The Joe Rogan ExperienceJRE MMA Show #68 with Will Harris
CHAPTERS
- 0:01 – 2:48
The McGregor bus dolly incident: viral footage, promotion, and missing credit
Joe and Will open by discussing Will’s behind-the-scenes footage of Conor McGregor throwing a dolly at the UFC bus—footage that became central to UFC promotion. Will explains how he showed the clip to Khabib right after the incident, and how the UFC reused it repeatedly without compensation or even proper credit.
- •Will filmed the bus attack and captured Conor clearly
- •Khabib’s immediate reaction: the clip was financially valuable
- •UFC used the footage heavily for Embedded and promotion
- •Will reflects on not asking for money/credit and what it meant for his career
- 2:48 – 6:19
How Anatomy of a Fighter started: stumbling into the Blackzilians and early MMA access
Will tells the origin story of getting into MMA filmmaking by simply walking into the Blackzilians’ gym in Florida. He describes early projects around the team, the encouragement he received from people like Glenn Robinson and Tyrone Spong, and how that momentum created his first real MMA film work.
- •Will’s first MMA entry came from a random walk-in at Jocko/Blackzilians
- •Early creative work and the gym granting him access
- •Influence and push from Glenn Robinson and Tyrone Spong
- •“The Portrait of the Blackzilians” becomes his first formative MMA piece
- 6:19 – 7:30
From wedding videographer to fight storyteller: career pivot and finding purpose
Joe asks about Will’s background before MMA, leading to Will’s candid recounting of filming weddings, feeling unfulfilled, and chasing more meaningful work. He connects that restlessness to earlier basketball projects abroad and the moment he realized he needed a new creative path.
- •Will ran a wedding video business and felt stuck despite awards
- •He explored sports docs (basketball) in Italy and China
- •The desire for more meaningful storytelling pushed the MMA shift
- •Moving to Vegas felt like following the “energy” of the fight world
- 7:30 – 12:31
Basketball scholarship, ACL tear, and the first camera that changed everything
Will goes deep into his basketball career—high expectations, an ACL injury, and how rehab-time led to buying a Sony Handycam. He explains how filming became an obsession alongside (and eventually beyond) basketball, reshaping his identity after the injury.
- •College basketball scholarship and life-altering ACL tear
- •Buying a camera at Walmart becomes a turning point
- •Joe and Will discuss ACL surgery types and recovery differences
- •Will admits he lost love for basketball even while still succeeding
- 12:31 – 23:32
Post-college drift: call centers, chasing pro hoops, and running out of money abroad
Will recounts years of instability after college: dead-end jobs, attempts to go pro, and a string of risky moves across the world. The story escalates into being broke and stranded in Malaysia and then Australia, relying on strangers and friends to survive.
- •Call-center work and early adulthood instability
- •Years spent chasing pro basketball opportunities without traction
- •Malaysia trip via online dating turns into a chaotic survival situation
- •Australia becomes another ‘stranded’ chapter rescued by someone’s help
- 23:32 – 26:55
Vegas reset: living with strippers, a $9,000 slot win, and the San Diego detour
Back in the U.S., Will lands in Vegas, moves in with two strippers via Craigslist, and hits a pivotal $9,000 slot-machine win that buys him time. That leads to a move to San Diego, where he confronts feeling directionless and starts thinking seriously about changing his life.
- •Craigslist housing, scraping by, and unpredictable living situations
- •A $9,000 slot win funds a temporary reset (and a funny tax confession)
- •San Diego becomes a multi-year ‘lost’ period despite the great city
- •Athlete identity loss after sports retirement becomes a key theme
- 26:55 – 30:16
Quitting the last job: Minnesota winter, buying a Canon, and grinding film skills
Will describes the day he quit his school job in Minnesota as a behavior assistant and decided to go all-in on filmmaking. He explains how a Canon T2i, YouTube self-education, and years of free/cheap projects built the foundation of his craft and work ethic.
- •A specific breaking point date: March 3rd, 2011
- •Buying a Canon T2i and committing to learning filmmaking seriously
- •Learning editing and technique via YouTube/Vimeo and repetition
- •Working for free/low pay to build skill before demanding compensation
- 30:16 – 49:06
Music video hustle to documentary voice: finding his style beyond ‘just rap videos’
Will explains how music videos paid the bills and sharpened his technical ability, including shooting for recognizable artists like Chief Keef. A push from a girlfriend made him pursue deeper documentary work—projects on Skid Row, Gay Pride, and homelessness—focusing on human stories rather than hype.
- •Music videos become a ‘recession-proof’ income stream
- •Editing on Sony Vegas and building a one-man production workflow
- •High-profile work (e.g., Chief Keef) alongside local scene dominance
- •Documentary experiments: Skid Row, Gay Pride, Alan Watts narration piece
- 49:06 – 51:21
Building Anatomy of a Fighter: storytelling fighters’ lives, not just fight week
Will lays out his creative philosophy: Anatomy of a Fighter is about personal journeys, not opponent trash talk or promotional templates. He explains how meeting Ali Abdelaziz led to Khabib access, and why highlighting unranked or struggling fighters matters to him personally.
- •The series aims to humanize fighters beyond the UFC’s promotional focus
- •Motivation to spotlight fighters with precarious careers and finances
- •How Ali Abdelaziz connection led to filming Khabib
- •Funding, monetization, and the constant challenge of sustaining travel/content
- 51:21 – 1:08:18
Dagestan Chronicles: Ramadan, checkpoints, culture shock, and why Khabib feels unbreakable
Will describes traveling alone to Dagestan during Ramadan, navigating language barriers, security checkpoints, and cultural rules around filming women. He explains how the environment, faith, and community convinced him that Khabib’s mental resilience is uniquely hard to crack inside the cage.
- •Travel logistics: visas, customs delays, staying with Khabib’s family
- •Observing Ramadan to respect and understand local culture
- •Cultural norms: filming women, touching, and respect expectations
- •Will’s takeaway: Dagestan values/discipline create Khabib’s ‘unbreakable’ mindset
- 1:08:18 – 1:32:37
Fame, trolls, and the creator’s trap: why comments can derail your mission
Joe and Will talk candidly about how online comments distort reality and mental health, especially when creators tie self-worth to views. Will shares the ‘high’ of Khabib/Conor numbers versus low-view episodes on lesser-known fighters, and why he wants a calmer home base to keep creating.
- •Joe’s warning: loud trolls aren’t representative of real fans
- •View-count swings create addictive emotional cycles for creators
- •Will’s desire to move away from LA’s materialism and pressure
- •Balancing passion projects with sustainability and long-term growth
- 1:32:37 – 1:50:32
Expanding beyond UFC: ONE Championship, Glory kickboxing, and global fight storytelling
The conversation shifts into Will’s ambition to cover all combat sports and Joe’s enthusiasm for non-UFC ecosystems like ONE and Glory. They discuss weight cutting differences, talent depth outside the UFC, and potential subjects Will could spotlight (coaches, kickboxers, international stars).
- •Will wants to cover Bellator, ONE, boxing, and Glory—not just UFC
- •Joe argues ONE is massive globally and weight-cut rules change outcomes
- •Potential future stories: Matt Hume, Cedric Doumbé, Henry Hooft, more
- •How global audiences could scale Will’s channel (and hide the comments)
- 1:50:32 – 1:57:48
Dagestan ‘basketball’ and training culture: rugby rules, wrestling scrambles, and intensity
Will plays footage of Dagestan’s bizarre no-dribbling “basketball,” which quickly turns into full-contact wrestling and even chokes. The segment becomes a humorous but revealing window into how constant grappling culture and intensity bleed into everyday life around Khabib’s team.
- •No-dribble ‘Dagestan basketball’ resembles rugby plus wrestling
- •Players tackle, scramble, and Khabib even chokes someone mid-game
- •The gym setting is raw and multipurpose, reflecting their training mindset
- •Will’s own attempt left his knee swollen—showing how physical it gets
- 1:57:48 – 3:05:11
Fight-week craft, editing speed, and access ethics: what Will films (and what he won’t)
Will explains his rapid editing workflow—pre-building the episode in his head while filming—along with fight-week realities like late-night schedules. He emphasizes the trust fighters place in him, why he won’t release embarrassing gym footage, and how sensitive content (like strategy reveals) must be handled carefully.
- •Will edits fast because he pre-plans sequences while filming
- •Fight-week schedules: fighters stay awake to match main-event timing
- •Ethics of access: protecting fighters’ privacy, families, and reputations
- •Example: removing footage that could reveal Cejudo’s fight approach
