Up next in 10
It’s a TUF 20 reunion! This week we had the pleasure of talking with Rose Namajunas after her big win vs Amanda Ribas this weekend. She talked about finally feeling like a flyweight, the prep going into this camp, the likelihood of her going back down to challenge Weili, who she’s most excited about fighting in the top 5 and reuniting with the TUF 20 cast to train together again. We don’t know about that last one but it would definitely be good tv.
1:37 Growing into flyweight
2:39 thoughts on fight and Ribas
8:25 Composure
11:38 Under the lights
14:05 Goals
18:05 Atlantic City picks
23:28 Flyweight appetite
27:35 🎯 return
30:00 Spiritual revelations
39:30 Reminiscing about TUF20
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0:00
[Music]
0:06
all right what's up everyone we have a really exciting guest on this episode of two sorry I forgot I just got so excited
0:14
about our guest exciting I'm super excited for this one
0:21
um so we have a very special guest we have Rose nunas our former tough 20
0:26
castmate former star weight champion and new um flyweight badass Contender and uh
0:33
we're bringing her on the stage right now hey hey
0:40
congratulations thank you Bravo brao thank how you feeling
0:48
after the fight anything sore anything like pop up yeah um I got a couple like
0:54
I got this SC I don't know where this came from it was like a weird scratch ac across my eye but other than that like I
1:00
don't know what it was like the past month my shoulders have just been like super sore after each sparring session I
1:07
just I don't know if it's just like um you know putting on a little more size like throwing punches it's just like
1:14
more weight behind on my shoulder so my shoulders are sore and you know a little bit a little bit sore in my legs and
1:20
stuff but overall I'm like I'm just happy to be yeah no no injuries as far as I know so yeah nice all that Brun you
1:29
got you got got the B Phil Davis shoulders now you know yeah I've been
1:35
working on it I'm uh yeah still still got you know more uh more chiseling to
1:40
do but yeah it's getting there nice so what is that kind of preparation look
1:46
like moving up a weight class for you yeah um I guess like I I don't know why
1:53
but um because I feel like you can do it either way like you can either try to put on size and then like adjust or you
2:00
can just not cut the weight and um I feel like I kind of did a hybrid of both like I'm not I didn't put on as much
2:07
size as I was cutting from straw weight to make straw weight but I I put on probably about like I would say you know
2:16
five five to six pounds of like you know extra weight and then just doing a
2:21
smaller cut but I'm still cutting so um so yeah I it it's been a process like uh
2:29
I've been I think just just keeping up the speed has been something that you know I think I I thought that I was
2:35
doing well for this camp but in the fight I just felt like um yeah it didn't quite I it didn't quite translate the
2:42
way it was in training but you know I I overall I felt very strong like the
2:47
grappling exchanges I was like I I could definitely tell the size that I put on it was advantageous for me there so you
2:55
know it's it's adjusting and it's it's totally it's something new that's a nice
3:00
challenge for me because um I think it's really important to just have uh not you know just to
3:07
stay interested you know did you um did you feel like you had an advantage uh
3:13
just because you decided to commit to the weight class as opposed to rebas kind of bouncing back and forth yeah I
3:20
think so I think that was definitely an advantage on my side um I will say that
3:26
I think I could notice that it maybe maybe she had a slight advantage in the
3:33
in the like maybe in the speed or like whatever like a lack of maybe muscle fatigue I don't know how she was feeling
3:39
but because she it didn't seem like she was cutting that weight you know um so like it just seemed like she was a
3:45
strawweight fighting you know without a weight cut which is I think can be advantageous in a certain in in a
3:51
certain universe but um definitely on but but but her being a Grappler or at
3:57
least having you know I think a big part of her game plan was one her output she
4:03
definitely has a she's a she's a volume you know uh Striker but I I do think
4:09
that she was planning on being able to control me in the grappling more and it just I think that was probably the
4:14
biggest surprise if I could guess like what was going on in her mind CU yeah there was there was I I felt like way
4:23
more stren uh Stronger in that area it seemed very seamless any time um
4:29
that she came came in on you and attempted her throws you had an answer for it right away and it just seemed so
4:34
well timed and maybe it was you know strength was a factor but your timing just really looked impeccable in those
4:40
moments oh yeah thank you I yeah the and that's another thing too is um yeah
4:46
that's the the the the head toss is always something that like in the past
4:52
would kind of catch me off guard every once in a while because you know you're you always he like just get the under
4:57
Hooks and stuff but then like you know sometimes like earlier on my career like there wasn't an emphasis on like hip
5:03
position and like making sure your hips aren't you know or making sure they're in front or whatever and I know the the one hip toss that she got or the like
5:10
kind of head and arm throw that she got me with I was like I was holding her up against the cage and I had my right leg
5:16
in front and then like I don't know what made me like I was I was good there and I was like okay I know I have this
5:22
underhook so I know she can like go for it right now but but I still have my foot in front or my knee blocking her
5:28
knee and then as soon as I like switched my leg it was like boom you know so she's really good at that she obviously
5:34
you know she has a good um Judo background so I was I definitely did my homework on that and even you know and
5:41
whenever it comes to like you know takedowns and stuff we always talk about like the before during and after because
5:47
it's like you know stuff happens in a fight so it's like okay if she does take it down how am I getting out of this scarf hold you know what I mean like and
5:54
so yeah I felt like every scenario kind of played out the way that I practiced
5:59
you know nice were you surprised that she kept going back to those same techniques that you were beating her at
6:07
a little bit you know I I definitely I was like no shade
6:13
just it's an interesting tactic she'll never see it coming this
6:20
time especially the like the spinning back this definitely caught me off guard like that was like I don't know if it
6:26
was just like I don't know because I know if if I'm throwing a spinning breakfast unless if it's like really
6:31
smooth like there's a good chance I'm just like in desperation mode at that point you know out of idea so I don't
6:38
know I think it yeah it was just I think um she I I just kind of felt a little
6:44
bit discouragement from her you know like it maybe it was just like ah like yeah like C because she did talk about
6:51
you know finishing me in the first and then it changed to the third round and you know what I mean I think she was just really like hyped up because it was
6:57
her her first main event and I've been there you know I know what it's like you know it's just like you know it's you
7:04
you think you you think you're like ready for all that pressure and stuff and you don't really feel it but you
7:09
don't you've never felt it before so you don't even know what you're feeling you know so it's like so I definitely I was
7:16
a little bit surprised but I kind of knew she was going to be a I actually thought she was going to be a little
7:22
more chaotic than she was to be honest like I thought I thought she was going to come out there and just like run
7:27
straight at me you know so um yeah but but uh yeah she kind of she
7:33
kind of she she stayed pretty composed I guess you know I I was hoping to get the Finish but but I
7:39
also I I definitely like in my I was also dealing with a lot of pressure myself too so yeah it was it was a yeah
7:49
man well I felt like you dealt with the pressure really well um there was that one moment in the third round where she
7:55
got you down with that head throw got on your back and you just kind of held the choke can and just was like all
8:03
right just a few more seconds yeah like we're we're good here um and I felt like
8:10
that was kind of your um your demeanor the entire fight if something started to look like it wasn't going your way you
8:17
either reacted really well or got the reversal or what have you um did you
8:23
ever feel like you were too composed in there like too calm too in the moment in
8:28
Zen or did you like the way that you handled it because I mean somewhat yeah
8:34
I I think that fighting safe is the best way for a fighter especially someone who's been as in as many wars as you
8:41
someone who's like you know taking a lot of risk with your with your uh notoriety
8:46
so how did you feel about that whole performance yeah it was it was weird because um I think it was really
8:53
psychological for me because I was coming off with two losses I've never felt that before and I was I I had I had
9:00
nightmares leading up to the fight that I was I lost the third time you know and and it was like multiple like recurring
9:06
dreams like that so I was like I definitely was um and and it was weird because I was trying not to act like it
9:12
was like affecting me that much or I was trying not to pay attention to it but obviously my subconscious is going crazy
9:17
and um so I think I like like
9:22
um uh I guess I'm trying to think like I was really composed but yeah you're
9:28
right like there's a certain level of like um ignition or like a little bit of a spark that like um because like even
9:36
right before the fight started like I'm Shadow Boxing like I shadow box like you know a quick combination I'm like why
9:41
didn't I throw all my combinations like that and I knew I was in really good shape like I had I I was even in better
9:47
shape for this fight than like for like I just felt like um the anxiety kind of
9:53
held me back a little bit and had me breath in a little heavier than I should have been you know what I mean like so I
9:59
don't know but I think getting this one out the way getting my confidence back you know um I feel like I'll be able to
10:06
let go a little bit better you know the next time until something else maybe happens but but uh you know I I I
10:13
believe as of right now the way I'm feeling it's like that was a big like you know weight off of my shoulders
10:18
because I knew like Amanda's really good like her skills are good and I and she's fought
10:25
good opponents as well and um I just knew that my fight IQ with the experience that I have is just I knew it
10:31
was just going to be too much for her and I knew my skills are better but it was like am I going to do it like is
10:37
something gonna happen is there going to be you know what I mean is there GNA be something out outside of my control you know and it's like guess you can't worry
10:44
about those things but you know you kind of do still yeah now it's I think Rivas
10:49
presents a lot of weird problems too I like to like yes no the rhythm is really
10:57
it's very unique it's very yeah so I like to joke that you you you
11:02
ever see Me Myself and Irene and there's a scene where Jim Carrey is like getting yeah that's that's what her
11:10
stance and motion looks like before she throws something and then she throws something and the technique is crisp but
11:16
before that she has you looking at every piece of her aside from what she's about to throw so I think that uh that in
11:22
itself is going to throw you off your game um but what you explained is me
11:28
before every sparring I'll shadow box I'll throw all the cool combos I want to land and sping and then I throw Jabs you
11:35
know dude for real yeah it's it's a different thing when you're under the lights right like you never you can have
11:41
the best and that's the thing my Camp was like you know really really good like pretty much a perfect camp and you
11:49
know so and even the fight week was really awesome too I think it just yeah I think it it's just um you know uh yeah
11:57
losing to carlot and coming back and like and and just all that like psychological like what and then moving
12:04
up and then like having and then losing again but still kind of in my mind having that excuse of well I messed up
12:10
my pinky and then it was like you know but I still was like oh but I almost won
12:15
still you know but I have to acknowled like I have to take responsibility still you know so there's like all kinds of
12:21
you know weird mind games that you like have to overcome and and um but but yeah
12:27
I mean yeah we got it done no and it was a great performance um
12:34
when you say that you know you have trying to put on weight does that mean
12:39
that you're staying at flyweight or do you have a desire to kind of go back and forth yeah I I want to stay here because
12:47
um I did a lot of work to to to get to this point um and now just like even
12:54
just when I cut this last time I was just thinking to myself like like where I started the cut at like cuz or I
13:00
shouldn't say when I started cutting the water not like the food and stuff I was like I was already feeling skinny and then I'm like man this is where I would
13:07
be like just walking around at for flyweight so it's like you know just just trying to comprehend um going back
13:14
down there like for the right price if they throw me a bag I'll go down but you know what I mean like other
13:21
than that it's um and not just that like physically like CU it's possible you know I could I could do all the things
13:28
but um you know I I already have two wins over wayy and everybody's like well you
13:34
just you know she's the champ she's fighter again it's like well you know it it's it's kind of complicated because
13:40
like I mean you know I I even just said this earlier today in the interview it's like honestly the second time fighting
13:46
her was a lot tougher than the first so you know just just getting motivated for that it would have to be something like
13:52
a really sweet deal um not just that but uh you know it if now that I won this
14:00
fight you know because going into this fight there was still like like I knew that I like becoming two Division
14:06
champion is a goal of mine and is something that if I have the opportunity I'm GNA try to do that you know because
14:13
like it's a very rare opportunity um but with the win now it's like okay this is
14:18
actually this is realistic you know and so I can actually make a run for this so I have to like f Focus all on that and
14:25
if I you know accomplish that then you know we can revisit like like I said if
14:31
if there's a sweet deal and you know what I mean then then that's cool or you know if way wanted to come up or
14:38
something and she you know runs through the division and there's no way for her to fight then cool come up to 125 that
14:44
would be awesome or yeah exactly yeah that Pat was saying
14:49
that like you know I have two wins over her she she should want to try to beat me you know what I mean like yeah so so
14:56
to me that's that's what it's about but I get it you know it's like it seems like that would
15:01
be like the the no-brainers to just you know just the person that's a champ you
15:07
beat him twice and I'm the only one to beat her twice so you know why not just do it again but it's one it's a little
15:14
harder than that than it would seem and two it's just like I have uh I just feel like I have such a big opportunity here
15:21
bigger um to be able to be say saying I'm two Division champion than to just say I'm three time strawweight Champion
15:27
you know what I mean yeah yeah understood and that was a specific Catalyst for you wanting to go up yeah
15:35
well sort of um I mean so when I first uh got to the USC I had written all
15:41
these like career goals and like you know financial goals and all these things but the last the last thing on my
15:47
list was two Division champion and so and I and I've achieved everything else
15:52
so far that I've like sort of well I guess the concrete goals I had there's a couple other Crazy Ones I'm like no but
15:59
uh but for the most part like that's the last thing that I have to accomplish for me to feel like you know I'm complete
16:06
with with my career um and yeah so um so
16:11
yeah that's what that's what I'm setting out to do you know yeah get all the trophies um is there anyone do you think
16:19
that you think can throw you off of that goal right now or not throw you off that
16:25
that sounds negative but who do you who do you feel like is the toughest match in the top five yeah yeah I think a lot
16:32
of the the I mean there's a lot of really interesting um talent in the in
16:38
the Flyway division right now um uh I I'm terrible with like names because I'm
16:44
still getting used to I I noticed the faces um but like the the three people
16:50
that I've like had my eye on um especially like leading into this fight
16:55
um and then you know thinking about climbing up um is is uh I'll be watching them in on
17:03
and Aaron fight I think that's a very interesting fight um I already fought man on and um so you know the winner of
17:10
that seems very interesting or um Macy Barber looked really good in her last performance as well and I know she's
17:17
been I know she wants to fight for the title so um so she's right up there so
17:23
um yeah and then I know there's like a couple other like uh like top 10 girls
17:28
that are very good I just I I can't recall their names but like there's this one Brazilian girl I think she picks
17:35
really fast and she's really like quick you know it's like she's she's a really interesting you know fight as well but
17:42
but yeah um but those are like the three ones that are kind of like you know in my mind yeah I don't think you'll be
17:49
fighting anyone whose name you can't [Laughter]
17:55
recall they're going to be the ones that people know know yeah yeah I'm still learning I'm still
18:01
learning oh that's funny um who do you have in the Manan versus blanchfield
18:07
fight do you have a winner yeah um so i' I've been leaning towards Aaron blanchfield but I do think it's very
18:14
capable or Manana is very capable of you know she has some she has some decent power so I think she could catch her
18:21
with something if she doesn't catch her I see Aaron just kind of pushing the pace and maybe men on uh TI ing out a
18:29
little bit um unless if she learned from our fight because I kind of felt like in
18:34
the in the last round she was starting to fade away you know but that's also a three round fight so maybe she's just preparing for three rounds and you know
18:41
maybe she'll be more you know prepared for these five rounds but I just the way that Aaron blanchfield is just like you
18:47
know just her her determination and her persistence uh her Pace that she sets is
18:53
I don't know if she's been in a five round fight before or not but um but yeah so be interesting but I'm leaning
19:00
towards Aaron yeah I think it's the first for both of them because uh I think her last one was Talia Santos and
19:07
that was like a barn burner from beginning to end she weathered the storm
19:13
um and it's interesting that Talia is gone now what do you think about that she left the UFC and now she just
19:19
announced that she's in the pfl tournament yeah that's interesting I I actually thought I was going to like
19:25
like I was I was preparing myself to like cuz she was definitely one of the the people that I was like the names
19:31
that I remembered and uh that that has to feel good when
19:37
you're in Rose's list of St of flyweights that are worth
19:44
remembering no but um but yeah no I I definitely would have my eye on her for sure and um but yeah then it was like oh
19:53
she I I I was I was expecting to possibly get matched up with her at some point and um yeah to see her was it
19:59
definitely was kind of random I thought um you know cuz she she was a good Prospect I thought she's she's a big
20:05
strong you know Grappler who you know yeah I I almost felt like she could be a
20:10
35 you know like she's kind of big you know but uh yeah so I mean I wish her
20:16
all the best I guess you know I yeah that would have been that would have been cool to to be matched up with her too you know yeah do you do you feel
20:25
like a bigger girl right now like do do you walk into a room with some
20:31
Swagger now like your arms don't bend anymore or how you feeling in this
20:36
bigger frame like I want to know because no because I went through the whole process too putting on weight for straw
20:43
weight I used to walk around at like 1:15 and then I started realizing that was
20:50
dumb and then started putting on weight and then I swear like I'm the biggest
20:55
person even though I'm still smaller than a lot of people I you you just have
21:01
this like Swagger about you do you have do you feel that now I do I do yeah I I
21:07
get what you're saying yeah definitely like when when you put on like when you when you notice like a new like size of
21:12
your muscle you're like oh okay yeah you know what I mean so
21:19
obviously like it has to translate because like I I was always used to just being you know string bean and just
21:25
people being surprised by my strength all the time but now it's like um I'm actually you know I could like it it's
21:32
even more now so um but but there is times where it's like I think my body was going through so many changes that
21:39
like there was there was the there you know every once I'll be like man I'm
21:46
chubby so yeah I mean it's it's cool you know it's it's something to get used to
21:51
you know as well like you know just different sizes of things and um you know certain I think it just took some
21:58
time to like kind of get used to it but but uh yeah you're right like I do feel like a little more confident you know
22:05
have a little bigger size yeah yeah yeah I bet I bet Pat likes the extra weight
22:10
you know I know coach baay is always about the
22:16
extra booty after the weight cut like hey it's still there check that out for
22:22
real I'm definitely like Yeah because sometimes when you're cutting weight like and you're all skinny you're like damn where' my butt go
22:30
I'm not I don't have that problem right now so mine looks very very sad oh you
22:36
still got a handful though know I've had to grab it oh my goodness yank her out of the
22:44
yank her out of the tub by the butt cheek like come on you got
22:50
this yeah no it's definitely I mean especially too like you know pat pat
22:56
don't have to feel so bad for eating so much all the time do he ever though what is that like yeah
23:03
no he he don't feel bad yeah I shaking the cage yeah like just getting them
23:11
getting ready getting the dog ready to fight just torturing them with pizza and
23:17
ice cream I mean shoot I I've always had like a pretty decent appetite but yeah this is uh it's it's been um and and now
23:25
it's cool too because now that I'm adjusted more I I remember remember being at strawweight and like um I
23:31
didn't really eat breakfast ever you know so so now it took me a while like I would like to when I knew I was moving
23:38
up I decided like I'm just gonna eat as much as I can and just get as fat as I can and then turn this off yeah I did
23:44
that and I got really fat yeah know it sucks it's definitely like you know but uh but yeah it's like
23:53
the part of the process you know and then um like in order to put on some muscle like you got to have some fat you
23:58
know so um and that was the other thing too was like I had to
24:03
really like just realize that you know the like just having a little more fat
24:10
doesn't mean you're not like you're you're not in shape you know what I mean like because usually it's like I judge
24:16
myself based on that so I don't know so was that was definitely like a that was definitely an adjustment period but
24:21
seeing Jon Jones make that transition to heavyweight it was you know CU he had mentioned that too and it was like okay
24:27
I don't feel so like you know bad about that but uh yeah he doesn't need those
24:32
abs to be a World Champ yeah you did not look you did not look like John
24:39
Jones yeah we going heavyweight but yeah I did want to rub his belly when I saw
24:46
him I was like yo you're a Huggy Bear now yeah for sure got big yeah yeah but
24:54
it worked for him he had that muscle to throw around and one thing I always noticed when I put on weight too is just
25:01
like I'm hitting harder I just feel like oh yeah like a bully almost have you been feeling that and like training and
25:08
in the fight as well yeah and so that was kind of something that like like I
25:13
said that was one of the things that we had worked on this Camp because I knew I was hitting harder for sure um but uh
25:21
like I I was working this Camp to be quicker and to like throw more combinations and body body head and like
25:27
you know just just kind of being more having more volume and stuff but it didn't like I actually felt like I took
25:33
a step backwards which is from the last fight which like I felt like I put more vol I don't know it's weird but I mean
25:39
it could be because of Amanda just like her volume that she was putting out or it could just be I I don't know if it
25:44
was just like I don't know like I I felt yeah I was I felt a little bit off
25:49
balance sometimes too so you know that's something that I'm going to have to like make adjustments too but um but I
25:55
definitely felt like the power was there it's just like if I could have just put two three together you know like put
26:02
more combinations together I felt like I could have definitely um you know found that found that finish or whatever but
26:09
uh yeah just stuff to work on you know absolutely so what are you doing to
26:15
celebrate are you already like thinking about the next fight trying to get into it or you gon to take a little bit of time and enjoy your
26:21
Victory um yes I all of it a little bit
26:27
you know I'm G to just sit here and just like after this I'm I'm probably GNA
26:32
like just watch some TV and just chill out and then uh you know watch some documentaries or movies or something and
26:39
then um and then let me see yeah I want to check on my shoulders because I don't
26:45
know if like something's wrong with them or it's just like I don't know like I said maybe just hitting too hard yeah
26:51
too big too big and strong too SL too powerful but yeah so so get those
26:57
checked out out and then um you know I have some I have some projects I want to do on the house and um and then
27:05
basically so um Pat is training Alonzo menifield as well so he get yeah he gets
27:12
in town um pretty soon so we'll be like helping him with that camp and then um
27:18
and then also JJ Aldridge fights the same night March 11 so I'll I'll try to be helping her as much as possible with
27:24
that fight and um in the meantime you know it would be cool to think about I
27:31
wna I want to say like maybe July or August would be cool to return um but
27:37
yeah I'll just I'll be back into training really soon if if not like you know this week maybe um and just kind of
27:44
getting things together because you know I uh I ain't got no time to waste you know like I'll do a little celebration
27:50
or something like that but but nothing to too crazy I want to just get some you know I still got a lot of work to do you
27:56
know yeah yeah you uh you mentioned like you had a a really rough couple of years
28:03
uh were you just talking about fighting in general or was there outside stuff
28:09
and you don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it but I was just curious if you felt like going in detail now the fight's over yeah um I mean
28:17
there was definitely a lot of stuff uh well so number one I I had um it was a
28:23
huge maturing process for me to to uh take in my grandmother's she's 86 years
28:29
old and she's Lithuanian and you know very broken English so I had the one that does this so actually no the other
28:37
one oh okay that's the one story I remember from uh from the top house you talking
28:44
about your grandma with the fist yeah I me she'll give you the fingernail sometimes she'll be but yeah I guess
28:50
they kind of both do that in a way but but yeah she's she's like the more um like petite one you know like she's just
28:58
like she's always worried about stuff you know like that's kind of where I get my like anxiety from somewhat like once
29:04
after taking care of her it's like oh I get I get where I get all my all my craziness from but um she she she's
29:13
doing really good you know and um it's it's just different when you're when you're taking care of somebody it's like oh okay you know like our the fight life
29:21
is so we're so selfish you know we have to we have to be selfish you know so so that was like a huge adjustment period
29:27
and then like just just practicing Lithuania like just the language barrier let alone like an
29:33
elderly person and like you know all that stuff it was a lot of adjustment so we had to like you know buy this house
29:39
to get more space and um that was a whole adjustment period and then um you
29:44
know just little different training situations as well um yeah and and uh
29:50
I'm trying to think there's a bunch of other stuff well you know I I just like
29:55
I really um I kind of had some you know just like spiritual Revelations on
30:01
certain things and like just got really so I ended up getting re-baptized and like kind of went on this whole journey
30:07
um diving deep into that and so yeah it it all uh is a big growing period and it
30:13
wasn't like I wouldn't say it was like a dark time in my life like but but it was just um it was just a lot of stuff going
30:20
on I mean um there was a little bit of personal stuff that kind of like you know maybe I won't go into too much
30:26
detail but but that was sort of like a smaller part of that whole process like everything else was just more like life
30:33
situations changing you know and it was good changes but it was still just like okay you know I'm not in my normal
30:39
routine like I have to rethink how do I structure you know my day-to-day kind of
30:44
a thing so so to so that was like a challenge in um like just getting back into a rhythm I guess because before
30:52
before my grandmother coming my life was like very routined it was like okay get
30:57
up and run and do this like I have my I have my routine super like structured you know yeah it's crazy how just a
31:05
little tiny different thing can just throw your entire world off and then those are big
31:12
big life changes you know Finding kind of being reborn again and then also
31:18
bringing in another family member those are two big things um how much do you
31:23
think your spirituality is uh kind of fueling you right now because you seem
31:29
very holy rly right now and I'm I'm not judging like it's it's awesome I think
31:34
it's really great when people find find that because it's hard to I feel like
31:40
live in this world and still believe in something so like can you tell me about
31:46
how you came to that if you feel like yeah so yeah yeah you're right about all that I
31:52
mean definitely so like I always had like you know like seeds of Faith were Ed into me like when I was a little kid
31:59
you know just kind of growing up into you know like my my lithuanians are
32:05
culturally very like spiritual but it's it's kind of a weird spirituality because they're like they come from like
32:10
Pagan Roots but they're like very Catholic so they just kind of like mixed the two that's you know but they you
32:16
know so it's it's kind of weird and unique but I but ever since I was a kid I was raised you know Christian and um
32:23
but it was I didn't quite I I was sort of a baby in that and I walked away from
32:28
it not walked away but I kind of like drifted From the Path let's say um uh I
32:34
would say like earlier in in like the beginning of the UFC career and um
32:39
things got really dark you know I I got really into um like you know just uh
32:47
lots of lots of drugs you know lots of drinking and just way too much um yeah
32:53
just just like too crazy living for a minute there and and I don't know like comparative like to other people I'm
32:59
sure it's just like whatever but um but it just in that period in my life it was just it was just a little wild and um
33:06
and then I had a moment where I was like oh wow I've let so much Darkness just
33:11
kind of surround me and um and I didn't realize it and then I had like a like uh
33:19
I I basically got on my knees and was just like God help me you know like what am I doing and and then from that point
33:24
on it was a it was a steady progression like it it took me a while to get to this point um but it was just like
33:32
little things kind of like like my perspective just started to melt like or
33:37
shift a little bit at a time and I started to understand things a little deeper um and then I actually started to
33:44
get into my word and really like trying to just break it up into pieces and like actually try to understand it and um and
33:52
then I got to this point where it was like yeah I want to I want to actually
33:57
be a about it instead of just like you know claiming certain labels or whatever but actually just like like be changed
34:04
for real and so and and my desires change too like it it's crazy how like I had this like you know and maybe it's
34:11
just maturity or whatever but like that that that uh that that desire for like
34:17
fleshly things or just to like kind of wow out and go crazy sometimes like that has CH like uh I guess you know getting
34:25
deeper into my word and like really reaching out uh God's changed my heart like I don't have the certain desires
34:32
that I used to have and so so it's it's kind of cool because it's not just like um like I'm trying to just be like you
34:39
know forc being a like like discipline or whatever it's just like I actually I'm just cool with it you know and it's
34:45
it's kind of cool it's not always easy like but but uh but overall I think more and more that I keep going down this
34:52
path it's it's just rewarding because I see the blessings coming from it too you know I I believe even you know got if
34:59
you ask for forgiveness it's it's there but it's like you know I want it to be I wanted I want to be better just for the
35:07
sake of being better not just CZ like I don't know you know to get something out of it I guess so I don't know if that
35:12
all makes sense but um I don't know if there's something else I was going to say about that too but yeah so it's cool
35:19
like um I just I feel like it's it's fueling me but it's um what it is it's
35:26
it's letting me be able to like approach this this part of my career with like peace and
35:33
contentment it's giving me peace and contentment and joy because I think it's easy like to just get wrapped up in all
35:41
the stuff that really doesn't matter you know what I mean like we like you were saying we live in a world where um it is
35:48
really hard to believe in something sometimes you know because yeah it's I think social media is a big part where
35:54
it's it can be there's just a lot of is there's a lot of good stuff out there but there's also a lot of toxicity and I
36:01
think we're just as human beings we drift towards the toxicity a lot of the times like right it's just natural to to
36:08
only read the negative comments you know or just to like only say something bad or it's very it's it's very easy to to
36:14
gossip or to do the you know it's just like yeah so um but uh but yeah so just
36:21
leaning on that and just focusing my eyes on things above and you know things of you know that are not just this
36:28
reality it's like it just kind of carry it just helps me deal with the ups and
36:34
the Downs a lot more yeah it's easier to realize how small your life actually is and yeah
36:41
that this isn't the end all be all like we're just kind of B biting our time
36:47
and right no it's definitely cool to find that yeah it's definitely cool and
36:52
it's a superpower too I feel like a lot of people come in and they're like I'm going to be this and I'm going to be
36:58
that and then when it doesn't happen then it really throws you off your game and when you're coming in just Zen and
37:05
just being yeah in the present and not focusing too far ahead then I think that
37:11
definitely is a superpower going forward yeah and I think also um just having
37:17
your identity wrapped up in something that is like you know very vain like I
37:22
think that's a trap you know because like a lot of it is Vanity and so it's like you know
37:28
that's what that's what like you know can pull you in the wrong direction and will make you you know compromise
37:34
yourself or like just just so that you can have that feel good and so you know just to feel good about yourself but
37:40
it's like I have my identity you know and being a child of God so it doesn't matter you know what anybody thinks
37:46
about me what anything happens like I'm good you know what I mean but it allows
37:52
me to you know just be the vessel and just be whatever it is that he wants me to be so it's like okay use me you
38:01
know yeah so no that's great to hear and it definitely shows in your performance and I'm I'm happy that you found that
38:09
path I think yeah it's um no it can be a beautiful thing um Angela and I were
38:17
talking about The Ultimate Fighter last night while we were filming our podcast and Angela and I think that it's time
38:22
almost for like our 10year reunion so
38:28
I like how you lumped me in you're like Angela and I like I didn't say it was a
38:33
good idea I just said it was an idea we in this together but I wanted I wanted
38:40
we gotta have and we gotta have all this Stu so we we should all we should all train together oh that would be funny
38:48
yes that would be F I didn't even think about training together I was just like we're all going to be on a couch Like
38:55
Love is Blind the little reunion that they do the reunion show we're all on the couch and they pass the mic to each
39:02
one and they're like why are you such a [ __ ] [Music]
39:07
you but I think it would be more healthy to punch each other yeah maybe maybe
39:13
more therapeutic yeah just put it all out
39:19
there blood each other's noses and have a beer I think that would be sweet oh
39:26
that's funny yeah what do you think your uh most fond memory or your biggest takeaway from being on the show was um I
39:33
would definitely say like the I mean there's a bunch of like fun moments I
39:40
think the the last day like after it was over I remember we were all sitting
39:47
around and then like uh I don't know did I Spill the Wine or something I swe there was like remember that
39:54
carpet nothing bad to the house the whole time but then just like right at the red wine just spilled all over
40:01
the cow or the the carpet I don't even remember being they were done with the carpet they didn't need it anymore
40:07
they're gonna burn it anyway no I'm trying to think of like what's like a I mean I definitely there's so many good
40:12
memories like uh n and all the food that he used to make like that was that was
40:17
the best food um shoot in and out burger after the
40:23
fight um gosh I don't know he got a better memory than me you young then
40:30
though I'm like I don't remember any of that and I was right there yeah yeah I
40:36
usually don't remember stuff either so I'm yeah I'm kind of surprised and then like I remember uh I remember uh like
40:46
trying to remember like songs to sing and stuff because it's just like you know all that time just like not uh
40:52
having music or TV or anything like that um I did think I I felt like the coaches
40:58
challenge or whatever that you know thing that they do every season I thought that was kind of lame but yeah I
41:04
agree I agree like trivia I felt like they were trying to make us feel stupid
41:11
yeah we got all these girls I bet they don't know anything we're gonna make them do
41:17
trivia I wanted to see something cool like the what didn't they have the the
41:22
water thing yeah the plunge or whatever that yeah or bungee jumping or something
41:28
fun like that they always do something for we also had kind of a lame house we only had one story we had all these bunk
41:36
beds no pool table I wanted a pool table I think Jess
41:43
is still traumatized because every time we go to a bar with a pool table she demands to play I think it's just
41:50
because of tough not giving us one do you remember that big old cockroach that was like running around
41:58
no oh man I remember Fel like it was like a big old like I don't know if it was a [ __ ] or a beetle or something but
42:05
it was like I want to say it was like the size of my palm like it was huge and then like police took a big old rock and
42:11
she just she just smashed it and it was just so gross and then like the Cockroaches like ran around it and just
42:18
started eating it oh my god oh y'all weren there for that that was crazy
42:23
Savage yeah I I remember the little green beetle you always see those and I always feel
42:29
like it was like a little Spirit coming in my friend he would on my finger yeah
42:35
I'd always save them from the pool oh really dang I don't yeah I the the
42:40
hummingbirds were nice though yeah yeah yeah but uh it was fun it was good times
42:46
good times yeah maybe if they showed some of the good times we remember them better they only showed times I feel
42:54
like there was so much like else that was like oh this is going to be shown and like yeah none of what I thought was
43:00
going to be shown was shown you know what didn't make the cut but it it was on one of the previews was when I
43:07
changed team Pettis to team penis I do remember I was really proud
43:13
of that because the athletic tape worked perfectly with the font it looked seamless and they didn't
43:21
show it but they showed it on like one of the next time on tough 20 and then you saw it real fast I was like yeah
43:28
you're like what you're like waiting for it I know and they never they never did
43:34
that episode yeah I do remember actually like the
43:39
actually so the last day was actually really fun or the like the last fight because I just remember like it being so
43:46
long and just making it to the very like the last fight and like all the the other two fights were like super
43:52
stressful for me but then like fighting random for some reason it just wasn't like I just I I didn't feel like that
43:58
pressure for some reason like and I've always wanted to recreate that feeling in my my future fights because I just
44:05
was so ready to go home and I just didn't care what happened so I just like I remember looking at like like U like
44:12
planes flying by all the time and I'm like that's gonna be me soon you know just like going home and then like I
44:18
remember uh like in the locker room it was just like I don't know at some point like we were just all having way too
44:26
much fun in the locker room like all the coaches we were all just like hitting each other with like pads I don't know what was going on but it was just like
44:32
like I think we were all a little stir crazy too and it was just like all right last day whatever so yeah it was it was
44:39
yeah I would say the last day was probably the the funnest day yeah they say that's the best way to cut the
44:45
tension and and to um you know not burn yourself out before the fight is laughter if you have someone back there
44:52
that's cracking you up that's making everything light and then you're able to turn it on right when you need it as
44:59
opposed to it being in the background of your head the entire time you're back there because you're back there for hours you know so yeah it's a lot of
45:07
energy and and if you think about it it's like every time you know I'm I'm sure if we could all recreate like um
45:16
like the feeling of a sparring session just in a fight like if we could just treat a fight like as if it was a sparring session without obviously being
45:22
like you know too lacad isical but you know we we'd all be like super great
45:28
yeah we all have we all have like perfect performances all the time you know so yeah definitely that definitely
45:34
helps like cut the tension for sure now I still regret bringing Angela mag as my
45:40
corner woman for that why did you do that I will never understand I thought
45:46
stylistically it made sense because I was fighting Carla and it's like okay she's kind of
45:53
short wrestler Grappler something like that like it makes sense I I was a Muay
45:59
Tha fighter I didn't know what a wrestler look like and and we're writing there and she
46:06
starts telling me these sub stories and I'm like bro like shut up and of course
46:13
I didn't say it but in my head I was like man this is this is a
46:18
lot this is a little too much yeah you got careful it's not who you want as a
46:23
fighter in your corner yeah you I think keep at light is the best medicine so
46:29
even if the person isn't exactly the perfect type of fighter that you need in a corner if they like make you laugh if
46:36
they like have a good time gas you up when you need it then that's the best person yeah no for sure Le less is more
46:44
for sure yeah it's better to have somebody just like a blank slate than somebody just like you know Bringing
46:51
Down the most for sure yeah someone who knows when to shut up someone who can
46:56
read the room was she say was she on the your
47:02
majesty stuff yet no no not yet that was after the show that's when she got her
47:08
fan club and then started trolling people and dude that would that would be
47:15
the one you know how every reality TV show has that person that shows up like oh my God I can't believe she showed up
47:22
that would be the one everyone's like yo M came yo she's not invited back sorry
47:28
she's not invited to I'm sorry Rec she was or just invite cyborg
47:37
to the to the party too oh my
47:46
goodness that was the threepiece in the soda God so crazy oh man that was a real
47:55
one yeah for sure but yeah no we we got to do that sometime let me know let me know who's
48:02
organizing it 10 year anniversary is coming I think it's December December 2024 that's 10 years we're gonna pitch
48:10
it tough I know who to pitch it to but we're gonna pitch it yeah and we can get
48:16
the guys that headlined wasn't it um uh Jeremy versus Al something like that yeah we
48:24
get them to come too yeah gu yes want to do something
48:32
fun they can they can run practice Yeah right oh my gosh or we get if we could
48:39
get the coaches on there again that' be great well have to be there right yeah yeah they're still around doing stuff
48:47
for sure for sure yeah all right well it's in the books
48:53
and we'll see you then um do you have anything schedule coming up I know you had like movies and all this other cool
49:00
stuff going on maybe a few years ago you got anything coming up cool right now um
49:07
so I guess there there is like an offer for a movie actually on the table I don't know if I'm I don't know if I want
49:14
to do that though because well I don't know I'm still I'm still up in the air about it because oh
49:20
straw uh wait that so that I'm actually like a
49:26
part of supposed to be you know helping um like be producer for it um okay but
49:33
there's another opportunity that is like uh is is a pretty good opportunity it's
49:38
just I don't know if man to be able to I don't know how like that that's such a
49:45
different thing I feel like to be in a you know movie and then to like try to
49:50
be training at the same time so we'll see we'll see if that pans out um but
49:56
other than that you know I'm just going to be getting ready for you know summer growing season here so like obviously
50:03
it's like there's it's still kind of like spring out here is crazy but um I could get my you know seedlings together
50:09
and all that stuff and then um I'm going to be starting a new beehive this year
50:15
because my bees died yeah so um excuse me but uh so I'll
50:21
be starting that and uh and then yeah just just kind of doing some house projects and and kind of getting ready
50:28
for the next thing you know uh so yeah if I if I could if I could get another fight in the in like July or August that
50:34
would be great nice you can always get on the Hollywood meds that Conor
50:39
McGregor got on you just happen to be training for a fight at the same some of
50:45
the things with usada are starting to make sense after I saw him in that movie which is all conne the dots have you
50:53
super have you watched it yet no I didn't did but I saw the previews and stuff I was like oh he's a he it looks
51:00
like he did a really good job yeah he was he was promoting the fight
51:06
at uh one of Jess's fights I forget which one but uh 187 yeah they were
51:12
doing weigh-ins and before the weigh-ins remember that yeah he came and he was
51:18
like ah hey it's Jake chall everybody makes some noise and like kind of promoting the fight and throwing
51:24
t-shirts and audience and stuff and then he walks backstage and I'm filming Jess
51:30
or I'm filming something and then he walks by and I'm like holy [ __ ] what was that yeah he looked like a behemoth like
51:37
he looked so big compared to the first time we saw him on top he was this
51:42
little guy like I was just like oh oh this little guy is a is a big deal but he is insanely large at least for the
51:50
movie and not just but like his hands are like huge too you know like his like bone structures just insane his neck was
51:58
like out here [Laughter]
52:05
yeah yeah it looked like a tank it was a tank yeah yeah we gota
52:11
watch that that's going to be our next uh two straws project little yeah I know I think we have to wa have a little
52:17
movie night we have to watch that and the bastard son withy Edgar yeah and I
52:24
think there's one more MMA movie with straw yeah yeah when does that come out uh I
52:31
don't know yet yeah we're still like yeah figuring all that stuff out so who's playing the fighter
52:37
again um yeah don't know great producer you are
52:46
you're that's not her job if you need some suggestions I can
52:53
send my real yes
52:58
oh that's great yeah all right well we don't want to take any more of your time
53:03
thank you for being so generous with it and you seem great you seem like you're
53:09
in a great head space and I'm really excited to see what you do in the future yeah yeah for sure thank you guys for
53:15
having me and uh like I said yeah keeping in touch with the uh with the
53:21
reunion aw we'll let you know we we'll
53:27
yes all right well have a good one all right you to bye
53:33
congrats thank you bye all right the champ love I love it I
53:43
love everything um I love how vulnerable and honest she was and I love just seeing her success especially coming off
53:48
of our season yeah um yeah it's just really nice to see we're like um the
53:54
last the last of the group honestly the last of the moans the last of tough 20
53:59
man is it just the three of there's someone else I'm sure well no JoJo just
54:04
retired who else Lise retired yeah Randa I don't know what she
54:11
think she's fought since after the UFC um Tia oh T still arounda and Carla
54:19
Tisha and Carla they just had babies they're still
54:24
here they're still around they just they just went and had some babies it's okay they're still they're still around we'll
54:31
see how long they stick around though that was Nina's uh Little Nail in the coffin but other Fighters have kind
54:39
of sorn after having a kid so yeah we'll see what yeah I think it's challenging
54:46
I've talked to I talked to Beck about it and she said she thinks that it was a lot easier because she already had kids
54:52
so she doesn't know anything other than you know being a mom and having had children like before fighting but I feel
54:59
like it's it's so hard on your body it's got to be a big a big adjustment a big
55:05
challenge to get back into it but I mean if anybody can do it MMA fighters can yeah we got them strong cores pop them
55:12
things out like a shotgun bullet pow all right who's my next
55:19
fight all right well this has been another episode of two stars thank you for joining us and stay tuned for the
55:25
next one
55:31
bye
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