00:00What was it about BKFC and what was it about, you know, was it an itch that, you know, you
00:06were like, man, I left it on the table, I want to get back out there.
00:10Were you a fan of BKFC? How did this happen after 14 years that you come back, but only come
00:16back and say, no, no, screw the gloves, I'm going bare knuckle style?
00:22Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's kind of a combination of everything, you know, I've explained to everybody.
00:27Long layoff, but the layoff happened not the way that, you know, I wanted it to, like the reason why
00:33it was caused.
00:34I mean, my last fight back in 2012, UFC 153 in Rio, lost that fight by decision to Diego Brendau,
00:43but I actually fractured my orbital.
00:47And once I got back steakside and we got those those x-rays done, they had, you know, taken me
00:54off the roster and said I needed a year off, no contact.
00:58So with a year layoff, it kind of made it hard, you know what I mean, in any type of
01:04career to take a whole year off.
01:06But I did. And once they cleared me to come back and fight again, I had another fight scheduled for
01:10the CFFC because the UFC wanted me to get a couple of fights under my belt, get the ring rust
01:16off, maybe give me a new contract.
01:18And I ended up breaking the metacarpal in my left hand of the pointer finger.
01:23So I got a plate with seven screws in that. And that derailed me another seven months on top of
01:28that already year layoff, plus a couple of months of training to get ready for each fight.
01:32So you do the math. It was it was about two years that, you know, I ended up not being
01:37able to compete.
01:38It must have been hard for you, man, at that time, too, right?
01:42You're in your 20s. You're in your prime of your athletic career. It feels like it was robbed, right? It
01:46was taken from you.
01:49Exactly. You know, I was undefeated. I was doing very well.
01:52I finally got my break into the UFC, which is what I always wanted to do.
01:55And then I got this two year layoff, back to back injuries.
01:59And then, as I've explained in the past, like my son was born at the time and then eventually my
02:04daughter.
02:05And, you know, I I grew up doing tree work for my stepfather, working for him and his company.
02:10And when these back to back injuries happened, I mean, the money you've got saved doesn't last forever. Right.
02:14So, you know, you've got kids on the way. You're a dad now. Family man. Wife.
02:20I mean, I had to make a tough decision. And that was to buy the business for my stepfather and
02:24and start, you know, running the tree company.
02:26That also gave him a chance to retire. So I can't help. But let's be real.
02:31Itch. I mean, at the time, too, it wasn't like there was a ton of money in the UFC in
02:35that game. Right.
02:36You're fighting out of the love. You know what I mean? Like, so I can understand.
02:41Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The spot you're in there. But BKFC, it's almost like I I've heard you say you feel
02:47born again right now.
02:50And BKFC is sort of like the the enchanted land of second chances, isn't it, for fighters? Right.
02:57It's like, all right, you've got an untold story. Definitely for me. Yeah. Yeah.
03:03Yeah. Yeah. No, I don't agree with what you're saying. You know, I mean, it's given given some of the
03:06veterans a chance to lengthen their career.
03:08Right. And in my case, it's given me a chance to make this comeback, to create the legacy and finish
03:14it the way I originally want it to.
03:16You know, even though it's not in MMA anymore, but everything happens in life for a reason.
03:21You know what I mean? Like scratching that itch is just huge for me because it's always been there all
03:26those years right after the injuries.
03:28And knowing that I wasn't going to compete anymore, I couldn't even watch MMA, whether it was UFC or any
03:32any organization, just because it got to me, you know, would keep me up at night.
03:37I'd be, you know, shadowboxing in the in the shower the next morning.
03:41You know, when things like this are happening all these years later, eight years, 10 years, 12 years, you know,
03:46there's there's something that wasn't finished.
03:48And I always knew it. I just I figured this is the path I'm on. This is what I need
03:53to do.
03:53I need to raise the family, be a dad, everything like that. And everything was going good.
03:57But then finally, I made the move from New York to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and hooking up with Brandon
04:03Boucher and the gym down here.
04:06It just created the perfect opportunity, having guys who are already involved with the BKFC to actually put that thought
04:13in my mind.
04:13And then them on top of it, trying to pull me in and then having the gym so close to
04:18home, 10 minutes from my house.
04:19You know, my kids are old enough now, both 12 and 13, where they're a huge push behind this as
04:26well.
04:26And it's awesome because my wife is behind it.
04:28My two kids are behind it. And they're like, Dad, you know, Coach Brandon is still doing it.
04:32You know, you you can do it. I mean, people your age are still fighting.
04:37They're just they're so genuine. You know what I mean? They're like, Dad, you can do this.
04:40We want to see you fight. We want to actually come to a fight instead of watching it on on
04:45videos of the past.
04:46We want to be there. So having all of this happen and just kind of snowball and create like the
04:51perfect storm, you live once.
04:53And I said, you know what, this this must be meant to be, you know, with this move and having
04:56this opportunity, let's let's make a run for it.
04:59And let's see how far I can take it. I still I still got a lot left in the tank.
