Joe Rogan Experience #1532 - Mike Tyson

1. 0:00 – 1:01

   From treadmill to comeback: why Tyson started training again

   1. MTMike Tyson0:00

      (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) So a friend of mine who's a giant boxing fan, he sends me this text message. He goes, "Dude, check this shit out." And it's you training with Rafael Cordeiro. And I remember looking at it going, "Oh, shit. What happened?" What happened? Because the last time you were in here, you were talking about how you didn't want to work out-

   3. MTMike Tyson0:30

      Yeah.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:31

      ... because it would ignite the ego.

   5. MTMike Tyson0:33

      Hey, let's talk about that too.

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:35

      (laughs)

   7. MTMike Tyson0:36

      So, um, I was discussing with my wife something about me being overweight. You know, when you have to, you have... Sometimes want to complain to your wife but you want to take it out on her in some-

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:45

      Right.

   9. MTMike Tyson0:45

      ... kind of perspective. And she said, "Well, why don't you just get on the, um, treadmill for 15 minutes a day?" I said, "Ah." She said, "Just 15 minutes." So it went from 15 minutes a day to two hours a day.

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:57

       (laughs)

   11. MTMike Tyson0:57

       And, um-

   12. JRJoe Rogan0:59

       That's what you were worried about.

2. 1:01 – 2:46

   Fight offers snowball: from Bob Sapp and Holyfield rumors to Roy Jones Jr.

   1. MTMike Tyson1:01

      Yeah, exactly. Um, but I was complaining about my weight and so, um, I don't know. I guess I tried on some clothing and it was disastrous. And so I was worried about my weight, and she told me the 15 minute route and it went two hours a day. And, um, I just started losing weight. And then, um, somebody... 'Cause my brother-in-law said, "Hey, Mike, man, I know you're not gonna win, but somebody said would you fight this guy for like 40 million or 30 million bucks?" I said, "Man, get the f-" I went, "Whoa." I said, "Ho." Then something went ding.

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:32

      (laughs)

   3. MTMike Tyson1:32

      I was just getting ready to get the fuck... I said, "Whoa." And I said, like, "Well, who would they like me to fight?" And he said, "One minute." And he called. Then it's Bob Sapp. I said okay. And so I'm saying to myself, "Well, I know Bob." And I said, "Ho." 'Cause I know Bob is big and strong. I said, "Ho, one minute. How would they like me to fight him? Can I fight him under the markers of Queensberry Rules?" And he said, "One minute, Mike." He asked the guy. The guy said yes. I said, "I'll fight him." Right? And so-

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:59

      So it was Bob Sapp was the first one that was brought up?

   5. MTMike Tyson2:02

      Yeah, and so on from... (gasps)

   6. JRJoe Rogan2:03

      For people who don't know Bob Sapp, Bob Sapp was a giant fighter in PRIDE.

   7. MTMike Tyson2:07

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan2:07

      At one time he was like 375 pounds.

   9. MTMike Tyson2:09

      And solid muscle.

   10. JRJoe Rogan2:09

       He was fighting all the kickboxers. Solid muscle.

   11. MTMike Tyson2:12

       And, um-

   12. JRJoe Rogan2:12

       With abs.

   13. MTMike Tyson2:13

       It's incredible, right? And, um, it went from him to somebody else, then another guy, then the MMA, then this guy, and then somehow, no, some other fighters, Evander, then it went from... Who else? There was another heavyweight champ. It was just a bunch of guys up here they fight, and next thing you know, it came down to Roy. I said how did this... And I'm like I don't know what the hell's going on. And then he signed the contract, I signed the contract. Next thing you know I'm in the gym again and it's disastrous. (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan2:40

       (laughs)

   15. MTMike Tyson2:40

       I'm trying to get in this shape. I'm saying to Mike, "Did I really do this shit?"

   16. JRJoe Rogan2:44

       (laughs)

   17. MTMike Tyson2:44

       Whoa. (clapping)

   18. JRJoe Rogan2:46

       (laughs)

3. 2:46 – 4:35

   ‘Big boy’ fighting condition: pain, sciatica, and the reality of comeback training

   1. MTMike Tyson2:46

      You know, 'cause you- you would probably know because if you... Getting in shape and getting in condition, they're two different animals.

   2. JRJoe Rogan2:53

      Yeah.

   3. MTMike Tyson2:53

      They don't even belay- belong-

   4. JRJoe Rogan2:55

      Right.

   5. MTMike Tyson2:55

      ... in the same workout di- division.

   6. JRJoe Rogan2:58

      Right.

   7. MTMike Tyson2:59

      ... of working out, right?

   8. JRJoe Rogan2:59

      Like getting in shape is just being kind of fit.

   9. MTMike Tyson3:02

      Yes and just-

   10. JRJoe Rogan3:02

       But then condition.

   11. MTMike Tyson3:03

       No, getting in shape is able to fit your clothes.

   12. JRJoe Rogan3:05

       Right, right. Right.

   13. MTMike Tyson3:06

       You know, that's getting in shape, being able just to fit your clothes. Being in condition is being able to come outside of your soul. (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan3:15

       (laughs)

   15. MTMike Tyson3:15

       You know?

   16. JRJoe Rogan3:16

       Yeah.

   17. MTMike Tyson3:16

       And that, you- and you can't do that automatically.

   18. JRJoe Rogan3:18

       You're talking about being in fighting condition.

   19. MTMike Tyson3:20

       Yes.

   20. JRJoe Rogan3:21

       Yeah.

   21. MTMike Tyson3:21

       Yes.

   22. JRJoe Rogan3:21

       That's a rare state.

   23. MTMike Tyson3:23

       Yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan3:23

       And you can't keep it for very long.

   25. MTMike Tyson3:25

       No, it is just-

   26. JRJoe Rogan3:26

       People need to understand that, right?

   27. MTMike Tyson3:27

       The emotional state to prepare for that is ooh, mind-boggling.

   28. JRJoe Rogan3:32

       Well, that's what I was seeing when I was seeing you hit the pads. I'm like, "This isn't just working out." There was something going on, man. When you were working out with Cordeiro and you were ripping-

   29. MTMike Tyson3:40

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan3:40

       ... into the body and throwing those hooks, I was like, "This is a man who's preparing to go to combat. This is not normal getting ready to work out shit." That's why when I saw that video, I was like, "Oh."
4. 4:35 – 6:30

   Recovery stack and modern anti-aging tools: cryo, hyperbaric, stem-cell talk

   1. MTMike Tyson4:35

      Extremely slowly. And then I started, um, dabbling in alternative stuff.

   2. JRJoe Rogan4:41

      Like what kind of stuff?

   3. MTMike Tyson4:42

      (sighs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan4:42

      Cryotherapy type shit?

   5. MTMike Tyson4:44

      Cryo, um, stem cell research-

   6. JRJoe Rogan4:48

      Mm-hmm.

   7. MTMike Tyson4:49

      ... and therapy and some other interesting stuff that I just don't know and it's just beautiful stuff.

   8. JRJoe Rogan4:55

      Like what kind of stuff?

   9. MTMike Tyson4:56

      (sighs) I don't know. Hyperbaric chamber and just-

   10. JRJoe Rogan5:01

       Everything?

   11. MTMike Tyson5:02

       Everything.

   12. JRJoe Rogan5:02

       Everything to help you recover?

   13. MTMike Tyson5:04

       It's really interesting.

   14. JRJoe Rogan5:06

       It is. Well, I saw you. When you walked in today, I was like, "Goddam, you look good. You look good, dude."

   15. MTMike Tyson5:11

       Hey-

   16. JRJoe Rogan5:12

       Like your muscles looks good. You look like you're vascular. You look fit.

   17. MTMike Tyson5:17

       And that's, um... And I'm starting to feel fit. That's what's interesting to me. So I know when like doing stuff, like I think I'm in shape and then the next thing you know, you think you're in shape and then you start having like, um, Rafael start throwing punches at me just like you're fighting. I can't punch back when I got to avoid. And then two rounds go by and he said, "Whoa, I'm not in shape." I'm hitting the bag six rounds, I'm doing the three or five rounds, six rounds, I'm jumping rope. And then I do two rounds with somebody real, it's a whole different psychological preparation and whoo. How?

   18. JRJoe Rogan5:49

       How much time has gone since you first started exercising? Like when did it, when did it start? So here we are, what, it's like August 23rd or something like that?

   19. NANarrator5:59

       22nd.

   20. JRJoe Rogan5:59

       22nd?

   21. MTMike Tyson6:00

       Right.

   22. JRJoe Rogan6:00

       When, when did it, when did it start?

   23. MTMike Tyson6:02

       It had to start, um-... something like April.

   24. JRJoe Rogan6:08

       April. So-

   25. MTMike Tyson6:09

       Or March, something like that.

   26. JRJoe Rogan6:10

       ... in the middle of the lockdown?

   27. MTMike Tyson6:11

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan6:12

       So you just, just started just training, and now here you are five months later, four months later. H- how, how far away do you think you are to being in, like, fighting shape?

   29. MTMike Tyson6:23

       Oh, fighting shape, when the time comes, like by, um, November 28th, yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan6:28

       That's when you'll be ready?
5. 6:30 – 11:55

   Legends Only League + why Tyson–Roy is a charity-driven spectacle

   1. JRJoe Rogan6:30

      Now, why did you guys decide to move it? You were supposed to be in September, right? It was supposed to be-

   2. MTMike Tyson6:34

      I believe-

   3. JRJoe Rogan6:34

      ... September 12th.

   4. MTMike Tyson6:34

      ... it was a viewing, um, situation, um-

   5. JRJoe Rogan6:38

      Hmm.

   6. MTMike Tyson6:39

      ... at the proper timing for more people-

   7. JRJoe Rogan6:41

      For audiences, yeah.

   8. MTMike Tyson6:42

      Yeah. I believe it was something to that nature.

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:44

      It's so exciting. So is-

   10. MTMike Tyson6:46

       You're gonna-

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:47

       (laughs)

   12. MTMike Tyson6:47

       It's gonna be awesome because, um, it's gonna be, um, me and everyone else that's involved, Arrozz and everyone, Innovation, and we're going to, um, start up the Legends Only League, and that's going to be really, um, breathtaking, especially starting off with me and Roy.

   13. JRJoe Rogan7:02

       Yeah.

   14. MTMike Tyson7:02

       And, um, I'm looking forward to that 'cause I have a- athletes from every genre. It's (sighs) an array of everybody who was, who believed in someone. They're all gonna come back in all fields, and this is gonna be something that me and, um, Arrozz Intervention created together, and I think this is gonna be pretty awesome.

   15. JRJoe Rogan7:22

       So Legends Only League would be like all sports, baseball, basketball-

   16. MTMike Tyson7:25

       Everything, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan7:25

       ... everything.

   18. MTMike Tyson7:26

       Tennis. Yeah, I think, imagine if something crazy like we did what Billie Jean did, King did, have somebody, let's say, one of, Serena or somebody play McEnroe and that kind of stuff.

   19. JRJoe Rogan7:36

       Right.

   20. MTMike Tyson7:36

       Exhibitions and stuff like that. Or somebody like, um, a Man o' War can play one-on-one with whoever, Iverson or somebody.

   21. JRJoe Rogan7:45

       Mm-hmm, yeah.

   22. MTMike Tyson7:45

       I mean Men of Peace. Man o' War is the horse. (laughs)

   23. JRJoe Rogan7:51

       (laughs) Metta World Peace.

   24. MTMike Tyson7:51

       Yeah, yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan7:52

       Yeah, no, uh, it's a, it's a amazing idea, but particularly for you, like seeing you hit the bag again and seeing you hit the pads and get excited about it is very, very interesting to me because, uh, I knew that you had that thing in your head where you didn't want to ignite your ego, and then you had this quote that the gods of war reignited your ego. (laughs) I read that-

   26. MTMike Tyson8:12

       Well-

   27. JRJoe Rogan8:12

       ... I got so excited.

   28. MTMike Tyson8:13

       (laughs) Well, that's the excuse I can use, you know?

   29. JRJoe Rogan8:16

       (laughs)

   30. MTMike Tyson8:16

       That's a really great excuse that I can use.
6. 11:55 – 19:41

   Ego, addiction, and the ‘camera narcotic’: quitting weed for camp and staying controlled

   1. JRJoe Rogan11:55

      Well, you certainly were at one point in time in your life, but you had moved on to a different chapter of your life. You had completely stopped doing that. You were doing a Tyson ranch thing, smoking a lot of weed. Have you s- have you stopped smoking weed totally?

   2. MTMike Tyson12:05

      Pretty much, yes.

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:06

      Pretty much stopped?

   4. MTMike Tyson12:07

      Yeah, just gonna stop.

   5. JRJoe Rogan12:07

      Wow.... wow, that's, that's a big change-

   6. MTMike Tyson12:11

      But when you do-

   7. JRJoe Rogan12:11

      ... right away.

   8. MTMike Tyson12:11

      ... something like this, it's all about change.

   9. JRJoe Rogan12:13

      Mm-hmm.

   10. MTMike Tyson12:14

       You know, you, you, listen, you can't continue being a comedian if you're not sharpening your, um, your psyche up. Even when you're doing it right here, you're practicing your comedian act, you know? You have to continue to practice. The more you practice it, let's say if you practice it every, for a year, you'll be better if you only practiced it for a month. So the more you do it, the better you become.

   11. JRJoe Rogan12:37

       Do you feel like that now in this comeback, that like, you're only sort of scratching your potential? Because like, you're just getting back into shape again. A year from now, you'll be even better shape and you'll be more conditioned to do what you want to do. Like, you're, you're in this-

   12. MTMike Tyson12:52

       God willing, yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan12:53

       Yeah, you're in this-

   14. MTMike Tyson12:54

       God willing.

   15. JRJoe Rogan12:54

       ... rebuilding stage now.

   16. MTMike Tyson12:57

       And, and now that's exciting.

   17. JRJoe Rogan12:58

       Yeah.

   18. MTMike Tyson12:58

       When you go to your, um, when you go to your doctor, these people who have this alternative stuff and you see the development, you see the healing process, and you think, "Why did this, why is this happening to me?"

   19. JRJoe Rogan13:10

       (laughs)

   20. MTMike Tyson13:10

       "Why in the name of... Why a guy like me who just got off drugs, who just gave up his life and don't care about nothing, he, this is happening to him?" You know? Since I married my wife, all this good stuff started happening and I'm saying, "Wow, what is this stuff all about?"

   21. JRJoe Rogan13:24

       I, whatever it's all about-

   22. MTMike Tyson13:25

       Yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan13:25

       ... it's good. I'm like, take-

   24. MTMike Tyson13:26

       I'm really grateful too.

   25. JRJoe Rogan13:27

       ... "Take my money."

   26. MTMike Tyson13:28

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan13:28

       That's what I said. I said, "Take my money, I want to watch it. Let's see it."

   28. MTMike Tyson13:31

       Thank you. And it's not about money, 'cause the money's going to be in charity and people are gonna...

   29. JRJoe Rogan13:36

       Right.

   30. MTMike Tyson13:36

       And it's just about doing something good, and that, from that perspective, that could be... I used to like feeling like I'm doing something good for somebody more than myself.
7. 19:41 – 34:37

   Daily regimen, diet shifts, and ‘wild’ meats: from vegan years to elk and bison

   1. JRJoe Rogan19:41

      And what- what is a typical day for Mike Tyson right now?

   2. MTMike Tyson19:44

      All right. The day start... Soon as it's daylight, around 5:30, I'll do the four-mile run. Come back. What am I doing when I come back? I'm back, I'm in the shower. From the shower, I- I go downstairs. I let the birds out, fly the birds, come back in. May do some, um- I have a machine where you should- you could do the twist.

   3. JRJoe Rogan20:12

      Mm-hmm. Abs, ab exercises, yeah.

   4. MTMike Tyson20:14

      Yeah. And I'll do that probably 200 times on both sides. And, um, I just, um, grab a bite. You know, I may have some- I'm eating meat this- I may have some eggs instead of- I'm not eating eggs at all.

   5. JRJoe Rogan20:30

      You were a vegan for a while, right?

   6. MTMike Tyson20:32

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan20:32

      How long were you a vegan for?

   8. MTMike Tyson20:33

      Pretty well a couple years.

   9. JRJoe Rogan20:34

      For a couple years?

   10. MTMike Tyson20:35

       Yeah, five years.

   11. JRJoe Rogan20:35

       When did it stop? When did you stop doing that?

   12. MTMike Tyson20:41

       I don't know, not too long ago.

   13. JRJoe Rogan20:42

       So did you stop-

   14. MTMike Tyson20:43

       A year or two.

   15. JRJoe Rogan20:43

       ... because of the training or did you stop before that?

   16. MTMike Tyson20:46

       Yeah, I did stop rea- because of the training and it was-

   17. JRJoe Rogan20:49

       Yeah.

   18. MTMike Tyson20:49

       ... because of what I wanted my body to look like and the strength that I wanted to possess.

   19. JRJoe Rogan20:54

       So you started eating meat, red meat, everything again?

   20. MTMike Tyson20:57

       No, no, no.

   21. JRJoe Rogan20:57

       No red meat?

   22. MTMike Tyson20:57

       Just- yeah, but only, um, elk and bison.

   23. JRJoe Rogan21:01

       Oh, red meat. That's red meat.

   24. MTMike Tyson21:02

       Um, duck. Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan21:02

       Yeah. Okay.

   26. MTMike Tyson21:03

       Wild stuff.

   27. JRJoe Rogan21:04

       You're eating elk and bi- too, I wanna give you some of my elk.

   28. MTMike Tyson21:06

       Yeah. See, really? Would you please?

   29. JRJoe Rogan21:08

       Fuck yeah.

   30. MTMike Tyson21:08

       Would you please me?
8. 34:37 – 42:12

   Working with Rafael Cordeiro and the ‘electrician’ Brad Roe: training style and conditioning

   1. JRJoe Rogan34:37

      How did you get hooked up with Rafael Cordeiro?

   2. MTMike Tyson34:38

      (sighs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan34:38

      'Cause for folks who don't know, he's legendary trainer in MMA. He's from Chute Boxe in Brazil. He was one of the, the top guys back when, uh, Chute Boxe was the number one MMA camp in Brazil, where Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva-

   4. MTMike Tyson34:52

      I found this out later, but this is how this happened, the two of us met. Um, I said, "Hey, you know, I like to hit the mitts. You know, you think I could hit the mitts with somebody? You think you got somebody around I can hit the mitts?" I was getting ready to go to Freddie's gym.

   5. JRJoe Rogan35:06

      Freddie Roach?

   6. MTMike Tyson35:07

      Yeah. And then, um, someone said they had, um, Rafael. And I said, "Okay, let me check him out." And it was, he was just perfect.

   7. JRJoe Rogan35:18

      Is he n- near you? Does he live near you or something?

   8. MTMike Tyson35:20

      He live in, he lives in Laguna. I'm in Newport. Uh, what is the name of this? Laguna ...

   9. JRJoe Rogan35:26

      It's close enough.

   10. MTMike Tyson35:27

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan35:27

       Yeah, that's close.

   12. MTMike Tyson35:28

       So-

   13. JRJoe Rogan35:28

       That's real close.

   14. MTMike Tyson35:29

       So he's there, I believe, and, um, yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan35:32

       He's a great trainer.

   16. MTMike Tyson35:32

       We just came from Vegas and stuff. We just, um, just hanging out, you know? Had to go some place. And, um, he's just, um, cool, cool. Before ... I met him before the, um, pandemic, but that's ... Well, I mean, we came before the pandemic. We were in Vegas, and we met, I guess, at the, um, one of the UFC fights.

   17. JRJoe Rogan35:51

       Mm-hmm.

   18. MTMike Tyson35:52

       And then I met him over here, and I was saying I wanted to hit the mitts, and then that's how we, um, got back together.

   19. JRJoe Rogan35:58

       He's a great man, like a good person.

   20. MTMike Tyson36:00

       No. The reason why...And Kev not missing because he was awesome with the mitts, because he put so much peace and love and stuff to the-

   21. JRJoe Rogan36:08

       Yes.

   22. MTMike Tyson36:08

       ... whole family, the-

   23. JRJoe Rogan36:10

       Yes.

   24. MTMike Tyson36:10

       ... whole camp.

   25. JRJoe Rogan36:10

       Yes.

   26. MTMike Tyson36:10

       He's a beautiful man. It's his image, his energy-

   27. JRJoe Rogan36:12

       Yes.

   28. MTMike Tyson36:13

       ... is just awesome.

   29. JRJoe Rogan36:14

       Yeah, he's got great energy. He's beloved.

   30. MTMike Tyson36:16

       Yes.
9. 42:12 – 46:24

   Sparring after 15 years: ‘I belong here’ and syncing mind–body as you age

   1. MTMike Tyson42:12

      I just had to realize that, um, I'm not going to rush in there like that no more. I gotta move around. I gotta do it in a different way-

   2. JRJoe Rogan42:18

      Mm-hmm. Right.

   3. MTMike Tyson42:18

      ... 'cause I tried to go in there the first time sparring, and it was disastrous. So I went in there thinking, using my head, moving, and things went the way I wanted them to go.

   4. JRJoe Rogan42:25

      How long in training was the first time you sparred?

   5. MTMike Tyson42:28

      First time I sparred? 15 years.

   6. JRJoe Rogan42:30

      First time you sparred in 15 years?

   7. MTMike Tyson42:32

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan42:32

      And how many months into training was that from, from... You started in April, so, like, when did you start sparring?

   9. MTMike Tyson42:36

      The really box and stuff... Bo- box and stuff is when I did that stuff with, um... was when I did the stuff with Rafael the first time, yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan42:45

       Right. But, but I mean your first sparring, first sparring rounds.

   11. MTMike Tyson42:48

       Yeah. It was really weird and stuff. But I realized when I was getting hit, boom, boom, boom, I got hit a couple of times, I didn't go like, "What the fuck am I doing?" I said, "Wait, I belong here."

   12. JRJoe Rogan42:58

       Ah, it brought it back.

   13. MTMike Tyson42:59

       Yeah. I said, "I belong here." When I got rocked, boom, boom, boom, when I, when I got rocked and I heard the ringing, mm, I said, "Whoa!" I didn't panic. I said, "Oh, I belong here."

   14. JRJoe Rogan43:08

       Wow.

   15. MTMike Tyson43:09

       "I belong here." I started moving and started talking to myself, "Whoa! I belong here."

   16. JRJoe Rogan43:13

       Nice.

   17. MTMike Tyson43:13

       I never said, "What the fuck am I doing here? This shit is crazy." It just never happened. It never happened.

   18. JRJoe Rogan43:18

       That's-

   19. MTMike Tyson43:18

       I was expecting that. (laughs)

   20. JRJoe Rogan43:20

       You were expecting the, "What the fuck am I doing?"

   21. MTMike Tyson43:21

       I said, "What the fuck?"

   22. JRJoe Rogan43:21

       (laughs)

   23. MTMike Tyson43:21

       "Fuck this shit." You say, "Hey, stop." "Fuck this shit, nigga. I ain't doing this shit."

   24. JRJoe Rogan43:26

       (laughs)

   25. MTMike Tyson43:26

       But, um, that's what I was expecting really, but I-

   26. JRJoe Rogan43:29

       Right.

   27. MTMike Tyson43:29

       I said, "Whoa!" Boom, boom, boom, boom. Uh, "Whoa! I belong here."

   28. JRJoe Rogan43:32

       Then you felt it, and you readjusted.

   29. MTMike Tyson43:34

       And that's the first thing I said. I, I said, "Whoa! I belong here." That's the first thing I said.

   30. JRJoe Rogan43:38

       Nice. Nice. How long did it take before you started feeling comfortable sparring?
10. 46:24 – 54:08

    Why Tyson won’t become a full-time trainer + the Cus D’Amato origin story

    1. JRJoe Rogan46:24

       ... there's a bunch of stuff on the internet. Have you ever... Did you think about doing that, like, in the future, like, maybe being a trainer?

    2. MTMike Tyson46:29

       No, no, not at this moment. It just takes a really special p- You should know, it takes a special person to do that. You gotta be-

    3. JRJoe Rogan46:34

       Yeah.

    4. MTMike Tyson46:34

       ... a mother, a father, psychiatrist-

    5. JRJoe Rogan46:37

       Yeah.

    6. MTMike Tyson46:37

       ... a dietician. It's just so many hats you have to wear in being a trainer, a good trainer-

    7. JRJoe Rogan46:43

       Yeah.

    8. MTMike Tyson46:43

       ... a true trainer to yourself and your fighters. It's just a lot of hats. That's really overwhelming for me and my personality.

    9. JRJoe Rogan46:49

       N- I totally can understand that, but I would also imagine that in your mind there's some knowledge that I would love to see passed on to other fighters in a, in a way, like, a trainer... only a trainer can do.

    10. MTMike Tyson47:00

        Yeah, I'm the kinda guy if you wanna learn from me, you gotta learn from a dist- let me talk to you or something-

    11. JRJoe Rogan47:04

        Right.

    12. MTMike Tyson47:04

        ... because I'm not like Cus. If Cus would, um... Cus would never get tired of answering questions.

    13. JRJoe Rogan47:09

        Mm-hmm.

    14. MTMike Tyson47:10

        Sometimes my son asks me, "Why do these guys have so much..." 'Cause that's the way I was with Cus.

    15. JRJoe Rogan47:14

        Right, constantly asking questions.

    16. MTMike Tyson47:14

        You know? But, but I'm not Cus. Cus would never get... He would love to answer all my questions 'cause Cus wanted the, the perception that he knew everything and you should listen to him and take his advice because he knew everything.

    17. JRJoe Rogan47:26

        Yeah.

    18. MTMike Tyson47:27

        You know, that's what it's like. If you was his friend, you always came to him for advice. He always wanted to advi- wanted to give his advice and let you know that he was a superior thinker and that you should come to him and he'll settle your problems. That's just what he was.

    19. JRJoe Rogan47:39

        You know, do you think, ever think back on your life, like, your life with Cus and just the story, the origin story is almost like a movie. It's almost too crazy.

    20. MTMike Tyson47:49

        No, no, no, no. Listen, let me tell you what happened, man. I'm in SPAR Fit Detention for Boys-... and Muhammad Ali. They showed the movie The Greatest, it's like '77, '76, some 11 years. They played Ali, and then, um, Ali walks in and talked to the kids. And, and I saw him, I saw everybody going cray. I said, "I want to be like him." And from there, I go upstate New York. There's a guy that used to be a professional boxer named Bobby Stewart. Mr. Stewart taught me how to box and eventually said, "I want to introduce you," so he took me upstate, I met Cus D'Amato. This is all in the couple of months since I seen Ali, and now I'm training to be a boxer.

    21. JRJoe Rogan48:26

        Crazy. It's ... And you were 13, right?

    22. MTMike Tyson48:30

        No, I was, um ... I would think I was 13, yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan48:35

        Look, that's like a-

    24. MTMike Tyson48:36

        13.

    25. JRJoe Rogan48:36

        ... it's like a movie.

    26. MTMike Tyson48:37

        It's ... No, I knew I was gonna be successful. I knew everything was gonna go right. I just knew, I knew it. It was in my blood. I was only a kid, but I'd say, "I want to be like that guy." And it just started working.

    27. JRJoe Rogan48:50

        And it's such, such an amazing-

    28. MTMike Tyson48:51

        Listen, not, listen, not even, not even three or four months after I saw Ali, just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I met him. I'm in one place, I had a fight, tried to stab a guy and I did it with a pencil or something. (laughing) I go from there, and I go over to this bad place called Elmwood, this cottage, that's where Bobby Stewart, 'cause he's a fighter and he had to take care of these ... All the staff there big, strong men 'cause they have to take care of these very interesting kids, you know. Like, um, homicidal kids. These are kids-

    29. JRJoe Rogan49:21

        Yeah, they're wild.

    30. MTMike Tyson49:21

        ... but we're, they're really wild.
11. 54:08 – 57:44

    Discipline, intensity, and the cost of the fighter mindset in real life

    1. MTMike Tyson54:08

       Yeah. You know, I'm just always, um, and sometimes, um-... I get beside myself and I forget that, um, I have to use... I have to be grateful-

    2. JRJoe Rogan54:20

       Yeah.

    3. MTMike Tyson54:20

       ... for what Allah, what God did in general. And, um, sometimes, um, I get caught up into my ego.

    4. JRJoe Rogan54:26

       Right.

    5. MTMike Tyson54:27

       So, I... It's just a struggle, but I'm working on it. I never worked on it before, so that's a start, right? (laughs)

    6. JRJoe Rogan54:32

       (laughs) Right, right.

    7. MTMike Tyson54:33

       I, I, I never con- considered working on it, but...

    8. JRJoe Rogan54:35

       But that is the thing, right? That what gets you to be a championship level fighter can really fuck you up in the rest of your life.

    9. MTMike Tyson54:40

       Oh, yes. Oh, I can't believe... I'm so happy my wife is still with me. I'm just very grateful 'cause I'm, I'm just useless and stuff. And I have to learn how... Through her, I had to learn how to live life.

    10. JRJoe Rogan54:50

        Yeah.

    11. MTMike Tyson54:51

        Life, I'm disastrous in living life.

    12. JRJoe Rogan54:53

        (laughs)

    13. MTMike Tyson54:53

        Oh, fucking Joe.

    14. JRJoe Rogan54:55

        I get it, man.

    15. MTMike Tyson54:56

        You would never believe-

    16. JRJoe Rogan54:57

        Uh, but I would believe.

    17. MTMike Tyson54:58

        ... you know, I'm using these nice words and I'm conducting myself. You come to my nice house and you would say, "This guy is just a uncouth Neanderthal." You know? So-

    18. JRJoe Rogan55:07

        (laughs)

    19. MTMike Tyson55:07

        ... I used... (laughs) I used to listen to my wife and people think it's stupid I listen to this, right? So she told me, "Become..." Before I came in, "Be kind and be nice to everyone. Just be kind and nice." 'Cause I don't eat most of the time. I only eat after work. And if I don't eat enough, she says she's gonna get angry. "Can you please eat?" So she's forcing me to eat this stuff, a fried egg and this. And so I say, "Okay, I eat." But, um, she's right because of the time... We've been married 11 years.

    20. JRJoe Rogan55:34

        Well, you got a good one then, man.

    21. MTMike Tyson55:36

        Yeah, 11.

    22. JRJoe Rogan55:36

        You got someone who balances you out.

    23. MTMike Tyson55:37

        All 11 years.

    24. JRJoe Rogan55:38

        Someone who understands you. Yeah.

    25. MTMike Tyson55:40

        I don't know. Listen, I was talking to her. I said, "You know, sometimes, sometimes I think about, um, we're together and this is gonna be over soon and we're gonna die. One, one of us is gonna die before the other one." And I'm saying, "I would not know what to do if you died first..."

    26. JRJoe Rogan55:53

        Wow.

    27. MTMike Tyson55:54

        "... and I had to take care of these kids." Because her whole life is me and all my kids.

    28. JRJoe Rogan55:58

        Right.

    29. MTMike Tyson55:59

        Her life is me. And not only our kids, the two kids that we have, but her life is me and all my kids.

    30. JRJoe Rogan56:05

        Right.
12. 57:44 – 1:15:10

    Jamie Foxx as Tyson: acting, mannerisms, neck injuries, and old-school neck training

    1. JRJoe Rogan57:44

       Um, Jamie Foxx is gonna play you in a movie.

    2. MTMike Tyson57:47

       That's gonna be interesting. That's gonna be interesting.

    3. JRJoe Rogan57:49

       That's wild.

    4. MTMike Tyson57:50

       It's gonna be interesting.

    5. JRJoe Rogan57:50

       If anybody can do it, Jamie Foxx can do it. That's a talented man.

    6. MTMike Tyson57:54

       He's really good at what he does. I agree.

    7. JRJoe Rogan57:55

       He's fucking talented.

    8. MTMike Tyson57:57

       I agree.

    9. JRJoe Rogan57:57

       He... That guy could do anything.

    10. MTMike Tyson57:58

        I agree.

    11. JRJoe Rogan57:58

        He's one of those dudes, you listen to him sing, you hear him play music, you see him do standup comedy, then you see him act, like, this fucking guy can do anything. He's just one of those dudes that can just lock in on something and he can do anything.

    12. MTMike Tyson58:10

        Yo, listen, when the light is on you, when, um, when the, when the universe puts a light on you, there's nothing stronger than a person whose time has come.

    13. JRJoe Rogan58:18

        Yeah.

    14. MTMike Tyson58:19

        It's all about the light, man. All, all of us get it. You may not think the homeless man on the corner, the blind and paraly- uh, paralyzed guy that's begging with no cup, we all get that moment to shine. We all get it. Feelings, perform, whatever it is, we all get it.

    15. JRJoe Rogan58:37

        Now, when Jamie is playing you, what does that feel... I mean, I know Michael Jai White played you once.

    16. MTMike Tyson58:42

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan58:42

        Did you talk to him about that?

    18. MTMike Tyson58:44

        No, I didn't know him or anything. I was in jail when this guy was doing this stuff.

    19. JRJoe Rogan58:49

        Oh, right. Do you know Michael Jai?

    20. MTMike Tyson58:50

        I met him a few times.

    21. JRJoe Rogan58:51

        He's a great guy.

    22. MTMike Tyson58:52

        He appears to be.

    23. JRJoe Rogan58:53

        Very, very nice guy. I've, I've known him for a long time. And very respectful guy too. But was it weird watching someone play you?

    24. MTMike Tyson59:00

        Dig, man. I... Ugh, no.

    25. JRJoe Rogan59:03

        No?

    26. MTMike Tyson59:03

        No, no. It's just... That ego shit kicks in, so I'm watching it. And he, and he had some good qualities in it. He did some really good stuff that I thought... Um, but the stuff that he did that represented me, I don't think people even picked up on it.

    27. JRJoe Rogan59:23

        Like what kind of stuff?

    28. MTMike Tyson59:24

        Just the way he moved his head.

    29. JRJoe Rogan59:26

        Yeah.

    30. MTMike Tyson59:26

        People don't know I crack my neck all the time. Like, yeah, I don't know.

Episode duration: 2:04:11