Episode 8 - JspecTheHost

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to the Against Defence podcast with your host, Breezy. Today's guest, Rob Nakamura, also known as jspeck. J Spec is a host for the All Star Sports and today we dive into his early start in his career working with luxury cars like Ferraris all the way to what his perspective is currently on the fire industry and what it takes to connect to fighters on a deeper level through his interviews. As per usual, if you're new here, don't forget to hit like follow, subscribe or whatever it is on what platform you're on. And I hope you enjoy J Spec. You've. You've got quite. In my research, I was looking at kind of trying to find something slightly unique about you and I've seen that you had quite the background in kind of the motor industry surrounded by like luxury cars like Ferraris. What initially drew you into that world and what's like the most memorable car that you've worked with? [00:00:54] Speaker B: Man, thanks on that. A little bit of luckiness, an opportunity and chance. I'd have to tell. I'd have to go back. If you want to know where it starts, it's, it's in the streets of Hawaii street racing back in the day before, long before Tokyo Drift and the movies. It was, it was, it was, it was a way of life way before. So that all stumbled into me moving to Las Vegas and fast forwarded all years forward. I got the opportunity to race and then be a part of motorsports and then obviously help others further their passion in that. And obviously then you get the opportunity to work with cool people, cool cars and a whole bunch of random awesome accident things that happen and then you get to play with a bunch of toys that aren't yours. So yeah, best car. Did you say best car or favorite car? [00:01:52] Speaker A: We'll do both. We'll do, we'll do both. Because there's. There's two, there can be two very different things, can't they? [00:01:57] Speaker B: So yeah, best radical, the radical products, SR3s. Is that the right number? SR3, definitely. Th. Those cars are just, you know, purpose built, lightweight. They go, they're durable. Like you know all the things you want and not like they're not really like super popular. Not people know them. So like if you know, you know, and so like that. But. And then the Porsche, if you're just like a car, like my endorsement, go buy a Porsche. Go. Just, just buy any year, any generation. Just close your eyes, spin in a circle, pick one. You'll be happy. Like, just, just do it. Like. Yeah, there you Go. Yeah. [00:02:43] Speaker A: Porsche. If you're. If you're watching, give him some money. Be nice, wouldn't they? In a. In a world of luxury cars, obviously, attention to detail is key. Do you think that experience has shaped how you approach interviews with fighters, or do those two worlds feel totally different? [00:03:01] Speaker B: No, no, no, man. Like, you know, that's a beautiful comparison. That. That is genuinely in something that just subconsciously comes out. So nice job. Yeah, no, there's. There is a attention to craft. Right. Like, I think that goes to anybody anyway. Anytime you take something you care about and then you push the science side of it and then mix it with passion, you start getting to that nerdy range that some people like to name, but that's where craft comes in. That's where the science and arts mix together and you get the highest products, you know? So, yeah, that's. To me. And I don't like knowing where the passion comes from, you know? You know, like, with fighting, man, fighting isn't. It ain't easy, and there's other ways to make money, so there's got to be passion in it. And I like to know their source, you know, and that there's a lot of motivation in that. [00:04:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Now, as a. From watching your content and following you, you're kind of doing this kind of podcast journey that I'm doing. You're kind of a. For Forefront for looking to the future, and I'd say you're kind of. Well, you're quite a specialist when it comes to getting great fighter interviews. How do you approach booking them? And give us an insight into your process behind the scenes? Because it's not always as easy as some people may think. [00:04:23] Speaker B: Be prepared to fail. Prepare to be rejected. Prepare to be forgotten. Prepared to. Prepare to ask. More than once, prepare. Just because you got them one time doesn't mean you get them again or the other way around, you know, for those. They're people. Shit's happening in their lives all the time. Sometimes they can take 30 interviews before a fight for three fights in a row, and guess what? Fourth fight, they can take one, and it ain't you. So then a lot of. And the other thing is, don't talk shit. Like, too many people talk shit. Like, they're just, like, quick to talk shit. Like, stop. Like, talk shit to your peers or whatever, but don't be talking. Like, why are you talking shit about fighters? Like, I don't. I don't know. Like, that doesn't make any sense to me. Those. Those kind of things, man. And then, like, Last but not least, maybe all of it. Like, just be thankful. Like, be thankful you get to talk to anybody. Like, be thankful you get to talk to anybody you like at all. Like, I don't know, maybe I'm old. I am old, so stop it. But maybe I'm old into the place where, like, video talking to somebody on instantly wasn't just taken for granted. Like, you couldn't just talk to some of the best people, coaches, whatever, just instantly. Like, now everybody can do it and they just think, like, oh, I should, or I could, or like the I ought to be. I deserve it. Oh, I hate that word. You deserve nothing. Like, you deserve nothing but the air you're breathing right now and the. The life you have right now and the opportunity to go make something for yourself, you know, other than that. Like, so all that combined and just. And, you know, once upon a time when I was a young guy, I had a career in sports that equaled being like the, like a not bad prelims fighter, you know, and. And nobody remembers and nobody cares. And that's fine. That's good. And I don't want you to. And. But the thing is, I respect it. I respect the, the real small amount of time that these men and women have. It's. It's small. So your time, my time here on the mic, it's hopefully lasts a long time. And so you should just chill and wait and be patient and be supportive of people. Like, be genuinely supportive. Don't. Here's another one. Like, don't. Like, oh, just try to, like, be supportive because you want something out of these people. Like, they're already giving you something. They're already giving you blood, guts, glory and sweat. Like, what else you want from them? You're your parents, you, their kids. Like, no, you're not. So what more from them you want, you know, so, like, with that, you know, just, hey, be grateful that if you. If you're in this journey and you're trying just everyone that you get, good, bad, you get five views from it. Who gives a. Like, enjoy it. And if not, if you're not. If you're not enjoying it, go cover something else or do something else. Like, you know what I mean? Like, so there you go. Those are all my advice with it. Be patient. Have fun with it. Enjoy it. [00:07:41] Speaker A: Yeah, I like that because it's brutally honest. And yeah, I've got a lot of time for that. You've got to enjoy it if you're going to do it, especially in this kind of scene where you've got to be. So what's the word I'm looking for? Persistent, should we call it? And you've got to, you've got to keep going. It's not going to do it itself. So, yeah, 100%. I love that one bit of advice then. Not leaning off the back of that from the experiences that you've gained on this kind of topic. What's one bit of advice you'd give someone? Let's say me as an example, if I wanted to get to, I'll say some of the bigger names because, because you are quite good at getting very kind of niche people that people may not instantly know about. Should we say up and comers? So what's one bit of advice you'd give me for approaching maybe a bigger name? [00:08:25] Speaker B: You know, I, I, it's just like the Cars, bruh. Like I, I wish I had some magic formula because it was, it's, it's get lucky. Go, go and try go. Like there's a Hawaiian phrase, imua, it means go forward, like against opposition. Just, just go. And then stuff happens. Like, I don't know, there's a, there's a, there's a fall down 7, stand up 8 policy that I just, I subscribe to. And I just, some people understand what I'm saying and some people don't. And like there's going to be, and, and then there's going to be odd connections. So like when you talk about like beating like anybody or like just like niche connection, like, I don't know, like sometimes the guy who's like 5 and 17 is also the best friend of the world champion you want to talk to so the world, like just, I just. There you go. That's it. You know? [00:09:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I like that. MMA has got so many different personalities. What is kind of your secret sauce to drawing out fighter stories in a way that feels like authentic and fresh? [00:09:39] Speaker B: One, I didn't, I hope I'm even doing that. So if I'm, if I'm, if I'm, if I am clicking those boxes, thank you. And I appreciate that deeply. And man, authenticity is like the whole point of even doing this, in my opinion. Like, what's the point of having a conversation or media? Like, I'm not, I'm not in a show. Like, I'm not, I'm not pushing a product or like directing anything to an agenda. So like, other than that, if we're just talking, like, I'm gonna do you, like, I was just gonna sit around. Let's, let's sit around, like, that's what the bar is for. Like, go have a nice drinking. But, like, you. Like, if I'm gonna talk to an athlete and talk to somebody on any level, amateur, world champ, don't matter. Like, I want to know what's up. And once again, I'm only getting your teeth. I'm only getting your time for the next 15, 20 minutes. I wanna. I wanna waste it on crap. Like, no, like, so there you go. And then also just a little bit of, like, knowing, once again, pulling from experience, old guy feelings coming out. But when you have all these experiences, you have many experiences, you understand that, like, nothing comes. Just 1, 2, 3, like, except, you know, highlight real knockouts. But, like, nothing. You know, like, it's. There's always like, one pause, one and a half pause, negative two points, then back again. Like, that's how it works. So if you understand that part, then, you know it all goes together. [00:11:20] Speaker A: You've interviewed fighters across all stages of careers, from rookies to legends. What's the most surprising fighter that you've spoken to? And what's one thing that that person shared that stayed with you? [00:11:32] Speaker B: The second part was so deep, and I was thinking about it so much. [00:11:35] Speaker A: What was the first part, most surprising fighter you spoke to? [00:11:38] Speaker B: Almost surprising, I think. Nice question, dude. Surprising. I'm gonna have to come back to that one. Most meaningful would be Dan Severn, I think. Dan Severin. Dan the B. Severin. I don't think it's legal to say his name the way I just said it previously to the Beast Man. He. His words, like, just so much meaning in all the stuff he says, because once again, the experience and the commitment and the sacrifice and all the other stuff and the this, but, like, knowing, like, sweat equity was a word he just. He kept rephrasing and moving out of necessity was a quote out of that. That conversation that. That I just found profound, and it connected to his regular life. Like, just things outside of fighting is that, you know, how he even got the opportunity to be in the UFC was through a tragedy. Like, not tragedy, but through. You know, there's some. Some negative got stuff and redirected things, and then great stuff happens. So, you know, just move out of necessity. And I think that's something that applies to sports. It's even kind of like, you know, even fight. You could even put it in the fight world and make it fit, right? I mean, you're getting punched or you gotta move, you know, so getting choked, you gotta move. So that whole thing, it just kind of Really? I was like, damn, Dan, like, those are some words. Move out of necessity, like. And that. That's it. Now surprise, man. Shoot. Like everybody. Like every. I did. Like, the list is hard to. That just goes back to the first. The other question, man. Like, everybody's been a surprise, like all of them along the way. Genuine surprise. Genuine surprise. Conversation to have with someone was. Because I was. It wasn't. Had nothing to do with. I was planned and I was just eating a poke bowl. So, like, I'm just trying to eat a poke bowl and then guess who's next to me. The grandson of Muhammad Ali. Nico Ali Walsh brother of biage. Yeah, yeah, same. Thank you, brother. I'm just like, all right. And I was like, well, I'm going to use this small moment of time between him actually eating because I don't bother. Here's a pro tip. You see my advice. Don't bother athletes or fighters in the bathroom or eating. What's wrong with you? People don't ever do that. Like, if they have to just leave it alone. Now, in between the ordering or the food's not there, chance it. But once food's like around, like, nah. So anywho. Yeah, man, that. That was the most surprising because living in Vegas, I. Lots of random opportunity. Lots of random stuff happens. And that one was a most recent, like, what the heck? That. That's cool. Like, I didn't plan that. So there you go. There's my story. [00:14:43] Speaker A: Yeah, the visit to Vegas is on the bucket list. I want to go there and do like two weeks and come back pockets dry because the casinos have taken all the money. But at least I had a good time. [00:14:56] Speaker B: We've got other ways. Have other ways to take your money that are entertaining. No, I'm just kidding. [00:15:01] Speaker A: Every interview is a moment. And this is kind of. I was thinking about questions and I had incidences recently where I've kind of had something go not as planned and as I thought it was going to be. And it's kind of like thrown me and I watched back recordings and I don't think people can tell, but I can really conscious in my head. So it was kind of understanding a moment that hadn't gone planned. And have you ever had an interview just completely sideways and then how did you recover from that? That's what I want to absolutely high. [00:15:35] Speaker B: Five through the Internet. Been there. Okay. So I enthusiastic young MMA fighter, you know, wants to be different. Right? We talked about this just a second ago. Everyone wants to be a little fresh, want to be different, want to be rememberable. And we set the, you know, gonna. About start the interview, and. And, you know, he comes on, and my man, the. The guy gave me no premise, no. No clue that this was gonna happen. And he has set his. His camera, his phone up for the interview in. In a. An appropriate angle, technically, but in the shower. And, like, I like it. Yeah, dude, I wasn't ready for shirtless showering, dude. Like, and I was like, whoa. And I cut it. I cut it right out. Like, I'm just like, nah, bro. Like, you know, maybe, like, it's an accident because, you know, sometimes, like, timing people don't know. They'll just. They'll just be sitting or whatever. Like, who knows? Maybe I'm like, hey, people are busy. I'm just. I'm gonna out. He. He logs back in on purpose. He's like, hey, man, I hope I didn't weird you out. And I'm. I'm just trying to, like, hold it straight, like, nah, bro, like, you're good. And. And I'm still curious. And then he's like, no, I'm trying to do this on purpose. Like, this, like. And I'm like, okay, okay. You're like, you're doing a thing now. I know you're doing a thing. I can work with it. I'm still uncomfortable. I'm not gonna lie. I'm still uncomfortable. But now that I know this is a thing and there's not going to be further exposure of the body, like, okay, I got it. Like, I can. I can work. So. Yeah, man, dude, I just. I had to go. I had to dig deep. I had to dig deep in the. Hey, let's just see what happens. You know that. I'll be honest, man. This is just a little bit of around and find out. I was just like, what could. What could go wrong here? But now the guy ended up, you know, just being really creative type and, you know, just being really unique. And then we cut shots and he went to a different angle of showing his creativity and. [00:17:44] Speaker A: Okay, cool. [00:17:45] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, I mean, the guy even added on, like, like angel wings and stuff. So, like, it was. It was my man. So there you go. Stuff happens. [00:17:56] Speaker A: If you have. You had one where it's been particularly difficult because sometimes I think early on in this, I buck myself down with really trying to understand how to open people up. And sometimes it's particularly an MMA with the personalities that are in there. Some of them can be so, like, kind of come across as cold. And then how have you broken through that when someone's been closed off. [00:18:23] Speaker B: Honestly, I. This might sound crazy, but I really try to avoid interviewing fighters, like, the week of their fight or even two weeks before. I try to get them out way early or after. [00:18:37] Speaker A: Okay. [00:18:37] Speaker B: Because they're not starving people. Like, are you. I'm. I'm the worst family, friends, anybody who's ever known me. I apologize right now for any amount of time that you spent around me when I was hungry, you know? And there you go. There's. There you go for the heart. [00:18:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I get that completely. When I'm hangry, I'm terrible as well. [00:18:59] Speaker B: Yeah. So that. That. So I think that the little one. But then the other part is, you know, people are people, and not everybody is inclemented for the mic. And once again, from fight to fight, things are different. Like, just because a fighter is short in this interview, try him again some. I. I love my dad, but the first time you meet my dad, he's terribly boring, but he's super fun the second time and every time afterwards. So maybe I. I know that inside my head too. And I kind of consider that sometimes also cultures, like, take. I know, I know. I'm gonna speak for Team America. Team America over here, we, like, expect everybody to be like Team America. But, you know, other cultures and other places, they have a different vibe. They have a different way of talking. They have a different way of being. Also, people don't assume that English is everybody's first language. Like, sometimes it's their second or third, and they're just. They sound better than you thought, and they're tricking you, and they're not. They can't. They don't have the depth of the conversation that, you know. So there's those things, I think. [00:20:07] Speaker A: Yeah, those are some great points. Yeah. [00:20:10] Speaker B: Yeah. And, you know, I don't know, man. This. That's. That's about it. And I think at the end of the day, like, the one thing you can always count on is that they want to win. So if you can't really get anything else out of them, try to get the. That passion to win out of them, and they'll usually express that in some format. [00:20:33] Speaker A: I wanted to understand a little bit more about you first getting into, like, MMA and ufc. You've got a fairly infamous. What's the word? Introduction. Should we call it on X, about tricking your grandparents since when you were 8 years old, telling them it was wrestling. I wanted to kind of understand more your journey into, like, MMA and then how you've transposed to doing what you're doing now. [00:20:59] Speaker B: Excellent, man, thank you. Just a long, twisted story of location and accidental stuff. So my grandpa, my grandma's no longer with us. She passed last January, but she would verify that story. My grandpa's still with, so he can. And my mom, who showed up later because she was working to. At the start of the fight. She showed up later. Can also verify. But so you know, back then, once again, you know, this is long, long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, we was wwf and they only had like a couple pay per views per whole calendar year. And as a young little boy in that era, that was your, like, reward for being a good boy. And at least it was in my family. My grandparents are fans of wrestling because I don't know if you guys know pro wrestling, had a good roots in Hawaii as well. Check out the Rock. If you want to know the rest of the story. Move on to. My grandpa did judo and so you just got an appreciation for martial arts. All this other stuff all mixing together. One and my grandparents, like, oh, there's a. I don't know. And once again, I was a kid, I was. I don't know what exactly happened. I was just asking for stuff as kids do. Like, I didn't know what wrestling it was, what it could be. I just saw a thing for sale on tv, innocent kid just asking for stuff. And they said yes. Thank God. And the, the family from that point forward was impacted. We, they ordered it, we sat together. Now, no, no, genuinely think no, just sit, be on a couch on retro tv. You got your grandpa, you get your grandma. You're eight years old. UFC starts, there's Jim Brown, which maybe UK folks, you might not understand, but just think of the most legendary, one of the most legendary footballers you could ever have. Is there just also commentating on this thing that nobody knows what's happening. And the very first fight is a super tall karate dude. And there's a Hawaiian. There's a, there's a Hawaiian on the screen and he's gonna be in the first fight. And for me and all the native Hawaiians and Polynesian people living in Hawaii, like, we didn't have a lot of people on TV at the time yet, you know, like Moana did not come out yet. People go, look it up. So, you know, as a kid, I'm just like, sweet, like one of us, you know, like on the screen and like, and obviously he gets his ass kicked, but he gets his ass kicked in such an amazing fashion. Everybody knows the story. Dudes get Kicked in the mouth, the tooth goes flying outside. The octagon startles Jim Brown, like, not startled, but he's like, damn. A dude just went by me and I was like, that's awesome. And, and all that. And it was spectacular. It was, it was magic. And if that happened to you or anybody else and anybody else's family, you would be hooked the same way. So this now spills into growing up in Hawaii martial arts culture. Everybody in doing it, doing like, it just goes on and on and on and on and literally just comes this part of my life. My two cousins fight professionally and it just, I just end up being around the sport in different capacities, in different ways, supporting it, trained just enough to know that I'm not any good and didn't belong in fighting. And other sports beckon. And there you go. It just all fused together into this massive appreciation that, that lives to this day. I also want to thank Senator McCain and his assault on the sport back in the old days, the dark ages, as some people call it. And some people like Rob. Why the hell would you ever say that? What was wrong with you? And the reason is because when that was happening, Hawaii was one of four states that still let MMA happen under other guises. And we allowed it as exhibition martial arts, which therefore allowed all the legends of the golden era, the, the pioneer era of the UFC to fight in front of my face. Like, I seen Vitor Belfort's pro debut. These are the kind of things that happen to me that obviously make me committed to this sport forever and ever, you know, so there you go. [00:25:20] Speaker A: Yeah, that's one way to flex on people. Yeah. Now you've obviously, you've taken that love and that passion and I can see it in your work. And you're now a host on the All Star sports where a lot of combat fans will go to get their sports fans will go get to get a fix. What's your, what's your favorite part of hosting? Apart from just having that opportunity to talk to people? And how do you keep the high energy when covering back to back interviews? Because they seem to roll them out every other day. [00:25:49] Speaker B: My man. Thank you so much. And I want to obviously All Star, I love you. Thank you so much for everything along the way. But I have to ins, I have to insist upon the people, the participants, the, the, all the people who played along with my stupid games along the way. Like, I tried to make it fun for everybody. I know not everybody is a, as a. Is a ridiculous day one hardcore super duper. Dork fan like me. Like, I know some people have different ways of appreciating the sport, so I just had the opportunity through the All Star in their app that allowed picking and picking, making UFC picks and playing games and stuff. So it also allowed to kind of like, I like the words like building a community because like, that's like, seems a disantific, but just meeting people all over the place. I have so many cool fight fans from the UK now, from all of Europe actually. Sorry, grew up in Hawaii, Geography is not my thing. But you know, stuff, you know, just meeting people all over is to me that, like, that that's where the passion comes from because you're, you're, you're getting to meet these people from all over and they're sharing their passion with you. So that passion is not just my own there. Yes, a lot of it is, but it's shared. Does that makes, does that make sense? I hope, yeah. [00:27:14] Speaker A: Jordana, who's the host of the Rambler dad podcast, he put it really well to me. He's like, how many people, when you go to work on a normal workday, how many people can you go in there and speak to with the depth that you want to talk about mma? There's like no one. You've got to go online to X or whatever to find that. So then have those in depth arguments or conversations that you want to have. [00:27:36] Speaker B: That, that is beautifully true and it hurts a little at the same time. But once again, I think that complements what we talked about earlier, right? Like the utility of the intern in the modern era to be able to share with all those people. So, yeah, definitely, man, definitely. [00:27:51] Speaker A: It rolls well into the next question. The fight games obviously is constantly evolving, and one thing I've always been transfixed by is how the role of media, especially interviews and how they've changed over the years. I mean, the UFC particularly has been very, very successful in navigating that social media kind of wave. Where do you see it kind of going over in the next five years time? [00:28:14] Speaker B: And I wish I knew because then I'd be in front of it, right? I DM you. Hey, dude, that's how you get in front of the train. That was, that was a bad joke. I don't know why I said in front of a train. I mean, now people are gonna be like, why are you dissing Matt Hughes? And I'm like, I love Matt Hughes. And that was not a Matt Hughes joke. That was not a Matt Hughes joke. That was just bad Rob joke. But just hit Just. Just destroy my DMS over that. The point is, like, dude, yeah, Like, I. I don't know, but I just. I just got so worried that I disrespected Matt Hughes that I forgot the question. I'm just gonna be 100, honestly. [00:28:52] Speaker A: How do you. How do you see the next five years on the social media side, particularly our interviews? [00:29:00] Speaker B: I think that more. More cool, passionate, funny people are needed. I think. I think that you, me, and everybody else that's doing it now needs to hit up 10 of their best friends and people that they haven't met yet and encourage them to do it, because the sport needs to grow more. Like, it's. It's funny. It's funny that I look at it now at this stage and I seen. I've seen the sport grow so much. Like, so much. The sport has grown from where I started in that origin story. Right. Like, talk about, like, I don't. My gosh. Can I input the. The Simpsons, the. The grandpa talking to the kids, and the. The. You know, the one where you trying to explain some from the old day. I'm. Here's some. Here's an old man complaining to nobody story. Here we go. If you think now is a hard time to connect with passionate fans in MMA or combat sports in general, if you think it's hard to group up now, please remember there was once upon a time where I had to keep up with the sport and the results of UFC events through magazines. Yes. Kids magazines are these paper things that were glued together with pictures and writing to try to tell us what happened. There you go. So with that being said, I think, yeah, there's. There's so much room for creativity. Look at what we can do now digitally, with all the apps and mobile devices and just Internet just getting better and better and better all the time. Connectivity and I mean, in that way. So the ability to do higher production things at any place at any given time is getting better, and people are just needed. So I hope there's. There's more. And that's where I see the sport going, is more people. Because even they say it's growing now, we're still, like, the tiniest of all the major sports. It's really. It's really two ways people can look at it. Like, you're like, oh, it's bigger than ever, but it's also the smallest of all the majors. So, yeah, I. I hope. I hope it just becomes more mainstream. Like, actually mainstream. Like, I want. I want the fight game and fighters like, to be up there. Like, like, you know, I just don't think that they get that same resignation. Like, they don't resonate with the general public yet. Yeah, quite yet. So I hope media, just like I said, I'm sorry if that doesn't answer the question, but I hope it just comes more bountiful, more creative. Use the technology and show the passion out there. [00:31:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, yeah, you summarize that. Great. So, yeah, exactly. What I was kind of thinking in my head with talking about technology and kind of social media changing over time, I wanted to talk a little bit about because I've joined a couple of them is your X spaces. With platforms like X doing spaces, do you feel the connection between fighters and fans has become more personal? And then explain a little bit the reason why you've under, you've decided to then put your role in that as well? Because they're really good. [00:32:25] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for all the compliments, man. Like, sincerely and deeply, like, I don't even, I don't think I deserve them, but thank you. Not the, the spaces, like, just like that, like having an audio room. Once again, old man, start. Right. I've been, I've been hosting UFC's watch parties before that was even a phrase on accident, like, just as kids, you know, like, hey, you want to come over? Like, I remember getting in trouble because some kids came over to my house to watch the fights and like, they weren't allowed to watch UFC fights, you know, like, so it's been going on since then. I was the guy, I was the guy in college, rent, you know, hey, five bucks, you know, you want to watch the paper, five bucks. Like, you know, like, you know, don't get in the dorm room without five bucks. Like, it's, that's, that's how it was, you know, so it's like one way or another, one time or another, one technology or another, and the, the spaces, like, yes, you are right, they do connect the, the fighter and the, the people in a beautiful way. I've got to do many of them and I love every single one of them. You get to interact with these people on a completely regular, human to human way and watch fights, you know, so it's just, it's, it's very fun. And, and plus, here's the other thing, dude. Like, once again, like, I know it's gonna sound tiny, hypocritical, we get to talk to them through effort, through, through all the stuff we talked about, but our fans, supporters, people that support us, or just our friends, anybody else, they don't get to as much. So being able to facilitate that, that moment for other people where they get to go, hey, so and so, and they come up with their own genuine, really cool, creative question that you wouldn't have thought of or considered, you know, to ask. And then you get to hear that answer. So all of that is like, it gives back to you. Like, you get to see other people have a dope ass time and it gives to you. So there you go, like spaces, all that kind of stuff. That's why that fighter fan intermixing is really, is really awesome. [00:34:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's one thing that got me into kind of MMA fan channels was before I come to do this with the guys against the fence was just that opportunity to speak to fighters because normally I wouldn't get that and obviously for me, fortunately, it's become this where I've get to sport, speak to all sorts of people that I'm interested in. So, yeah, you're absolutely right. I wanted to talk a little bit about, about Vegas. As I said, it's on the bucket list. It's known for its, its bright lights and big fights. But lo, local knows, locals know there's so much more under the surface than that. What's something unique about living in Las Vegas that tourists never really hear about, but the locals swear by? [00:35:17] Speaker B: Oh, man, if I tell it, will it blow it up? Like, it's like one of those things, right? Like deter like the locals. We've been, we the locals been funding this place and keeping this place alive for generations. Like, I don't even know if I, like, if I say it. And then the tourists start blowing it up. Like, is it going to hurt like this? [00:35:36] Speaker A: It be good business for them, man. [00:35:38] Speaker B: You got, you really have me with an angel devil scenario right here. Like, all right, so there's, there's like, there's just some food joints and I'm going to say one that doesn't get like, put on the, like, we get so many food joints to get put on TV or TV shows or this or that, blah, blah, blah. But this place is like real old school. It's a, it doesn't have air condition. So just forewarn, pay attention to what day you're going. It's like that. It's been, I think it's been running since the 70s. I've not been in Vegas since the 70s. I wasn't even born yet. But the point is, you know, it's like that and it's, it's and, and people are going to jump in and be. But it's a Philly cheesesteak place. Yes. We're not Philadelphia, but if you haven't noticed, Vegas, this thing is copying everywhere else. Really, really, really good. So, yes, it's not quite there, but we're this. It's really good. So there you go. It's a place that just a lot of locals know about. It's really fantastic. The other thing that people don't know, I, I think. I don't think a lot of people think about or think of Vegas is enjoying the lake. Like locals. Vegas locals. A lot of locals are actually aquatic. Maybe people don't know that. Is that maybe the one of the. Spill the beans, like, because that's the Lake Mead is not too far. And just despite all the. The truth that, yeah, there was all kinds of, you know, droughts for a long period of time, it's still part of the culture. Like, if you live in Vegas for any extended period of time, you're probably going to the lake. And so there you go. Those are some local gems, if you will. Did that answer the question? I hope it did. Yeah. Yeah. [00:37:17] Speaker A: On top of that, with the, the, the focus that not just the ufc, but other kind of promotions and boxing has in on the kind of. On the area. How is living in such a fight centric city shaped the way that you live and your career today? [00:37:34] Speaker B: Man, you know, just that part. You know, the truth is I came to Vegas for completely different reasons, for completely different things, for a totally different part of my life. So all of this is actually jet. Like all of some of those benefits are just accidental and like, hey, yeah, like, good for me. Like, lucky me. I that. Once again, thanks. And luckiness on that one. Like, I know there's somebody gonna watch this and go, you prick. And I'm. I'm sorry. Like, I didn't. Somebody's like, I wish I was in Vegas. But now the. Shaping the, The. The fighter interactions in Vegas have, Have happened at random so many times before I ever decided to like, ever even start to even consider media in any format. So that part, I think will, Will influence anybody, you know, I think, okay, long, long time ago. One of the, One of the craziest accidental meetings. Damn. You're gonna have to put a lot of old guy stories on this. Once upon a time, there was a place. Kids, look it up. There's a thing called video rental stores. And, and once upon a time, there's a place called Hollywood Video. And I was at this, this wonderful place trying to find A movie to rent. And guess who else was there with his bodyguard? Mike Tyson. And this was a long time ago. Yes, Mike Tyson was trying to pick out movies. And I actually heard his distinct voice and aisle away discussing with his, his bodyguard, like, hey, like, do you think this movie's good? Like, is it like, I don't know, like, you know, and I was like, and you know, stuff like that. I went to a strip club and, and had a. Well, one of my buddies was leaving to war. So context, I wasn't just like, oh, this is Rob's normal life. I live at the strip club. No, my buddy. This is, you know, back then. And you know, buddy was off to go, to go do the service. So we went to go get bottle service. Hey. And then accidentally met Floyd Mayweather who then asked us what the hell we were doing there. I told him, buddy's gonna go to war. And he made a pretty cool offer of saying, hey, any ladies, you get to dance on your private table. I'll match you. And so you can have girl on girl all night. Any girl. You go, double up, let's go. And that's a true 100 story. And stuff like that happens. Stuff like that happens. So yeah, it has impacts on the way you feel if, if you like fighting at all. If you like fighting at all. Yes, I did. I just named two of the greatest fighters of all time and people are going to. Well, there's other times where you're just eating sushi and guess who walks in the door, Uriah Faber. Like, just stuff happens. Like, stuff just happens like that in this city. It's Vegas magic. And yes, if you are already captivated by combat sports, the city will enhance it. There's no doubt. [00:40:47] Speaker A: Well, it looks like I'm about to get a one way ticket and. [00:40:50] Speaker B: Come on, come on, we got room. [00:40:53] Speaker A: That would be incredible. I'd absolutely love that. From luxury cars to interviewing some of the world's toughest fighter, your kind of career path that you're going on is anything but typical. Looking back, what's one moment where you thought, yeah, I've, I've made it. [00:41:07] Speaker B: Oh no, the direct opposite, my man. Like, so there was a, it's more. I remember this time in my life between those two. It seems like, oh, hey, great. But there's, there's, there's, how do you say this? Like I've, I've had enough good times to know that they'll happen again, but I also have a good enough, enough good times to know that they also end and Just like I said, be grateful good times. Because hard times come and they suck. And you're gonna have to like, you're gonna have to deal with it. And a lot of people, A lot of people only let themselves only have one peak. A lot of. And I'm not trying to dog nobody. And you. This is just for real. Like a lot of people only peek once in their life if they ever peak. If they ever peak, they even dare enough to chase their dreams and try. Some people only peek once and, and I'm, I'm. I'm. I don't believe in that. Like I said, fall down seven, stand up eight. And, and just know that in the, in the. Even the worst times, the unsuccessful times, the failing, all that is super necessary and just keep going forward. Like, just keep going. I know it's cliche, but like some of that stuff is super necessary. And like guys, they'll. Guys, girls, whatever people, they'll just kind of relegate at some point. They just start not thinking that like there won't be a second whatever and just, just go where your passion is. I don't listening to this podcast at all. I think I mentioned the word passion like 67 times. Where's the clicker? You know, like, that's the word. Follow your passion. That's. That's my answer. You know, that's, that's where it'll. All the good stuff will happen. That's. That's the truth. Because there's a lot of in life and there's a lot of in life, man, and, and bad stuff's gonna happen. Stuff that's not fair is gonna happen. You're gonna make bad decisions, you're gonna do stuff you regret. Like, even if you're trying to be a good person, you're just gonna. Up. I have. At least I have a so but then there's gonna be good again. So allow yourself to, to just go where your passion is. Don't. Don't limit yourself. And I'm done with the cliches. You're welcome. [00:43:30] Speaker A: I was gonna say if this, if, if someone asked me to rank a podcast episode you've done so far on analogies and cliches. This one's at the top. Some of these analogies have been fantastic and absolutely loving an analogy. [00:43:43] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:43:44] Speaker A: What's, what's, what's the most rewarding part for you for what you do? Is it, is it the interviews? Is it the behind the scenes moments? Or is it something else entirely? [00:43:54] Speaker B: Definitely, definitely something that I didn't see coming and the multi year friendships with people that I wouldn't have in any other format been able to meet. So you know, just, just and everybody, like just everybody in general but like these, all the friends, the genuine friends, people you talk to almost week after week for years and, and spend time with like, you know, like let's be honest, like a fight card is anywhere from six to eight hours. If, if you, if you watch a fight six to eight hours with somebody week after week, year after year. You're not friends, you're your family. Cliche number 100, you're welcome. But you know, just that's what it is. That's. And that part I did not, didn't see that coming and I'm super grateful for it. [00:45:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I love that. One of the things I like to do because where, where I'm at and I think when you, when you're starting off and, and as you're growing a lot of the people that you get to know are people that are similar minded and want to do a similar thing and those are kind of some of the people that are closest to the content that you're producing. What advice would you give to someone that's looking to break into fighter interviews or media? Especially with how fast the landscape changes. [00:45:31] Speaker B: Don't worry like the, the parts, the parts of what matters in a story you'll start to find like what most matters to you. Like everybody knows the basics, right? Who, what, when, where, why, how. I mean that's the, that's the core, right? That's it. It's not super hard. So from there what parts of those, which ones of those means the most to you? Right. And that is, that will never change. Right. Like the landscape or how you deliver it. Yeah. You got to pay attention to, you know that and you know, be with it if you, you know. But you don't. Don't worry so much about trying to impress anybody else. Just kind of like what you're talking about a little bit. But like do the quality of work. That, that is good for you. Like hey I'm at one point I was this. But now I get to do all these things and that's the part the point that matters to you. That 100th and one time passion. Like that's that it matters. So that to me is the important part. Like everybody, like you said, that group is together. What is that? Right. They all want to, they have a part of the story that means something to them. It's really funny. I'm sure you probably have the same experience, and you look at an event or something, a story of note, you look at one part of it and that's the part that's important to you. And somebody else finds something else. So remember that the world is like that too. So the people consuming your stuff are variant all over the place. And there you go. That part never changes. [00:47:15] Speaker A: That was brilliant. Thank you very much. I'm gonna wrap this up and we're gonna finish it on a. On a. On a quick fire kind of questions. So I'm gonna give you the questions. I think it's about three. Just get try as quickly as you can. We'll fire them back here. Right. First one. Ferraris or fight night. What gives you the bigger adrenaline rush? [00:47:37] Speaker B: Oh, fight night. Fight night. Easy, easy. [00:47:39] Speaker A: Okay, okay. I was surprised. I thought that'd be harder. You put together your dream fight cards with fighters that you've interviewed, who's headlining and who's in the co. Main, man. [00:47:48] Speaker B: Well, I mean, out of respect. Oh, it's so hard, man. Kyle Brahayo. Let's go. Title shot. Main event. And Charles Johnson. [00:48:02] Speaker A: Oh, nice. [00:48:03] Speaker B: Let's go. [00:48:04] Speaker A: Yeah. He's fighting soon, isn't he? [00:48:06] Speaker B: I think he just won. Is this. [00:48:08] Speaker A: Yeah, it was. I was like, wait, I'm sure. [00:48:10] Speaker B: No, dude, everything happened so fast. Every weekend we had tons of fight. Look, this weekend we had PFL and the UFC just for majors. We're spoiled in this era of combat sports, bro. [00:48:19] Speaker A: Yeah. I've never seen so many people talking about the PFL as well at one time. It's quite impressive to see, but the production wasn't. There's a big difference. There is. They need to catch up slightly. [00:48:32] Speaker B: You know, I. I love the pfl. I've gone to every single PFL Vegas event that they've held here the past three years. I genuinely support them for live events. For live events, people. Pfl, best value for dollars. You're gonna meet a tons of UFC fighters and stuff like that. So go enjoy, have fun. But. Yeah, I agree. I would. Yeah. You ever tell. Help me. I'm gonna ask you a question. I'm flipping this around. [00:49:01] Speaker A: Oh, God. [00:49:03] Speaker B: I'm sure you've been to plenty sports. So say a sport that's fun to be at live and not that great to watch on tv. [00:49:11] Speaker A: Football, Soccer. [00:49:13] Speaker B: Okay, that's. That's pfl, unfortunately. Like way more fun. Live. Nah. On tv. [00:49:21] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. And is. I'm. I mean, is. Is it the same as soccer? Where? Football. Sorry, I can't say soccer. [00:49:29] Speaker B: I understand. Not yeah, don't, don't. Yeah, I got you. I have enough UK friends. I understand the lingo. [00:49:35] Speaker A: Is it, is it the atmosphere that makes the big difference? [00:49:39] Speaker B: Yeah, well, definitely. And once again, I support the ufc. I love the ufc. I've given the UFC obscene amounts of money for seats through decades. So I say this with respect. Currently, right now, in this era of time, the, the pricing, I mean, I can. I literally, sir. For what it cost me to go to. With just myself and one other person to a UFC event, I was able to literally bring my entire immediate family to the PFL and, and have good seats and enjoy it. So that's the point. Like, and like my brother, my sister in law, like, like my, my. Everybody I'm directly related to. So that is, that's my comparison, my man. Like it's. And once again, the, like you said, environment, the fun, the people around, like there's. All those PFL fighters are training with UFC people, so you're getting to beat a whole bunch of cool years. Like you're taking pictures with us. So people, like folks go to a PFL so you can take pictures with your dad like I did with Khalil Roundtree. There you go. Boom. There you go. That's the kind of stuff that's gonna happen. [00:50:53] Speaker A: Okay, I love that. I could probably talk to you for hours about that actually, because it's a, it's a hot topic of mine, but yeah. Right. Final one. No, sorry. Two more. If you could interview any fighter, past or present, that you haven't spoken to yet, who would it be? [00:51:07] Speaker B: Am I currently, right now and past present. Max Holloway, obviously. Proud Hawaiian Automatic. [00:51:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:51:15] Speaker B: And then pass. I just haven't got to talk to him. But also legend, then BJ Penn, then also hoist Gracie always is my default number one answer as well too. So I'm sorry for ruining your question with three answers. [00:51:29] Speaker A: No, that's fine. If you had to pick between hosting a killer interview with a fighter or getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari one more time, which one do you choose? [00:51:38] Speaker B: Wait, sorry. One more time. [00:51:40] Speaker A: If you had to pick between hosting a killer interview with a fighter or getting behind the wheel of Ferrari one more time, what would you choose? [00:51:48] Speaker B: Dang. Can we switch it to a Porsche? And yeah, you shut your eyes, you. [00:51:57] Speaker A: Spun around, you picked a Porsche out. [00:52:00] Speaker B: And that's it, let's go. Because you know the interview is going to last 20 minutes. The Porsche can run all day. [00:52:09] Speaker A: J Spec, thank you very much. You've been absolutely fantastic, guys. If you don't Follow J Spec. His socials will be down below. I'm sure you already do. And if you're here, don't forget to, like, follow. Subscribe. See you in the next one.