EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,044 words- 0:00 – 3:03
Post-fight breakdown: Magomedov’s fast start vs Strickland’s pace and pressure
- JRJoe Rogan
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.
- SSSean Strickland
The Joe Rogan Experience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) What's up, John Strickland? What's happening? We made it happen.
- SSSean Strickland
We made it, bro.
- JRJoe Rogan
What's up?
- SSSean Strickland
I'm finally pseudo-famous enough to be on-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
... the Rogan podcast. Fuckin' let's go.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, you're pretty famous after Saturday night. Hey, how's your eye?
- SSSean Strickland
Oh, man, the guy was try-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's still pretty red.
- SSSean Strickland
The guy was trying to fucking salute his fuhrer, bro, fucking straight to the eye. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
He's, he's Russian, he can't say that.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) Let's see-
- SSSean Strickland
He only moved to Germany when he was 15. Oh, fuck, I dunno, man. Fucking life's weird, dude. It's fucking, is he Muslim? We all know how that goes. Oh, fuck, I'm ready to get canceled.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it's, it's-
- SSSean Strickland
All right, guys, I'm joking.
- JRJoe Rogan
... he's just joking.
- SSSean Strickland
I'm just joking.
- JRJoe Rogan
He's just joking.
- SSSean Strickland
You guys.
- JRJoe Rogan
Can't we just joke around, folks?
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Isn't this America? Um, that was a great fight.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, it was a good one. It was a really, really good fight. And it was really interesting too because, um, that guy is so used to blowing people out in the first round.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know? And he came out so hard in that first round.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- 3:03 – 6:29
Hype trains, “cans,” and the ethics of managers watching sparring
- SSSean Strickland
Well, you know what threw me off? He fought my buddy, Sati Sai. And, dude, Sati Sai's a, a fucking savage. Like, he's a PFL champ, the fucking guy could strike. And he wrestled hard against Sati for like, you know, a hard three rounds. So I, I went in there thinking, "Oh, this guy has like a tank." I watched him wrestle my friend. Yeah, it was, it was shocking, man. But, you know... (sighs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, he's only had two UFC fights.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
He had that one fight, was it in France?
- SSSean Strickland
D- uh, yeah, against like Dustin.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
But Dustin's a fucking can, dude. Like he should not be in the UFC. Like he, uh, again, I like Du-... he's a fucking yogi, dude. Like he does more yoga than training. He came to Vegas, I think I broke his nose in the first minute, and like, and then he came to Extreme. I pretty much told Chris Curtis, I'm like, "Curtis, if you let Justin, Dustin walk out of this fucking round, I will respect you less as a man."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
You know? Like, you're not part of our fucking team.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Like if you, if he, if you let him have any success with you, dude, like I w- I will loo- respect you less as a man.
- JRJoe Rogan
How did Dustin get in the UFC?
- SSSean Strickland
So it's kind of f-... I don't know who he fought but, uh, he picked up a guy, or a guy picked him up and slammed him, broke his shoulder.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- SSSean Strickland
So his, his hype train was fighting a guy who, like, doesn't belong here.
- JRJoe Rogan
So w-... the guy broke his shoulder in the slam?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- SSSean Strickland
So now it's like, "Oh, Dustin slammed him," or something happened-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
... and then like that's how he got signed. But yeah, Dustin's a fucking can. And anyway, he's a fucking defector, bro. He's an American living in Germany. You can't respect that fucking guy.
- JRJoe Rogan
Bro, how dare he?
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs) You fucking-
- JRJoe Rogan
How dare he?
- SSSean Strickland
... defector, bro. I don't even know what country-
- JRJoe Rogan
Sorry, Dustin.
- SSSean Strickland
... I don't even know what country, I don't even know what country you represent, you motherfucker.
- JRJoe Rogan
I, I do not agree with the, the things Mr. Strickland is saying, Dustin.
- SSSean Strickland
(inhales) No.
- JRJoe Rogan
Um, but I, I do agree, like that there's something about those guys that are used to taking guys out in the first round. There's s- something about those guys-
- 6:29 – 7:42
40-minute boxing wars, CTE jokes, and motivation through personal turmoil
- SSSean Strickland
Well, I mean, like, three weeks prior to the fight, me and my... I have a buddy named Robin Shafar, up-and-coming boxer, well, he's... You know, boxing is the most shady, shady business there is in the fucking world.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, yeah. Makes UFC look like-
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs) Oh.
- JRJoe Rogan
... fuckin' (laughs) -
- SSSean Strickland
Bo-
- JRJoe Rogan
... like, higher education.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, boxing, you guys, is, is corrupt. So he's about 16 and 0, and the- the guy could box, man. I seen him put work on UFC fighters, like, I've seen him spar, like, Bellator champions, the guy does work. So we did, like, a no time limit, 40-minute boxing, just whoever quits, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus Christ.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, just 'cause we're just bored, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
A CTE special.
- SSSean Strickland
Oh, fuck yeah, dude.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Fuck yeah. So it, it's kinda funny. He was actually going through some, like, personal shit, and he beat me, he beat me that day. But, like, I was hitting him, I was like, "Dude, you just, like... There's something, like... There's something with you right now." And after we get done boxing for, like, 40, 45 minutes, he starts telling me his personal issues. I'm like, "Oh, fuck yeah, dude, you were ready to die today."
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
Like, that makes sense. I feel... I'm about to go for a hike with my girlfriend, bro-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
... and you- you're contemplating fucking life here.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, yeah, you win, dude. You fucking win.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's like when Buster Douglas fought Tyson. You know, Buster Douglas' mom died, and Buster Douglas had always been, like, that really talented guy with a wicked jab, who just didn't apply himself, like many really-
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... talented guys. And then for that camp, he just went fucking full in.
- 7:42 – 10:52
From “problem kid” to purpose: school systems, isolation, and why martial arts works
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah. Yeah, some guys, some guys even when they have that, like... I mean, fuck, even walking, even sometimes me when I walk out, like, I gotta re- tell myself, like, "Dude, you are a fucking loser." Like, like, "You are a fucking... You don't belong here." Like, "Just go in there and kill this motherfucker." You know, like, I always joked, I always had, like... I had a teacher tell me in, like, seventh or eighth grade, one of the, one of the few years I went to school, she... I think it was, like, her name was, like, Miss Wadjda, I don't know, history or some shit. She looked at me, she said, "Sean, you're the reason (laughs) -"
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
"You're the reason why they build prisons."
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus Christ.
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
You're a little kid, can you imagine that?
- SSSean Strickland
No, dude, but she, she fucking s- nail on the fucking head, dude.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Like, I was a fucking shitbag, you know? It's like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right. But shitbags can grow up and become actual men.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's totally possible, to dismiss a kid-
- SSSean Strickland
(sighs)
- JRJoe Rogan
... at that early an age.
- SSSean Strickland
No, dude, but life is strange, man. Like, like, they do very good at isolating shitty people. So, I mean, I mean, like, when I was in elementary school, I was homeschooled in, like, third, fourth grade, till, (clears throat) till, like, you know, seventh grade, I went back to school. And then they spotted me right off the bat, like, "Oh, this guy is a problem, he's a shitbag." Like... And they'll... So they isolate you, they put you in, like, a school where you start two hours later and you end an hour early-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
... 'cause they iso- they, they gotta isolate you.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
High school, same shit, went to a continuation school. So, society, like, they do well at saying, "Hey, this kid is gonna be a problem. We just gotta..." Like, "He's like cancer, we just can't let him infect other people. Let's fucking put him away."
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
And then you go... And then you get older and then you just go to jail. Same shit.
- JRJoe Rogan
But it's funny that those kids, a lot of those kids, they can do things. They just need a direction. They need something. And martial arts is the-
- SSSean Strickland
(sighs)
- JRJoe Rogan
... best thing for those kids.
- SSSean Strickland
And-
- JRJoe Rogan
Every one of... I... When people say, "What's the best thing about bullies?" Or- or best thing, rather, to deal with bullies. I'm like, "Teach them how to fight."
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You teach bullies how to fight, they're not gonna wanna f- be beating people up. They're... If you teach them how to train with real people, they're not gonna be-
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... doing that.
- 10:52 – 13:14
Early gym experiences and identity change: first happiness, racism, and finding a new self
- SSSean Strickland
Well, I remember the first time in my life that I ever felt happiness. Like, even when I think about it, dude, it makes my eyes water. I was, like, 14 years old, you know, I was just a fucking fuck up, loser man. And my mom brought me to an MMA gym and I got the shit kicked out of me. Just fucking, like, got the bloody fucking nose. You know Paul Herrera?
- JRJoe Rogan
Yep.
- SSSean Strickland
So, Paul Herrera used to run out of a gym, Empire MMA.
- JRJoe Rogan
The Headhunter.
- SSSean Strickland
But he never, he never trained. Like, he was never there. He was always in the business trying to fucking peddle, you know, fucking juice or something. So it would just be me and, like, probably 14 to 21-year-old, we'd just be in a cage with four ounce gloves fighting. So I... The first day I went there, I made a fucking bloody nose.
- JRJoe Rogan
I was thinking of Paul Blan- tell... Paul Herrera was the guy who fought Big Daddy Goodrich.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, he was the one that fucking got-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, the fucking elbows.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus. With the fireman's carry?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, so fucking the first day I trained there, man, I mean, I got the shit kicked out of me. I mean, I was so happy. I remember walking out, like, "Wow, this is what it feels like to be happy." Like, "I've never fucking felt this," you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
You got it all out of your body.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
And I was like, "Fuck, I'm addicted." I mean, I, like... Even going into that, dude, I was, like, I was, like, 14, 15. I had, like, crazy racist views. Like, I mean, I was like a little fucking Hitler Youth, which is funny to make fun of a boost, but like-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
... I- I... Le- let's shit you not, dude. Like, I was, like... I was on a fucked up path. Even, like, you know, I always like wearing white shirts and boots and jeans-I stopped wearing this. I used to wear this ... This is all I wore when I was a kid. But I stopped wearing it once I started training, because I thought it looked too much like a white supremacist.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
So, I was like, "I can't wear that shit anymore."
- JRJoe Rogan
A white shirt?
- SSSean Strickland
Well, 'cause you wear your white shirt, your boot ... You ever see American History X?
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay.
- SSSean Strickland
So, like, it's like the standard, you look like a white supremacist, and I loved that shit. When I was a kid, I, I loved that shit. That's what I wanted to look. I wanted to look like a piece-of-shit white supremacist.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
So, when I started training, I was like, "Oh, dude. You, like ... You are lost, dude." Like, "That's not who you are. That's not what you believe." I, like, went away for a minute.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
I grew my hair out fucking super long, got the name Tarzan, I didn't dress like that. And now, as an adult, I'm like comfortable with who I am. I'm not fucking ... I'm not a racist. I love everybody. Now, I could go back to, like, my roots of being just a white trash motherfucker.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Like, that's nice, man. I've really accepted who I am, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it's, it's so interesting to watch people go through these changes in life, and these trials through adversity, and become, like, a v- a very interesting person at the end of it.
- 13:14 – 19:01
America, consumerism, and family breakdown: corporate incentives and cultural decay
- JRJoe Rogan
You know? Like, I l- I ... You know, I know you say a lot of outrageous shit and it's very funny, but you also say some very good shit. You know? Like, this speech that you gave when you were talking about America, like, the, the, like ... That speech, the post-fight press conference speech.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's a fucking great speech.
- SSSean Strickland
Well, d- you know what it is, Z-Man? I, I'm white trash. Like, I ... Like, what I mean by that is, like, I am the future of America, so like, w- like ... Both my parents worked. You know, my dad's piece of shit, but, you know, he's fucking in hell probably right now. But both my parents worked. They made good money, but we were poor. We were poor because after the cigarettes, the bars and the fast food, we're fucking poor. I mean, like, you know, we had like fucking ... I can't tell you, you'd find a piece of paper and you wrinkle it up, you use it as fucking toilet paper.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
You know? (laughs) Like, there were times I wiped my ass with a, with a piece of fucking paper you get l- laying around. But this is like ... It's like this unholy alliance that corporations are doing to America. They want women working, they want lower wages, and they want more consumerism. And it's like ... I don't mean it. Like, I'm not sexist. Like, "Oh, put women back in the kitchen," you know, "they suck." No, I love fucking women, you know? Take off the burka, wear a fucking bikini, and huzzah. (laughs) But ...
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
But you know what I'm saying? But we're, we're truly, like, in a, in a weird time to where, like, corporations are er- eroding, eroding values of America.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, they act within their best interests.
- SSSean Strickland
It's ... Make money.
- JRJoe Rogan
In their best interests to keep people, consumers, and make sure the people just pay attention only to stupid shit.
- SSSean Strickland
Or, you, you have Walmart in the, in the, in your phone now.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
You wanna go ... I mean, I can't even ... Even me, I'm to blame. There's sometimes, you guys, where I'm like, "Man, I'm a little depressed, I don't know, I'm fucking j- just in a bad mood." I'm like, "I'm gonna go on Amazon. Let's see what the fucking Amazon fairy is recommending me today."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
"Maybe I could ... Maybe I could find something that'll give me a little serotonin boost."
- JRJoe Rogan
Find some happiness in a one-click.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
And then so, it's like you ha- ... And then you have like ... And then on top of that, now we go full circle. You have two parents working, and I'm going mostly on the w- the West Coast, you have shitty fucking kids, dude. Las Vegas, graduation rates less than 50%. High school dropout, no GED. I'm not one to talk. But how do you raise, how do you raise a family, a successful family, when your kids are being raised by the system?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
By fucking TikTok. After my fight, I had the doctor. You know, good, good guy, the doctor at UFC. He comes up to me, he's like, "Hey, why you, why you talking bad about Las Vegas?" I'm like, "Well, 'Doctor John," whatever your name is. 'Doctor,' you're a cool dude. "What, what school do your kids go to?" And he just like gets a big, like, smirk. I'm like, "Yeah, I'm sure you're paying like 50, 50-plus a year-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
... to educate your kids." Like ... So, again, man. I mean, where's the reset button? Maybe there is no reset button.
- JRJoe Rogan
I think the reset button is teaching people that there's things that you can do in life that can transform you. And I think, as weird as that sounds, a lot of people learn that through watching people like you evolve through fighting, because it's the most difficult thing you could do. Outside of war and being a cop and being a fireman, it's the most difficult physical pursuit that a person can get involved with for a living.
- SSSean Strickland
Mm-hmm. But again, we're talking on such a deeper, fundamental level. If you have no belief, like, we could say America's becoming atheists. Like, we could say that. If you have no belief, if you have no moral right, no wrong-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
... and you're not taught this from, like, a stable family, and you're being raised ... I mean, like, literally, America's becoming like Communist China, where like we're letting our school system dictate values and beliefs. We're letting the system tell you what your kids are. And again, I'm agnostic, so I'm not, I'm not telling anybody to go find Jesus, you know? If you're gonna find somebody, at least, at l- least let it be fucking Jesus, right? But, uh ... I mean, how do you, how do you fix a moral decay of a society when that's just where we're going?
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
You got TikTok, man. Even in, even fucking Communist China will, will mitigate what shows on TikTok, but they give us utter fucking filth.
- 19:01 – 24:00
Porn, hypersexualization, and social media: shaping kids’ brains and incentives
- SSSean Strickland
You know, so even let, let's go on the smallest scale of sex. Like, uh, how old are you, Joe? Do you want-
- JRJoe Rogan
55.
- SSSean Strickland
When did, when was the first time you started watching porn? Can I ask that question right now?
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. It was, uh, VHS tapes came out when I was like, I probably was like 15, 15 or 16.
- SSSean Strickland
Okay. So, I mean, we had, uh, my brother ... So, my brother is a few years older than me, so he remembers things that I don't, but he'll like tell me 'em. And like, I'm like, "Oh, shit. I forgot about that." So, I was watching porn in like early elementary school, like first grade and second grade. Like, because we had like a communal porn box.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah (laughs) . Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
Like, my dad, my dad, my dad had this like fuckin' like an old school water heater box, and it just stacked with fucking porn, right?
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs) So, you kids don't know about this, but we had like the communal VCR, so like you would go to, you would go to watch Aladdin, you know? And all of a sudden like Buttfuckers 29 is on the fucking TV.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
So, I started watching porn when I was like, I don't know, I was jerking off to fucking third grade, dude. My fucking third grade teacher.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- SSSean Strickland
But like, but I was surrounded by that.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
Right? So, so already I'm at this moral decay. And it was like ... And I was the odd one. I was the odd one, man. Like, I had to go fucking find the porn. I had to go fucking ...
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
My brother always jokes, my brother always jokes that like when he would like take my dad's porn tape out of the VCR, he would always have to (laughs) rewind it to where he started so no one knew he was watching porn. But then he jokes, he said, "Oh, man. I always know where my dad's coming now." (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
'Cause you know right when you-
- JRJoe Rogan
You know the spot? (laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
... right when you come, you just shut the fucking thing off. Oh, that gross.
- JRJoe Rogan
But still like, yeah, right? Fucking A, yeah, dude. My dad was fucking ... I'm surprised I'm not more fucked up. But, you know ... So, what I'm saying-
- SSSean Strickland
Is he alive now?
- JRJoe Rogan
No, he, he died of cancer. It's actually fucking ... Yeah, fucking I'll, I'll tell ya after. But it, it, it's kinda funny, um, like ... So, I'm an oddity. I'm an oddity. I'm jerking off from a little fucking kid, you know, I'm an oddity. Like, I'm, I'm fucking violent. But now, but now, dude, you give a little kid a cellphone and you have two parents working, next thing you know, I mean, you fucking go on Instagram and you got titties in your face. Like, now we're like hypersexualizing kids, and I, I think that's also a big moral decay. 'Cause the moment you become hypersexualized, oh, I can't stop thinking about fucking pussy and dick, like- Right.
- SSSean Strickland
... it starts fucking your brain up at such a young age. So-
- JRJoe Rogan
And it's a very unusual way to give it to kids, where they have instant access to watching porn on their phone-
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... all day long.
- 24:00 – 26:34
Cancer, pills, and injury: family addiction, the opioid crisis, and Sean’s torn quad
- SSSean Strickland
Fucking cancer, man. My dad died of fucking cancer. Fuck.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's horrible shit.
- SSSean Strickland
My dad, dude. He was so fucked up on pills that like he had every kinda cancer. Like, I mean like body, brain cancer.
- JRJoe Rogan
Ugh.
- SSSean Strickland
Like (laughs) all, every kinda cancer.
- JRJoe Rogan
Ugh.
- SSSean Strickland
And I think the doctors were like, "Dude, how did you not know something was wrong?" Like, at this point, you should've been like, "There's something wrong with you," right?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, fucking A, dude. Yeah, and then he was like ... My dad was such a fucking coward, though. Like, he was the kinda guy, like, no. Norm did the right thing. He's like, "I'm gonna go to Canada. I'm gonna die with dignity." Nah, fuck that, dude. My dad was like, "Give me all the drugs. I'm just gonna ride this bitch out."
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, if you're doing pills already-
- SSSean Strickland
Oh, dude, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
... and you, they tell you you're fucked.
- SSSean Strickland
And everything, do pills, man. You wanna talk about, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
... the corruption. Like, I don't know. Uh, I, I'm sure our, I'm sure your viewers have a lot of experience with dealing with people who do pills, man. It's fucking-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
... horrible, dude. Fucking horrible.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's the worst. And, you know, that Sackler family, they just fucking bribed their way outta being prosecuted for that. They just gave up $6 billion so that they're immune to prosecution. It's fucking evil shit, what they did.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, dude.
- JRJoe Rogan
They, they knew that stuff was addictive. They knew that people were gonna get hooked. They knew it was gonna ruin lives and kill people.
- SSSean Strickland
I mean, you're in the entertainment area. I'm sure you deal with it, dude. It makes you zombies. Like, like, pills suck the soul from you.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
When I was in my motorcycle accident, man, I fucking tore ... I'm still missing my quadricep. I fucking ... My left part of my kneecap on the road. And, like, I would not take pills, just 'cause I watched it my whole life growing up. It's like, "Fuck that. I'm just gonna be in pain forever, guys."
- JRJoe Rogan
What's wrong with your quadricep?
- SSSean Strickland
Uh, so it's torn. It's gone, so-
- JRJoe Rogan
You don't have a quad?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, no. If you ... There's a little indent right there. See how it, like, dips in?
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, whoa.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, so I got to the point where it's like ... I mean, I can go get a fix. I'm gonna be out for a year. So, you know, I'm, I'll deal with that shit.
- JRJoe Rogan
How would they fix it?
- 26:34 – 34:19
Trauma stories: violence at home, survival instincts, and breaking generational cycles
- SSSean Strickland
Dude, I'll never forget. My dad, my fucking dad, dude. He fucking ... I'm like s- 17, 18, and I come home, and, and like he's laying in bed, doing my brother's 1911. My mom bought us guns at like super early ... Like, dude, I was like in fucking, I was like in fucking elementary school with a loaded gun in my room, you know.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, my ... (laughs) White trash, dude.
- JRJoe Rogan
Phew.
- SSSean Strickland
So I'm like 17, I come home, and my, and my dad's sitting there with my fucking brother's .45. You know, really cool .45. And he's like talking about killing himself. And I'm like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, God.
- SSSean Strickland
I'm like, I'm like, "Dude, Dad." Like ... I'm like, "Dude, you should do it, man."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
"Like you should, you should fucking do it."
- JRJoe Rogan
You told him to do it? (laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Well, like, I'm like, "Dude, your wife's fucking f- fucking her boss. Your wife's cheating on you. Like, you're fucking poor. Like, you're a drug addict. Like, like, where's your path to success from here?"
- JRJoe Rogan
You were telling him this at 14?
- SSSean Strickland
Uh, no. I was like 17.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- SSSean Strickland
I was like 17. I was like, "Where is your ..." I mean, fuck, dude. I wa- I would've told him at 14. I probably would've at ... 14, I probably would've pulled the trigger. (laughs) You know.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
But I was like, "Dude," I was, I was training now. I was like, "I was in a better place."
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
So I was like, uh, I was like, "Where, where is your fucking path to success here? Like, where, where is your happy ending?" I mean, there was that one point where I even fucked up. Gunpoint to his head, pushed hand on the trigger, and I said, "Just fucking," (laughs) you know. 'Cause when you're, when you're mi- minor sociopath too, you know, you kinda get power outta that. You kinda get a little-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
... kick out of it. Like, "Oh, yeah. I wonder if I could make him kill himself."
- JRJoe Rogan
Jesus Christ.
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Jesus Christ.
- SSSean Strickland
But fast-forward, fast-forward ... (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) It's great you can laugh at it now.
- SSSean Strickland
Oh, dude. I mean, fucking if you can't laugh at all your fucked-up ... Dude, I mean, I went through some shit growing up, man. But fast-forward, like ... Fast-forward, man. He fucking, you know, died 10 years later of fucking cancer, and if you would've just fucking ... (clicks tongue) Some people you can't help, dude. There's some people that like ... I mean, I'm not an advocate for suicide. But there are some fucking motherfuckers in the world you cannot help.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
And if he would've just did it, he would've saved himself 10 years of misery.
- JRJoe Rogan
Jesus Christ.
- 34:19 – 39:00
Training as therapy and a lifestyle: sparring-heavy camps, distance control, and “live goes”
- SSSean Strickland
My body tr- I wanted to go sparring three times a day.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
But like, you gotta understand, man. You gotta understand, bro. You gotta understand, like, people are like, "Oh, go to therapy." Like, your brain, dude, like the damage is done, bro. It's unfixable. Like, I mean, there was one-
- JRJoe Rogan
Don't you think that sparring and training is a form of therapy?
- SSSean Strickland
I feel like ... Fuck, why do you think I spar so much? (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
And that's why I, uh, that's how I have such a good style where I don't get hit, because I love to spar.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- SSSean Strickland
And if I got hit, I couldn't spar.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, your control of distance, your distance management, because of all those rounds.
- SSSean Strickland
The UFC did a test where they let us wear a mouthpiece. And I think that like my whole training camp, I, like I barely even got hit. And I spar, like I sp- I sparred the most and took the least amount of damage than anybody in the program.
- JRJoe Rogan
Because you spar so much.
- SSSean Strickland
I spar so much. But, dude, like i-
- JRJoe Rogan
Is that the majority of your training?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, sparring. I really, sparring. I'll do pads occasionally, but it's all live goes.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really? All live goes?
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
What about strength and conditioning? You doing any of that?
- SSSean Strickland
Not really, no.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really? It's just, just sparring?
- SSSean Strickland
Just sparring. Just sparring, man. Live.
- JRJoe Rogan
There's no better way to get in shape for fighting than fighting.
- SSSean Strickland
And it's fun, dude. It's fucking fun, man. Like, you know, I ma- I'm such a nicer, better person, you know. Like after I go and try to fucking kill a man, I come home and my girlfriend, even if she wants to pick a fight, I'm like, "Baby, it's okay. Don't worry about it." Like, "Don't trip."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
Like, "What did I fuck up? Tell me. Tell me. I'll fix it."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
You know, like, life. And training, training's fucking nice, dude.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
But I mean, dude, I don't like ... I think a lot of people though have these crazy homicidal urges, dude. I think we all wanna fucking shank somebody, shove somebody.
- JRJoe Rogan
There's a lot of people out there that have that. Yeah, there's a lot of unresolved anger.
- 39:00 – 46:36
Fighter pay realities and why foreigners can “afford” MMA careers
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah. The only issue with martial arts though, dude, and this is what, like ... And this is what I tell people and, and if you got a kid who trains, and let's just say you're training, what I'll, what I'll tell you, dude, and this, and this is factual and you guys should always understand this. I tell every- everybody that comes in the gym, I had one guy, "Little old Billy Bob's a pankration champion." And I go like, "Oh, that's cool." And I tell him this. When I was a kid, I was like 14, training at a gym, and there was a guy named Zack Light. I don't know if you're fucking old school, used to-
- JRJoe Rogan
I know who that guy.
- SSSean Strickland
But he was like, you know, um, like, 14 years old, this guy's like a hero to me. I'm watching him teach cardio kickboxing, I'm watching him teach, like, jujitsu and, like, he'll spar and fuck me up. I'm like, "Oh man, this guy's so fucking cool. He has the life that I want." And then hindsight, this man probably hates his fucking life. He's probably fucking half braindead and he's teaching cardio kickboxing classes for 20 bucks a- 20 bucks a class. So it's like, whenever you look at UFC fighters and you want to be this, understand, most of us, most of us end up poor, broke and regretting our life choices. Like, there's easier ways to make money, guys. I, I, I, again, I love-
- JRJoe Rogan
That's true.
- SSSean Strickland
I love fighting. If it wasn't for fighting, I'd probably be a fucking ... I w- I wa- I wanna be a serial killer or I'd probably just be a, uh, just a fuckhead in jail with a swastika on my arm.
- JRJoe Rogan
But don't you think that-
- SSSean Strickland
(clears throat)
- JRJoe Rogan
... like, that path ... If y- if you're ... You, you gotta be 100% obsessed to become successful.
- SSSean Strickland
If you wanna ... But even then, man. I mean, I see guys so often in life. It is kinda funny, w- we're talking about UFC and money. (clears throat) I was, uh ... I have a buddy named ... I'm gonna fuck his name. Oh sorry, Caio, Caio, Caio. Some Brazilian guy. Uh, contenders guy. Really good, really good guy, um. He's trying to fight Bo Nickal. Anyway, UFC guy. He just bought his first house having a kid. Dude, like, the average house in Brazil to buy is like $200,000. Like, maybe even less. I mean, that's like a nice house. A nice house. An average house in America is four or five. So it's like, you know, you, you see a lot more foreigners in this sport. And you're like, "Why are there more foreigners in this sport? America's pussies." And like, no, because they can afford it. You go and you fight, they sign, they're signing guys at 10-10. Like literally, 10-10. Like, 10-10 on four fights, man. Three fights you get cut. So they, they sign these Brazilians, these daggies, whatever the fuck you wanna call them. They go home with their 20K and they're living life good. They're living life good. How do you live on 20K in 20 kids-
- JRJoe Rogan
And pay your manager and pay your trainers-
- SSSean Strickland
And-
- JRJoe Rogan
... and pay your gym fees, and food and proper nutrition.
- SSSean Strickland
So again, I think that's also a big reason why we're, we're seeing less Americans, because y- you know, they're taking our jobs. Like, fuck, dude. Like, (laughs) you know, it's easier to import them, man. It's easier to import fighters and they go back home to Dagestan, Brazil, and they live on their, let's just say, they make shit, shit money and they're happy.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it's also who's talented and why are they, why are they so driven, and who's training them and what, what kind of environment-
- SSSean Strickland
But-
- JRJoe Rogan
... and they d- they're training in.
- SSSean Strickland
America is the best. We have the best athletes in the world, man. I- if there was, like, NFL money in NF-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
In, in, in the UFC. Again, I ... People think that I, I hate on UFC, dude. I make more money in the UFC than I should make my entire fucking life. Like, I, I am a fucking company man. Like, if it wasn't for the UFC, bro, I'd fucking ... I'd be a piece of shit, probably be a fucking drug addict. But (clears throat) if there was NFL money in the UFC-... we would dominate, dominate the UFC. There would not be one foreign fucking champion.
- JRJoe Rogan
But do you think that a lot of those guys who play sports, like they play U... they play football or they play, y- you know, basketball? Do you think they would wanna fight? Because you have to have a very different kind of mentality to wanna get into a ring or a cage with another man. It's different than playing a sport-
- SSSean Strickland
If it was a high school-
- JRJoe Rogan
... the pressure, the- the- the consequences.
- SSSean Strickland
If it was a high school thing and you could go get a D1 scholarship and you could leave the ghettos by- by being an MMA fighter, 100%. 100% they would do it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
Fuck yeah, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
So, how do we fix that?
- SSSean Strickland
(sighs) Like, money in the UFC? I don't know. I mean, fuck, I don't know. You know more about that than me. Um-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, there's money in the UFC for guys like you.
- SSSean Strickland
Oh, yeah, 100% .
- JRJoe Rogan
There's money in the UFC, but that's also in boxing. The UFC's better than boxing-
- 46:36 – 55:37
Title path talk and Strickland’s Izzy obsession: “China’s little slut” and promo chaos
- SSSean Strickland
You generally get in the UFC by... I mean, I think I took a two-week notice, a week notice on my first UFC fight. And that's why, if you're not in the UFC, you gotta stay ready. You gotta build, make way. You gotta stay fucking ready. But yeah, man. Greatest, greatest fucking sport in the world, dude. Fucking love the UFC. Hopefully I can fight Izzy, the, China's little slut.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) What is-
- SSSean Strickland
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
What is, uh, the- the status? Like, who is E-... So, right now, Whittaker is, uh, fighting this weekend against, uh, Dricus du Plessis.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
And that will probably determine-
- SSSean Strickland
That will determine. But I mean, nobody want... I mean, fucking dude... How many times... Like, this'll be their third, fourth fight with Whittaker and Izzy.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, but the last one was so close.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah, it's...
- JRJoe Rogan
That's why it's interesting to people.
- SSSean Strickland
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
And you know, we'll see what happens with, uh, du Plessis-
- SSSean Strickland
But I think, I think they wanna fight on the, the Australian card. So we- we're in the works, I think. I think Izzy wants it. I think Izzy wants it. I think the management wants it, you know. So we're in the works. And fucking Izzy, man. I can't stand that fucking guy. You see that? He said-
- JRJoe Rogan
I love that guy. How come you can't stand him?
- SSSean Strickland
Well, you gotta interview this guy, so you gotta be nice. Did you see that? Interview-
- JRJoe Rogan
No, I love him.
- SSSean Strickland
You see that? Did you see that- that- that thing when he was like, "This is the color... You look at the color of my skin, you'd think I'm from Africa." Have you seen that?
- JRJoe Rogan
No.
- SSSean Strickland
Oh my God, you gotta see it, dude. We- we- we gotta see it.
- JRJoe Rogan
But he is from Africa.
- SSSean Strickland
I- well, no. There's more.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- SSSean Strickland
"I am not Africa- I am Chinese."
- JRJoe Rogan
What?
- SSSean Strickland
You've never seen that? Oh, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
No.
- SSSean Strickland
You gotta wa- you gotta watch (laughs) you gotta... You guy- guys, if you, if you guys watch this, can you, on your time, pull up Izzy cringe? He says, and I quote, "You look at... You look at the color of my skin, you'd think I'm from Africa, but I am-"... from I am Chinese. Like, dude, that level of fucking sl- s- I played it, 'cause I do a little podcast with Mandance, with my buddy Chris Curtis. You know, I like to have a Black guy on my podcast, makes me look a little bit more wholesome.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
And Kurt never seen it too. And I'm like, "Kurt, you know, as a Black man, let's, uh-"
- JRJoe Rogan
Did he say this when he was fighting in China? Is that what it was?
- 55:37 – 1:07:29
Social media virtue signaling, fighter deaths, and authenticity vs performative mourning
- SSSean Strickland
They cut my last press conference. They like edited it out. I started talking about that girl that like, "Say my name," "I remember your name."
- JRJoe Rogan
What are you talking about?
- SSSean Strickland
Remember the girl that died, dude? And like everybody fucking posted a fucking picture of her. Like, Dana-
- JRJoe Rogan
No. But-
- SSSean Strickland
Oh my god, dude. This is your- aren't you like a fucking guy? This is your guy.
- JRJoe Rogan
You're right. I'm just trying to remember what he said.
- SSSean Strickland
So, (clears throat) she died, amateur girl, really shitty amateur fighter. She died. The letter got put to Dana, and Dana posted her and says, "I know your name." 'Cause in the- in the journal diary, the let- the- the- the thing says, "I know your name."
- JRJoe Rogan
Who is this girl?
- SSSean Strickland
Fa- Jamie-
- JRJoe Rogan
Are you aware of this, Jamie? Oh, this is the girl-
- SSSean Strickland
No, no, that's not- that's not her. That's not her, dude. It- Dana White posted about it.
- JRJoe Rogan
(clicks tongue) Oh, okay.
- SSSean Strickland
But anyways, so it's a bi- it was a big fucking thing and I kinda like went hard on the you- on the- on the Instagram and I got a lot of shit for it. So, (clears throat) someone, someone... Yeah?
- JRJoe Rogan
How did she die?
- SSSean Strickland
Uh, I think car accident.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- SSSean Strickland
But again, someone brought it up in the press conference and I just- you know me, like I'm like- I'm like a pseudo comedian. I'm not quite-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- SSSean Strickland
... funny, but I'm there. I'm like, I'm almost there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
So every time I make a really good point, I gotta fucking ruin it.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
You know? It's like-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- SSSean Strickland
I gotta (laughs) I gotta fucking ruin it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's hilarious.
- SSSean Strickland
But again, I don't wanna like- I don't wanna be a fucking politician. I don't wanna be a philosopher. I'm a fucking comedian that hits people.
- JRJoe Rogan
I get it. Yeah.
- SSSean Strickland
So like, you know, what Dana White did was fucking great, dude. Like I think that's awesome, man. He fucking, you know, someone showed him the journal and he's like, "You know, fucking, I'm Dana White. I sh- know your name. I w- you know, blah, blah, blah." But then you had these fucking bandwagon motherfuckers, dude. You had like Joaquin Buckley, just the little- the cringe lord he is. Joaquin Buckley, dude. That guy's Instagram is fucking rough, dude. I like Joaquin Buckley. I actually wanna hang out with him t- on Saturday.
Episode duration: 2:21:29
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Transcript of episode XF_lAWmSVoU
