CHAPTERS
- 0:02 – 1:42
Bowhunting roots, TechnoHunt addiction, and why fighters love archery
Joe and Corey open by bonding over TechnoHunt and quickly move into Corey’s long history with hunting. Corey explains how he started bowhunting as a teenager and why it became a year-round obsession alongside MMA training.
- •TechnoHunt as an addictive, skill-building simulator
- •Corey’s hunting background and early introduction to archery
- •How bowhunting differs from (and intensifies) regular hunting
- •Hunting practice as a daily habit (shots, ranges, constant reps)
- 1:42 – 3:40
Hunting as balance and mental reset after losses (the OSP aftermath)
Corey describes how hunting became a form of meditation and a key tool for emotional recovery after the OSP loss. He explains that getting out into the woods helped him stop ruminating, regain confidence, and find life balance beyond nonstop training.
- •Post-OSP loss: using hunting to escape negativity and overthinking
- •Finding balance after years of “only train” lifestyle
- •Mental recovery through time in the stand from November to February
- •Reframing criticism and returning to camp refreshed
- 3:40 – 5:00
From staying tiny to getting stronger: walk-around weight, hydration, and durability
The conversation shifts to Corey’s evolution from obsessively staying near 205 to strategically carrying more mass. He explains how extra weight improved recovery, hydration, and punch resistance, plus how he now plans his cut more deliberately.
- •Previously staying ~210–212 year-round to accept short-notice fights
- •Advice from Manuwa: ‘eat more’ and stop being undersized on fight night
- •New approach: walking around ~230–236, tapering late, then water cut
- •Hydration as a durability factor (especially for head impacts)
- 5:00 – 9:05
Building size the simple way: lifting, compound work, and 'meat-potatoes-rice'
Corey details the practical changes that added muscle: heavier lifting, compound movements, and a high-calorie consistent diet. He credits guidance from his brother and a nutrition contact he met by chance, turning bulking into a repeatable system.
- •Shift from cardio-focused S&C to size-building strength work
- •Brother’s influence and NFL-style lifting structure
- •Diet template: venison + rice + potatoes + eggs + shakes
- •Visible results noticed by teammates and coaches (including Mark Henry)
- 9:05 – 14:36
From ramen to real fuel: clean eating, energy levels, and wild game protein
Corey contrasts his old wrestling-era “survival diet” with structured nutrition. He explains how clean meals improved daily energy and sleep, and Joe highlights the advantage of wild game—especially with Corey harvesting huge amounts of deer meat.
- •Early diet ignorance as a heavyweight wrestler (ramen, cereal, canned food)
- •Energy and recovery improvements from clean eating and meal prep
- •Venison as a major competitive nutrition advantage
- •Stories about hunting with UFC fighters (including Gaethje)
- 14:36 – 18:55
Cardio as a weapon: wrestling mindset, 'act fresh,' and breaking opponents
Joe praises Corey’s gas tank and they unpack how it became a hallmark of his style. Corey ties it to wrestling culture, mental toughness, and training habits that condition him to recover quickly and pressure opponents late.
- •Latifi fight as an example of Corey’s pace vs. explosive opponents
- •Wrestling practices that emphasized toughness and endurance
- •Mindset trick: stand tall, look fresh, and keep pushing
- •Music and mental cues as a real performance ‘switch’
- 18:55 – 29:11
Camp structure and intensity: scheduling, punctuality, sparring rules, and leadership
Corey explains how tightly he organizes fight camp, down to training bags, commutes, and partner rotations. He discusses when to spar hard vs. technical, and how he leads training partners—sometimes by being brutally unforgiving when preparation slips.
- •Writing a week-by-week camp plan and protecting the schedule
- •Strict punctuality and frustration when partners waste time
- •Using meal prep (Eat Clean Bro) and food logistics during long commutes
- •Hard vs. technical sparring and managing risk with different partners
- 29:11 – 31:10
New Jersey’s ‘unheralded’ super-camp and the Mark Henry effect
Joe and Corey break down why the New Jersey scene quietly produces elite fighters. Corey highlights Mark Henry’s coaching brilliance and the team environment with fighters like Zabit, Marlon Moraes, Eddie Alvarez, and others rotating through.
- •New Jersey pipeline: high-level talent and underappreciated coaching
- •Mark Henry as a low-profile but elite strategist
- •Training partners: Carl Roberson, Rex Harris, and the ‘Bash Bros’
- •Team culture: hard rounds, mutual accountability, shared growth
- 31:10 – 36:09
Mark Henry’s secret language: combo codes, multi-language systems, and constant reinvention
Corey explains Mark Henry’s unique system of coded instructions—sometimes in multiple languages—to keep fighters sharp and unpredictable. They discuss how codes change after fights, how they’re drilled into muscle memory, and why the approach overwhelms even champions at first.
- •Coded calls for strikes, footwork, wrestling, and transitions
- •Frequent code changes to prevent comfort and maintain hunger
- •Multi-language layers (Russian, Portuguese, Croatian) and translation sheets
- •How codes become second nature through padwork and repetition
- 36:09 – 42:52
Winning vs. entertaining: OSP lesson, fan pressure, and why Corey stopped chasing hype
Corey and Joe discuss how public expectations can sabotage good game plans. Corey revisits the OSP head-kick moment as a direct result of deviating under crowd pressure, then argues that many fans don’t value true MMA winning the way they value highlight-reel knockouts.
- •Mark Henry’s warnings in the OSP and Villante fights
- •The danger of chasing excitement instead of safe, winning tactics
- •Critique of ‘knockout-only’ fandom and hype trains (e.g., Johnny Walker)
- •Joe’s philosophy: fight your best, minimize damage, let finishes come
- 42:52 – 46:20
Fueling chip-on-shoulder motivation: negativity online and proving people wrong
Joe urges Corey to stop reading comments, framing online negativity as ‘junk food for the brain.’ Corey admits he’s wired to prove doubters wrong, tracing that impulse back to childhood experiences, coaches, and a lifetime of being underestimated.
- •Social media as a mental distraction and emotional trigger
- •Corey’s ‘prove them wrong’ engine: useful but costly
- •Advice: post and don’t read—protect mindset for performance
- •How external doubt shapes Corey’s work ethic and identity
- 46:20 – 1:18:56
Origin story: injuries, racism, bad coaches, and the mindset transformation
Corey gives a long, personal account of how setbacks shaped him—early laziness, a brutal ankle injury, and the humiliation of being doubted when he was genuinely hurt. He also describes growing up as the only Black family in his area, being profiled, and dealing with a controlling college coach who tried to break him.
- •High school turning point: real injury after years of faking injuries
- •Dad’s anti-laziness lesson and ‘it can only last so long’ mantra
- •Racism and profiling as ongoing mental stressors
- •College turmoil: manipulative coach, transfers, and rebuilding confidence
- 1:18:56 – 1:49:52
Ben Askren ‘tricks’ him into MMA: Rufusport baptism, sparring day shock, fast UFC rise
Corey explains how Ben Askren stealth-recruited him into MMA by sending him to Rufusport under the pretense of wrestling training. He recounts a chaotic first sparring session (including rounds with Pettis) and the rapid career acceleration that followed—reaching the UFC with almost no traditional amateur buildup.
- •Askren’s wrestling ‘funk’ influence and mentorship
- •First day at Rufusport: realizing it’s an MMA gym, not wrestling
- •First sparring: Ben Askren, Anthony Pettis, then a heavyweight round
- •Timeline shock: UFC in months, top 10 quickly, learning on the fly
- 1:49:52 – 2:02:36
UFC politics, rankings frustration, and Jon Jones as the mountain to climb
Corey vents about rankings that don’t reflect wins over top opponents and recounts fight-week frustrations tied to superstar treatment at the PI. He also breaks down Jon Jones’ greatness, why beating him is the ultimate goal, and how perceived unfairness fuels Corey’s motivation.
- •Rankings inconsistency despite wins over highly ranked opponents
- •Special treatment at the Performance Institute and weigh-in ordering
- •Jon Jones: separating in-cage greatness from outside-the-cage issues
- •Corey’s goal: prove he’s the best in the UFC before chasing money
- 2:02:36 – 2:33:20
Mental training and recovery stack: BrainTap, float tanks, dreams, and body maintenance
Joe asks about mental coaching, and Corey outlines the tools he uses to manage anxiety, negativity, and recovery. He discusses BrainTap sessions, float tanks, and how vivid ‘loss dreams’ once affected him—plus his broader therapy routine (cryo, massage, ice baths, yoga).
- •BrainTap: light/sound relaxation for learning and mindset
- •Float tank as pre-fight mental reset and injury relief
- •How negative sparring days can create negative dreams and doubt
- •Recovery routine: PT, cryotherapy, massage, ice baths, hot yoga
- 2:33:20 – 3:10:51
Back to hunting: elk plans, gear talk, HECS suits, and making hunting more inclusive
They close by returning to Corey’s real passion—hunting—covering elk plans, arrow setups, and controversial tech like HECS suits. Corey explains his mission with YouTube: showing hunting as a culture and discipline (not just killing), and expanding who feels welcome in it.
- •Upcoming elk hunt logistics and bow/arrow weight preferences
- •John Dudley as ‘Mark Henry of archery’ and the coaching parallel
- •HECS suit discussion: electromagnetic masking and turkey hunting claims
- •Corey’s YouTube goals: representation, education, and showing the full experience
