Justin Patton & Karli Jo Thomas

Count money, man.

Money, man.

Stacked riches.

I told him, I'm a beast.

What's up, gang?

Welcome back to another episode of The Grindcast.

Get ready.

It's a new day.

And we got a power couple for you in the house.

Like power couple to a whole another level, right?

So we got our local, my friends, first of all, and training partners from the Matt Factory

family.

What's up?

We got Justin Patton and Carly Joe Thomas power couple.

We're rocking it together to local pro MMA fighters.

Couple.

Now what happened first?

Let me let's just start there.

Did y'all turn into a couple first and then start fighting or was you fighting first and

then you became a couple?

How did that all work out?

So we were fighting first and then we met like pretty much Matt like through training.

Okay.

So yeah.

Matt through training first?

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

And where were you training at?

She was training at all American.

Yeah.

And then I used to, I would just start cross training up here with my old coach Nick Brown

up in Pittsburgh as a Matt Factory at the Academy.

It's stout and that's taught me in him ended up meeting.

Beautiful.

That was the Academy and she came up and said that was the connection.

There was a cross at the Academy.

Yeah.

Kind of.

Yeah.

Okay.

Beautiful.

So we got now Carly, you're six and three?

Yeah.

I'm sure.

Right.

And then so not pro yet.

So next fight's my pro debut.

Okay.

So we're getting that.

Let's go.

That's what I'm talking about.

And so just in eight, four, and one no contest.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we're winning more than we're losing.

Yeah.

Right.

We're doubling the losses up, you know what I mean right now.

We'll get to like how do we handle the losses and all that.

You know how do you handle the wins and how do you handle the losses.

But first let's get to know you a little bit.

Give me your background ladies first.

You know where you're from.

You know how did all this transpire?

Yeah.

So I grew up in Smok P.A., which is a really, really little.

Where?

Smok P.A.

Okay.

Yeah.

It's a real little town.

Basically between right in the middle of, or between Pittsburgh and Morgantown.

Okay.

That's the best way to kind of explain it.

Okay.

Live there.

Taws in like six grade and we moved to Smithville, Pennsylvania, which is also another really small town.

And then.

Yeah.

I mean, graduated from out of the guy that's in high school, grew up like riding horses,

playing outside, hiking, gardening with my mom, stuff like that.

And then I was about 10 years old when I started training in martial arts.

Okay.

So started at 10.

So I knew you rode horses.

Yeah.

My mom likes to ride horses.

I'm, I'm this being home, seeing riding and stuff.

We got a spot for you if you ever want to go ride.

Oh, yeah.

She got four horses.

That's awesome.

So does my mom.

It's an all day, this is an all day obsession.

Yeah.

The time she wakes up to the time it's like all day.

Those are like her babies.

Awesome.

You know.

And so, so 10 years old, you started, how did that start?

What made you get started?

My mom actually just wanted me and my sister to kind of just learn how to defend herself, you know what I mean?

So she's like, we're going to go find a gym and teach her how to fight.

And I started, once I started, I just loved it.

You know, I kind of caught on kind of fast.

Not really fast, but like, I felt like it was something I was going to be good at.

So, you know, that paired with like, you know, it was like an unlike any other sport I played.

Except played soccer and stuff, you know.

And that's obviously like a legitimate team sport.

Right.

But fighting.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I had the footwork, but fighting's a little bit different.

So once I started training and just like, it was like an individual thing.

So like, it was all on me to get better.

And I really liked that part of it.

Now, what type of gym was it?

Was it a specific art?

No, they did everything.

They did everything.

Yeah, it was an item was to describe it as like a dungeon.

Like, they just would go in and...

I love the dungeons.

Yeah, I mean, there wasn't even really classes.

It was like, they just, there was like one coach and he just, you know, kind of helped everybody out.

He teach her how to punch.

She has to do a little jiu-jitsu.

It was just a little bit of everything.

Every day was different.

We spared all the time, like, three days a week.

I used to spar with a, she was like, 180 pound Italian woman.

She's a really good boxer.

I used to, I was my sparring partner when I was like, 15, 16 years old.

So yeah, we just got it after it all the time.

Love it.

And so when did you start competing?

Um, my first, I competed in Jiu-jitsu first.

Okay.

Um, honestly, I don't remember how old I was when I first competed, but I trained for probably...

Yeah.

You got brother and sister?

I got an older sister.

Okay.

Um, but yeah, I did just started doing Jiu-jitsu tournaments.

Love doing that.

Um, then I boxed for the first time when I was, uh, 14, uh, boxed three, three times.

And then when I was 21s when I made my, my, my, my, my, or ever made debut.

Nice.

Hi.

And then how about you, Justin?

Uh, well, I grew up in Plum.

Uh, started playing sports when I was young.

I wrestled from when I was like seven, so I was 14.

And then during high school, I started getting in trouble, you know, living the fast life, doing dumb things.

And, uh, I was 19 years old working at Muscle Maker Grill.

And, uh, I'm the manager there.

And my neighbor's my boss, Kamu, where do he comes in looking for a sponsorship, right?

And my boss is like, this kid thinks he's tough.

Da, da, da, da, da.

I did.

I thought I was a little tough, you know, a tough kid.

Um, common vice-meeting to the gym.

He never in a million years thought I'd show up.

And I showed up and I just never left.

I just after work every day, I'd go and train and, um, just turning the fight.

Beautiful.

It's just crazy.

I'll stop working.

Isn't that crazy?

Yeah.

And so how, how long ago was that?

How many years ago was that?

Oh, it was 12 years ago.

Okay.

At the academy.

Uh, it was fight club at the time.

Oh, it was called Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh fight club.

Yeah.

For a fight club, Pittsburgh.

Okay.

And that's whenever, uh, Cody Garbant was there, Mark Cherrick, uh, Justin Steve, Adam Milstad.

A bunch of stars.

Yeah.

A bunch of stars.

I was gonna beat up every day.

That's the way to grow, right?

Right.

And so now, Carla, you just got head coaching job, right?

Wainsburg?

Uh-huh.

Wrestling?

Yeah.

Is that right?

Yeah.

How did that happen?

Okay.

Yeah.

So, um, well, I wrestled in junior high in high school.

I was in the background and I did love wrestling.

But, um, I just like fighting, fighting more.

Honestly, that's why I took more of that route.

But what, last year, well, let me think about this timeline.

So 23, 2023 to 2024, I coached at Kiske.

And it was just kind of, um, I said, actually, actually helped me get my job there.

Okay.

So I had to coach a high school team there.

You were head coach?

I was a head coach.

Head coach at Kiske?

Yeah.

Women's wrestling?

Because I was a high school.

Girls wrestling?

Okay.

Yeah.

And then, um, while I was-

My wife went to Kiske.

Oh, really?

Nice.

Nice.

And while I was there, um, his name's Josh Fowler.

He owns Black Cat martial arts down in a Morgan town, West Virginia.

Okay.

And he's known me since I was like young, you know?

So, um, whenever he found out that Wainsburg was hiring a women's coach, they were getting a women's wrestling team.

He talked, was talking with the vice president because they're good friends.

Adam Jack.

And they kind of just, like, you know, do you know anybody?

That would be interested in why a name was thrown in there.

They ended up reaching out to me and talking to me.

And that's kind of how it came about.

I was actually a little bit skeptical about it at first because I didn't have a background in college wrestling.

And they do freestyle in college.

And I have only done folk style wrestling.

And I've only, you know, trained in jujitsu, grappling, like MMA grappling stuff like that.

So I knew it was going to be different with a technique and stuff like that.

But, um, is this their first year?

Yeah, this is their first year.

So we're building it ground up.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And another thing is like, I didn't have a college degree.

So they went in somebody with a college background.

So I kind of was like, I don't even think I'm going to get that job.

So I didn't even apply and they kept calling me.

So I eventually applied and it all worked out.

And yeah, we had a really, um, it was a fun first season.

Lots of growing, lots of growing pains.

But we had a great time.

The team super close, which was like, you know, that was where it starts.

That's where you start to win.

Yeah, for sure.

Exactly.

The camaraderie.

Right.

And it's, you know, you could hear the paths of lining.

Like, you know, how you got started was the meeting with comma, which, you know, was really just coming in for a sponsorship.

This was like, it's random things that come in.

You got to just flow with the path of life and trust that, you know, that process.

What would you say have been some of the sacrifices, you know, maybe that you guys have had to make to get to, you know,

currently where you're at right now, you know, Justin.

Uh, just missing things in your family, like missing family events, stuff like that training, your training all the time, you know, time for what do you mean family events birthdays, you know, stuff like that.

Our family goes out, you're training, you can't go out.

Um, my brother actually, unfortunately, my brother had his kid and I didn't even give a seem in the hospital at the time because I was training out of fight coming up, you know what I mean?

Stuff like that.

That's tough.

Right? Those are the things that people miss.

A lot of people don't understand until later.

You look back at your younger brother.

The sacrifices, you know, that it requires to win.

And I think, you know, that stuff sounds extreme, right?

Missing your family's birthdays and, you know, people only live once and have babies one time and you're an uncle and, you know, not your brother.

You know, to most people, they would look at that and they say, man, that's bad.

That ain't right.

But to winners, people that are winning at a high level, people that have won at a high level, most of the time, you're going to get ahead and not of like, yeah, that's the stuff that it takes.

That's the painful stuff that it takes.

That's not what you want to do.

But that's sometimes those are the little sacrifices that you've got to make along along the way.

And I'm sure when you make some of those sacrifices, and, you know, there's, I cut you off mid first couple of sacrifices.

There's more. Right here.

But when you make those sacrifices, you probably get some flak, you know, from people over time.

You know, be it friends or people that don't understand. Have you had any of that?

Sometimes, like, when I'm in fight camp, I don't go out.

I don't do none of that. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do none of that.

And sometimes your friends will, you know, ask you to go out and stuff.

And you're no fun, though, but the ones that understand are your true people.

Talk about not drinking and smoking, right?

Now, there was a period, I think, in your career that maybe, I don't know if it was always that way.

Did you have a, like, I'm a click, this click, I'm locking, I'm locking in.

Yeah. You know what I mean? Was there a turning point where it's like, I'm locking all the way in now.

Yeah, I had a title fight in Ohio.

And I actually failed my drug test for weed. And Ohio, they're super strict and they won't let you fight.

So I was still going to fight. I just couldn't win the belt. It would have been a no contest if I would have won.

Okay. So I go in to fight and I go in to turn my tickets and my opponent walks out.

And at that point, I was like, as soon as I signed my contract, as soon as anything, I even got a, like, a whiff of a fight can went up. I could put it all down.

You know what do you really want? Right. Amen. What other sacrifices can you think of coming to you next?

Well, I just injury wise, did I rupture my spleen, I lost my right testicle, I had my toe dislocate, my bone go through my foot, and I hurt any of my back.

All within like a three year thing. And it was like.

And so you're coming out, right? You're taking time out, right? Because you got a heel. Yeah.

You got a rehab. Yeah. And that sucks. Right. Getting knocked down, getting back up, getting knocked down, getting back up. That mirrors life.

Right. Injuries. You know, it may not be physical injuries when you get outside of, you know, when there's a day comes and you retire, you know, from the sport.

There's then life happens and you get injured in life. It may not be your knee. It may not be your spleen.

But it's going to feel like you got kicked in testicles. You know, 100% you're down. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, what was the mental coming back from each one of those injuries?

I just took it as a test. You know what I mean? Is it test how bad do you want it? You know what I mean? So it's like.

Did you ever think about giving up? This is maybe the same for me.

The only time, none of the injuries, honestly. The only time I ever thought about quitting fighting was on my brother pass away.

I just didn't know if I had like the fight in me anymore if I still wanted to do it. But then it just changed what I was fighting for.

How'd your brother pass you? You modified.

He got a motorcycle accident September 28, 2019.

Okay. Sorry to hear that. Is that your brother with the mind?

With the mind of you. Yeah. What should nephew? Okay.

And so can you give us some of your sacrifices, Karly?

I would say like a lot of the same similar as that he said, just missing family events, things like that.

For me, like my childhood, because when I was like 12 years old, I started really taking training seriously.

Like once I was like sort of competing and stuff like that. I really started to take it seriously. So I trained.

You know, I go to school. They get out and get home from school, eat, go to the gym, train till 9 o'clock at night, come home, go to bed, get up there again.

On the weekends, I, you know, I trained on either Saturday or Sunday at some point. So I was training on my six days a week as a teenager.

And you know, I was always like I was pretty disciplined as a kid. Like I eat healthy, drinking water.

I carry a gallon of water with me around school. I thought I was insane.

So that I was like one of the biggest things for me. It's just not.

What did you get that discipline? You know, that's discipline. That's extreme discipline.

Honestly. At a young age, do you think it's just something like, man, I was born with this.

You know, it was just like something I got anointed with that I'm just this, this is just what I was born with.

Or do you look at your come up as a kid and say, you know, maybe it was because I saw this or maybe it was because of my mother or maybe it was because like, where do you get that?

I think it's kind of instilled in me from a young age. Like my mom and dad's always like even as kids, like we did chores, like we didn't get stuff for free.

Like, you know, we worked hard as kids. We helped out around the house and stuff like that all the time.

So I think just like kind of having that like upbringing, you know, seeing my parents work hard all the time, you know, go.

struggles and like, she keeps showing up for us every single day no matter what.

But also like the people in the gym that I was surrounded by, like I just

seen what they were doing, you know, I was paying attention to Nick Brown, you

know, he was super successful at the time. He was like my like one of my biggest

mentors and my upcoming Ethan Hayes, Josh Frem, those guys like just watch what

they did, you know, and just how to like emulate them really.

What you talked about your parents, what maybe you would, what would you say you

pulled looking back on it now the most from your parents, you know, if somebody

looking at you, she said, oh, that's she got that from her mom, she got that from her dad.

That's a good question. I always tell everybody I feel like I'm a really, I'm like

the perfect blend of my mom and my dad. My dad's very like, what's stoic?

stoic, you know? Yeah, super nice dude. Great quality.

Yes, very, he's a very hard worker too. I might, he might even want, like he might

there was own struggles in his life and like, you know, if it wasn't for my mom being

honest with us, we probably would have never even known because he just, no matter what

showed up for us. So just, I think going through that and just seeing that like always like,

you know, putting your foot in one foot in front of the other and just like staying on

the ground and like trying to be a better person and stuff, I'm really helped. Like I think

it's just showing me that. It's kind of what instilled out of me in a young age and like,

you know, my mom like, you know, wanted us to go to the gym and get better and training.

And so, and there was definitely days where I was like, man, I don't know if I want to go

today and show us definitely times she'd be like, I think, you know, we need to go and like

push, push, like, you know, pushing me a little bit. So, where did that come from in

her? I wondered, was she an athlete? Did she do martial arts? No. You know, I wonder,

what does that come from? You know what I'm saying? I mean, I guess it's just like, it's

just generations like my grandma would, you know, say the same thing. My grandma's very,

she loves, she loves God and she's very religious. And that was a big thing with my mom's

life growing up. So maybe that's where she gets it from. Just, you know, yeah, this

is awesome. In the passion and, you know, it's huge. Yeah. Just in coming back to your,

to your brother, you know, 2019, how did you overcome that? How did you get out of that,

you know, mental, you know, where you thought about quitting and giving up? I mean, I, I

can't even imagine, I don't have a brother, you know, but I got friends that are close

to me like a brother, but like, how do you, how do you, how did you get out of that? How

did you overcome that? God in my family, honestly, I just, that's when I, I was always religious,

but Dylan Weston actually got me like reading the Bible and our Bible study at the math

factory and, and it got me through it and then just being around my family, I moved back

home. I was living in the, Dylan brought me to the math factory. Really? And I brought

him back to the math factory. That's awesome. That's amazing how things work. That's my

dog right there. Yeah, I love doing it. But I was living in Robinson at the time. I moved

back home to live with my family and just being close to them, being close to God, got me

through it. You would think, you know, a lot of people that have that type of situation

happen, they do the opposite. You know, they're more like me and God ain't really cool.

You know, I'm saying after that, how does this happen? You know, I'm saying to a good person,

how do you do that? And, and my response when that happens is, is, is I, I get it. I

understand how you can feel that way. You know, I'm saying it's like I ain't God. I don't

got all the answers. I'm not going to try to, you know, get in between that. That's between

you and the Lord, you know, in a mean, but a lot of people turn the opposite direction.

Yeah. What do you think made you turn towards God versus away from God? Um, you understand

what I'm saying? A lot of people go to opposite direction with that. I've done me wrong. I

started to, I started to do things that weren't too, uh, weren't too good. But, um, I think just

being around the right people, honestly. And my mom, my mom is all being around the right people.

So that's huge. Yeah. Right? The people that you choose to spend time with during dark moments

who you gravitate towards can impact you. You're doing the wrong things, you know. But, uh,

my mom was all God's plan. This is all God's plan. God just wanted him sooner. You know what I mean?

It was his time. It's your time and your time. Right. There's no changing it, you know what I mean?

Right. So, um, it was just his time to go, go be and paradise, you know.

Coaches, mentors, parents, could you name some people that have impacted you and kind of what you've

grabbed out of them? Oh, dude. Uh, the list is so long. Keep it short. Uh, five or less.

Um, so we'll go, come over. They obviously got me in the gym. Um, got me

started. Kind of made me realize how deep the bucket is with professionals. Like people in

Pittsburgh think we're like, we got, we got to raise the level, you know what I mean? The

the bucket's the, the ocean's deep, you know. Um, Mark Cherrickert too. He actually was one of my

first time in my coaches taught me, taught me the game. You know, taught me a lot. I still use a lot

of stuff. He teaches, uh, Chris Williams for, uh, because Chris is one of the most honest

coaches you ever meet. And he met, he met me at the, uh, uh, fight club when I didn't know

anything about striking. And he's stuck with me for working on what 10 years now, I think.

Oh, that's great. So it's just the bond we have is, yeah. And he's one of the most honest.

And he'll go out and fight for you. Like if someone says something wrong, he'll fight for you. Like

he's, uh, Isaac, obviously, Isaac is a different like, like, what do you think? What, what,

what do you pull from Chris other than striking? Be honest, be real, you know, being honest and

real. Yeah. Chris is one of the most real people you ever meet. If he has a problem or, or there's

something going on, host, we're in a hashed out right now. We're gonna talk about it. I love it.

So how about, how about Isaac? Um, speak of human being, you know what I mean? Like be selfless,

give the people, you know, I mean, give more than you take because Isaac would drop a dime,

do anything for anyone, you know, how long you've been at the mat factory? Like I know you were

coming some, but then like, it went to like some to like all the time. Yeah, it's been, um,

yeah, three or four years, three or four years. Yeah. I've had an opportunity to just witness your growth

not just physically. I mean, you're, you're, you're grappling and wrestling has went. Yeah.

Way up. I appreciate it. You know what I'm saying? I appreciate it. Way up. Um, I've physically felt that,

you know, to mean myself, how much better that you've got. And then I've watched you grow as a man,

the most, you know, the man is as much as I've watched your level grow, I've just watched your

levels grow even more as a person and as a man, you could feel it. I could just feel it from you

different than when you, and you were always work good person. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, I just feel a whole

different man with you over those couple of years, man. So super, super proud of you, man. And,

then we just keep paying that forward and keep saying who else can we impact now with the gift that

was given to us? Exactly. And I think that's, that's one of the, that's one of the keys to the,

to the gym, you know, it's like just that whole ecosystem, that economy of just like

everybody loving on one another, everybody looking out for that family, you know, it's that

individual sport, but it's really, there's a lot of team that goes behind it. You know what I'm saying

to make, to make that work? What, what things, any, any things you want to point out that you've

grabbed from certain coaches or mentors? Um, I would just like always, I always come out to

Nick Brown, because he was like, like, will, like, well, yeah, he was such a like a positive in my

like, like my career, like as a kid. Like how so? I had some bad stuff happening to me from my

from from my first coach. And just having him as a person to like look up to and talk to and like,

he had no idea what was happening, but he was just always a good person. And I could feel that,

you know, um, and he always did the right thing and everything was, it was never about him.

So he's a, um, you know, he's somebody that I just, I aspire to be like because I guess he

just truly impacted me and I seen how selfless he is and, um, you know, I, that's kind of like my

goal with this like competing and stuff. I don't ever want it to make me a selfish person. So that's

that's been the biggest thing I've taken away from him for sure. Hmm. How, how long have you guys now?

Been together? How long has this been a thing? Four years, I'm Monday. Four years. Oh, Monday.

Yeah. Sinkier de Mayo are anniversary. Wow. I made it that way so I can remember it.

Right. Right. Right. Smart. No, I like it. That's awesome. You didn't really have like a date or

anything. Yeah. One for me, like, like, Sinkier de Mayo. Sinkier de Mayo. I like it. For years.

In the grand scheme sometimes it don't seem long, but I mean, you think four years, that's like

going to high school and you graduated high school or going to college four years later, like,

you're out. That's a, that's a long time, you know, together. You think it helps you that you

got somebody, you know, that's on the same kind of trajectory as you in the game. For sure. Yeah.

We'll get done training and we'll, uh, we'll talk about on the ride home. How to go. Would you have

problems with this and that? Um, and even when we're cutting weight, like, well, we don't even

get in the fight. You know, we'll argue each other and, um, fist fight. No, no, no, no. Like, let's put

the gloves on. Yeah. We'll be in the gym. Uh, but, uh, we'll argue and stuff where you got to shine

her from. No, but, um, what are you and stuff? And, uh, we, we take a second, reflect on it and

realize that we're both just hangry or, you know, we're both going through stuff. And we always

come back, you know, everybody has those things. You know, I'm saying, people that act like they

don't, they do, you know what I mean? So I appreciate that Chris Williams coming out. That's

really, uh, let's be real. You know, let's, let's keep it a hundred. But, you know, I would imagine

that if you don't have somebody that's in the same game as you, that it's, it's difficult

to get the support sometimes that it requires. It's a journey. It's, it's, it's, it's,

it's thankless. It's a lot of fricking time that you got to invest. It's a lot of sacrifice.

Birthdays, you know, I can't go to my own family's birthday. Now I got somebody else's family's

birthday. And I'm looked at like I'm bad because I can't go to your mom's birthday. I didn't go

to my own family's birthday. You know what I mean? So it's like she understands, you know what I mean?

You understand? And that's tough to understand. And then the journey of like, you know, I've,

I've had an opportunity to, to be around the game long enough where I've watched people, you know,

grow through MMA. And I remember where they had no car to, you know, making plenty of money,

you know what I mean? And, and watching that transpire is you got to go from all this work,

overworked and underpaid to where it, there comes a point where it's like, man, I'm overpaid

for what I love to do. Like, this is crazy. You know what I'm saying there? And that journey,

you know, could be probably tough for people if they don't understand the game and the flow,

you know, together. How would you say it's been beneficial to have somebody in the same game as

you get you date? Just having somebody to like, honestly just that just gets it because like,

you don't understand it unless you do it and you're a part of it and you can, you can pee and you

take training very seriously, you know, dieting all the time. Like even last night, like we went to

get dinner and I was like, can we go get, like, I can eat sushi, you know, I'm like, can we go get,

like you get whatever you want? I'm gonna get something I know I can eat but like, still like,

figuring out ways to like, can you do the rice with the sushi? Yeah, and all that. Longer than that.

Funny thing is I know people always think like cut carbs and make weight but like, I actually

more carbs probably in camp than I do outside of camp just because I don't know why. That's what he

tells me to do. It works. It works. I don't know the science. Kyle Markle, my little nutrition,

he's a wizard. Yeah, he's real good. He's so good. Nice. Yeah. Where's that at, my little

thing? He's actually in Morgantown, out of Morgantown. Okay. Nice. And looking back, you know,

you guys both got over a decade now plus, right? So what do you wish that you, you know, you look

back and I wish I knew then what I know now. What would maybe a thing or two of that be?

Don't rush it. Yeah. You know, enjoy it and enjoy it too. Like, when I first, what do you mean don't

rush it? Like, don't take a fight before you're ready. You know what I mean? Obviously, you gotta have

your first first fight to like, get wet. That's why it's everyone in your first fight. It's just like

your swimming. You're just jumping in the water. See if you can swim. You know what I mean? You might

not win it, but you're just saying if you like it and you can swim because there's plenty of people that

jump in. They drown. You know what I mean? But don't rush it. Like, don't take bad fights.

You don't have to, you know what I mean? If you're injured, take your time and heal. I kept trying

to rush through my injuries. Yeah. Rush through my injuries and just get injured again. Then

you're on the shelf first at a amount of time, you know. And make sure you have good coaches around

here. You know, you gotta have good coaches that steer you in the right direction.

Great, great advice. Great wisdom. I think that's one a lot of people

miss is that letting yourself heal from injuries. Not rushing, not taking that fight because you're not

even close to 100 percent. But you feel like, man, I gotta get this one in because, you know,

how hard is it sometimes to get a fight? You know what I'm saying? And then, especially as an

amateur, you're coming up and it's like it's normal for people to pull out to fight. You know,

you went through this whole camp. You know what I mean? So now I finally got one. I gotta take it.

You know what I mean? And those are, that's wisdom right there. I've watched that be done

the right and wrong way and have heard this, you know, multiple times. So I think that's great advice.

Anything on your end? It's just be consistent. And like not like getting too high off the

the winds and too low off the losses, you know, just staying right in the middle. I always like

call it like ride the wave, you know? Ride the wave. Yeah, I love that. I just kind of lie. Yeah, I just

love that.

You know, I've been there where like I went you like my first few fights

I was like my heart's going a million miles an hour

It's like the one of the greatest feelings in the world and then like next when you lose and it was like my it wasn't my

For my first loss is my second loss that really like hurt me and my mom

How did I actually really like reality check me? She's like if you want to do this you need to figure out a better way to handle your losses

And I was like hmm and he really hit me with the truth there and

And that honestly changed a lot for me like I lost what my last

Not my last fight but my fight before that I lost it and it like almost like didn't even face me

Wow, that's growth, you know, so yeah

So yeah, just like ride the wave

Because so that I mean we gotta stay here for a minute. Okay. We got a muddle in this because this is this is life

Right here right and it's it's not getting too high and not getting too low and staying even keel that that

You'll watch people in life

Do that, you know the mean they get they have a loss

They have a setback in life and it's like man

It's over and then they'll have a win and they're you know, they're all excited and that's that's dangerous

You know to be in sooner or later if you don't learn how to ride the wave. Yeah, I like to ride the wave

They you're gonna cause yourself a lot of

Stress and anxiety and eventually get yourself out of whatever your game is you're gonna get yourself out of that game because

You got to go through losses. You're gonna have nobody wants the losses, you know, we we'd all rather learn from our wins

You know then then our losses

But those losses is where a lot of the the wins happen. That's where a lot of the growth is at

You know in the main and so that's part of that

Way that's part of that process

You said you know your second loss hits you super hard. Mm-hmm third loss you handled it. Yeah better, right?

What happened?

What what what would you what advice could you give to some you know young man or young woman out there listening right now

That would apply to life that they could say all right. I got this, you know try to explain that growth

Yeah, I mean for me personally it was like I

Had to remember why I do this and like it's not to win or to lose it's because I love it

Going back to the why yeah going back to your purpose. Why are you doing this?

Yeah, I just for a short term win. Yeah for a couple, you know ride that high for a couple months

Right that that win a lot of paths on the back, you know the main that's not about that

It's about the long term was the purpose why why am I doing this? Yeah, okay. Yeah, it's always about that and

Just like I mean like what I said my mom reality checked me and

Not that she's not supportive. She's extremely supportive of me

But it's not her favorite thing in the world that I choose to do with my life. It's got to be hard as a parent. It is hard for

How about your dad?

My I think he feels he's he's so a king will let us know

He don't really let us know one way or the other I think part of him is like probably would like me to do something else

But he also knows I love it and he can see like my passion for it

Yeah, and you know he understands my purpose, you know

I want to you know be able to tell my story and how people and stuff so

Just always remember in that you know, it's not

Your lowest the lows are like that. There's only one way to go is up, so

What would you you said your mom, you know, what was that?

Conversation or you know or whatever with the loss. Yeah, it would be honestly like I was just talking to after my that fight

I lost I'm a hey, I was getting about two years three years ago now maybe I was just talking to her and I was super upset about it

Like crying and like just like not okay, and she's like she's like you're acting crazy right now

She's like you you really like seriously like if you're gonna do this

This is not the way you need to hand like you cannot handle it like this. It's not good for you

It's not good for your mental health. It's not good for people around you

You know, so she's like you need to kind of just reevaluate. It's hard when you give everything. Yeah, when you go all in

Yeah, and so what I'm what I'm hearing you know from you is

being able to go all in on something

and then just

letting it go and understanding that that it's just about the purpose and about the mission

It ain't about the immediate winner loss. It's about the it's about the bigger picture

Accepting that yeah bigger picture versus the immediate gratification of a win or you know or whatever

It's realizing like sometimes your best isn't good enough. That's just reality, you know

Like I trained super hard for that fight and I got choked out in a minute and a half and I was like I'm like that is not who I am

You know, but that's just what it was at the time and just we have to be okay with that

That was you know, one of the things I was gonna pull out is is like the amount of hours

The amount of time that goes into training

in a camp and out of camp for

two minutes or

Ten minutes, you know or 15 minutes that process is so much more than that

game

Oh, yeah, the fight the whatever plug in your fill in your blank for whatever, you know

The listener, you know, whatever is your game whatever is your fight whatever is your thing that that show that one

15-minute segment that potentially two-minute, you know segment how many hours how many minutes

go into

Making something like that happen and then imagine, you know the thing about

Fighting is it's like we can't just get that right back that next day. I know you know the main or the next

two weeks later like this is now

Three months out, you know the main this is potentially, you know two months three months four months out

That I got to go back to work and make all those sacrifices all over and again

Without it without a hundred percent guarantee that

It's gonna be paid back to me in what I gave because it's you know life is unfair

So I'm fair, you know to mean if it was measured in what you gave sometimes your best isn't good enough

Right, so if it was measured in what you sacrificed and what you gave you may feel I deserve that I get what else you want me to give

You know I gave everything and then to mentally recover

You know from that it just sounds like you get you went to a place of just accepting that I'm gonna give it my best

And let the chips

Forward they may either way. I'm just gonna keep grinding in the process and doing what I love

What would you say would be your mental tips to overcome the losses and adversity?

I

Watches lost

Right. Yep. I know I'm glad you're here

You know, I'm saying I'm glad you're here off a loss. I don't want to just have you on here after a bunch of wins

You my homie off. I hope there's no more losses, but off of three losses. I'm glad you over here

I'm happy that you're here

Everyone keeps texting me and stuff asking me you all right. You all good honestly

I've no physical damage at all like I've had wins where I was limping around the house

But she was carrying me around because I was all hanged up

And I tell people if the worst thing that happens to me this year is that lose at my fight. I'm blessed

Come on, you know, look at that person putting it in perspective

If that's the worst thing that happens to me. That's that's totally fine

That's called perspective. Did you always have that perspective? Oh?

No, not at all. How do you think that evolved like what created that ability that maturity leveled it to have that perspective?

I think just like you said growing up and

Having honestly having bad things happen to you

You like you know you people only realized their level of pain their level of suffering what they went through

So you have to go through

Rough things in life to realize that some stuff is not even that bad, you know

Right, you know, amen to that. What does what would you say training looks like for you?

Incamp versus out of camp

If you explain it to somebody

Listening boy in camp by or out of camp. I normally train like every day

You know, maybe take Thursdays off Thursdays like my usually my off day one off day train six days a week

Yeah, okay, and then in camp how many hours outside of camp outside of camp outside of camp

Usually like two hour sessions at least so at least 12 at least. Yep. Sometimes the way more sometimes there's two a days in there

Yep, so I'd say like 12 to 20 hours maybe okay, and then in camp two sessions a day at least

Two to three hours a session

Sometimes three times a day. So it's that's you know, that's a lot. What do you do to recover?

I'll go send them a saw share at the factory

I'll get worked on a little bit by Derek at the factory

Anything you notice helps you more with recovery now than maybe in the past like man

I noticed if I do this it helps my recovery

I should give you one of mine, but I just want to hear yours actually rocker our strength coach has us doing body temporary

Which is that you see a big metal roller at the factory?

It's like a big

I heard about it. Yeah, and you roll your muscles around about it. Yeah, do it your scream

All right, we did the Lucas and Lucas do it to me. Yeah, that's who was telling me

Do it I'm in yeah, but did you do it? It like hurts

But it's like a good pain. Yeah, you get up and you feel so loose and so like body

So it sounds like a different level of foam roller. Yeah, exactly exactly

Is that what it is? That's what he described it as foam rolling you have to like

Flex your muscles to do it, but body tempering when you're rolling it out

You can just be relaxed and roll out your muscles. How do you need somebody else to do it?

Usually, yeah, you gotta have so it sounds like you would need somebody else to do

Usually you have someone like a foam roller you could roll yourself around. Yeah, okay

You get the bus the bus out of it if somebody does it for you. Is it heavy?

You know, it's like the one of the math factories. I think 40 pounds. Yeah, but we

Usually use the one that how rocker has it his gym and I think it's like 60 or 80 pounds

Yeah, I can't wait to get I gotta get one of these. Oh, it's great. You're gonna love it

I'm gonna try I gotta try it this sweet. Yeah, you'll love it. Yeah, I'm 42

I got I got a new one we could work on every couple days

You know to me try this thing out. All right, so how about you? I do a lot of this

Same thing he does especially with the foam rolling and stuff like that and just like making myself take a day off

You know like I try to that's the hard part. I try to take Thursdays off

I mean look at work of Christy in the morning on Thursdays, but it's usually pretty like technical

So yeah, just like taking time off like taking that day off like like it's you know

How do you know when it's to like when to train through something in your experience versus like when to take a rest like you

Tweet something you hurt something and it's like all right. Do I train do I modify my training and still train do I train or do I sit this one out?

That's a hard one

Still like I'm not how I'm guilty of like training through stuff I'm plowing through it. Yeah, yeah

I think the best way to do that is to tell your coaches when you're having issues or injuries and they let them decide

Yeah, tell you because they've seen it. Yeah

I feel like Isaac's really good at like kind of recognizing like when it's like all right you guys need to be done for the day

You know what I mean? So um, you know just having coaches really who are like paying attention to you and how you're performing

How about the mental preparation?

You know going into

You know a fight or even the preparation of leading up to it camp, you know

What what do you do? What advice would you give to somebody for mental preparation?

We were talking about this before

We are I honestly I read my Bible a lot during fight camp

I read a lot not in fight camp

But a lot during fight camp and it kind of just you know helps me know the gods with me and uh get closer to the Lord

Yeah, station. That's it. They're in fight camp is close. I've ever feel awesome. It's it's something different, but um

We don't do a lot of

We don't do a lot of hype up stuff a lot of like I'm if you come look at me in the back from my fight

I'm laying down. I'm chilling. It's I feel like if you need hyped up to do this

It's it might not be for you. You know you see people in the back yell and and screaming trying to get all hyped up blowing out all your energy

Yeah, it's just not it's just something I love to do

Yeah, whether I go in there and get my face but I guarantee you I'll be smiling, you know and it's um

I think it's just once you accept what what can happen to you

You don't really need hyped up for just go out there and handle your business. What do you mean accept what can happen to you?

Yeah, I tell her all the time

Right before I fought Martin just this and for this fight. I was like I could out there

Let's do you can just knock me out real quick, you know

It's you got accepted. I get knocked out right in front of my mom, you know, like that's that's that's my biggest fear is like

But you just accept it. Yeah, except the the wins. I could go out there and knock him out

You know, I mean or I could be a little bit comfortable with accepting the potential

You know, that's that's that's huge like so I was listening

There's a old school motivational guy that I like I mean he's old

His name's Les Brown you're here Les Brown. I've heard the name check him out. So he's OG so

One time he was talking about when he went through a really hard time in his life like bad low low

He said you know, I felt like I could lose everything. I felt like I was gonna lose it all

You know and it was giving me just anxiety

You know in the mean I couldn't sleep I could breathe and he's like

What I did is I went I heard this from somebody and I did it

He said I went to the place where I was afraid of the most and I got comfortable

there and accepting it and and

viewing myself, picturing myself making it through that anyways and being okay anyway

So he's like I stripped myself mentally of all the things I was afraid to lose and

Moving into a I had nothing you know to mean and all this stuff from from here

And I just accepted it and got comfortable and got grateful with it anyway that I was survived

You know what I'm saying and that helped him and it sounds a little bit about what you're saying just

Accepting the worst case scenario and understanding. I'm cool with it. I'll be okay

Yeah, we'll make it out, you know, yeah, yeah any special versus any any favorite

Versus you got Romans always Romans Romans eight for me is

is big. I think it was Romans 5, 3, 3, 5 was mine about suffering and struggles and recently

for me, just because of my fight and it didn't go the way I wanted it and stuff like that.

But I read this fight camp I was reading John over and over again and I was reading Romans

over and over again. Just deep dive into the work for you mental preparation.

I think it was a lot of different times, it would catch different things.

It was something that might stick out to you now that didn't stick out to you before because

you went through an experience in life.

100%. How about you mental preparation?

I think as a like for fighting and just like keeping your thoughts, I guess, calm, just

being prepared, physically preparing for it, going through the uncomfortable stuff, putting

yourself in those uncomfortable situations willingly. Not, not, you know, not, like, willingly

like going into this, you know, like, you know how to use the night wrestling practice

are. You ain't ready for this. I mean, you gotta be ready for it no matter what, you

know. So just like doing that, like doing stuff like that no matter what, like even if

you wait like crap the day before and you feel like you woke up and you feel like crap

and you know when you go into that practice, it's gonna suck. You just gotta do it.

So just like doing all that hard stuff and just like, I get through it every time.

It's not, another day is nothing new, you know.

Right. Talked about eating, you know, like crap. What would normal day, normal week, not

in camp. Not in camp. What is, what is that diet typically look like? You just letting

it rip or you, you got specific things you, you follow?

Like after like the week after my fight, I got a smash out a little bit.

You gotta smash out a little bit. You gotta crush out.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah, crazy. Yeah. I told Dalton, I went to Dalton's and I'm like dude, every time you fight

and win and we have the after meal, it's like I won. I mean, like I'm like I didn't deserve

it. I didn't do none of the work for this. I'm eating like it's Thanksgiving, you know what

I mean? I'm putting on five. So I, no, I get it. I get it. I did the same thing training

and, you know, for grappling and tournaments and cutting weight and all that is like,

it's a firm nose, you know, a perm, I mean, we let it, we let it rip after.

I'm starving. You know, so I get it. But I mean outside of that.

Yeah, but like outside of that, like honestly, it's a lot of the same food and stuff, just

more, you know, like, and like I don't, if I'm hungry, like what's the same food?

Like chicken, rice, oats, eggs, zikyo bread, some vegetables, I don't really like vegetables.

Sweet potatoes, beef. So protein, protein, and what type of carbs?

I eat a lot of rice and a lot of oats, sometimes potatoes.

Rice oats, some sweet potatoes. Yeah, honestly, that's pretty much it. Honey.

Okay. Honey, ain't that too, does the honey need to be timed? You know, like free training or

after training because there's a spike of possibly insulin. I mean, I had some honey before training.

Okay. Yeah, I'll do it like, I'll do like oats.

You do any caffeine? Oh, yeah. Any pre workout?

Most of the time, sometimes not. You know, I try not to rely on that, like all the time, every single time.

You know, like sometimes I do sometimes I call it just depends.

Like I drink a cup one cup, I mean, I guess I drink coffee every morning, but like I drink a couple coffee and like that was all I needed to go and try train for two hours this morning.

I lifted this morning, so like I don't take any pre workout for like lifting and stuff like that.

I'm very like how much are you lifting strength training and stuff like that? Three days a week.

Okay. Yeah.

Do you do you feel that it makes you too, you know, muscular as far as like you don't have the endurance to flow or pulling

strain and stuff or is there a way you overcome that?

So actually, no, which is I was really skeptical about lifting starting to lift again at first because I was worried about that.

But the way we lift is like, there's, I don't know, it's not.

We do like a warm up at the beginning.

It's like it's called a speed warm up.

Yeah, but it's all driving off your feet, moving the right way and mobility stuff like where you're moving around at first.

And then we'll lift for like 45 minutes an hour after that.

So I feel like the moving around helps so you're not just still.

You don't feel yourself getting too tight to where you your flexibility is okay and I feel, I feel way better.

I feel looser, I feel stronger, I feel more mobile.

What typical lifts?

Oh, I feel like what we do today.

We did barbell power cleans today.

So just like from the floor.

Chin ups, I did landmines, so like,

yeah, standard like a split squat position and just left the way.

Yeah, and I did goblets split goblets squats.

Here's a machine he calls it, it's called an home.

All compound movements.

So it's not like, it's not like you're not sitting there.

You're not doing chest press bench press once in a while.

I do sometimes.

Curls.

We don't do like arm curls.

He was like, Rock has been having me do more stuff for my.

No tricep extensions.

Not extensions, not like overheads, push downs, but what's he call him?

He calls dumbbell rollbacks and he's been having me do them a lot because I'm determined to get my bench press up more.

Okay.

Because it's not very good.

I got you.

I've always wanted to do it.

I just wanted to get an bench 155.

I got you.

Put the big wheels on.

Yes.

So, um, but yeah, for overall, what's your goal for getting to 135?

Why?

No, what?

Like date, you got a date, you got a deadline?

No, I don't care.

Just why does one sit, do you want to get there?

When this year?

Whenever.

Yeah, this year would be cool.

You know, I, maybe, uh, I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Have you had any, you know, the more success that you have, the more haters you're going to

have, the more trolls you're going to have.

If you put yourself out there, you know, you're going to have trolls, you're going

to have haters and stuff like that.

Have you had any of that yet or no?

Um, not really.

I feel like certain people you can tell, you know, I mean no.

The Ichro nice to you not rooting for you.

Yeah.

Uh huh, but, uh, nothing to my face, okay.

You know social media, you put up, you post your stuff up and all that stuff about your

fight and all that.

You don't get no trolls yet.

No, no, no.

No, no.

I hope you don't never get none.

But the more you go, the higher you go, you're going to get you a couple.

You're going to get you a few of those.

So what do you think for you guys, you know, common traits that you see in winners?

You know, in people that are great, you know, it's like all right, you're talking about

nutritionist, you're talking about a strength trainer, you're talking about your

coaches, you got a boxing coach, you got an MMA coach, you got grappling coaches,

you know, you got it. But just overall, you know, if you're looking at people that

are great at their field, people that are great at what they do, what would you

say are some of the common traits that you've seen and witnessed that stick out?

Two that I really, I really think is no matter what they don't make excuses,

they do the work. No excuses. And then...

Got to do the work just no excuses. Yeah, no matter what.

You don't feel like you go do it, you know what I mean, you're a little injured,

you go do something else, you do the work, and then fundamentals.

Everyone, like, if you look at these UFC champs or anyone that's really good at

anything, Kirby Bryant, you go in there and do the fundamentals, they do it, be

in there in basketball, you know what I mean? But the fundamentals, and you look at

these UFC champs, they'll have their reigns, but then they switch up.

They don't... You're supposed to go leave the dance with the girl that brought you

there, right? You don't go to the dance and then change and then try to find

something else, you know what I mean? So all the ones that stay with the same

fundamentals have good reigns, but they go there, they reach the top, they start

switching up, doing something else, and they end up losing their belt, you know what I mean?

Switching their style up too much. Yeah, we're doing trying to do something

too fancy or too fundamentals. Yeah, staying with the fundamentals.

Okay, how about you? Trade to the greats. Consistency, just consistency over time.

Consistency. I don't think there's really anything that can beat that. There's

people that are not have zero talent that they show up every day and work hard

and are great, you know? So I think just being consistent. Not a lot of talent,

tons of people out there that are great just being consistent. One of my

favorite quotes that I try to share with the people in our business that they

could probably finish my sentence as soon as I start a couple words. That's how

much I, the test of greatness and they can finish it. The test of greatness and

the hallmark of excellence is consistency, being able to be consistent.

Yeah. And it's tough to be consistent because when you're consistent and you're

showing up, you're not getting an award every day for that. You're not getting

immediate gratification. That's why you got to embrace the journey and embrace

the process. What's next? What's next for you guys? What's on the radar? What's

the plan? May 24th. May 24th. Okay. Let's go.

Three weeks really. All right. All right. So psyched for that. Where at?

Atlantic City at the Hard Rock casino. Okay. CFC. So we're on the UFC fight pass.

Let's go. UFC fight pass. May 24th. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want some

entertainment, May 24th, UFC fight pass. They can watch it. Yeah. Okay.

As of right now, it's all the fights are going to be streamed on fight pass. Okay.

So beautiful. Locked in. Yeah. That's what's next for me. What's next?

I'm a May wise. Another fight. I don't for whoever, whenever. You know what I mean?

Nothing. Yeah. Nothing scheduled, but back to work. Yeah. Chris and Isaac tell me I'm

fighting on fight. Back to work. Yeah. Ready to go. You know, I know how much both of those

guys, you know, I got an opportunity to to hang with both of those guys on a decently

consistent, you know, basis. And I know how much they're proud of you and how much that

they believe in you, you know, both of them. And even Chris, you know, just super excited

about both of you guys, super proud of you and the belief level, you know, in both of

you is off the charts and deservingly so, you know, for you guys. So it couldn't happen

to a better, better couple, you know, a lot of love for you, a lot of respect for you.

Appreciate you guys for taking time out of your day. Time out of it. You could have done

anything else and driving out here, driving all the hours that it takes to, you know, to

do something like this, to add value to other people on the other end of this. You never

know whose life is going to be impacted by that. How would somebody be able to follow

your journey or something, if somebody's listening out there and they're not a follower

of yours, any social media stuff that you have? Instagram really, I don't have Twitter

or anything. Okay, just IG. Yeah, just Instagram. Just general patent. Just general patent.

Yeah. All right, just general patent with two T's. Yeah, two T's. Yeah.

Yeah. TTT. Oh, and all right, I got you. And then Carly, we got at Carly underscore Joe,

underscore MMA K, A R L, I K, A R L, I, not a Y K, A R L, I underscore Joe, J, Oh, underscore

MMA. All right. So go out there and give those, those to a follow and root form on their journey,

two, two great people, two hard workers and people that you would want to see win. So we

appreciate your time. We appreciate everybody out there listening. Thanks for joining us on

another episode of the Grandcast. Get ready. It's a new day.