad and given people you understand of what what is really functional in the reality yeah I think as a culture people are very afraid now of offending people and fighting is such a bad and like I don't think fighting even just amongst kids is a bad thing it just you humility it really fast yeah maybe like you learned lessons I think what quick part of the profit it's almost like a probably like kids don't get a reality check yeah we're a kid if you're out over the top you got a reality check yeah there's gonna be some fat little kid is gonna beat you up if you're like yeah like now they just called you know I'm with you I think that's it portable correct this has got a little overboard and in some regards I mean it really is the truest like former art that you can do with your body you know what I mean like you can only move your body in so many different ways you can dance you I mean there's only so many things that are natural for human to do yeah and fighting is just one of them so the people who would say like Oh fighting is an art and firefighting is I mean what do you talk me it doesn't even make sense listen let's look at the people who say that though they're invariably people who have no they're weeds yeah exactly date they're terrified of it so you know you criticize what you don't know anything that is alien to you is something that is you know okay it's bad if one reason I present of like you know ki hooks have always been of no no in BJJ is because most BJJ instructors they don't know how to start to change now right like whatever you don't know is bad right but like I think the public deck you know doesn't see the value and fighting and struggle they you know it's it's because they're just really unfamiliar with it you know but but then that's probably why it took so long to go back to why you say why it took until 1993 for the UFC to get started it's probably with the rise of the Internet probably has a lot to do with it you know because you that exchange of information people who because there are I mean there are a lot of people that really really love fighting I mean in the world obviously it's gonna be one of the biggest sports forever you know regardless of the organization the UFC you know WC whatever organization are attracted to Cox and whatever so you know so when you exchange that that info people learn more people get it more so uh on that vein I want to ask you something like you know we were talking about character building like who would Kevin Lee be without fighting because I think we all agree like it's huge on character building it turns you into a man and and I'm not talking about all tough guy that can take a punch like it really makes you a better human being yeah because it sets you straight yeah you know it brings you like it teaches you so much about yourself like who would Kevin Lee be and how do you would you who do you have to say about you know character building and then fighting honestly I don't I don't know and and i truly do ask myself that sometimes and I'm like okay maybe if if if I wasn't this then then or if I didn't learn this then would I be different I think I would have still probably had been I've always been a smart kid you know and I've always kind of understood how to you know I was always good at school in kind of would I I can play the games real good so I probably would be like I don't know I'm probably like an engineer so I'm like that maybe yeah but if I didn't have fighting and if I didn't ever understand and learn how to fight and and be able to push myself to that and have that something to look forward to I probably should be stupid unhappy you know I probably you know yeah and and you know physically like I would still be okay you know I can kind of look at my dad and see how he was growing up in in art I could tell physically we were kind of the same and my dad never had sports he never had you know any type of organ he you know he grew up on the streets by himself since he was 15 so it was a tougher generation for sure she was options we have titled yeah so I mean a lot of is just like I don't know what I would like to think I would be the same you know what I mean I would like to think that I've been away since before fighting but like it does teach you a whole lot it teaches you you're not the toughest guy in the [ __ ] world for one like every do always think you can fight for sure I mean I don't even really go out anymore because you know you just guys just going up it yeah press your buttons like they don't even understand what it is you know if you're gonna fight if they recognize you like you know no one's gonna want to mess with Kevin Lee it's like the other way around there's always gonna be some I have a theory why that irritating because they're trying to do it impress their girlfriend they're trying to impress their friends and deep down they know nothing's gonna happen yeah yeah yeah they're just gonna talk to talk and nothing's gonna probably there's if there's not gonna be a scrap sometimes you know this one who she had to punch him right yeah so it's the one win for someone it's just like a random troublemaker Lee so you're right like you have to you know nothing cool nothing good is gonna come from any kind of learned that early you know I mean I kind of learned where to go and where not it is hard and sometimes I like playing a game like I like talking [ __ ] and I kind of like the back-and-forth sense I like trying to get into a guy's head to a little bit so when you do that with somebody who is untrained and will do something stupid and not realize what they doing it that can escalate but you gotta get him in the gym offer like a one-year membership for one year I want you to come to my Devery day story from one of my guys so one of my students went to the club he's acting like a fool and he sees his guy and he starts trying oh I'll kick your ass Bob I goes oh yeah I'm a pro fighter I trained with me was from my team I trained with ffs oh yeah he pulls that we have little ID cards for people to swipe any they look it's like it's a white belt weeded out - yeah not all fighters are Saints either I mean there's some [ __ ] [ __ ] in this sport and and in look at the upper echelon or any you know any endeavor really like you really end up with people that I think humility ultimately not maybe not in your word but at least in your your day to day actions they have to be there because you don't make it that far right yeah like we've seen them eat as they walk in the gym they think they're super tough to use the bullying people won sparring session and they're like I this is not for me I've lost count of how many times I've seen that back to the David shrinko tour used to see that all the time yeah big meathead they thought they were big they could fight you put him in one sparring session they get kicked in the leg once and they're like this is not for me I definitely seen it especially through wrestling like you say you beginning of the season and be thirty guys out there and you know I was a black school and everybody was athletic you know I mean everybody was like a basketball or football player and I like football players especially will come out for wrestling but I mean you could just tell like those guys liked it certain guys like you you ain't gonna make you don't like people like you ever see they always tough like dark the room have to remind you that the guy used to play football or something like it's a fighting skill whatever stage to play golf and college you know like no one ever says that like it's always like it's it's part of his resume as a fighter but I feel like like officially because like I'm a grew up in Brazil I see things differently like people here from think of football ways like a fight the same you know how big and tough you are Association is always there was size and skill and I we'd know this like how many times have we seen the big huge dude who's super tough you know he has one in a row and then you know you put him under this much pressure and he bris and NEC the little guy who's nerdy you're thinking he's at the heart of a lion like that's the guy is the scariest guy in the room but you don't know it doesn't look like it but that's the guy that's never gonna quit kind of comes back to that same thing about having tough origins right because like when you're a really big guy and gifted you can lean on that lot yeah it means more life that's why I said I've seen it all the time with spine like we had these two heavyweights way back and whenever they sparred guys smile them abusing all the time I bone throwing and we're like one day let's get these two guys in the same time put them together and have a war you know what happened nothing it's just like they want to piss each other out they lose their glue yeah yeah I don't know wanna link on his name I love their things about martial arts it does exactly that like it's it's so awesome to see these guys get exposed and like they're shocked because like you're sad they hide behind this little bubble like this you know like and they believe they don't because everyone's scared of them you seen as soon as they get triangle by the 14 year old green belt oh and then it's a holy cow I'm not that good it's such a and that's the beauty of fighting is that I think I feel like it it brings people exactly where they're supposed to be so if you're under confident and you win you go but when you gain confidence if you're overconfident now you getting your butt kicked by a skinny 14 year old another boom that kind of brings you exactly you suppose maybe so very mild tempered human being versus you know someone who's just alone yeah I think it just puts you exactly where you're supposed to be no longer you stick around like the better you get at this like the more confident but not overconfident you know I mean there's there's select guys that had that same athleticism and and you know like a guy like tyron woodley you know like Tyra Willie could be a football player like really when you look at him and you look at trying to find me like that's a football player you know he's just you know the way he's building on it but that it's that's why he's such a great you know a great fighter because it's so rare you know I mean it's so rare to get somebody like that with that same type of mentality that you know the the scrawny thirteen-year-old kid yeah you know and he like you say he's gonna be the toughest doing the room yeah and you looking around for a round off and you looking at the doing this 260 with the tattoos he like Ari I'm but take a break on him a little bit you know what is he like I I'm not gonna mention names but I it's a few years ago at the old gym I had a guy's like a famous bodybuilder like world-class like top 10 in the world and he wanted to fight him in May so this guy's like like we're talking like he doesn't fit in this chair kind of big right and she showed up the gym like oh I gotta learn some jujitsu like when you fight no in two months I'm like oh that's great doesn't know anything and boxing you does not strike me it's like you got it he's gonna fight cool this guy's you so I had like boxing coach would hold some pass room I'm watching this guy move and I'm thinking okay four three cracks it's gonna like hurt my coach I'm worried it's gonna hurt my coach is huge right sure watch this guy hit pads and I'm like I would let him punch me oh and let him he's a little pop yes I like this forget that like there's no even like the first punch there was no slope it was so stiff you know zero pop on his way then we watch them hit the bag and I'm looking I know women that are like the teenage women they probably at the back harder than that knee guys so like we make this association with size and power and like it they're not really cool related like that and know the guy mean and then I'm trying to convince them to lose weight because you can't even move it that big right yeah and like no no you know you're like just convinced that his big arms gonna help them but you know I I think that it sounds like this this cartoonish understanding we have of like fighting like because we've been you know educated by cartoons and comic books and like all the Hulk is super that gets guys has nothing to do with like being functional as an athlete you know I yes one thing that people completely miss like we associate size with athletic ability and power and like it's not that simple there's so much more going on yes it's like so much more do physiology oh yeah yeah it but that's the hard part of trying to figure out you know you you thinking to do like them long lanky yeah you know he gonna hit he's gonna knock you know I got to bring with him once was Alex Gustafson came in a gym yeah he look like a wet noodle like you look at him you're not gonna fold this guy in half right do super strong yeah he's so long I'll give it a like Roger things like tall askew look a basketball player well as strong as human beings ever grapple with my life looking like it like to me like this one think people got it out there has the look looks and and an athletic ability or correlated like they're not yeah you could be huge and weak and can be skinny and super powerful yeah it's funny how that works but that's all over the place yeah yeah yeah even like the the young kid Alejandro he came over to me earlier after we got done training and next you know what type of weightlifting do I do to you know put on muscle on it's like you don't do anyway you know I just move my body and I move people but you know because it for some reason people associate you know especially young guys you know like they associated like weightlifting with being stronger being bigger and being you know okay I'm just gonna be the biggest student in the you know in the room but that doesn't really correlate it doesn't mean anything you know it doesn't mean anything to ya like your yo ability and only that I feel could use even a heavyweight division if you look at the heavyweights like you know they're not like they're not they're big guys are heavy guys but they're like they're not huge in the sense like you would think like like a like a weightlifter right like because then you have to understand what the more muscles you have the more oxygen the higher the oxygen demand of oxygen is so if you have huge muscles like you got a a grow engine it's gonna require more gasoline right so you're gonna get tired a lot lot faster that's not functional for fighting if you look at most fires they're really built like like amps and still is a good example is super powerful but how thin are his arms like there's any man they're not being arms but that allows him to move quickly and I don't know and yeah and exactly the snap comes from that speed right necessarily the size of his arms but it's it's uh it's such a confusion I think the public makes you know when it comes to that or you could be Bob said go over to Japan yeah a lot of money you're a farm I was like scared for Leo Toros life man and like first shot in slams what he's driving it made a whole lot of money you sure I'm sure enough let me ask you Kevin so Motown phenom so I assume you have a lot of affinity for in love for Detroit and how important is it for you to like represent Detroit and give back to that community I mean it's it's gonna be the driving force behind everything is I'm always trying to give you know it's no sense in just doing something just for me you know is just I'm good you know like I came out of not having anything so I don't really need that much you know I I'm kind of chill like you know so that force of trying to like bring everyone up with me and kind of like even teach people that were kind of in the same situations that I was that's kind of been you know it's part of that purpose is where I came from and who I am and that gives me a lot of it gives me a lot of sense of you know my parents are out here in Vegas with me and even just being around them all holidays and just normal days and you know it brings me back to home almost in Detroit is is that you know I call myself Motown phenom because you know the Motown part Motown was like this this this thing is it has nothing really to do with the music for me it was when Motown was coming up they were taking so many different forms of music and blending them together and kind of throwing their own little little twist on it and and that's what Motown was so I've kind of almost taken that and taking it to the sense of fight and you know trying to trying to take so many different arts that have already been completed almost and trying to blend them together a little bit so you know the Multan thing for me and you know I got a TED it on my back even it's the only tattoo I'll probably ever get in my life but he does it hurt but it means a lot to me and it's you know it's who it's kind of like who I see that I am and what I'm trying to be is this blend of of even martial arts you know MMA is always going to be a years behind you Jitsu you know there's always gonna be a couple years behind box and it's always gonna be a couple years behind kickboxing but we can take all these things and make it something new and make it something different so it'd give me that reinvention thing you miss home yeah yeah sometimes friends family or like the actual like because every place has its own vibe it's got a rhythm right to it like Vegas has its rhythm okay you know Brazil had its rhythm what was it what was like what is it about Detroit that you miss it's that I missed the especially I hate the weather you know I mean like it that's one reason why I left is because it's [ __ ] cold but there is something to that and in that cold and everybody has to sit down and stay inside and you have to almost be inside your own head for a little bit and you know I'm somebody that's constantly looking to I like things that challenge me and I like to kind of to test my own mind a lot more so in places like Vegas and in California where it's like is it sunny every day I like it I do but at the same time as it's like you missed that that that kind of you know I don't know what you want to call that one I don't know I think that's what makes the Midwest that blue colonist yeah to it you know is that this is what you're gonna do you're gonna work today and you know and and you go home and you gonna sit in do it I guess there's definitely my you know that forces you work more I get more me like more and curricular either because like you know if you live in a place with beautiful weather I you know it's so tempting to just sit by the beach yeah I know I read where they look at nations that come from winters because you can't just you got to preserve when you're living in a tropical paradise and there's food falling from trees everywhere but you said to sit down the beach and I want it but but I think I think that's a but it is a little bit of oversimplification with that too you know especially when when you look at places like Africa and how they talk about now you know just a couple years ago they're just starting to realize the Africa had these great civilizations and these great organizations and stuff just because it wasn't you know how Europe was shaped in buildings because you had to stay inside there there you know it gets really old [ __ ] sitting around not doing you know so you can sit on the beach for how long especially me like oh like I can do it for like a day and I like I'm like I want to like test myself I want like that's where I get my happiness my happiness ain't sitting back like chillin you know it is but not yeah it's the conclusion of it just because I've given this a lot of thought because I people don't know I'm caustic complain about how much I work and I need a vacation do I take a vacation to three days in yeah I'm bored out of my mind like people will know me Rob you don't need a vacation you need a day off yeah that's exactly like if I take a day off a week I actually recharge my mic I'm dead you know but yeah I'm the same like the beach sounds amazing for like a day or two and it was like give me my laptop give me a book yeah give me something yeah and I think that's what it is is you don't really know because because I grew up doing something different you know I grew up in Detroit where you just you stay in a sauna and you you did this so I didn't grow up in this you know sunny everyday you know some days I just feel like okay I don't really know how to how to still test myself in the same ways if that makes sense so I think that's part of what makes me miss going home and what makes me miss Detroit but it's just that that feeling maybe you can get it somewhere else I don't know you know how to do it this is the vibe you get from people in the inner area likes it differently look at you different oh no definitely now you're kidding me you're a big UFC superstar what's change in that regard yeah and how much does that change you that's the other question how do they change how does your fame and popularity and success change you and change people around you in your circle because it changes it's definitely made me more closed off for sure if but but not necessarily because I kind of feel like I've always been the same it hasn't really changed me it's more so change people's perception of me yeah because there are people who people feel like they know me almost a little bit but they don't really you know I mean so so when they when they get to know me they it's like a different different idea that they had in their head already so I can I can see that kind of happening to people sometimes but it hasn't really like changed me necessarily like I still feel you feel more tainted by people in some way like it people say it's a cliche to say that gets lonely and lonely or at the top you trust less and less yeah are you even there people close to you become like you know they have an agenda in your circle yeah you know I mean maybe that's just getting older to you kind of like maybe you just start to like filter it more yeah you don't I put up with less [ __ ] you know I mean I don't like you know I kind of can't see through the [ __ ] as soon as I like meet somebody and kind of already see where this is headed they re well you know Jesus you know and and that keeps happening more and more a little bit so maybe that's where I feel maybe you get like that okay these people are getting on my [ __ ] you know I guess you know everybody get away but yeah I don't know I don't know what that's I don't know this Fame and people don't want Who I am or if it's just you know how it is though me that's how it is so yeah I won't never know anything different so you know you know I'm talking to you here and we're training together a few times you're very humble and you know for all everything you've done you sure that humility but when you're on social media it's a whole there because looking them to Twitter feed yeah a lot of Colorado well yeah but I understand it's an important part of the game as well because you got to where you are as part of a culmination of your skills your how you present yourself so like Julie I always tell my young guys like you want to be recognized you got to start building that social media following right away you know thanks like well what do you think about that aspect is that something that you like you just do naturally or is this one you thought about like strategizing or social media in general I think is is something that people are just starting to kind of get a grasp on and kind of on trying to understand what it is and I think it's really gonna evolve and really gonna be different you know and you're not just gonna because a lot of people do do that you know they either judge me off of it you know a press conference or they judge me off of whatever you know of social media or however it is it but you know I think that's gonna evolve at some point you know even now like I don't even really use social media at all anymore like I mean I'll get on Twitter and on again if I got something to say to somebody or you know just cuz it's easier to do it that way yeah I'm trying to find his number but I think that you I think you may have a good point like it's going to evolve I think it's kinda novelty because all of a sudden you know for for hundreds of thousands of years we interacted with people during their immediate circle right you interact with like 50 people in their circle right now you are able to reach out to millions hundreds of millions of people with one one sentence I think we haven't like digested yet like I think you know the the world is still like figuring out exactly what that means long term and I think it's gonna get to the point where it's gonna kind of get old - yeah it's almost like a fad it's a trend it's like oh this is gonna be huge huge and then after a while it's gonna be like all right it's gonna settle in let's get more normal right now the dust is still up in the air look like that's why I kind of like withdrawing myself a little bit just cuz I want to see you know how it's moving and what's going on and then I'll at some point I will you know it is a part of the game you know the game was just different a couple years ago whenever it's only TV and you just had to do TV but you know like I said it's just gonna it's just gonna change any ball I mean I don't see even when I do like press conferences all right or I do interviews and stuff I mean I'm just answering the questions honestly like you say um people do say that to me they don't say like oh you're more humble than I thought you were it was like well uh I mean I don't I don't I guess I don't want to see your definition of humble like you know are you gonna are you gonna ask me if I if I think I can beat you yeah hell yeah all day I mean like that is it's not no different you know yeah it's different ways to say that I guess some people are more like sneaky and backhanded about it but is he more humble no I mean the more someone else do they like even bigger dicks then then you know what I mean it's just that you won't spoken I hate when people are this the fake humble I wouldn't rush rather like what people hate it on Rhonda cuz like Rhonda with he's being honest right yeah she was a [ __ ] from the camera you know that's who she is you can't like that [ __ ] is so genuine and well okay maybe she doesn't like the cameras doesn't like people talking her and talk [ __ ] but that's who she is well she was not playing a character what I can't stand I'm not gonna mention names you know there's so many people in this business as soon as the cameras are on they put like this fake smile sure yeah I can look at that I'm like I know you it's not like that you know I prefer the real person even it's good or bad give me real yeah yeah yeah give it what it is well you know and that's truly what I try and do every time it's just you know sometimes yeah I'm gonna have a little more fun than I normally do you know I mean sometimes I'm uh I'm gonna enjoy myself a little bit more because it's a special occasion you know you're gonna do it on every day but you know I only get to fight a couple times a year so I enjoy myself a little bit more but I'm gonna wear something nice you know in fun with it yeah I won't put on I'm you know isn't even put on show is I'm um put on a show for myself you know what I mean it's joy you feel a little bit different you know I know how to how to tap into that other level of me you know there's me like on a normal day you know I mean I'm not I'm not always on a ten you know but I know how to get to ten if I need to and a couple of times a year I need to you know somebody needs to get there as well then I need to bring that up on me so there's certain there's certain and you and you kind of learn that over a while you know you you there's certain things that you that everybody does to put themselves in a zone you know like and that's just I'll just be in my zone sometimes you know let me ask you this like what do you see yourself in ten years you're 26 you are young you know most fires between like the ages of 35 and 40 just are like moving into retirement yeah like you know say whatever it is like when where do you see yourself in ten years who's Kevin Lee in ten years not just fighting one see the standards all I'm gonna have a UFC belt okay but like more than that Kevin like where do you see yourself as a person to human being as individual in the fight world and and something like at some point in my life I want to be a doctor for sure a doctor okay uh in that tune it was a kind of kind of like another one that you know I'm always been interested in the human body okay I've always been like really into like science and you know that I kind of get some not of out of you know the the problem-solving of it you know when you when you got I don't know it's just you know I watch a lot of doctor shows even now like and I get something out of that so you know before yeah that's probably at some point I'll probably like either go back to med school or something like that I don't I don't mean I don't had no concrete like timer or anything you know I think George just retired and he was what 37 now yes and still physically in good good shape you know I I kind of want to I don't necessarily want to say model myself after that but I I definitely want to go out on my home terms you know and definitely go when I feel like the the tide is just is just I'm just gonna roll with it you know I'm just kind of a go-with-the-flow type of guy with you ever like if your heart's not there your body's not there your minds not there but the money's really good oh no I keep fighting it 100% is not happening for one when you make more money lose more money I can kind of see that money is liquid you know what I mean so you really just touching it you know you just you know you you've got it you're gonna you gonna give it away and what are you gonna get at the end of the day I mean you gonna have ice or [ __ ] I guess yeah you know guys I got some nicer [ __ ] now then I do for sure when I'm coming up it's you know I like some nice [ __ ] but I'm not gonna like I mean this is my brain I'm talking about you know I mean like this is not a [ __ ] game like people can't buy it yeah people have that that misconception in a head sometimes and they like oh yeah I can fight like yeah okay it's 2,000 bucks like yeah I'll go over there won't be said like what are you talking about Lee you know that's another person you know I mean like that's another you mean like what do you think you are you think you're Superman or something you're gonna get hit in a fight and it's just it's really not that it's like what are you doing it for you if you're doing it for the money I mean it's better way to make money like I don't even I don't even need that much you know what I mean I'm kind of cool like if I can get an Xbox and horns and you know Abby is like well yeah a little bug that level but you know I'm kind of cool like I'm not you know I don't need anything really so I think I would be okay after fighting in even after you know say if I was at a Floyd Mayweather level I made a hundred million bucks I'm totally ok with going back and being a broke college student again you know what I mean and and kind of going on that next that that that next path of it whatever that is you chapter yeah yeah that's what it's gonna be at the end of the day you know you you said it earlier about the the hot girl who just relies on her looks her life it's like you gonna get over this yeah you know I know I mean I can fight now but you know I'm gonna start to slow down at some point you know I mean or just the new next generation it's gonna come up and it's gonna be some [ __ ] down there yeah so I know that already you know what I mean but you you just gotta play it smart right yeah I see like the last fight I saw that was like Barbarina and Lucas at any saw they already just slugging each other non-stop yeah I'm like Barbour mean as a toughest guy probably seen in there but man like a couple of more of those men and he's not gonna be good he was taking way too many shots I know it's all about man they know I was terrible he adopted the Homer Simpson strategy much and he was just eating punches but like this guy Luke he's gonna hurt him it was crazy because he that guy is a knockout hitter yeah I think they he set the record for the most amount of significant strikes thrown in a three round contest and then knocked him out ten seconds left in the third round wouldn't he who knees right in the middle yeah I mean buddy he was still he was still conscious he was they stopped rightly so but like man anybody else would have been like probably dead it's funny how that works because like you know you've seen guys that have taken a lot of damage and they're pretty they're okay well you know and then yeah I've seen guys that taking a lot of damage to but man like when they get to a certain age and like you can see that something changes one shot yeah like I'm have hell conversations from these guys or I couldn't like you know close to 40 and they've taken way too much damage to be knocked out way too many times probably shouldn't take some time often never did right and they sits something happens like you can I'm about one parental dimensions name well you guys would know him like he will didn't having a conversation with a guy who tells me something right and he was like certain words that tell me that I'm like okay that's cool yeah about two minutes later same conversation should commence later building the exact same thing the exact same words yeah two more minutes and he tells me a third time the exact same thing the exact same words it's like he doesn't remember your ego at twice yeah you know and then I'm going this thing is real JIT me you gotta be careful like I'm not saying like oh you shouldn't find I'm not trying to scare people here but like you have to be it's not again Oh uses bar cuz I ever want to first walk this I like all you guys think I'm a jujitsu guy I don't wanna take a punch of proof where's Natalie Silva no joke here yeah I'm not trying to bracket a picture sure guys would running from Wanderlei Silva practice I was chased him I don't support a vandal yeah and I put up with him and like but looking back like my my notion of trying to be tough and prove to myself and other people stuff we just plain stupid and cuz Vanderley when he's sparked he's trying to knock you out you know that's why he actually did a press conference or something and he was talking about CTE and he's like I was at this he was at some seminar what they're talking about sentence of CTE and I'll obtaining at 8 and then he said way CT I'm sorry something even though I know yeah big movie on it with Will Smith yeah football players and everybody's got CD cushions or whatnot but like he was saying like man like I had trouble sleeping right headaches he would forget things you know any so now I was telling he's telling young fighter he's like my example they're smart I was like you saying I was going to knock people I was borrowing and I thought it was gonna make me tougher like I could take him better and say no it's totally opposite every time you get knocked out and they don't even have to be a full knockout and you know when you talk about Brian like just all those blows in you yo be a brain hit in the back of your head and you you know your brain is pretty much plastic you know it's a constant and it's constantly like you know you can kind of feel it sometimes even grow inside to help me I don't know if all right maybe it's this alright too much of all right deep here yeah like it's it's a you know it's living like you know it's it's your brain on me and people like take that for granted sometimes it's like it without your brain you're nothing like you don't have you can't you know so no we can't it's like we could fix like a broken arm yeah I mean I love fight not really truly doing it like I said it makes it makes me feel like maybe I would be different if I didn't have it but at the end of the day it's like I was born with this [ __ ] I'm not gonna I'm gonna lose it to you know to not try to leave a point yeah yeah yeah you got it like I think the lesson here is like don't be a knucklehead in the gym yeah if you get to rob me at being a fight every now and never you know because they're making like a millions of you know million or whatever but in the gym it makes no sense yeah like I had to have wars in the gym try to knock each other out it just points to at the end of the day I think is just you know you you talk about that like being humble and in in having humility and all that it's just like being comfortable in confident enough in yourself like I know I'm tough like I don't have to I don't have [ __ ] to prove you know I mean like I really I truly just don't you know when it when a guy and I'm in a bar like a guy want to fight like I really just don't have nothing to prove to him you know and you kind of you there's levels to that even you know you you sometimes you you got to do that against a professional to you know when you walk in and you stand in a cross for vanity you're just like okay I got nothing to prove bro like I'm confident enough in myself and I'm confident enough in my ability where like we don't have to stay here and beat the [ __ ] I have you know like I don't have to prove to you that I could take a shot like that's just yeah I'm not worried like that's that's intelligent like yeah and I think a lot of people miss that less well they learn that lesson way too late like I think Mandalay admitted that that's awesome that he said that because you know I I spent some time with him and I knew how he used to think and his ideas like oh if you like if you couldn't if you don't take that beating in practice you weren't a real fighter yeah like that's how his head what like it's I'm happy that he's looking a different place now because it's important he teaches that listen or there but I think really when you look at it like a lot of those guys they end up getting big and like 3132 and you know that's kind of weird like the peaks of their their careers and I kind of always try to shake myself a little bit different and just be like okay I'm not gonna definitely ain't gonna do that you know I mean at 32 when you just now learned in a lesson like it only takes me a couple times you know I mean I I'm gonna learn my lesson the first I like this is ain't gonna be good for me and you know that you you get somewhere faster I think and in a better place maybe yeah you know what I mean that's a good ability most people have a hard time learning from other people's examples you know especially there's no more tough you are usually the harder it is because you're like oh I could do it my way and I'm gonna prove it by ramming my head through this wall you know I think about being smarter working smarter not me out harder going into something else we talked a little bit about your wrestling background wrestle in college and all that and if we look at like the current you know roster and the UFC it's filled with wrestlers who started from wrestling so they know they're a good argument to be made that having that wrestling basis like being one of the keys to being good martial mixed martial artist so would you agree with that or like because I'm thinking further down the road and I think the next staple of fighters are gonna just start with MMA right right right 100% I think people have a misunderstanding even about street fighting and stuff like every time I talk to somebody about street fighting it's you better learn how to wrestle like there it is very very hard to keep someone above you you know when and when they don't want to be even in boxing you know and it's illegal in boxing and you know guys Floyd Mayweather is the month not only the people people talk about his speed as hand speed and all this but he's one of the best wrestlers in boxing that there is as far as like tying the guy up you know that punching clutch method you know you would throw a strike and he's on top of you before you even realize it so you know wrestling if for sure I think is one of the most key things but you can't do that either you know and I mean like the because there will be somebody who understands wrestling and understands everything else along with it and understands how to keep you up off of them so that's like the next level to it I think is you know you you you have to look at those transitions I think that's where you you know you even talk about George st. Pierre he was very very well wounded but when you go back and you watch him now and you look at it from a different perspective you see the transitions and you see like oh okay like he's you know it's very simple stuff that he's doing I feel like he mastered the in-betweens like a most fighters focus on striking right they're wrestling or they're jujitsu they're grappling ever right like I feel like GSB got really good at deep and even though it's still the same thing you know it's still those in-betweens there's still more transitions that you aren't seeing and are happening and I think that's gonna be the next level it's not necessarily gonna be so much that you're gonna have better wrestlers coming up you're gonna have guys that are that are already thinking as he's taking you down he's already flowing into something else you know he's already going into another transition faster wrestling is definitely you I mean you can't possibly yeah it's just gonna be very hard to beat somebody who's a better wrestler than you with them if that means in that it even in my own career I've kind of like realized that in and in my last fight I shied away from it and shied away from what makes me me you know I think humans have a natural tendency to fight you know it's in our instinct and you have to like obey that instinct a little bit and sometimes with so much trying to reinvent myself sometimes I get away from that a little bit and I think that's what I did in that last fight you know fighting to me is it necessarily about you know who could punch kick in in the the the the wrestling or anything any of the techniques it's a little bit more you know it's once you get tired once you don't know what you're doing once you get that that [ __ ] overwhelming amount of stress okay now what are you gonna do are you gonna stay true to yourself in or you gonna you know do what I did my last final easy you know and and and I'm just you know I kind of I know myself so I'm just picking on me and it's like I didn't stay true to myself you know I tried to reinvent the wheel too much and you know I was fighting as a southpaw backing up you know and that's just not not how I am I got it you know you got to stay true to that if you are somebody who is a great wrestler you can stay on top of on top of the person you don't even have to take them down you just have to know how to wrestle yeah for sure yeah I think what you're saying - about your fight like sometimes ego so it gets in the way a little bit yeah yeah and you're trying to prove something but it happens to a lot of people like I tell my fighters your goal for fighting is to be as efficient as possible and sometimes you end up in the situation where like let's say I was fighting Roberts and Roberts the number one jujitsu guy in the world and I may be like no that's the whole switcher he's number two I'm number one for the hypothetical but I'm also an excellent striker he has no striking now my strong suit is technically my grappling but should I grapple with Robert when we're so evenly matched or should I just stand out I bang with him when he's totally outmatched sure sure and I think a lot of people get sucked into that but yeah I know I'm gonna prove that I'm better at my best skill rather than finding the [ __ ] in their armor and you know I'm like that's where I got where ego hurt yeah yeah that's what you go make sure you know if you go gives you a drive it's always a good thing but ego makes you dumb then that's what's actually you know harmony and there's a lot of that the problem is though that you need that ego a little bit especially it's a fighter like you need that you can't you can't just be you can't just be a normal person yeah I mean the other day I look up sometimes in the arena and I'm like this say some normal [ __ ] you know what I mean like it's just not but you know so you need that little bit of ego to say we're talking about this like we separate the word you going to write good even the bad ego the bat the bat ego is the one that makes you do stupid like oh I'm gonna prove to this guy and then I'm better grappling than him and you're just ramming your head through the wall at the hard way right and then there's the good egos what you're describing it's like I'm the best guy in the room you don't have to say it right like you have to believe it or I'm the best guy in this arena like I'm not the best you see fine on the planet because you can't be that guy unless you believe it yeah and if you believe you have the rest the best in the world you're sort of an evil mania right away but like I didn't internalize yeah it's like I think like Eagles like one of those things that it can go out and you can be the stupid [ __ ] that just makes bad decisions and no one likes or you can get that and internalize it and that's a lot of fuel man cuz now you can't accept like you can't accept being number two like if you're being if you're number two on the mats and you're okay with that you're never gonna be number one like for you to be the number one guy in the room where you have C you have to truly believe that you are better than everyone else and be really upset anytime you fail to be that number one right yeah so it could be it really it's fine right it can it can it can really help you or really harm you yeah I mean you definitely you need it you know it's just like is that that's the fight yeah that's the fight you know when you tell me that that's the fight it ain't the punches and the cakes and all that that's the fight it's like it's it's cliche as [ __ ] but my favorite quotes from all time I love this it's so corny but like it's so true so what so true to what we're talking about you ever the Karate Kid first one daniel-san is about to quit like you know the crying to mr. Miyagi and metromini goes Danny oh son it's okay to lose to yourself no it's okay to lose your opponent it's not okay to lose yourself yeah and there's so much wisdom feeling like it's a corny but there's so much wisdom saying that it's fine elusive someone because he was a split-second fast and you and beat you to the punch yeah but like this fight is the hardest fight but that's the one you can control yeah you're not to control what your opponent does you're in control with what you do preparing yeah and moving into the fight yeah I mean I think that's probably like trickles over there into everything really like we all have to to do that you know even without fighting yeah you know you still have to be that same way and I think the problem is like a lot of people lie to themselves a lot you know they don't they don't ever just truly be be true with themselves and be upset of themselves you know like not even you know yeah there's this self-love and all that but you know sometimes you gotta like you gotta be real with you too you know and kind of you know you you can't just it can't be this participation trophy [ __ ] all the time and you can do that what everybody else maybe if you know you just don't really give a [ __ ] but with yourself though you you can't do that you can't just roll Wars yourself or anything and I think people do that you know people they they they get into these these these long like and I've seen it happen over and over with so many people in my family in it and just in my life in general it's just like they get into these cycles almost and it's like they're rewarding their own bad behavior and it's like how would you treat somebody that wasn't you you know what I mean like and you love them and you want them to do good and all that you know and I think people don't you know people lose sight of that maybe and like fighting there's a good way to teach you that because USB but you know it's still the same thing you know you know maybe you know I get like offers to do like sponsorships and honestly I don't know and like I said I'm kind of like shied away from most of that it's just just like I'm good because I looked at in your recent Twitter your looks like you're trying to get some of the fight here yeah having issues with it right yeah yeah I mean I'm in a tough spot right now trying to get a fight especially but you know I think there's islam makhachev how you say his name maybe they had a couple russian show up and extreme but or the other day looking for me so I made sure to put on a little song and dance for me you know so I feel like that is probably gonna be the next fight that happens you know I called out Gregor Gillespie to you know really really a stupid fight if I'm being honest you know they always say you know you should you should take the the easiest fight for the most amount of money right really somebody like Gregor is is you know he's not gonna promote he's gonna stay out in the middle of [ __ ] nowhere like you know fishing you know he's a you know that's what the man does he got robbed in New York he's from New York you know and somebody stole something from him and you know he and they were bullying him in the crowd you know he fought in Brooklyn he's from New York and the crowd was born him so it's a it's a but he's a really tough fighter and you know and I think there's a couple times state champ a couple times all-american out of college and wrestling so it's not it you know this is tough fight I could be down with that one too you know I like for some reason I kind of like the challenge of it it's something about it they give me up you know I want to go over to Russia and be Islam as a main event in Russia where they probably gonna try and kill me decoy car you know you have like many of the same cars go to different directions when they showed it to extreme you know I'm kind of having my little back-and-forth with them yeah they don't understand a thing I'm saying this is the top just too fast even tried to stop me a couple times he's like you know talk too fast brother or nothing I'm like I'm not I'm not your brother so I'm 100% bad night yeah but it's something about that danger that that gives me up you know to me so yeah yeah I don't know I'm waiting on a contract whoever sends me in your next contract I'm sorry I really honestly truly don't care the most important thing for me is just getting a fight and getting a win and just you know I just this is what I do so you know I don't know I don't know how you know I'll just kind of let the universe decide how everything will play out it's been great having you thanks for entertaining us your story and sharing some your insight you know Robert and a pleasure man thank you always yeah any time we'll do this again at some point I'm sure for sure and uh awesome and thank you for being here thank you Dave and yeah awesome hope you guys enjoyed and I will catch you again see you guys next time [Music]