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00:00Welcome back to Against the Cage. Scott Fontana here again with Jim Miller, the record-setting lightweight from New Jersey,
00:05who will fight at Madison Square Garden for the third time when he faces Terrence McKinney at UFC 334 on
00:11November 14th.
00:12Now, Jim, we are coming up on 10 years since the UFC's epic debut at the Garden. You were one
00:18of only 10 winners that night. Tyron Woodley, Siv, and Wonderboy Thompson, they had fought to a draw, so there
00:23was 11 fights, 10 winners.
00:25I wanted to ask you, though, about, let's put aside the whole weigh-in situation from that with Tiago Alves.
00:31We'll put this aside for just a sec, but what can you tell me sticks out in your mind about
00:36that night in particular in the arena that made it so unique?
00:41You know, I mean, that one was unique because it was New York's first MMA card, right?
00:47Right. So, I mean, it wasn't in a great way, right? It was, like, trying to, like, reinvent the wheel
00:55type stuff.
00:57It took forever to get my hands wrapped because, like, the entire group of the commissioners from New York had
01:06to, like, watch because that was the first fight or one of the first fights and, like, first one getting
01:11my hand wrapped.
01:12And it was, like, the cup man and the state rep were, like, bickering back and forth.
01:21Like, you can't do that. Yes, I can. We already went over this.
01:24So, it was an interesting night, too. Yeah.
01:29So, like, went, fought Tiago, and I ended up, like, having to go to the hospital that night and all
01:40this stuff because, like, he kicked me in the neck and, like, they were being super, like, super cautious of
01:47stuff.
01:48And they're, like, oh, you know.
01:48Like, hypochondriac level a little bit or?
01:50Yeah, it was, like, you know, the UFC doctors were fine and then the state doctors were all nervous and
01:59this and that.
02:00And, like, yeah, it was an odd night for me as a fighter just with all that stuff.
02:08I ended up leaving, coming back, like, I think right when the main event started up and, or the co
02:17-main event.
02:19And, yeah, it was interesting.
02:22But it was cool to be in that venue.
02:24I didn't really get as big of a, like, introduction to it.
02:31You know, you're kind of, you're shuffled in, you know, downstairs.
02:34You do your pre-fight stuff and then you run upstairs and fight.
02:38And then it was, like, next thing you know, I'm in an ambulance going to, going to Bellevue, you know,
02:43and feeling fine.
02:46But, yeah, it was, it was a good night.
02:49And you said you did get back in time for, obviously, I mean, I was in the building for that
02:53one as well.
02:53And, obviously, the electricity when Conor fought and in the aftermath of Conor's fight.
02:58Like, what do you kind of remember about just the feeling in the building?
03:03Yeah, I mean, it was, it was, it was cool to be there, right?
03:08Like, it was, it was kind of that, that, like, that, that mountain peak that, you know, we hadn't, we
03:16hadn't climbed yet, right, as a sport, right?
03:19Like, you, Madison Square Garden has, you know, been the hub of the big, some of the biggest boxing matches
03:26of all time.
03:27And for the sport of MMA to finally get to step in there and, and, and put on an event,
03:35you know, it ended up being a fantastic night of fights.
03:39And, and, yeah, it was, it was, it was kind of one of those milestones for the sport.
03:47Sure, sure. And, obviously, I do want to get to the, we'll talk about your fight coming up as well.
03:52But I'd actually want to ask you a little bit more about, again, the whole Tiago Alves missing weight and
03:57everything that kind of you did to sort of preserve that fight, you know, just to, and correct me if
04:02I've mislabeled anything here.
04:05But essentially, what happened was he missed weight so badly that you needed to weigh in over the limit just
04:11to preserve the fight.
04:13That's correct, right?
04:14Yes, yes. So, um, uh, I forget who Donald was supposed to fight. He was supposed to fight somebody that
04:21night that came in.
04:22I think it was Kelvin Gastelum.
04:24Okay. Um, yeah, and Gastelum came in, uh, overweight and Donald had weighed in prior and he made weight and
04:30Gastelum ended up being whatever.
04:33It was over five pounds overweight and funny enough. Right. Even with how the, the, the, the T's are crossed
04:42and the I's are dotted with the UFC, right? Like it's, it's, uh, very professionally run, um, promotion.
04:49Nobody knew that rule that New York had had it in there where if there was a catch weight for
04:56a fight, as long as it wasn't like, you know, for whatever reason, heavyweight, they can be further than five
05:03pounds apart.
05:03Um, but if you, if you created a catch weight because the fighter missed weight, the two fighters had to
05:10be within five pounds.
05:13So, um, I was, uh, that was 2016. It was a, it was a big year for me. I got
05:18diagnosed with Lyme disease. I, I, I, I was on my medication. Um, you know, I started that year off
05:23walking around what I had for, for, uh, quite a bit, which was in the, in the mid to upper
05:28one eighties. Um, and by the time I was getting into that fight with Tiago, I had, that was my
05:34fourth fight of the year. Um, I'd been in camp, you know, essentially all year training and preparing for fights.
05:40Um, I was walking around at 162 pounds. Um, which is like what he weighed in at.
05:48Yeah. He weighed in at 163. Right. So, so, uh, I had like this breeze of a weight cut and
05:54I'm, I'm cutting the, you know, the couple of pounds that I had to take off.
05:58And, uh, all of a sudden there's a knock on the door, uh, you know, um, Friday morning and it's,
06:04and it's, uh, Greg Nowitzki. And he's like, I need to, I need to ask you to do something really
06:09weird.
06:09And he's like, you might not, but you might need to gain some weight. And I was like, I'm sorry,
06:17what? This doesn't make any sense.
06:19Uh, he's like, listen, we just found out about this like a few minutes ago. Um, and fortunately Tiago ended
06:26up weighing in prior to me.
06:28Um, like he didn't know Gastelum didn't know. No, nobody knew New York's rule. So.
06:37And that Gastelum and Cerrone fight, that was supposed to be at 170. You guys were 55.
06:41Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so it, uh, it was, it was weird. Cause I was already at like just about,
06:50uh, you know, 156.
06:51And, um, so I'm sitting there like chugging Gatorade and stuff like that. And, and, uh, ended up, you know,
06:57going downstairs and, and, and, and making, gaining enough weight for the, for the fight to be on.
07:04And, um, it, uh, the whole thing was, there was still some like insider stuff that ended up happening. There
07:09was a little bit of a, um, uh, miscommunication when it came to like what ended up happening with what,
07:17what we wanted. Right. Like he, he had fought for the world title at 170 and he had never fought,
07:23fought 55. So it was like, immediately it's like, Hey, he came in and heavier than I'm walking around right
07:30now.
07:30He's going to be 190 to 200 pounds, you know, um, by fight time. And like, ah, I'm not dealing
07:37with an extra, you know, uh, uh, somebody that's going to be 40 pounds heavier than me.
07:41Sure. Um, so we put a limit on, uh, you know, how much he could gain overnight and all that
07:46stuff. And, um, there was a little bit of a miscommunication and, uh, the, the fight almost like after that,
07:53after almost not getting to fight, it, it almost got thrown out again.
07:57Um, because there was a miscommunication and, uh,
08:01And that would have been on there on the commission end and all that kind of thing, right? You, you
08:04would have taken it maybe if he was like just a little over or what do you think? Cause you,
08:07you want to fight. I know you do.
08:10Yeah. Like what ended up happening is like, we gave him, we gave him the limit of what, what he
08:14could weigh in, you know, like prior to going to the venue and, and, uh, you know, every, like everybody
08:19was there, right?
08:20Like, uh, Joe Silva and Donna and, and like, you know, the, the, the who's who of, uh, uh, of
08:27the UFC at the time. And, um, everybody agreed to it and, uh, like somebody from the UFC just threw
08:36him on a scale.
08:38Um, and like, it was okay. And my coach was actually walking by at the time. Like, all they had
08:44to do was like pull him in, you know, like, um, just, just for that verification, right? Just some, some
08:50representative of the team just being there or whatever.
08:53Um, so it was just, it was just weird, you know, it was like a weird thing. And now it's
08:57like, um, you know, now, now, now you're giving as somebody who's made weight every time, like the fighters that
09:06miss weight need to be punished. And, uh, it was, uh, yeah. And then it turned me into the bad
09:11guy. And like, you know, there was, uh, it was, it was, it was stressful. It was, it was a
09:17stressful ride.
09:17Who saw you as the bad guy? I mean, maybe people behind the scenes. I don't know if anybody looking
09:21on from, from a distance saw it that way.
09:23Well, um, well, yeah, that's the thing, right. From, from, uh, from, from the inside, I became the guy that
09:29was like, whoa, like, hold on. Like, this isn't necessarily what we agreed on. And, and, uh, and then, and
09:35then I'm the one that's going to cost the fight. So then, then I become the bad guy. Right.
09:39Which usually ends up happening. The, the one, the fighter that makes weight and asks the other guy to do
09:45something. Oh, like you kind of get put in this light that you're, you're, you're, you're the, you're the one
09:51that might cost the, the promotion of fight. So, um, everything worked out and, and, you know, uh, you know,
09:59got to fight and all that stuff. But, uh, yeah, it was, uh, it was like, I, I got, I
10:06got like three phone calls from
10:08Joe Silva on the, uh, from the way to the, from the, on the van ride from the, uh, hotel
10:16to MSG. You could see MSG from the hotel. Like, that's how like tense things were. Uh, it was like,
10:25you know, I, it was like Sour Patch Kid too. I got like, I got sour and then I got
10:29sweet and I got, you know, like it was, uh, it was, it was, it was an exciting, uh, uh,
10:35little bit of time, but, uh, yeah, it,
10:39it was definitely a memorable one for me. Of course. And you got your hand raised at the end too.
10:44So all's well, it ends well on that front too. But, and obviously you're looking to be doing that, uh,
10:48in a couple of weeks here as well, as we speak, uh, just before Halloween, uh, skip to the present.
10:52Of course, you have an opportunity to move to three and O at Madison Square Garden. Uh, if I recall,
10:58it's actually, uh, even more special in your mind when you fight in New Jersey, but, uh, I'm sure you
11:03don't mind the extra thrill of fighting in this big arena, in this venue, right?
11:06Right. No, not at all. You know, it's, uh, to me, it's, you know, um, wherever the octagon is, I'm,
11:15I'm, I'm at home essentially. Right. So, um, you know, fighting close to home, it, it, it's nice in, in
11:22a lot of ways. And, and in some ways it's a little annoying sometimes. Cause then it's like, oh, I
11:28got to deal with getting more tickets or I got to deal with this or I got to deal with
11:31that. I got to, um, and, and for me personally, uh,
11:34uh, as annoying as flying can be and, and, um, and some of the troubles that I've had with, with
11:42flights and going to fights and stuff. And, um, that kind of sets the week for me. Right. Like that's
11:48like, like Tuesday is the travel day. And when it's just a short drive, um, it doesn't necessarily always feel
11:53like fight week, uh, for, for another day or so, uh, until I kind of like groove.
11:59So it's, um, but yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a great venue. Um, fortunately, New York is kind of,
12:07they've, they've come a long way, right? Like they're not as, they're not as, uh, uh, anal retentive about, about
12:14a lot of stuff. And, um, you know, I've, I've, I've definitely, uh, like I'm, I'm happy that they look
12:22out for fighters, but yeah.
12:23And those, uh, those, those two fights during that time when I fought Tiago, I fought Tiago and then I
12:29fought, um, uh, Dustin. Right. So it was in, in Brooklyn. So it was like two fights in New York,
12:37right at one after another. Um, I had like three issues with the commission from, from the fight night with,
12:47with Tiago to then like a followup.
12:50Like they, they wanted me to go see a neurologist and get like a, uh, uh, like a Doppler or
12:56something on my carotid, but they didn't tell me until like a week prior to the fight. So then I'm
13:01like running around trying to get all this stuff done.
13:04And, uh, and then when I fought Dustin, like after that fight, went to the hospital again. And, uh, and
13:12then it was like, I'm fighting, uh, uh, Pettis, you know, a few months later. And then it's like, all
13:18of a sudden, New York's like, Hey, we didn't clear him to fight. And I'm like, from what I went
13:22to the hospital and I got cleared that night. And, you know, they were, they were, uh, uh, like they,
13:29they thought I broke my leg or something. And like, uh, yeah, it was a, it was a weird, weird
13:34thing, but they, they've seemed to have calmed down. Right. When I fought Jackson, um, you know, uh, two years
13:40ago, uh, everything, everything was smooth. So much, much more ironed out. It's all hat now for them.
13:48Yeah. Yeah. I think they're a little bit more comfortable with, uh, with everything going on.
13:52And the funny thing is too, they don't do a lot of smaller shows either. It's because of the, the
13:57insurance policy they have to take on all the fighters. They only end up with essentially when you guys come
14:01to town, occasionally PFL. And then there's also another regional show. I believe that they do as well, but it's
14:06not too many of these that they get a lot of reps in. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, obviously you've
14:12got Terrence McKinney lined up, like we said at the top, uh, win or lose.
14:16It never goes long with him. He hasn't fought past, I think midway through the second round in eight years.
14:22Uh, and only that one time. So the last eight fights of his didn't even get out of the first
14:26round. I feel like for someone like you, that you got to appreciate that because you're not really looking to,
14:31to fight guys who are trying to get to that distance. Right. You guys, you're trying to like, get it
14:36to finish. Right. So does this kind of like, when you get a fight like this with somebody like him
14:41and his track record, does that kind of like excite you a little bit more?
14:45Absolutely. You know, um, he's an, he's an aggressive, exciting fighter. Um, and you know, he, uh, yeah, he, he,
14:53he goes in and it's, it's gas pedal down all the way. And, and, um, I, I like that. I
15:00try to do the same thing. Um, and I also thrive in those fights. So, um,
15:05um, yeah, for me, it's like, this is, it's, it's, it's dangerous, right? He's, he's younger. He, he's, he's quick.
15:13Uh, he's a good scrambler. Um, you know, I'm, I'm not the type to, to, to point fight and, and
15:19try to, you know, bring it to the judges. So like, I'm, I'm in there looking for the finish as
15:24well. Um, so yeah, like this is a, this is a great fight. It's going to be exciting. It's going
15:29to be high paced. And,
15:32um, yeah, I'm, I'm, uh, I'm excited for it. Cause I, I know that he's going to, he's going to
15:37come to the center of the octagon and, and, uh, uh, and, and fight me.
15:41And you end up, you know, you don't always go the distance and you get a lot of early finishes,
15:46but even when the fights do go the distance, whether you win or lose, you win the first round a
15:50lot of the time too. So that's got to embolden you to just knowing, okay, the majority of where I
15:55fight frequently at my best is in those first five minutes.
15:59Yeah. Yeah, definitely. You know, so, um, like I said, it's, uh, uh, the, the fact that he's willing to
16:06come in there and, and, and, and fight hard and go and be aggressive. Um, you know, that's, uh, that,
16:12that the more aggressive you are, the more open you are. And, and, um, you know, it's a, it's a
16:17very, very fine line that we, uh, that we ride, you know, when you, when you fight that way. Um,
16:26you know, and it's like you two guys that,
16:28you know, live by the sword, die by the sword kind of thing. Right. So, um, yeah, it's like, uh,
16:33I, I, I feel like it's a good matchup for me. I feel like it's a good stylistic matchup for
16:39me. Um, and I, and, but I do understand that he is dangerous and, and, um, you know, he, he
16:45poses,
16:46he poses some definite risks there, um, you know, in, in the early parts of that fight. So it's, it's
16:52about being, you know, uh, uh, quick and athletic and, and explosive in, in those first few minutes. And, um,
16:59if it needs to go longer than kind of being able to like, okay, like as, as long as I
17:05can go, like, I I've, I've got a very good chance. Then the longer the fight goes on.
17:10Sure. Sure. And, and, and you've, you've got more experience, frankly, in those distance, uh, I don't want to say
17:15deeper waters after five minutes, it's not really deep waters, but you know, once the fight gets on a little
17:20bit more, you've certainly been there a lot more often. That's got to help as well.
17:23Yeah, definitely.
17:25Now, obviously, you know, we just talked about the fact that he is always getting these, you know, fights that
17:30end early. Why do you think that is? Is it really just like his mentality, his approach? Like you've, you've,
17:36you've probably assumably watched his fights.
17:38Like, is there something about his style that you think just absolutely makes him geared toward that in a way
17:43that, cause it's rare. I mean, we, we see guys who are finishers, but they're not like this.
17:48Yeah. Yeah. You know, I, I think it is just that, uh, he, when he steps in there, there's that,
17:55that choice. It might, it might be a conscious decision and it might not be right. Like it might just
18:00be like, Hey, I'm in a fight. Like I need to go, I need to finish. And like I said,
18:04the more aggressive you are, the more open you are.
18:07So, uh, you know, he's, he's not, he's not going in and like when he loses, uh, just trying to
18:16like disengage and, and, and, um, you know, uh, uh, make it to the second round, right?
18:22Like he's, he's actively trying to put guys away and he's getting countered and he's getting hit in those, is
18:28those instances. And, and, and, and that's when the end is, is coming.
18:32So it's like, um, you know, when you, when you fight that way, when you fight as aggressive as he
18:38does, it, it, it does leave you more susceptible, uh, to, to being put into bad spots.
18:44Now, obviously we've, we talk about the numbers whenever it comes down to your fights there, they come up. You've,
18:49you've given us a few that you're shooting for because you have fought in the UFC so long.
18:53You have all these records that we spoke about before. Um, your stated goal is 50 UFC fights at this
18:58point. This is number 48. Uh, you're also at 28 victories right now, which is another UFC record.
19:03How important might it be for you to get to 30 or 31, uh, along the way as well? Obviously
19:08you're looking to win every time, but like, does the number 30 sound kind of cool too?
19:14Absolutely. Yeah. You know, and, and the goal is to, to win these last three, you know, and, and, uh,
19:20yeah, like, um, it's, uh, it's, it's been a, it has been a long road, right?
19:25You know, so it's like, uh, I'm, there's definitely parts of me that are ready to move on. And I've
19:31been saying that for a long time.
19:32Um, but like, I'm still addicted to the game. I'm still addicted to the lifestyle. And, um, you know, uh,
19:40uh, it's, uh, it's still, it's still fun.
19:44You know, it's still fun to, to be a fighter and to, to get into camp and to, and to
19:49spend time with my training partners.
19:51And, um, you know, it's, um, it's, it is, it's a, it's a wild thing. I, I'm not like, I'm
19:59not hung up on like the numbers and the stats, right?
20:01Like, this isn't a sport of stats, right? You know, like, I mean, when I was a kid, I had
20:06friends that would go to baseball games, you know, like, uh, major league baseball and they, and they bring the,
20:10they bring their own book.
20:11And they're like, they're writing down balls and strikes and errors and this and that. And it's like, nobody in,
20:16nobody in the stands at a UFC is worried about statistics.
20:19It's a sport of moments, right? If it was a sport of statistics, I, I definitely be compared to, you
20:27know, the, uh, Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn and, and, uh, you know, and, and some of these other
20:34guys and, and, uh, you know, it's like, but I'm still competing.
20:38And like, I, I, I'm just, I'm just enjoying the run. And, um, yeah, like, uh, there, there are a
20:45couple of guys that, that are stacking together some fights.
20:48There are a couple of guys that, that, that are around as old as I am, but nobody's, nobody's finishing
20:53guys like I do, you know?
20:54And, and, um, it's kind of funny. Yeah. I, I got called, uh, on Instagram today, I got called, uh,
21:02somebody's like, man, you look old and weathered.
21:04And it's like, thanks. Thank you. Like I am, I, I, I am. And in a sport that chews up
21:12and spits out young athletes to be able to be in the octagon and fight in the UFC for 18
21:18years and be in this sport for 21 at this point, like it's, it's,
21:24rare air. It's, it's not, it's not, it's not the typical, the tip, the typical good guy, right? Good athlete,
21:33tough, resilient. It's like seven ish years.
21:37Maybe they got in them like, and then it's like sharp decline, you know, like my first 10 years in
21:45this sport, 30 fights, I was 24 and six, five of those guys either held or fought for the world
21:53title.
21:54Like there was one fight outside that, that I lost. And there were some wild circumstances that, that led to
22:03that one, you know, against, against Pat Healy.
22:05And it's like, go back and watch, I beat the brakes off of him in the first round. And then
22:11I completely gassed out spending five hours in the emergency room.
22:16Two days have had, had something to do with that, you know?
22:18Like, and, and, and then, and then my body gave out to the point where I'm like,
22:28I'm getting stared at by everybody.
22:30Like, uh, like, yeah, it was, uh, a wild, wild set of circumstances, you know? So, um, and completely out
22:38of my, my control.
22:40Um, but it's like, I was right there for 10 years. I was right there, you know? And, uh, and
22:48then it's also like a tick bite, you know, a tick borne illness was at that time starting to, starting
22:56to really have an impact on me.
22:57And, um, you know, the only reason that I'm here is because of what, what I've been capable of.
23:03And like, man, it's, uh, uh, like even, even those other five fights, man, there, there's, there's some stupid stuff,
23:12you know, like I expected to win every single one of them.
23:16I didn't expect, you know, my coach to desert me and, and close the gym down three weeks prior to
23:22fighting Frankie.
23:22I didn't expect a wrestler in gray manor to break my nose in the first 30 seconds of the fight
23:28and then have to try to continue to fight him like that.
23:32Like I've, I've broken a couple of guys' noses and the fight ends very quickly after that, you know?
23:38And I lasted another 14 and a half minutes.
23:40I didn't expect to be, you know, dealing with mono and a kidney infection against Benson.
23:45I didn't expect to have a freak injury happen against Nate.
23:48I didn't, you know, like I was super banged up against Donald.
23:53Like there's, there's so many things that I've dealt with along the way.
23:57And like, yeah, we were, man, we were right there.
24:00We were right there.
24:02Um, and if I wasn't capable of that fighting at that level, then dealing with the things that I've had
24:09to deal with, I still wouldn't, you know, I wouldn't be here today.
24:12I wouldn't be able to be competing and coming off of yet another, you know, finish.
24:18Um, so yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's been, it's been a wild ride and, uh, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm excited
24:27for it to, I'm excited for it to, to, to, to continue these last couple.
24:33And I'm excited for it to end because I'm ready, like I'm ready to move on, um, and, and really
24:39dive into some other stuff, um, and, and put the focus that I put into this sport into something else.
24:45So, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's, it's an honor to be able to be old and, and weathered, you
24:53know, and, you know, if you shave the beard, I bet you wouldn't look quite so well that I'm sure
24:57there's a baby face under there a little bit.
24:58Oh, there's a lot of scars now.
25:01Fair enough.
25:03It's, uh, yeah, it's, uh, you know, but it's like, it, it, it, you would think that's like, oh, you
25:10know, it's like somebody being, just being a douche, right?
25:14Like, like, but I was like, man, like somebody noticed, like, cause it's like, yeah, man, uh, I'm glad that
25:23like noticing that it's like, dude, like, uh, this is not, it's not normal.
25:28It's not normal to, to, to be in this sport and in this promotion for this long of a time.
25:34It's, it's not.
25:36Sure.
25:36Sure.
25:37And look, you know, we were talking about numbers before.
25:39I know they're not that big a deal, but also at the same time, if you do get these last
25:43three fights, that's a four fight win streak.
25:46That's your, that'd be your longest in 15 years, Jim.
25:48I mean, that's right when you were in that title picture we were talking about, right?
25:51Uh, is that, is that the perfect way to go out or does it make you just a little hungrier
25:56to see how far it goes?
25:59Um, yeah, no, that, that's the, that's the perfect way to go out.
26:02Right.
26:03You know, um, so, um, I know that, uh, you know, there was like, it was, it was brought up
26:13that I, that I got a new contract and that is, that's, it's not the case.
26:18Um, so like, I forget what Dana brought that up.
26:22What was, what's the deal there?
26:23He did.
26:24Yeah.
26:24Well, I, I, I, I think that he just heard that Sean said something and, and then it just never,
26:31it never came to fruition.
26:32Right.
26:33So, um, in order to get to 50, I will need to sign a new contract.
26:38Um, I don't want it to go any further than 50.
26:42Um, I, I want it to be like, I'm, I'm good with 50 UFC fights and, and, and being done
26:50with the sport of MMA.
26:51You know, um, I wouldn't mind maybe getting into a boxing match or two.
26:57Um, I, I think that's a, it's a, it's a fun puzzle.
27:00Um, but, uh, yeah, like let's, let's get these last three.
27:07Um, you know, I kind of want to get them done before I turned 44, which is in, in, in
27:14August.
27:14So, uh, we'll see.
27:16Um, we'll see if I'm able to do that and, and to stay, stay healthy enough.
27:20But, um, yeah, I, I want to get these last couple and, and I want to, and I, I want
27:26to be able to sail off into the sunset, you know?
27:28And, and, uh, and then, and then maybe, then maybe if there's enough, there's enough, like a little bit of
27:36echoing in my ear.
27:38Oh, UFC 400 is coming up when I'm 47 years old.
27:42Maybe, maybe we'll do a one-off, right?
27:44Well, just give me, give me one fight.
27:46We'll see.
27:47We'll see if I can still walk.
27:48I, I was told once by a James Miller that fighting at UFC 400 would be obnoxious.
27:53Is this, is this no longer accurate?
27:56Oh, no, it'd still be obnoxious.
27:58It'd be absolutely ridiculous, right?
28:00Like, uh, yeah, it's, uh, I don't know, but yeah, no, let's, let's, let's get through, let's get through the
28:0914th.
28:11And then, you know, at this point, I, I am, I am playing it by ear, you know, like I,
28:16um, I, I don't want to, I don't want to be so banged up that I show up and, and,
28:22and can't perform and can't fight like that, the way that I have, you know, for a vast majority of,
28:30of these 47 fights that I've had.
28:32Right.
28:33Um, sure.
28:34There have been, uh, you know, uh, uh, a handful of fights where I was, I was not there.
28:42Right.
28:42Physically, I was just not there.
28:44Um, and I, and I don't want to talk about that before too.
28:46Yeah.
28:47Yeah.
28:48So, um, yeah.
28:50So let's, let's, uh, let's get through, uh, uh, this fight and, you know, in just about two weeks and,
28:56and, uh, and then we'll figure it out from there.
28:59Sure.
29:00And then, and lastly, I want to just close out, um, you know, obviously everybody learned, uh, about the story
29:05about your son, Wyatt, his battle with cancer, which he beat, uh, blessedly.
29:09Can you kind of give an update about kind of how everything's going with your family and with your boy
29:12and all that?
29:13Uh, and you know, did he enjoy kind of soaking up maybe a little bit of dad spotlight that you
29:18pointed his way back in May?
29:20Um, yeah, you know, uh, he's a, he's a special kid.
29:23He really is.
29:24And, and, you know, we, we, uh, we call him the mayor cause he, he's, since he was a little,
29:27little guy, he could, he could, he, he could, uh, talk to anybody.
29:33Right.
29:33And, and, and that's, that's the way he is, you know, so like the just down at the, down at
29:40the hospital, uh, uh, you know, knew all the nurses and, and, you know, uh, everybody's best buddy and help
29:47helping them out and all that stuff.
29:49And, um, you know, uh, I do have a story about him that makes me look kind of a little
29:54bit, not bad, but I had, I had his best at heart.
29:58Right.
29:59So like, he's a very, like, uh, like he gets, he's like engineering kits, you know, every, every, every month
30:05or so.
30:05I saw that in your house.
30:07Yeah.
30:08Yeah.
30:08Just his little projects that he does.
30:09Um, and he's, he's a, he's a, he's a pain in my butt because he's like, uh, uh, likes to
30:14tinker and all that stuff.
30:15Right.
30:16So, so like my tools, he just constantly, and he's not good at putting stuff back, but, uh, he got
30:23this one and it was like a balloon pump.
30:24And this is like, this is prior to, you know, last year's stuff.
30:28So he's in seventh grade and the school that he goes to is a seventh through 12th.
30:32And he gets this little pump and, and, uh, you know, it's got some of the, like the balloon animal
30:37balloons.
30:37And he's like, Oh, I want to get some balloons so I can like tie balloon animals and sell them
30:41in the cafeteria.
30:42And I was like, buddy, you can't, you can't be the balloon guy.
30:47You're like, you're, you're 13 years old in a school with 18 year olds.
30:52Like you can't be the balloon kid.
30:54And he's just, he's such a sweetheart.
30:55Like he doesn't really like understand where, where I'm good.
30:59I'm like, dude, you're going to get bullied, like fucking crazy.
31:02Like you can't, you can't do it.
31:04Trust me.
31:05You know?
31:05And like, he kind of, he like, he, he, he pushes back and I'm like, I'm like, dude, I had
31:10to be stern with him.
31:11I'm like, you can't, you're not a clown.
31:13Like, stop it.
31:14Like you take this, you, you fine.
31:16You, you learn how to do it.
31:17You impress some girl someday.
31:19Right.
31:20Whatever.
31:22Well, like a year later, right.
31:24When, when he's going through his chemotherapy, uh, he brings his balloon pump to the oncology department, uh, at, uh,
31:34at Morristown hospital, Gorya Children's hospital.
31:37And, uh, this is like a second overnight with, with, uh, with chemo and, and he starts tying balloon animals
31:43for all the nurses and all the little kids in there.
31:47And it's like, like, yeah, I didn't want to be like, yeah, this is the time.
31:54This is the time to pull that one out of your back pocket.
31:56Right.
31:57You know, but it's like, I'm the one who kind of like shut down this, this thing.
32:02Like, Hey, don't, you know, don't, don't be the balloon animal guy.
32:05And it's like, yeah, now you're, now you're doing it for the right reasons.
32:08You put a smile on these kids faces and all this stuff.
32:11And, um, but yeah, it was like, since I kind of gave him a little bit of guff about it,
32:16you know, uh, I, I, with, and I still stand by my, my, my, you know, my stance was correct.
32:23Right.
32:24Like, like you can't, you can't do that in high school.
32:26Um, but like, yeah, no, he's, uh, he's, he's amazing.
32:30And, and, uh, yeah, like you said, he's, um, there's no evidence of disease and he's had a few scans
32:36now.
32:36And, um, you know, we just, we just passed a year, uh, of, of dealing with it and, um, you
32:43know, everything looks good and everybody's doing great.
32:45And, um, yeah, it's, uh, uh, you know, it was, uh, it was a super, super difficult.
32:54Thing and, and, um, the hard time, especially like those moments where we didn't know what was going on when
33:01you're, when you're waiting for the results of, of scans and, and, and waiting for the results from the oncology,
33:07you know?
33:08Um, but, um, yeah, we were able to, we were able to get through it and, and fortunately, yeah, like
33:16living this lifestyle and, and, and, and being a professional fighter.
33:20And, um, it, it helped me be able to be there and, and, and do more and, and, uh, uh,
33:28we try to keep it as, as normal as possible throughout the whole thing.
33:32So, um, you know, my wife's amazing and, uh, you know, my, my, my kids are amazing.
33:38All, all four of them or the other three, they, they supported the heck out of them.
33:42Um, you know, and, and we got so much support from, from the MMA community and, and, uh, yeah, it
33:49was, uh, you know, that night, that night was the, the, the roar of the crowd.
33:56When I mentioned that, you know, he had gone through it and was doing great, um, you know, a buddy
34:03of mine, I was sitting up with him, had taken, was taking a video during the time and he sent
34:07it to me.
34:07And, um, you know, I was like, I was watching the next day and I'm, I'm, I'm tearing up and,
34:13you know, it was, it was amazing.
34:14So, um, yeah, you know, like, uh, we, we all go through stuff and the, the, the best thing to
34:20do is just keep, keep on that game plan, keep, keep stepping forward.
34:24And, and, uh, and fight your way through it.