The Joe Rogan ExperienceJRE MMA Show #38 with Gaston Bolanos & Kirian Fitzgibbons
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 0:41
Bolanos’ three-sport juggling act (MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing)
Joe opens by highlighting how rare it is for Gaston Bolanos to compete at a high level across MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing simultaneously. They immediately get into the mental challenge of switching rule-sets and avoiding habits that are legal in one sport but illegal in another.
- •Bolanos competes at a high level in three combat sports at once
- •Rule-set confusion in warmups (e.g., almost throwing spinning elbows in kickboxing)
- •How fighters mentally compartmentalize techniques across sports
- 0:41 – 2:00
Spinning strikes, broken arms, and the fine print of kickboxing rules
The conversation turns technical: why spinning back fists can break arms when they collide with foreheads, and how glove size changes risk. Kirian explains what parts of the glove/hand are legal in different kickboxing organizations and why hammer-fist-like contact can be a foul.
- •Recent arm snaps from spinning attacks (forehead collisions)
- •MMA vs kickboxing glove padding and injury risk
- •Kickboxing legality: backfist vs hammer-fist contact
- •How fouls can lead to point deductions or DQs
- 2:00 – 3:00
Schilling vs Sato controversy and how emotion derails fighters
They revisit the Joe Schilling knockout controversy (legal vs illegal strike interpretation) and use it to segue into how emotion and recklessness amplify danger. Joe and Kirian connect it to other emotionally charged rivalries where fighters abandon discipline.
- •Debate around Schilling vs Sato and strike legality
- •Schilling’s power vs Schilling’s aggressiveness/recklessness
- •How anger and ‘revenge mode’ changes decision-making
- •Emotion as a double-edged sword in elite fighting
- 3:00 – 6:30
Cody Garbrandt vs TJ Dillashaw: game plan vs ‘seeing red’
Joe, Gaston, and Kirian break down Cody vs TJ with a focus on how Cody’s anger altered his mechanics and timing. They discuss the intended strategy (kicks, composure, wrestling) versus what happened under pressure in the rematch setting.
- •Cody looked stiff once the bell rang; emotion showed in his face
- •Planned approach: kicks, rhythm, controlled exchanges, more wrestling
- •Immediate rematches after a KO keep fear/anger fresh
- •TJ’s looseness and timing vs Cody’s wider, strained shots
- 6:30 – 8:16
Lion Fight feud: parents, trash talk, illegal elbow drama, and ‘bad blood’
Kirian and Gaston recount the Lion Fight tensions with an opposing camp and how outside pressure (including parents) escalated hostility. The story expands into how an illegal elbow DQ involving Gaston’s teammate fueled resentment and made Gaston fight emotionally.
- •Camp politics and family involvement intensifying rivalries
- •Eddie Abasolo’s earlier DQ incident becomes part of the feud
- •How trash talk and perceived disrespect affected performance
- •Joe’s view: hate adds unnecessary risk to an already hard sport
- 8:16 – 16:11
From hating Eddie Abasolo to calling him the team’s ‘glue’
They describe how Gaston initially hated Eddie due to past team conflicts, then gradually came to respect him as a humble training partner. Kirian tells the turning point story: Eddie’s injury, abandonment by his old team, and his unexpected ‘ice cream peace offering’ at CSA.
- •Eddie’s reputation: calm, ego-free, highly technical partner
- •Kirian’s story: Eddie fights injured, shows heart, gets abandoned
- •Eddie shows up at CSA with ice cream; Gaston threatens to leave
- •Why low-ego teammates accelerate growth across an entire gym
- 16:11 – 23:18
Kirian becomes Gaston’s guardian: the Korea Worlds debut vs a returning champion
Kirian and Gaston explain how their relationship formed through international competition, including an extreme amateur debut scenario at the IFMA Worlds. Gaston fights a highly experienced returning champion, surprises everyone, and gains Kirian’s trust and long-term mentorship.
- •US Muay Thai team realities in 2008: limited funding and selection
- •Gaston’s ‘amateur debut’ at Worlds against an elite, experienced opponent
- •Split decision loss, cultural differences, and harsh coaching abroad
- •Kirian’s mentorship solidifies into a father/son dynamic
- 23:18 – 30:05
Why Muay Thai struggles in US media (and what promotions got right/wrong)
Joe presses why Muay Thai never broke through in mainstream American viewership despite being highly dynamic. Kirian lays out structural problems: money, inconsistent promotion, TV distribution issues, and how MMA found its perfect storm while Muay Thai hasn’t—yet.
- •Lion Fight’s AXS TV window and why the deal ended (two perspectives)
- •Streaming fragmentation (e.g., niche platforms) hurting discoverability
- •Bellator kickboxing doing ‘better than Glory’ largely due to brand tie-in
- •US junior Muay Thai momentum exists, but isn’t public-facing
- 30:05 – 38:24
Training with Team Alpha Male: sparring looks, stance switching, and TJ-style movement
Joe asks what Gaston saw while helping Cody at Alpha Male and how coaches structured sparring. Gaston explains he was brought in to provide specific looks—switches, movement, head kicks—and they discuss stance-switching as a modern elite skillset.
- •How Alpha Male used guest partners (Gaston/Eddie) for targeted looks
- •Coaching roles (Danny Castillo, Chris Holdsworth) and session structure
- •Gaston’s comfort switching stances and creating power on both sides
- •Why TJ-style switching is hard to read and changes striking dynamics
- 38:24 – 54:49
Mindset and recovery after a tough Bellator loss: grounding visualization and staying ‘assassin-calm’
Gaston explains how personal turmoil (divorce) affected him in a prior MMA loss and how he rebuilt his mental game. He describes a pre-fight grounding visualization (tree roots through hands/feet) and using visualization to ‘pre-live’ knockouts and key moments.
- •How life stress showed up as slow starts and reduced focus
- •Grounding visualization technique and calming the nervous system
- •‘Assassin’ mindset: calculated, emotionless execution
- •Visualization experiences leading to déjà vu moments in fights
- 54:49 – 1:04:23
Weight cutting, hydration testing, and safer rehydration protocols
They dig into the dangers of extreme weight cuts and compare policy ideas like ONE’s hydration tests and California’s limits. Kirian and Gaston discuss practical rehydration methods (salt, honey, chia, timing) and how poor cutting once contributed to Gaston being KO’d.
- •Why big cuts damage durability and organ function
- •ONE Championship hydration testing vs California’s fight-day checks
- •Rehydration strategy: measured intake, absorption timing, probiotics
- •Creatine: water retention, strength benefits, and possible cognitive effects
- 1:04:23 – 1:22:10
Regenerative medicine and rehab extremes: exosomes, ACLs, and Gaston’s ‘missing MCL’ story
Joe shares dramatic results from exosome injections for a meniscus tear and expands into the future of tissue repair. Gaston then describes a severe MCL injury—torn completely off the bone—yet returning quickly through aggressive PT and recovery work, shocking even sports doctors.
- •Exosomes + PRP as a regenerative combo; rapid reduction in pain
- •Future of sports medicine: faster ACL repair and recovery timelines
- •Gaston’s grade-3 MCL tear: ‘gone,’ yet functional through strength/stability
- •Recovery tools: cryotherapy, sauna, and high-commitment rehab routines
- 1:22:10 – 1:35:54
CSA’s gym model and Kirian’s coaching philosophy: hustle, community, and not charging pro fighters
Kirian explains how CSA scaled from a tiny facility to a massive multi-program gym by mixing fighters with everyday members and building a stable business model. He details his unusual ethics—never taking money from pro fighters—and how his past in dignitary protection shaped his desire to help people.
- •CSA growth: facility expansions and building a family-gym ecosystem
- •No ‘pro-only’ practice: champions train alongside hobbyists
- •Kirian’s stance: pro fighters don’t pay him; avoids conflicted incentives
- •Background in executive/dignitary protection and why he left it
- •Diversification (CrossFit, Krav Maga, fitness) stabilizing the gym business
- 1:35:54 – 2:29:07
Shin conditioning, calf kicks, and why striking styles don’t always translate to MMA
The discussion closes on practical striking: why fighters abandon effective leg kicks, how shin conditioning should be progressive, and why calf kicks are fight-changing but culturally ‘dirty’ in traditional Muay Thai. They also touch on why elite Muay Thai/kickboxing success doesn’t automatically carry over to MMA due to pace, gloves, and takedown threats.
- •Why fighters stop leg-kicking: shin pain, conditioning gaps, or punch-hunting
- •Progressive shin conditioning: standard bag → dense bag → sandbag
- •Calf kick impact in MMA vs how it’s viewed in Thai boxing culture
- •Small gloves, takedown threat, and tempo shifts altering striking outcomes
- •Examples of high-level strikers struggling in MMA adaptations
