The Joe Rogan ExperienceJRE MMA Show #173 with Benny "The Jet" Urquidez & William "Blinky" Rodriguez
CHAPTERS
- 0:02 – 1:25
Rogan’s Jet Center memories and why it mattered in 1990s LA
Joe opens by recounting moving to Los Angeles in 1994 and immediately seeking out two “must-go” places: The Comedy Store and the Jet Center. He describes the intensity of training there, including sparring with gang-affiliated students during an outreach-heavy era, and frames both guests as foundational pioneers.
- •Joe’s first experiences training at the Jet Center and later the North Hollywood reopening
- •The gym’s tough environment and outreach to gang-involved youth
- •Why the Jet Center became a legendary destination for martial artists
- •Rogan positions Benny and Blinky as foundational figures in American kickboxing
- 1:25 – 3:56
Blinky’s origin story: losing his son, choosing forgiveness, building anti-violence work
William “Blinky” Rodriguez tells the tragic story of his son being killed in a drive-by while learning to drive stick shift. Rather than accepting violence as “normal,” he describes a decades-long mission rooted in faith and forgiveness that led to peace meetings, treaties, and community-based violence intervention.
- •Drive-by violence framed as a generational curse that must be confronted
- •Personal tragedy becomes a calling to community action
- •Forgiveness as the catalyst for peace-building in the neighborhood responsible
- •Creation and evolution of a long-running nonprofit focused on violence intervention
- 3:56 – 5:22
Classic kickboxing lore: Theriault KO, combo mechanics, and early technique talk
Rogan and Blinky revisit the famous Jean-Yves Theriault fight and dissect the finishing sequence. The conversation highlights how rule sets shaped what techniques could be used and how fighters engineered setups for “the money shot.”
- •Rogan recalls Theriault’s reputation and intimidation factor
- •Blinky explains the kick-to-left-hook setup and sweep mechanics
- •How sanctioning differences determined what weapons were legal
- •Acknowledgment of Theriault as an all-time great despite the loss
- 5:22 – 7:02
Benny’s first Muay Thai experience: not knowing the rules and adapting mid-fight
Benny Urquidez describes agreeing to fight “Thai” without even understanding Muay Thai, and being shocked by low kicks, elbows, and knees. He explains how that harsh introduction forced rapid adaptation and became a turning point in his development.
- •Benny’s misunderstanding of “Muay Thai” and agreeing anyway
- •First fight context at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles
- •The shock of leg kicks, elbows, and knees—and the “street” feeling of it
- •Learning-by-doing mentality that defined early cross-style competition
- 7:02 – 11:13
1970s ‘no rules’ Hawaii-style tournaments: weight mismatches, biting, and survival
They recount the early full-contact era where brackets ran across days with no weight divisions and virtually no restrictions. Benny tells an infamous moment—spitting his mouthpiece out and biting an opponent—capturing how raw and improvised early “mixed rules” fighting could be.
- •Two-day elimination formats with multiple fights per weekend
- •Massive size disparities (145–160 lb fighters vs 240+ lb opponents)
- •Minimal structure: takedowns, pins, and improvised tactics were common
- •Their backgrounds in judo and boxing informing early ‘anything goes’ exchanges
- 11:13 – 14:45
Inventing shin guards and reverse-engineering Muay Thai from film
Benny explains how, lacking Thai training partners in LA, he studied footage and engineered his own solutions—most notably early shin guards with Velcro. They contrast American training pain with Thai practices like numbing sprays and hard conditioning methods.
- •No Thai gyms or training partners in LA at the time
- •Benny’s first shin-guard prototypes and how Velcro entered the design
- •Bare-shin checking and the injury-driven need for protection
- •Thai approaches: numbing sprays and harsh shin conditioning (banana trees)
- 14:45 – 16:04
Japan’s kickboxing engine: belts, rematches, and the road to K-1
The discussion moves to Japan as a major hub where Americans were repeatedly brought back to defend belts and prove legitimacy. Rogan connects the historical arc from Japanese kickboxing rule changes (removing elbows/clinch) to the eventual emergence of K-1.
- •Japan’s reaction to an American taking a belt and demanding repeated returns
- •How Japanese rule tweaks reshaped the sport for excitement and safety
- •The lineage from early kickboxing to K-1’s format
- •Rogan frames Benny/Blinky as “patient zero” for modern mixed striking evolution
- 16:04 – 19:16
Team-era kickboxing, PKA vs WKA politics, and why low kicks changed everything
Blinky describes a team-based fight circuit (points for KOs) and how American televised formats pushed above-the-waist restrictions. They unpack how PKA’s limitations (and star protection) slowed U.S. evolution, while other bodies allowed leg kicks and sweeps—foreshadowing modern MMA’s calf-kick meta.
- •Chuck Norris-era ‘team’ fight formats and point systems for knockouts
- •PKA rule constraints and how stars like Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace influenced them
- •WKA and international rulesets allowing leg kicks/sweeps
- •Early adoption of calf/low-line attacks as fight-changing tools
- 19:16 – 33:34
Calf kicks’ modern renaissance and the business problem of kickboxing in America
Rogan links old-school low-kick strategy to today’s calf-kick dominance, citing Japanese fighters disrupting elite Thais. The conversation expands into why kickboxing never fully took off in the U.S., contrasting Glory/Spike TV attempts with the UFC’s promotional machine and proposing stand-up-only cards as a solution.
- •Modern examples: Yuki Yoza and Masaaki Noiri using calf kicks to immobilize opponents
- •Why calf kicks were undervalued in MMA for decades
- •Kickboxing’s U.S. marketing struggles (PKA legacy, sponsorship, TV packaging)
- •Rogan’s pitch: UFC-style events with dedicated stand-up bouts to satisfy audiences
- 33:34 – 59:47
Ground fighting, audience education, and the ‘warrior code’ vs entertainment incentives
They debate how crowds perceive grappling, why promoters sometimes discourage ground work, and how Rogan’s commentary helped educate early UFC audiences. From there, they broaden into the loss of traditional martial arts etiquette—bowing, discipline, and a bushido-like code—as money and showmanship shape modern combat sports.
- •Why casual fans boo grappling and how commentary can translate ground action
- •Promoters’ incentives: filling seats vs preserving the sport’s integrity
- •The appeal of knockouts (especially head-kick KOs) vs deeper technical appreciation
- •Traditional dojo culture, respect, and how trash talk changed combat sports norms
- 59:47 – 1:32:32
Pioneers, mentors, and icons: Gene LeBell, Ali vs Inoki, and the Urquidez fight family
They trade stories about Gene LeBell’s legendary toughness and humor, and recount the Ali vs Inoki spectacle, including Benny’s presence on the card and training insights. The chapter also highlights the broader Urquidez family impact—Benny’s mother’s wrestling, and Lily Urquidez as a groundbreaking women’s boxing and kickboxing champion.
- •Gene LeBell’s initiation-by-choke and notorious ‘pain compliance’ tricks
- •Ali vs Inoki: leg kicks, hospital aftermath, and why it was so risky for Ali
- •Japanese conditioning culture (steel clubs, catch wrestling influence)
- •Lily Urquidez as a trailblazer for women’s combat sports and fighting on major boxing cards
- 1:32:32 – 1:59:18
Forgiveness revisited, Jet Center philosophy, and building the next ‘safe haven’ gym
Blinky reveals a 2023 prison meeting with the man who murdered his son—an intensely spiritual reconciliation centered on forgiveness. The conversation returns to the Jet Center’s deeper purpose: using controlled threat, discipline, and community to ‘mirror truth’ and reprogram fear/anger—then ends with Benny’s vision for a new gym concept featuring novel equipment and a global mission.
- •Blinky’s prison meeting, embrace, and faith-driven reconciliation with his son’s killer
- •Martial arts as a structured path for self-respect, identity, and life change
- •Jet Center’s approach: bringing emotions to the surface safely and rebuilding mindset
- •Benny’s plan for a future ‘safe haven’ gym and custom endurance-focused machines
