 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 bell so you are notified for when my next podcast goes live. I remember BBC did an article on me and it pissed me off me and the title was Brendan Luttony and the Nailie Man and I thought, how can I retire? I'm 33 now mate, I was turning 33 last week and it's like, I can't retire now without winning a world title. I just can't. Everybody's saying that to me like, go on, what did you do? Did you strike David's bird? That's not people being used man. Remember in primary school when you say, what did you do for a million pound? Like, what would you actually do when I was entering that cage that night? Nobody was beating me mate. I was going to die, I was quite happy in signing the death certificate that night and going, if it don't work out, shut me out and just bury me mate. That sort of was thinking to me, that's some mentality and that's why I've got it. The test of a man is when the shit has to fan, when they've got nothing to get up from and they've no drive and they've no motivation, then what are you going to do then? It's a 24 hours a day, seven days a week job. I'd leave session, yeah? I won't answer my phone. I had my phone on air playing over 90% of that camp. I would leave training, I'd go and eat my pure prep, I'd get in bed, I'd put on YouTube, James English podcast. Yeah, get him on. I put my full life on old James, like I don't have a gaffe at all. My birds, all in turmoil, my family lives in turmoil, all I do is fight, everything else is absolutely fucked. My life outside of fighting, I don't have a life outside of fighting, I wake up in the morning now and I'm like, what do I do? Bummer on? Yeah bang, nice and quick, yeah, simple as that bro. And today's guest, we've got Brendan Loughlin, how are you my brother? Pleasure mate, loving it. Glad to be a lesson first and foremost, congratulations on the win. The million dollar fight, you absolutely smashed it. Your talents always been there, for everybody that you see, you've always been spoken about highly all around the world, great fighter as well. But again, you showed your talent with leg kicks, with so much to then win that fight. But how are you feeling after that? Yeah mate, it's a bit surreal, especially now, don't forget we're over three weeks on from the fight and I've just got back here, so you can imagine. Mate, the bin man's and all that, I say, yes lad, thinking fucking hell. Just went for a coffee this morning, it's gone wild mate. I'm buzzing all because it's 16 years worth of hard work this mate, so you can't say I don't deserve it. Yeah man, I'm buzzing for you, I watched the fight and I was buzzing for you, it's unbelievable to see that. I think you've got so much support back in as well, especially the shit that's happened with the UFC and for me, you should be there fighting for world titles, but no doubt you never know what's around the corner. I'll always go back to the start of my guests. Where you grew up and how it all began. So yeah, we're in the great old city of Manchester here, born and bred. So I get any other young lad mate playing football, like if you're not around here, you're not playing football, what are you doing? That was it, playing football. And then I always get asked like, was you that nutter that you should fight everyone in school? And I just wasn't me, I was just a kid that was good at football, good at sport, athletic, was pretty good at long jump and a few other random little gymnastics. And then I started to get to age where I was like, I want good enough football, so it's like fucking hell, I better find somewhere else. There's no way I'm getting a nine to five. And then MMA kind of burst on the scene. My next door neighbor used to do it and then used to go always fight, but we're talking like 2005 here. Like it was brand new. When I say brand new, like people say, are you watching that UFC stuff? You had to get it on a VHS tape mate from a shopping town and then you used to put it in and watch it. That's how old it is and that's how long I've been in it. And then he just bumped them in the back of the car. 16 years on, we got this big fella here. What was it like, your first thing sparring? Just the first time walking in the gym because it's just full of the local lunatics. You had just heard about this mad thing from America and everyone just started trying to do it, but didn't know how to do it. There was no nutrition. There was no nothing. It was just the local lunatics with some handmade fucking bag gloves just levering each other as hard as they could. And then it was kind of like in the deep end and I was only the young lad and they were all a lot older, like the local doorman and all that. And yeah, ended up in it with them and then kind of got pretty good. I'd say after about five months of training on Tuesday and Thursday, two hours each, he goes, yeah, listen, we've got you a fight. I said, oh, what? I have a fucking fight anyway. Yeah, we've got you a fight. And then the rest is history. That was a fast fight, like. I've turned up to this fight, yeah. I'm about that big. I've turned up to this fight and then I've been fighting this guy. He's already had two fights. He's two and old Luke Brown. Shout out to Luke Brown. I said, nothing him. I called there. I was shit, mate. I was so bad. Honestly. I was like, didn't know the day. Didn't know the range. Didn't know the distance. I had no martial arts background, really. Just training with ease and lunatics. And then I just threw an over and right. Hit him. He went down and hit him a few more times and the rest stopped it. And I thought, that's a fluke. In my head, I thought that is a fluke. I should not have beat that guy. That's mad on it. But the old day made me again. Like I say, back then it was kind of, like you say, frowned upon, but people were just thinking. No, it was. That's exactly the right word. Like, mad men. There's no structure to it. There was no money to it. It was just a case of brawling streets. But now it's just as popular as football. It's as popular as any sport in the world. Like, if you're at the top of your craft on that, you've got a chance to then fucking be capable to do anything you want. Like, that is mad bastard. It's every fighter I've spoke to. There is something missing up here. I don't care if it's boxed in that AMMA. You kind of look at them and you think, they're so nice. But you think you're a fucking psycho. Deep inside, I'm thinking, you're a fucking psycho. But that ain't normal to go there and people die. But that's how scary that sport is. Like, people die. And for people, every fighter I've spoken to, they love it. They love it. I don't know if I love it very well. I'll be honest with you. It's a fucking roller coaster. It is. And just on your point, what you said there, you used the perfect word. It was frowned upon. Like, I used to be scared to tell people. Like, for example, my ex-bird back in the day, like, her parents, we can't tell them what you do, though. And I'm like, why? You're a fucking cage fighter. It wasn't an AMMA, then. You was a cage fighter. You got in a cage and had a fight. And I've watched it now in 16 years go from that to, wow, yes, AMMA. And you're walking down the street and everyone knows what it is. So you can imagine, I've watched the sport grow from frowned upon to mainstream in the space of my career. It's mad. So what happens then after your first fight? Was that an opportunity to say, OK, I've got a career here? Or was it just still doing it a bit of fun, learning to be able to handle yourself? Like, what was the method of thinking? No, there was no careers involved in it still. It was semi-pro, like, the promoters had just made up this thing called semi-pro. So they didn't have to pay you. It was an amateur and it won't pro, but they used pro rules, but they took a round off. It was two rounds instead of three. So they didn't have to pay you. It was bad, mate. And then I remember my second fight, they gave me another guide, had a few wins. And that one, I was really scared, mate, because he'd knocked these first two guys out. And I knew in my head, well, I'd thought at the time that mine was definitely a fluke. In my head that was a fluke. And when they give me this guy, and I'm watching him, I'm thinking, fuck me, what are they doing? I've got to fight him now after doing that. And then I've got a funny story that my coach loves. So it was the night before. I was absolutely shitting myself. And I thought, right, I'll take these sleepers because I went from my bed to the couch. I was trying everywhere to sleep, but couldn't sleep. I took these sleepers, still couldn't sleep. And then me left outside. There was nothing in the fight. Still not slept now, but I've had all these sleepers. I remember in the car, I'm just, I'm melting in the seat thinking, oh, God, I've had all these sleepers. And they're all like, yes, lad, you up for it and all that. Then I remember getting in the changing room. And I'm not eating the pads on them. I'm just lephagic. Like, and then I said to me, mate, Kaneal, I said, I had loads of sleepers. You know, he went, why? I said, oh, shit, myself, that bad last night. I had loads of sleepers. And I went out and just absolutely obliterated that guy in about 59 seconds. I was that scared. I just ran at him as fast as I could. I backed him and then that was two knockouts in a row. And then, fucking hell, it just ended up keeping happening in an hour A. What do you think if you never, because we know the streets of Manchester, it's a lot of tough bastards here in Manchester, so for the tough, tough guys, a lot of crying down here as well, gunchester, a lot of heavy bastards. I know most of them. But where do you think you'd be if you never chose that path of a fighter? Do you think you could have been involved with the madness? I just think I would have been successful in whatever I chose them or proper determined little bastard I am. I just don't forget someone on my head. That's it. Like this, I had that on my head. I had it as my screen tape. I had a picture of it all around my house. I just wanted it that bad. And I got it me. And I just think if I would have took that energy into absolutely anything else, I would have been successful. So even if it would have been crime, I would have been successful. I just know I would have. So the content, what series, you put on the contender, but you were on the UFC, was it 2014 as well? 2012. 2012. You won that fight and lost one. Is that correct? So I went on to Ultimate Fighter, got a phone call, Team UK versus Team Australia. I applied for it. Two and a half thousand people applied and only 12 people got on. And then I didn't get an email back about going. And then I'm either like, yeah, where's my email? And they went, oh shit, sorry, I must have missed you. Come down to the trials. So they had about 300 people at these trials. First you had to hit pads, then you had to pass that. Then you had to grapple, then you had to pass that. And the last one, you had to sit in front of the camera and answer loads of questions. Then I passed that. And I was down to like the last 14, but only 12 were going on. And then they go, right, use of the 14, two reserves. We'll let you know in three weeks through the 12. So I'm in my head, I'm on. I'm like, yeah, sweet training, dead hard. Then gets a phone call on the Friday. They say, just let you know, Brendan, you're the second reserve. The second reserve's never got on before. So just carry on with your fights and then hopefully try again. But I was 19 at the time. All right, sweet, no worries. I went to a beef or women pals, ended up partying there for a week, come back. And then the day I got back, gets a phone call. Someone's been injured. You need to fly out tomorrow morning and fight in Australia. In my head. I'd been around to bend me. I was going, oh, what do you mean? I have to fucking fight tomorrow in Australia. Just went, fuck it, go then. Got on a flight, 24 hours to Australia for this kid, Patrick, I died. She was nine and all beating. Then I got to the semifinal and lost the Norman Park. Who ended up winning the show. But what an experience. Me, eight weeks in a house. Or 12 of us, 12 of them, 24. I just all stuck in a gap together. Was against him, country against country. And yeah, that was my first real shot at success. And then as soon as I came back from that, me, I was like, this is, this is definitely for me now. And then just sucked all the work off, sucked anything off. And that was me full time. How was it for the loss on that show? Sweet. Didn't care because I was so young. And I was like, the guy, Norman Park, it was about 22 and five at the time. And I was four and all. I shouldn't have even been in the cage of him. He was only because we was on this mad show and I was a reserve. Got the call. But I give Norman a really tough fight. He still says it's his toughest fight. This day, Norman went on to do great things in the sport. So I knew from 19 years old, this is me, me. I really did. So how many promotions have you been in since then? Loads, 40 in ACB, in Russia, Germany, for Bama, for, had my own show for a while that I fought on. UFC, obviously. PFL. I've done the rounds, mate. Yeah. What ones have been the best? ACA was good because it was run by some mad Russians and they used to just get paid cash in at the end. Well, their ones. Yeah. Dollar bills at the end. Come to this old tower and give it a little knock. And they did a massive show at the MEN Arena. And the guy that I lost to in the UFC, he actually put me a rematch against him in the MEN. Headlined that and I knocked him out in the first round. Mike Wilkinson. So I got to avenge that loss. That was a big one for me. But yeah, they've all been good to me. I've had a mad journey for all over the world. That was my 41st fight the other day. That's how long, yeah. I've really been through the trenches in it. Yeah. So again, UFC was at 2017, 2018, 2019. Was it a contender? Yeah. You won, but you still never got a contract. Yeah. Loads of controversy. What was the controversy about that shit? Because people still talk about that. Mate, it's more than that in people's heads. It's mad. So what happened was I went on a mad streak after that loss in the ultimate fight. Mad streak was beating everyone. I was number one in Europe for years. I just wouldn't get inside. And I thought, what the fuck's going on? Did you do anything? Or were you hitting the arse playing the scenes? Mate, everybody's saying that to me. Like, go on and laugh. What did you do? Did you strike David's bird? That's so beautiful, mate. And I was like, nah, I can't think of anything. And then anyway, they put me on the shoulder contender. But contenders for guys that are like 4 and 0, 5 and 0, just coming up. At that time, I was 20 and 3 years old, mate. It was like, what are you doing going on there? So they gave me the toughest fight they could find. They gave me a guy who was a champion on the East Coast in two weight divisions, who everyone thought was going to wipe me up. And then put me on this show. But then Tyson Fiori, Till, Marcus Rashford, Bugs in my Lone, all of them are sending out these good luck videos. It caused a massive thing. I had landed in Vegas and everyone was like, this is our guy. I was just thinking, who the fuck's he? He's just come out of nowhere. And then went in, wiped the floor with a guy, batted him. And then Dana just made this mad call. There's loads more to it. And I was like, nah, nah. He made up that I went for a takedown in the last minute. And the whole MMA world was like, what are you talking about, mate? It was the most controversial thing that happened on the show. And then ultimately, PFL picked me up a month later and looked at me. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. You don't get that sort of money in the UFC anyway, do you? A million dollars for one fight. Plus what I earned in the pre-season, mate, I'm a lot like, yeah. So when a million dollars, mate, in MMA, it's probably 99% I've never done that. Even the champions in it, mad that. Yeah. Compared to boxing. Yeah, it's not. See if you were in the UFC, you got signed. Do you think you'd be anywhere near a million? I made five and five for that fight. $10,000 I made. Fast forward three years. I just fought for a million dollars. Some of the top 20 fighters on that are only $10,000 a fight. I do fucking those shitty YouTube shows. And I'm on double treble with these guys, full professionals who give their whole career for me. No wonder they're pissed off. Well, I cried my eyes out, mate, after they can send a thing. That's all they ever wanted. And me corner team were like, listen, lad, this is the best thing that ever happens to you. Your phone's going to be ringing. Your door's going to be knocking. And it did, mate. The offers that were coming in. People seen it and were like, he's young. He's talented. He can talk on a mic. He can do it, but he's exciting. So the offers were massive. And PFL just blew everyone else out of the water. It was like October. They said, we'll give you two fights for the end of the year. One will be at the Mandalay Bay. One will be at the Mandalay Square Garden. And then we'll give you four fights in six months. We'll just give you unbelievable activity. And for me as a fighter, I just love being active. I want to be active. It's my job. It's what I love to do every day. I don't want to waste my best years in the gym. So when they offered me that amount of activity, I just took it a bit of a run-off. And yeah, mate. You've not looked back. Fucking flew with it. So PFL, when you won them all, what was it? Eight fighters? Ten fighters? At first, it was 12 last year. And I got to the semis and lost a split decision to the champion, my lead, a rushing guy. And then I just swore to myself, I'm like, can't lose again. Did they do this every year? Every year, they just spin it, yeah. Are you going to do another one next year? I don't know, mate. I don't know. It's hard work. But it's the fucking money, innit? It is. That's life changing. That changes your life, your family's life. That's everything you've dreamed of. With that, because you had so much love for your, all the sports channels, Sky Sports, BBC Sports, like everybody back to you, every message on social media. It was all for yourself. Do you think that will open a lot more doors for people to join this company? Well, it's already signed quite a lot more. Don't forget, I was the first English fighter in there. I was the first guy to ever go in there, books in the UK. Even the owner Pete Murray and the great people, mate, they're really good ambassadors for the sport. They're on Channel 4, they're on ESPN. They're making all the right moves. And they're out millions, mate. Six mil to give out that night. Six champions, six mil. And it was like, it doesn't happen. They call it the richest night in MMA, and it is. And I'm not going to say they're losing purse, but it's tiny, mate. And it's like, your whole life is on the line. Imagine, someone said to you, remember in primary school, and you say, what would you do for a million pound? What would you actually do when I was into that cage that night? Nobody was beating me, mate. I was going to die. I was quite happy in signing the death certificate that night and going, if it don't work out, shitter me out and just bury me, mate. That's what I was thinking, mate. That's some mentality, and that's why I've got it. That's the way fighters should be paying, though. That sort of money, like the UFC's always known for it. But it's the sponsorships and other things that the UFC can provide, the social media platform and all the other stuff that you can't provide. You even see Jake Paul in that calling UFC out for not paying their fighters well enough. Do you think a lot of fighters from the UFC can potentially jump ship for other money? Well, I mean, you've got Shane Burgos. Shane Burgos was the top 10 UFC fighter for February and his contract was up. And you've been calling him out? Yeah, yeah, Shane. Shane's a fucking good fighter, mate. Really good. And he's in the tournament next year. But Shane got pulled in and his negotiation was up with the UFC. And he's the fan favorite at the UFC and they were like, PFL just doubled him or whatever they did and then he just went, you know what? And he was the first big guy to do it. Like to go, you know what? Like I'm off. And even Dana publicly came out and was like, fucking hell. We fucked up with that one. So I think that might be the start of things to come because if you think about it, you can't forget that we're actually prize fighting. Like people forget that. Like you've got to pay your bills. Like I don't want to be driving the bus at the end of fighting, mate. I really don't. I put all this effort in. I want to be financially secure. I'm a family financially secure but people forget that. They do and think of the three letters and it polarizes them. It does. Yeah. So see when that tournament come up again, what were you thinking in your mind because it's all world class fighters that where were you ranked on the bookies favorites as well? Were you underdog? I don't know. I don't know that bit but Do you check any of that when you're fighting? Well, the semis was the biggest fight for me because the semis was against the favor to win the whole thing Chris Wade and I was a three to one underdog in that fight alone and Chris is a dangerous fighter, mate and he was talking the talk as well. He said I'm going to come to London, pin you down and laugh at you in front of 6,000 people at the Copper Box and now you can do about it and in my head I'm thinking fucking hell, he could actually do it. It's really good, mate. Like, for example, how good he is. You give Islam Makatyev his hardest fight in the UFC. He was five and two in the UFC and again left for money but then I'm fighting him now fucking in London in the Copper Box and I'm like, oh and just absolutely ran through with me and I knew once I won that fight that's what I said on the mic after I'm going to be a millionaire now because I knew that I would beat Bob or I did. I knew that anyone that comes in and just relies on wrestling against me I know it's not enough to beat me so I knew that in the final I would be able to take him out and I did. See, how's your training? How did your training go for this? Like, why were you so focused? You've always been focused anyway but in discipline but why was it different this time? Why did it as if you were hitting hard or kicking hard a little? Was it the everything you've... because I know you've spoke about your mum a few times and paying off her mortgage and the support that your families gave you but what was the mindset? Like, why was everything... you seemed to have just blew everybody out of the water? It's true, mate. I think the first two fights of the season I wasn't really myself. I told me MCL 10 days out from the Ray Oji Kudo fight the first fight of the season and I just cried my eyes out of me. I was like, wow, the whole season is done and I have to put me on the next card and they said, nah, you can't. Basically in the PFL if you miss one fight you're out of the tournament. You've got to do four fights in six months so you fight every six weeks and if you miss one you're done so I had to go in that fight with a torn MCL I just strapped it up in the back got dropped for the first time in my career and I just gritted it out and managed to beat this guy, mate and I don't know how I did it then the second fight I still half had the injury and I had a really awkward opponent that was a shit performance and I was just in my head I was thinking, have I still got this? I thought, I thought I'd lost it, mate and then I just really bit down on my gum shield went back to training seen two different mind coaches and I think that might have been changed because my coach was like, listen you train harder than all these guys so whatever it is it's mental it's not physical so I started really working on this I started putting pictures of the belt around my gaff, started like speaking to this mind coach two, three times a week and just it really, really changed me as a fighter maybe that's what it is maybe it's not maybe it's the hard work maybe it's a combination of everything but I can't pinpoint one thing The belief system does that work on a lot of attraction? It could be, mate, yeah even now it's a screen save on my phone I need to make new goals now it's still all around my gaff I've not pulled the pictures down that belt I've been seeing that belt now for the last four or five months every single morning wake up and it's just there on my phone checker thing it's there it's just like maybe you're right but how does if you were in the UFC now a fairly big division like where do you rank? Hi Hi, I've sparred UFC champions I've sparred Roland Moskiew I've sparred them all, mate I know where I'm at I've trained with multiple Peter Yan sparred him loads of and everybody knows where I'm at and that's why everybody was so happy when I finally got what I deserve Was that a kind of fuck you to Dana White as well? Not really Or was it just kind of because even though in that show you're not getting that belt either so like I say the UFC's still open many doors for even though they reject the JT Siner contract How can it be a fuck you to Dana White? Not because if he didn't reject me I wouldn't have got it I wouldn't open my online banking now and see the numbers that I'm seeing if it wasn't for Dana White like I went to corner till on the weekend and as we were walking out for the weigh-in it's the first time I've seen him three and a half years Dana and he looked at me and he just gave me this mad smile and shook me hand and I thought that was fucking awkward me first time since his show that I've actually locked eyes with each of them and it was like this kid actually went away he's won nine fights since his start show he's blasted everyone out of the war he's a world champion he's a millionaire and everyone else that I fucked off just they disappeared he vanished into thin air I wasn't taking no for an answer mate and I found my own way that's what I'm saying he's seen fighters the last 10, 15 years and everyone he's chosen correctly that is a decision they got wrong though and Jinkie's just too stubborn to admit it I don't know if anyone's straight up said that but if you take into consideration what he actually said he actually said this kid's talented this kid's got everything but just not tonight and what he did there's loads of rumours about what really happened he knows the truth whatever it was it was but again let's go back I made five and five mate I made ten thousand dollars after tax after 30% tax in the US that is yard yard then I have to pay my managers I have to pay everything I pissed blood after that fight I smashed my nose to pieces again what did I walk away with three thousand pound like come on mate he turned me away and now look so it's like who's really won who's really you know what I mean me and at the time when my corner team all got me together and said this would be the best ring that I've ever happened to I said how the UFC's everything I ever wanted and really it did pay off me it did pay off the way I wanted it how did you end up in toes corner I love Dan I've always backed him I love his personality I love that mad mentality like how are you in his corner do you count how that come about so he facetimes me about three month ago four month ago and goes lad I need to get out of Liverpool lad I said yeah I said why you come to Thailand camp in Thailand he said yeah can I live with you I said yeah live with me sweet whatever he's not coming mate the next day he's like right I'm here I'm in Thailand I said fucking hell you actually come lad I need to get my head together I need to get my shit together trained his fucking arse off and then at my fight was a week ten days for it so I went right I'm getting off and then before I got off he said will you corner me in mind he said you've been at every spa we've been on the track together we've been basically we've been in the trenches and nobody's seen what I've been through like you have so will you do it I said fucking hell you could do it a culture I'll be right nah mate he goes I only need you just do it so okay I'll do it and then I had ten days in between so just waited out in America I actually drove route 66 I drove over to him just thought well how can I kill ten days in America and ticked another one off the bucket list got there and absolutely got a trim mate I really am fucking really hurt mate really really hurt because he's a fucking ten times better than Drakus to play and he is and the second round he woke up started pinging him everywhere exactly like I thought he was gonna do and then in the third yeah Drakus just Drakus is a big strong lad and I think Darren's best years are at 170 he needs to go back to Wellerway in my eyes yeah what was the 185 yeah is that because of the weight cut though there's a struggle with his weight don't you the thing is Drakus is probably coming from 205 Darren's not do you know what I mean he can make Wellerway it just means he has to be six miles every night mate yeah six miles and fucking tins of tuna yeah that's it's what it is it's that losing but everybody loves Darren like such a good guy and he's a fucking like he was so close to being world champion is that hard for a fighter like being so close like you being so close to be a UFC like can that destroy a career on your touching distance and you think you've made it and then bang like you don't see many fighters recover and the ones who do end up kicking on and having a magnificent career like how does somebody's dance caliber a young kid breaking at a UFC having that storyline of Brazil and being stabbed and fucking off coming back and and killing everybody and having the scouts as a support but how does it end time break that kind of losing streak is it four and five now well yeah he got pushed too quick to fight Tyrone Woodley at the time but the guys are fucking superstar mate like I walked around with him Paddy was on that card he was getting the most numbers out of everyone and Dana loves him how can you not love him mate he's as real as they come he fights hard as fuck and he's just a fucking great fellow and yeah I think with originally in his career he burst into the UFC beat Wonder Boy in Liverpool then they give him Tyrone Woodley I think it was maybe one fight too soon lost to Woodley then fought Mazvedal dropped Mazvedal was winning the whole fight and got caught and personally I've not been knocked out in a fight so I don't know what it's like to come back from that but it was a bad knockout took him a while to wake up and I think that maybe that had a mental effects on him how could it not have a mental effect Ricky Atten talks about it when he got knocked out by Pacquiao and it took so long to wake up surely as a fight it takes a mental effect but again it's easy to say that but this weekend we're seeing glimpses of him when he was blasted him all over how we planned the fight to go he took a bite and I didn't in the first round I said pull your shit together come on and he did he started binging dracus everywhere so we've seen glimpses of the old Darren and then in the third he went back to the first so with Darren I did get him in with my mind cults but it was one session it's not enough I think Darren now could definitely do with the mental edge How much pressure comes on fighters not just with the training and putting everything and knowing that you can fight but how much is the mental stuff coming into play like to break that those barriers to think shit I could die here I could get fucking any so much things can go wrong like how much battle do you go with your mind like before fights and after fights yeah a lot well like you say you putting your whole health on the line like me cornering Darren this weekend was a massive eye opener because I've cornered a lot of people but I've never cornered at that level and when I was like watching him warm up and we was about to do the walk I was looking in his eyes mate and I was fucking so nervous could barely breathe because you know you want it so much for that person and like it's okay when I'm just going in there and I'm doing it but when you're on the outside and you're watching somebody else it was horrible me and I was thinking I know his kids I know his misses I know everything that's on the line I know all the naysayers and all the the negativity that comes with being a fighter and watching it from the outside I was thinking why do I do this I was like why am I still doing this do you know what I mean being Darren off these charts we go are we fucking right in the head like we've made a few quid now like we're alright people know who we are you know what I mean we're not struggling but we still love it it's something that's deep inside us we were born to do it and like as much as I've seen a recent Fiori interview saying the same thing I tried to retire but I couldn't and it's like what the fuck's wrong with us mate you tell me because I don't know as much as anyone yeah sadly and I hopefully bounce his back hopefully he's just that's a straight learning cover comes back fitter and stronger because it seemed to have put it in this can't be done well and had the mindset and talking right back again as well as if anybody's going to come back he'll come back how was your training for this run up to this final like what goes in your mind knowing that everything's alright what did the loser get fuck all 50k so it's 950k difference like how do you then think to yourself 50k for the loser a million straight for the winner that's fucking big difference isn't it like so what are you thinking into that like two more added pressure like this can change your life or was it kind of sometimes you get too much pressure you actually just become numb and actually feel better how were you how were you getting into it so I had this caption leading up to the fight like I said before get rich or die trying so my plan was get rich or die trying so I've never trained that hard for a fight I was just driving home and I was just crying I was like fucking hell I'd be training three times a day I had this intense strength conditioning program I was sparring the best guys in the world I was just knocking everybody out inspiring I was doing my mental stuff I was hitting record personal bests on weights and tracks and it was like the world had just aligned for me and going show fucking time lad show time and I started to believe it was my time and it was Madison Square Garden it was my whole friends and family it was Channel 4 it was the whole world was watching this moment like well this kid actually prevail because I remember BBC did an article on me and it pissed me off me and the title was Brendan Lottney and the nearly man and I thought how can I retire I'm 33 now mate I was turning 33 last week and it's like I can't retire now without winning a world title I just can't like how close I've been 26 and 4 as a pro like I've had more fights than Leon I've had more fights than Darren I've had more fights than all of them and I've been around the game forever do you know what I mean and I was like I fucking deserved this and I started to proper believe it and then when I walked over to Madison Square Garden and I had to fight I started nudging my coach and everyone around me because there wasn't one butterfly there wasn't any nerves and I was getting really really worried about not being nervous because I'm always nervous but I think I believed it that much and I was so adamant that it was my time that it just happened how it happened and there wasn't one bit of nerves not one bit of doubt I knew for a fact he wasn't going to beat me in my head for a fact even when he started catching me with a few shots I started going oh yeah he said oh you got I was just so in the moment that nothing was taking it away from me and then the moment when it was stopped it was off and it was actually done I can't even that's the most indescribable feeling in the world mate I wish I could put a word on it but I can't were you worried about his wrestling because he's one of the best on the planet as you know it best wrestling I've ever made he say like beat Jordan Burroughs beat David Taylor we were the two best wrestlers in America and no not one bit mate like even in the training camp he looked at it I had world class Russians and none of them were taking me down and everyone's like how are you stopping all these I've always had a natural nap for wrestling I told them random Iranians 10 years ago and they just showed me wrestling inside out mate and a lot of people don't know that my wrestling is better than my striking so when these wrestlers are looking at me I look quite small compared to them and they're going we'll just pick him up and throw him around but since the last two guys that I fought have been world class wrestlers they both found out it's not that easy so seeing that fight then when you know your whole life's on the line what round did you realise okay listen I've got him because he not take a breather because he kicked in the balls that kicked the wasting time like were you thinking I've got him are you thinking I don't want him coming back stronger after an extra bit of breath but what were you thinking I'm not joking now I knew from the start from before the bell rang because I just knew that I was willing to die and I was dead certain that you were going to stretch him out or give me a million dollars and like when the fight started going as it was going I just knew and then I kicked him in the leg or it might have been the balls he reckons it was and then he turned away from me and I looked to him I went listen you little pussy let's get on with it and he's looking at me like that and he turned around alright let's go down and in the reference you want to go and he went no give me another minute and I just knew I thought you don't want to fight you've been hurt and like you're trying to get a breather now and from then when he did start again I just threw the pressure on him from that moment because I knew he was folding but he's your friend is he not used to are very close was that correct how hard is that then very hard to take that life changing money away from somebody else as well like are you thinking fuck it like this is a business or do you feel sad for them because he's got families really let me tell you how much of a good guy Boba Jenkins is right I was out the next day on the pints right he rings me he messes me call me so I call him and he goes imagine this me he's just lost that million dollars and he's at home and he's in a bad way and he goes I just want to tell you how proud I am of you I just want to congratulate you and tell you how much you deserve that belt me I was like what and he's like yeah you really do he said I followed your career I had to watch all your fights and he was like yeah and then he he come and met me I met I was looking for lunch in Vegas when I cornered Darren a week a day before he lives in Vegas it was three weeks after the fight mate he came and met me he's still a complete mess mate he couldn't walk he's on crutches his head was fucked he brought his misses with him and there was one distinct moment in the back where we're both in the back the doctors are treating us and his three kids came in the room and I've like got up to try and hug his kid and they ran away like no no no I scared them I was like fucking hell and like they was asking him what day it was he didn't know what day it was he was proper fucked me and I was like I was wounded because I'm thinking I didn't even celebrate in the changing room because I'm looking at him imagine some guys just made his dream happen and another guys he's just broke and his three kids and his family are with him in his string with the doctors and I was looking at him like fucking hell and then this is how much of a good guy is again I was chatting with him when we went for lunch and he said mate that broke me you know when I seen your kids and they didn't even want to acknowledge me and he was scared of me I said listen Brendan he said I'm glad he got to see that he went because 95% of the time I win so he said I'm glad I got to teach him a lesson about life imagine he's saying this to me that you don't always get to win and like you have to work hard for stuff and sometimes you can work hard and it still don't go your way that's mad isn't it mad mate that's how much of a good guy is see when you win like what's going through your mind can you remember much the dull mate is that all it was the dull it was it's like what a mill he's going to be in my bank tomorrow tax free well allegedly they don't want my case mate but yeah can you imagine like 50k or a mill look at the difference in that and like when they waved it off I just knew I didn't have to punish him anymore all the injuries and all the years that I went through and when the ref did this and I turned around and I was just like it's over if I don't want to fight again I don't have to even though I love it but realistically I don't have to now like I can flip that mill now and I can invest it right and it's like like I was chatting to Bobo again and he's like I have to do it again now and what can I do fucking hell man seriously what was what was more important when didn't it be out of the money that's the question that I get asked all the time but I went back and forth leading up to it and then in the press conference after like what's more and when the performance was better than both like to be able to go in there and dismantle one of the best wrestlers in MMA and do it the way I did I'm a proper martial artist me and I love martial arts and I love negating people's strengths like I knew as a wrestler and he didn't get me down once and like being able to do that I was so happy with myself internally that none of that mattered yet that was just like what do you mean he didn't take me down and I landed the shots that I drilled and that my coach that I had with me is the same guy that taught me my first punch when I was 15 years old and he's been on this journey with me now all the way up until the world title and he got to lift the belt with me and he fucking cried his eyes out and I've never seen him drop a tear in his life mate and there's a moment what PFL put on me we're both in the cage just like we fucking did it it's emotional What was your training camp like what was a day routine like when you're training for a big fight like that Well I get off mostly like I did my last camp in England but then this one I find distractions in England I find like people ring you for stupid shit and I get involved in stupid shit in England so I try and get away as much as I can so I went to Thailand I went on my own mate so on my own but I already know all the coaches there it would typically entail getting up in the morning about 9 o'clock go to the gym do a 10 o'clock session that'd be about 10 an hour and a half I'd go home eat, rest and then I'd do a session in the evening I was big on my yoga in this one very big on yoga my nutrition's always bang on point I never cheat even outside of training my nutrition is very important to me I slept 8 to 9 hours every single day I hydrated I didn't cut one corner when I say I didn't cut a corner I didn't cut a fucking corner mate I didn't have less than 8 hours sleep I didn't have a chocolate bar because I was that determined to get it mate I thought I would never forgive myself if I did cheat and lead up to it and I didn't and I think when the cage door locked on that night I knew that I'd done everything and that there's no better feeling for a fighter than that so if you did you'd get beat there's no feeling sorry for yourself what about semen retention I know boxer don't whine can fucking anything for like 6 weeks, 8 weeks they're like do you do that stuff I fucked about a lot with that young guy that was work but this time I did I stuck by that as well for this season like if there was a law or there was something that could have helped I did it mate like hyperbaric chambers scram yoga you name it mate sunlight this I was doing anything anything if someone said that helps I did it so the semen retention thing I've done a bit of research on that some say it's folklore some say it's one of them superstitious things whatever it is mate I did it so if you're an aspiring fighter out there get it done because people talk about negatives about vegan vegetarian sunlight there's so much it's just what works for you and it clearly worked for you everything you done aligned you were always in the brinks of greatness anyway it just so happens it came to that time in that night where you'd achieved everything you set out for it was one in a world title being a millionaire but that's a fucking thing and whatever you've done worked you just don't want to be telling people now in case they'll be fucking copying your routine so you weren't up at 4 in the morning running the streets and doing all the man stuff you're getting you're telling all the bollocks that's it yeah I mean thank you watch your hockey films that kind of stuff with me if you need one for a fight you should be out running the streets at 4 in the morning I just think that like every fighter is different and here's my model and I stick by it a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and if you're happy if your Mrs is not giving you the sound and you got tunes on at the gym and you're bouncing if you're content with your opponent and you do your research you do your research like right he throws a jab if a jab that way if you've got good solid coaches that are really behind you and like they've been in the game a long time there's pure Mickey Mouse coaches out there Mickey Mouses you just proper blag it and if all that is in line I just think I think your team is very important I think that a lot of people struggle because they're guided by and especially like the Mrs thing that I said is also very important I see fighters barneying with the birds all the way through camping I'm not going to train today my head's done in so I think it's a combination of a very lot of things and I say that I've also had the worst training camps in my life and performed great as well I've had the best training camps and performed shit so fighting such a mad thing don't forget you get locked in a cage for 15 minutes and have a scrap but there's six weeks that lead up to that 15 minutes that's terrible or it could go fantastic like I was fortunate to not be injured in my last two fights at a PFL but if I was it's fucking horrible mate imagine you're going in with half a knee snapped in half and you can barely walk but you've got to go and fight some other lunatic injuries are a big thing in this game and a lot of people have suffered from them what was your nutrition like how many calories is it all just straight to the one character right to the percentage of how many calories or do you just eat when you're hungry like did you have a proper nutritionist so just to do it yourself yeah I've got a nutritionist shout out to Dan and there's a place in Thailand called Pure Prep there's also a box call in Manchester so whenever I go anywhere now I've never really focused on it too much but the last two camps again I did and I rang up the Pure Prep because Thai food is terrible mate it's all cooked in shit mate so you can't eat it so you can't eat it so I found a Pure Prep they were called went on it for six weeks got dropped up my gaff every morning they're the three things on the hardest day there's your watermelon snack before a session stuck to it and again the results how important is it then to stick to a plan because you see people slipping in camps one night, two nights still drinking still eating shit and then they have to cut mass weight the night before that how important is it to just stay focused and stay disciplined like you say that's probably the best camp you've ever had but look at the results well here's what I tell people as well camp six hours a day max right so it's 24 hours in a day I tell people it's not the training it's the shit you do outside of training people fuck about they think because they've done a great session you can go and eat chips and have a pint after training and go and do stupid shit mate it's it's a it's a 24 hours a day seven days a week job I'd leave session yeah I won't answer my phone I had my phone on there playing over 90% of that camp I would leave training I'd go and eat my Pure Prep I'd get in bed I'd put on YouTube James English podcast yeah get him on sleep get up train again sleep and again I didn't fuck with that routine once I didn't come out of it for anything I didn't miss one nap I didn't miss anything so and again the results so you won that then now you're setting million quid got the belt back home how long you back for I'll leave again on Sunday because you've done interviews you're on big aerial how was he legend you know him yeah how was that interview in New York kind of loving that and getting all the promotion kids you were everywhere as soon as you won that how was that all the tension were you used to that or has it been different this time has it been different I'd say I've been on aerial probably about nine times now it's the first time I've been in studio mate cause I say what a guy Aerial Owani is mate he pulled me on before the contender series because of all the madness fury and all I was thinking what fury something out go on Brendan Rashford and the United team and everyone's doing it he's got wind of that and pulled me on the show off that and then since then he pulled and then obviously that got a tension and then when it didn't go my way he went can you come back on and he went be honest lad what's gone on there and I couldn't tell him I didn't know what had gone on and then ever since then he's followed my career and then PFL have gone lad you've got a media storm like yesterday I did seven back to back imagine this I landed in Heathrow at nine in the morning got picked up Sky Sports News the zone telegraph one after another had to do the bell had to do everything and then got on the robot to Manchester got in my bed for 11 o'clock at night for me in the morning it's 11 o'clock at night and I've just been absolutely flat out today again loads yourself and it's like I'm made for it though I can sit and talk in front of these all they I like this just as much as fighting so PFL are all over that now they're going listen they were dying for me to win that they needed an English champion someone that can have a chat and start drawing more fighters towards it and I will pick them up and I will bring more fighters because they deserve it as a promotion yeah you've got to back them up I just fucking gave you a million quid so you've got to be having something dead I've got to open them up I've got to open them up you go on but it's fucking class I never heard of the company until just that contender series there that you were on I never heard of them so wherever they came from so they call a professional fighters league they've been going for about four seasons now they initially tried to get me about four seasons to go before the contender and when I got a phone call about it oh this is company they're giving out mills you hear this all the time in MMA someone's coming along to give out mills and it's just a plug or they don't pay you at the end and they go bust but they did one season I watched it second season I watched it and it was sick started getting big fighters pettison raw river they started getting all these big names I was like I was going for the contender they were like I said listen I've always watched the UFC I'm doing the contender and they went go and do your thing bro we'll always be here did it straight after it not only did they take me back they doubled what they were going to give me before the contender and I was like fucking hell then I did the first season with them and I think the biggest thing for me is they got the channel four deal because nobody in England could watch the fights yeah it was on ESPN in America and everyone was watching it there but my fan base is here and nobody could watch it and I just begged the owner like get me some telly over here and he rang me up and he was like we got your channel four how about that mate and I was fucking buzzing mate that's what's to turn the corner from in the UK and I'm absolutely buzzing now like all over three in the morning he did amazing numbers and the pay-per-view in the America did amazing numbers just shows that it's catching on and there's room for two big promotions in MMA there really is it's that big now there's enough room for everybody look at your boxing promoters fucking about three balling at them exactly do you know what I mean like it's just bringing in the crowds in it it's bringing in the pay-per-view which is where the money is and but if you've got a company that's willing to pay out just as much as they make then that's the company you fight for do you know what I mean if you're not I'm not just trying to bring down the UFC but all the fighters complain about money unless you're a Conor McGregor or a fucking John Jones or you're just barely surviving risking your life you'd be cheaper off just fucking going down a 95 staying safer and making more money it's hard to discredit the UFC mate because they've made the sport what it is I can't discredit Dano for what he's done for the sport because he's made it what it is he really has so of the UFC but these are big players in town now and they've also started this new model that I'll tell you about that they're doing pay-per-view so they were going to do Kayla Harrison against Cyborg everyone wanted to see that fight and they're doing this pay-per-view revenue share now so they take 50 and they give you 50 have you ever heard of that before so they're going to do these pay-per-views and let's say it sells I don't know 100,000 and it's 50 dollars a go the fighter gets half the two fighters that are fighting get half of it and they get half since they've released that mate all the fighters are like what so imagine you're a McGregor who's getting two three million pay-per-view buys at 50 dollars and you're getting half of it usually you'll get a dollar off it and the UFC get a dollar, two dollars but if you're getting 25 dollars mate like they're changing the game they're very innovative even the cage they're what they use they use a lot of metrics and they really like it mate but it's not for the faint-eyed six month you've got to fight four times UFC lucky to get two a year mate six month four fights everybody's going in there madly injured because of the last one you can't miss a date and it's innovative it's new it's exciting and again with the Channel 4 deal and the new English fighters at the signing I think they're going to do really well if the PFA will come in and see a look another competition next year one that gets two million or Dana White comes in with our contract fight fights who do you go with I stick with my breads buttered because I've already spoke with these and there's astronomical numbers getting thrown thrown around just to fight next year so with Kayla losing last year I believe I'm the face of the company now Pettis is out of it now Rory and Redoom and all these big names that they signed they just find it really hard mate it's really fucking it's really hard belt to get just because of the activity imagine like I have to cut 20 to 30 pounds every six weeks even not alone people take six months to get that sort of weight off so again it's not for the faint heart in me and anyone that signs with PFL I won't say it but you are signing your life away for seven months I don't think you're going to be doing anything in between these fights because you're fighting again every six weeks so it's difficult but again we're here we're at the end of it it's time to re-evaluate and see where we go from here do you think you're at the peak of your career now? I must be and again at 33 people peak in MMA much later you look at the list of UFC champions 36, 37, 38 isn't it mad? why is that? I can't tell you that all those retiring at 33, 34 their primers are fucking 20 and we're fighting? yeah why is that? is that experience? experience and again I had my first fight at 17, 16 years old and at 33 I'm only just getting the rewards of this sport imagine that imagine how hard it was like when I wasn't getting anything for 16 years and like all these knock back, knock back, knock back, knock back and then just fucking kept going and eventually it paid off what made you keep going? I wish I could bottle it up and sell it I wish I could bottle it up and tell you exactly what it is but it must be something that's really deep inside me mate it must be yeah that's a long time to give everything and just kind of surviving to to believing that something big was going to happen it's fucking mad innit? life's mad especially after Dana yeah because where do you go from there? mm-hmm that's you then that UFC is the mecca for us mm-hmm so you get there and you get the door turned on you and again I just didn't take no for an answer and fought again three months later and kept going and going and going and going believing that something would happen and I think if I'm going to take any lesson out on my story it's like work hard mate just work hard because something will eventually happen and like I had this scene years ago and it's true like what is done in the dark will always come to light mm-hmm and I never thought it was and everyone like all these world champions that I used to train with used to watch me out thinking I like kids unlucky but I wasn't unlucky it just wasn't my time yet how many fights do you get left? loads mate I just feel like it unstoppable than no at the minute yeah I do feel like that I feel like I'm I'm right at the peak of my career but I don't want to do it too long and I don't want to be that guy that's in the cage too long and I have to reevaluate my goals because I've got my world title and my bank accounts healthy mm-hmm so now I'm like what are you doing it for now are you doing it to please others are you doing it to see how far you can go are you doing it to see what level of fighter you can actually beat like that's something that I need to really reevaluate because it's it's not it's very fresh in my mind now still but again then pictures to bell edit all around me else I can rip them down now it's time to put new things up but what they are I don't know yet how hard does it stop though when you're getting offered seven figure sums like does that then become impossible to stop because now you're at that stage where you don't just change your life but everybody rounds his life all the fucking hangers on it but you know what I mean like kids and they're kids like that this money changes it's just how you invest it of course but how hard does it then the coming thirty five thirty six the big money's there you're still at the top of the tree like why should anybody stop though if they're at the top like you're only just getting started in my eyes the way you are fighting there like it's a fucking good thing so right now you're coming up to Christmas and you've got another year now a new year coming like it's exciting times especially when you're achieving things in life you don't ever want to stop but the test of a man is when the shit hits the fan when they've got nothing to get up for and they've no drive and they've no motivation then what are you going to do then but right now you're at that moment where you can whatever path you choose you can do it with your head till time but thirty three then just turn thirty three now you've got many years mate in it I'm at that stage in my life where I could touch this now and it turns to gold I'm at that where everything's going right that's the mate you're sitting in this podcast mate so fuck them all you impound and they bail me out just about a time mate you're fucking lucky stars with that mate fucking money and they bail me out this is a golden show mate this is your bail so how do you then how do you kick on from this does that add more pressure on because now what you're achieving or has it then released the pressure I think getting that has released so much pressure because again I was having words with myself like I'm actually just retiring not actually achieving anything after everything that I'd done in it and again BBC doing the article The Nearly Man and everyone just knew me as that guy that got fucked off by Dana White and I thought man that's your story your story is the guy that was good enough but got all the doors shut in his face and I just couldn't let that happen The Nearly Man's about harsh man it's not as if you're fucking losing world titles and you only get fucking fucked from a company like who wrote that tagline I went mad mate I tagged him in it on Twitter I said you cheeky bastard The Nearly Man do you know what I've been through my career 26 and 4 as a pro 14 knockouts I've got 4 losses 3 of them are split decisions all of them could have gone either way I've never been knocked out never been submitted and you call me The Nearly Man I fought in every promotion on Planet Earth in every country it pissed me off mate it did so that's why I needed that to show people like that guy that wrote that article No I'm not The Nearly Man and I can achieve things What do you think the state of British boxing as they know a lot of good fighters coming through? British boxing is fucked on it they don't make the big fights do they? Why is that? The difference with MMA and PFL they ring me and go you're fighting blah blah on this date and you don't have a choice you don't say well my promoter said this I want more money you sign up for the PFL you sign up for UFC you get a name and a date mate I love that they go right this you and him will be a good fight what is not lost in 9 years what is the world class this world class that's sweet and we just get on with it as MMA fighters and we roll the dice yeah sometimes you lose so what do you know what I mean like in boxing it just seems very guarded by politics and they don't even fight anyone until the 20 you know they fight bit men until the 20 you know and it's like you get rolled in the UFC or the PFL or these big MMA promotions once you're in you're in you could be fighting absolutely anyone and I think that's why people are turning towards don't get me wrong I'm a massive boxing fan I had a boxing match a long ago I'm a big on your show what the fuck what the fuck what about that that was some experience that's how we first met yeah yeah yeah so we met in a changing route yeah how was your experience of boxing give me your experience yeah that was fucking scared mate what do you like fighting in front of thousands first ever fight mate Michael Buffer calling men to the ring Michael do you know what I mean I'm thinking what the fuck well I was getting paid good though and it was just an experience I always wanted to do cause every man thinks they can fight I put everything into the training and then as soon as I went out there the first round of blue did you go corners I was fucked I was shattered did you go any corners yeah yeah did they come yeah yeah because I was thinking because it's a hard life right mate yeah yeah because I was expecting because I was sparring I was doing eight rounds of free and I was like this is only like three twos or four twos whatever it was but the first round of blue and just the energy the nerves and everything I still won it but still you watch back they think fuck me like you're all over the gaff look for any amateur fighter anybody that's just you do cringe I'm not daft you know what I mean I don't think well I could be a world contender here you watch back they think fuck me I'm just proud that I went in and done it cause the guy I was fighting he was fucking solid he was a bodybuilding champion like he's won many fucking things so he's a winner but I've just got that Scottish mentality man I just kind of got that psychotic shit and I want to do another couple next year cause the money's good a lot of people slag these sort of shows but it pays my bills I've got kids to feed it's good for my name it promotes my brand I'm just a Scottish guy do you know what I mean so it's trying to get accepted all around the UK until I go to America but I've got so much respect for people to fight cause you used to watch boxing and think throw a jab do more fucking hell man I just wanted to curl up and die man I just wanted I kept thinking man is it what round is this I just wanted the belt to go there's anything then I kept hearing my quotes I could hear my sister or my brother you can hear people shouting and you can go but the fucking level of respect you have for anybody that fights I don't give a fuck what level you're at that takes balls man like and then you kind of think you're a fighter after that your shadow boxing and the house and that you think you can take all any kind but it was a good experience man I'll do it again Fair play to you mate like getting in there I say to anyone like imagine what you just did there for 16 years mate that's what I've been doing that has been my life opponent after opponent after diet after all that but the boxing mate fucking had the experience like I've never had a boxing match that was my first one and an older promoter and he was just like listen I'll actually get you a proper boxing match I've got celebs on there but we'll get you a proper boxing or a boxing match and it was like three weeks notice I thought fucking hell course I've always wanted to box at the MEN as well I've headlined it for MMA and then I got to do it for boxing you know what I mean so I was like yeah sweet but mate the range is all different the gloves I was getting it man it gloves it felt like sponges compared to what I'm getting it with I thought why is that it mate what an experience boxing so yeah fair play to you mate you're supposed to fight Frankie as well an old Frankie what happened when that one the show went under went under the second one but I think they think these shows are going to be bigger than what they are nobody's asked a lot of these so called celebrities it's not like young girls falling on them but they're not interested they're followers they're not interested in boxing they're not fighters so I think they'll lose money do you know what I mean he thought he was going to silly I mean yeah fucking boxers now struggle professional to say a lot of people are struggling now mate there's not got 40-50 quids to go and buy tickets and watch fucking nobody's fighting do you know what I mean I wouldn't go and watch these events I was just happy to get the payday and promote the brand working with a so called celebrity do you know what I mean but for me it was just with it family there and something to tick off the list man you've got bizzles on there and everything he gets back to me he's like happy with these things now yeah that was my concern though getting knocked out was it yeah why ego on it embarrassment shame bugging yourself up and just some kind of crack yeah but then what I noticed was I used to be scared sparring not scared but over thinking and I felt as if I had to force it but after two or three weeks I started to enjoy getting it I started to enjoy the taste of blood in my mouth I started to enjoy it and that kind of worried me I thought fuck me man I'm fairly hate it and I'm enjoying it but that scared me I said that don't go away that feeling you know you know when you drive it to the gym I still get butterflies about sparring yeah but what is that none of that goes away because the thing like there's so much pressure like sparring's the most important thing for a fire in my eyes and when you're going to that sparring session that can either make or break your day and your confidence because I had like 17 and one Russians I was sparring yeah and if it didn't go my way I'd get hurt so I'd be driving it to the gym and these were going through I was in Thailand mate so I didn't even have a culture man and I turned up and it was a straightener basically I'd be driving it to the gym and I'd be thinking I'd be better you'd be going and all that and like I've been doing it forever yeah so that feeling that you're on about it never ever disappears to training you're still nervous rocking up to sparring you're still nervous rocking up to fire because people always say you've been doing it ages now it must have been everything sweet now and is it fuck sweet? no it's not fuck because my coach used to get me people who'd had feets I made feets so I used to think give me some cunt easy just let me bat or some cunt man bring anybody in I didn't manage to see yours what happened yeah one point how did it point yeah? yeah yeah yeah I went every round he got um deducted one as well because I think he used to do rugby and shit so he kind of swung his about and that was he going to do all that? yeah because he in his mind because he was ripped I'm going in there with a fucking little belly set of tits kind of and he obviously in his mind is this is easy and obviously it's not easy do you know what I mean I'm Scotty so you went to his local boxing gym in Jordan yeah yeah yeah but I worked for it I went to see George Warrington Crawler like they were all just bits and bobs all around the country did you? yeah just a wee hour here and just it was only amateur man it was a fucking no but it don't matter mate yeah what you did you got in a fight in front of a lot of people a few thousand there right there was mate and it was a top atmosphere I fought in a lot of places that was a buzz that whole show was a buzz coming out there was a good energy in there that night yeah and there was a right buzz about it it's just a shame they didn't feel it a bit more and they didn't progress with the show it really was yeah I felt like I said I don't think these shows do as great as what people set out but again you've got to take your heart so where do you go forward for the future brother tell me what's the plans I'm round the bend at the minute are you? yeah I'm fucking in Manchester absolutely loving it I've only been back a day but I'm just I'm just still ecstatic mate I went for a coffee this morning and my local fuck me and a bin men are fucking pulling over it was mad I was telling you off air then like people are stopping the car and it's about time someone from this area made it that's what they're all saying I'm from not the nicest place do you know what I mean and I'm going home with a million dollars and a big fat belt where people are looking to get a job do you know what I mean and like to be able to do what I've done without any real help I just did it off just our work and share determination there was no handouts nobody give me an handout mate and like to go back there now seeing that I've achieved what I've achieved it's great for the youngsters mate and like the ones that are like fucking hell maybe I can yeah it is one in a million to do it is but it's been done you just got to get your head down and get after it and I think helping them sort of people out and just just like I say I'm at the peak of my career now and I just feel invincible and unbeatable so PFL don't start again till April next year so it's kind of like I put my full life on old James like I don't have a gaffe I don't my birds all in turmoil my family lives in turmoil my all I do is fight everything else is absolutely fucked my life outside of fight I don't have a life outside of fighting I wake up in the morning now and I'm like what do I do? put them up training and like I'm spending this time now to get all that in order cause I can just go and buy a gaffe cash now sweet there you go so like I'm spending the next two months really putting my life back into order yeah cause you've done a lot that's what people don't realise it's the sacrifices that come with it the misery not being with your loved ones that obviously fighting is different from what I do but what I'm I'm constantly on the road constantly trying to achieve something and make something to provide for the family to put them into good schools to put roof over their heads to start businesses where everybody around me succeeds but I question it also because then I'm missing the most important part and that's spending time with them do you know what I mean that was London two, three days then Manchester Liverpool back home spend about a family time in Christmas then it's straight back on the road like you can't take the foot off the gas in anything in life no matter if you're a fighter a fucking podcast host or a bin man like we've constantly got bulls to pay and we've constantly got new triggers and whatever it is it goes on in life but it's just to keep going no matter who you are like is that what you struggle when you've got too much free time well leading up to this thing I miss my best friend's wedding one of my best mate's wedding and then imagine this yeah my mate died the day before the fight the way he died right and nobody told me because they didn't want to tell me I found out after the fight scrolling through Instagram that someone had put an RIP post on I turned to me I went what the fuck she went oh we couldn't tell you I cried my eyes out I just went to his funeral then literally literally come to hear from the funeral and it's like I missed all that I missed the weddings missed the funerals missed the birthdays I missed all these socials events I'm just on my own entiling me and like people don't see what it takes to get this stuff they think oh yeah he's just gifted he's talented I hate the word talent you're not talented you fucking work hard a year stories about the stuff that Ronaldo does to be able to become the best in the world and mate I work all day every day this is 24 hours a day every week job and now that I've stepped away and like I've got a bit of time off to leave I'm just completely lost I'm like walking around me I was thinking of stuff to do and that's the thing with like what Fiori said like I can't retire and it's scary when he says that because I resonated with what he says because we've been that institutionalized and programmed into this sport and into fighting it is scary to think well there is 24 hours a day in a day because I don't see any of them like I've got nine go to work at nine and come home at five and after that five they're switching off with the family with the kids me mate you think I can't do that so I've lived a crazy crazy life don't get me wrong it's the best thing that ever happens to me but it's also got a lot of flaws that come with it and like I say I've got two or three months now to actually try and get a few things in order before the next turn around do you got to come down after a fight because I've had those such highs at performing and then crashing down do you struggle after a fight or are you still on a fight? yeah yeah are you on that every fight? nah this one especially but it's the performance it's all in the performance I've won fights I'm been pissed off said to my coach that was shit but I've lived the guy like I say I watch the thing that Connor said I lost my mind in the process we like with that institutionising I'm not like focused on this thing that performance means that much to me like if I would have won that belt but I wouldn't have knocked him out I wouldn't have performed the way I did I'd still be pissed off but because I was able to put the performance in that I trained for that's what gives me the elation that I've still got now one of the biggest men on the planet Connor McGregor he was sharing all your stuff man showing loving support how was that for you? he always has though mate he always has he's always been in my DMs me and him chat quite regular and he's the top guy me and the thing is with Connor he doesn't bullshit anyone and he doesn't big up any fighters he doesn't like anyone does it but he sees me the real recognise the real he sees the journey and Connor's a real one man and it's mad that Connor McGregor's sweet got more love than me winning the PFL that's how big he is Connor McGregor's bigger than this whole sport so when he puts his stamp on it mate that's when you know you've done something right in it yeah that's unbelievable he took UFC to another level I only watched it because of Connor McGregor the love of attraction talking to belief like his first few fights he just oozed energy something that just something that drew you towards him to then winning two belts to then fight me whether to then fight fucking Nate Diaz was probably about 20, 30 pounds heavier like people hate on him for what because he's fucking schooled the majority of the years and told you how to make money like the guy took UFC to a whole fucking other level that even when he comes back next year he'll put his paper view still no matter he's one of a kind there'll never ever be a Connor McGregor again he transcended a sport from imagine me as a fighter and people frowned upon you Connor McGregor came along and everyone went you do that Connor stuff that stuff Connor does and that's how much he changed the game and we all owe so much to Connor McGregor all these people that hate on Connor McGregor how can you he got us all bigger pay days he got us all more notoriety he really did enlighten see fighters just going at him me and him have talked about it on Instagram certain fighters that have gone at him and I'll DM him and go fucking are you I know mate can you imagine like he's pissed off himself because he's put all these people on he put the food on the table for us all you can say what you want but he actually did yeah I think it's phenomenal what we achieved unbelievable and everything else he's done outside it the fighting like I say he's made himself he'll probably be a billionaire within the next few years man and that's why people are raging people are upset because they can't fucking get to those certain heights but again it's like you say you've got that you've got that British following as well that you have got that following see when you win the million quid how many people setting cousins and fucking great uncles and other people popping out of the wood what did anybody come forward straight away and say you've done amazing any chance of giving us a loan like oh I've got a right for you go fund me pages anyway I've got fucking all sorts coming through I said fucking I'll let the money land first yeah I mean but again one of the main questions I kept getting asked is right well what's the first thing you're gonna buy go on what you're gonna do with it and I'm like mate I've been in the PFL for two years now every fight I fight for I get good dough I've been making dough which I mean so it's like I've had dough it's not like yeah a million on one night astronomical but like I'm not a daft guy I'm not gonna go out and buy a Ferrari mate and fucking start driving the streets of Manchester like I'm sensible with the dough and I know that I'm 33 there's another 33 years left minimum in me do you know what I mean so that's the last and I'll make it work for me but people seem to think that or I've come from never having anything to just getting a mill job to be a cow but little did he know me I've always done all right I've always been a sensible I've always invested well I've got properties I've done things so now that's gonna take to all level again do you know what I mean have you any fate as you look up to Connors definitely one of him Connors definitely one of him John Jones greatest ever I think he's a great stuff greatest ever ever I actually met him before not my last fight to fight before we've got the same manager and yeah he was training in one of the training rooms the day before my fight I mean manager was like just said it in conversation he went yeah yeah John Jones he was training in there said he's training in there he went he's in there training I went he went do you want to go meet him I went course I want to go meet him and then we've like walked in he's got some mad music on like training with this guy anyway he comes over shakes my hand and he's a fucking what a presence mate I'm looking him up and down I'm thinking you're the greatest man to ever do martial arts and I'm looking at him and then he gets chatting and we've got the same manager he's up and down he's just like laughing he's like yeah me too and then we chat for a bit and at the end of it he goes you've got a really good energy about your brand and he said I'm really looking forward to your fight tonight and then I left there and I was like fucking hell I've just been with John Jones I'm meeting him definitely I've got some Peter Yan another one Peter Yan's one of my favourites I've trained with Peter for years one of the nicest most humble champions that there's ever been so I'd say them free do you think John Jones will fight heavyweight next year fuck me when I've seen him like he's not going to like heavyweight again he's massive he's scary man you know he's just scary but he's towering home and looking down at me I thought if you was in bed with my bird I'd tuck you in mate haha yes I'm honest I think he's the greatest all the time I know people say Khabib in that but when you kind of look at Khabib's record he's not for anybody at the same level of John Jones like he was world champion after he was fighting the elite of the elite obviously Khabib's a great fighter and he's like he has the whole time greatest as well he's up there man like but so going forward for all you've won the bell got the door you're flying high you're buzzing you get Christmas coming up and you try to fix things with family members now and enjoy a bit of family time and try and unwind or do you ever think you could unwind? yeah definitely oh it's some wine time that's for sure yeah like I'm looking forward so after this now I'm nipping to the Christmas market it's not a minute ago for eight years mate going there with me and having a few fun and go to bed and not have to be up at fucking daft the clock to go and smash someone's head in or get me head smashed in like just being at a chill and like I'm having this big dude tomorrow night the whole thing coming in Manchester yeah mate like mad everyone's coming Darren's coming down all the scouses trying to get Fiori out for a pint and trying to get all the boys out and like yeah mate just dead happy to be home and like dead proud Manchester's got another world champion and I was the first person I've ever seen ever and now I'm the first man can you remember me world champion I'm ticking boxes all the way along and I can't wait till tomorrow night mate and just be amongst it completely with all the monks and proper enjoyed a moment yeah like I've met majority fighters hat and crawler man they're all they're all fucking legends on their own right like it's a beautiful thing to see mate proud of you like I believe this is only the beginning mate to where you're going to even go even further like 2023 just another big year I think you'll win another one of them I know you are I'll try to lie and bash okay it's funny because I'm getting on the mould right do you become a target now the Yarn number one the people then want to go raise their game to then try and knock you off you're fucking I'll always back me hard and give me loads of media and so I was always the guy to be in there like that cocky little English guy we're going to smash him because I'm the only English guy in there to give away six belts on that night and it was to six different countries that show is just like it's got people brings in the best people in the world so there's a massive target but I'd say fuck you all and bring it on let's go for any young fighters watching brother what advice would you have for them just get good coaches just believe in yourself and just go for it even if the door shuts in your head 30 times the 31st will be worth it yeah you're living proof that don't fucking take no for an answer for anybody struggling with mental health as well that for mental health I really do I just think there's nothing better than getting up doing a 5k run or getting up doing a bit of yoga doing up go for a walk it just sends signals to the brain that nothing else does you know when you had a good spar and the feeling you get after it is there any feeling like a good training session that's the best there's nothing else it's invigorating and I think mental health I think definitely get yourself off the couch and get training I really do I'm buzzing for you mate you've got a great energy good soul and I look forward to see what you do for the future would you like to finish up on anything? thanks for having me finally yeah took me a gold belt listen enjoy your Christmas you thoroughly deserve that and I look forward to see what you do 2023 brother top man