JRE MMA Show #19 with Vinny Shoreman & Liam Harrison
Joe Rogan (host), Liam Harrison (guest), Vinny Shoreman (guest), Guest (guest), Guest (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Joe Rogan and Liam Harrison, JRE MMA Show #19 with Vinny Shoreman & Liam Harrison explores muay Thai’s Brutal Beauty, Mental Game, And Global Growth Explored Deeply Joe Rogan sits down with Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison and mind coach Vinny Shoreman to discuss why Muay Thai is undervalued in the U.S. despite being, in their view, the pinnacle of striking arts.
Muay Thai’s Brutal Beauty, Mental Game, And Global Growth Explored Deeply
Joe Rogan sits down with Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison and mind coach Vinny Shoreman to discuss why Muay Thai is undervalued in the U.S. despite being, in their view, the pinnacle of striking arts.
They break down traditional Thai culture, rule sets, and matchmaking, and contrast the sport’s popularity and depth in Europe and Thailand with its relatively small American scene.
Harrison details his training volume, fight career (108+ bouts), and how mental coaching, hypnosis, and tools like ‘Hakalau’ and anchoring have transformed his performances.
The conversation widens into youth development, Western fighters catching up to Thais, crossover with MMA, recovery methods, and what it takes mentally and physically to be an elite striker.
Key Takeaways
Muay Thai’s presentation, not its action, is the main barrier in the U.S.
Traditional music, wai kru rituals, and two‑minute breaks can put off casual fans, even though the actual fighting is relentlessly exciting and more complete than boxing or standard kickboxing.
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Careful matchmaking is critical to showcasing Muay Thai at its best.
Promotions like YOKKAO thrive by matching fighters evenly so every bout is competitive; massive skill mismatches, sometimes seen in U. ...
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Western fighters are now genuinely competitive with top Thais.
Years of Westerners living and training full‑time in Thailand, coupled with high‑level European shows, have produced fighters who can trade evenly with stadium legends instead of being routinely outclassed.
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Mental preparation can be as decisive as physical training.
Harrison credits Shoreman’s hypnosis, anchoring words like “warrior,” and techniques like Hakalau (enhanced peripheral awareness) with helping him overturn previous losses and perform pain‑free in brutal fights.
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Youth systems and structured gyms are creating the next wave of stars.
UK gyms like Bad Company run large, tiered kids’ classes (beginners, intermediates, fighters) and even field juniors with dozens of bouts and Thai stadium wins by their early teens, building deep talent pipelines.
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Style identity matters: fighters must balance entertainment and winning.
Harrison consciously chooses an aggressive, “fan‑friendly” style even when it risks losing on points, because he sees delivering damage and excitement as a moral obligation to paying fans.
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Elite striking demands massive volume, recovery, and smart weight management.
Harrison runs, pads, spars, clinches, and teaches PTs daily, burns ~5,000 calories, uses tools like cryotherapy and breathing methods, and has learned with age to cut less weight and keep carbs in to maintain performance.
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Notable Quotes
“I really believe that if there's one sport that doesn't get its due, it's Muay Thai.”
— Joe Rogan
“I've had over a hundred Muay Thai fights. It's definitely a lot harder than boxing.”
— Liam Harrison
“Fights are won and lost in the changing rooms.”
— Vinny Shoreman
“People are paying their hard‑earned money to come and watch me fight; I feel like I've got a moral obligation to give ’em that.”
— Liam Harrison
“What we do works. He's eight‑time world champion and I'm his mind coach.”
— Vinny Shoreman
Questions Answered in This Episode
What specific broadcast format or rule tweaks would make Muay Thai most accessible to American casual sports fans without diluting the art?
Joe Rogan sits down with Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison and mind coach Vinny Shoreman to discuss why Muay Thai is undervalued in the U. ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How far can mental coaching and hypnosis go in offsetting physical disadvantages against more experienced or naturally gifted opponents?
They break down traditional Thai culture, rule sets, and matchmaking, and contrast the sport’s popularity and depth in Europe and Thailand with its relatively small American scene.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Should junior fighters with dozens of bouts by age 13 be seen as a healthy talent pipeline or a potential ethical concern?
Harrison details his training volume, fight career (108+ bouts), and how mental coaching, hypnosis, and tools like ‘Hakalau’ and anchoring have transformed his performances.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
If a major U.S. network invested in a curated Muay Thai series, which fighters and storylines would best hook new viewers?
The conversation widens into youth development, Western fighters catching up to Thais, crossover with MMA, recovery methods, and what it takes mentally and physically to be an elite striker.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How might Muay Thai’s clinch, sweeps, and elbow game evolve if more elite practitioners transitioned seriously into MMA?
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Transcript Preview
Boom, and we're live with my pal Vinnie Shearman and eight-time world Muay Thai champion Liam Harrison.
Ah, thank you very much. (laughs)
Fuck yeah, dude.
(laughs)
Great to be here. Great to see you guys too.
Yeah, we love it.
Um, listen man, I'm a, I'm a big fan of all combat sports but I really believe that if there's one sport that doesn't get its due, it's Muay Thai. I really don't understand-
Anyway.
... why it hasn't taken off in America. I, I don't get it. I love boxing. Boxing's a lot of fun. I think Muay Thai is twice as fun.
Yeah, it's twice as hard as well, I think. I mean, I fought pro boxing and I've had over a hundred Muay Thai fights. It's definitely a lot harder. I mean, it is getting more mainstream now along with the MMA because most of the top MMA fighters are doing Muay Thai for the standup, but it's still not where it needs to be-
Yeah, it's-
Nowhere near.
... it's weird, right?
Yeah, I mean, (sighs) I think what puts a lot of people off, uh, Muay Thai is the, uh, maybe the two-minute break and also the, the-
Two-minute break in between rounds?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And the traditional music and stuff like that. People find that hard to take too really, which is... Uh, I mean, I love it, so I don't see that problem but I can see outside the box with that as well, so...
Well, I feel like the two-minute break gives guys more of a chance to recover-
Yeah.
... which makes the fights more exciting. You have more energy. And, uh, I don't care about the, the dance, the white crew. That doesn't bother me.
Yeah, but you're a fan, aren't ya? You're a martial arts fan. I mean, to sit down and watch with beers and...
I am, but watch baseball.
(laughs)
Baseball is so fucking boring.
Yeah, exactly.
Grounders. Yeah.
It's crazy how boring it is.
A lot of shows in England now, they've started to cut out the, all the traditional stuff. There's no runway, no white crew.
Right.
You get in the ring, you face off. Bell goes, go straight away. So they're trying to cut little aspects of it out just to make it more media fr- uh, fan, fan friendly really.
Yeah. We should probably explain to people that don't know what we're talking about though. The, the dance that they do, it's called the white crew, right?
Yeah, the rum white.
And it's, what's, what is the headband they put on? What is that?
The mongkong.
That's the mongkong.
Yeah.
And when you're doing the dance, the idea is like to warm up?
Yeah, there's, there's lots of different rea- lots of different reasons why. There's different camps believe different things. It's to do, mainly to do with Buddhism. You're seen in the ring and then taking, uh, you know, paying respect to your gym, your, your, your coaches, your parents et cetera, isn't it, Liam?
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