JRE MMA Show #164 with Israel Adesanya

1. 0:00 – 1:56

   Engage fightwear origin story and early-career financial struggle

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drumming music plays) Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music plays) What's up?

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      Bro, what's up?

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya0:13

      What's up with that?

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      What's up? Good to see you, my friend.

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya0:15

      Long time no see.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:15

      What is the chain?

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya0:16

      The chain.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:16

      What does that, what does that stand for?

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya0:18

       Uh, Engage. This is, uh, my fightwear brand. Ashbel Castro started this.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:21

       Oh.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya0:22

       Um, he was one of the... I'll say this. He was, um, one of the only guys who fucked with me before I really, like, blew up. So when I was fighting in China and I lost to Alex, they stopped giving me fights. And I had, I think at the time, I was the highest paid foreign fighter in China at the time. Probably not now anymore. But then they stopped giving me fights and I was like, "Look, I have seven more fights on my contract. Can I at least just get three? I just need three." 'Cause money was running out, you know, the money I had saved up. And then, yeah, I was down to my last one day, like $500. And Eugene was holding pads for me because he saw something was up and I just said, "Bro, I'm, I'm about to be broke," this and that, rah-da-rah-da-rah. And he said, "Don't worry. Just leave it with me." I get home, uh, I think I was on, I was on the toilet and he just goes, "Check your bank account." And I'm sitting there just like (sighs) . I start crying and I call him. He's like, "No, don't thank me. Thank Ash," who started Engage. And I call Ash, I'm taking a shit and I'm just like, "Thank you."

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:21

       (laughs)

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya1:21

       (laughs) Thank you so much. Like, honestly just in tears 'cause you know, I mean, I've been there. Like, nothing and had everything and nothing again. So for me, yeah, he's always been a guy that's been in my corner. And me and Alex Volkanovski now, we, you know, we've helped raised the brand so we own part of the company. So yeah, I like to rep the set.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:40

       Oh, that's cool.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya1:40

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:40

       Nice. Nice.

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya1:41

       And I think we, Engage also was last final three when they had the whole Reebok fiasco. It was, uh, Venom, Engage and someone else. I can't remember who else. So we didn't get the, the gig, but it would've been nice, though.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:55

       Oh, the UFC gig?

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya1:56

       Yeah.

2. 1:56 – 4:48

   UFC uniform kits vs. sponsors: expression, money, and “approved sponsors” idea

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:56

      Yeah. Engage Fight Kits for the fighters, but now it's Venom Fight Kits. Yeah, the whole fight kit thing is weird. I really-

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya2:03

      (murmurs approval)

   3. JRJoe Rogan2:03

      ... preferred it when fighters could have sponsors.

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya2:06

      Condom Depot on the back of your shorts.

   5. JRJoe Rogan2:07

      I don't like that.

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya2:08

      (laughs)

   7. JRJoe Rogan2:08

      I mean they should probably-

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya2:09

      (laughs)

   9. JRJoe Rogan2:09

      ... have some discretion.

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya2:11

       (laughs) I did like it, though, and I do like the fact now, like, uh, the last fight I had, uh, Hunter hit me up way before any Gold Gloves or anything. He says, "Izzy, we're gonna do this for certain fighters. What design would you like on your shorts?" And I was like, "Bet." And I hit up Curtis, who works with Engage, does a lot of the designs, and I told him what I wanted and then he just did some custom stuff and I sent a few to Hunter and then boom, I got my shorts, the lightning, and I quite like that. I like expression. That's one thing I do miss about boxing or kickboxing, is the expression on the Mongkon-

   11. JRJoe Rogan2:43

       Mm-hmm.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya2:44

       ... the armbands, the shorts. Like, uh, Jonathan Haggerty, like, he has cool shorts with golden, like, bows on the side.

   13. JRJoe Rogan2:50

       Yeah.

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya2:51

       I like that. It's cool.

   15. JRJoe Rogan2:52

       I do, too.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya2:52

       Yeah, it's expression.

   17. JRJoe Rogan2:53

       I don't like everybody has to wear the same shit.

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya2:56

       I think maybe the UFC at the time, they wanted to be taken seriously in a sense, so we had to, like professional sports, but nah, I think we're all different independent contractors and we have different styles, so I'm glad now they've brought out, for certain fighters, like O'Malley and his pink shorts, Bryce Mitchell's camo shorts.

   19. JRJoe Rogan3:15

       Yeah.

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya3:16

       You know, let us express ourselves. We're artists.

   21. JRJoe Rogan3:17

       I like that, but I wish fighters had the ability to advertise.

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya3:21

       Oh, big time, yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan3:22

       That's-

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya3:22

       Greatly.

   25. JRJoe Rogan3:23

       That's big. Sponsors on your shorts is a lot of money.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya3:25

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan3:25

       Like, Schaub was making more money from the sponsors than he was from his fight purse.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya3:29

       Yeah, I agree. And there's a way to bring it back, I'm sure, but even now, 'cause they've got some, you get, you get some kickbacks, but it's better if you can just plaster Condom Depot and get $100 grand-

   29. JRJoe Rogan3:39

       (laughs)

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya3:39

       ... on the back of your shorts. (laughs)
3. 4:48 – 5:58

   Shorts, tights, and grappling realities: grabbing, body types, and rules

   1. JRJoe Rogan4:48

      I don't feel like anybody should be wearing shorts in grappling. I feel like the, the-

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya4:53

      Tights.

   3. JRJoe Rogan4:53

      ... temptation for gr- Yeah, tights. Temptation for grabbing is just too much.

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya4:57

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan4:57

      And it does happen.

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya4:58

      Yeah, I've seen it. It's, it happened to me even with, uh, what's his name? Brunson in the, in the-

   7. JRJoe Rogan5:02

      Yep.

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya5:02

      ... Brunson, he grabbed my tights and I was like-

   9. JRJoe Rogan5:04

      Yeah.

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya5:04

       ... "Yo, that's two times you've done it now." So it is tempting, but I think tights would be the best way to fight. But again, some guys like, have cool shorts and if the, if it, if that's their style, that's their style 'cause some people-

   11. JRJoe Rogan5:16

       Right.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya5:16

       ... I guess maybe their body type, maybe they got no ass. They don't wanna be... (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan5:21

       (laughs)

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya5:21

       Well, I got some back there, but like-

   15. JRJoe Rogan5:23

       (laughs)

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya5:23

       ... I don't know, a guy like, I won't drop no names, but like, you know, wearing tights, you look like a fucking-

   17. JRJoe Rogan5:28

       Right.

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya5:28

       ... a stick (laughs) or something, yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan5:29

       Yeah, you look a little flat.

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya5:30

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan5:31

       Yeah.

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya5:31

       That's what it is, though.

   23. JRJoe Rogan5:33

       Yeah, it is-

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya5:33

       Mmm.

   25. JRJoe Rogan5:33

       ... what it is. I mean, there's a lot of room for expression.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya5:36

       Mmm.

   27. JRJoe Rogan5:37

       It's, it's interesting to watch, like, all the different styles that people promote themselves as well.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya5:42

       Mmm.

   29. JRJoe Rogan5:42

       You know, like there's so many different ways now and then there's guys like Alex who, you know, he doesn't even speak English-

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya5:48

       Mmm.
4. 5:58 – 7:42

   Volkanovski’s activity and a Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree breakdown

   1. JRJoe Rogan5:58

      What do you think about that fight-

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya5:59

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan5:59

      ... this week, guy?

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya5:59

      I can't wait. I just did the breakdown for it. We're about to drop it on YouTube now. I am picking, in this fight-... Alex, 'cause I just think the momentum behind him right now is so big. He's just got momentum. Look, I was the most active champion in UFC history, and I think lex- next to Alex Volkanovski as well. He was right up there with me, or if not more than me. I think Alex now is on his way to being the most active champ in UFC history, 'cause he's already saved, this year I think, two or three cards alone. He's, like, stepped in, be like-

   5. JRJoe Rogan6:32

      Yeah.

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya6:32

      ... yeah, I'm Sharma. Just does a jump scene.

   7. JRJoe Rogan6:34

      And he fights fucked up. He fights injured.

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya6:37

      Mm.

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:37

      Apparently his-

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya6:38

       Oh, really?

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:38

       ... knee was really fucked up in the first Jiri Prochazka fight.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya6:41

       Oh, wow.

   13. JRJoe Rogan6:42

       You know when he stopped Jiri and then he sa- he did, like, a forward roll off of Jiri?

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya6:47

       Yeah, yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan6:47

       He said he did that because he didn't trust standing on his right knee.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya6:50

       Oh, wow, momentum.

   17. JRJoe Rogan6:52

       Yeah, his knee was fucked up, so-

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya6:53

       Sure.

   19. JRJoe Rogan6:53

       ... he didn't, like, it was fucked up in training camp and so when he stepped off of him, he just decided to-

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya6:59

       Mm-hmm.

   21. JRJoe Rogan6:59

       ... roll forward instead of putting weight on his right knee.

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya7:02

       That's smart. That's some parkour shit.

   23. JRJoe Rogan7:03

       (laughs)

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya7:03

       But again, it's, that's, that's what you have to do. You, look, when you get in the UFC, this is what I did as well, he did it the, the right way, fight as much as possible. Fight as much as possible so you can be in people's faces so they can see-

   25. JRJoe Rogan7:16

       Mm-hmm.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya7:16

       ... that guy just fought. That guy just fought, oh, I just saw him fight last month. And you fight as much as you can and you get that momentum behind you, and then you become champion, you're that guy, and then again, you just, that momentum constantly.

   27. JRJoe Rogan7:28

       Mm-hmm.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya7:28

       You're in people's faces, you're getting posted here, here, and that's how you build a stock up. So I've done that and he's doing it the right way as well. And I think if he keeps going, bro, I hope he retires never getting defeated by anyone ever again.

   29. JRJoe Rogan7:40

       (laughs)

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya7:40

       (laughs)
5. 7:42 – 16:27

   Adesanya vs. Pereira rivalry: history, mindset, and the “spirit/juju” factor

   1. JRJoe Rogan7:42

      And the way you did it too, oh my God, that was one of the greatest celebrations of all time.

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya7:46

      Yeah, uh, it just, look, it's, it's, it's the story behind it. No matter what-

   3. JRJoe Rogan7:50

      Yeah.

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya7:50

      ... it's just the history, 'cause David even mentioned to me, my brother said, like, "You know you're the only one that can actually stand with that guy." Like, no one's lasted more than two rounds or even a round with him. And I thought about it during the breakdown, like, yeah, you're right, and it's 'cause I knew him. I have fought that guy so many times. And regardless of what happened, I lost three times and I finally won one, it was just the fact that I knew I could beat him. Every time I fought him, I was just like, uh, I was, I was beating him, and then he just catches me.

   5. JRJoe Rogan8:18

      I thought you won the first one.

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya8:19

      I felt so too, but then that's, you know, the Chinese judges-

   7. JRJoe Rogan8:23

      That's the kickboxing-

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya8:23

      Yeah, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan8:23

      ... the kickboxing fight.

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya8:25

       They gave it to him, and then the second fight in Brazil under the same company, then he gets me, but again, I was besting him. Had him on skates.

   11. JRJoe Rogan8:32

       Mm-hmm.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya8:33

       He was fucking... and then he, bro, his spirit. You know what Jerry said about the whole juju thing?

   13. JRJoe Rogan8:38

       Mm-hmm.

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya8:38

       Like, th- that's real. That's real.

   15. JRJoe Rogan8:40

       Yeah.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya8:40

       So the la- the last time I fought him in Miami, look, he beats me. This is what I hate when people say, "Oh, is scared? He scared?" It's like, bro, I ain't scared of shit. The guy beat me in the biggest, uh, arena on the planet, Madison Square Garden, same way as the last time we beat me in Brazil in his hometown. I was beating his ass, had him hurt in the end of the first round, all that shit, took him down, and then he gets me in the last round. It's his spirit. His, whatever, like, ancestors or there's people that are praying for him, 'cause I got prayer warriors as well. My mum and dad be fasting and they have people, like, in the spirit mem- pr- praying for me. But, like, the way he carries himself, something about him just, he knows how to recover well. So I just knew I could get him, I could get him, and then after that he knocks me out in the biggest arena in the world and I'm just like, (clicks tongue) "Let's do that shit again, Dana."

   17. JRJoe Rogan9:27

       (laughs)

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya9:27

       'Cause I just knew, I was like-

   19. JRJoe Rogan9:28

       Yeah.

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya9:28

       ... "I can get him." And then that camp, I was so... I went to a different place, and that was when I kinda mentioned I, I microdosed a little bit, or macrodosed a lot. (laughs)

   21. JRJoe Rogan9:41

       (laughs)

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya9:41

       And, like, I always say this, the shower is the most interesting place on the planet, I feel, 'cause you have the element of water running over your body, stripped naked in your bare essentials. You kinda have this, if it's a white shower, you get like a void white space, I can create a lot in there. I can make a lot of things happen. And yeah, one time after one of my showers I just wrote this thing on my mirror 'cause I just had this premonition, like, this is where I get it done. Like, there's no way. You could beat me one time, you could beat me two times, you might beat me three times. But I was like, "Nah, this guy's not gonna beat me this time." And I just knew I had to get this done. And the way it happened as well, 'cause first round I think I won and second round I was winning, but then that fucking leg kick, bro. You know what it is? You look at his foot. You look at this bit of his foot.

   23. JRJoe Rogan10:30

       Mm-hmm.

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya10:30

       It's like a hammer. You know, like a, like the, like the back of a hammer-

   25. JRJoe Rogan10:34

       Mm-hmm.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya10:34

       ... or a hammer like a ball pe- it is, 'cause that's what he kicks you with as well. So he doesn't have to, excuse me, he doesn't have to turn the hip over.

   27. JRJoe Rogan10:41

       Right.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya10:41

       And then when he hits you with that, even, 'cause he's bone density, long legs, and he hits you with that, you just feel it, like, ooh, that's bad. And it's, it's a different feeling 'cause I've been kicked by kickboxers all my life on the thigh, on the calf as well. But when he hits you with that bit, it's just a surface area, it's so small, but it tra- it, it travels and transfers through your whole calf and you're like, "Oh, I can't put weight on this."

   29. JRJoe Rogan11:04

       It's so interesting too how he keeps his body completely square.

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya11:08

       Whoa.
6. 16:27 – 21:57

   Time off, ring rust, and building a bigger gas tank for five-round fights

   1. JRJoe Rogan16:27

      How much of an effect did taking 11 months off have?

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya16:30

      I think it was more good than bad. I know some people say ring rust or this and that, and I'm like, "Nah." I felt good in there. I felt good in there. And it was only when I watched the fight back, I saw a couple of mistakes I made, even on the feet, where I was like, "Ooh, don't do that again." Just with my foot work, my exits. Even David said, "You had sloppy exits." I was like, "Yeah, my bad." But, um, yeah, that and then the moment at the end when I slipped and I, just a lapse in judgment when I was just letting him know, it was me tripping. Those kind of moments, maybe if I was as active it w- it wouldn't have happened, but who knows? We'll never know. But I am happy with how I performed. I was happy with the shape I came in. I came in really good shape. And, uh, what's his name? Bill, this guy, he did the numbers for me, he said, "This is the most active I've been in any fight by far in my UFC career." He crunched the numbers up and said, uh, my strike per minute rate or whatever. All you nerds figure it out. You can do your own.

   3. JRJoe Rogan17:31

      (laughs)

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya17:31

      But yeah, he, Bill is smart. He's this guy who helps in out, me now with my strength. He, uh, yeah, did the numbers and said, "This is the most active you were." So we can do some things different. Um, put a little bit more gas in the tank, things like that, and then just stay active like that. It was good. And I had fun in there. I had fun just exchanging, yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan17:50

      I wanted to ask you about that, like the-

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya17:51

      Mm-hmm.

   7. JRJoe Rogan17:51

      ... gas in the tank thing 'cause this is, uh, there's a philosophy that Marv Marinovich and Nick Curson, some of these guys have.

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya17:58

      BJ Penn's coaches?

   9. JRJoe Rogan17:59

      Yeah.

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya17:59

       I remember them.

   11. JRJoe Rogan17:59

       So what they wanted BJ to do when BJ was in his prime, essentially the, the camp was-... entirely based around strength and conditioning. So it was all conditioning to give you this insane gas tank.

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya18:13

       Mm-hmm.

   13. JRJoe Rogan18:13

       Their philosophy is, you know how to fight, you've been fighting your whole life. You're not gonna get better at fighting in six weeks, but what you can get is insane cardio, if you only concentrate on that.

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya18:24

       Mm-hmm.

   15. JRJoe Rogan18:24

       And it, they don't... The- their thought process is, that is the most important thing.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya18:29

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan18:29

       That is the thing that fails you the most in fights. That's the thing that keeps you from hitting the gas, keeps you from doing the things you wanna do, keeps you from being able to scramble out of positions.

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya18:38

       Keeps you...

   19. JRJoe Rogan18:39

       But if you can, instead of all this fight-specific training, like, put that aside and just give yourself the most fucking insane gas tank humanly possible and then fight-

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya18:50

       Mm-hmm.

   21. JRJoe Rogan18:51

       ... and then the margins, the things, the times when you're going to need it... Like, your skill level is already elite world championship skill level. It's not gonna deteriorate because your cardio gets better in six to eight weeks.

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya19:02

       Yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan19:02

       But what you can do is give yourself this insane-

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya19:05

       Mm-hmm.

   25. JRJoe Rogan19:05

       ... base of cardio, so in those moments when you need to hit the gas, you can.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya19:10

       Yeah. Uh, I-

   27. JRJoe Rogan19:11

       And that's what they did for BJ, when BJ was at his best.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya19:13

       Yeah. I think the best I saw BJ, from watching him, especially live, he was training with them, UFC 107.

   29. JRJoe Rogan19:19

       Yeah.

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya19:19

       I think Diego Sanchez. He looked like-
7. 21:57 – 28:29

   Recovery tech and longevity: hyperbaric oxygen, NAD, stem cells, and daily edges

   1. JRJoe Rogan21:57

      Have you ever used hyperbaric chamber?

   2. IAIsrael Adesanya22:00

      Nah. Not... Yeah, we don't... I don't know if we have that in Auckland-

   3. JRJoe Rogan22:03

      Dude-

   4. IAIsrael Adesanya22:03

      ... Probably do.

   5. JRJoe Rogan22:03

      ... I did a, a whole series, when I first moved to Austin I did the whole series, 'cause there's this protocol. I think, uh, it was an Israeli study that they did-

   6. IAIsrael Adesanya22:11

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan22:11

      ... where they showed that it lengthens telomeres. You do like 60 sessions over 90 days and you know when they measure your biological age by the length of your telomeres, it puts 20 years on you, like it, it, it decreases your age of your telomeres by 20 years.

   8. IAIsrael Adesanya22:27

      Is telomere like the D- DNA strand or something?

   9. JRJoe Rogan22:30

      It's a, well, it's... Yeah. Uh, we- I would ex-... I don't wanna fuck this up, so what-

   10. IAIsrael Adesanya22:34

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan22:34

       ... exactly are telomeres?

   12. IAIsrael Adesanya22:35

       Layman terms.

   13. JRJoe Rogan22:36

       But, uh, the way you measure someone's biological age is the length of the telomeres. And through things like NMN, um...

   14. IAIsrael Adesanya22:43

       Oh yeah, that thing, yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan22:44

       Yeah.

   16. IAIsrael Adesanya22:45

       I got it right, yeah. Smart.

   17. JRJoe Rogan22:46

       There it is. Telomeres are protein and DNA structures at the ends of the chromosomes that perform several important functions, including protecting DNA, promote pr- uh, preserving chromosomal integrity. Telomeres help, help maintain the structure integrity of DNA during replication.

   18. IAIsrael Adesanya23:01

       It's the bit at the ends, right?

   19. JRJoe Rogan23:02

       Mm-hmm.

   20. IAIsrael Adesanya23:03

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan23:03

       And as you get older, they get shorter.

   22. IAIsrael Adesanya23:04

       Smaller, yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan23:04

       And they get weaker, and, you know, so that's where-

   24. IAIsrael Adesanya23:06

       I don't even know how I know this. I think it's just a real... I saw somewhere.

   25. JRJoe Rogan23:09

       NAD shot, when people get NAD, uh, infusions, that helps that as well.

   26. IAIsrael Adesanya23:13

       I've been seeing that lately.

   27. JRJoe Rogan23:14

       Yeah.

   28. IAIsrael Adesanya23:15

       Like Bieber-

   29. JRJoe Rogan23:16

       Mm-hmm.

   30. IAIsrael Adesanya23:16

       ... the Kardashians getting 'em.
8. 28:29 – 33:47

   Weight cutting realities: hydration, IV bans, brain rehydration, and safer divisions

   1. IAIsrael Adesanya28:29

      There'll be something, like, they've got the whole thing at, uh, ONE with the hydration clause.

   2. JRJoe Rogan28:33

      Mm-hmm.

   3. IAIsrael Adesanya28:33

      But the thing is, no matter what, people are always gonna try and find a way.

   4. JRJoe Rogan28:36

      Yeah.

   5. IAIsrael Adesanya28:36

      They're always gonna try and find a way to sneak past the hydration test or something that they could use to pass it, but I don't know how that works. I don't know how they test for it. It's never happened to me. But weight cutting, uh, even when I started, uh, fighting, people used to tell me, "Go down to, uh, uh, what are you? 170 for you guys."

   6. JRJoe Rogan28:51

      Oh my God.

   7. IAIsrael Adesanya28:52

      Hell no.

   8. JRJoe Rogan28:52

      How the fuck can you make 170?

   9. IAIsrael Adesanya28:54

      Back when I was skinny, before, like, I got really brolic, I was maybe, I could make maybe 80 kgs. That's close to 170, 'cause 170 is 77 kgs. But the lowest I ever got to was 80 as a, as a kickboxer. That was it.

   10. JRJoe Rogan29:06

       (exhales)

   11. IAIsrael Adesanya29:07

       Yeah, 170, I'd die. I'd, I wouldn't even... 'Cause I've seen some of these weight cuts where gu- like, God dang, girls-

   12. JRJoe Rogan29:13

       Like Khamzat.

   13. IAIsrael Adesanya29:14

       Oh, bro.

   14. JRJoe Rogan29:14

       Like when Khamzat would make 170.

   15. IAIsrael Adesanya29:16

       Or even Cyborg.

   16. JRJoe Rogan29:17

       Yeah. Oh, yeah.

   17. IAIsrael Adesanya29:17

       You see her when she was in the, in the bath, in the tub crying and shaking?

   18. JRJoe Rogan29:21

       Yeah.

   19. IAIsrael Adesanya29:21

       And Oliveira when they go, um, and they huddle around him. It's, uh, when you, when you cut weight though, I'll say this thing. For me, when I cut weight, it's a spiritual experience sometimes. It's a weird experience 'cause I've, not just me, I've seen fighters who have not get delirious but start saying things that you wouldn't, they wouldn't normally say.

   20. JRJoe Rogan29:42

       Hmm.

   21. IAIsrael Adesanya29:42

       Not even in a bad way, but just the way they talk.

   22. JRJoe Rogan29:44

       'Cause you're close to death.

   23. IAIsrael Adesanya29:45

       Yeah. (laughs) You see the light.

   24. JRJoe Rogan29:47

       Yeah, man. It's like-

   25. IAIsrael Adesanya29:48

       You start saying some shit.

   26. JRJoe Rogan29:48

       ... you really are close to death.

   27. IAIsrael Adesanya29:49

       Yeah. Uh.

   28. JRJoe Rogan29:50

       I mean, it sounds ridiculous to say that. And-

   29. IAIsrael Adesanya29:52

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan29:52

       ... uh, for someone who doesn't understand what fighters are going through-
9. 33:47 – 51:23

   Rules and officiating: grounded fighters, upkicks, soccer kicks, and stand-up politics

   1. IAIsrael Adesanya33:47

      Mm. At least they took this shit out.

   2. JRJoe Rogan33:50

      Yeah. They took-

   3. IAIsrael Adesanya33:51

      Finally.

   4. JRJoe Rogan33:51

      Finally.

   5. IAIsrael Adesanya33:51

      Yeah. If you take it-

   6. JRJoe Rogan33:52

      Finally.

   7. IAIsrael Adesanya33:53

      Well, who pa- look, I, I always thought that th- that's like a group chat, (laughs) like decision, just say, "Yo, this is a dumb rule. Let's take it out." Boom. But why does it take so long? Is it 'cause the commission all over the United States or whatever have to get together or something?

   8. JRJoe Rogan34:08

      I don't know. I don't understand how it tak-

   9. IAIsrael Adesanya34:09

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan34:09

       That seems like a common sense rule. And especially anybody who understands the power-

   11. IAIsrael Adesanya34:14

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan34:14

       ... of elbows.

   13. IAIsrael Adesanya34:15

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan34:15

       Like this is not the most powerful elbow.

   15. IAIsrael Adesanya34:17

       No.

   16. JRJoe Rogan34:17

       It's just not.

   17. IAIsrael Adesanya34:18

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan34:18

       And so to, to deny that and to say that somehow or another that can't be blocked, well, that's crazy 'cause-

   19. IAIsrael Adesanya34:24

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan34:24

       ... you could do that just as easy as you can do that.

   21. IAIsrael Adesanya34:27

       Yeah.

   22. JRJoe Rogan34:27

       You can block that elbow.

   23. IAIsrael Adesanya34:28

       Facts.

   24. JRJoe Rogan34:29

       Yeah. It doesn't... None of it makes any sense. There's a bunch of things that are unrealistic in my opinion. One of them is, uh, not being able to upkick from a downward position when a guy is on top of you.

   25. IAIsrael Adesanya34:39

       Ooh.

   26. JRJoe Rogan34:39

       So if a guy is on top of you and you're on your back-

   27. IAIsrael Adesanya34:42

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan34:43

       ... and the guy has a knee down, you can't upkick. That's e-

   29. IAIsrael Adesanya34:45

       Oh, yeah. That's silly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan34:46

       Silly.
10. 51:23 – 58:31

    Gloves, eye pokes, and a safer design: Wittman’s Onyx vs. UFC gloves

    1. JRJoe Rogan51:23

       Bro, listen, man. The best gloves for sure are Trevor Wittman's.

    2. IAIsrael Adesanya51:28

       Yeah?

    3. JRJoe Rogan51:28

       The best gloves. He made the best gloves. They're the best MMA gloves-

    4. IAIsrael Adesanya51:31

       I've never seen them.

    5. JRJoe Rogan51:32

       ... of all time.

    6. IAIsrael Adesanya51:32

       Yeah. I've, I've got s-

    7. JRJoe Rogan51:33

       See if you can pull them up.

    8. IAIsrael Adesanya51:33

       The Onyx? Is that the Onyx one?

    9. JRJoe Rogan51:35

       Yeah.

    10. IAIsrael Adesanya51:35

        Yeah, I've, I've-

    11. JRJoe Rogan51:36

        They are-

    12. IAIsrael Adesanya51:36

        ... I've got the big ones, but I've never ever had-

    13. JRJoe Rogan51:38

        ... the best MMA gloves.

    14. IAIsrael Adesanya51:39

        Yeah.

    15. JRJoe Rogan51:39

        They curve, so it's curved so your hand is in this position.

    16. IAIsrael Adesanya51:43

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan51:43

        So if you wanna do this, you have to open-

    18. IAIsrael Adesanya51:44

        Flex.

    19. JRJoe Rogan51:45

        ... them up. But it's still, you can do that for grappling.

    20. IAIsrael Adesanya51:47

        Yeah.

    21. JRJoe Rogan51:47

        It's all the same.

    22. IAIsrael Adesanya51:47

        Mm-hmm.

    23. JRJoe Rogan51:48

        But they're in a curved position, and I think that would avoid so many eye pokes.

    24. IAIsrael Adesanya51:52

        So many injuries.

    25. JRJoe Rogan51:52

        So many eye-

    26. IAIsrael Adesanya51:53

        Yeah.

    27. JRJoe Rogan51:53

        You haven't really been eye poked too many times.

    28. IAIsrael Adesanya51:56

        Nah. Only time was in training, really bad one was in training. But nah, not, not in a fight. Nah. I avoid that as much as I can.

    29. JRJoe Rogan52:04

        I have another thought on that.

    30. IAIsrael Adesanya52:05

        Yeah.
11. 58:31 – 1:11:21

    Training-room dynamics: leg locks, ego management, and choosing safe partners

    1. JRJoe Rogan58:31

       Do, do you have a hard time like that with like people trying to get a name for themselves training with you?

    2. IAIsrael Adesanya58:36

       Yeah. Yeah.

    3. JRJoe Rogan58:37

       Of course.

    4. IAIsrael Adesanya58:37

       So that's for me, look, uh, it's not even ... If I go to a new gym, I pick and choose who I go with and it's not like an ego thing 'cause I don't wanna get my ass whooped. It's just like, I don't know you well enough that-

    5. JRJoe Rogan58:48

       Right.

    6. IAIsrael Adesanya58:48

       And sometimes you see people with, they, they salivate like, "Oh, this is my chance."

    7. JRJoe Rogan58:52

       Mm-hmm.

    8. IAIsrael Adesanya58:52

       "This is my-"

    9. JRJoe Rogan58:52

       Right.

    10. IAIsrael Adesanya58:53

        "I got my shot now."

    11. JRJoe Rogan58:54

        Yeah.

    12. IAIsrael Adesanya58:54

        Even now sometimes and, and, and grappling with some people in the jujitsu class, they'll just, lower belts, they'll be like, "Can I?" I'm like, "I'm good. Thank you."

    13. JRJoe Rogan59:04

        You know what I don't like?

    14. IAIsrael Adesanya59:04

        What? Yeah.

    15. JRJoe Rogan59:04

        When I see a dude sitting out around and waiting-

    16. IAIsrael Adesanya59:07

        Ah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan59:07

        ... while you're exhausted and then they go, "Do you wanna go?"

    18. IAIsrael Adesanya59:10

        Right.

    19. JRJoe Rogan59:10

        It's like, "Bitch, I watched you." I'll call them out. "I watched you just sit down."

    20. IAIsrael Adesanya59:13

        Yeah.

    21. JRJoe Rogan59:14

        "For 10 fucking minutes."

    22. IAIsrael Adesanya59:15

        Yeah. Oh, you get that as well, too.

    23. JRJoe Rogan59:16

        "Why didn't you just jump in?"

    24. IAIsrael Adesanya59:17

        Yeah.

    25. JRJoe Rogan59:18

        "Why weren't you just rolling right now?"

    26. IAIsrael Adesanya59:19

        Facts. Facts.

    27. JRJoe Rogan59:19

        "You wanna roll fresh?"

    28. IAIsrael Adesanya59:20

        Yeah. (laughs)

    29. JRJoe Rogan59:21

        "Is that what this is?"

    30. IAIsrael Adesanya59:22

        Yeah.

Episode duration: 2:35:13