JRE MMA Show #83 with Firas Zahabi

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   If you're listening to…

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:02

      If you're listening to this, uh, uh, an audio version, you're denied the beauty of my salmon-covered, colored T-shirt. Beautiful Tristar-

   2. FZFiras Zahabi0:11

      You look good in it.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:12

      I look very good-

   4. FZFiras Zahabi0:13

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:13

      ... in your shirt. Thanks for coming here, brother.

   6. FZFiras Zahabi0:15

      Pleasure. Glad to be here.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:16

      Pleasure to have you, man. I use one of your expressions all the time, the touch of death. And there is no better example than what we saw Saturday night with Deontay Wilder. Jesus Christ, can that guy punch!

   8. FZFiras Zahabi0:29

      I had him losing all the rounds.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:31

      Yeah. Me too.

   10. FZFiras Zahabi0:31

       And, uh, I thought one round was really close, could've go either way, but I had it six to none. And that right hand, my God.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:38

       (laughs) It's so crazy. It doesn't even make sense.

   12. FZFiras Zahabi0:41

       When you look at that shot, it landed it above, like, kind of like in the forehead, this area.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:47

       Yeah.

   14. FZFiras Zahabi0:47

       Not on th- not even on the chin.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:49

       No.

   16. FZFiras Zahabi0:50

       Usually here, if you're a powerful puncher, you could daze a guy.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:53

       Yeah.

   18. FZFiras Zahabi0:53

       But put him out the way he did?

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:54

       Yeah.

   20. FZFiras Zahabi0:55

       Wow!

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:56

       And no windup too.

   22. FZFiras Zahabi0:57

       That's... No windup.

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:57

       Just right from here, blap!

   24. FZFiras Zahabi0:59

       That's touch of death.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:00

       Crazy.

   26. FZFiras Zahabi1:01

       Touch of death.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       Like nobody ever... Think about that guy's record, 41 knockouts, one decision, one draw.

   28. FZFiras Zahabi1:08

       It's incredible.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:09

       Undefeated, 41 knockouts in 42 fights.

   30. FZFiras Zahabi1:14

       Yes.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Yes. …

   1. FZFiras Zahabi15:00

      you out and later on, like, you could lose-

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:01

      Yes.

   3. FZFiras Zahabi15:01

      ... the sustainability of your power.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:03

      Right.

   5. FZFiras Zahabi15:03

      There's a right amount of muscle for each athlete. I mean, it just ... I don't know ... I don't agree that bigger is always better, more power. It's not necessarily the case. But, uh, he has to stay within his natural, uh, limits for ou- optimal power.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:14

      Also, he has to make sure that ... Look, a- a guy that big, at 279 pounds, he's probably not really accustomed to cutting weight. There he is.

   7. FZFiras Zahabi15:24

      Boom. Oh my goodness.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:25

      (laughs) Boom. That guy has got some thighs on him.

   9. FZFiras Zahabi15:27

      (laughs) .

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:27

       And the power that guy has, though. Just ridic- ... So, he's ... Yeah, he's at the UFC Performance Institute, so he gets-

   11. FZFiras Zahabi15:32

       Hmm.

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:32

       ... the chance to use all ... They have an amazing facility there. Have you trained down there at all?

   13. FZFiras Zahabi15:36

       Yes, I have. I've been there a few times.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:38

       It's incredible, huh?

   15. FZFiras Zahabi15:38

       I was actually supposed to work with Ngannou, but, uh, we had a little trouble connecting, but ... Like, uh, getting him in the country and all that.

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:44

       Oh.

   17. FZFiras Zahabi15:44

       But I was supposed to work with him

   18. JRJoe Rogan15:45

       In, in Montreal?

   19. FZFiras Zahabi15:45

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan15:45

       Oh, interesting.

   21. FZFiras Zahabi15:46

       Yeah, but, uh, yeah, I know him. I mean, uh, I would definitely put him in boxing. So I would do both, I would do MMA and boxing.

   22. JRJoe Rogan15:51

       Mm-hmm.

   23. FZFiras Zahabi15:52

       Uh, but, like, it's, uh, it's like in Thailand. You know, in Thailand, if you've got good hands, like, if you do a couple of Thai fights, Muay Thai fights, and you knock a couple guys out with your hands, they take you right away into boxing.

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:00

       For real?

   25. FZFiras Zahabi16:00

       Like, they see the potential. Yeah, because there's more money in boxing.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:03

       Ah.

   27. FZFiras Zahabi16:04

       If you're world champion in Muay Thai, it's not the same as being world champion in boxing.

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:07

       How much do you think Deontay Wilder won this weekend?

   29. FZFiras Zahabi16:09

       Pf ... I don't know, but the way he's winning, it's gotta be ... it's gotta be something special.

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:14

       I hope-
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   You can't throw a…

   1. FZFiras Zahabi30:00

      able to protect yourself in any environment. So, I say-

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:01

      You can't throw a wheel kick in an elevator.

   3. FZFiras Zahabi30:02

      No, we can't, but-

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:03

      But a wheel kick's a valid move.

   5. FZFiras Zahabi30:05

      Absolutely. But how about this? We don't know if it's gonna be a cage, an office-

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:09

      (laughs)

   7. FZFiras Zahabi30:09

      ... uh, uh, a podcast, an elevator.

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:11

      That would be crazy.

   9. FZFiras Zahabi30:11

      You sh- you'll find out on fight night.

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:13

       That would be crazy.

   11. FZFiras Zahabi30:13

       You'll find out on fight night. Be ready.

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:15

       That would be crazy.

   13. FZFiras Zahabi30:16

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:16

       It's just, they roll the dice before the show.

   15. FZFiras Zahabi30:18

       Exactly. A giant wheel, maybe.

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:19

       Yeah. Where ... Yeah, like a wheel.

   17. FZFiras Zahabi30:21

       (laughs)

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:21

       It's, it's like five or six different things on the wheel.

   19. FZFiras Zahabi30:23

       Exactly.

   20. JRJoe Rogan30:24

       It could be anything. Football field, basketball court-

   21. FZFiras Zahabi30:26

       Yeah, exactly.

   22. JRJoe Rogan30:26

       ... cage, ring.

   23. FZFiras Zahabi30:27

       You don't know.

   24. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       Yeah. Do you remember, um ...... they, they did, uh, I think, well, World Combat Club, or World Combat League where Wonderboy came up. Chuck Norris.

   25. FZFiras Zahabi30:37

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan30:37

       They had, like, a ramp.

   27. FZFiras Zahabi30:39

       Bowl.

   28. JRJoe Rogan30:39

       Yeah.

   29. FZFiras Zahabi30:39

       They called it the bowl.

   30. JRJoe Rogan30:40

       Like a bowl, yeah, yeah. And you would fight on that, so they knew when they got to the elevated edges. But at least you could move. You're not restricted. But, of course, there was no grappling in that. It was just straight kick.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Mm-hmm. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

   2. FZFiras Zahabi45:00

      Mm-hmm.

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      So he's out cold, and Rickson just climbs off and kicks him off. "Get off me."

   4. FZFiras Zahabi45:04

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:05

      "Get off me, bitch." But you see his eye, like when they, uh, close... If you see, if, if there's a close up on him-

   6. FZFiras Zahabi45:11

      Mm-hmm.

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:11

      ... Rickson's eye, like after the fight-

   8. GCGuest (secondary clip/excerpt)45:13

      Close it out.

   9. JRJoe Rogan45:14

      Yeah. Rickson, not, not Funaki. After the fight, his eye was pretty fucked up. Right there.

   10. FZFiras Zahabi45:18

       Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan45:18

       Right there. There you see it. See it?

   12. FZFiras Zahabi45:20

       I don't remember that though.

   13. JRJoe Rogan45:20

       Yeah, his left eye was completely swollen.

   14. FZFiras Zahabi45:23

       What did he get hit with? I don't remember him getting hit with.

   15. JRJoe Rogan45:24

       Punch.

   16. FZFiras Zahabi45:25

       It was a punch?

   17. JRJoe Rogan45:26

       I believe so. Yeah, I, I believe he got hit with a big punch from Funaki. You know, Rickson was never a guy who was trying to kick box you. Y- you know?

   18. FZFiras Zahabi45:33

       No.

   19. JRJoe Rogan45:33

       He wasn't trying to do what his son did at all.

   20. FZFiras Zahabi45:35

       No.

   21. JRJoe Rogan45:35

       Rickson was always just trying to figure out-

   22. FZFiras Zahabi45:37

       Yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan45:37

       ... a way to be defensive just enough-

   24. FZFiras Zahabi45:39

       Mm-hmm.

   25. JRJoe Rogan45:39

       ... to impose his game and get you on the ground.

   26. FZFiras Zahabi45:42

       All the black belts that ever worked with Rickson, they always say the same thing, "We got killed."

   27. JRJoe Rogan45:46

       Yeah. All of them.

   28. FZFiras Zahabi45:46

       Like world champion black belts that go train with him-

   29. JRJoe Rogan45:48

       Yeah.

   30. FZFiras Zahabi45:48

       ... they go roll with him, they're like, "Oh, he killed us all."
5. 1:00:00 – 1:02:05

   How, how old is…

   1. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:00

      He came to all the practices and i- it worked out beautifully, like exactly-

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:00:04

      How, how old is he now?

   3. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:05

      Uh, maybe late 20s now. I'm not even sure.

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:00:08

      I think he ... I wanna say he's 26.

   5. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:11

      Mid-20s? Mid-20s.

   6. JRJoe Rogan1:00:12

      How old is Kevin Lee? 27. 27?

   7. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:15

      27.

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:00:15

      What's his birthday? September. September. Okay, so he-

   9. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:18

      Right.

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:00:18

       ... just turned 27.

   11. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:19

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:00:19

       Yeah. He's fucking not even in his prime.

   13. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:22

       Mm.

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:00:22

       You know? And-

   15. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:23

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:00:23

       ... he's also experienced failure.

   17. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:25

       Mm-hmm.

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:00:26

       And experienced fights where he didn't live up as, to his potential. And I think-

   19. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:29

       Mm-hmm.

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:00:29

       ... that ultimately will be a motivating force.

   21. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:32

       Mm-hmm.

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:00:32

       Because we see what he can do when he's really focused, that ... Gregor Gillespie is a dangerous fight, man. People ... You know, I mean, people see that spectacular head kick knockout and they don't understand how good Gregor Gillespie is. That kid is a savage. And so when I found out that Kevin was gonna fight Gregor in his fight back to 155 ...

   23. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:50

       Not a good comeback fight.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:00:51

       Dangerous comeback fight.

   25. FZFiras Zahabi1:00:52

       Yeah, very high risk comeback fight.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:00:53

       Very high risk. And also getting down to 155, what did you guys do differently to get him down to 155 easily this time?

   27. FZFiras Zahabi1:01:00

       Um, we kind of put our heads together, you know. Uh, Dewey Cooper, his trainer, is really great. He's-

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:01:05

       Fantastic kickboxer.

   29. FZFiras Zahabi1:01:06

       A- amazing. Amazing.

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:01:07

       Yeah.

Episode duration: 3:06:55