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Dynasty Combat Sports: Hunter Harrison · Caught on the Mike...

0:00
SPEAKER_02: Disclaimer the views and opinions.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, it is fighting the line super excited because I just joined by my co-baker at the dynasty announcement that we found that we're seeing the first castle to discover dynasty combat sports speed points to the federal bank of 1990 went to Nebraska on Friday, November 21st.
0:48
SPEAKER_02: On today's episode, we're talking with the rising anime force of Colorado Hunter AirStet.
0:54
SPEAKER_02: Go for his process hunters that turning heads across the amateur scene.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: From high altitude training to laser-focused mindset hunters, proving that grip art and evolution defines a fighter's journey.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Caught on the Micros.
1:15
SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Caught on the Mic.
1:20
SPEAKER_02: And of course, joining me for Dynasty Combat Sports Fight Week is my co-host, Caleb Betzeld.
1:29
SPEAKER_02: He hosts the podcast Sports with Betts, and we've got an exciting episode for you today.
1:37
SPEAKER_02: Today, we are talking with Hunter Harrison.
1:41
SPEAKER_02: He is calling in from Colorado.
1:43
SPEAKER_02: He is going to be on season beating fight card on November 21st at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
1:50
SPEAKER_02: Hello, Caleb.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: Hey, howdy.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: How's it going, Mike?
1:54
SPEAKER_02: Good, good, good.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: And hello, Hunter.
1:57
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, my friend.
1:58
SPEAKER_02: What's up, guys?
1:58
SPEAKER_02: Good to be here.
1:59
SPEAKER_02: It's a pleasure having you.
2:01
SPEAKER_02: We are so excited.
2:02
SPEAKER_02: We were making a list of people we wanted to talk to for the show, and Caleb suggested you.
2:07
SPEAKER_02: You were like one of the first people Caleb suggested.
2:09
SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks, Caleb.
2:10
SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it, man.
2:11
SPEAKER_02: Of course, man.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: I I've been a fan of you for a while.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, it's it's it's rare that we get a guy, especially an amateur MMA, who steps in and looks like they just like you just get it.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: You know, you're one of those guys that we identified really quickly with that.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, so so you got a fight coming up here, November 21st against Andrew Huffman.
2:29
SPEAKER_00: First of all, what part of training camp are you in right now and how are you feeling?
2:33
SPEAKER_01: Feeling great.
2:34
SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm in the part of training camp where we're still ramping up.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: Uh we'll probably taper off here in the next couple weeks, but a lot of cage rounds.
2:41
SPEAKER_01: Uh, that's one of the benefits of being at one of the biggest gyms in the U.S.
2:44
SPEAKER_01: is just you know, full cage in there.
2:46
SPEAKER_01: So get more comfortable, get more rounds, a lot of pro guys, um, and that helps a ton.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: So so you mentioned that you have you were living in Omaha for about two years, but you're currently living in Colorado.
2:58
SPEAKER_00: Is it true?
2:59
SPEAKER_00: Do you notice a difference with the altitude?
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Does that affect or help your conditioning at all?
3:03
SPEAKER_00: Is that is that legit?
3:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, I think it's a bigger deal with guys coming up to elevation than it is for me going down.
3:09
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it helps a little bit.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, definitely if you have guys fighting in Colorado that aren't used to it, you can ask really quick.
3:17
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's funny you bring that up.
3:19
SPEAKER_02: Uh Zach Ponga, a friend of mine who was on the Ultimate Fighter, um, he talked about leaving Colorado and going and taking a Cage Warriors fight in San Diego, and he said it was like he almost felt superhuman because he wasn't in the elevation.
3:35
SPEAKER_02: So he's like, I could breathe.
3:37
SPEAKER_02: I'm like my energy, I didn't have to kind of you know re-up at all.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: Sweet.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I hope that helps.
3:44
SPEAKER_01: You know, all these Dagastani guys in the UFC, it makes sense.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: I mean they're training the mountains all the time.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: I'll let you know after how's that?
3:54
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's well, let's take it a step back.
3:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, as Caleb mentioned, uh, you spent two years in Omaha working with Skywalker 101s, Danny Molina.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: So what tell us about your MMA journey?
4:09
SPEAKER_02: How did you get into the sport?
4:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so when I was little, I was like a little freak.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: Like I just had way too much energy.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: My parents tell me stories all the time.
4:18
SPEAKER_01: Like I'd go to play dates and just like be hitting kids.
4:21
SPEAKER_01: Not because I was mean or anything.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: I was just I just had a crazy amount of energy.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: So they put me into karate when I was in uh San Diego.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: That's where I grew up for like 10 years.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: And that like just tired me out, got all the discipline, you know, yes, sir, no, sir, bowing, all the the whole nine yards, right?
4:39
SPEAKER_01: And so until I was 10, like I got my black belt when I was 10, which, you know, at the time you think, like, oh, I could beat anyone in a fight.
4:46
SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
4:47
SPEAKER_01: And then uh I started wrestling when I was in middle school, and that was like a rude awakening.
4:52
SPEAKER_01: I was like, holy cow, like I don't know how to punch, like I'm punching from my hips, I don't know how to kick right, like it's all performative.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, I'm not throwing shade at any of the karate guys, like I know Steven Thompson, uh Venom Page, like one of my favorites.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: Like those guys are the elite of the elite when it comes to karate, but most karate is just it's good for discipline, it's good for kids, but not great for fighting.
5:14
SPEAKER_01: So started the wrestling thing, immediately fell in love, kind of uh ditched all the other sports.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: Um ended up being, you know, all state in high school, and then decided to wrestle in college for uh Coach Grinwald.
5:27
SPEAKER_01: He's a two-time Olympian in Greco.
5:29
SPEAKER_01: And after that, you know, I was like, I'm gonna go get a big boy job.
5:32
SPEAKER_01: I uh got into medical sales and it was sweet.
5:35
SPEAKER_01: Like newly married, making more money than I knew what to do with, and there was something missing where I was like, okay, like if this is just the rest of my life for the next 30 years or whatever, I'm gonna go crazy.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: So found a gym, uh, stepped into Danny's gym again, kind of thinking, like, all right, man, I wrestled college, like, I'll be okay.
5:53
SPEAKER_01: Just got destroyed.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: Like, I go to sparring, everybody's putting the pace on me.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: My wrestling's not doing anything.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: I'm diving into shots, you know, just doing stupid stuff.
6:02
SPEAKER_01: And it was definitely a gut check.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: It was like three weeks of just like, dude, do I really want to do this?
6:07
SPEAKER_01: Like, maybe I should just go do CrossFit or something, just get super jacked.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: And uh yeah, and so after I kind of got over that hump, I fell in love with it.
6:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, I loved just getting in the cage, like all the practice, that's the hard part.
6:21
SPEAKER_01: Getting in the cage, like every fighter will tell you this.
6:23
SPEAKER_01: As soon as you're in there, it's just peace and the adrenaline's flowing, it's awesome.
6:28
SPEAKER_01: That's kind of what made me fall in love with it.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: And after training under Danny for a couple years, I was like, you know what?
6:35
SPEAKER_01: If I'm gonna do this, I gotta do it for real.
6:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, I want to make this into a real thing.
6:38
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to just be an amateur fighter, I don't want to just be a pro fighter, I want to be in the UFC one day.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: And so, in order to make that happen, I need to start training every single day, all day.
6:48
SPEAKER_01: And so I moved out to Colorado and my brother and I started a little business and made it work.
6:54
SPEAKER_02: That's amazing.
6:55
SPEAKER_02: Like jumping into a place like Skywalker 101 and then going to Factory X and working with Mark.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: Um, do you find at any point in this journey up to this moment that you were a little bit starstruck or awestruck by some of the talent you were surrounding yourself with?
7:16
SPEAKER_02: You know, not at first.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, I've never really been um I've been to a couple UFC events, and it's cool seeing guys in the elevator.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: Like as we saw Volkov in the elevator, I'm like, dude, that guy's freaking huge.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: Like, like things like that, right?
7:30
SPEAKER_01: You don't understand how big these dudes are.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: But I was never like, oh my gosh, can I get your autograph?
7:34
SPEAKER_01: Can I get a picture with you?
7:35
SPEAKER_01: Like, it's just not really my style.
7:37
SPEAKER_01: And so the star-struck part was like meeting guys that either aren't in the UFC yet or were previously in the UFC and didn't like, didn't make it work, and they're still just beating the crap out of you.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: That is the humbling part where you're like, that's the star-struck part, where you're like, okay, I have so much further to go because these guys are just piecing me up and then wrestling, out wrestling me because they're striking so much better and they can flow into it that I'm like, all right, I need to like put in some serious work here.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: So obviously, to be to have any sort of success in this sport, you've got to be almost psychotically competitive.
8:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, this is a question that I don't I don't think there's a right or wrong way to answer this at all.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: But my question for you is do you love winning or hate losing more?
8:24
SPEAKER_01: Hmm.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: Dude, I hate losing.
8:28
SPEAKER_01: Um, it I used to think it was like a bad thing because my dad, like growing up, like I didn't want to play board games unless I was gonna win.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: I was like just a bad loser, right?
8:37
SPEAKER_01: Like you're a little kid, I'm like, I don't want to play Monopoly because I know my dad's gonna win.
8:41
SPEAKER_01: I'd like go play putt-putt and freak out like a freaking seven-year-old throwing a tantrum, right?
8:46
SPEAKER_01: And I still feel that.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: Like every time I lose something, I'm like, but I've gotten more graceful at losing and being like, okay, it's fine, it's not a big deal, right?
8:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, definitely hate losing.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: I hate it.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh winning's great, it's fun.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, but dude, when you lose, there's just something in your gut where you're like, I could have won, I could have done this.
9:06
SPEAKER_01: Awful.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: What is so what is that like?
9:08
SPEAKER_00: So I I think all of us can relate to that experience of, at least I can relate to that experience of throwing a temper tantrum, losing a board game with your family or with your friends or something like that.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: But it feels almost like the wins and the losses are amplified in, you know, in a cage when everybody's watching you, the lights are on, it's just you and your opponent.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: What is that like?
9:27
SPEAKER_00: What is what is uh you know the the couple days, couple weeks after a win look like for you versus a loss?
9:33
SPEAKER_01: You know, they look very similar.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: Uh I think the hard part about this sport, and this is something that Coach Danny says all the time, is like you need to be in love with the process, you need to be in love with the training.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: Because if you're doing it for the 5% that you're actually fighting and you don't get the result, it's gonna destroy you, right?
9:51
SPEAKER_01: So I think the hard part about this sport is you're training so long where you know who the opponent is a lot of times, it's two months out, you've got this dreadful weight cut a lot of times, and then you get there, you put everything into it, and if you don't get the result, it's pretty crushing.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: Um luckily I'm an amateur, so I'm like trying to shift that mindset where it used to be like I have to win, and now it's like, okay, I need to be able to compete at a level that allows me to propel my career forward.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, if I go into a fight and I do great and I fixed a bunch of things and I was really lacking in, and I lose and it's not the result that I get, then it's like, all right, man, like I can't control that.
10:33
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, sorry, long answer for that one.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: No, that's awesome.
10:37
SPEAKER_02: No, that was perfect.
10:39
SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's funny because words and sayings and phrases look good on t-shirts and coffee mugs, like commonly saying, you know, the only lessons in life are are learned from loss, they're not learned from winning all the time.
10:52
SPEAKER_02: But at the same time, there's a real human element involved too, and you you expose that very, very well.
11:00
SPEAKER_02: Um kind of going along that similar mindset.
11:05
SPEAKER_02: What is gonna be that light switch moment for you?
11:09
SPEAKER_02: You say you want to pursue this as a career, where you make that jump from amateur to professional.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: You know, I think it's gonna happen after this fight.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, I've been talking to my coaches a lot about this.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: Um it's one of those things, too, where I'm in a weird weight range where I'm a little bit too small for 170 and uh it's gonna be a tough weight cut to 155.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: But I think if I'm gonna make that jump to pro, I need to make a concerted effort to get to 155, healthy, strong, fast.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think after this fight, I'll I'll make that jump.
11:44
SPEAKER_02: Excellent.
11:45
SPEAKER_02: You kind of just described my relationship with clothing.
11:48
SPEAKER_02: I'm too like I put on a shirt and this size is too small, I put on the next size up and I'm swimming in it.
11:55
SPEAKER_02: So it's like, God, you can't win.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so to kind of take that next step, Hunter, I'm just curious, without like, you know, revealing anything that you're working on that, you know, uh uh would that would put you at a competitive disadvantage, is there any sort of like techniques or strategies or aspects of your game that you're really focusing on to get you to the next level?
12:16
SPEAKER_01: You know, that's a good question.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Factory X is known for being a really stand-up striker heavy gym.
12:24
SPEAKER_01: And so I think that just by elevating the levels in my striking, my wrestling is gonna get a lot better as well.
12:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, as you guys both know, like MMA, it's just different.
12:35
SPEAKER_01: Like when you're wrestling, you're holding onto the guy the whole time.
12:38
SPEAKER_01: You can feel their pressure and movement, and you can uh pick up on those signals if you've been wrestling long enough.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: And MMA is not like that.
12:45
SPEAKER_01: Like you need to be able to blend everything together and get them thinking about both.
12:49
SPEAKER_01: So I can't just be a wrestler in there.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to be a boring, you know, hold the guy down, win boring decision, right?
12:55
SPEAKER_01: I want to be either smashing them on the floor or putting them out with my hands.
12:59
SPEAKER_01: Um everything right now.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: Like obviously working on this mission game as well, but uh striking heavy for this camp and uh really trying to elevate my boxing skills.
13:11
SPEAKER_01: Let me ask you guys something real quick, actually.
13:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, what have you seen the difference between guys that like so guys that make it, right?
13:19
SPEAKER_01: Like the Anthony Smiths out of Omaha, the guys that really elevate to the next level, not just like go pro, win four, lose three, and then quit, but like really make it to that next level.
13:30
SPEAKER_01: What are you what are the differences you guys see?
13:31
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, I've I've got something that comes to mind here.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: That's a really good question, Hunter.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: I I've always said that I think having a wrestling background is the most valuable base that you can have in this sport.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm that's coming from a purple belt in jujitsu.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: I think even having a uh you know a wrestling background is more advantageous uh in MMA.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you're making me kind of think, almost piggybacking on your point before, the guys who have a strong wrestling background and then can make the transition have really, really strong boxing.
14:03
SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's that's definitely been the blueprint of what we've seen.
14:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you can you can look at a number of examples of that in the UFC right now.
14:09
SPEAKER_00: I think Justin Gagey is a really phenomenal example of that.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: I think Camaro Usman is also, you know, in his prime was a really awesome example of that.
14:16
SPEAKER_00: But then I think of a guy right now in Dynasty who we actually interviewed recently in Easton Edmund, who he's, you know, he's he doesn't necessarily have a wrestling background, but he's got such strong striking, and his takedown defense has been phenomenal, and he's able to win those exchanges in the clinch.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think, yeah, having a really strong striking uh, or I'm sorry, grappling and wrestling background and being able to use your hands and almost falling back on that.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: That's that's been a trend that I've noticed recently.
14:42
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know if you have a different opinion, Mike.
14:45
SPEAKER_02: Actually, I think you nailed it as far as the technique side of it, but being podcaster guy, I've got to needle this thread here and say it's the psychology more than anything else.
14:57
SPEAKER_02: There is a common denominator amongst all fighters that fight at a high level that we speak with in the dynasty environment and that I've spoken with in the podcast environment, where they know how to compartmentalize wins, losses, and strategy away from emotion.
15:17
SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, one of the things I tell musicians all the time, I've said, you know, people will listen to the show and they'll be like, Well, I'm not quite an MMA fan.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, don't listen for the MMA part of it.
15:29
SPEAKER_02: Listen to it because of the psychology that goes along with it.
15:32
SPEAKER_02: You can learn a lot from a high-level fighter by how they carry themselves.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: Basically, their overall swagger.
15:39
SPEAKER_02: A lot of guys see the common McGregor, Connor McGregor uh denominator and think that's what MMA is all about.
15:46
SPEAKER_02: And it's like, no, he's a cartoon character, like compared to some of these other guys that are like sincerely take the art and the sport seriously.
15:56
SPEAKER_02: So I think psychology plays in as much into it as strategy.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: And something you said earlier in the interview, Hunter, about you said something to the effect of when you step into the ring and there's peace.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think that that's a really good sign that you're in the right spot.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: I think I've heard the opposite can be true, almost like your fight or flight kicks in in that moment, and there are people who probably feel panic in that moment when you feel peace.
16:20
SPEAKER_00: So that's that's to your point, Mike, tying what you said earlier.
16:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the psychology is a huge aspect of it if you feel you can even feel comfortable in that spot in the first place.
16:28
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, don't get me wrong.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's scary.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: Like when you and then this is what brought me comfort too.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: Like, I would talk to these guys in the UFC and they say the same thing over and over and over again.
16:38
SPEAKER_01: Man, like I get to the cage, I'm like, what am I doing?
16:41
SPEAKER_01: This is so dumb.
16:42
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm about to go fight another dude in a cage.
16:44
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is crazy.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: I'm in my underwear, right?
16:46
SPEAKER_01: Like, it just sounds ridiculous.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: Leading up is just the worst, right?
16:50
SPEAKER_01: Like the whole day, like at least I I almost enjoy the weight cuts because at least it gives you something to focus on before the fight, because you're like, hey, I need to check this off the list, and then I go in and then I get to eat, and like that's what I'm focused on, and then the next day I'm fighting, right?
17:04
SPEAKER_01: I think um I think that's always gonna be part of it.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: Like the guys that have talked to me and said, like AJ Cunningham, UFC guy, he's like, dude, the the one time I was really freaked out about fighting was when I wasn't nervous and I lost that fight.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: I was like, that makes sense.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: Like you're in this weird state where you're like everything's faster, you you don't feel any pain, right?
17:24
SPEAKER_01: Like you're getting blasted with punches or leg kicks, and like for the most part, you're not really feeling it.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: You can feel the damage kind of, you're aware that you're hurt, but it it doesn't feel painful if that makes sense.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: It does.
17:37
SPEAKER_00: And actually, another common denominator, I think, of people who are really successful, and even the the folks that Mike and I have been interviewing recently is a really strong support system as well.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, what does your support system look like?
17:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, what you know, what who do you have supporting you?
17:52
SPEAKER_00: What does that look like with you being the you know the star of the show right now?
17:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man, that's a good question.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: I mean, my wife is she's incredible.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: I mean, before it was cool to be like, you know, traditional wife, she was that, right?
18:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, even when we met in college and I would come home from practice and she'd be like at the guy's house, like because I lived with like five dudes, all athletes, and she'd be there like cooking me breakfast.
18:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is insane, right?
18:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is marriage material right here.
18:20
SPEAKER_01: And honestly, like, same thing.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: Like, if you can come home to a home of peace instead of like bickering or fighting or whatever else it is, then that's such an advantage for any athlete out there.
18:32
SPEAKER_01: You come home to peace, you come home to joy.
18:35
SPEAKER_01: I got my daughter here, it's it's awesome.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: And then the other person um is definitely my brother.
18:41
SPEAKER_01: Like, my brother, he started this like business that we're doing and was like, hey man, you can come along, but it's gonna work with your schedule.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is the only way I can make this work because it's one of those things where man, the the side that fans don't see is how many guys are struggling, like money-wise, right?
19:01
SPEAKER_01: And not to say like I get it, like the UFC is so um desirable for a lot of these athletes that it's like, yeah, I mean, if you're not willing to take 12 and 12 or 15 and 15, then like there's 50 other guys that are gonna take your spot.
19:16
SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, like these guys pay 10% to their gym, they pay 10% to their management, they have to go pay for their health care if they get hurt in practice, like it's just so many things.
19:28
SPEAKER_01: And so having my brother like bring me along and start this business venture together, like humongous, because now I can kind of rest easy and not have to like go drive Uber for eight hours a day and then go to practice, you know what I mean?
19:41
SPEAKER_02: Right.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: That kind of lends into two other things I wanted to ask, and it's kind of they're separate, but they're related, you know.
19:49
SPEAKER_02: In terms of community, what is it about the Midwest, and I say Nebraska and Colorado specifically, where, in your opinion, where we're seeing such high level output of mixed martial artists in our regions?
20:10
SPEAKER_01: That's a good question.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: I think um I mean you see it a lot in California, but I think what keeps people out of California is that just the cost of living is insane.
20:19
SPEAKER_01: Like you have those guys at Alpha Mail in Sacramento, you have um a bunch of gyms in LA and things like that.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: Colorado is getting up there where it's really expensive, but there's so many fighters out here, and the elevation is just a game changer.
20:33
SPEAKER_01: And then honestly, like with Omaha or Nebraska specifically, like you guys feel it.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: Like you live in Omaha, it's weird.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: Like when you get there, everybody wants to support you, everyone's excited because you're from Nebraska or because you're living in Nebraska.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: So, like Crawford, right?
20:48
SPEAKER_01: He just fought, did a phenomenal job, but he's like a superhero out in Nebraska.
20:53
SPEAKER_01: I had never even heard of him.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm not super into boxing, but I had never heard of him before I went out there, and everyone's like, oh, this guy's the best, he's our guy.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: And so I think you start to feel that and it rubs off on you a little bit because then you're like, man, well, I've got this crowd or I've got this support system or these fans, like, sure, I can do anything, right?
21:12
SPEAKER_01: And that's definitely a game changer.
21:15
SPEAKER_02: Yes, and that kind of leads into what my next bit of it is is what have you noticed has been the biggest changes over the course of the last five to seven years in the sport as it pertains to all of that?
21:29
SPEAKER_01: It's good and bad.
21:31
SPEAKER_01: I think um the sport has elevated so much where now you have like this weird generation.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: It happened in wrestling too.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, I love Ben Askren.
21:39
SPEAKER_01: I think he's awesome, but I don't think he sniffs a national championship if he wrestled today in college.
21:45
SPEAKER_01: And the reason is because everyone adapted to what he invented, that scrambling style, everyone's gotten better.
21:50
SPEAKER_01: There's actually money in it now, and there's a path forward to being a professional athlete.
21:54
SPEAKER_01: Whereas before it was like, okay, you're gonna be a professional wrestler, great.
21:57
SPEAKER_01: If you're not Jordan Burroughs, you're not making any money.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Money, you're gonna waste your time, it's gonna break your body down, right?
22:03
SPEAKER_01: And so these guys now see a path where like, okay, well, if I'm a tough wrestler, I could go be a fighter, I could go get some NIL money.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, the other part that's changed that's really hard, specifically for me, is like the market, the marketability of some of these guys.
22:19
SPEAKER_01: Like it used to just be I'm a fighter, stoic, I'm gonna go to the press conference, I'm gonna win, and then everyone's gonna know my name, which isn't true anymore.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: It's like the UFC, if you want to get in there, you have to be 10 and oh.
22:31
SPEAKER_01: They don't care if it's 10 tomato cans, like honestly, they just don't care, right?
22:35
SPEAKER_01: They want to be able to tell the audience this guy's undefeated, and he's just like a killer, and he's fighting this other undefeated guy.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: And so if you're the you know, viewer that doesn't really know anything, doesn't know fighting, then you're like, whoa, these guys are both insanely good, even though one of these guys is fighting 10 Russians and the other one's fighting 10 taxi drivers, right?
22:53
SPEAKER_01: And so it's like the marketability side of UFC or MMA in general, like it takes a different level.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: You have to be a different level of marketer for yourself.
23:03
SPEAKER_01: And I'm still working on that.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: I don't know how to do that.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't have social media really.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: I just made an Instagram like two months ago because it's kind of required if you want to go up down this route.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: But I'm like, like my wife's helping me.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: She's like, ah, don't post that, post this, you know, whatever it is.
23:18
SPEAKER_01: And so hopefully, these fans, like, especially if they're real fans, they're watching Dynasty on a regular basis, like, go follow these guys on Instagram because it helps so much.
23:27
SPEAKER_01: Just from like the UFC gets to see, hey man, this guy's got 10,000 people, they're regularly keeping up with his life.
23:34
SPEAKER_01: Let's sign him because he's actually got some traction versus some dude that can't speak English and he's got 500 followers.
23:41
SPEAKER_01: It's like, it's gonna be tough to market that guy.
23:43
SPEAKER_01: So that's the changes I see.
23:45
SPEAKER_01: Some good, some bad.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: It's it's tough.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, man.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh something uh a quote that came to mind when you were talking earlier um about you, so you said you recently recently became a father, correct?
23:57
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: You said, was that eight months ago?
23:59
SPEAKER_00: You had an eight-month-old daughter.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: Good memory, yeah.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: So um one of my favorite sayings, even though it might be a little bit corny, I say it probably every day, is how you do one thing is how you do everything.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'm I'm curious, how has uh becoming a father shaped your like training and your your MMA?
24:19
SPEAKER_00: And then also if if there is any vice versa, how has being a father influenced you or change the way you view the sport at all, too?
24:26
SPEAKER_01: Dude, I love that quote because both my coaches, it's not cheesy.
24:30
SPEAKER_01: Like both my coaches say that all the time.
24:32
SPEAKER_01: Danny says it all the time, Mark Montoya says it all the time.
24:35
SPEAKER_01: It's one of those things that's so true.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: If the rest of your life is chaotic and you can't get that figured out, then how in the world are you gonna put together a performance where you're beating some guy up in the cage?
24:47
SPEAKER_01: It's just not gonna happen.
24:49
SPEAKER_01: Other than maybe John Jones, but that's about it.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: Uh but with like having a daughter, like I think that most of life is just taking on more and more responsibility, especially as a man.
25:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I'm pretty traditional and I think that I am responsible for my family.
25:04
SPEAKER_01: I'm responsible for protecting them, uh, protecting them, providing for them.
25:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm responsible for the trajectory of our lives.
25:11
SPEAKER_01: And so that goes with having kids.
25:14
SPEAKER_01: Like if you have kids, uh I'm assuming Mike, do you got kids?
25:19
SPEAKER_01: I do, yes.
25:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm sure you can speak to this.
25:21
SPEAKER_01: Like, it's a different ball game when you have a child and now you're like, okay, I can't just like screw around on the weekend.
25:28
SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna go out and you know, party or drink or whatever.
25:31
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm responsible for this little thing, and every minute I'm wasting doing something else is time I'm taking away from spending time with my daughter or building a life for us going forward.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: And that's heavy.
25:44
SPEAKER_01: And the more kids, more responsibility.
25:46
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you get married, same thing.
25:49
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, dude, like how you do one thing is how you do all things.
25:52
SPEAKER_01: Like, if I'm sitting here watching TV and I tell you I want to be a world champion and I'm like eating pudding cups and just wasting the day away, then do I really want to do that?
26:02
SPEAKER_01: No.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: If I tell you I want to be a good father and I'm out, you know, hanging out with the boys, joshing around doing nothing, like come on, man.
26:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
26:10
SPEAKER_02: It's in the in the leadership space, they say it's finding your why.
26:15
SPEAKER_02: You know, you find your why, and you know, it becomes your North Star for everything you do in life.
26:20
SPEAKER_02: And man, I tell you what, welcome to the Fold of the Girl Dad Association.
26:26
SPEAKER_02: I tell you what, it doesn't get easier, brother.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: It gets harder, and it's gonna make you a better fighter in the long term because the last thing you want to see is anything bad happen to your little girl.
26:38
SPEAKER_02: I've got three of them, so you know.
26:42
SPEAKER_02: Let's uh let's move let's move the target a little bit and let's throw that target on your opponent.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: What do you know about your opponent?
26:50
SPEAKER_02: And how how excited are you for this match?
26:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm super excited.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: I love Andrew.
26:56
SPEAKER_01: Like we met, like he was one of the first guys I met when I first swayed in.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: My first fight ever was with Dynasty.
27:02
SPEAKER_01: Um M4 James was the guy's name.
27:06
SPEAKER_01: Young dude, cool guy.
27:08
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I met Andrew and he was like just pounding a bag of goldfish right after Wayne's, and he was like, dude, do you want some of this?
27:14
SPEAKER_01: I was like, heck yeah, I want some of that.
27:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, that was cool.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: Like, he's he's a good dude, cool guy, big boy.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: Like, he's one of those guys where you see him with his shirt on, you're kind of like, oh, cool.
27:25
SPEAKER_01: And then he takes a shirt off and you're like, dude, that guy's freaking built.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: Like he's thick, right?
27:30
SPEAKER_01: So I'm very aware that Andrew has um decent wrestling when it comes to just like bullying his opponents, blast doubles, right?
27:41
SPEAKER_01: Um I think that that is like the best praise I can give to somebody that I I don't believe is a collegiate wrestler, correct?
27:49
SPEAKER_01: I don't think so.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah, like really good wrestler.
27:53
SPEAKER_01: Like that's how you do it.
27:53
SPEAKER_01: Like if you haven't wrestled your whole life and you freaking blast through somebody in a fight, like that's super commendable.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: I know he's a big guy, strong.
28:01
SPEAKER_01: Um I'm aware of all those things.
28:03
SPEAKER_01: I still think that's with the progress I've made in my striking angles, footwork, some of my ground gain stuff, I think it's gonna be too much for him.
28:11
SPEAKER_01: But I'm really excited, I think it's gonna be a good fight.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: With Andrew, you guys actually do have uh quite a bit in common, I feel like, not only from a style, almost, and you were talking about his physique.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: I feel like everything you said about Andrew could be said as you too.
28:23
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're jacked and you're shredded, and you're like one of those guys when you take your shirt off, you're like, oh my gosh, this guy's an animal.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: For shame.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, and you both only have one loss, and it's to the same opponent.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I guess how do you see that fight going against Andrew?
28:36
SPEAKER_00: And and uh what are you looking forward to in that fight the most?
28:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that one loss hurts.
28:40
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think we both share some camaraderie there where we're like, because we both, I mean, that's a guy I really wanted to beat, and I think that we'll eventually end up fighting again.
28:49
SPEAKER_01: But um with Andrew, I think the fight, I think he's gonna be surprised.
28:53
SPEAKER_01: Like if you go online and you look up some of my fights on YouTube, right?
28:56
SPEAKER_01: We all do this before we fight each other.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh, let me see, is this guy any good, right?
29:02
SPEAKER_01: My striking just looks terrible because I'm swinging for the fences, I have no footwork going on.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it's going to be very surprising to him just to be able to try and find me when we're fighting.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: And um, I think my hands are definitely gonna be there.
29:18
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's gonna be uh we'll see, right?
29:21
SPEAKER_01: Like if we talk a week later and that's not how it goes, I'm gonna be like, boys, like, sorry, it didn't happen.
29:27
SPEAKER_01: I had to shoot a double leg, whatever.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I think that's gonna be a huge game changer.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: Dr.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: X has helped a ton with that.
29:35
SPEAKER_01: Uh Danny is massively into striking.
29:38
SPEAKER_01: He comes up every once in a while to help me with pad work.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think that's gonna be the difference for sure.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: Living in Colorado, you see yourself fighting with uh or like staying affiliated with Dynasty for a while?
29:49
SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
29:50
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm willing to fight anywhere.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: I mean, luckily my wife's family was in Omaha, so it's one of those things where it's not a huge deal.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: It's like a seven-hour drive, right?
29:58
SPEAKER_01: Now, if you guys were like in Florida, then we might might be talking a little different.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: But uh, yeah, I I love Dynasty.
30:06
SPEAKER_01: I think it's a great promotion, I think it's run well.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: I think you guys do a good job commentating.
30:11
SPEAKER_01: So I would love to keep fighting for them, especially as a pro.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, if the opportunities present themselves for sure.
30:17
SPEAKER_01: I know Colorado Combat's out here.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: We tried getting a couple uh cards together or get me a fight with some of those guys and it just didn't happen.
30:24
SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, Henry reached out and was like, all right, I guess we're going to Omaha again.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's uh let's look to the future then.
30:35
SPEAKER_02: So put your career in perspective two years from now, where do you see yourself?
30:41
SPEAKER_02: That's a good question.
30:42
SPEAKER_01: I I don't know if this is too far reaching.
30:46
SPEAKER_01: I see um I see a time clock just because I'm already 27.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: That feels old.
30:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, I know it's not super old.
30:55
SPEAKER_01: Like I see some of these guys in their prime, but at the same time, like I'm thinking so far ahead where it's like, okay, I need to be at the next level, uh i.e.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: a big professional promotion before I'm 30 years old to really try and do what I want to do in the sport.
31:11
SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of the time frame I'm giving myself.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: So I think uh declaring pro before I'm 28 after this fight, uh you know, getting there as quick as possible while also making sure that I'm smart, making sure my technique is all dialed in before I make that jump.
31:28
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, two years from now, I would like to be on the cusp, you know, 7-0, looking towards the next chapter.
31:36
SPEAKER_02: So, my closing question that I ask every single guest that is a part of the show is given your experience and your perspectives and everything you have in front of you, what's your advice through your eyes, through your experience, for making the world a better place tomorrow than what it is today?
31:56
SPEAKER_02: Man, okay, good question.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: I think people nowadays are obsessed with wanting to change the world in some massive way.
32:05
SPEAKER_01: And so then they forget, like what we talked about, Caleb, where it's like you forget that you need to get your life in order before you go take on these massive things in front of you, right?
32:16
SPEAKER_01: Um so I love Jordan Peterson, that dude has some great wisdom.
32:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, I love a lot of these military guys, and a lot of things they say that is very much in common with one another is like, get up and make your bed.
32:29
SPEAKER_01: Meaning, get up, do the little things that is going to set your day on the right trajectory, and and then you can go take on those massive goals because like all of us love like man, superhero movies are freaking awesome because it's like, man, he's born with this skill, and he goes and he has this awesome thing that he takes on, or he goes and takes on the bad guy, right?
32:52
SPEAKER_01: But it's like that's not real life.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: Like, real life is every single day you need to be disciplined enough to get 1% better so that you can be ready for that giant moment when it presents itself.
33:03
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
33:03
SPEAKER_01: So that would be my advice.
33:06
SPEAKER_01: Love it.
33:07
SPEAKER_02: I love it, ladies and gentlemen.
33:10
SPEAKER_02: Friday, November 21st, 2025, Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, Seasons Beatings, Dynasty Combat Sports.
33:20
SPEAKER_02: You will hear myself and Caleb behind the pay-per-view desk, and you will see this young man putting on a show.
33:29
SPEAKER_02: I'm excited for it.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: Hunter, you're the man.
33:32
SPEAKER_00: It's great to get to know you and uh yeah, look forward to seeing you compete uh here in November.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: Guys, thanks for having me.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: Where can everybody find you online, sir?
33:40
SPEAKER_01: Man, what I like I said before, Instagram is the bane of my existence.
33:45
SPEAKER_01: So go follow me on there and like every picture.
33:48
SPEAKER_01: Doesn't matter how old it is, won't creep me out.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: Hunter Harrison MMA.
33:52
SPEAKER_01: I made it super simple.
33:53
SPEAKER_01: Uh, so just go follow me on there and like everything.
33:56
SPEAKER_01: Do me a favor.
33:58
SPEAKER_01: Good, good.
33:58
SPEAKER_02: See, that was marketing guy Mike trying to help me out.
34:01
SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
34:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was like waiting for that question.
34:03
SPEAKER_01: Oh, come on, come on, come on.
34:04
SPEAKER_02: So I appreciate it.
34:07
SPEAKER_02: Hunter Harrison, thank you so much for doing the podcast.
34:10
SPEAKER_02: The world is a much better place with you and it, my friend.
34:12
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, boys.
34:13
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate you having me on.
34:14
SPEAKER_02: Dynasty Combat Sports Seasons beatings is taking place Friday, November 21st, 2025, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
34:25
SPEAKER_02: You can hear my co-host Caleb Betzel and myself calling to action on MMAfutures.com.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: Like I said in the start, this is one of my most favorite events that Dynasty runs.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: I want to thank our guest, Hunter Harrison, for joining us on the podcast today.
34:44
SPEAKER_02: Make sure you follow him on Instagram at HunterHarrisonMMA.
34:48
SPEAKER_02: Make sure you follow his team at Skywalker101Boxing and at Factory X Movie MMA on Instagram.
34:58
SPEAKER_02: And while you're being generous with the follows, make sure you're following Caught on the Mic at Caught on the Mic on all social media platforms and give me a subscribe on my YouTube channel.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: This has been Caught on the Mic with Michael Clark and Caleb Festel.
35:13
SPEAKER_02: I'm Michael Clark.
35:14
SPEAKER_02: Until next time, thank you.