JRE MMA Show #116 with George Kambosos
Joe Rogan (host), George Kambosos Jr. (guest), Narrator
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and George Kambosos Jr., JRE MMA Show #116 with George Kambosos explores george Kambosos Breaks Down Upset of Teofimo, Path to Greatness George Kambosos joins Joe Rogan to dissect his massive upset win over Teofimo Lopez, detailing the mental preparation, game plan, and in-fight adjustments that made him unified lightweight champion.
George Kambosos Breaks Down Upset of Teofimo, Path to Greatness
George Kambosos joins Joe Rogan to dissect his massive upset win over Teofimo Lopez, detailing the mental preparation, game plan, and in-fight adjustments that made him unified lightweight champion.
He explains how long-term visualization, disciplined training, and lessons from sparring Manny Pacquiao shaped his composure, conditioning, and style on fight night.
The conversation explores corner work, weight cutting, overtraining, and fighter health, while surveying the stacked 135-pound division and potential future matchups with Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Lomachenko.
Kambosos also shares his origin story from bullied, overweight kid to world champion, his approach to nutrition and recovery, and his desire to bring a mega-fight home to Australia and elevate other fighters’ careers.
Key Takeaways
Preparation and composure can neutralize hype and power.
Kambosos came in as a 7–1 underdog but relied on a detailed game plan, emotional control, and conditioning to withstand Lopez’s power, score early knockdowns, and outbox him over 12 rounds.
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Visualization and written goals sharpen focus under pressure.
He talks about manifesting the title for years, staring at Madison Square Garden from his hotel, and writing daily in a diary about what he’s fighting for, which kept his mindset locked in through delays and adversity.
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Elite conditioning is built on consistent, intelligent volume—not just grinding.
Kambosos trains three times a day (strength and conditioning, boxing, roadwork), but monitors his body closely to pull back before overtraining, emphasizing quality, planning, and adjustments rather than blind effort.
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A healthy, sustainable weight cut is safer and often more effective.
Cutting only about 10 pounds and staying close to fight weight allows him to remain explosive, durable, and sharp, contrasting with extreme cuts that he believes contribute to knockouts and boxing deaths.
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Strong, honest corners are crucial to fighter success and safety.
He criticizes Lopez’s corner for poor advice and lack of a Plan B, contrasting it with his own trusted team and stressing that trainers must be willing to stop fights to protect a fighter’s long-term health.
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Losses don’t define a fighter—responses do.
While Lopez and others offered excuses after defeats, Kambosos argues that greats like Pacquiao and Canelo used losses as fuel, and he encourages Lopez to regroup rather than retire or rationalize the setback.
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Champions must manage fame and money without losing discipline.
Kambosos describes staying sober post-title, keeping a tight circle (including his father) to filter out opportunists, and prioritizing legacy and family over short-term paydays or distractions.
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Notable Quotes
“I was honestly prepared to die in that ring.”
— George Kambosos
“With destiny, you need to work hard. You need to take it in your own hands as well.”
— George Kambosos
“Losses are losses. In boxing they treat the zero like it’s everything.”
— George Kambosos
“If you go out there thinking it’s just about the money, you will fall over. You don’t chase the money—it will eventually come.”
— George Kambosos
“You are right now one of the top guys in boxing.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How would a fight against Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, or Lomachenko change Kambosos’ game plan compared to what he used against Lopez?
George Kambosos joins Joe Rogan to dissect his massive upset win over Teofimo Lopez, detailing the mental preparation, game plan, and in-fight adjustments that made him unified lightweight champion.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
To what extent did sparring 250 rounds with Manny Pacquiao specifically shape the angles and combinations Kambosos used in the Lopez fight?
He explains how long-term visualization, disciplined training, and lessons from sparring Manny Pacquiao shaped his composure, conditioning, and style on fight night.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How can boxing’s sanctioning bodies reform belt structures and mandatories to prioritize undisputed champions and the best fighting the best?
The conversation explores corner work, weight cutting, overtraining, and fighter health, while surveying the stacked 135-pound division and potential future matchups with Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Lomachenko.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What practical steps can fighters and commissions take to drastically reduce dangerous weight cuts without compromising competitive balance?
Kambosos also shares his origin story from bullied, overweight kid to world champion, his approach to nutrition and recovery, and his desire to bring a mega-fight home to Australia and elevate other fighters’ careers.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How can Kambosos realistically balance his ambitions as a fighter with his goals as a promoter who wants to protect and advance young boxers’ careers?
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (instrumental music plays) George, congratulations.
Thank you.
What does it feel like?
Yeah, look, it's been pretty crazy. You know, f- obviously on top of the world right now.
Yeah.
But, um... You know, I've had that vision-
Does it feel like you're living in a fog, like a dream?
A little bit, but I've had that vision, you know, for so long, you know, have manifested it for so long and, um, you know, before this fight, even as a young amateur, I knew I'd be world champion. I knew one day my time would come and, you know, it finally did.
Well, I was told about you a couple of years ago by my friend Vinny Shorman, uh, who is, uh, big in the Muay Thai world, and Liam Harrison is a-
Yeah.
... Muay Thai world champion. They were telling me how awesome you were years ago. But, uh, until Saturday night of last week, the world, you know, they didn't know. They had to see it.
Yeah, look, uh, both great guys and, um, I think it was 2018, I was in the sp- in, uh, Wild Card Gym sparring. And I'm in the ring and I see these two guys and they're watching, so I thought, "You know, I'll put on a show for these guys, and let's see, they might be someone that can take me to the next level, they might be promoters, who knows?" So I always wanna put a- put on a show. And, uh, they couldn't believe it. And then I knew that they were coming on your show when I started speaking to them. And when they dropped my name on it, I was like, "Wow, this is amazing."
(laughs)
And now I'm here with you. You know, so...
Well, your performance against Teofimo was, uh, spectacular. It was amazing. And, um, I mean, it was a, a fight where w- how much of an underdog were you coming into that fight?
I was a huge underdog, you know, seven to one underdog.
Wow.
You know, BetOnline.AG had me seven to one, so, you know, um, that just shows you the adversity that you have to come through. You can be a massive underdog, but no matter what, you know, you get through it and you, you can win whatever you choose to do.
Well, you were undefeated coming into that fight, but you just hadn't faced the same level of opposition that he had. And it didn't mean that you weren't capable of it, it just, you just hadn't had the opportunity before. So it wasn't a seven to one, like, they didn't think you had the skills. It was seven to one that you just hadn't had that, that moment in the sun before.
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