EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,009 words- 0:00 – 2:33
Trump’s White House UFC idea: 8–9 title fights, logistics, and security concerns
- NANarrator
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music plays) All right, what's happening brother?
- BABrendan Allen
Joe Rogan, thanks for having us. 2020...
- JRJoe Rogan
My pleasure. So, Jamie, what were you just saying?
- NANarrator
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
I, I, I stopped you because it sounds-
- NANarrator
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... so crazy.
- NANarrator
So, uh, Trump said there's gonna be eight to nine title fights at the White House UFC event, and that they're, I guess, in quotes, "withholding"?
- JRJoe Rogan
Okay, first of all-
- NANarrator
They're holding back title fights right now.
- JRJoe Rogan
... there's only eight weight classes. So, how's there gonna be nine title fights?
- NANarrator
I don't know.
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
There'll be a b- BMF fight. Maybe add a BMF. Maybe you have all of them- I guess.
- NANarrator
... in the BMF.
- JRJoe Rogan
I guess, but that's kind of a crazy thing. "We're gonna have 20 title fights!"
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
"All the title fights there's ever been!" Um, did he say any match-ups?
- NANarrator
No, he didn't say who. He just said they're gonna, I don't think, actually, if there's even like a tweet about it. But I just saw him talking about it. It was like a, I don't know, press conference or something.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, if they don't do Jon Jones at the White House, I think it'd be a travesty.
- BABrendan Allen
For sure. They have to.
- JRJoe Rogan
They need to do that.
- BABrendan Allen
They have to.
- JRJoe Rogan
Come on. Dana's like, "You can't count on him." You can't fucking count on him. Come on. Stop.
- BABrendan Allen
When he wants to, he's gonna-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
... he's gonna make it happen, for sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
At the White House? Come on. Jon Jones versus, let's see, what does it say here? "Donald Trump predicts eight or nine cham-" (laughs)
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- 2:33 – 5:38
Outdoor fights done wrong: weather, humidity, and the nightmare of fighting in the rain
- JRJoe Rogan
Also, you're fighting outside, you know.
- BABrendan Allen
Yes. That's what I, like, what are they gonna do? Put a roof over it? Like what happens if it rains? Then what do you do?
- JRJoe Rogan
What if it's hot? What if it's hot and muggy?
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's gonna affect people, you know.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah. I've s- I've watched them do outside fights in Louisiana. Oh, man.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, God. Louisiana's the, you can cut that air.
- BABrendan Allen
Dude, you gotta see. Everyone's slipping and sliding. It's so humid.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's terrible.
- BABrendan Allen
It's ter-
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you ever see that King of the Cage fight that they did where it was raining?
- BABrendan Allen
I seen a highlight of it, but I never watched the whole thing.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, it was called King of the Cage: Wet 'n' Wild, and it rained out. This was in the day when we, uh, we used to have to, um, put on fights at Indian casinos. I p- I'm pretty sure Eddie Bravo was doing the commentary back then. And, um, they, it rained out. And so they were like, "What do you guys wanna do?" And, uh, everybody was like, "Well, we wanna get paid, so I guess we have to fight."
- BABrendan Allen
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
So, they fought in the fucking rain.
- BABrendan Allen
Oh.
- JRJoe Rogan
I mean, it was crazy, 'cause the-
- BABrendan Allen
How do you do that? (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
I don't remember what the canvas was made out of. It might've been slick. It might've been like a vinyl ca- It might, it might not have been like a canvas like the UFC's canvas-
- BABrendan Allen
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
... which is actual canvas. It might've been like a jujitsu mat type situation. Which is-
- BABrendan Allen
That's what it was. And Louisiana with the humid... So, I can't imagine the rain. The rain's gotta be crazy.
- JRJoe Rogan
It was pouring. It was pouring down on people. See if you can find some highlights of King of the Cage Wet 'n' Wild.
- BABrendan Allen
It was-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's gotta be worse than blood on the canvas. Uh, or blood-
- BABrendan Allen
Oh, it has to be.
- JRJoe Rogan
... blood on the vinyl. Right. It has to be.
- BABrendan Allen
It's terrible.
- JRJoe Rogan
It has to be the, the worst.
- BABrendan Allen
It just doesn't stop. Just...
- 5:38 – 9:46
Big events before modern arenas: Abu Dhabi outdoor UFC and boxing at Caesars Palace
- JRJoe Rogan
Abu Dhabi. That's right. We did a live one outdoor in Abu Dhabi. I remember that. That was when-
- NANarrator
Like a bu- 5,000.
- JRJoe Rogan
... um, BJ fought Frankie Edgar.
- BABrendan Allen
Wow.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, and Anderson f- Oh, God.
- NANarrator
Uh, uh, Damien Maia.
- BABrendan Allen
Damian Maia.
- JRJoe Rogan
Damian Maia. That's right. That's right. Oh, that's right. That was, that was like Damian... Anderson and Damian had real beef, and so Anderson was like yelling at him in the first round.
- BABrendan Allen
Oh, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Trying to kill him in the first round, and then he kinda ran out of gas. And so you just kind of coasted for the remainder of the fight and Dana was really pissed, 'cause he just-
- BABrendan Allen
I remember that.
- JRJoe Rogan
... coasted and won a decision.
- NANarrator
I think Enrique just put that back out there. (laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
I guess, but that wasn't good, dude. By the way, in Abu Dhabi, they had...... these bugs that were flying around this time, they're small birds.
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
It was, it was crazy. I was like, "This is n-" 'Cause, you know, you're in the desert.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's very weird. Very weird having an outdoor fight in the desert.
- BABrendan Allen
Uh, it's like mosquitoes in Louisiana, man. They come out of the swamp water.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
And I don't know what they're doing, but they're huge.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, back in the day, they used to have fights like that in Vegas. They used to have boxing matches outside.
- BABrendan Allen
Really?
- JRJoe Rogan
Caesars Palace used to have them outside. Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
Dang.
- JRJoe Rogan
See if you can find some of those, uh... I know, uh, f-... Oh, I think, like, they had some good fights outside, like some world championship fights that were outside Caesars Palace.
- BABrendan Allen
I think it'd be cool to say you did, but I don't think I wanna do it at this level.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) No.
- BABrendan Allen
'Cause if something does go wrong-
- 9:46 – 11:25
Brendan Allen’s start in martial arts: jiu-jitsu at 13, family influence, and early commitment
- JRJoe Rogan
When did you first start training? How old were you?
- BABrendan Allen
13.
- JRJoe Rogan
And what did you start with?
- BABrendan Allen
Jujitsu. I didn't even, like, really mean to, to be honest. Like, I was playing football. I love football. And, um, my brother came home 'cause he switched schools and his friend was like, "Hey, you wanna do jujitsu?" And we were watching, you know, UFC on the weekends. That was like, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell trilogy.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
And all those guys. So we watched them on the weekends, and, um, he asked. So we went there and looked. And I was still playing football. It was football season. And, um, my dad's like, "You wanna try it?" I was like, I watched the class and I was like, "Dad, I wanna do it." And he's like, "Okay, we'll get you the trial gi." I was like, "Dad, I don't want to borrow a gi. Can y- can we, can you buy me one?" And my parents didn't have much money. We were... My dad was just starting to do okay for himself at that point. He's like, "If I buy you this gi, I promise you, for the rest of the year you're coming-"
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
"... three times a week at least." I was like, "Yes, sir." So I started and never looked back.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- BABrendan Allen
A couple months later my brother and my dad joined me and we did it all together for a little while. Then my brother found girls and he went his way. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
So yeah, it's been a long road.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's derailed a lot of young prospects. (laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs) It definitely got him. It definitely got him, man. That life took him elsewhere. And I don't know, luckily I stayed. He would've been better than me though. He was a lot tougher and...
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, but it's a l-... Is he the older brother?
- BABrendan Allen
He's the older.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's usually the younger brother that winds up being the real good fighter.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, he beat me up a lot.
- JRJoe Rogan
Because the younger... That's the thing.
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
That's the thing. You, you learn resilience. You learn how to be the nail.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know? And the older brother oftentimes is too comfortable being the hammer.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, but my dad would put him in his place. So luckily, he wa- he was used to (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
... being the nail a little bit too, you know? My dad's a big man, so, um... Yeah, man, life is crazy. Uh...
- 11:25 – 15:39
Learning to strike the hard way: grown-man gyms, brutal sparring, and early lessons
- JRJoe Rogan
So when did you start striking?
- BABrendan Allen
Well, my dad boxed when he was younger, and his, his grandfather taught him how to box. And he was like, uh... He did something, uh, like won, like, a golden gloves in the military or something, back when they had, like, the, the boxing gloves that were made of, like, horse hair.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, wow.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, so, um, he taught my dad to box. And so my box-... My dad boxed in high school. So he was kind of teaching me little stuff here and there growing up. But you know how it is, man. Who listens to their father? Now I look back and I'm like, "Man, I wish I would've listened more." And I say stuff that he was like, "What'd I tell you 10 years ago?" You know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
Um, but I started striking probably, like, 15, maybe 15 and a half, somewhere around there. But it was all grown men back then. Especially, like, where I came up at. There was no, like, beginners' classes or anything like that.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- BABrendan Allen
And these guys are 24, 25, 26. I mean, there's been a couple of times, man, I got hit and I thought my jaw was broken. I start crying. I mean, like, smack, and then it was just like... I couldn't open my mouth, and...
- JRJoe Rogan
That's the problem with a lot of boxing gyms in particular, is that when new guys come in, they just beat them up.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, they did.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know?
- BABrendan Allen
They beat me up, for sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
They don't, they don't box you, like spar you rather. They fight you.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, they beat the crap out of me.
- JRJoe Rogan
And they know how to fight and you don't know how to fight, yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
You know, one of my best friends, uh, who was with me, like I started with him, was Kurt Holobaugh. And him and Dustin Poirier were the two biggest where we were from at that time. So I remember, uh, Tim Prater reached out to Kurt.
- JRJoe Rogan
Crazy Tim.
- BABrendan Allen
Yep. And he was like, uh, "Hey, why don't y'all come spar? We got Dustin." And I think Dustin was just about to go to WEC or he was r- he was right around there at that time. So we're like, "Let's go." Kurt's like, "Hey, you wanna go?" "Yeah, let's go." So we go over there for sparring. And I'm sparring this guy, man, he had to be like five foot one. Like he was tiny, short. And, uh, Kurt goes with Dustin, and I'm sitting here trying to watch them go 'cause I mean, they're throwing, they're fighting. They're, they're not sparring. And this guy's hitting me and I'm like, "Get off of me."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
Like trying to watch. And the same day, like so we sparred like, I don't know, four or five rounds. It was nice. And then, uh, and I'm only like 14, 15 years old at this time. And then it would start on the ground in your guard. And, uh, I go with Dustin 'cause everyone like said my jujitsu was good and it was for that time, but I was still just a kid. Dude, he hit me so hard when they said... Literally when they said go, it was like boom, right in my mouth and I was like, "Well, I guess this is what we're doing." I hurried up and grabbed and tried to sweep and all that kind of stuff, but man, I never forget that moment to this day. Like last night I trained with Dustin and I was like, "Hey, you remember that time you-"
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
"... you beat me up? Like I'm not little no more."
- JRJoe Rogan
You had three weight classes above him now. (laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, yeah. So like I see all the guys like that. There's one guy in particular, if I see him, I told everyone, "I'm whooping his ass."
- JRJoe Rogan
One guy, you don't wanna name him?
- BABrendan Allen
His name's J-Mart.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh okay.
- BABrendan Allen
Great guy, nice guy.
- JRJoe Rogan
But...
- BABrendan Allen
But training...
- 15:39 – 23:21
Weight cuts and size at 185: “How are these guys making middleweight?” + hydration-test loopholes
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
"... we're not gonna, we're not gonna make money for our family." So I always, I always took that in and obviously I'm not like a huge guy like they were, but it's like, even like when I was training in Florida, I knew when me and Robocop go, we're fighting. Like I know it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Dude, that guy is scary.
- BABrendan Allen
You know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Both y- both you guys, like how the fuck are you making 185 pounds? And you're on a smaller side in comparison to him.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, dude. It's, my weight cuts way h- harder than his.
- JRJoe Rogan
Is it?
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah. He walks... Dude, surprisingly, I asked him before 'cause he, he has, you know, he has a great like physique, right? He's a big guy. When I see him I'm like, "Bro, how much you weigh?" He's like, "Oh, like 205." I said, "No way. No way." He's like, "I'll step on the scale right now." Steps on the scale, 206. I was like, "No way." I've seen him a little bit bigger.
- JRJoe Rogan
How was he, he got bird bones? That doesn't even make any sense.
- BABrendan Allen
I have no idea. I thought the same thing. But me, I step on the scale, I mean right now I'm probably like 225 but I haven't done nothing since I fought. But I stay around 215, 220. And I'm the runt of my family so like my body wants to get bigger but I'm like, "Uh, I got unfinished b- business here."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
So yeah. Joe's, Joe's a, a big 85er. Joe Pyfer.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
He's...
- JRJoe Rogan
He's a huge 85er.
- BABrendan Allen
He has a hard cut.
- JRJoe Rogan
He's huge.
- BABrendan Allen
He has a hard cut. That's why I'm like when he gets... (sniffs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, like how is that guy-
- BABrendan Allen
Look at this one hand.
- JRJoe Rogan
How is that guy 185?
- BABrendan Allen
Dude, he is.
- JRJoe Rogan
When I stand next to him I'm like, "How?"
- BABrendan Allen
Same.
- JRJoe Rogan
I can't believe he walks around 205 'cause that doesn't even make sense.
- BABrendan Allen
That's what I seen him at. I, hey, if it's a lie, guys, strike me down now 'cause...
- JRJoe Rogan
I think he rigged that scale.
- BABrendan Allen
He mul- well we was all using it.
- JRJoe Rogan
He probably uh, he probably had his heels on the ground. (laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
There, he was... I was super surprised. My boy Tuko was with me. We was all in the room and I was like, 'cause I called him out on it. Everyone else wouldn't say it but I was like, "No."
- 23:21 – 26:49
Beating De Ridder and chasing the top: matchup timing, short notice realities, and division politics
- JRJoe Rogan
And sometimes, you know, you take a guy like De Ridder, who just got done stopping Bo Nickal and there's a lot of- a lot of momentum on his side, he looks real good. You beat Kevin Holland, submitted him, looks real good, and then you came along and stole that momentum.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, it was-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's nice.
- BABrendan Allen
... it was weird, to be honest, 'cause like when he got there I was like, "I want to fight him," just because, like, things of like... he fought one of my friends, which now I guess they're best friends, but...
- JRJoe Rogan
Who was that?
- BABrendan Allen
Uh, Aung La N Tsang.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay, yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
He took both his titles from him.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- BABrendan Allen
So, like, there was no animosity, but it's like, "I want to test my..." You're a ground guy, like, I'm a ground guy, let's- let's see. Um, and then it happened. He got there, to UFC, and I was like, "I want to fight him." Like, I was obviously... I think at the time I was like 12 ranked, somewhere around there. But I was like, "Let him get one, two, and obviously his name's gonna carry him," you know? So that came and I never forget. I was, uh, leaving an LSU game-I was, uh, in the parking lot. My manager called and I was like, "Man, can we just get a fight, please? I've been asking for, like, three months. Like, please, I just wanna fight." 'Cause I'm very, like... I get in this mode to where I just wanna fight and I do- I'll just keep bugging him, bugging him. I'm like, "Hey, you want me to call Mick? (laughs) You want, you want me to call Hunter?" Like... And he was like, "No, no, no, no." But anyway, so I stayed on him. He called me. I was like, uh, "Hey, what about, uh, uh, b- uh, De Ridder?" He was like, "Aw, come on, man." He had just fought. I think he beat Gerald. And, um, he was like, "Uh, uh, I think I can make this happen." He texts me back a couple of minutes, "Hey, they're good to go." The next day, they called back and they were like, "Nah, they're not gonna get to fight." Like, "They don't want this fight. It's, it's not the right time." I was like, "All right." They're like, "What about Fluffy?" I was like, "I asked for him two months ago." So that's when I ended up fighting Fluffy. And, um, it just so happened he fought the Bone Nickel, got all that hype, and... Uh, I don't know, man. Again, I was at a LSU practice and, um, they called me and they were like, "Hey," uh, my manager called me and he was like, um, "Just want you to know, Fluffy's out. I threw your name in the hat, but you're not the front runner. It's Paulo Costa, he's, he's the front runner, but I'm pushing for you 'cause I just saw Paulo yesterday. I don't know how he's gonna make 85 in four weeks."
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, he needs a lot of time to make weight. There's anot- he's another guy at-
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... 185. Do you think that it could ever be possible for guys to just fight without cutting weight?
- BABrendan Allen
I don't, I don't think so.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wouldn't that be... But wouldn't that be better?
- BABrendan Allen
It would be nice.
- JRJoe Rogan
Just wouldn't it be better, like overall for everybody?
- BABrendan Allen
I think so. Yeah, for sure.
- JRJoe Rogan
Because, like here's the, like if everybody just was honest about what they actually weigh, you know?
- BABrendan Allen
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
Like find, let's find out what everybody actually weighs when you're in shape-
- BABrendan Allen
Right.
- JRJoe Rogan
... like when you're ready to fight, and make a contract to fight at that weight, because this whole weight cutting thing is just legalized cheating.
- BABrendan Allen
It, it's ha- it's so hard, and some guys are so good at it, you know what I mean?
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm. Like, how about-
- BABrendan Allen
Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
... Pereira?
- BABrendan Allen
Dude. I don't know how he made 85.
- JRJoe Rogan
He would weigh 226 when he would fight for the 185-pound title.
- BABrendan Allen
Crazy.
- 26:49 – 38:11
Fighting injured (because everyone is): foot fractures, ACL damage, stem cells, and thyroid problems
- JRJoe Rogan
Are you concerned though that you could get another of those la- last minute calls? Like, do you think like that? Like, to not get too heavy? 'Cause if somebody calls and says, "Hey, the big Paramount card, somebody fell out, it's January. Can you fight?"
- BABrendan Allen
I think where I'm at, it, it would have to be, like, a interim title or something like that. Outside of that, right now, plus, like, the reason I- I'm so big and I was out, like, I had fractures in my foot, so I had to, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you have fractures in your foot from the fight or just you had them before the fight?
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, God.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, which we didn't know. I just knew it hurt, like...
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
And to be honest with you, like, I had them before the fight before that, but I didn't know. Like, I was just like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, wow.
- BABrendan Allen
... "Man, it hurts." Like, I thought it was just, like, a muscle so I just would roll it out, Theragun it, like, you know, that's what I, that was what I would do.
- JRJoe Rogan
How many fractures?
- BABrendan Allen
They said they s- they saw three, but they were small.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
They were just, like, diff- like, right where it, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
(sighs)
- BABrendan Allen
... the toe meets the base of your foot.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh. Is it from elbows?
- BABrendan Allen
I don't know. I don't... It was on my lead foot too, so I was like, "I don't even know."
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, wow.
- BABrendan Allen
Like, I don't teep a lot 'cause I'm scared of, like, stuff like that.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
Um, yeah, but I've fought with crazy stuff, man. I tore my w- whole, like, ACL in half, uh, calves, everything when I fought Paul Craig.
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you really?
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, when that knee s- that, uh, calf slicer.
- JRJoe Rogan
Uh-huh.
- BABrendan Allen
In half.
- JRJoe Rogan
It just blew your ACL out?
- BABrendan Allen
Yes.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, god.
- BABrendan Allen
I didn't know, so, like, in the second round when I go to throw the punch, ev- uh, I think it was Dominick Cruz, he was like, "Oh." They clipped each other and they showed the replay and he hits my hand. He never hit, like, my face or anything, but he-
- 38:11 – 43:30
Recovery toolkit and longevity: hyperbaric chambers, supplements/creatine, flexibility, and aging in fight sports
- JRJoe Rogan
'Cause I know he spent a lot of time in hyperbaric chambers after the fight.
- BABrendan Allen
I wanna try that.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's great.
- BABrendan Allen
I wanna try that.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's really amazing. If you have an Oura Ring and you go into the hyperbaric chamber, it will tell you that you're recovered more.
- BABrendan Allen
Really?
- JRJoe Rogan
Tha- uh, yeah, than a normal day. Yeah. "Oh, you have a-
- BABrendan Allen
I have to try that.
- JRJoe Rogan
... very high level of recovery today." Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
I'm gonna try that, for sure. I need to.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, it's legit. Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
I've been... All my friends have been, like, like Jared Gordon, like, got one for one of his fights.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
And he was telling me, like, how different it makes him feel and stuff. Like for me, as far as I go, it's like w- I just started, like, really, like, using more supplements. Like, I think that deal that Thorne made with UFC really helped me.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm.
- BABrendan Allen
'Cause, like, I started using their... And what really helped is I was always scared to go on creatine 'cause, like, growing up, my dad would get so big. And he would, like, uh, back in the day, they'd have, like, all these different things, like, "Oh, if you use too much creatine, it's bad for you, bad for your kidneys or whatever." Uh, but obviously-
- JRJoe Rogan
Turns out all that's bullshit.
- BABrendan Allen
Exactly.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. And creatine's fantastic for you.
- BABrendan Allen
And that's, that's-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
... been, like, the main thing. Like, I can really feel, like, how, how different my body recovers, like, how more almost energized, in a way. You know, I wake up and I... Like, when I go to lift and stuff, I feel, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
... way better, so like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it's even great for your mind. Creatine is fantastic just for cognitive support.
- BABrendan Allen
I need everything for that 'cause-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs) I've been getting hit in the head since I was 13 years old, so you know.
- JRJoe Rogan
(sighs) Oof.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, head don't... Sometimes it don't function properly, you know?
- 43:30 – 47:15
Life outside camp: hunting season, long layoffs, building home gyms, and raising five kids
- JRJoe Rogan
So when you say, "I haven't worked out," like, you don't do anything for two months?
- BABrendan Allen
I haven't done anything. I went in the gym twice.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- BABrendan Allen
I went in the gym twice. I did, uh, one run and one lift, and then we found out my-
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- BABrendan Allen
... foot had fractures, and they sent me this foot boot. And then the doctor was like, "You don't have to wear that, but don't do anything that puts a lot of pressure on your foot." And he ... Then I've been traveling. Like, at the end of the year, I travel a lot, going hunting and stuff, and you know, like, like, like your meat-eater thing. Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yep.
- BABrendan Allen
... I love that kind of stuff, so, um, I'm not on that big of a scale and that nice of, like, animals. I'm just, like, just a simple white-tail kinda guy. But, (smacks lips) you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
I love hunting white-tails.
- BABrendan Allen
I love it. I got a little property in Illinois, and-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's great, man.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So I can't believe that you can take a whole couple of months off with nothing, just don't do nothing.
- BABrendan Allen
Crazy, right?
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
I'm very blessed, like ...
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it's probably smart. It's probably smart to do. I've heard of-
- BABrendan Allen
It's good and bad.
- JRJoe Rogan
... a few people do that.
- BABrendan Allen
It's good and bad. So, like, I only do it this much at the end of the year because it's hunting season and holidays and my kids' birthdays.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
And, you know, kind of my kids' birthdays are right now, or back to ... well, shit, I guess all the time, they're back to back to back. So it's like, all right, we'll do that. We travel. But it's only end of the year. Usually, I'll take a couple weeks off, maybe a month max if, depending on my injuries after a fight. But then I'm back at it. Um, but it's hard for me at home. I'm, I'm a full-time dad and a full-time husband at home right now. Um, I've got so many kids, you know, that I'm away for so long.
- JRJoe Rogan
How many kids do you have?
- BABrendan Allen
I'm about to have five.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Five, and you're not even 30 yet.
- BABrendan Allen
Yes, sir. I have-
- JRJoe Rogan
(exhales deeply)
- BABrendan Allen
... two with my ex. I'm about to have two with my current wife, and she has, uh, a son from her previous, so stepson.
- 47:15 – 53:48
Changing camps to fix complacency: Chicago/Valley Flow + ‘War Room,’ and the problem with bad coaching dynamics
- BABrendan Allen
That's what I try, man. Uh, I, I kinda learned, like ... 'cause I always have traveled for camp since I was probably three and 4-0 as a pro, or 3-1 as a pro. Three or four fights in as a pro, I was, I was traveling. I was going to Rufusport for a long time. I stayed there for a long time. Then I went to Florida for a long time, and now I'm at Chicago. And, um, a- always-
- JRJoe Rogan
Where, what gym are you at now?
- BABrendan Allen
Uh, Valley Flow.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay.
- BABrendan Allen
And, like, War Room with-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
... Bilal Mohammed.
- JRJoe Rogan
Bilal, yeah.
- BABrendan Allen
So ... And that's been a-
- JRJoe Rogan
Bilal Mondays.
- BABrendan Allen
... great change. Yeah, man, he's so good.
- JRJoe Rogan
Woo.
- BABrendan Allen
Both ... The brother, he got a little brother.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, really?
- BABrendan Allen
He's a stud. He's a stud.
- JRJoe Rogan
I'll believe it if he comes out of that family.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Bilal Mondays is a beast.
- BABrendan Allen
He's a stud. The little brother is a stud. He helped me for Marvin's fight, I think. And then Nacho helped me a little bit for this one, this last one.
- JRJoe Rogan
How did you choose going to Chicago?
- BABrendan Allen
I've known Bilal since Rufusport. And, um, obviously we stayed in contact. You know, when we see each other, it's like we never, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- BABrendan Allen
... haven't seen each other. And he's always told me, like, "Bro, just come down. Just come check it out. You don't have to stay or nothing. Like, stay at my house, but you don't have to move here or nothing. Just come check it out." So I watched his, his rise and what he does and his work ethic and his team. And, um ...... after the Fluffy loss, like I just, I kind of sat back, had some conversations with people that are really close to me and explained, like, what was going on with me, like, mentally and where I felt. And, um, I t- Belal was one of the people I talked to and he's like, "I know what the problem is." A- and everyone that I talked to, which wasn't a lot, they all said exactly the same thing. So I was like, "B, can I come, can I come train with you?"
- JRJoe Rogan
What was the problem? What was the problem?
- BABrendan Allen
Complacency.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm.
- BABrendan Allen
I know, like, who I can train with and not go hard. I'm, I'm the coach of my own thing, like I'm running my wh- like, whole camp basically. I go to Wagner-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, you were running your whole camp?
- BABrendan Allen
Basically. I, I'd be like-
- JRJoe Rogan
You're going to Wagners for jujitsu?
- 53:48 – 1:06:55
Real-world violence and why trained fighters avoid it: knives, bar fights, and “prove yourself” culture
- JRJoe Rogan
You know Kevin James, the, the comedian?
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah, yeah. He used to come to the gym.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's, that's awesome.
- BABrendan Allen
He's awesome.
- JRJoe Rogan
He trains a lot. Good friend of mine. Uh, been fri- friends of mine for 30 years. When I first met him, he told me a story of when he was bouncing. When he was bouncing at a bar in Long Island one of his friends there was a bouncer and some drunk kid was starting shit and he knocked this kid out and the kid fell down and hit his head and died and he wound up doing time. He went to jail for manslaughter.
- BABrendan Allen
It, my, one of my best friends got stabbed in the face in New Orleans 'cause he was-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oof.
- BABrendan Allen
He didn't even know he was talking to this dude's chick and he didn't know.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- BABrendan Allen
He didn't know. Like she didn't say nothing. She came up to him, he was just at the bar.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus Christ.
- BABrendan Allen
Dude came and stabbed him in the face, broke his jaw.... uh, stabbed him-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, my God.
- BABrendan Allen
... and ran. He has a, he has this nice scar. It's... He's older now, so it's kind of went away but, like, through his beard. But, uh, wired his jaw shut. He, he was messed up for a while, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Jesus Christ. Stabbed him in the jaw. What?
- BABrendan Allen
In the face.
- JRJoe Rogan
But this episode is brought to you by Squarespace. If you've got something to say, sell, or share with the world, you need a legit online presence. Me, I use Squarespace to power my website. It's easy to use. And with their AI-enhanced website builder and built-in tools for booking, payments, email, all of it, you can actually run your business, not just build a site. Go to squarespace.com/rogan for a free trial. And when you are ready to launch, use the code Rogan to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. And someone trying to stab you in the face is easily trying to stab you in the neck.
- BABrendan Allen
Exactly.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. You just got lucky.
- BABrendan Allen
So it's like-
- JRJoe Rogan
You just got lucky to hit that jaw and not your fucking carotid artery.
- BABrendan Allen
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, my God.
- BABrendan Allen
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
I watched a video of these guys in London. And they're yelling at each other and squaring off each other back and forth, and back and forth. And then, finally, they get out of it and one guy just pulls out a fucking knife and slices this dude's neck. And this dude is just squirting out of his neck. And he tries to fight for a second, then he just gets woozy. And, and he's just squirting as he goes down. I don't know what happened.
- BABrendan Allen
It's crazy.
- JRJoe Rogan
I'm assuming he died, because I'm looking at the amount of blood loss. So if someone didn't jump on that and compress it... And even if you did, the carotid artery, it's like such a significant amount of blood that's going through there, depending on, I guess, the damage.
- BABrendan Allen
Dude, I think I had, like-
- JRJoe Rogan
It's so stupid.
- BABrendan Allen
I've always heard the story obviously, you know how stories are. But I've heard from a couple different people that have, like, a great uncle. Somewhere along the line, he passed a-... passed away before I was alive. He was in a bar. I know right where the, where the place is. Everything's... The building's still there to this day. He was in the bar, he was sitting down having some drinks with a friend. Don't... I don't know the relationship between him and the guy. The guy walked up behind him, slit his throat.
Episode duration: 2:52:14
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Transcript of episode Qv40NUnRnZo
