Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Without having gone the extra mile, I wouldn't have got hashtag and then I wouldn't have got taken out and then I wouldn't have got title sports network.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: What's the most chaotic or memorable moment you've witnessed?
[00:00:08] Speaker A: It was the best atmosphere I've ever been to.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: One piece of advice you'd give to someone trying to break into the sports.
[00:00:13] Speaker A: Media, everything is about persistence. They're some of the nicest people you will meet and it's one of the reasons I joined this industry. I zoned out and I thought, like, am I watching this on YouTube or something? Like. And I just snapped back and I was like, I'm actually here now.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: Who surprised you the most with what they're like outside of the ring or cage? I'll say hello and welcome to the Against Defense podcast. It's a bit of a different one today, as you guys can probably tell. Yes, we've changed scene. We're scoping out. We've hit the roads. And we're joined today by Jolie.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: How are we doing?
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Very good. Can I just say to start this off, like, where are we? This is a nice bougie little place. Come upstairs in the lift, central London Strand, and, yeah, was treated to some drinks beforehand and, yeah, this is an odd spot, but it's like a small, compact room. It's suitable for a podcast. Happy to be here.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Yeah, good, thank you. I thought. Yeah, so this is all from Silas. Silas has arranged all of this. He's a bit. He's a bit bougie himself. So when we came here initially, I was like, this is. This is Silas? Yeah, 100%. This is Silas.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: I'm liking it.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: You've just got back from Paris, right? Yeah, the weekend.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:19] Speaker B: How was it?
[00:01:20] Speaker A: UFC Paris? Yeah, it was my second UFC show, but I've been covering it for a while. But, like, we're in now.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: So it's like I'm kind of past the stage of just starting off, getting the nerves out the way, and now it's like really asking the questions. The first ones to do so, like, getting the paddy pimlet fight, married with Muay Carnival, those sorts of things. Being in the fight hotel, seeing Maraba, spent a bit of time with him, bisping was there, speaking to all the guys, just really getting to know what it's like to be at UC five weeks, because I've done boxing for like four years now.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: And I've always. This has been my end goal. Mma, mma, mma. So now I'm finally in as you'd say. And I'm happy about it. So Paris itself was good? Yeah, the crowd was great. And UFC is on a roll at the moment. We've got some big shows coming up, too.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: So for you, for those guys that don't know as well, I'm pretty sure you are the guy that is responsible for the extra bonus. 304, yeah. Is that right?
[00:02:10] Speaker A: Yes. So I was just asking a question because it was such a big show. I worked for the english MMA association, so, like, the Olympic team, and essentially it's not in the Olympics, but of MMA, like the national amateur team. And I was just reflecting on how big moment this is. For amateur? No, for UK MMA. Just looking at, like, how much it's grown at amateur level. I can see how much it's grown at professional level as well. And I was like, let me just ask a question about, like, the UK MMA scene and how big this card is in comparison to others. And it turned out that Bobby Green liked the question. He was like, can we get 100 grand bonus for how big this show is? And then Leon liked it, Tom liked it, everyone liked it. And Dana said, yes, what a moment.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: And the other thing I've got to point out as well is you're quite young, aren't you?
[00:02:54] Speaker A: 23.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: 23. And you're already out there doing what a lot of guys that watch this would wish to do and what we would love to do at ATF as well. So it's really, really impressive. I want to take it back. And it sounds weird saying I want to take it back because we don't have to go that far back. But I was looking at where you first started in terms of career path, and you started off, was it West Africa sports?
[00:03:16] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: Yeah. So what was that about?
[00:03:19] Speaker A: So that's my uncle's. My half of my family are from Sierra Leone.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Okay?
[00:03:23] Speaker A: They're born in the UK. My grandma's from Sierra Leone, but then other half are from England, Birmingham, West Bromwich way. So my uncle was just like, I was. I saw an advert for UCFB, which is the uni I went to, and it was so. It was so, like, inspiring seeing, like, I could study at Wembley. Stone was like, what? And to be honest with you, first of all, my dad, quickly off topic, to make it make sense, didn't want me to do this course because it's so hard to get into this industry. And he was like, I'm not sure about this. Anyway, we got a tour in Wembley Stadium for the, like, the open day, and it was, oh, welcome. Yeah.
And I showed him I wanted to go to uni and then he must have been speaking to my uncle about it. And then he said, you can come on platform and talk about journalism, etc. Because he just does like a betting company called West Africa Sports.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: And he was like, we're going to open up some kind of like, sports field and you can just write, practice and learn. And that's what I did.
[00:04:18] Speaker B: Wow. Okay. That was. I wasn't expecting that. And then one thing I found really interesting as well is after that, you then went to work for Hashtag United, right?
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: So for the guys in the UK who obviously into a bit of football as well, you've got to have seen hashtag United.
[00:04:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: But that was slightly different, am I right thinking you were doing a bit more of the media stuff behind the scenes?
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Yeah. So it was through uni, but also because I started the second or before I went to uni, I had the west african war, so I was doing something already such a competitive industry. So I thought, let me, before I go to uni, try and be ahead of the people who were probably going to be ahead of me at the time. And it turned out I was actually like, I was ahead in some ways because I had something that I was already doing as opposed to looking as I got to uni. So I had West Africa sports and then one of my friends, Sean Donnelly, solid guy on the same course as me, work for hashtag. And we just, we were friends on the course. He knew I was doing my own thing, so he knew I wasn't like one of these guys who just came to, you need to have fun or it, like, I showed that I wanted to work hard, wanted to. And we spoke about the job and I actually was meant to. This is funny story. I was meant to start filming beta squad because they had a team for like two weeks or something. So I filmed one game with them and then he just brought me on to hashtag. Yeah, it's great.
[00:05:29] Speaker B: I just find it so interesting and very, very impressive. So kudos.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:05:34] Speaker B: You've gone from, you know, in a very short amount of time. I think it was when I was looking, it was like 2019, we were in 2024 and you're already there with like, Kaz on Tyler Sports Network.
[00:05:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:43] Speaker B: Well, it'd be interesting to understand as well, like how, what's the biggest difference for you in that kind of journey from being with West Africa, hashtag, to what you're doing now?
[00:05:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I think without doing the cringe one it is becoming a man because, like, when you go into 18, which is when I did the West Africa or 17 West Africa and then 18, I think, hashtag and then so on, it's like, you're just a kid. And as much as I was, like, dedicated, like, I remember on the first night of uni, I left the party and I started writing an article, like, mid party. It wasn't a great uni, but I was like. I just. I was so, like, worried that the competition was just gonna beat me. I had to go back, wrote an article. It was about the irish guy. What's his name? Conor Gallagher. I think his name is the Bellator fire. Okay, I might have butchered that, but, yeah, I did an article on him, and then. What was the question? Sorry, I was just. Oh, so how did I get. Yeah, but you just learn and become a man off the things that you've learned through combat sports. So, basically, long story short, you don't get paid a lot in the early days. And I did a hashtag, and it was okay. But then when you leave uni, you need, like, an income. And then it's like you want to actually start thinking about, I don't know if you want to have a girlfriend or a house in London. These things are not cheap. And then your job that starts off for a decent little wage for a university student has to become full time, like that, like, overnight. And that's when you start thinking, okay, I need to do a lot more. I need to, like, brand myself maybe a bit more professional or these days, it's kind of more personality based with the, likes of, like, sky sports have, like, specs and stuff on now, but just becoming a man, realizing that if you really want to do this, it has to be a.
Well, you're competing constantly.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: Yeah. It's like a lifestyle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, completely stuff. Yeah, yeah, I get that. What do you think then? Because it has been such a short amount of time, what do you think has been, like, the big difference between you and other people? What has made you stand out more than other people to get you to OCD?
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Like, just every time I go to sleep or whatever I'm doing that's not work related, my mind's just ticking. Like, I should be doing this right now. Like, it's not healthy a lot of the time, but it's good for me. Like, without it, I wouldn't care about going the extra mile. And without having gone the extra mile, I wouldn't have got hashtag, and then I wouldn't have got seconds out, and then I wouldn't have got title sports network. So it plays on your mind in a good way. It's not a negative. I take that as a positive. It's like a superpower for me.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Superhero Jolie.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: The energy about sports events can be quite electric, and it's. The unexpected moments move more into kind of what you've experienced now.
[00:08:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:15] Speaker B: That can leave a lasting impression.
[00:08:17] Speaker A: Mm hmm.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: Whether it's a shocking knockout or something chaotic happens. What's the most chaotic or memorable moment you've witnessed? That was.
What's the most chaotic or memorable moment you've witnessed from that front row seat?
Easy. Okay. Yeah.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Easy. It's the July 27, I think, card just after Covid. We spoke about this a little bit before. Yeah, yeah. That USC fight night, aspinall Volkov. I've never seen anything like it. The Molly knockout, the paddy stoppage, Tom knockout, tepore versus Jai. Herbert was on that card as well, which, obviously I was rooting for. Jai at the time came out to the world. That was the same week as hand sanitizer. Boy, Paddy got it on. It was the best atmosphere I've ever been to in any sporting event ever. Like, it was. It was crazy. And I've done boxing for, like, four years. It trumped that instantly. It was. It was an all time classic. I'll be talking about this fight night for, like, so long. Yeah.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: And it's weird, because soon we've got. Coming up, we've got Holloway versus toporia. And to think that if Jai had jumped on that head kick and finished the poirier rather than standing up, where would they both be now?
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: Such a, like, maybe in, like, a parallel universe, jazzing out, like, champ or something.
[00:09:32] Speaker A: You know?
[00:09:33] Speaker B: You never know, do you? Yeah, we should do that.
We often. We see athletes in kind of their most intense moments, but their off camera personalities, and we touched on this slightly earlier when you were talking about kind of the misfit setups can also be just as fascinating. What. Who surprised you the most with what they're like outside of the ring or cage?
[00:09:54] Speaker A: I asked you to ask me all the questions on the spot so I could just bounce off it. I would think. So. Who surprised me in terms of off camera, how good they were? Okay, I'll say. Connor. Ben.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: Obviously, he's had his thing over the last, like, couple of years, and he hasn't fought a. He's been fighting, but his career hasn't gone the way he's wanted it to.
But before all of that kicked off. Like, there was. There was a couple moments we had, which was, like, stuck with me because I looked. He was one of the guys I looked up to. That's in boxing.
[00:10:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: And then in MMA. Paddy's like, you'd expect him to be.
I like Fabian Edwards. He's really nice. I've spent a little bit of time, not too much with Leon, really, but Fabian's cool. I like Fabian Edwards, and he's, like, so normal. They're completely different on camera to what they're, like, off camera as well.
[00:10:45] Speaker B: That's gonna be my next question, is, do you get that lot where, like, they turn up and they're very, like, kind of within themselves, quiet, and then you hit record, and then suddenly they become, like, this different personality?
[00:10:55] Speaker A: Yes, but I guess everyone's like that in a sense, because when the cameras rolling, you've got to impress, like, people are gonna turn off if you're gonna be boring. So you kind of have to be a bit more energetic. Having said that, there is sometimes a. A big switch that you're like, well, I wasn't expecting for good one.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: Forget now. Everyone's kind of got their unique styles. Like, my. My one for this is, like, with the way we were setting this up was to be interview style.
[00:11:17] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:17] Speaker B: A lot of people, I think, in the MMA scene, in terms of podcast conversational talk.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: Coming up. I noticed that recently that your style was quite. I really like it because you spent a bit of time, and the one thing that stuck out to me was your intros. Can you talk me over a little bit, like, how you prepped that and then how you feel like, before you actually deliver it to the person in person.
[00:11:37] Speaker A: Start as you mean to go on. That's what I put as my caption the other day on Instagram. But it's so important because you could meet someone, and then literally 30 seconds later, you're speaking about. It could just be their fight week, but it could just be, like, anything you really want to speak about in that ten minutes, five minutes, whatever it is you can. And to get something that all these other interviews haven't had, you've got to take your time. You've got to find out who they really are. And to do that, you've got to get them in the right mood. So it's all about how you start. So, if you start showing that you care, that you've done your research, that you're interested in what they have to say, it's all about the energies in the room. So that's why I feel like it's.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: So important, because, yeah. The one that stood out for me was the David hey one.
[00:12:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: And he, like, really gave a good smile, said to you like, that was. He said, that's the best intro I've ever had or something similar to that.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Nice intro. Yeah, something along those lines.
[00:12:31] Speaker B: How does that feel for you when you put the work in to then receive that?
[00:12:34] Speaker A: It was crazy because I remember that interview. I got the call, I think, the day before. It wasn't like it was kind of a late. Okay, notice last minute one. I thought, this is cool, but I was taking in my stride. I'd been doing it a couple of years at this point, but it felt like a big interview.
Yeah, I was just there, and now all of a sudden I'm just interviewing him. But I thought, yeah, get off to a good start because this is a big name, this is a big interview, and, and they always give you good energy back when you, when you show you want to be there, but also, you know what you're talking about. Like, they do a lot of these, so you have to be different. And I try doing that when you.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: When you're doing the post media stuff. So obviously the guys have had their fight. They've all battered, bruised tires.
How do you then? Because it's something that fascinates me. It's like we see it when we're kind of around it in the week, in the build up that you can tell towards the weight cut, they start to get tired of the media side of it. And I completely understand once they've had that fight, they've spent all their energy, and then they come and sit down.
Do you notice a difference? Are they, like, happy? I mean, if they win or lose, obviously there's going to be a bit of a difference, but terms are like trying to get them open up again. Do you have a struggle? And if you do, like, what do you do after?
[00:13:39] Speaker A: The fight's probably the easiest time to interview a fighter because 90% of the time they've just won. They've just been training for eight weeks straight, and they can let loose after these interviews, they're going to the club or they're going to get some food or they're going to see their daughter, son, they haven't seen in six weeks. That's probably the easiest time.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: When we ever, whenever Paddy has his fights, we always see him sitting there with, like a pizza or something.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: Yeah, we saw them on fight in day after the wanes, and they were eating very anymore. So they're just normal people at the end of the day. But that have you have their mood swings and you learn when, when to get the interviews, but also, yeah, afterwards. I'd say the best time to get a fighter is in the gym, though, because they're like, there's no media, there's no competition. They haven't just fought, like the best because they're more. They're just in their own bag. Like they're probably, I don't know, go home, cook some dinner. They're just chilled. Whereas fight week, you've asked the same questions, answered the same question like 16 times. That's why I'm always saying, like, trying to be different with the questions I'm asking as well.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: So, yeah, touching a bit more on where you are now. Title sports network. It's become a significant player in, like, the social media scene. I've started to see it everywhere. Obviously, we met you, you guys at 200 and 8304, wasn't it? In Manchester?
And obviously you've been quite a big part of that journey into transcending to what it is now. What's been the most rewarding part of being involved in the network's evolution and where do you see it heading?
[00:15:07] Speaker A: The most rewarding part for me personally is just being in MMA. Like, being around the fight as the people that I've looked to since I think it was June 4, 2016. That's what I call my national MMA day or personal MMA day because that's a bisping versus Rockhold two. That's when I fell in love with MMA 199, UFC 199. And yeah, being in and around it finally is why I'm so thankful to title sports network. So exciting things to come, for sure.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah, it is an interesting dynamic. And then obviously one thing I would find weird, obviously you work with Kaz. Massive social media following.
[00:15:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: What was that like? And speak to me a bit about before, when you were approached to join or you applied to join for title sports network, and then they say that you've got this massive personality.
[00:15:55] Speaker A: Well, it was through her. So we're friends. It's really weird. She met my friend traveling in Mexico and he just told Kaz. She's like, amazing bubbly. Like, we're very both. We just say we're both undiagnosed with ADHD, so we get on because of that. But she met my friend in Mexico and he was just telling her that I'm into MMA and I do like, all the media stuff.
[00:16:14] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: And I. And then she was telling him that she's trying to get into MMA. So I went to a PFL media day and asked a question at the press conference, and she heard my brummy accent and then came over to me after, like, are you Elliot's friend? And then we just got like, she's just lovely girl. So we just got speaking, and then we're close friends now and we work together well, so just went from there. Really?
[00:16:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
Combat sports, as we know, can be quite intense and full on and covering it, I guess, can be even more intense because you've got your go stop, go stop, go stop. How do you. How do you usually on mind? So, like, obviously you've just been at Paris. You were. Before that, you were at Dufar. Yeah.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Joshua. Joshua.
[00:16:53] Speaker B: A very short amount of time here, there, and everywhere.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: It's difficult. It's probably the hardest part, like, trying to live, like, a normal life when you can't. Like, for example, going to the gym or trying to put on weight or something. You have a diet plan, and then you're away for six days and have four takeaways. Do you know what I mean? Like, you can't do a lot other than this job. Like, yeah, you work on weekends. The only days off you might have is Monday and Tuesday. There's always something going on on a Wednesday, whether it's a open workout or a launch presser. Maybe even a Tuesday as well. So, yeah, Monday, Tuesday, you kind of have off. But then, like I say, with my OCD brain, like, I'm always just like, what can I do next?
[00:17:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I find that fascinating.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Why? But, yeah, the media landscapes changed so much and, say, the last decade, and I think the UFC, particularly as a brand, has really kind of surfed that wave and really ridden with it. I agree with that, especially with, like, the social media side of it. And obviously they've got fighters branching in to do podcasting and shows and stuff like that. What's for someone that's now riding that wave? What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone trying to break into the sports media world today?
[00:18:04] Speaker A: Trying to break into the sports media world? I'd probably say, like, persistence.
[00:18:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: Because that's what I did, and I don't think that would ever expire. I could say something that's more geared towards to today's society, like TikTok and social media, and grow your platform. That's pretty obvious. But persistence with whatever you do, whether that's with your network, with cold calls, cold emails, whatever it is keep messaging them, keep posting. Everything is about persistence. And then you, one day you're going to annoy someone so much that they like, actually I need him tomorrow for something. And it's like, might not be the exact thing that you wanted to do, but that's your foot in the door and then they know you and then, oh, actually this guy is alright because I've met him now, persistence, have you.
[00:18:51] Speaker B: Got an example of that? Like when you've like badgered some me?
[00:18:54] Speaker A: Yeah, that's technically. So I was at hashtag and Louis Beneventi shout out him. I just kept begging him. I was calling him. I must have called him like four or five times. He had a football squad call Imperial Wolf and he in the end had the link to seconds out. And we are Tottenham TV, which I did like the Tottenham fan channel as well. And I didn't know that though. I was just interested in a media for a football club on YouTube, like when I was 18, that was like the coolest thing ever. I've gone from just doing something at college that I didn't even know what I'd go into. And then I was like, wow, I can learn. Maybe even get. It wouldn't have been for any money at the time what I was asking him to do, but I just begged him. And then he called me on a random day, like, can you come and help me? And I was like, yeah, yeah. Like literally straight away. And then we met up, like, I think we was literally meeting up like three times a week after that because he turned out I needed someone. But if I only called him once or twice, then he probably would have forgot about it. But I must have called him like, yeah, a lot more than that.
[00:19:54] Speaker B: And then personally, just for yourself, going to kind of looking into like, kind of next steps for you, what would you.
I used to have this cheesy question of, like, what's your next five year plan? But let's, let's look a bit more beyond that. Like, what's. Because you're young.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: You've got to remember that. Like, you literally at the start of this.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: What would your dream be long term? Or can you compare it to someone?
[00:20:15] Speaker A: Or I'd say my dream. I'm not focused on long term because so many things are going to change and I've ended up in MMA, but I started off like, writing about f one on West Africa sports and then I did boxing and MMA ones as well. But then I went to hashtag, which was football for, for a year or whatever, yeah. Just the, like, right now, dream is career progression. So I want to be. I want to be. I want to be moving out, start on my own, like, thing in London, whether that's having my own place. I almost want to start a family in that sort of sense. But career wise, I need something to be able to help me to do that. So I'm looking, I'm looking at, like, platforms that are extremely professional. Yeah. I don't want to be that guy. You know, they're like, asking questions, what's next? And then you, like, you see them and they go, I can't say. I can't say, but I actually, like, actually wouldn't say right now. But you'll see, like, it's gonna, it's gonna just be, like, better than where I'm at now. Like, I want to just something a lot more professional, if that helps. But, yeah, I can't. I can't say too much, but it's. I'm speaking to the right people and hopefully we can get something sorted.
[00:21:24] Speaker B: I thought we were on the edge of an exclusive.
That's absolutely fine.
[00:21:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: Covering such a high stakes, brutal sport must come with a few kind of life lessons, like, early on. But what's something that's worked, that working in this industry has taught you about respect? What is it for fighters or the sport itself?
[00:21:42] Speaker A: Like, just being good to people. Like, fighters don't have to be nice. They fight for a living. They're some of the nicest people you will meet. And it's one of the reasons I joined this industry. Like, footballers are often a bit big headed, a bit cocky.
[00:21:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:56] Speaker A: But fighters, like, they've had to work for this. It's like every single fight, if you really deep it, other than the Olympians, they start in conference league. Like, if you think about that and compare that to football, no footballer starts in the conference league. But every single fight has come from humble backgrounds, so they've had to work their way up. So they know what graft is, they know what struggle is.
[00:22:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: And with that, they see people like us doing their thing. A lot of them are like, they respect what we're doing because then they're hustlers. And we're hustlers. Like, you with your podcast, me with what I'm doing, they understand what graft is like. Footballers have had it from young and they're kind of like, it's the dream for most kids. I wanted to be a footballer. Everyone did. And it's like, when you get that so young, I don't know, maybe they become a bit more headed because of it. But boxers, MMA fighters in general, are a lot more humble. That's something I've learned.
[00:22:42] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. And we've had interactions, whether it's on the main channel or whether it's been in person. Yeah. And you really do see that, that they're human, for sure. More. More than anyone else. There's a lot less arrogance. Yeah.
I mean, there's still a bit, isn't there?
[00:22:57] Speaker A: But at the top level, when they, like, around people all the time and they've got the money and they've got the fame, and they go like, yeah, to a certain extent. But even then, there's so many fighters you could, I could just name off the top of my head, they still give you the time of day.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: So on that. So who's your, who's your favorite fighter that you've interviewed and why then, if.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: You ask me, in the next three years, it'll be Max Holloway.
[00:23:21] Speaker B: That's coming soon.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: Who's my favorite fighter that I've interviewed? Bisping, easy.
[00:23:27] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:23:27] Speaker A: I had to think, man, easily. Yeah, yeah, for sure. He was the guy. 199, my friend said, you want to come round to watch this guy, british fight in the UFC? And, like, I was like, yeah. Never even knew about Conor McGregors was on his way up. But I was trying to get into boxing, but there was no boxing game on my Xbox. So I start. I downloaded, you see, and he's like, trying to come round tonight for 199. I was like, whatever in it. I thought, he's a bit brutal in that, but I went, and I've literally not missed one pay per view since 199. So I'm about 206 in, 106 in now. Not miss one.
[00:23:59] Speaker B: Not miss one. How we do it on the, on the ATF channel.
[00:24:03] Speaker A: When did you guys.
[00:24:04] Speaker B: How many years ago was it now? Two. Yeah, yeah.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: So every single gaiety Ferguson or something. One of them ones. Gate chickabe or something like that. Oh, yeah, the second fight. That was a great night. I was. Yeah, I remember. That was a good night.
I think so. Yeah, it was when he defended the takedown, remember? I was just, yeah. Finished work, and I got back, and I was like, he's defending it. We had a few beers. Obviously, he's defending the t. And after you've had a few, like, I'm telling you, he's won. He's the everywhere champion. And, like, a few minutes later, he was like, you just know that was a moment that, yeah, you're gonna forget to feel that. Was a good fight.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's good. Shout back. So I personally, I joined ATF quite a bit later from when they were doing it, weirdly, it was going to, it was going to aspinal versus blaze when he blew his knee. And the guys, I'd seen them on YouTube.
[00:24:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:59] Speaker B: Before, so they were at the press conference, they'd ask them questions and then they had the meet and greet and I seen them with that very briefly and I followed them. I know, I'll cut it quick, but maybe for you, Silas. Yeah. Then the next time they did a meet and greet and I just turn up because I was going to be there and stuff and then just from there, just got more and more involved and. And now we're here, which is very weird. Yeah, it was. I never had the intention of doing this, and I, unlike you and maybe some of the others, I never initially sat down and thought, this is what I want to do or I want to be in the media scene or stuff like that. It's just from loving the sport and having a passion from it and fancy.
[00:25:33] Speaker A: Talking about it as well.
[00:25:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Because I spoke to Jordan about this. He's got a podcast as well. And what he was saying, and be interesting to ask you this as well, is that generally when you're like, obviously your work's a little bit different, but like, day to day life, you like, there's not many people that you can have the conversation that you want to have about whether boxing, MMA or something like that. And through doing this. Yeah, I mean, you've gone to the point of literally immersing your life in it. So the dynamics for you is a bit different. But for us, it was like, we got into this because we just wanted to find other people that we could talk to in that depth. Yeah, I don't know what the question is there, but, yeah, no, it's funny.
[00:26:16] Speaker A: Because I, like, I sent Kaz something the other day and it was like, it was two wizards sitting by a fight. It's just a meme. And it's saying, like, when you find someone who talks about MMA, whatever it is, and it's funny because, like, Kaz is like, you don't speak to many females and if you do speak to them about MMA, they're not going to know as much. And it's just weird. Sometimes we just sat chatting about, like, Lewis McGrillan versus Dean, Dean Garnett like that.
Before you start watching this part, go watch that and then come back.
That's one of the best fights but we were watching that and it's just like little things where it can be your friends back home or wherever it is, but you sit there talking about, like, it's not like the Tom aspinals of the world. Like, you sit here talking about like, the Jordan Levitts or something like this, or like Donald Cerrones, which is kind of a below the casual fans knowledge, and then you're like, just, this is so good. Like, you don't see a lot of MMO fans that you can sit there and talk about.
[00:27:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:27:11] Speaker A: Arnold Allen with.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: I've got one of those exact moments when I try to explain to someone about Ignacio Bahamundez and his spinning heel kick, right, the last second of the third round. And someone looked at me perplexed, like, you're your mental. Yeah, bang on.
[00:27:25] Speaker A: How far did you get in football?
So I was doing okay. So I did hashtag 2 seconds out, but then seconds out. And we are Tottenham TV, which is a fan channel, was the same company, it was under the same umbrella, the same network on YouTube who I was working with. We are Tottenham. The balance was more we are Tottenham at this point than seconds out. And I wanted MMA boxing. It was, it was, mma was the end goal. But boxing is combat sports. It's the same sort of. And I had an opportunity at we are Tottenham to do more. But yeah, my passion for combat sports just shone through a sort of just. Just said, I want to do more with seconds out. And then the next year, after that season finished, I went more in on boxing and then I finished uni, went full in boxing and now I'm full in MMA and kind of bit of boxing here and there as well. So I box. Yeah.
[00:28:13] Speaker B: Being around fighters and seeing the grind can be inspiring. And I mean, you're closer to it than most, most of us. And some media personalities like Ariel Pulani and Ben the Bane Davis, they've dabbled in a bit of training in that themselves as any. Have you ever been tempted when you're in the thick of it and you ever gone, right, I want to do this, and if so, what would it take for you to do it and what would you want to do?
[00:28:34] Speaker A: It wouldn't take a lot. I almost fought on misfits. I was this close, literally. So I think it was Walid Sharks was meant to be fighting. Ace Musa. Yes, my friend. And he pulled out and was there covering the show as a, as a like or whatever it was. But I doing a bit of tick tock with the misfit stuff at the time I don't do the.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:28:54] Speaker A: The influence of TikToks anymore. I went up to mams, who's the promoter, and daily, who is Kenny and Deji coach. They were just outside, and I thought, let me just go and ask them. Like, I am so on it. I've trained boxing, and, like, this is my moment. I could walk out to Jolene, like, this is perfect for me. Walked out and mum's like, are you serious? Like. And I was like, yeah. Like, we. I can go. I can go tomorrow. And the. One of the guys, the managers or whatever from the zone came over and he was like, you sure you want to do this? We had a little conversation. Like, yes, absolutely. This is a dream in and around combat sports. Like, being in and around it as much as I am, it does make you want to. Not more than once, really. Like, it just makes you want to go, what's this life? And it ended up not happening because it was to. The medical was, like, a day before, and they couldn't get it sanctioned. And I was like, I remember I went to that McDonald's that night, and I was, like, almost in tears, bro. I was like, this could have been it, man. This could have been my coming out party. But, yeah, it's quite a good story, to be fair.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: Yeah, that's great. That one we've been trying for quite a while. So Angus Jenkins, who does some of the editorial stuff on the website, and he's, like, our go to guy for, like, going to events and stuff, he was at. He was actually at the PFL for the McGrillan fight and stuff. He's like, watch the fight. Watch the fight. And he got a fist bump from McGriddle. Quick shout out to Angus. He got a fist bump from McGriddon because they both got mullets, I think. I guess it's an idiot, but whatever.
Yeah. Have you. If you find it weird because you, like, you're around so many, like, big names and personalities. Have you ever had it where you, like, you've been, like, truly starstruck? Apart from Bispin, I'm gonna say apart.
[00:30:28] Speaker A: From that one was online, so I wasn't a star bisping Tyson fury the first time I was around him. He's tall as well, and he's a heavyweight champion. They have a certain presence. I'm not even joking. And then it was Dillian white, and then there was this UFC 304. Because it was my first UFC show, there was a moment where I was in the media room, and I was like, I just. I kind of, like, had an out of body experience where I, like, I zoned out, and I thought, like, am I watching this on YouTube or something? Like. And then I just snap back and I was like, I'm actually here now. And I was like, this is. This is it now. Like, I made it sort of thing because obviously I was doing football to boxing, to West Africa, like, doing all the. Just to get to MMA, and now I'm finally here, it's like. It's crazy. So it's surreal when you get there, for sure.
[00:31:10] Speaker B: We're gonna finish it up.
[00:31:11] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: I think we're towards the end now. What's gonna be the last question? It's tough because usually what I'll ask people is, like, between when you started and now, like, what's one thing you would tell that person at the start of the journey? But I feel like, because you've had such a short period of time and you've done it so quickly, maybe that's what we can look at. So the intensity that you've given into this, into this kind of scene, whether that's been through football, whether that's been combat sports, whether that's been boxing, whatever it is, that intensity you've provided, how do you sustain that so that you can move as quickly as you have?
[00:31:42] Speaker A: I think because I saw something MVP said and are completely related to it. He said, like, what he lacks, what he's good at inside the cage, and, like, his dedication towards training when he's outside, like, I think he says something on the lungs along the lines of his, like, an insomniac, like, he can't see. So basically, my point is, I'll do my work and then, like. Like, I'm not doing any. I might not even. I might not even cook. I can't even be asked to go on the Xbox, and I'm in my bedroom. Like, I just watch them in my bed and I'm just, like, just done. Or it's like I stay at play and I just. I do. I do. Like, I almost take out all my energy that I've got to do other things other than when I'm not working. I don't mean energy because I don't have much, but I mean, like, I don't want to do anything. Like, I actually become selfish. It's quite bad. Yeah, because you put so much into what you do for work. When you're out of work, you don't even want to talk about. You don't even want to speak to people about how you don't. You just want to, like, chill out, relax to the max and. Yeah, that is an issue because you can't live a normal life if you're just always working. You need to, like, I say, you need to be able to, I don't know, whatever it is, do, like, the. What are they called, the errands that you have to run in life, especially. I'm getting older ish. Like, you have to do things outside of work to become a man. Like, really? Like, really, like, seriously speaking. So I struggle to do that because I'm so focused on work that when I'm not focused on work, I just want to chill. So there is, like, a kind of thing that I'm trying to solve in my mind of, like, how can I be productive at work and then also have time left so that when I'm not, I can actually make my personal life better?
[00:33:18] Speaker B: Trying to find that kind of difficult.
[00:33:20] Speaker A: Balance, though, because I stay up late a lot of the time. It helps for UFC.
[00:33:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:33:25] Speaker A: That's one night a week, though, bro. So imagine the six and I'm staying up late, so, yeah, it's a challenge.
[00:33:30] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a common thing I have as well. I'll ask you all that quickly.
[00:33:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:35] Speaker B: Do you ever look at the kind of manifestation stuff or your attractions?
[00:33:38] Speaker A: For sure, I think. Well, like I said, I was working at hashtag United or West Africa sports, and somehow I knew I was gonna end up at UFC. And it's come through, like, the randomness path.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:49] Speaker A: But, like, I'm here, and, like, it might sound a bit delusional, but I am delusional. I am deluded for sure. And that's, like, one of the, like, best things about me, because I can believe something that no one else can see.
[00:34:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I think one of the things, as well that always sticks with me is always that Conor McGregor quote where he's like, I've lost my mind to this game. Yeah.
[00:34:10] Speaker A: Shout out mystery. Because he asked the question. One of my friends in MMA.
[00:34:13] Speaker B: Really?
[00:34:14] Speaker A: Yeah, he asked the question. It's, like, gone down in MMA history. That's. That's unreal to see.
[00:34:19] Speaker B: Yeah. The edit I saw was the guy, him asking it.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: And then they started. He starts it off, and then. And then Connor finishes it. And you listen to it, and, like, if you had, like, one moment that you remembered for. For a question. What? A question to be remembered for.
[00:34:33] Speaker A: If. If we can insert that clip, I'll ask him. Yeah, we should get it. It's something like I've lost my mind to this game.
[00:34:39] Speaker B: Like Vincent Van Gogh. Yeah. And I say something like, but when my mom's got a car and my kids have got everything they've ever wanted, and you're just there like you've absolutely now. And it's that whole kind of. And we hear it a lot, like Jon Jones, he's mentioned it as well. So I always look at it. I'm really big on. You can probably tell.
[00:34:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: Sorry. I'm quite passionate about.
