Latest / The MM-EH Show / 4 Canadian Fighters on the Verge of BIG Things | Hunter Lee, Devon Lozej & More | MM-EH Show Ep. 22

Transcript

4 Canadian Fighters on the Verge of BIG Things | Hunter Lee, Devon Lozej & More | MM-EH Show Ep. 22 · The MM-EH Show

0:16
Hey there fight friends. Welcome to the
0:18
MMA show. The show where we talk only
0:20
about one thing, Canadian mixed martial
0:22
arts. If it's not a Canadian MMA
0:24
promotion or a Canadian MMA fighter, I
0:26
don't know about it and I don't want to
0:27
talk about it. This is a really good
0:29
show. This week we have with us four
0:31
guests including big game Hunter Lee who
0:34
is headlining the unified 69 card this
0:36
weekend at Edmonton. He's defending his
0:37
middleweight title against Darian
0:39
Weekes. Hunter is a thrilling fighter
0:41
with a big future. He's got some
0:43
extremely huge news that we are going to
0:46
talk about after the fight. Uh we don't
0:48
want to we don't want to concentrate on
0:50
this until the fight's over. We need to
0:51
make sure he gets a win and then we'll
0:53
see from there. But make sure you know
0:54
that you will hear it from me first at
0:56
mma.ca. CA. Uh, following Hunter, we
1:00
have Devon Lose Jose. Deon Jose is a
1:02
Canadian fighter from Thunder Bay. He is
1:04
headlining his second LFA card at LFA
1:06
242 in Prior Lake, Minnesota on Friday.
1:09
We've spoken with Devon and his teammate
1:11
Kelton's Navy multiple times in the
1:13
show. This was kind of nice because I
1:14
met Devon in person for real. I walked
1:17
onto the mats at Niagara Top Team last
1:19
week or this week and I looked across
1:21
and I saw some stranger lying there on
1:23
the floor and I said, "Hey, that looks
1:24
like Devon." And sure enough, it was
1:25
him. We went out for sushi, had a really
1:28
nice chat, really good guy. He's got a
1:30
lot to share, a lot to talk about. Uh,
1:32
another really good fighter, another
1:34
prospect on the rise with a lot of
1:35
potential. So, we'll see how he does in
1:37
this main event against David Bitten
1:39
Court, I think, at LFA. LFA, if you
1:41
don't know, is Legacy Fighting Alliance.
1:43
It is one of the top feeder
1:45
organizations for the UFC. So, they have
1:47
sent a lot of their their champions, a
1:48
lot of their their fighters to the UFC.
1:51
So, this is sitting pretty for Devony if
1:53
he gets a good win here. Looks good. who
1:55
knows where he'll be next. Followed by
1:57
Devon, we're going to talk to Nick
1:58
Harabock. Nick is a fighter who I've
2:00
wanted to speak to for a long time. It's
2:02
just never really happened. Uh he's a
2:04
he's a Alberta based fighter and he's
2:05
also fighting on the unified card. So,
2:07
it was really good to talk to him. I
2:08
like talking to new fighters that I've
2:10
never spoken with before. As you've
2:12
seen, because you're a a longtime
2:14
viewer, I like mixing it up between uh
2:16
repeat fighters, especially if they're
2:18
main events, things like that. But I
2:19
also like bring on new fighters. I like
2:21
bringing on pros. I've spoken to every
2:23
UFC athlete there is. Canadian UC
2:25
athlete there is that that is uh
2:27
regional fighters champions and of
2:29
course the amateur fighters and I just
2:30
love the amateurs. Uh last guest this
2:32
show is going to be big Ben Lee. Ben is
2:36
headlining FLA 26 next weekend in Picto
2:39
Nova Scotia. I will be there for that.
2:41
And let's just say that this interview
2:43
if you saw my preview on Instagram
2:45
stories yesterday or whenever it was
2:47
this kind of went off the rails pretty
2:48
quickly. So uh there might have been
2:50
some uh states of undress and I'm not
2:52
going to say anymore. You'll have to
2:53
watch and see. And uh Ben is a really
2:56
interesting guy and we'll see how he
2:57
does. Of course, I'll see him fight live
2:59
at at FLA. I'll be there for that. Uh
3:01
that's it for this show, but before we
3:03
get started, we are going to talk about
3:05
actually we're going to do my first ever
3:06
unboxing.
3:08
A good handful of months ago, I don't
3:10
know, I'm going to say five, six months
3:11
ago, I saw some a Instagram friend make
3:14
a post about something called Overhand
3:16
Studios. And I clicked the link and it
3:18
turns out it's a it's a jewelry design
3:20
company by Mel Zean. She's a a British
3:23
Columbia based fighter. And I, as you
3:25
know, I always like to support fighters
3:26
however I can. I buy the merch, I buy
3:28
the t-shirts, uh, you know, Bell Vegas
3:31
from BTC. I buy individual fighter
3:33
t-shirts, I buy hoodies, I buy
3:34
sweatshirts, I buy stickers, I buy
3:36
whatever I can to support the fighters.
3:38
So, I reached out to Mel and we
3:40
collaborated and we came up with a very
3:42
what I think is unique design. And how
3:44
about we open it together right now and
3:46
we'll see.
3:48
All right. Here it is. Express Post. I
3:51
already opened it up just to save time.
3:54
And we have a nice little envelope that
3:57
doesn't have my name on it, Mel. It
3:58
should have said Andy.
4:01
And no, it's okay. Overhand Studios
4:04
aggressively handmade 925. Can you see
4:06
that? 925 is the I don't know if it's
4:10
called the in it's silver and I know in
4:13
gold it's the carrot 24 karat gold.
4:16
Yeah, I'm not sure if that's the same
4:17
thing for silver, if it's called carrot,
4:18
but it says, "Thank you for your order.
4:21
How to make sure your new jewelry packs
4:23
a punch forever. Remove before exercise
4:25
or swimming. Good idea. I don't want it
4:27
to fall on the bottom of a of an ocean.
4:29
Avoid contact with lotions and oils.
4:31
Can't promise that. Store in a dry
4:33
place. Ah, my finger will be dry most of
4:35
the time. Use a polishing cloth
4:38
regularly to maintain shine. Got it.
4:40
Silver may naturally tarnish over time."
4:42
Yes, I see those clips on Instagram and
4:45
and Tik Tok and that of the people who
4:47
go silver shopping at thrift stores and
4:49
they pick up this like black honka metal
4:51
that looks disgusting and after some
4:53
elbow grease it just turns out
4:54
beautifully. So yes, Mel, I will make
4:56
sure I polish my ring. Thank you. All
4:58
right, the card
5:02
you think.
5:04
You think it means thank you. I'm just
5:07
being silly. Not really. Andy, thank you
5:10
for your support and your patience. With
5:12
gratitude and appreciation be oh sorry
5:17
like the card says with gratitude and
5:19
appreciation. The note is Andy thank you
5:20
for your support your patience and being
5:22
an all round legend. I hope you enjoy
5:25
this piece as much as I enjoyed making
5:26
it with thanks Mel. Mel, thank you. Uh
5:30
let's take a look at the ring. It's a
5:32
nice little card. Nice little touch. All
5:33
right, let's open this up.
5:37
Before I open it up, I'm going to talk
5:38
about the design process.
5:41
Mel and I collaborated. As as I
5:42
mentioned, we talked and I used to be,
5:44
some of you may or may not know, I used
5:45
to be in the Royal Canadian Navy. So, I
5:47
wanted something with a water theme,
5:48
something that reminded me of waves. And
5:50
one of the rings I saw that she had on
5:52
display was really clunky and jagged and
5:56
massive. And that's what I told her I
5:58
wanted. I said, I wanted something big.
6:00
I want it masculine. And I want it just
6:02
aggressive. And I want it to remind me
6:05
of the waves in the ocean. So, let's
6:06
see. All right. You know what? You're
6:08
going to see it before I do.
6:13
I'm looking at on the camera. Let's see.
6:16
Is that focusing? Come on, focus. You
6:18
can do it.
6:20
That's not really focusing, is it? What
6:22
I'll do?
6:31
That is nice. Capital N. Nice.
6:36
Look how thick. I don't know if you can
6:38
tell, but it's like really, really
6:40
thick. It's not a thin flimsy. So, let's
6:43
see. I asked for my forefinger. Uh I had
6:46
a measuring tape and I wrapped it around
6:47
my my forefinger. So, let's see.
6:51
It's suspenseful. What's going to
6:52
happen?
6:56
Look at that. Like a finger glove.
7:07
That is freaking nice, man. Look, it
7:09
looks like waves.
7:12
That is absolutely so nice. You know
7:15
what I'm going to do? I'm going to go
7:16
outside uh in the sunlight and I'm going
7:18
to take some video just to show it a
7:20
little bit better and hopefully get more
7:21
of a focus because I don't think it's
7:22
focusing for you right now. But Mel,
7:27
I am very happy with this. This is Holy
7:32
moly. I'm going to wear this with pride.
7:35
Thank you, Mel. Um if anybody wants to
7:39
get their own custom ring, it's I'm not
7:41
saying it was cheap, but it certainly
7:42
wasn't what I would call expensive. It's
7:43
certainly reasonable. If you have
7:45
something you want made, I highly
7:47
suggest you reach out to Mel and talk to
7:48
her and get Overhand Studios to get
7:50
cracking on your order. That is freaking
7:52
nice. That is really cool. I'll leave
7:55
all the information below about how to
7:56
contact her or I guess on Instagram it's
7:58
Mel_zman
8:01
Z-OCT.
8:03
Haha. And also Overhand Studios. Jeez,
8:07
that is awesome.
8:10
Okay. Uh I can admire that later. Um
8:12
I'll just wear it right here. And it's
8:14
kind of neat. You can't see it, but I
8:15
know the ring's right here under the
8:17
camera. All right, that's it for now.
8:18
We're going to let you on to the show.
8:19
We're going to start off, I think, with
8:20
Hunter and then do the rest of them. I
8:22
hope you enjoy the interviews. If you
8:25
enjoy this series, I'm asking you
8:26
please, if you do anything for me, I put
8:29
a lot into this. Please subscribe to my
8:31
YouTube channel. Please. Uh, this uh
8:34
podcast series is out on all podcast
8:36
platforms, YouTube, YouTube Podcast,
8:38
Spotify, and Apple Podcast, and a few
8:40
others as well that this service does
8:42
for me. I'm not sure which the other
8:44
ones are, but uh if you're on a
8:45
streaming service that you don't get the
8:46
MMA show, please reach out to me and let
8:48
me know and I'll see if I can figure out
8:49
how to put it on there as well, but
8:51
anyway, enjoy the fights and I will see
8:53
you soon.
8:55
Big game, Hunter Lee, it's good to see
8:56
you, man. How are you doing today?
8:58
>> Yeah, I'm doing good. How are you?
9:00
>> I I'm also doing good. It was a
9:02
beautiful weekend here in Niagara. I got
9:03
out today, went to some vineyards, got
9:05
to have a a couple glasses of wine and
9:07
and meet some people and just have a
9:08
good time. And I'm sure with you being a
9:11
a week away from such a big fight, you
9:12
weren't out drinking wine and and
9:14
carousing, but uh I'm sure it was just
9:16
as rewarding for you.
9:18
>> No. Yeah. Uh starting the the weight cut
9:20
a little bit, just like water loading
9:22
and eating less food and everything. So,
9:25
not doing too much. Went to Costco
9:27
today, but other than that, nothing.
9:29
Nothing really.
9:30
>> I call Costco the $300 store because
9:32
even if I go for a hot dog, that's how
9:34
much I I spend.
9:35
>> Yeah. I think it was like $400 today.
9:39
Yeah. Nice. Now, because you just
9:41
mentioned the weight cutting and stuff,
9:42
you fight at middleweight, and I'm
9:44
curious. This isn't something I had
9:45
originally planned to talk about, but uh
9:47
you know, I've met you and you were a
9:49
big guy, but you're not a huge guy. Is
9:51
middleweight something, this is just a
9:52
complete aside from anything. Is
9:54
middleweight something that you're
9:55
looking at staying with, or is ever a
9:57
point you're thinking of maybe dropping
9:58
down to welterweight?
10:00
>> Yeah, so early in my career, I used to
10:03
everyone would tell me that. Everyone
10:04
would be like, "You're not a big
10:05
middleweight. you should think about
10:06
dropping down to welterweight. And I got
10:09
scheduled for a welterweight fight. Uh
10:11
like I asked to be scheduled for a
10:12
walterweight fight because I had kind of
10:14
just like listened to them and been
10:16
like, "Yeah, maybe I could fight at
10:18
welterweight." Because guys seem to cut
10:20
a lot of weight. And uh I'd wrestled my
10:22
whole career. Like literally since I was
10:24
in high school, the lowest I'd gone was
10:26
like 185.
10:28
>> Uh so I just felt comfortable cutting to
10:30
that weight.
10:32
Um, but in the time that I was trying to
10:34
diet down to make 170, it was my
10:38
training suffered a lot. Like I I stay
10:40
pretty lean year round. And I do I am
10:43
like not a small middle weight even
10:45
though I I I'm a little bit shorter, but
10:47
like uh I I get in the cage at 205 lbs.
10:50
So I gain 20 lbs back before I fight.
10:53
>> Uh I usually get up to like 210 lb 212
10:56
lbs outside of fight camp. Um, and I'm
10:59
not really like out of shape when I'm at
11:01
that weight. Like, I can still have
11:03
visible abs and that kind of stuff. So,
11:05
it's it's a lot of weight when I look to
11:08
cut down to the next weight class. Like
11:11
185, it's like a very comfortable weight
11:12
for me to make. I never stress about
11:13
missing it. But, if I was to go 170 and
11:16
I'm cutting now 42 lbs through my fight
11:18
camp and I'm already starting pretty
11:20
lean, it just really uh turns the fight
11:22
camp into more of like a weight loss
11:24
camp rather than being able to focus on
11:26
my fighting. Um, I think I the lowest I
11:28
got when I was set to fight at 170, I
11:30
was
11:32
193 pounds and it was like two or three
11:35
weeks out from the fight and um then it
11:38
I found out that my opponent was going
11:39
to not be able to do it and we ended up
11:41
bumping up to 185 just cuz they found an
11:43
opponent there. But um I just like
11:47
wasn't feeling great at that point in my
11:48
fight camp. Like I just felt like my I
11:51
was just tired all the time. like I
11:52
wasn't able to do anything for like a
11:54
month before that fight cuz I was just
11:55
exhausted and the only thing I could do
11:57
was pretty much train.
12:01
>> Mhm. I've seen you uh some of your
12:03
training clips you p that you post on
12:05
the internet and for a guy who's very
12:07
you know wrestling heavy heavy heavily
12:10
wrestling based. I'm always maybe
12:12
surprised not the word I'm used maybe
12:14
impressed is the word I want that you
12:16
just seem like you're just so you move
12:19
like you're like you're a much smaller
12:21
guy. You're just very fluid. You're
12:22
dynamic. You're very quick. You're fast.
12:24
Uh to me that's just a a really
12:26
impressive thing to watch. And I'm
12:28
wondering uh if that's weight dependent
12:31
as well because usually you in you think
12:33
in your head lighter guys can have the
12:34
movement but a bigger heavier guy like
12:36
you like shouldn't be able to move like
12:37
you do but you're doing it.
12:39
>> Yeah. Yeah. I I agree. Uh I think a lot
12:43
of guys coming in from wrestling they
12:45
come in kind of with like uh it's
12:47
natural to kind of come in with a little
12:48
bit more like flat feet. If you see
12:50
grapplers trying to figure out the
12:51
striking. A lot of them don't really
12:53
like move on the balls of their feet
12:55
that well when they're striking. a lot
12:56
of them are like more comfortable
12:57
sitting in the pocket just cuz in my
12:59
experience with most wrestlers with such
13:01
a low stance it's a lot more common for
13:03
guys to just not move as much um and
13:07
wrestling so heavy on just like forward
13:08
and backwards pressure. You don't see a
13:11
ton of like heavy lateral movement going
13:14
on in it in my experience. So, um, yeah,
13:17
that's a that's a big focus that I've
13:19
been trying to nail down since I
13:21
switched to to MMA is just like I do
13:25
movement drills every every uh 3 days,
13:29
two days, something like that. So, I'm
13:30
just moving in my stance, moving left,
13:32
moving right, just getting comfortable
13:34
like
13:35
>> moving laterally and and being
13:37
comfortable striking and moving and not
13:39
just sitting in the pocket.
13:41
That's got to be a challenge for your
13:42
opponents because a lot of times when
13:44
you see wrestlers go into MMA, they sort
13:46
of tend to follow like a like a
13:48
progression from a pure wrestler to to
13:51
being a a more well-rounded fighter. But
13:53
yours is somewhat different in that
13:55
whereas a lot of wrestlers when they
13:57
start, it's just like predictable. They
13:59
go for the for the shot for the double
14:01
leg and that's pretty much all they got.
14:03
Um not maybe not all they got, but
14:05
that's you know what they do for the
14:06
most part with you. um that movement and
14:09
that dynamism that that moving around is
14:12
is is tough. I mean it's hard to predict
14:15
first of all uh because you know if
14:16
you're not going in a straight line I
14:18
mean where are you going? They can't
14:19
really see that but it's not what
14:20
they're expecting. And and I'm wondering
14:21
if at this point people are starting to
14:23
sort of figure out that you're you're
14:25
actually good. Like no offense to
14:27
anybody else but I mean like you can
14:28
actually do some [ __ ] that that that you
14:31
know is damaging.
14:33
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think it also helps.
14:35
Uh, so like my coaches came up under the
14:38
the Bang Muay Thai system, so we have a
14:40
like a heavy influence from that in my
14:42
training still. So that's all very like
14:44
centered around movement. So even if I'm
14:47
not necessarily like using a ton of that
14:49
stuff right away just cuz it's I find
14:51
it's
14:52
>> it's very heavy on the cardio. So I'll
14:53
mix some switch stance stuff in and and
14:55
whatnot. But um I'm always training in
14:58
that way where we're always training
15:00
from both stances. We're always training
15:01
heavy on the movement in our drilling.
15:04
Um uh so there's that and then also
15:08
um
15:10
I lost my train of thought. Anyways,
15:11
yeah, we lots of Bang Muay Thai stuff
15:13
that really like influences that
15:15
movement in my style.
15:16
>> Yeah. I know when Dwayne Lwig first
15:18
started coming up to Saskatchewan with
15:20
Kurt Southernther and Adam, uh he made a
15:22
big impact on them. And I'm wondering at
15:24
this point because uh you were, you
15:26
know, a strict wrestler at one point in
15:28
the past, how how is striking taken to
15:31
you or have you taken to striking? Is it
15:32
something that you were uncomfortable
15:34
with and sort of grown into or is it the
15:37
point now where you're you're doing it
15:38
and you actually enjoy doing it?
15:40
>> No, I've I've loved striking since the
15:42
beginning. I I it's a good thing that I
15:46
did wrestling first because if I had
15:48
started striking, I probably wouldn't
15:50
have wrestled like if I would have
15:52
probably moved into like a boxing or
15:53
something like that if I had found
15:54
striking early. There just was no
15:56
>> no real option for me to do that where I
15:59
where I come from. So, um, wrestling
16:02
that we had a wrestling team there even
16:04
though it was like small and so I had
16:06
that opportunity to really focus on it.
16:08
Um, but the striking is what I really
16:10
enjoy doing and that's why I do it a lot
16:12
more in my fights now that I'm starting
16:13
to get better at it. Uh, I think also
16:17
just the entertainment factor is a big
16:20
part of that. I I've always liked to
16:22
entertain even as a wrestler. like my my
16:24
go-to take down. Uh I was known around
16:27
wrestling circles for being the guy that
16:29
could suplex people for five points in
16:32
my matches. So I was always big on just
16:34
like doing the big moves that people
16:36
want to see and having fun matchups even
16:38
in wrestling. Like I I had I I worked so
16:41
much on my offense in wrestling and so
16:43
little on my defense that I would have
16:45
crazy just like barn burner matches
16:47
where the I think the highest score I
16:50
had I think I was 19 years old and I was
16:52
competing for a a spot on the the senior
16:55
team for like team Canada and uh we had
16:59
a the matchup that was like I was
17:02
fighting for that spot in uh in this
17:03
match up was like the finals and I think
17:06
I won 23-7
17:08
was the final fin score
17:09
>> and it's like so two points for a taked
17:11
down and it's a six-minute match so that
17:13
we're taking each other down. There was
17:14
like
17:15
>> over 20 takedowns in 6 minutes between
17:18
the two of us. So it was just like a
17:19
like all out just crazy match and I I I
17:22
love doing those even in wrestling. I
17:24
love being the guy that people wanted to
17:25
see. And so when I went over to MMA and
17:28
I had my first couple fights and they
17:29
were decisions which is because I was
17:31
using my wrestling that I knew I was
17:33
good at but I didn't feel like it was
17:35
that exciting to watch. Even when I'm
17:36
watching it, I'm not super exciting at
17:38
the the wrestling styles. So, I just
17:40
wanted to make it interesting and show
17:42
off like
17:44
>> the striking as well.
17:46
>> Mhm. That's a very important realization
17:48
to have like earlier on your career,
17:50
especially if you want to progress
17:51
because uh as we know when you look at
17:53
Dana White's Contender Series, not
17:55
saying that you're on it or you're
17:56
planning on being on it, but all not all
17:58
the time, but sometimes fighters they
18:00
win a fight and they do well or maybe
18:01
they I don't know if they I'll I'll take
18:03
that back. they win a fight and they
18:05
still don't get chosen because it's not
18:07
exciting. They might be able to wrestle,
18:08
you know, that I'm not going to say it
18:10
on the on YouTube, wrestle f somebody up
18:12
against the cage for 15 minutes. Uh,
18:14
that might win you a fight in the
18:15
scorecards, but that's not going to
18:17
endear yourself to the fans and
18:18
definitely not going to have anybody
18:19
want to look at you saying, "Hey, I want
18:21
this guy fighting for my promotion."
18:23
>> Yeah, I think um to bring up another
18:26
Canadian guy that that happened to is
18:27
Bradley Dilva. I think that's exactly
18:29
what happened with him. uh he's such a
18:31
talented striker, but when he went on
18:33
the contender series, he ended up
18:35
pulling out a like a decision by by
18:37
wrestling the guy and he like I don't
18:40
know he in my opinion he's UFC level,
18:42
but they still haven't given him a
18:43
chance even after picking up two more
18:44
wins uh by by finish and it's just
18:48
because he didn't like Dana White really
18:50
is pushing away from that heavy
18:52
wrestling style um lately. So, you have
18:56
to really focus on other things. Like
18:58
Tommy McMillan even said it after his
19:00
fight the other day. He was like, "I can
19:01
wrestle these guys if I wanted to, but
19:03
I'm choosing to to stand and fight them.
19:05
He's a three-time Montana State
19:07
Champion, and he doesn't use his
19:08
wrestling at all." Like, that that is
19:10
kind of the blueprint right now that
19:11
that they're pushing people towards.
19:14
>> That's kind of nice to have in your back
19:16
pocket and uh maybe just save it for
19:18
when you actually need it.
19:19
>> Yeah. Yeah. I think that's
19:21
>> that's uh that's like Michael Chandler
19:24
style as well. I always wondered if
19:25
Michael Chandler got that Conor McGregor
19:27
fight if he was going to still do the
19:29
same thing or if he was going to
19:30
surprise everyone and come out and just
19:31
try to wrestle him because it is
19:33
something that you can kind of pull out
19:35
when you need it for like big fights. If
19:36
you're like if it's a close fight and
19:38
you're you need to you need a win, it's
19:40
nice to have there.
19:42
>> For sure. All right, let's talk about
19:44
your actual fight. The reason why we're
19:45
talking right now, you're fighting in
19:46
about a week's time. you were defending
19:48
your unified MMA middleweight title
19:50
against Darien Weekes in Edmonton. When
19:53
this fight was first brought to you,
19:55
what were your thoughts on it? Did you
19:56
know who he was at all? And and uh you
19:58
know, is he a challenge for you?
20:00
>> Yeah, I was uh it was an immediate yes
20:03
for me. I'd already looked him up before
20:05
because
20:07
uh back shortly after I beat Cal
20:11
Costanic, I called for a a title shot
20:14
with Unified and at the time they only
20:16
had a 175 pound like champion uh at the
20:20
time for whatever reason. So I called
20:22
for a 175 lb title shot and Darien
20:25
Weekes was actually the guy that they
20:27
had talked about matching up for that
20:29
title shot. So, I'd already done all the
20:30
film study on like I've already looked
20:32
into a bunch of his matches and had
20:34
already agreed to him back then, but
20:36
then for whatever reason it didn't end
20:37
up getting made and uh so they brought
20:40
his name forward again and I was like,
20:42
"Yeah, I've already I've already looked
20:43
at all his stuff. I know I match up well
20:45
with him." So, I was happy with this
20:47
fight.
20:48
>> Nice. Uh so, as I mentioned, we're a
20:50
week away now. What if any are there any
20:53
particular challenges that Daren poses
20:55
toward you or is it just same old same
20:57
old for you? you know, train the way you
20:59
train, become the fighter that you want
21:01
to become, and that's what's going to
21:02
take him out.
21:04
>> Yeah, he's uh the the main thing that he
21:07
brings to the table uh is he's just very
21:10
durable. That's what I've seen. He's
21:12
durable and well-rounded. I I don't
21:15
think he is necessarily
21:18
better than me in any particular spot. I
21:20
think I have the advantage everywhere.
21:22
Um, but from watching his fights, he
21:26
he's able to pull out close decisions
21:28
and that kind of thing just because he
21:30
is very durable and guys will gas
21:31
themselves out going for a finish or
21:35
just like he'll kind of grind out a
21:38
decision win over someone that just
21:40
doesn't have the same experience as him.
21:42
>> Uh, so that's just what I have to watch
21:44
for. But I think as long as I go out
21:46
there and fight how I know I can fight,
21:48
then I don't see him posing any risk or
21:50
any uh threat to me.
21:52
All right, then. Makes sense to me.
21:54
Let's move on next to the future. Uh, a
21:57
very, uh, well-informed little birdie
22:00
sat my shoulder and told me that there
22:01
might be an extremely big opportunity
22:03
for you coming up soon after this
22:05
unified fight. Some, uh, an opportunity
22:07
that might give you a chance to become
22:09
an organization's most valuable player
22:10
at some point. I'm wondering if you have
22:12
any thoughts on the future, if there's
22:14
anything you can talk about right now,
22:15
and, uh, any thoughts you might have on
22:17
anything.
22:18
>> Yeah. Um, I was told by my my management
22:22
just not to not to talk about any uh of
22:26
my plans for after this fight that I've
22:28
like uh that we're working on until
22:31
after this fight has happened just so
22:33
that it's like
22:34
>> not super confusing for people that are
22:36
trying to like tune in and watch and
22:38
trying to figure out where I'm fighting
22:39
and and whatnot. But, uh, yeah, just
22:42
like kind of hold on to the information.
22:44
But yeah, we do have a lot of stuff in
22:46
the works uh for after this fight that
22:48
I'm pretty pumped about. Uh stuff that's
22:50
really allowing me to um train as like a
22:55
full-time fighter now from like for the
22:57
foreseeable future, which is been my
22:59
goal since the start. I don't know if
23:00
I've talked about it on in previous
23:02
interviews, but I'm like a I've been a
23:04
substitute teacher uh for my whole fight
23:06
career so far. So, a lot of people think
23:08
that I like just train full-time or
23:10
whatever, but I'm I'm working full-time
23:12
teaching kids and uh just training in
23:15
the evenings, in the mornings, that kind
23:16
of thing. So, uh with what we're working
23:18
on now, it'll give me the the resources
23:20
to be full-time in this sport. And so, I
23:25
already see the the improvements coming
23:26
just from that.
23:28
>> We haven't talked about it in depth, but
23:29
you did mention you were a substitute
23:31
teacher before. What kind of subjects
23:32
you teach and for what age group?
23:35
Uh I'm a mainly a FISET teacher. Um I
23:39
fizzed and like social studies like
23:42
history, indigenous studies, that kind
23:43
of stuff. Those are my my two main
23:46
areas. Lately, over the last two years,
23:48
I've been mainly working with high
23:50
school students. Uh before that, I was
23:52
doing more elementary, but just so
23:55
exhausting teaching elementary. Uh so I
23:59
moved to more high school high school
24:01
teaching. So uh yeah.
24:02
>> Yeah. Uh the only thing I really know
24:05
about high school teachers now because
24:06
I've been away from it for so long is
24:08
what I see in movies and TV shows where
24:10
they all give the teacher a hard time uh
24:12
and you know give you some grief. I'm
24:13
just wondering if that's reality or what
24:15
the students are like. They must know
24:16
what you do clearly. Is it something
24:18
they think is cool or is it something
24:19
they challenge you on or or something
24:21
else?
24:22
>> Yeah. No, I've had all good experiences
24:24
for the most part. Um,
24:28
most most schools that I'm at, like the
24:30
kids will know what I do, like did I
24:32
they'll they'll be uh quite a few of
24:35
them actually at the schools that I'm a
24:36
regular sub at will uh will watch my
24:39
fights and I I actually seen a couple
24:41
came down to my fight in Calgary and
24:44
were there in person because it was like
24:45
an all ages event. So, that was kind of
24:47
cool. Uh but yeah, I'm uh especially
24:50
being a substitute teacher when I I did
24:52
some more like early in my career like
24:54
more full-time positions where I would
24:56
be uh I guess a temporary contract where
24:58
I'd be in the same position for a couple
25:00
months at a time while the teacher's out
25:02
out with like whatever they're dealing
25:04
with.
25:04
>> Um when when I'm in those kind of roles,
25:07
I have to be a little more strict. But
25:08
just as a sub, it's kind of for me it's
25:10
really nice because I don't have to I
25:12
just if people are acting up, I just
25:14
mark their names down and leave it for
25:15
the teacher to deal with. I don't have
25:16
to ever be like the bad guy. So, I I
25:19
feel like I'm pretty wellliked and I
25:21
wasn't like given too much of a hard
25:23
time about that kind of stuff cuz I just
25:24
kind of got to come in and be the
25:26
babysitter for a day basically.
25:30
>> Nice. That's got to be rewarding. I'm
25:31
I'm sure it's the same in your gym as
25:33
well where you have younger students and
25:34
and they probably look up to you and the
25:36
high school or the the school you teach,
25:38
they look up to you and think, you know,
25:39
this is a neat guy and you know, I
25:41
wonder if that's something they've
25:42
they've you've sort of swayed anybody to
25:44
to get onto the wrestling mats or into
25:46
the MA gym and give it a shot.
25:49
>> Yeah, I I I think for sure for sure I
25:52
always like get students asking me about
25:54
it where I train, that kind of stuff.
25:55
I've seen actually quite a few actually
25:58
there there is some that I've taught
25:59
that have like come out and trained at
26:01
at my gym that I've seen. So I
26:03
definitely have like uh hopefully
26:05
inspired some people to do that. That's
26:07
kind of what pushed me to get into
26:08
teaching in the first place is I I
26:10
enjoyed coaching when I was in high
26:12
school and I was just kind of I got my
26:13
scholarship uh for wrestling and I was
26:15
like I need to find something that I
26:17
could do as a career and I was like I
26:19
enjoyed coaching I might as well go into
26:21
teaching. And then when you're in it,
26:23
you kind of got to think about what your
26:24
purpose of being in it for cuz it's it's
26:26
kind of like it is hard to like get
26:29
through four years of school if you
26:31
don't actually care about what you're
26:32
doing. So I think about my purpose of
26:34
why I'm in it. And just like the
26:36
conclusion I came to is just to to kind
26:38
of inspire the the kids to to
26:42
not just go after their their goals and
26:45
dreams, but to also like get an
26:46
education while they're doing that if
26:48
they can. like while I was doing I I had
26:51
my goals and my dreams, but I also used
26:54
those goals and dreams to help me get an
26:56
education so that I have a job that is
26:59
backup in case something were to happen.
27:00
Like it doesn't necessarily it doesn't
27:03
always work out for everyone. There's a
27:05
lot of guys that have all their eggs in
27:06
this basket of I'm going to be a
27:07
professional fighter and it's such a
27:10
tricky business. you could get lined up
27:12
with like like a manager that doesn't
27:14
have your best interest in mind and is
27:15
giving you the wrong fights and then
27:17
your career is all messed up and you got
27:18
to you got to have a backup plan. You
27:20
can't just always expect that
27:22
everything's going to work out. So
27:23
>> that's kind of been my my goal is just
27:25
like
27:27
inspiring the kids like you if you work
27:28
hard and you chase your dreams, you can
27:30
achieve whatever, but also like get your
27:32
education, get your your other stuff in
27:34
line as well.
27:36
>> Yep. That's such an important thing to
27:37
say and I'm so glad you said it. Um, I
27:40
had one of my my biggest uh best
27:42
performing clips from in the past year
27:44
was with a fighter named Zach Pal from
27:46
from Ontario. And we talked about life
27:48
after fighting. And he he's
27:49
transitioning right now from being a
27:51
fighter. He's fought for BFL, fought for
27:52
Samurai, fought for a whole bunch of big
27:54
organizations. And it's the point now
27:56
where he's he's transitioning to being a
27:59
coach, opening up his own gym, Pow Fit
28:01
and Niagara. and he talked about the
28:03
importance of that because as you know
28:05
and you know the people watching this
28:07
they probably know in the back of their
28:08
mind but I don't think they really think
28:10
about it too much is that in order to be
28:12
successful as a fighter and by
28:13
successful I mean make a living and
28:15
support yourself raise a family buy a
28:17
house all that kind of stuff it's really
28:20
tough man like how many what's the
28:22
percentage of how many fighters in the
28:24
world can actually do that I'm just
28:25
going to make up a number now and say
28:27
like what 1% I it's it's really
28:29
difficult so if you're planning on being
28:31
a fighter and supporting yourself, you
28:33
know, it can happen. But unless you're
28:35
in the UFC, unless you're in a big
28:36
organization, unless you're in the top
28:38
couple percent of fighters, it's not
28:40
going to happen. So, you really, really,
28:42
really need to make sure that you've got
28:43
your eggs in your basket and have a plan
28:45
for when the fight game is over.
28:48
>> Yeah. Even uh even guys that get to the
28:50
UFC, like it's it's not set up like
28:52
other sports right now. Like people
28:53
think people would always ask me like oh
28:56
if you get to the UFC like uh you're
28:58
kind of like set like they they think
29:00
about it like a hockey like getting to
29:01
the NHL the minimum contract is like
29:03
whatever it is like $900,000. Uh you're
29:06
not set with the UFC like I my
29:08
management was telling me they're like
29:10
we know so many guys they get into the
29:12
UFC they whatever they do like pad their
29:14
records to get there however they get in
29:16
there and then they they get in and
29:17
they're not necessarily ready for for
29:20
that type of show. They go 0 and2. You
29:22
get paid 10K to show, 10K to win. They
29:24
didn't win. So, they make $20,000
29:27
uh over the course of a year and then
29:30
they're cut and then they're back on the
29:31
regional scene. And you basically got no
29:33
money, but you were you were in the
29:35
biggest organization in the world. And
29:38
it's like that's that's the the reality
29:39
for a lot of people. So, it's like you
29:41
you can't just get to that level. You
29:43
have to be like a standout in uh the top
29:46
organization in the world to even make a
29:48
a real living from this. Yeah, 100%. So,
29:51
I'm glad you mentioned that and I'm glad
29:53
this is a topic that is coming up often
29:55
because as much as I love mixed martial
29:57
arts and I'm sure you do, too. You know,
29:58
I still want everyone to do well and I
30:00
want them to do well when when the
30:01
fighting is over because it's going to
30:03
be over for everybody at some point. So,
30:05
>> but anyway, enough enough about that. I
30:07
think I I was wondering if you could
30:08
maybe take a second, Hunter. Um because
30:10
I put clips on the internet and I I'll
30:12
break this our this interview up into
30:14
like 10 different clips and I'll post
30:15
them here and there. Why don't you take
30:17
a second, a minute, two minutes or as
30:18
long as you want, just talk about your
30:20
gym, where you train, talk about your
30:21
coaches, maybe have a sort of a sales
30:23
pitch. Why is it such a good fit for you
30:25
and what do you get out of that
30:26
environment?
30:28
>> Um, obviously we got great coaches at uh
30:32
>> Sorry. What's What's the name? What?
30:34
Okay, sorry. Go ahead. The name your gym
30:35
is
30:36
>> uh Modern Martial Arts Center is where I
30:38
train. We got uh we got obviously great
30:39
coaches there. Um, got Curt Suther and
30:42
Adam Lorenz have been my my cornermen
30:44
for all my fights. Uh, they're both very
30:47
experienced. We got a bunch of other
30:49
like very experienced pro fighters in
30:51
the gym that are like at the coaching
30:53
level as well. Uh, that I can pick the
30:56
brains of them. Uh, we also over the
30:59
last
31:00
year or so, we started to get a bunch of
31:03
other guys that are also like at the
31:05
amateur level or the lower pro level
31:07
that are starting to come in and be good
31:09
like sparring partners for me. So, we
31:10
have um
31:11
>> David Tedareno just moved out here.
31:13
>> Mhm.
31:14
>> Uh heavyweight, right?
31:15
>> Yeah. He's a he's light heavyweight
31:17
right now, but he's going to be
31:18
heavyweight in the future. He's like
31:19
gets up to like 245 lbs between fights
31:22
and stuff.
31:22
>> He's a big boy.
31:23
>> I'm like I'm like just commit to the
31:25
heavyweight at this point. At this
31:27
point, you don't need to cut 40 lbs to
31:29
fight a light heavyweight. Heavyweight's
31:31
more fun. Uh but anyways, he moved out
31:33
here and we got a couple other guys that
31:36
came from overseas that had uh like
31:38
somewhat extensive like amateur
31:40
kickboxing and boxing backgrounds that
31:44
are all like over 200 lb and they're
31:46
like working on their grappling and
31:48
starting to get into the the amateur uh
31:50
fighting stuff as well. They're planning
31:51
to do MMA uh all like my age or younger
31:55
sort of thing. So, we got a bunch of
31:58
guys that are all big guys and they're
32:00
all like really good training partners
32:01
for me right now. And then we have my
32:03
coaches who have been with me since the
32:04
beginning, also very experienced. It's
32:06
it's just a great environment for me in
32:08
in my opinion. And it's also uh nice
32:12
because the travel in Saskatoon, it
32:14
takes me like 10 minutes to get to the
32:16
gym and I'm like across the city from
32:17
it. So, it's just a small community. I
32:19
can get a lot of workouts in. I found
32:21
when I was in Vancouver, it would take
32:23
me 30 minutes minimum to get anywhere.
32:25
So, if I went to two practices a day and
32:28
then I also had to go to work in between
32:29
there, I'm spending like 3 hours a day
32:32
in my car, which is like unrealistic for
32:35
the long term. Whereas Saskatoon, it's
32:37
like takes me 10 minutes to get most
32:39
places. So, I'm spending like
32:42
>> a quarter of the time.
32:44
>> That sounds pretty convenient. All
32:45
right, Hunter, we're going to wrap this
32:47
up now. And I always like closing out my
32:49
interviews by asking the same question.
32:51
Is there anything you think that we
32:52
should have talked about that I didn't
32:53
ask?
32:57
Um, no. I I don't think so. I think I
33:00
think you covered pretty pretty much
33:02
everything very well.
33:04
>> Okay. All right, then. Well, then we
33:06
will say goodbye to everybody. Uh,
33:08
Hunter, Big Game Lee, or I guess it's
33:09
big game Hunter Lee, thank you again for
33:11
speaking with us. This is our third or
33:13
fourth time chatting. You're an exciting
33:14
fighter to watch. You're a you're a a
33:16
multi-promotion champion already at
33:17
middleweight looking to defend your
33:19
unified middleweight title this weekend
33:21
in Edmonton against uh Darren Weeks. Uh
33:24
we wish you nothing but the best. Kick
33:26
some butt and we will see you next time.
33:28
>> Yeah, thank you for having me.
33:36
>> Hey there fight friends fans. How often
33:38
do you get an interview from inside a
33:39
sushi place? Well, today is the day and
33:41
I'm sitting here with Devon the Dream
33:43
Lo, a rising Canadian flyweight who is
33:45
fighting in the main event of LFA 242 in
33:48
Prior Lake, Minnesota in just over a
33:49
week's time. Devin, we've chatted uh
33:52
four or five times in the past. It's our
33:53
first time meeting in person. Nice to
33:55
meet you. Thanks for joining me.
33:56
>> Yeah, good to have you. Good to be here,
33:58
not have you. Um yeah, and this sushi
34:00
looks amazing. Um so yeah, I'm super
34:02
excited to eat and then uh you also chat
34:04
with you as well about the fight and uh
34:06
everything else in life.
34:07
>> Great. Well, I don't think the fans
34:09
necessarily want to sit here and starve,
34:10
so we should probably start eating. So,
34:11
I'm going to make the first move.
34:12
Usually, I would use my chopsticks, but
34:14
one hand is occupied right now, so I'm
34:16
just going to do a little dip to the soy
34:18
sauce and have a bite. And please
34:19
forgive me uh for food in my mouth when
34:22
I talk, but uh if you don't forgive me,
34:23
that's okay, too.
34:27
>> Really good.
34:29
>> So good.
34:31
>> Yeah. Shout out to this place. It's
34:33
good.
34:33
>> Shout out this place whose name I don't
34:34
remember, but it's good.
34:35
>> Taku, I think. Taku. Taku in Nigara
34:37
Falls, Ontario.
34:38
>> Yeah.
34:39
>> So Devin, you're from Thunder Bay.
34:40
>> Yeah.
34:41
>> And you travel often to Sacramento team
34:44
alpha male
34:45
>> to train. Y
34:46
>> and now I was surprised when I walked on
34:48
the mats and Niger Top Team on Tuesday.
34:50
I walked out. I said, "Hey, that looks
34:51
like Devon." And sure enough, it was
34:52
you. Why Why you here?
34:53
>> Um so yeah, I mean I was back home uh in
34:56
Thunder Bay for some family things. My
34:58
dad was really sick. Uh was in the
35:00
hospital. So I traveled back from my
35:01
training camp in Sacramento um to spend
35:04
some time with him. um he passed away a
35:06
few weeks ago. Um you know, and when
35:08
there's a will, there's a way. I kind
35:09
of, you know, I reached out to Aaron
35:11
Jeffrey from Niagara, asked if I could
35:13
come train my last week of camp just
35:15
because, you know, a lot of stuff going
35:17
on in Thunder Bay that I had to handle,
35:18
obviously with his death and everything
35:20
going on. So, I it was very convenient
35:22
for me. I've always wanted to come to
35:23
Niagara Top Team. I've promised a couple
35:25
of the guys in the past that I would,
35:27
you know, I would show up at some point.
35:29
So, everything happens, you know, for a
35:30
reason. So, I'm here now getting trained
35:32
with these guys. And I mean, I couldn't
35:34
be happier with the room and the
35:35
coaching there. It's amazing. So, yeah,
35:38
circumstances are never ideal, but it's
35:39
like I'm making the best of a negative
35:42
situation, you know.
35:43
>> Uh, first things first, please accept my
35:45
most sincere um consolations for your
35:48
your father's passing. It's it's I've
35:49
gone through losing a parent. It's not
35:51
fun. It sucks. And the fact that um you
35:54
know, it's happening so close through a
35:56
training camp that's very important to
35:57
you uh must make it even more difficult
35:58
for you.
35:59
>> For sure. But, you know, opportunity
36:01
presents itself sometimes in the darkest
36:03
of places in life, you know. So, I'm
36:05
just trying to stay focused on my
36:06
mission. You know, my dad, I was telling
36:08
you earlier, got me into the UFC. Um,
36:10
was my biggest fan supporter. So, it
36:12
means a lot for me to go out and perform
36:14
at my highest ability next Friday, you
36:17
know, and honor him that way, you know,
36:18
as opposed to just, you know, grieving,
36:21
which I am, but I'm also focused on
36:23
training and, you know, and I want to
36:24
make him proud next Friday. So, it's
36:26
very important to me for this fight.
36:29
I wonder, not that it's uh uh something
36:32
you wanted to happen, but can something
36:33
like this be used as additional fuel to
36:35
to spur you on even more and make you
36:37
work harder, train even harder?
36:39
>> Absolutely. I mean, this whole this last
36:41
year from getting knocked out in my LFA
36:43
title fight about a year ago, um to just
36:47
the things outside the cage that have
36:48
happened to me this last year, my last
36:50
performance was one of my best to date
36:51
and I had a lot of things behind the
36:53
scenes happening in my life that just
36:54
kind of, you know, channeled me in. And
36:57
I'm one of those people that when things
36:58
get harder, I focus in more and I feel
37:00
like I'm going to deliver the best
37:01
performance of my life. Even though my
37:03
dad passed away only two weeks ago, you
37:05
know, a lot of people wouldn't show up,
37:07
but I'm ready to perform and I I believe
37:09
I'm going to be at my absolute best
37:11
given the circumstances, you know, and
37:13
I'm going to punch my ticket to the UFC.
37:14
I have no doubt in that.
37:17
>> Um, this will be your sixth fight with
37:19
LFA and it's really nice that such an or
37:21
large organization like that can be so
37:23
supportive of you. You've done well by
37:24
them, but you just mentioned two fights
37:25
ago you lost. It was it was a tie fight
37:27
opportunity. You got you got knocked
37:29
out. Not a fun day at the office, I'm
37:30
sure. But like you said, the next fight
37:32
you came back really dominant, really
37:34
nice win.
37:35
>> Before every fight, do you always are
37:37
you always able to accurately understand
37:39
where you're sitting in in preparation?
37:41
Like when you were going into that fight
37:43
that you lost, did you know something
37:44
was off or did you feel just as good
37:46
then as you do now?
37:47
>> I just think it's a mindset thing. A lot
37:49
of this is mental. In that fight, I
37:51
overlooked the guy massively. Um I was a
37:54
little overtrained. my training camp was
37:56
way too long. These are all things that
37:57
I've just constantly learned and g grew
38:00
from. Um in the fight I felt a little
38:02
fat uh flat. I was just happy to be
38:04
there. I remember just smiling every
38:06
time and it's like I wasn't as focused
38:08
as I need to be. I was just kind of
38:09
happy to be there. I knew if I won I was
38:11
probably going to be in the UFC. I
38:13
wasn't in the right mindset. Um I didn't
38:15
respect my opponent and I learned for uh
38:17
like I learned from that by getting
38:19
knocked out which is no one in this
38:20
sport wants to happen. But for me, it
38:23
was probably one of the best thing
38:24
that's ever happened to me in terms of
38:25
my growth and my mindset. Um, and then,
38:27
you know, I took on a a super dangerous
38:29
opponent on a six-ight win streak. And
38:31
my last fight, which was an LFA main
38:33
event, you know, and I had a absolutely
38:35
dominating performance. My last four
38:37
opponents, I think their combined record
38:39
is about 50 wins and eight losses, which
38:41
is not a lot of people are fighting that
38:43
level of opposition. That's like a six
38:44
to one win to loss ratio. Um, they
38:47
consider 2 to1 excellent. Most of these
38:49
guys are fighting 50/50 fighters. So,
38:52
you know, I know I'm testing myself
38:53
against the best of the best. My next
38:55
opponent is 16 and four.
38:57
>> Dana White, Contender Series veteran.
38:59
He's a tough dude, but I'm going to show
39:00
him that there's levels to this and, you
39:02
know, I'm going to deliver a absolutely
39:05
outstanding performance in another LFA
39:07
main event. I believe I'm the only
39:08
Canadian to main event multiple LFAS and
39:11
I'm just getting just getting warmed up.
39:13
>> Y
39:14
>> now you said your opponent David Bittton
39:15
Court. What do you know about him and
39:17
and how how do you think you can exploit
39:19
his weaknesses and take home the win?
39:21
>> Um, I know that he's uh he he likes to
39:23
grapple a lot. He's very good on the
39:25
ground, very good jiu-jitsu, good
39:27
wrestling. Um, he could strike as well.
39:28
He's kind of wellrounded like myself.
39:30
Uh, I'm the underdog coming in this
39:32
fight. Um, but I'm happy to be, you
39:34
know, I'm ready to prove that I'm just
39:35
better everywhere. I believe he's going
39:37
to look for the takedowns in this fight
39:38
and I'm going to look to just stuff
39:40
them, make them pay. You know, I've been
39:41
able to train here with Niagara with
39:43
some really good guys, highlevel
39:44
wrestlers as well that were, you know,
39:47
instilled by confidence of how difficult
39:49
I am to take down and hold down. So, I'm
39:51
going to show that next Friday night.
39:52
But I'm ready for whatever and wherever.
39:55
But I, for me, getting the finish is the
39:56
most important thing. Winning a decision
39:58
at this point in my career isn't going
40:00
to do anything for me. For me, a
40:02
decision win is a loss. And I feel like
40:04
if more fighters looked at the sport
40:06
like that, it would be a lot more
40:07
exciting. Um, so for me it's literally
40:09
finish this guy or get finished. There's
40:11
only two options.
40:12
>> You mentioned a handful of time or twice
40:14
now that you're confident that you're
40:16
UFC bound, that it's it's just around
40:18
the corner. Now, not saying anything
40:20
against you cuz I know you're so talent.
40:21
I know you're at that level, but a lot
40:23
of fighters say that and they have
40:24
nothing to back it up. I'm just
40:26
wondering why are you so certain that
40:27
you're going to the UFC soon? Uh, I know
40:30
that you do have one big plus side on
40:31
your benefit is that LFA is one of the
40:33
largest feed feeding organizations for
40:35
for UFC. They sent dozens if not
40:37
hundreds of fighters to the UFC. Other
40:39
than that, why are you so confident?
40:40
>> Um, I well, one, I'm Canadian. I know
40:43
they always are looking for more
40:44
Canadian talent. I feel like I could
40:45
talk well, fight well. I have an
40:47
exciting style and I got a lot of
40:49
finishes. After this fight, I will be
40:51
eight and one at flyweight with my one
40:53
loss coming to a guy that's in the UFC
40:55
now. Um, this will be five KOs at
40:58
flyweight, which is pretty uncommon at
40:59
the weight class. Um, you know, I'm a
41:02
finisher. I'm an exciting fan favorite
41:04
style, but I don't do that. I don't ever
41:06
consider fighting for the fans. I fight
41:08
for myself and I enjoy gritty, violent
41:11
fights and I I fight that way because
41:13
that's what I want. I'll never fight for
41:15
the fans or for anyone other than myself
41:17
and that's just the way I like to fight
41:19
and finishing is the number one
41:20
priority. I I honestly dwell on it. I
41:23
have a couple decision wins that I dwell
41:26
on more than being knocked out or the
41:28
decision losses. The decision losses
41:30
that I had earlier in my career were at
41:32
bantamweight and I was trying to finish
41:33
those fights. I almost finished those
41:35
fights. There was some decision wins,
41:37
injuries regardless that I went in and
41:39
my mindset was just to get the win and
41:41
win a decision. And that still haunts me
41:43
to this day. I'd rather get knocked out
41:44
going for the finish than do that ever
41:46
again in my life. So my mindset is
41:48
completely flipped in the last couple
41:50
years. And you know, I believe, you
41:52
know, I'm the LFA main event backto back
41:55
against super tough guys. It's like that
41:57
that that's the next level right there.
41:58
There's guys that get from the LFA
41:59
prelims straight to the UFC. You know,
42:01
I'm in the main event slot. It's a huge
42:03
showcasing, you know, so I believe that
42:06
winning in uh dominant fashion, there's
42:08
no question that I'm ready.
42:10
>> Um, as you know, my channel is primarily
42:13
focused on Canadian Mixed Martial Arts.
42:14
It's 100% focused. So, I do want to hear
42:16
about Niger Top Team. Uh, but I also was
42:18
want to give um credit to the other
42:22
organizations help helped guide you and
42:23
lead you the way you are. So, I was
42:25
hoping you could take a minute or as
42:26
long as you want talk about leading edge
42:28
in Thunder Bay, who who where you
42:29
originated from, how you got your start,
42:31
your time in American or sorry, uh, team
42:33
alpha male in Sacramento, much larger
42:35
team. It's got, like you said, like 80
42:37
pro fighters on the mats, huge mats, and
42:39
then how and why you made the decision
42:40
to come to Niagara Top Team out of other
42:42
potential gyms.
42:44
>> Um, so first of all, yeah, with Leading
42:46
Edge, um, I started there. Uh, my head
42:48
coach, Matt Rish, got me started. I was
42:49
wrestling at Lakehead University in
42:51
Thunder Bay. Um, I just want I always
42:53
wanted to fight. Like I said, my dad got
42:55
me into this. He told me to he told me
42:56
to start wrestling. He said, "If you
42:57
want to be like Matt Hughes or George
42:59
St. Pierre, you got to have that
43:00
wrestling background." I wasn't a big
43:01
big fan of wrestling when I was younger,
43:03
the wearing the singlets. I kind of
43:05
thought it was a little dorky, but I was
43:06
like, as soon as I wrestled the first
43:08
day, I fell in love with it, how intense
43:10
it is one-on-one. So, I began my
43:12
wrestling career. I never reached the
43:14
highest of levels. I started a bit late,
43:15
but I always was gritty. I was always
43:17
tough. And I always like to go against
43:18
the best guys. I have that competitor
43:20
spirit. So I went to Leading Edge. They
43:22
had a bunch of good fighters that cross
43:23
trainined, you know, and from there
43:24
that's my whole foundation is due to my
43:26
coach Matt Rishi. You know, he taught me
43:28
how to stand in a fight stance, how to
43:31
throw a jab, how to throw across, all my
43:33
fundamentals, everything that I built
43:34
on, you know, he got me started on. I
43:37
got, you know, worked on my jiu-jitsu,
43:39
kickboxing, every other facet other than
43:41
wrestling and continued with the
43:42
wrestling. And then the rest is kind of
43:44
history. That's always going to be my
43:45
home base no matter what. I'll always go
43:47
back there. But as I've excelled more,
43:49
Matt has actually pushed me to go to
43:51
other gyms. I've went to Tristar, a
43:53
bunch of gyms in the US, Thailand. I've
43:55
always been just trying to learn from as
43:57
many coaches and styles as possible. So
43:59
that brought me to Team Alpha Male,
44:00
which I've been going for several years.
44:02
And I mean, I couldn't say enough good
44:04
things about the coaching and all the
44:05
teammates there. We got, I think, almost
44:07
three top 15 UFC guys at Flyweight, my
44:09
weight class. So, it's pretty hard to,
44:11
you know, it's like I'm that's also why
44:13
I'm so confident I can be in the UFC.
44:14
When you train with those guys every
44:16
day, you know where you stand. And the
44:17
coaches that watch, they know where you
44:19
stand. So I know where I stand. So yeah,
44:21
team Alpha male has been amazing. I will
44:23
continue to go there. I was there.
44:24
>> Sorry. Have you gotten good feedback
44:26
from them that you're in a good spot?
44:27
>> Yeah, of course. You know, they they
44:29
they know my level, you know, and they
44:30
know they've a lot of the guys that I'm
44:32
working with, they were all either, you
44:34
know, Uriah Favor, UFC Hall of Famer,
44:36
other coaches that were in the UFC,
44:37
they've made the climb. It's just about
44:39
keeping going. And if I can deliver a
44:41
performance like the last, they know
44:43
that I'm ready to be there. And I mean
44:44
there's that measuring stick of these
44:46
top 15 guys that I get to train with
44:48
each and every day. So they know and I
44:51
know where I'm at. And then Niagara Top
44:52
Team was kind of somewhere that I've
44:54
always looked at. I always thought the
44:56
style of their gym would be great for
44:58
me, you know, and I just never really
45:00
knew. I have several friends there.
45:01
Aaron Jeffrey, Mike Malot from Team
45:04
Alpha Male, met him down there. Bobby
45:06
Palter Cross Trains as well. So I've
45:08
I've talked to the guys over the years
45:09
and I've kind of always said I can come.
45:11
And then after being back in Thunder Bay
45:13
now, um I needed the training partners
45:15
and it was it's an easy flight from
45:17
Thunder Bay to get down to Toronto and
45:18
drive to Niagara. So I came down been
45:20
here for a few days. The coaching is
45:22
phenomenal there. Training partners are
45:24
awesome as well. Smaller gym but a lot
45:26
of attention and I mean it just fits my
45:28
style. I was talking to the head coach
45:30
uh Chris Perket today and he was just
45:32
saying like yeah that my style kind of
45:33
fits their gym you know and a lot of the
45:35
guys they remind me of myself you know
45:38
um a guy like Cody as well like when we
45:40
train together we have very similar
45:42
mindsets when we train and it's always
45:44
fun to train with someone like that that
45:46
uh you know and that also training with
45:48
him he's training for his UFC debut in
45:50
Edmonton we were you know going at it
45:51
having great great rounds the last
45:53
couple of days that also that's another
45:55
reminder too with your confidence of hey
45:57
if you can hang in with these top level
45:58
guys, even if they're a weight class
46:00
above, you know, you you know, you know
46:01
you're ready. And a lot of guys I train
46:02
with know I'm ready. They they really
46:04
respect my skills. Um, and I've gotten
46:07
great feedback from the coaches here on,
46:09
you know, that I'm ready to fight and
46:10
what I could do inside that cage. And
46:12
yeah,
46:12
>> that's good to hear.
46:14
>> Um, even though this interview is about
46:16
you, I I would be remiss if I didn't
46:18
bring up what I mentioned to you at the
46:19
before we actually started the interview
46:21
is that when I think of Deon Loz, I
46:23
always think of Kelton Stevie almost at
46:24
the same time, right? You've guys have
46:25
been a pair. I you guys were my first
46:27
ever do interview I ever did. So, would
46:29
you mind taking a moment? He's fighting
46:30
on the same card as you. Let's just give
46:31
Kelton some love. Talk about him for a
46:33
moment. Talk about where he is and and
46:35
how he's looking.
46:36
>> He Yeah, that's like my blood brother.
46:38
You know what I mean? We've been into We
46:39
started this sport. We met at our first
46:40
amateur fight. You know, we kind of
46:42
crossed paths. He wished me luck. We
46:44
kind of both went and fought and then
46:45
after that we started training and we
46:47
were just super tight right off the bat.
46:49
You know, we've helped each other so
46:51
much immensely. Supported each other.
46:52
You know, I ended up bringing him out to
46:54
team Alphmail. now. He's a mainstay
46:55
there. He's one of the guys, too, that
46:56
the coaches are looking at like being
46:58
UFC ready really soon as well, you know.
47:01
Um, and he's super talented, you know.
47:02
I've always been kind of like the
47:04
hardworking guy. I was never super
47:06
talented. I just always grinded and got
47:08
there. He was that guy when we when we
47:10
started training together, I, you know,
47:11
I helped him a lot with that that work
47:13
ethic and that grind and staying
47:14
focused, but he had all the talent
47:16
naturally, you know, and now he's got
47:18
that work ethic plus that talent. It's
47:20
like it's going to be, you know, he's
47:21
one of those guys that's like I can't
47:22
wait to see him there, too. Even if even
47:24
if I never somehow made it to the UFC or
47:26
he made it before, I would just be so
47:28
happy for him cuz it's like, you know,
47:29
why we don't have to compete against
47:31
each other. A lot of people try to
47:32
compare you when you're kind of like a
47:34
pair. But it's like I feel like we're
47:35
both going to get there. It's always
47:37
been our dream. Um we're in separate
47:39
weight classes, so it's like separate
47:40
journeys, you know, and yeah, I'm main
47:42
eventing some shows, but he's climbing
47:43
the ranks there, but he's been fighting
47:44
in LFA for a long time as well and
47:46
getting a lot of good wins and stacking
47:48
them. And I'd like to see him fight for
47:49
the title in LFA and main event some
47:51
shows as well, right? cuz at the top,
47:53
you know, you do get a little bit more
47:54
production and promotion. You know, the
47:56
UFC, I'm sure they're paying a little
47:58
more attention to the main event
47:59
fighters than the entire card, right?
48:01
So, yeah, I'm I'm I'm I'm h I'm happy
48:04
for him where he's at. He's, you know, I
48:06
think he's doing great and I don't think
48:07
he needs to be in a really big rush. Um,
48:10
you know,
48:11
>> so I I think he's got the time to just
48:13
kind of play things out, keep getting
48:14
good experience in LFA and then I mean
48:16
only good things are going to happen.
48:18
From a fan standpoint, I think a lot of
48:20
fans really get invested in some
48:21
athletes, fighters or otherwise, when
48:23
there are different interesting
48:24
storylines. And you've got an
48:26
interesting story line about not wanting
48:27
to wrestle and then you started
48:28
wrestling and then you fell in love with
48:30
fighting. And I think she's the edition
48:32
of the Kelton, the two of you together.
48:33
It's another story line right there. And
48:34
I think it's great. I like think uh I
48:36
interviewed Alena Cook last week
48:38
>> and she said how she loves how the MA
48:40
community is so very supportive and how
48:42
rising tides raise all ships and I just
48:44
I love that about you guys.
48:45
>> Yeah. Well, for sure. But we're always
48:46
pushing each other, you know, even after
48:48
the fight, constantly trying to keep
48:49
training, keep evolving. I already got
48:51
my, in my mind, I already know I'm going
48:52
to be back at the gym Monday after the
48:54
fight, after I win, regardless of if I
48:57
lost or won, I'm always going to be
48:58
right back in the gym. Kelton's one of
49:00
those guys, too. He'll get there. If he
49:01
tries to give me any anything about not
49:04
being there, I'm just going to text him
49:05
and say, "Hey, I thought you wanted to
49:06
fight on the UFC Edmonton card. You
49:07
know, get your ass to the gym." You
49:09
know, we just kind of motivate each
49:10
other. and he would do the same to me if
49:11
I was like, "Ah, I'm going to take all
49:13
unless you're injured or something from
49:14
the fight, but it's like if you're
49:15
healthy and we get out of there
49:16
unscathed, it's like we're going to be
49:17
beating each other up on Monday after
49:19
the fight when we get back to Thunder
49:20
Bay." So, that's kind of like the
49:21
relationship. It's more like let's try
49:24
to push each other to the top as opposed
49:26
to bring each other down, support each
49:27
other. But, yeah, of course, I got to
49:28
focus on my fight, he's got to focus on
49:30
his. So, we're on one same mission, but
49:33
also we kind of separate, especially
49:34
when we're on the same card. You know,
49:35
we have to fight day. I'm focused on me.
49:38
Of course, I always he always fights
49:39
first. So, I got to sit there and watch
49:41
it while I'm kind of warming up. I wish
49:43
it was the other way. I think it would
49:44
be a lot easier to fight first and be
49:46
able to enjoy his fight. But, I always
49:48
just kind of got to watch his fight and
49:49
stay focused on what I need to do. But,
49:51
I know that he could handle himself,
49:53
win, lose or draw. His one loss in LFA.
49:55
He still came and cornered me after. He
49:57
got stitched up and I told my my head
49:59
coach Matt Haye, let him sit out and cuz
50:01
he lost, you know, it's a tough fight
50:03
and he you know, he did really well as
50:05
well, but I thought maybe he could just
50:06
sit out and he he was like, "No, I'm
50:08
jumping in." So that just showed his
50:09
character to me like he still cared
50:11
about me. Um it wasn't like cuz he lost
50:14
we got to lose like and then I went out
50:16
and knocked a kid out. So yeah, you
50:18
know, I can't say enough good things
50:20
about him. He already knows that. I love
50:21
him. I was just texting him literally
50:23
right before we started. Um just
50:24
checking in on training and stuff cuz
50:26
now we're we're not meeting up until
50:27
this coming week. But it's like I know
50:29
like he he's focused. I'm focused and we
50:31
still check in every day.
50:32
>> I love it. Love it very much. All right.
50:34
since you brought it up. UFC Edmonton
50:36
October 17th
50:37
>> right now there's 12 fights uh official
50:40
for the car actually 11 Cody's is not
50:42
official yet it's pretty wellnown uh but
50:45
typically a fight night will have 13
50:46
fights roughly right so that means to me
50:49
there's the potential for one maybe two
50:51
more fights added to this and it's at
50:53
this point every fighter in Canada is
50:55
itching to get on that card from Radley
50:57
to Silva to ML Dufour to everybody else
51:00
who's at that level uh who was not
51:01
meeting the UC um And you know what?
51:04
Stranger things have happened. I think
51:05
if you win your fight, your name might
51:07
be there. It it's a lot of it's got to
51:08
do with the weight classes, right? So,
51:10
say if somebody gets hurt, somebody
51:11
falls out, they need to get a last
51:12
minute replacement. Who knows? If it's
51:13
at your weight class, um, you know, that
51:16
might be a potential for you. I'm not
51:17
saying get your hopes up or anything,
51:18
but it's got to be on your mind.
51:19
>> Yeah, it's it's always on my mind, but
51:21
I'm focused solely on this performance
51:23
coming up next Friday, right? Like, it's
51:25
easy to look at that after and say, I
51:26
want that, but right now I want to get
51:28
locked in that cage and do what I need
51:30
to do, and then the rest is going to be
51:32
the easy part. You know what I mean? I
51:33
go in there and I perform to my best of
51:35
my abilities. Knock this guy out. Look
51:37
spectacular. It's like the UFC. It might
51:39
not even be Edmonton. It could be a
51:40
different card. I'm just kind of, you
51:41
know, I'm just on that mission where
51:43
it's like it doesn't m if they say no
51:45
after this one. Well, I'm going to book
51:46
another main event. Maybe a title fight
51:48
with LFA and, you know, and just keep
51:50
solidifying it where I can't be
51:51
undeniable. I think I'm ranked number
51:53
five in North America outside the UFC.
51:56
>> After if after this fight, I might take
51:58
the one or two spot and that's pretty
51:59
undeniable in my opinion. And these are
52:01
just numbers. It's not like I'm just
52:02
saying this because it's me, you know.
52:04
Um, but I I know I got to do something
52:06
spectacular in this fight. If I don't,
52:08
then all those UFC Edmonton, UFC coming
52:11
back apparently to Eastern Canada in Q1
52:13
of next year, all those things aren't
52:15
there if you're off a loss. So, I know I
52:17
got to go out there and perform. I'm
52:19
ready to step up though at 125 or even
52:21
135. If there was a falling out at 135
52:23
on a week's notice, I'm game. I fought
52:25
at bantamweight before. Everyone that I
52:27
train with, even here at night, they're
52:28
like, "You're a huge 25. I know I could
52:30
fight at 35. It's not perfect
52:32
circumstances, but I'd be willing to do
52:34
it, especially for the UFC.
52:37
>> Speaking about being a huge 125, I'm
52:39
going to ask a question only cuz
52:40
somebody in the comments is going to say
52:42
it. How is it you can be cutting weight
52:44
and still eating all the sushi?
52:46
>> Well, I mean, I trained really hard this
52:47
morning. Um, and again after that, and I
52:49
ate very kind of light because I knew we
52:51
were kind of planning a dinner and I
52:53
wanted that one last sushi cuz the
52:54
fight's still like 9 days away. So, you
52:56
know, sushi is not the most unhealthy. I
52:58
kind of deplete myself and it's all
53:00
about calories in versus calories out.
53:01
If I check the scale in the morning and
53:02
I got to run an extra five miles because
53:04
I got to enjoy this dinner with you,
53:06
then I'll do it. But I'm my weight's
53:07
pretty on track. I mean, I've been
53:09
training for the fight for the last 3
53:11
months and slowly getting my weight down
53:12
to a point where it's very we're we're
53:14
kind of on track. So, I mean, I can
53:16
enjoy these things. If I was 30 lbs over
53:19
the weight, uh, we wouldn't be doing
53:20
this right now. Right. So,
53:21
>> there's a lot worse meals you could be
53:22
having than this right now.
53:23
>> Exactly. And I mean, I've been eating
53:25
super clean for months and not really
53:27
much cheap meals other than the odd
53:29
sushi or a steak at a steakhouse that of
53:31
good quality. So yeah, I could enjoy
53:33
this little bit and uh yeah, we'll still
53:35
make weight. I've I've never missed
53:36
weight and I never will.
53:38
>> At a boy. Okay. Uh Devin, one last
53:40
question. I end all my interviews the
53:42
same way. Is there anything you think we
53:43
should have talked about that I didn't
53:44
bring up?
53:46
>> Um
53:47
well, no. I for me, I would just take
53:49
take some time to be able to thank some
53:51
of my sponsors for this fight, you know?
53:52
Um,
53:53
>> you want to break out your phone?
53:54
>> Um, I I just got a few of them. I like
53:56
if Iron Oaks Development, Tyler, one of
53:58
my one of my close friends and sponsors.
54:00
Uh, my coach Matt Reche from Leading
54:02
Edge as well is always a sponsor helping
54:03
me out with expenses, stuff like that.
54:06
Um, Clo Darling as well, Paul from Clo
54:08
Darling, one of my long-term sponsors.
54:10
Um, Bands on Feed, a few of them in this
54:12
camp especially has been, you know, the
54:15
ups and downs with travel and things
54:16
with my dad. So these sponsors that
54:18
helped me out for this fight camp, it
54:19
seemed super special because they they
54:21
knew the circumstances. They knew what I
54:23
had to go through between being in
54:24
California for 3 months, which is very
54:26
expensive, flying back to Thunder Bay,
54:28
you know, having to stay there, you
54:30
know, rent a car, fly to Niagara, rent a
54:33
like there was a lot of um curveballs
54:35
thrown, but you know, the best in the
54:37
world. Don't panic. You know, you adjust
54:38
your hands on the bat and you you hit a
54:40
home run. And that's what I'm going to
54:41
do next Friday. But those people, it
54:43
wouldn't have been possible without all
54:44
them. So I want to thank them. I know I
54:46
get a lot of the credit being the
54:48
athlete and going out there and doing
54:49
it, but those people behind the scene
54:51
are what make this possible. For me to
54:53
fly to Niagara like that and, you know,
54:55
book an Airbnb, do all this and not have
54:57
to worry about the money, that was
54:59
really nice. So, those people, you know,
55:00
I've thanked them and I'll continue to
55:02
thank them. So,
55:04
>> a lot of people think that a lot of
55:06
maybe casual fans think that mixed
55:07
martial artists are solo athletes and
55:11
they're they're they're right in the
55:12
sense when the cage door closes, you're
55:14
in there by yourself. But everything
55:15
leading up to it, it takes a village, it
55:16
takes a team, and you wouldn't be here
55:17
without all your support.
55:19
>> Yeah, exactly. You know, and for me now,
55:20
it's like I feel like even just being at
55:22
Niagara Top Team for a couple of days,
55:23
I'm like I'm really connecting with the
55:25
coaches, the other training partners.
55:26
I'm like I feel like I'm representing
55:27
Leading Edge, Niagara, and Team Alpha
55:29
male this fight, you know, cuz they they
55:31
all help me in different ways. When I
55:32
was back home at Leading Edge, I was
55:34
getting training with a lot of guys
55:35
there. Obviously, Team Alpha male spent
55:36
a couple months with the roster of guys
55:38
and the coaches. than here in Niagara.
55:40
This last week for my mindset and what I
55:43
needed to do, it was probably the most
55:44
important is dialing everything in and
55:46
them opening the doors to me. They could
55:48
have told me, "No, no, no." You know,
55:49
they they open up the doors, they let me
55:51
in, they've been helping me a lot on the
55:53
fight, reinforce things. Um, so it's
55:55
super important. I know it's only a week
55:56
here and it's not like they trained me
55:58
for the entire fight, but it's a big
56:00
important week in my mindset and uh just
56:02
going into the fight healthy and
56:04
everyone's been taking care of me. So,
56:05
thank you to Niagara Top Team. Um,
56:09
>> all right, Devin, thank you for your
56:10
time. I'm really thankful and grateful I
56:12
got to meet you in person finally for
56:13
the first time. I'm sure it won't be the
56:15
last time.
56:15
>> Let's eat.
56:16
>> And there you go, fight friends. Devon
56:17
and I are going to eat now. Deon Jose
56:18
main event LFA 242 no longer on UFC
56:21
Fight Pass, but I believe it'll be on
56:22
YouTube, the whole thing, will it not?
56:23
>> In Canada and Vice TV in the US.
56:26
>> Okay, so I'll put the link to the
56:27
YouTube when this all comes out and you
56:28
can watch it there. And uh, wish us good
56:31
luck with our sushi.
56:34
>> Hello there, fight friends. MMA Andy
56:36
Codell here and in a world of firsts,
56:38
this is a first. Big Ben Lee headlining
56:41
FLA 26 in just a few weeks in Pictor,
56:43
Nova Scotia. Ben, thank you for joining
56:45
me in what is happens to be my first
56:47
ever interview with a shirtless man in a
56:49
hot tub.
56:51
>> How does it feel? Does it feel good?
56:53
>> Actually, it feels a little bit It feels
56:55
a little bit awkward, but I know
56:56
something that would make it feel less
56:57
awkward. Just give me a second.
56:59
>> Yeah, little little bit of wine would
57:01
help.
57:03
Oh, there we go.
57:08
Holy [ __ ] It We're We're getting into
57:10
it right away.
57:12
>> People are going to turn this on and go,
57:13
"What the hell is happening?
57:15
>> This [ __ ] broke back mountain or
57:17
what, man?"
57:18
>> No, I can. No, trust me. I can quit you.
57:23
>> All right. How's my
57:24
>> coming soon to Only Fans?
57:26
>> Look at my hair. Jesus. Okay. Anyway,
57:28
we're going to do this. Once you commit
57:29
to something, you have to fully commit.
57:30
So, here I am.
57:31
>> Yeah. Okay, Ben, fire away.
57:35
>> This is your first main event.
57:36
Congratulations. Did uh when did you
57:38
find that out? Like you were offered the
57:39
fight, I'm guessing. Did they say right
57:41
away it was going to be main event?
57:43
>> No. Uh yeah. So I I accepted the fight.
57:46
I was signed to fight back in I think
57:48
late June, July. So I've known about
57:50
this fight for a while. And then one day
57:52
I was I was at work and uh Derek Derek
57:56
Clark texted me and uh asked me if I
57:58
want to be main event. and uh thought
58:00
about it for maybe about.5 seconds. I
58:02
said, "Sure." And I was super excited
58:06
and uh funny enough, I was working on
58:08
this airport project and I jumped out of
58:11
my truck and started shadow boxing like
58:13
Rocky cuz I was so excited. I couldn't
58:14
contain my excitement.
58:16
>> Yeah.
58:16
>> So these people look probably look and
58:18
they just see this guy on just some
58:20
random dude, this freaking weirdo out on
58:23
the runway just freaking shadow boxing
58:25
like he just ran up the steps in Rocky.
58:28
So, I found I've been known for about
58:30
two months now, give or take.
58:31
>> Yeah, that's pretty awesome. I don't
58:33
know if anybody would think it's weird.
58:35
People shadow box. I don't Do you think
58:36
that's People think that's weird?
58:38
>> No. Well, not weird, but let's just say,
58:40
you know, you just you're paving, it's,
58:42
you know, 30° day out, you're sweating
58:44
your balls off, then you look and you
58:46
see some kid in a truck just hop out and
58:49
just start [ __ ] shadow boxing,
58:50
fighting the air, you know, unsolicited
58:53
at like, you know, 10 in the morning. It
58:55
It may catch you off guard. Do you uh on
58:57
a on a side question, do you own a cat
58:59
or a dog or have you ever
59:01
>> I have a I have a dog. I have a pet
59:03
border collie.
59:04
>> Oh, border collie for sure. Do you know
59:06
Well, I don't know about border collies.
59:07
They're pretty high intensity, but most
59:09
most dogs and cats at some point in the
59:11
day, usually at 2 or 3 in the morning,
59:12
we'll get what we used to call the
59:13
zooies where they just get up and they
59:15
[ __ ] go around in circles. That kind
59:16
of reminds me what you're doing on the
59:17
runway doing your shadow boxing.
59:19
>> Pretty much. Yeah. And uh my dog, she's
59:22
10 years old. She still gets the zooies
59:23
from time to time. So yeah,
59:25
>> that never that never fades out, it
59:26
seems.
59:28
>> All right. Well, from now on, whenever
59:29
you shadow box on a runway, make sure
59:30
you call it the Zooies.
59:32
>> I will.
59:35
>> All right, man. This is crazy, man.
59:36
We're We're starting strong. I like
59:38
this, man.
59:39
>> This is not your normal interview, and
59:40
I'm here for it.
59:42
>> Yeah. No, this is awesome.
59:45
>> All right, Ben. So, Lorenzo Celis, he's
59:47
a a well-known fighter in Canada. He's
59:49
been around for a while. And uh what did
59:51
you think about him when you were
59:52
offered him as an opponent?
59:57
I see him as a big step up for me. You
1:00:00
know, I've I'm kind of a big fish in a I
1:00:05
would say small pond, but one might say
1:00:07
I'm a big fish in a small uh inflatable
1:00:10
Costco hot tub.
1:00:12
>> So, you know, I've been the local tough
1:00:14
guy for a little while. And uh it's easy
1:00:17
to crush a couple cans, man, but uh you
1:00:20
know, you got to step it up. And uh
1:00:23
Lorenzo has triple the amount of pro
1:00:26
fights that I do, over triple. And he's
1:00:29
got he's got double the amount of wins
1:00:31
as I do, even pro fights. So he's been
1:00:36
doing this he's been on top for a while.
1:00:38
He's, you know, I got nothing but
1:00:39
respect for him as an opponent. He's
1:00:41
he's just he's a natural progression.
1:00:44
>> And that doesn't mean I'm looking at him
1:00:46
as a stepping stone, taking him for
1:00:47
granted. what I see in him is a very uh
1:00:51
a very good challenge for me. It's a is
1:00:54
a test. I see him as a test, you know.
1:00:56
It's like the reading levels in school.
1:00:58
It's like, you know, I I get past the
1:01:00
intro levels, you know, and I'm working
1:01:02
my way up. Now, it's a he's he's a step
1:01:05
up. He's a step up on the ladder. And
1:01:07
we're going to see if I'm really about
1:01:09
that life or uh if I'm just a can
1:01:12
crusher, if I'm just a local tough guy,
1:01:14
big fish in a small pond or, you know,
1:01:16
big fish in an inflatable hot tub, let's
1:01:19
say.
1:01:19
>> Those are not the only options, but I I
1:01:21
do like the way you put that. He's not a
1:01:23
stepping stone, but he is a step up. And
1:01:24
I think for a fighter in your position,
1:01:26
that's a natural progression, right? At
1:01:28
some point, if you take your MMA career
1:01:30
seriously, I'm not saying you in
1:01:32
particular, but any fighter,
1:01:34
>> Yeah.
1:01:34
>> you you have to take fights that serve a
1:01:36
purpose. You can't just go fight
1:01:38
somebody you know you're going to beat
1:01:39
up every single time and keep going that
1:01:40
way because at the end of the day say uh
1:01:43
hypothetically you're 15 and0 fighter
1:01:45
and you've beating all these guys easily
1:01:47
and you get your shot at the UFC you go
1:01:49
to Contender Series or something and you
1:01:50
get smashed like absolutely smashed well
1:01:53
that's your own fault for not putting
1:01:55
yourself into those uncomfortable
1:01:56
positions that are getting ready for you
1:01:58
the higher steps which there's always
1:02:00
more like doesn't matter how good you
1:02:02
get there's always somebody tougher
1:02:03
there's always somebody bigger until you
1:02:05
get to the number one spot not in the
1:02:06
UFC and even then holding that very very
1:02:09
difficult. How many UFC champions have
1:02:10
held their fights for two or three title
1:02:12
defenses doesn't happen very much these
1:02:14
days. So like taking a tough fight
1:02:16
Lorenzo it's I think it's a smart thing
1:02:18
to do and it'll be a good indicator for
1:02:20
you after the fight to know where really
1:02:23
you stand.
1:02:24
>> Man I I I agree 100%. It's and I I'm you
1:02:29
know I'm being casual about this cuz I'm
1:02:31
in a hot tub. I'm relaxed. But I look at
1:02:33
Lorenzo, he's more than just I know I
1:02:35
say he always a step up. He's got
1:02:37
experience this and that. I want to give
1:02:38
him his credit. Like
1:02:41
he's gonna be my toughest fight to date.
1:02:43
He's the most probably the most skilled
1:02:46
and very least the most experienced and
1:02:49
seasoned fighter I've fought to date. So
1:02:52
I'm preparing for the hardest fight I've
1:02:54
ever had with this.
1:02:55
>> Mhm. And whether whether it goes 30
1:02:59
seconds or if it goes [ __ ] three
1:03:02
rounds for the first time and I'm
1:03:03
bleeding and I'm sweating and I'm
1:03:04
breathing hard, like I've I am under no
1:03:08
false pretenses with this one. I know
1:03:11
that he's legit and I am excited. I'm
1:03:14
excited to just let my nuts hang in
1:03:17
there, man. You know what I mean? I just
1:03:19
I want to go there. I just I WANT TO
1:03:21
SHOW OUT, MAN. I just want to [ __ ] I
1:03:23
just want to go in there and just
1:03:26
>> give it my all and fight to the maximum
1:03:28
of my ability. That's my goal.
1:03:32
>> Well, I think to fight to the maximum of
1:03:34
your ability all depends on your
1:03:36
opponent. It depends what they bring to
1:03:37
the table. Like if you like you
1:03:39
mentioned colloquially a while back,
1:03:41
fighting a can, you're not going to need
1:03:43
your maximum to to beat a can. that uh
1:03:45
the more that Lorenzo can draw out of
1:03:47
you, the better for you long run because
1:03:49
that cage experience, that time inside
1:03:52
the cage is much more valuable than time
1:03:54
anywhere else. Somebody, you know, you
1:03:56
talk to different people and they say
1:03:58
five minutes in the cage is worth, you
1:03:59
know, 6 months training or some
1:04:01
something along those lines. So, uh
1:04:03
regardless, I'm just I'm just looking
1:04:05
for forward to a very exciting fight
1:04:06
between the two of you.
1:04:08
>> Me, too. And this fight is going to be a
1:04:10
fight. That last fight I had in April
1:04:12
with Rob really in hindsight,
1:04:16
it was a lose lose lose situation for
1:04:19
me. And I'll put I'll I'll I'll talk it
1:04:21
out for you. I'll map it out. It's a
1:04:24
lose if I go in there and I smoke him
1:04:26
like how I did because like, oh, Ben's
1:04:29
taking the easy fights. Uh, oh yeah, you
1:04:31
beat up an old man. Congrats, bud.
1:04:33
You're real tough. Like, you know, the
1:04:35
the the fans kind of tore me a new strip
1:04:37
for beating up Rob. And I don't I can't
1:04:40
blame them. But uh the only reason why I
1:04:42
fought Rob is cuz it's personal really.
1:04:44
But uh so to lose there now, if I go in
1:04:48
there and Rob beats me, that's a loss.
1:04:51
It's like, oh, he talked all this [ __ ]
1:04:53
You know, this cocky kid went in there,
1:04:55
talked [ __ ] get hit, right? People said
1:04:57
that about me before and you know, I the
1:05:00
old man beats me up. That's the other
1:05:02
narrative, right?
1:05:03
>> Mhm.
1:05:03
>> So there's another loss. The third loss
1:05:06
would be if I had have went in there and
1:05:08
took him to a decision, laid and prayed
1:05:10
him, or maybe I did anything short of
1:05:12
piss excellence against him. Let's say
1:05:14
he caught me with, let's say, a singular
1:05:16
punch where maybe I wobbled slightly.
1:05:18
Then it's like, oh, oh [ __ ] you know,
1:05:20
big game, but man, you almost got
1:05:22
knocked out. So that last fight, besides
1:05:27
the personal side, which was my
1:05:29
motivation for it, it needed to be done.
1:05:33
From the fan standpoint,
1:05:35
I don't blame them for kind of not
1:05:38
liking me for that one. Like I don't
1:05:40
really, you know, I was pissed obviously
1:05:42
when people were like [ __ ] [ __ ]
1:05:44
on me and stuff. you know, I was in the
1:05:45
comment fighting with people saying,
1:05:47
"Cry me a river." And, you know, just
1:05:49
like just making edits of them. But, you
1:05:52
know, I don't blame them for the
1:05:54
reaction. So, this is a very necessary
1:05:56
step up. And I hope that this fight is a
1:05:59
good fight. I hope that I am pushed cuz
1:06:02
I want to show I'm more than just a a
1:06:04
[ __ ] [ __ ] talker with a couple slick
1:06:07
combos, man. Like, I really I know like
1:06:10
I'm pretty I'm kind of goofy. feel like
1:06:12
I'm and it's going to be hard to take me
1:06:13
serious with this farmer's tan sitting
1:06:15
in a hot tub, but uh I take this game
1:06:17
very serious and I I train all facets of
1:06:20
martial arts. And if and when I get
1:06:24
pushed in this fight, all the years of
1:06:26
training that I've been putting in
1:06:28
silently will show. And I promise that
1:06:31
regardless of this outcome, which by the
1:06:34
way, the outcome is going to be Ben
1:06:35
Lee's victory. But I just mean,
1:06:37
regardless of how this fight shakes out,
1:06:39
I'm going to show the years of training
1:06:42
I've been putting into this. And I am
1:06:43
legit and I'm a I am a well-rounded
1:06:45
fighter. I just it just hasn't happened
1:06:48
yet due to due to the way she'd gone. So
1:06:51
>> Mhm.
1:06:52
>> That was a yap sess, but I hope there's
1:06:53
some valuable stuff in there.
1:06:55
>> I was cut open for a little bit more
1:06:57
yapping, but we you'll get a chance in
1:06:59
the next question. So
1:07:00
>> Oh, yeah. I can keep it going all night,
1:07:02
>> especially in this hot tub, man. Bring
1:07:04
out the champagne. I I'm not in a hot
1:07:05
tub, so you're going to have to cut me
1:07:07
some slack. But you mentioned it. It's
1:07:09
clear to me that you are taking this
1:07:10
fight very seriously. It's a very
1:07:12
important fight for you. So, how was
1:07:13
that reflected in your training and you
1:07:15
getting ready for this this fight?
1:07:18
>> Every every single fight I'm just
1:07:22
accumulating experience and and I'm just
1:07:26
getting stronger. I'm I'm only 23 years
1:07:28
old. So, I'm still getting used I'm my
1:07:31
body is still callousing to the type of
1:07:33
training. So every fight camp I'm
1:07:37
getting more used used to reaching that
1:07:40
point of exhaustion where I'm dry
1:07:41
heaving and pushing past that and I'm
1:07:45
getting more used to being in pain being
1:07:48
in a crazy caloric deficit you know
1:07:51
feeling the pressure like this all
1:07:54
interviews even like I'm I was only 20
1:07:57
when I made my debut in FLA like I'm
1:08:00
growing up in this this this promotion
1:08:02
and these fights And I've in the
1:08:05
amateurs and even my first couple like
1:08:08
that first pro fight like I've been in
1:08:10
some tough fights. I've bled. I've been
1:08:12
hit and the experience that it's I'm
1:08:16
learning how to I'm getting better at
1:08:19
training for fights.
1:08:20
>> Mhm. So, I'm I'm like every all the
1:08:24
shark tanks, it's becoming routine to
1:08:26
grab the stool from the lobby and I go
1:08:29
into the bathroom and grab the garbage
1:08:30
can and I put the garbage can right next
1:08:32
to the stool and the Vaseline right next
1:08:34
to the garbage can. Like the this hard
1:08:37
training, the shark tanks and the the
1:08:39
the interval training, the sprint work
1:08:41
and the the plyometrics and I'm just
1:08:44
getting used to it. I I have a great
1:08:47
strength conditioning coach. I'm going
1:08:48
to plug him real quick. Uh his name is
1:08:50
uh Daniel uh Trenholm Woodland or Boreal
1:08:53
Fitness on Instagram. He's been working
1:08:55
with me since uh early 2025. So we're
1:08:59
going on a year and a half coming up on
1:09:00
two years of working together. Um it's
1:09:04
all just coming together, Andy, is
1:09:05
basically what I'm saying. Like I'm just
1:09:07
I'm getting experience. I'm getting more
1:09:09
used to the desperation of the fights. I
1:09:13
know that last fight was short and it
1:09:15
was it was just a tuneup really. I
1:09:17
didn't even get [ __ ] hit, man. for
1:09:19
[ __ ] sakes. But we're getting hit in
1:09:21
camp, man. We're getting gassed in camp.
1:09:24
We get papped out still in camp because
1:09:27
I'm stacking the odds against me. Like,
1:09:29
we're we're putting together like eight
1:09:31
or nine guys for shark tanks, man. We're
1:09:32
just rolling them on me. We started uh
1:09:35
we started calling these Shark Tanks the
1:09:38
uh the Bonnie Blue Shark Tanks, man.
1:09:41
Just because I'm like Bonnie Blue. I'm
1:09:43
just laying there in the middle taking
1:09:44
it, man. And we're just [ __ ]
1:09:46
circulating them. And we just keep
1:09:48
[ __ ] rotating them every time, man.
1:09:50
But uh
1:09:51
>> And that's what you're referring to with
1:09:52
the Vaseline, right?
1:09:54
>> Well, that that too, right? Like I'm
1:09:57
basically the Bonnie Blue of Freredton
1:10:00
MMA. Really?
1:10:02
I'm like the community bicycle, man.
1:10:04
Everybody gets a [ __ ] ride, man.
1:10:06
>> Nice.
1:10:07
>> I got to stop.
1:10:08
>> It's good to hear. I'm I'm glad we're
1:10:09
having this conversation.
1:10:11
>> This is getting unhinged, man. I I set
1:10:13
the precedent with this [ __ ] hot tub,
1:10:15
man. This is
1:10:15
>> Yeah, I It was I think it's turning a
1:10:17
little X-rated territory, but it's okay.
1:10:18
We
1:10:18
>> Yeah, I'll I'll chill out. I'll I'll
1:10:20
reel her in.
1:10:21
>> I can probably edit some stuff out and
1:10:23
do some bleeps or not. I don't know.
1:10:24
Probably just wing it and see what
1:10:26
happens.
1:10:26
>> Yeah. Well, we watch it back. Be pretty
1:10:28
funny.
1:10:30
>> All right, Ben. Um I think that should
1:10:32
probably be the end of the interview.
1:10:34
We've uh kind of gone off the rails a
1:10:36
little bit and I thank you for that
1:10:37
because nobody likes a boring interview.
1:10:39
Uh I will finish by saying the same
1:10:41
thing I do every time. Is there anything
1:10:43
you think we should have talked about
1:10:44
that I didn't ask?
1:10:46
Uh, no. I I mean, I kind of derailed
1:10:49
this thing, but uh I want to give a big
1:10:53
shout out to uh You know what, man? This
1:10:55
is This is probably You probably seen
1:10:57
this one coming. I want to give a huge
1:10:59
congratulations to my I'll say this
1:11:02
first. Congratulations to my best friend
1:11:05
Rory for getting married. He's getting
1:11:07
married the same night of my fight, so
1:11:09
he can't be there, but I want to give
1:11:11
him congratulations on getting married.
1:11:13
Is there another thing I want to do?
1:11:15
Rory Gillis. Yeah.
1:11:16
>> Nice.
1:11:17
>> He He's getting married in
1:11:19
>> Congratulations, Rory.
1:11:21
>> Yeah. I want to give a huge shout out to
1:11:22
Rory for getting married and he's still
1:11:25
taking time every week to come train
1:11:26
with me and coach me and help out with
1:11:28
this fight. So, I want to give him a
1:11:30
shout out there. This other one, you you
1:11:33
probably could see this one coming cuz
1:11:35
everyone in their mom has been saying
1:11:37
this, but I this one's coming from my
1:11:39
heart cuz I'm consider this guy a friend
1:11:41
of mine. Huge shout out to Cam Nelson on
1:11:43
winning his UFC debut. Uh he's man, what
1:11:47
a great guy. Super nice guy. And uh I
1:11:51
could only aspire to be as freaking put
1:11:55
together and professional and as much of
1:11:57
a role model as Cam Nelson. But
1:11:59
unfortunately, you know, some guys are
1:12:02
closer to Superman and Spider-Man and
1:12:04
other guys are closer to [ __ ]
1:12:06
Deadpool, I guess. So, you know, I can
1:12:10
try. I'm closer to Deadpool, I'd say.
1:12:12
>> Okay.
1:12:14
>> You know, just I'm I try I try and be
1:12:16
the hero, man, but I'm just, you know, a
1:12:18
little too broken. So,
1:12:20
>> and Deadpool's got
1:12:20
>> So, shout out to
1:12:21
>> Deadpool's called the Merc with the
1:12:23
mouth.
1:12:23
>> Merc with the mouth. I like that. But,
1:12:26
uh, yeah. Basically, long story short, I
1:12:28
want to give a huge thank to my team.
1:12:30
Huge thank you to huge shout out Rory
1:12:32
Gillis and Jenny for getting married
1:12:34
soon. And shout out to Cam for making
1:12:37
the UFC.
1:12:39
And shout out to Charlie Lee for being
1:12:40
the best training partner ever. And uh
1:12:43
yeah.
1:12:43
>> A
1:12:44
>> I know. Who would have thought?
1:12:47
>> When you guys were growing up together,
1:12:48
did you get along or did were you
1:12:50
fighting brothers?
1:12:51
>> Uh we would fight but we always got
1:12:53
along. Like
1:12:54
>> it was more just wrestling
1:12:57
>> really. Fairly and I have been on
1:12:59
there's four and a half years between
1:13:00
us. Like I'm 23 almost 24. He's 19.
1:13:04
>> And uh pretty much since birth we've
1:13:06
been we've been tight like this.
1:13:09
Like we like pretty as soon as he was
1:13:10
born, it's like God gave me a best
1:13:12
friend as soon as as soon as he came in
1:13:14
the world, we were we were tight right
1:13:16
away.
1:13:17
>> Nice. That's awesome.
1:13:18
>> Yeah. And I hope it's like that until
1:13:20
the end.
1:13:23
>> All right, Ben. Yeah.
1:13:24
>> Thank you very much for your time. I'm
1:13:26
going to wrap it up. Uh and there you
1:13:27
go, fight friends. Ben Lease fighting in
1:13:29
the main event uh in a light heavyweight
1:13:31
match against Lorenzo Celis at FLA26 in
1:13:34
Picto, Nova Scotia next weekend. I'll be
1:13:36
there personally to witness the fight.
1:13:38
So, uh, maybe we'll get to talk with Ben
1:13:39
again after the fights, after the
1:13:41
victory. And, uh, you can watch on UC
1:13:43
Fight Pass, but not live. It's usually
1:13:45
the week after on like a tape delay type
1:13:47
of deal. So, make sure you watch it
1:13:48
there. And thanks for tuning in.
1:13:52
>> Thank you guys.
1:13:54
>> Hey there, fight friends. Welcome to the
1:13:56
MMA show. We are speaking with a fighter
1:13:57
right now that I've wanted to talk to
1:13:59
for a long time. He's been a mainstay of
1:14:01
the West Coast of the especially Alberta
1:14:03
fight scene for a long time now. Nick
1:14:05
Harabock. How you doing, Nick?
1:14:06
>> I'm doing great. How you doing, Andy?
1:14:08
>> Uh, as we talked about just a minute
1:14:10
ago, life is pretty darn great, and I'm
1:14:12
pretty happy, and I hope you are, too.
1:14:13
>> Oh, couldn't be better.
1:14:16
>> Well, I think you can be better probably
1:14:17
on the weekend when you get to step
1:14:19
inside the cage at uh at Unifi and have
1:14:21
your fight.
1:14:22
>> Yeah, you I can't wait for it, man. I've
1:14:24
been I've been training hard and I can't
1:14:25
wait to show off all my hard work.
1:14:27
>> Before we get too much into that, would
1:14:29
you mind just taking a moment uh just
1:14:31
introduce yourself to the fans who might
1:14:32
not know you? say your name, where
1:14:33
you're from, and how you got involved in
1:14:35
combat sports.
1:14:37
>> Uh Nick Harabic. Um the nickname is
1:14:40
Savage Life. Um I've been an athlete my
1:14:43
whole life. Played hockey my growing up
1:14:46
and uh pretty much out of high school.
1:14:48
Started training Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu
1:14:50
and I've been going strong ever since.
1:14:52
>> Nice. Sorry, right out of high school,
1:14:54
did you say?
1:14:55
>> Yeah, like right out of high school, I
1:14:56
started training Muay Thai with Shane
1:14:58
Campbell and do jiu-jitsu at Kyle
1:15:00
Cardinals gym in Edmonton.
1:15:02
>> Nice. Yeah, I just saw Shane the other
1:15:03
day. He's here in Niagara right now and
1:15:04
uh he's Oh, no way.
1:15:06
>> Yeah, he's he's quite the impressive
1:15:07
specimen. I mean, what what a what a a
1:15:09
kickboxing and and striking pedigree he
1:15:12
has.
1:15:13
>> 100%. Starting off like start literally
1:15:15
just getting into martial arts starting
1:15:17
with Shane. You can't you can't learn
1:15:20
from a guy like that start like that's
1:15:23
the best you can learn from, right? He's
1:15:24
one of the best strikers in Canada,
1:15:26
right? So, and he's one of my good
1:15:28
friends. We became really really really
1:15:30
close friends and uh yeah.
1:15:33
>> Do you feel like I'm wondering as you
1:15:35
progressed through your fight fight
1:15:36
career at one point you were a you were
1:15:38
a green rookie you didn't know anything
1:15:40
quite the opposite now you you're by uh
1:15:42
any stretch of the imagination you are
1:15:44
now a veteran. Is there a point during
1:15:46
the progression from new to where you
1:15:47
are now that you sort of feel like you
1:15:50
have separated yourself from your your
1:15:52
coaches and your your mentors and your
1:15:54
role models or do you always always
1:15:56
always carry a part of them with you no
1:15:57
matter how far you go?
1:15:59
>> Um I mean any single person that has has
1:16:04
dedicated some time to me and learned
1:16:06
and and showed me skills doesn't matter
1:16:09
whether they're still with me today or
1:16:11
not. I I'm still forever grateful for
1:16:14
those people. you know what I mean? I
1:16:15
wouldn't be where I am without them
1:16:17
today. Whether they're not they're in my
1:16:18
life or they're not, you know, that's
1:16:20
just that's just life how it goes,
1:16:22
right? And um especially starting off
1:16:24
like I only got to have two amateur
1:16:27
fights and then in Alberta they they
1:16:30
canled amateur MMA, right? So I couldn't
1:16:32
fight amateur so I was pretty much
1:16:34
forced to go pro. So I feel like I
1:16:36
wasn't even I should have had if I could
1:16:39
do it reover I would rather have a
1:16:40
little bit longer amateur career than
1:16:42
going pro cuz then I went pro and I had
1:16:43
a few fights and I got we got I got sent
1:16:46
to the wolves at like 21 22 you know
1:16:48
what I mean? So now that I feel like now
1:16:52
that everything has been rolling for me.
1:16:54
You know I've had a lot of ups and downs
1:16:56
in my career but um I always prove to
1:16:59
show I bounce back and I know I believe
1:17:01
I'm I'm going to be on a bigger stage
1:17:03
here very soon. So,
1:17:05
>> Mhm. It's interesting how you just talk
1:17:07
about bouncing back. How I've seen
1:17:09
studies or I've heard people talk about
1:17:11
different studies that show one of the
1:17:12
biggest indicators of people's success
1:17:14
in life is their ability to you said
1:17:17
bounce back, but it it's it's grit and
1:17:19
it's fortitude and just being able to
1:17:21
persevere. It's that that toughness that
1:17:22
gets people through life and helps them
1:17:24
succeed. And I'm wondering if that's
1:17:26
something that you think aligns with how
1:17:28
you are.
1:17:29
>> 100% 100%. Like life's all about ups and
1:17:31
downs, right? And you got to get back
1:17:32
up. And I feel like you only lose when
1:17:35
you don't get back up and you try again.
1:17:37
>> You know what I mean? I feel like that's
1:17:38
the only time you lose.
1:17:40
>> And um I just keep going forward. I know
1:17:44
the skills I possess. I know the
1:17:46
potential I have. I know I belong in the
1:17:49
UFC or PFL, one of these top
1:17:51
organizations. I know I belong there and
1:17:53
I'm just ready to show and prove to
1:17:55
everybody and myself
1:17:57
I belong there.
1:17:58
>> And of course, your next chance to do
1:18:00
that is at Unified MMA69. this upcoming
1:18:03
weekend at Edmonton. You're fighting a
1:18:05
man named I'm guessing it's Jesus Rue.
1:18:08
What you know about this guy?
1:18:09
>> Um I just know he's he he comes out to
1:18:12
fight, you know what I mean? He he comes
1:18:13
out and he's looking to scrap and that's
1:18:16
what I love. You know what I mean? You
1:18:19
know, for my last fight, all the guy
1:18:20
wanted to do was nut hug me and sniff my
1:18:22
nuts the whole time. Just trying to keep
1:18:24
on taking me down, taking me. So, I'm
1:18:25
glad this guy's actually going to want
1:18:26
to scrap. You know what I mean? He's
1:18:28
going to want He's going to want to He's
1:18:29
going to want to He's going to bring it
1:18:31
and I'm going to bring it and I can't
1:18:32
wait to blow the roof off River.
1:18:34
>> Nice.
1:18:35
>> This Friday.
1:18:37
>> If somebody hadn't seen you fight
1:18:38
before, describe what Nick Rabbit looks
1:18:40
like once you're inside the cage.
1:18:43
>> Savage.
1:18:44
Locked in, ready to go, and ready to
1:18:46
kill. To kill or be killed when you get
1:18:48
in there, you know what I mean? So,
1:18:50
>> now I don't
1:18:52
>> I I don't know you personally. Is that
1:18:54
an attitude that you take outside the
1:18:55
cage or is that a a switch that's
1:18:57
flipped once that door closes?
1:19:00
>> Um, I mean,
1:19:02
I I'm a I was always a loud kid. Loud.
1:19:05
Loud and aggressive kid growing up,
1:19:07
especially playing hockey. I spent most
1:19:09
of my hockey career in the penalty box.
1:19:12
So, um, I mean, I guess it it was part
1:19:15
of my persona for a while, but it would
1:19:19
I felt like I was too reckless outside
1:19:20
of life, too. You know what I mean? So
1:19:22
now now I'm I'm focused. I'm not young
1:19:26
anymore. I'm more mature. I'm a married
1:19:29
man now. So now it's it's just flipping
1:19:33
that switch and bringing all of that to
1:19:36
the surface when I step in that cage.
1:19:38
>> Mhm.
1:19:39
>> Cuz sometimes I can be a danger to
1:19:40
myself when I'm outside of that cage.
1:19:42
You know what I mean? So that's that's
1:19:44
where I had I've had to mature as a
1:19:46
person. And now that I feel like I'm the
1:19:48
man I'm supposed to be, now it's time to
1:19:50
flip that switch when I go in there and
1:19:52
take the guy's head off. I'm trying to
1:19:54
do maximum damage when I'm in that cage.
1:19:56
I'm not trying to take you down and hug
1:19:57
you and give you a nooie on your head.
1:20:00
I'm I'm trying I'm trying to I'm trying
1:20:02
to I'm trying to beat you as violently
1:20:04
as possible. I think that's probably a
1:20:07
wise choice. When you take a look at so
1:20:09
many of the decisions that happen in
1:20:11
fights these days, at the end of the
1:20:12
fight, the guy who lost is often
1:20:14
standing there or the the girl standing
1:20:15
there shaking their head like, "Why? I
1:20:17
don't know what happened." Like, "Why
1:20:18
did why didn't they let me win?" Well,
1:20:20
>> yeah.
1:20:20
>> When you when you don't you don't finish
1:20:22
a fight, it's open to interpretation.
1:20:24
And so,
1:20:25
>> there's different people and they
1:20:26
interpret things differently. So, you
1:20:28
know, if you can inflict maximum damage,
1:20:30
that's one of the scoring criteria in
1:20:31
the unified rules that is damage dealt
1:20:33
into into your opponent. So, if you can
1:20:35
get a lot of that damage done and make
1:20:37
them look like they've been through a
1:20:38
fight when you're sitting there fresh as
1:20:39
a daisy, that's can be nothing but good
1:20:41
for you.
1:20:42
>> 100%. Right. And especially with MMA
1:20:44
going on these days, look what's
1:20:45
happening. It's it's it's it's we're
1:20:47
getting to this gray area where these
1:20:49
[ __ ] wrestlers and these these guys
1:20:52
who are coming down and just and at the
1:20:55
end of the day, I'm not against
1:20:56
wrestling, you know what I mean? Use
1:20:57
your wrestling and get your ground and
1:20:58
pound submissions, all that, but look to
1:21:00
finish the fight. You see a lot of these
1:21:02
guys that are just and the UFC and these
1:21:04
top promotions don't want that anymore
1:21:05
where you're just going to take a guy
1:21:06
down and you're just going to hold him
1:21:08
down. Couple little baby punches and
1:21:10
then hold the guy down. You can't create
1:21:12
damage with that. You know what I mean?
1:21:14
If you're holding a guy and you're and
1:21:15
you're just throwing these little baby
1:21:17
strikes, they're not going to do
1:21:18
nothing. That's not damage. You know
1:21:19
what I mean? It can sit there forever.
1:21:21
You know what I mean? So, and you see
1:21:23
that UFC saying like you got you guys
1:21:25
got to take chances out here. You know
1:21:26
what I mean? You got at the end of the
1:21:27
day, yes, it's MMA. So, some uh
1:21:31
grappling is a huge part of it, but at
1:21:34
the end of the day, it's to create
1:21:35
damage. It's a fight. It's not a it's
1:21:37
not it's not it's not NCAA wrestling
1:21:40
here, division one wrestling. This isn't
1:21:42
uh jujitsu, right? So, you want to
1:21:44
create maximum damage.
1:21:46
>> Yeah.
1:21:46
>> And that's that's what I'm here for. And
1:21:48
that's what people when people tune in
1:21:50
to fight me, they or to see me fight,
1:21:52
they know it's going to be one hell of a
1:21:54
fight. It's kill or be killed and I'm
1:21:55
going out there on my shield.
1:21:57
Let me play devil's advocate for
1:21:59
something you said just a moment ago. I
1:22:01
think number one, you're right about
1:22:02
what the UFC is looking for. Dana White
1:22:04
says it all the time in the contender
1:22:05
series fights. How he wants to see
1:22:07
aggression. He wants to see finishes.
1:22:08
And how often do we see a fighter will
1:22:10
win a fight in the judges decision and
1:22:12
yet not get awarded UFC contract because
1:22:14
they laid and prayed or they they
1:22:16
grappled him and just held him down.
1:22:18
That happens often. But on the flip side
1:22:20
of that coin, uh my sort of attitude,
1:22:22
and it's not mine originally, Joe Rogan
1:22:24
is probably the most famous for saying
1:22:26
it in that if you are getting wrestle
1:22:28
hugged, as I'll put it, uh if you get
1:22:30
taken down the mat and you can't get up,
1:22:31
that's on you. You need to get up. And
1:22:33
if if if you lose the fight because of
1:22:35
that, that's that's that's your fault.
1:22:37
>> Hey, you know what? I I totally agree. I
1:22:39
totally agree 100%. Right. You let
1:22:41
yourself put in that position and and
1:22:44
you didn't get up. You know what I mean?
1:22:46
But at the same time, it's like, okay,
1:22:48
cool. Keep on fighting that way, but are
1:22:50
you going to go far? You're gonna get
1:22:51
where you want to go? Like UFC is not
1:22:53
going to give you, if you want to get to
1:22:55
the U. Number one, if you're a wrestler
1:22:57
who's 16 and two, you know what I mean?
1:23:00
In MMA and you all your wins are by
1:23:02
taking guys down and going to decision,
1:23:04
you're probably not going to go to the
1:23:05
UFC.
1:23:06
>> Mhm.
1:23:06
>> You know what I mean? And and at the end
1:23:09
of the day, yeah, it's MMA, but it's the
1:23:11
entertainment business. I'm here to
1:23:13
entertain. I'm here. You're going to
1:23:15
people people are going to love me as a
1:23:16
person. They're going to love my
1:23:17
persona. They're going to love my energy
1:23:19
and they're going to love my fighting
1:23:20
style and that's what I bring.
1:23:21
>> Love it. You mentioned the UFC a couple
1:23:24
times how that is your goal. That's what
1:23:25
you want to be. I'm just curious to know
1:23:27
if you have any management or
1:23:28
representation and if those types of
1:23:30
discussions have happened in the past.
1:23:32
Uh yes or no and if there's any kind of
1:23:34
roadmap for you other than just
1:23:35
inflicting damage in your fights.
1:23:37
>> 100%. Um well I went I'm been training
1:23:40
in Denver, Colorado. I've been training
1:23:42
at Tiger Bele and going back and forth
1:23:43
to Onyx as well. So, I've been I've been
1:23:45
talking to a lot of guys there and a
1:23:46
couple managers. So, right now a I'm not
1:23:49
managed right now, but after this fight,
1:23:52
um I'm going to be taking that next step
1:23:53
and signing with a big management
1:23:55
company and hopefully get a shot. You
1:23:58
know, I have one of these big
1:23:58
promotions, right? That's the that's the
1:24:00
one thing I want, right? It's even UFC
1:24:02
or PFL MVP, whatever.
1:24:05
>> Who who whoever wants to sign me and and
1:24:07
and show me the money.
1:24:09
>> Yeah. There's positives to both, right?
1:24:11
Or all three of them. I mean, everybody
1:24:13
always says they want to go to the UC.
1:24:15
Uh it's got the cache and you know, when
1:24:16
you talk to casual fans, they only they
1:24:18
think of the sport, it's UC fighting,
1:24:19
right? But on the other hand, both PFL
1:24:21
and MVP have some great uh
1:24:23
opportunities, especially when it comes
1:24:24
to sponsorships and things like that.
1:24:26
It's just outside the norm. And I know
1:24:28
guys who fight in those organizations
1:24:29
who are make a lot of money and they do
1:24:31
really well, probably better than, you
1:24:32
know, entry level or mid-level UFC
1:24:34
fighters.
1:24:35
>> 100%. 100%. Because the sponsors are
1:24:37
huge, right? Like I I have a lot of
1:24:39
sponsors right now and like I fight
1:24:42
full-time, but I couldn't do it
1:24:43
full-time, especially on the regional
1:24:45
scene if I didn't have my sponsors, you
1:24:47
know what I mean? Like yeah, I'm doing
1:24:48
everything to, you know, make money,
1:24:50
train clients, and do all that stuff.
1:24:52
You know what I mean? But sponsors are
1:24:54
huge, you know, and if you're on a stage
1:24:55
like UFC or PFL, but UFC can't have your
1:24:57
sponsors. But PFL,
1:24:59
>> well, PFL and MVP are now merged, right?
1:25:02
So like at the end of the day, you know,
1:25:04
if you can have sponsors and you're on
1:25:06
ESPN, national television, you could you
1:25:09
you could make just as much as your
1:25:10
purse on sponsorships.
1:25:13
>> And Exactly. It's international, right?
1:25:15
But I remember when UFC did have
1:25:17
sponsors. I remember Rory McDonald and
1:25:19
and most of those guys, they were
1:25:20
bringing in like 500K in sponsors.
1:25:23
>> You know what I mean? They're getting
1:25:24
more sponsorship money than they were
1:25:25
with their purses.
1:25:27
>> Yeah. It's pretty crazy. You mentioned
1:25:29
you went to down to Colorado for
1:25:30
training. Would you mind just expanding
1:25:32
on your training for this camp? So you
1:25:34
you're from Edmonton, you train in
1:25:35
Edmonton, and did you say Onyx? I'm not
1:25:37
familiar with Onyx. And could you talk
1:25:39
more about both of those?
1:25:40
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So um uh I went this
1:25:44
I've been in Denver this whole year.
1:25:46
Like I don't even train in Edmonton
1:25:47
anymore at the moment.
1:25:49
>> Yeah. So I I kind of moved to Denver for
1:25:51
a little bit. One of my best friends I
1:25:52
trained out on team alpha male when I
1:25:54
was down there. He moved to Colorado and
1:25:57
I was like, "Dude, I need to I need to
1:25:59
come to a big gym. I need more sparring
1:26:00
partners, more training partners, I need
1:26:02
more looks.
1:26:03
And uh he was like, come down to Denver.
1:26:05
So I came down to Denver. Uh Corey
1:26:07
Sandhagen and uh Carrington Banks opened
1:26:10
up their their own gym. So they have a
1:26:13
huge they have a very very well put
1:26:16
together gym and they have so many good
1:26:18
coaches and good training partners. And
1:26:19
then Onyx is um Trevor Whitman's gym,
1:26:22
Justin Gate's gym.
1:26:24
>> Okay.
1:26:24
>> So I was going there on the weekend
1:26:26
sometimes, you know what I mean? So I
1:26:27
was going back and forth. And Denver is
1:26:29
literally the fight capital. I swear in
1:26:32
North America, between Vegas and Denver
1:26:34
are the two I feel like the two places
1:26:36
in North America where you can go. Like
1:26:37
there was
1:26:38
>> at least 40 30 to 40 UFC fighters that
1:26:41
live in Denver.
1:26:42
>> Wow. I
1:26:42
>> know what I mean. Like I was I was I was
1:26:44
getting rounds in with Gay. I was
1:26:46
getting rounds in with Drew Dober. I was
1:26:48
getting rounds in with Cory. Like Like
1:26:50
there's so many so many highlevel guys
1:26:53
down there to train with, you know? So
1:26:55
that's why I'm I'm looking at making the
1:26:57
move permanently down to Denver.
1:26:59
>> Wow. You know, I had no idea. So I
1:27:01
appreciate you opening my eyes to that.
1:27:03
Thank you.
1:27:03
>> Yeah. Yeah, man. Yeah. Yeah. That just I
1:27:05
literally just I flew in from Denver uh
1:27:07
last week on Thursday.
1:27:09
>> Okay, cool.
1:27:10
>> Yeah.
1:27:11
>> All right, my man. I think I've run out
1:27:12
of questions. I I'm I'm pretty slow
1:27:14
today, but I'm wondering before we
1:27:15
leave, is there is there anything you
1:27:16
think that we should have talked about
1:27:17
that I didn't ask?
1:27:19
I mean, hey, I think that I think we
1:27:21
covered all the bases and uh you know, I
1:27:24
just can I give a shout out to my
1:27:25
sponsors?
1:27:26
>> You can say what we internet's free,
1:27:27
man. Go ahead.
1:27:28
>> I want to give a big shout out to my
1:27:29
sponsors. Prairie Demolition, Chris,
1:27:31
thank you so much. Dave Pavalich at
1:27:34
Concept, Tyler at TNT Rope Access,
1:27:38
um My Fit Foods down in Denver for me
1:27:41
helping me with the meal prep. And I'm
1:27:44
swear I'm missing one more. I'm missing
1:27:46
one more.
1:27:48
My Fit Foods.
1:27:50
>> Oh, no. I can't think of it. But
1:27:52
anyways,
1:27:52
>> do you have somewhere you can look? I
1:27:53
can I can edit this part out. Just if
1:27:55
you want to look on your phone or
1:27:56
something.
1:27:56
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That would be perfect.
1:27:59
>> Thanks, man. Sorry about that.
1:28:01
>> No, nothing to be sorry about.
1:28:06
>> Okay, perfect. You ready?
1:28:07
>> Yep. Just want to give a big shout out
1:28:10
to my sponsors, TNT, Rope Access, Tyler,
1:28:13
appreciate you, bro. Chris at Prairie
1:28:15
Demolition Concept. Dave Pavich, thank
1:28:17
you so much. My Fit Foods down in Denver
1:28:20
to help meal prep, Tiger Beetle, and uh
1:28:23
Wick Life, thank you so much. Appreciate
1:28:25
for your all support.
1:28:26
>> We we love the sponsors and there's a
1:28:27
name in there I hadn't heard in a long
1:28:28
time. Dave Pavlich, of course, long time
1:28:31
father Mark Pavich, longtime owner of
1:28:32
Maximum Fighting Championship out of
1:28:34
Edmonton. Uh it was the Unified MMA
1:28:36
before unified MMA. So, it's kind of
1:28:38
cool that he's still in the game.
1:28:40
>> Yeah, 100%. Like he he owns a suit
1:28:42
company now. So, uh, I just got married,
1:28:45
too. So, he's been he's been sponsoring
1:28:46
me, my suits and stuff like that and
1:28:48
just supporting and just being, uh,
1:28:49
being a good guy, you know.
1:28:51
>> Awesome. Well, Nick, I I personally I'm
1:28:54
really glad I got to meet you for the
1:28:56
first time tonight and chat. You seem
1:28:57
like a great guy. I want to wish you the
1:28:58
best of luck. I hope you show up the
1:29:00
most prepared Nick Harabock. You are the
1:29:02
best fighter you can be that night and I
1:29:03
wish you the best of luck.
1:29:05
>> Thank you so much, brother. I appreciate
1:29:06
and I hope you enjoy the show.
1:29:08
>> All right, there you go, fight friends.
1:29:09
Nick Harabock fighting at Unified MMA 69
1:29:11
in Edmonton this weekend. Make sure you
1:29:13
watch it on uh Unified Plus.