 This week's episode is sponsored by the Birmingham Hotel. You can now follow me on all my social media platforms to find out who my latest guest will be and don't forget to click the subscribe button and the notifications button so you're notified for when my next podcast goes live. Like I said, I was more well off than all the other kids go. My dad did what he was involved in. He came to the UK first and I think he was still doing what he was doing, selling drugs, getting into gang shit and from there he was out using his money. I guess now growing older, he uses his money to send back to the gangs in Jamaica for drugs, arms, what he was doing. He was still involved with the gang culture and doing what he was doing and he didn't get murdered like I said when I was 13 years old and from there you had to be like a man of the house and I was like, time to grow up you can't, you're no longer a kid no more. My manager phoned me a few weeks after. He used to just go, don't want to fight Nate Diaz in May, but this was the first fight and I was like, Nate, yeah perfect, let's get it done. Does your mum watch your feats? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She watched the last one you know? Who are they? She's here. Oh man, she's a Jamaican woman. Yeah, she's a Jamaican. She's that pretter like Jamaican, Jamaican you know. She was watching it so when I came back I was like, Mum what did you do? What happened when she was like, I opened the window I started screaming, help! Oh my god! I started screaming, help! My heart was in my throat. Bit more on today's guest, Leon Edwards. How are you brother? I'm very well brother, how are you? Congratulations on your last fight. It was good, it was a big one but yeah, thank you. Nate Diaz, massive name in UFC. One of the biggest, he's been around forever basically but great victory which we'll touch on that. Your 9-1 straight is it? 9, 9, can't be loud if I go 10 now but yeah. 10 in a row so. It's a great position to be in you know. One of the hardest division in the sport. To rack up 9 wins, he said something you know. I think in history of the promotion is Uzman, George Sampierre than me for longest win streak in the UFC you know, in division. I'm therefore proud of myself you know. And you should be. Thank you. It's phenomenal. Honestly take my heart off to you, I watched the fight. I'm a big fan of Nate Diaz as well. But obviously got to support the local. We're not local, I'm from fucking Glasgow. He's the same face back there. But I'll always go back to the start of my guess brother. Where you grew up, how it all began? For me I was born in Jamaica, in Kingston, Jamaica. Most of my childhood was based in Jamaica you know. Came to the UK when I was like 13 years old. But less than that, probably about 10 years old. 10 years old. Went to school here. Grew up here in Birmingham like I said. Yeah, he was a wild childhood. Lost my dad when I was 13 years old. Yeah, it's many different chapters in my life you know. So it always depends. How I wanted to be told. What was school like in Jamaica? From what I remember, it was good. It was good you know. In normal school, obviously the environment that was in Jamaica was poverty. You can call it poverty. I was brought up in a wooden house with a zinc roof. My dad was the leader of a gang in the area where I lived. That's how it all started from that. Just coming from there to where I am now is an amazing journey. Like I said, I'm proud of myself and what I've achieved. You should be proud. This is only the beginning for what's to come as well. So seeing you stealing wooden huts and stuff, was that just the norm? Was there any electricity or anything? Yeah, for sure. Basically one wooden shack thing. Everything is in that one shack. Like I said, I was more well off than old over kids school. My dad didn't know what he was involved in. He came to the UK first. He was still doing what he was doing, selling drugs, getting into gang shit. From there, he was using his money. I guess now growing older, he uses his money to send back to the gangs in Jamaica for drugs or arms or what he was doing. From there, like I said, I came to the UK. I think he brought me, my mum and my brother to the UK for a better life. To give us a better opportunity for a better life. Did he see that, that there was not much opportunities in Jamaica to then try and give his a better life here? Yeah, 100%. I believe that was his thinking. I never ever got the chance to sit down and talk to him and see what's the reason he did it. But now me being a dad, I guess that was his reason. He realised it was a dangerous environment to have his kids in. The UK was a better opportunity for you to get a better life for yourself and for your family and that's what he did. You also have to respect that. To be a man and to come to the UK, not forget about your family back in Jamaica and still think about it and brought them to the UK for a better life. You have to respect that. Did you know the gang culture then that your dad was involved in at a young age? No, I knew exactly who he was in the area. Because everyone knew who he was. As a kid it's like, is that cool? Your dad is the main man in the area. You have more privilege than all the kids. In the shit you can do and can't do. What you get for gifts and shit. I was getting remote control cars and bikes. Where I'm from, it's weird to get that as a kid. I was getting a PS1 and everything. Like I said, he made sacrifices. He did what he needed to do with the opportunities that he had. He did the best he could. How did your dad still end up active from Jamaica to... Was it Birmingham? London. How did he end up active then? Just from still gang culture. He was still involved with the gang culture and doing what he was doing. I didn't get murdered when I was 13 years old. From there you had to be like a man in the house. I was like, time to grow up. He's no longer a kid, no more. Like I said, I understand the sacrifices I made. I've also been involved in similar situations. I can't understand his thinking. How does that play affect on you now? The death of your father? You'll go back to when you were 13. How does that affect on you? Because I don't have a lot of criminals. As you know, the majority go down the same route. Prisons, addictions. You've not. You've used that as fire. It's fuel to then basically become a leader yourself. In a positive role? I'll say from 13 to about 19. I don't understand the path involved in criminal activities and gangs and getting into trouble on a regular basis. I think MMA, you can say, saved my life. I got involved in MMA at the age of 17. There was a local gym building in my area in Eddenton in Birmingham. One day I was walking past my mum on the high street and there was a gym building above the black busters. I said, I should give this a go. What I should be saying is to keep me away from my friends. I was like, yeah, I'll call out and do it. I was always good at fighting. I called out, I'll give it a go. I literally fell in love with it. I think MMA was like the father figure that I was missing. The discipline, the hard work and what you learn from MMA. Not just the fighting. I think that's what attracted me more to it. The positive reinforcement. I was getting from the coaches, from the teammates, saying you're good, you can do this. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve it. You never had that. Growing up, I never had that growing up. It was just about, when it says negative, it was more just about surviving. Your survival mentality. To have now people reinforcing your confidence and say, look, you're good. If you stick to it, you can achieve something. Did you start believing in that? Yeah, I did. I think over the time, the more I trained, the more I competed. My confidence grew, obviously. No, the more success ahead. The more confidence grows. How hard has it gone from what you went through losing your dad to them, being involved in the gangs yourself, to then cutting away and then focusing on you? Was that difficult at the start? Difficult to start because it's difficult to like, if you grew up knowing one thing, then suddenly you're just doing something totally opposite. It was difficult at the start. But like I said, the positive reinforcements kept me in the gym. Kept me turning up to the gym, showing up, even though I was getting my ass kicked, because I was new to the gym. It still kept me there. I go from in the morning to the night. I was busy all day. I train in the morning. I chill all day in the gym. Then I train again in the evening. That's all I was doing from age 18 to now. I credit it to the positive reinforcements I was getting from the gym to keep me in the gym. Who gave you those positive reinforcements? Just my coaches. What was their names? Mark, I think he was one of the owners of the gym. People have only, at the time, silk. There's a few people at the time that was reinforcing this in my brain. Confidence, belief. Confidence in myself. Just a different way of life. This is not the only way there is to achieve greatness in life. I've been growing up. That's all I thought. I want to be a gangster, like my dad. This is the way to get respect. This is the way to do it. The more I dive into MMA, the more I dive into the mental part of it. The more I open up, the more I travel. I've been to a lot of countries like MMA. The more you open up, the more you can't relate as much no more. As a kid, to the street. You've got a son, ten? Eight years old. Can your dad try to get you away from the McGan culture? For you being the future world champion. I've had no wage between 8, 16, I've learned everything. You've got that role model attitude where the son is going to kind of look up to you. But you looked up to your dad when you thought violence would have... You had to try and make him proud even though he was dead. Looking back now, where were we thinking? At a young age, from eight years old onwards, I couldn't imagine my son going through what I went through as a kid. I was in a war zone when I was a kid. It became the norm and it's weird that I was able to normalise shootings and stabbings and killings and I was just a normal day in the life when I was a kid. Looking back now, it's crazy. Look, it's mad. How much difference has the gang culture from Jamaica, London, because Birmingham's rife just now. What's the difference between UK gang culture do you think it's just the same? Worse in Jamaica? Way worse in Jamaica. The way more violent. Nothing to lose. Way more violent, no cameras. The police is the same as the gangs. It's way worse. You can still bad but there's different levels to different in African life. I think Jamaica is way worse. What about your first fight? From a boys from the streets who think they can fight to then get out of an MMA gym, is that a different ball game? Actually, doing good in my first fight my amateur fight I did good enough. I stopped the kid and knocked him out in like two rounds or something. I trained for a year before that. But before that, my club had an interclub which is like different gyms in me open but basically I have a fight. I won that tournament that gave me more confidence in myself and more belief that I might have something here I might be able to do something in my life here then from there I went to my first amateur like I said and I got a victory. Every time I want I want to work harder because I know there's something there that you can actually do. If you dedicate yourself and work hard you actually could you know and I was more realising that the more I compared. The more hard work you put in the more belief kept growing. What about when the UFC came calling? When was that 2015? I think about 23 years old I think 22-23 years old you know. At the time I was the Bama champion. What old champion are you? What do you think about what do you think about Brazil? I was like what about Brazil? What do you think about fighting in Brazil? I was like that would be good the UFC just called and said they want you to fight in Brazil in like 3-4 weeks I was like crying and shit I was like perfect you know because it's everything you work towards as a kid and to come from where I come from now to be able to be in the UFC it was a dream come true you know. Yeah there's not many people doing that in the UK especially with your record now you are the man in the UFC for the UK that's absolutely flying your division I believe is the strongest there's so many great fighters but for your division man it's unbelievable. You lost, was it first 2 fights? I lost my first fight in the UFC How was that feeling? Horrible, horrible you know I hate losing and this is I worked so hard and trained so hard because I hate the feeling of losing but I think now I've turned it all into lessons and now I understand what I lost and I study what I lost and I try to get better and that's what I do like I said now in the 10-5 industry every time I lost I always got my better even though it hurts but I think sometimes it's needed you know So then you went on you won 2 and then did you lose to Usman? Yeah that's it And that's the last time you lost? Last time I lost, 5-6 years ago And that went to distance as well? It went to distance In his hometown In his hometown It's all good like I said it was a lesson and I think at the time I was at one of Usman In the UK there's a weird thing where it's like you get to like a level you need to go to America to improve You can't do it from Birmingham You get to train with blah blah blah I was like you need to start believing this because the older guys are telling you this you need to go to America you need to do this I started believing it went to A.K.A. from a camp for Usman but my old camp was all to do with defense like don't get taken down and all defensive I was going there with a defensive mind state and I went into the fight thinking about what I need to do it's more just about what he's going to do and don't let him do it that's not a good way to look at life all fine you should go out there and do your thing let him adapt to you that's what I look at life as well so yeah since then I came back to the UK came back to my team that I was winning with I was winning with my team fixed what I needed to be fixed and now here I am back to basics back to basics does that still sting? yeah for sure every day that's what motivates me to keep winning that's how I hate the feeling of losing I think I put so much into it it always remind me I'm going back to where I started every loss I take I'm going back to Jamaica I put it in my head it's bigger than what it is in my head I think that's why I work so hard and dedicate myself so hard winning streaks and well-weight history so how did you end up losing the first two and four fights and thinking was there ever a stage that you were going through and you thought maybe I'm not as good as I think or did you use the negativity and the losses as tools to then kick on and put on a great winning streak I used it all to motivate me I used my upbringing everything to motivate me to be better this is mentality I always think it's way worse I couldn't be doing pay to do what you love doing you enjoy doing it why now shy away from it that's just the way I look at it really every loss I take is always just about learning from it it's a hard time when you're going through it but at the end of it it's a great thing the tough streaks that you make so if you have a loss you're probably thinking it's fuck all compared to what people have to go through where you grew up killings and murders and robberies so it's basically I'm finding a UFC I'm making some money I'm making my family proud we see a good thing it still hurts if you put it in that sense then it's not as big as exactly I get to do this I enjoy doing it there's many people that's chasing the same dream that I'm doing why waste the opportunity that's what I look at now it works so hard to get here why waste it why not dedicate yourself to it why not train hard the work all they try to do to get to a point in their career it's like slacking off and partying and drinking what's the point why it works so hard just to get here then throw it all away go for it all one of these personalities is all on nothing I want it all and I'm going to have it all did you believe you deserved to be in the UFC at the start or was there a certain match or fight you realised ok I'm here I always believed that I would get there even when I was young 7 billion people on the planet it was a possibility to get into the UFC I've heard that time and time again you need to get like a plan B get like a job I've had a job in my life I've always I don't have any money but I always dedicate myself to this one thing I don't need no plan B I truly believe that I would have made it here I am all the naysayers because you beat some the superstars of the game how was that because you were young when you were 26 we got against when I was young my biggest fight at the time my first headline was the Singapore as well half way across the world it was a surreal moment I couldn't put it in my head as a surreal moment it's more just about there's one person in front of me stopping me from achieving my dream I look at it the same way for all fighters it's just you and me all the hype around you all the media I don't think it can put it like this great guy has been around for a long time it will affect your fighting it will affect the way you think of him I'll see him as a normal person how do you go into a fight how do you plan it just before you're about to start because you seem quite a humble guy you see quite a lot of fighters trying to push buttons and rail people up that looks like it consumes energy but you're very calm is that your game plan? stay calm stay relaxed once you believe in yourself let the fighting do the talking I truly believe I'm number one in the world I've been standing for a long time I know when I was younger people were like 9 you won't make it to the top 10 in the USA I've heard all this my whole career I really believe I'm number one I truly believe it I keep proving time and time again I know they don't want to keep down to me but what more can I do as long as they've got me and win that's all I can do that's all I'm focusing on let the world decide you're bang on course though got 1-2 fights away from being world champion there is one of the biggest in the game you probably get Conor McGregor you could be Benin you probably get Nate massive he's been in the 20 years massive name when you get a name like that did you know you've been a title shot after that not the time I didn't because I fought in March I fought Bilal Muhammad in March so I was sitting around the house my manager phoned me a few weeks after the USA just called they wanted to fight Nate Diaz in May the first fight I was like Nate perfect let's get it done I wanted to show that Nate is one of these guys I fought you didn't even want to hear it from him for like another year once the contract was signed I was like perfect let's go I think I injured I think I heard through the great violence they got caught or something so after that I rescheduled the fight for a month after which is June it was a great fight great fight week he's tough as fuck he's a tough man that's the thing the known to be drill fair play to because you won every round fourth round you've got to touch on the fifth round when he's clipped you and he's wobbled that's the first time you've been proper wobbled proper wobbled all I think is don't shoot because it's kind of like panicked and shot for the take down and then getting choked out that's when you beat Mugabe the first time that's all the things from head to stone shoot for the take down ride it out I showed my chaining up fight I didn't touch a canvas I was still smart still aware of what to do and what not to do it was a good shot give it to him coming up against him he looks as if he takes some punishment but he still always comes forward what is that mentality I don't know I don't know he's just a tough drill he's fucking madness and he smokes weird shit so I don't understand where his cardio comes from he's not vegan or something he's crazy bastard I don't know like I said it's game of respect fair play to him no disrespect to him, massive name but do you feel as if that wasn't really a step forward because he's long layoff 2019 or something you were always going to beat him in my eyes even if he fought like a month before I don't think Nate beats me I don't think technically I'm just way better than him for all the technical aspects of the fight I think if I fight 10 out of 10 times I win 10 out of 10 times and I was believing I am a better fighter he's the biggest name but I don't think he's the most skilled opponent I've fought but for a business side all his names are perfect I want all his names he's a huge name he put them up there like I said before he could be a master probably I'm mutual respect between both of you wasn't really many it was cool man I thought it would be more like heated he's a chill guy and he smokes his way cool how frustrating is it because I know you've had 4 or 5 cancellations because if not you could probably sit here world champion just now how's that when you're ready for a fight and people are pulling out I went for like a mad frustrating year and a half I went from leaving 2019 having a great year in 2019 to 2020 being like this is my year when we were champion everything scattered in when I'm going to fight for the bout everything you know in 2002 with Tyrone Woodley on a Sunday before the fight the corona hit it was like 2 minutes and it was like my homecoming I was looking forward to going out there and performing because the year before that when Tyrone was headlining I was like I want to do it then corona hit since that's been like all the way downhill 3-4 times with Hamzat I got pulled out twice I think 2-3 times and it's a wild year and I was sitting on sidelines when you're healthy, young and just can't compete how does that happen after the Woodley fight there not been a world title fight after that um you are close to a world title fight after a world title fight I would have got to go into a world title fight next to go from that now still one fight away to go from that to restart your journey again and get back active again after a year and a half it's a long time off as a professional athlete football I kind of used that time at the start it was frustrating and annoying but I used that time to just fix my brain instead of sitting around watching the morning and moping about use the time to get better use the time to improve yourself use the time to get better skilled physically and mentally and that's what I did in Owen I've proved that since coming back competing I've improved leaps and bounds and Owen so yeah I think that now the time was a blessing to have off because where the athlete going into his prime get like a solid year and a half just to concentrate on training and improving and getting better as before when you're in training camp you're not really improving you can kind of train for one person you're mimicking the game for just one guy but when you're free to train and do what you want you can learn stuff and see what works for you what don't work for you and go from there how was it feint without any fans and March March in Vegas it was good I enjoyed it I said after the fight I was like I was like sparring you know you could hear everything clear I could hear his corner telling me what to do so I was like I could try it was perfect and I was like oh this is sick that was another feint though first round you smoked him all over him and then the second round they get stopped yeah eye poke I've never seen that I've never seen that normally you can get eye poke and just like take a little time off then come back to fight these guys started crying could you have get disqualified at any point for that it was purposely if I'm doing this you know but I weren't I was throwing a combination and you stepped in I got eyeballs like dead and like lead so how does that not get called as a victory if it's a punch I think it has to go past two rounds I think like a certain time in the fight before they can like go to the scorecard but even though it's like a knock down you were one because he had to stop so that you don't get the victory how is that? I claim it as a victory to be honest if you're a bot you keep saying team yeah I don't know I just gave me the DQ I was happy I didn't put it down as a loss my first loss in my career was the same eye poke was like a knee the guy was coming off I have to take it down and throw the knee because his knee was off the floor and he started rolling around and gave me a loss for that it's not a loss it's a DQ so that was my first loss in my career so where do you go now to get Master Dove? my plan is to fight for the title I spoke to the UFC is it Master Dove? Master Dove is the world champion right now Master Dove is obviously from what happened in London or back story but that's the fight the fans want to see so either way to cook a crumble you go straight for the title shot then fight Master Dove after or Master Dove first I don't think it matters if you beat Diaz Master Dove in the title shot is perfect next level stop that puts you in pound for pound one of the best for sure 100% but he keeps making excuses and running and saying he doesn't want to fight me I don't know everyone wants it the UFC wants it I'm ready to go whenever because Dayna White was speaking about it yesterday yeah I've seen it they want it I want it but they cannot force him into a fight and if you're on the fight they've lost a lot of fights as well Master Dove he went through a spell there where everybody loved him he just looked great and any kind of fires went out that as well everybody wants to see the fight by yourself and Usman that's the life changing fight that's the game time everything you've worked for and then you sit with the belt man it would be amazing just for me and my team just to have it for the kids that's coming under me you can achieve it coming from where I come from the background I come from I've been given a motivation we've all read about I'm already a success in my life I am financially well off my family is happy my son is healthy I'm going to win the belt I believe I'm going to win the belt but I do not put my happiness in the belt but it's going to happen because that's not what you're going to find your completion you're going through your fights your dad is still at the back of your head I always wondered what would you say I always asked my mum what you think you would be like because you know it was involving it was like a very strict man I always wondered what would you be like and what would you say if you realised what I'm doing and what I'm achieving in my life it's a mad thing it's sad because I've lost family members to my dad and I lost my dad they came in the things that I'm doing travelling all over and meeting interesting people I would love for my dad to even be here today we all went for food with everybody just to be sitting there cracking these shit jokes that's the hard part because sometimes you question I'll only interview people but I question it why the fuck do I do it I do it because I kind of want I strive to be better than I know I can be and I've believed them when I was here but as soon as I go that's when I start believing it took me about five years after it because I went down the road drinking drugs and violence and then when you start achieving you think fuck me man even when you won the World Title or a party you wish they were there and it's hard like beating it even though you've got your team you still wish you see them and yeah and that's the hard part of fuel and fire to keep going to keep as if you're still trying to make your dad proud yeah exactly I use that as motivation I use that to to make him proud of me you know to make him the way he was for me he was a great dad he was a great provider for the family a great human being so yeah I use that like I said to be just like him and look after my whole family just try making him proud how's that where you get the dedication from I believe so I'm a mum you know she must be proud she's very proud she had two sons that my brother does it as well you know Fabian he's faster than Forbetto how old is he? he's 28 probably, 27-28 how much is that competition back and forth back and forth like I said I'm proud of him what he's achieving he's always copied what I did when I was on the street he wasn't on the same path as me and when I came to MMA he got involved in MMA so I'm very happy now to be a positive role model in his life that's a good thing because I've had brothers on my key who does the fighting and stuff his brothers would have followed him anywhere he went as well but he went down the life of crime and they followed him but obviously went into MMA later in life as a role model for the right reasons that if you went to a prison no doubt your brother would have the win because he would have tried to keep the family name you're fighting for nothing basically you're fighting over postcodes people who don't give a fuck about you anyway you don't fuck around the house on the postcode but when you're young it's like it's all just in your brain you think it's easy to make money your friends are loving it your girls are loving it you can't just fall into this trap that's the world but since traveling like I said it doesn't help me open up my mind my brain into different stuff different ways of living at the time when I was young I truly believed that this was all it was this life of all it was this little area, this postcode these gangs and drugs this was life people are stuck in a loop where they think it is normal to go back to the Jamaican days so much potential there Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Liverpool and they just go down certain routes where they never ever find their true potential they say that the richest place on the planet is the graveyard because people are going with books that they never wrote or songs that they never sang or fights that they never fought there's just so much potential everybody has whatever it is it's to find your potential so when you started finding it now you're feeling good going through world titles people will be looking up to you if you can do it, I can do it and that's what it's all about there's not many UK fighters in the UFC Big Paul Craig as well from Scotland who's flying just now Dan Tull yourself would you ever go up a division in fight Dan or do you think he could ever come down battle a Britain kind of thing going back and forth back in the day going back and forth back in the day and it never materialised and the UFC was like it wanted to happen but let's like grow the profile a bit bigger and then make it happen in the UK but you'll end up moving the world with arm wrestling he's still a megastar, he's a funny bastard he knows how to promote a fight he's a good lad man since he's moved up I've kind of been sport to him now he's a good guy do you see everybody in your weight class as an enemy not any, but just a person that's blocking me from achieving my dreams and that's it once before now we can be friends but before that I have to go through you to get through my family that's what I look at it's no personal it's all good how was Joe Rogan podcast, how was that that's a massive platform number one in the world how was that feeling it was wild man I was in Vegas manager following me saying Joe wants to be in the podcast but he moved to Texas so he said come to Austin, Texas and come to my show even Dave Chappelle was doing a show but not before not before the podcast I was like sick Dave Chappelle I was like oh shit nice to meet that old team I was like sick Dave Chappelle I went to the comedy show it was a great comedy show he messaged me saying come backstage Dave wants to meet you so I went backstage it was like a mad night bro went backstage and Dave was like oh shit you don't come through a guy I was like yeah I grew up watching Dave Chappelle in the black community especially in the black community Dave Chappelle was like he was a legend so yeah it was a wild night I'm just partying all night in the night the podcast in the morning like I said to do stuff like this like Joe Rogan meet Dave Chappelle and to go back and tell the guys where I grew up the kids in the gym what I've done this is all just motivation for them look what he's doing I want to do that as well even better than him this is what I want it's a mad life does that feel so real because of the guests even speaking to yourself I watch you fighting a UFC a big UFC fan it becomes work but it doesn't seem real you can feel a little fucking bubble I'm just scared in case someone pops the bubble I was like I'm doing fuck over I'm just saying when this all works so hard it's like so surreal moment even at night I was going to have to party it was like me in the car Joe Rogan is driving the car I'm behind Dave Chappelle my manager I was like what the fuck I'm with Dave Chappelle Joe Rogan driving to have to party right now it was like a surreal moment were they two puffing lit fuck yeah I think it's legal there anyway it's legal when they stoned out their box they would be big headed but they're all good lads that's what I've taken away from them look you can still be a good person I met guys before the celebrities and dickheads the rude and big but first of Dave anyway he was like humble as fuck he's a fucking global superstar so is Joe Rogan so is Joe so you're sitting in the back seat thank you he's driving like a Tesla Chappelle in the front seat I was like this is a mad night it's a random night were they cracking jokes cracking jokes in the car it's like a normal guy fuck that's mad how was that what time was the podcast at one about one o'clock let's say about four or five o'clock you fucked shit I got to do the podcast in the morning so I got to Joe Rogan I was fucking red balls and coffees and just trying to stay up it was a good podcast that's a great fucking thing that's next Dave, well that's bigger than TV yeah for sure he's one of the biggest podcasts in the world even his fucking studio his studio is fucking amazing he's got a new one I thought it was the one we had before we had a gym in there but yeah even his studio is like because he can scrap he can scrap as well can't he we show him like sidekicks and shit and shit it was a good guy man with his friends is there any jealousy towards what you're doing nah nah nah not from my friends but this is the thing all my friends now are doing great things they all got like businesses that they're doing so when I started doing MMA I think that kind of like helped my friends, they wanted to do great as well so they started like I got like a care company for like old people one got like a building company that would do like kitchens and bathrooms and other stuff all my friends are all succeeding in their own way in what they're doing strong network is important for having good company instead of the naysayers can you imagine surrounding you every day telling you you can't do something nah man I had it when I was young it was really young you have an older guy telling you there's like 7 billion people on the planet and everyone chasing this one dream I didn't get to with the possibility of you achieving it he told me nah it's gonna work I really believed it it's gonna work in my heart it's worth work towards it and Dr. Ever and Kyle just work towards it show up at the gym I could control I did it you know and that was it does your mum watch your feets? she watched the last one she watched the last one you know who did she say? because it's Jamaican women she's that Prata like Jamaican Jamaican you know she was watching it so when I I rocked by ideas when I came back I was like what did you do? I opened the window I started screaming HELP I said yeah I started screaming HELP my heart was in my throat I had to imagine it was crazy watching your son fighting he was mad I got a kid now that's like 8 years old he does jujitsu and kickboxing you know I couldn't imagine him fighting how does that then to be a winner to be potential future UFC world champion for such a young age because you're a late starter as well 17-18 very late for martial arts for people starting at 11-12 for example football this is football at 18 years old and now you know the program is like it doesn't work you know I put it down to like it doesn't work my natural gift I'm a high believer in God in a path I think from a son he's proud of me he tells me all the time all his teachers know me he's always telling me what the kids saying in school so yeah that's what makes me proud and makes me work hard that's the thing we spoke about you don't want to bubble to bust because once it's gone it's a journey though for what you've achieved everything seems to go fast you're doing well meeting amazing people you don't seem to take it and it's when you go home you're like fuck what just happened it's mad dude the same as during the experience the same thing you know in the moment you're not really thinking it's during the day when you get back to your house I work hard and put a lot of time into it to make it work and to achieve my dreams as long as you put it in you bubble should keep growing because you're a good guy you do a lot of knife cream stuff and bombing them as well let's touch on that like I said I've been involved in knife crimes gang crimes and stuff like that from a young age I've lost many friends being a victim of it I've seen both sides of the coins and even just last year I've lost one of my friends I'm getting stabbed in father's day in his neck and I'm bled out on the street and yeah I've started a charity me down until about knife crimes helping the youth just involving gangs to get better so Jimmy came to me one day and he mentioned it to me like a charity I was thinking about it, I didn't know how to do it so it was a good idea to get Darren involved if you've been stabbed before yeah it was yeah I heard so it was for Darren perfect I want to be involved as well they started a brainstorming on how to do it then we got the U.S.C. on board spoke to the U.S.A. about it there was on board straight away and now it's basically done now they're both funding it so the aim of the charity is to partner with the police as well a charity called Legacy got a few different locations around the U.K. one in London, one in Liverpool and there's one in Birmingham basically mentoring the kids just like talking to them, training them the short potential they will pay for their membership at any gym they want to go to like Marshall Dot Gym they want to go to for a year which is like a scholarship basically and yeah it's not the same really just trying to give back and I was trying to show them a different way of life yeah that's an amazing thing mate that's what it's all about even though you won titles your son's proud your mum's proud like trying to give back is where you find a bit of balance and you find okay I'm really doing dantals like I say he's a fucking legend funny bastard I'm good friends with Darren now he's just funny bastard he's getting watches out from Liverpool doing his thing doing his thing you have to respect it I know a lot of people hate on him just hate his and stuff but you have to respect it anybody that works hard to get to where they want to get to and achieve it I never hate on it I always respect it and I think that's for me anyway that's what motivates me is the giving back part of it when I was younger it's all about me me I want to be like I want to be rich I want to do this I want to do this I want to get that money you're travelling by yourself you're doing shit by yourself it's not as fun it's better when you can give back and help people that's what's for my happiness now but that's the hardest thing to do is to try and do something legit like anybody can rob a bank anybody can do bad stuff anybody can stab anybody but the hard thing is to actually change your life make your mum proud, your son proud by doing the right things that's the hard part 100,000 people one in a thousand chance of doing it if you stay focused 7 billion, that's weak people how many times do you set up a pub and somebody says they could be a contender they could be a footballer do you know what I mean why not do something new and focus on that your life's not over there's always something to give there's always something to give but it's always like I said I believe that put them there to test you put them there to see if you really want it do you truly believe what you're saying I think that's how these guys come in your life to try and derail you from your path let's use that as whatever just because you think that way doesn't mean it's going to happen to me I've always been that way that's how it's best to do things yourself because if you tell someone your dreams and ambitions they've not got the same focus so they speak out of it they can't see it they can't see what you're saying let's say I want to open a business they want to tell you all the negative reason why you can't open a business if you try this and do this to help you with it that's the way the world is that's why you've got to be solid mentally and stay focused on what you want to do put a plan towards it and just achieve it everything's about risk something's got to be the biggest podcast something has to be one at me, one at you why not man, it's going to happen like I said, I can tell from the way you work that you're serious about your thing and so am I why can't we be, let's say for the next year of organ and next year of champion exactly man, why not you've got to believe I just want a bit of freedom I want to be happy but able to travel as well but I don't feel as if I'm there yet because I've become greedy to work back at it more which is good though wanting more even though you achieve so far great stuff you also want more which is good but you can't let it be main you can't put your happiness into it I don't put my happiness into the bout but I'm going to achieve the bout I know what I'm going to achieve the bout to get some happiness but I want to get it but I don't like if I don't get it, I won't be like devastated I will get it that division, the weight division is solid the money fight corner McGregor there's a chance that he would ever come up or you would go down for that big money fight as well the possibility to it I feel like I'm I'll be too big for him though I'm like a natural world to it I don't feel like a natural world to it every time it's fought a world to it it's never been like a world to it so there's a possibility that's a mega fight that's the biggest fight you could have if I saw that because he believes that he can win 3 builds what if one's another built and the division is in the now because he's called out Usmin as well if you get that built and he calls you out we've got to say manager as well we've got to say management teams management teams are easy to get made I don't think that would be wise everybody always mentions the UFC what do you think is the next fight coming up if you make the right adjustments it depends it's made over 100 million it's difficult to know give me 100 million I've seen you eating cakes just now he's eating cakes today so let's see his motivation I want him to win for sure I like people that do great stuff he has done great stuff he's made hundreds of millions coming from Dublin I love to see him win fucking amazing what he's done not people that talk shit about him he's cocky everybody would want what he's doing that's what we're all working towards he's the guy done it in the space of 5-6 years obviously grafted behind the scenes but to then create whiskey business clothing brands he's got gym stuff I respect that massive names it should beat Dustin if he's focused I think Dustin beats him but when he's focused he's good listen people forget it was to weight world champion but then you could see the mobility you could see the way he was moving he looked next level then when the money comes in taking a year out how hard would it be when you've got a son and a daughter to get to a certain level so you made a few million but listen give anyone 100 million in the bank I'll be back when they give me cookies everywhere podcast fuck everybody it would be difficult to be the same person let's start looking down on everybody all this shit that we're talking fuck everybody people like me or whoever it's made hundreds of millions 800 million in his career and he's still focused and never drinks a day in his life it's weird different people but anybody can get there anybody can get there I don't visualize to be that wealthy but I don't know do you ever worry that your fire could go out fighting wise eventually anyone eventually you can get to an age where you won't be able to compete and in any sport sport is a short career so things are good now to make the right investments the right connections now if you do retire from the sport I'll still be well off how many years do you think you're going to give up I'm 29 now 5 that's my prime bro you'll never retire probably later you're going to go 38, 39 I think though the people who go older find it more difficult to quit if you won the world title 29, 30 then you've got to do other things true I don't believe so I don't really feel that far ahead if I was quitting I know there's going to come a time when I can't do it no more my body's not the same I won't hang around to get knocked out by young guys so there's going to come a time when I'm making the right choices now in my life and doing the right things I can walk away comfortably the reason why people stay around sport or fight game is because you have to blow all the money when there's a young party enjoying life and that old shit I need money to carry on my life and they want to stay in longer I think as long as I make the right decisions now I'll be able to make good investments so if you look at some of the greats who fought then they were fighting for buttons to be fair I believe the UFC fighters are still underpaid I think that probably will change a lot of people have been speaking out lately I think John Jones and that's wanting mega money for the fight so you should I think you're putting life at risk you should get paid for it I think it would be a year or two because of the new sport as well I think it's still figuring out how I was done when NBA first started in the fall in America it was the same kind of thing the guards were lower paid and they had to change the structure of the paycheck it has to be over 51% go to the athletes I think the UFC is opposite so we'll see because it's the use of the guys that are putting their life on the line life in life for it and for them you're still working for a corporation like you said you're still trying to figure it out but I think if enough people come forward and speak then they will start making it because it's a fucking billion dollar company it's on another day for like 4 billion I think it was 4 to 6 billion so it's fucking money there it's a fucking money there but I think eventually I don't think in my lifetime it will change drastically but it will change but eventually I think it's one of the most popular sport in the world right now and it will definitely change who would you have loved to fight I know what it has been for the belt but has there any fight you've ever watched I love to fight GSP he's a legend do you think I would love to fight again though he beat Michael Bisping he came back a couple years ago and beat Bisping I don't think, not in the UFC if it does I think it's probably like boxing out who wants to do it it is involved fuck up 100 again now we all fight any kind of youtube boxing how does that annoy you like a fighter, a true fighter trained all that life for then a couple of kids coming in from youtube and making more money it doesn't bother me one bit like I said I don't watch another man pocket fair play to them if they want to come in and they can get money to box it doesn't bother me I don't know why people hate on people that do good I don't care you do your thing and I'll do my thing I'm the same, I see it as opportunity I think it's been more eyes as well to boxing I think boxing has kind of died out a little bit I think people are now starting to say it's becoming a laughing stock because there are so many of these fights now and it's been getting boring I want to see Joshua win and Fury fight, the big fights it's difficult, I just don't feel as if they get made as fast as the UFC, you've got one belt the best fight, the best I feel like that's killing boxing one of which is like six different bouts you don't use the champion as you don't know it's difficult to understand like I said it's only one belt you know exactly who the champion is there's a ranking system you know who should go next I feel like it's a new sport but it's all the kids now that I know is going into MMA back in the day when I was young all the kids were going into boxing football and different stuff I think for MMA in the next 20-30 years it's going to be a huge sport where do you go from here brother what's the plans for the future obviously world title fight hopefully this year starting next year what's the plans, where do you go right now follow my goals for my career wise my plans to be world champion by ending this year early next year by March I'll be world champion and then from there I want to be going on one of the greatest of all time to ever do it and just that's my goal focus, goal at a time for the first goal is to be world champion then I'll go from there and recapitulate and see what's next like I said make the right investments, my money for my family and my friends do you have a rest for sure can you rest though see what kind of guys come to train even like now I'm still training once a day I enjoy it if I don't feel horrible my body feels shit my mentality feels like shit I enjoy it you don't have to be a hard session you go for a jog hit a bit of pads, a bit of bag work nothing heavy but I like to do something and just work towards my goal every day it's going to be great you have to work towards it every day you can't just think at one week of a party one week you want to train you never achieve it just work towards it day by day one goal at a time look around ten years time you achieve greatness because you've been through so much trauma as well can you speak to anybody like a counsellor never and I should fucking need to I have it because even somebody's shit I've told like my exes it's different they can't get it it's normal I've seen people being shot I've never seen anybody I have those countless family members and friends to murder it just feels fucking when you have a discussion with your friends it seems normal but the more I'm speaking to people and interviewing people I'm starting to think maybe I'm a little fucked up yeah yeah yeah I'm the same way some shit is like girls always tell me like you've got no emotions don't see what they see as emotional emotional is not but yeah it is I can watch people fight I've seen a lot of bad shit in my life and I don't know if you become cold but then I can watch I can listen to a song on the radio and start crying yeah fuck that fuck that yeah I've got that kind of emotions in me but would you ever go and see somebody but do you think that could maybe I wouldn't say changes a fighter but then maybe lose that you've kind of got a barrier up where you're just solid if you know what I mean yeah you break it all down you might get into the ring just want to start cuddling yeah balance I've got a balance that um I know full body I know full body it doesn't affect my personal life it doesn't affect me in my career so I don't really fall back to be honest I think you're on a great path anyway you're doing the right things you're poking you're just doing you you're leaving a legacy for not just yourself but for your son and other people to look up to you and go I'm gonna do that if you can do it anybody can do it and what that does is leaves a blueprint you've got this being in that world title Dan Tulls yourself got a big Paul Craig from Scotland I hope he gets maybe a title shot next year he's flying as well there's people that even though violence doesn't solve anything but it's the training the exercise to balance feeling good and then getting into a normal all the gangsters I speak to every fucking one you probably only get two or three we're getting into a ringing fight somebody the rest you still talk shit you still use weapons and talk shit I'll edit that but I mean I don't want my fucker but they do they talk shit but why because they're weak they're scared people always ask me the question do you ever get scared they say no because what I see is weakness a person who owns a gun or a knife is a weak man they're so broken within they don't want to feel pain anymore so they'll hold a weapon to try and protect themselves but anybody that goes into a boxing ring any sort of fucking martial arts or whatever it is any combat sport they're tough bastards I used to train in a gym in Glasgow called the grip house looking at the people who fought there you would never find anything of it but they would fucking tear you apart because they were so nice and humbless all my friends which is mad you know I got bars in the gym on the street they're like you fucking good fighter why are you so scared of confrontation outside the gym which is like a weird thing I don't know I always wonder it's weird you know someone got sick fires in the gym but on the street a guy could come and bully them you can batter room like what you're doing I don't know what it is like a way of mentality because they're so good but they're so humble they don't need to prove anything it's the ones who want to fight and shout I see weakness so how this is the weakest I believe that as well for me my upbringing helped me with my fighting career it falls like the no fair aspect of it and seeing a man as a man I don't really build him up to be something that is not enough I've been in many situations where I have to rely on myself and I think that's helped me in my fight career where you have to rely on yourself and believing in yourself that you are there's nothing to figure out if you ain't if you really did down your heart it's not what you say you are it's going to get figured out like I said I've been in situations where I've proven to myself that I am who I said I am this is why I got my belief and this is why I work so hard and this is why I'm at where I'm at because I truly believe it do you enjoy getting hurt? some people have spoke to Dan Tull loves it he loves it I've seen him in fights when he's telling them you've got to be psychotic to learn to fight even though you're sitting here I don't mind it to go into a ring and be willing listen it's life or death do you have to switch off that your mum's watching your son's watching and what do you see when you see the guy kill? mentality let me fuck you up I just see my future I think I have to get through you I don't see him as a person I just see him as a bit of life as a fucked up mentality I don't see you as a being I just see you as legs, arms and body another step towards your goal do you have a chance to get out or maybe it's in a life or crime and they've still got a chance to get out what advice would you have for them? if you've got a chance to get out you should know there's more there's more to life than the streets now like I said I've lived it I've seen it and I was brought up in it the end to it is to see the prison or death if you're really doing it if you're really involving it see the prison or death I can't name that many millionaires off the streets from where I'm from anyway there's going to be a retired millionaire back in the day all gangster movies that's not how it works you're going to go to prison I've got friends that's doing like 30 years you know it was like 21 double day and 35 years in prison 35 years 21 years old it's like it's a different life it's not what you think it is and all your friends that you think are gangsters they're not when the pressure comes and people start snitching and snaking you you go to prison and your friend is having sex with your girlfriend it's just a snake world why would you want that why would you want to make your family proud and your mom proud that's a real gangster to me now I advise my mom a car and provide for her family and do what it wants to do if one of the gangsters that's the gangsters you should be you can go take your family on holiday whenever you want I wonder where it's hard and I'm mad with principles and morals and that's it yeah that's a bad ass mentality is to do something in your life and try and help out the people who's helped you when you had fuck all that can be the difficult thing I hope you don't like your family some friends that you think are your friends some of them aren't your friends and I've been in this situation where I've seen my friend snake, my friend I thought you were friends no no no because obviously you've got a great story world title this year next year and you get potential book deals documentaries, films I've always said I'm documentary I always want to do it so if I'm like a camera crew now I can go back to Jamaica I love to go back to the grave and everything yeah my title get that sorted I believe it will happen now speaking to you everything's to do with vision love attraction, believe you already told me you already believed your number one that's all you've already completed it so when you eventually do one it will feel normal it will feel fucking normal and it does you know even now when I'm just winning, winning, winning it just feels do you feel underrated do you feel as if you're not getting the credit you deserve especially going on a 9-1 one streak you say 10-1 but let's go for 10 but to go for a 10-1 one streak do you feel as if you're not getting appreciated enough yeah for sure, for what I'm achieving I'd often get the heart that I should from what I'm doing and what I'm achieving coming from our comfort not many people from the UK especially from Birmingham anyway in the UK that's doing what I'm doing number one fighter now in the UK I'm ranked number two in the world achieving what I'm achieving I definitely feel underrated but like I said I do not care I believe that I'm going to achieve it my aim is just to provide for my family achieve greatness and do my thing when it's all said and done I'm not going to look back when I'm 70 but I know what I wish to do fucking like me I won't, I'll be like look my mom's retired she's nice and paid for and I'm living good you know that's what matters to me and that's why I look towards the future because that's all outside noise anyway sometimes it's good to fly under the radar because then you eventually do become king of the world then everybody thinks it's all kiss ass it's all fake and you can get sucked right and as easy as that the limelight all the girls if you call the girls like it they'll like it she's an object I've seen men that lose their life to the fame and the hype you know but that's all bullshit that's the fake but you've got your head screwed on I think once you dedicate yourself don't chase it though you know I'm not working every day chasing hype and all this and I'll just do my thing and that will all come if I can control if I can control everything else that will come and that's what I've been working out for my life so keep doing it how does it feel to be number one in the UK? it feels good you know I got it told me that it's seven billion people in the world it was possibly to view getting to the USA what a measurable bastard I can't fucking remember his name I can't fucking remember his name I can't remember his name I can't fucking remember his name yeah to come from that to now number one in the UK and number two in the world is what a journey you know what a story and what a life from Jamaica to now USA it's a fucking great story man that is a great story that has potential films that has potential documentaries books to becoming where you came from especially losing your dad and then fighting the streets of Birmingham London to then changing your lives to being world champion that's like a rocky fucking film thing in it also I'm proud of myself it's better or not my fucking winter in life I've turned it around I could have went down the same path I could have been dead all seven life in prison even not the other day I was brought to my father's best he's doing life in prison since I was 14 years old I've been in prison I've been in prison for 10 years for some reason for my mom because she was always close because I was young I was born to talk about my dad and stuff when you're 13 years old you got really like a clue you kind of know but you don't know it's like a dream asking questions about my dad and shit which is weird I just want to know you'd be proud of you and that gave me more motivation to want to do more you probably didn't want to ask those questions back then now you're becoming you've succeeded you've become the man your dad your dad was involved in life culture but it doesn't mean you're a bad person my uncles were involved in bad things but I loved them to death I don't believe in wars I love them he's obviously seen potential now if your dad could have stayed in a gang culture in Jamaica but you wouldn't be where you are now you could have been dead your dad could have still been alive imagine if he left us in Jamaica when he came to the UK he got remarried married to a woman in London and still brought him from Jamaica to the UK most men, even now they'll get remarried it's not like it's kids in Jamaica it's his ex wife in Jamaica I've got new misses and new kids in London so there's morals and the way he thinks is what I think family men it's about your family, about your kids that's the best thing bro I'm telling you what mate you're going to be world champion I'm fucking buzzing for you we'll go Abdullah we'll go on my brother negative you as long as the battle will be right he knows what's going to happen in that country who says I'm at the 7 bubble he's getting our pension right up negative bastard would you like to finish up on anything bro? nah just thank you for the interview who's your sponsors? I've got Mantrix Junus CBD I've got a management company called Kings I've also started managing athletes from my gym and from other gyms young kids give me opportunities and show them the lessons that I learnt from the game and I've got a great team behind me that's how I put me with that it's a positive thing I'm going in the right direction future world champion you're already believe it but for coming on today bro I'm telling your story I'm genuinely backing you I can't wait to see you in that belt check out more of my podcasts on the right and be sure to like share and comment your thoughts on this week's podcast thank you