The Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #79 with Vinny Shoreman & Liam Harrison

Joe is joined by mind coach and fight commentator Vinny Shoreman & 8 time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion, including holding the W.M.C. belt, Liam Harrison.

Joe RoganhostVinny ShoremanguestLiam Harrisonguest

Sep 18, 20192h 36mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Muay Thai wars, aging bodies, and the mindset behind combat greatness

Joe Rogan talks with Liam Harrison and Vinny Shoreman about the realities of high-level kickboxing and Muay Thai, from injuries and surgery to fighting in promotions like ONE Championship and Glory.
They contrast different striking styles, rule sets, and cultures—Thai stadium gambling, Dutch-Moroccan kickboxing, bare-knuckle boxing, and MMA’s small gloves—showing how each changes strategy, damage, and career length.
A major thread is longevity and recovery: hot yoga, strength and conditioning, stem cells, smarter sparring, and how Thais and top coaches extend fighters’ primes while avoiding unnecessary brain and joint damage.
Vinny also dives into sports hypnosis and mental training, explaining how mindset, past trauma, and language patterns affect performance and how structured psychological work can change careers.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Smart recovery and mobility work can add years to a fighter’s career.

Harrison describes how hot yoga, stretching, and targeted strength work dramatically reduce injuries and stiffness compared to just pounding hard sparring and road work.

Glove size and rule set fundamentally change what “good defense” looks like.

What works in Muay Thai with big gloves (like long guard) can get you knocked down instantly in four-ounce MMA gloves or bare knuckle, forcing total rethinks in defensive habits.

Hard sparring shortens careers; controlled, playful training builds skill without damage.

They cite Thai play-sparring, Cuban boxing, and Gracie jiu-jitsu’s “keep it playful” ethos as superior to weekly gym wars that leave fighters punchy in their late 20s.

Strength and conditioning must be individualized and sport-specific.

The guests contrast outdated running-heavy Thai routines with modern programs that emphasize mobility, posterior chain strength, and low-impact conditioning tools like AirRunners and rowers.

ONE Championship’s hydration system is a viable alternative to brutal weight cuts.

Harrison explains ONE’s multiple weigh-ins and hydration tests, showing you can compete at your “real” weight and avoid the extreme, kidney-damaging cuts common in MMA.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

One mistake in them [small] gloves, and it is…

— Liam Harrison

You don’t realize how badly out of balance your body is if you’re a weightlifter until you do yoga.

— Joe Rogan

I’ve worked out that play sparring, like 50% sparring, is just as good. You still get your eyes working… you’re just not getting hurt.

— Liam Harrison

I believe anxiety is something from the past, thought about now, projected into the future.

— Vinny Shoreman

There are so many of those guys out there in these other countries that no one’s seen.

— Joe Rogan

Injuries, aging, and recovery in combat sports (hips, knees, meniscus tears, groin, backs)Rule sets and equipment: MMA gloves vs boxing gloves, bare-knuckle, Lethwei, Muay Thai clinch and elbowsTraining philosophies: hot yoga, strength & conditioning, sparring intensity, Thai vs Dutch vs Western methodsPromotions and scenes: ONE Championship, Glory, Thai stadiums, Dutch-Moroccan gyms, UK and US kickboxingTechnical breakdowns of elite fighters (Lomachenko, Mayweather, Canelo, Usyk, Petrosyan, Saenchai, Badr Hari)Weight cutting, hydration policies, and the ONE Championship no-cut modelMindset, hypnosis, and psychological preparation for fighters

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