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WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Dustin Poirier: "I Deleted Social Media After The Incident — Transcript

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0:00I've had bouts with depression
0:01throughout my career, but man, when it
0:03hits me, it's bad.
0:04>> Which kind of brings us to the airport
0:05incident? You know, I really messed up,
0:08man.
0:08>> You and her and her.
0:10>> Look what happened.
0:11>> So, it's Father's Day and I felt good in
0:13the morning. I spent the morning with my
0:14kids, but then as I was traveling to
0:16work, I felt that feeling again. It's
0:18like a cloud in my head that I just
0:19can't get out from under. So, I started
0:21drinking.
0:22>> I'll fight you right now.
0:23>> No, I don't want to fight, bro.
0:24>> And my emotions got the best of me.
0:26>> Bro, relax. Relax. Relax, bro. Relax.
0:28got arrested.
0:29>> This guy's a UFC.
0:31>> Did I just ruin everything that I was
0:33working for? You know, I don't know yet.
0:34And it could have been so much worse.
0:36>> What was going on in your mind?
0:38>> I was angry at the world and I just
0:40couldn't stop thinking about my father.
0:42You know, he's actually homeless right
0:43now. And I tried to help him out and
0:46he's back out on the street. Not that
0:48anything's an excuse, but it wasn't
0:50myself. And I never really spoke about
0:51it until right now, but I'm back in
0:53therapy. And when you sit down with
0:55somebody and start opening things up,
0:56you realize this could be linked to my
0:58childhood.
0:59>> And when I think about your earliest
1:00contacts, you got a father that's an
1:02alcoholic, violence in the home, and
1:04your mom said that you were an alcoholic
1:06kid.
1:06>> I started drinking at 12, 13,
1:08>> expelled from school as well.
1:09>> And you got arrested and I didn't have
1:11any goals.
1:12>> So, it was a bit of a roller coaster,
1:14but look what happened. You rose,
1:19>> one of the best lightweights in the
1:20world.
1:20>> I was on top of the world, but the
1:22roller coasters go down too. And this
1:24was the moment.
1:25>> Yeah, man.
1:26>> July 30th, you retired. How does it feel
1:28looking at that photo?
1:30>> Yeah. I'm trying not to tear up, dude.
1:32It was my life, man. Those gloves, me
1:34putting them on the mat is a piece of
1:35myself I left. But a wise man said, "If
1:38a man's lucky, he gets to die twice."
1:40That part of me that every day wake up,
1:42push yourself to be the best fighter you
1:43can be, is dead. I'm retired Dustin. I'm
1:46businessman Dustin. Now, you know, it's
1:47just I'm trying to figure it all out cuz
1:49for 20 years I was dreaming about being
1:50the best. I just want to dream again,
1:53you know.
1:53>> Has there ever been anything that
1:55compared?
1:55>> No. Nothing fills that void of what
1:58fighting was. And fighting was a part of
2:00therapy for me. And some days I wake up
2:02and I'm like, these top guys that are
2:03winning now on these upcoming cards, I
2:05can beat them still.
2:06>> So, is there any possibility that you
2:08ever return to the UFC?
2:19>> This is super interesting to me. My team
2:21given me this report to show me how many
2:22of you that watch this show subscribe
2:24and some of you have told us according
2:25to this that you are unsubscribed from
2:27the channel randomly. So favor to ask
2:29all of you please could you check right
2:31now if you've hit the subscribe button
2:32if you are a regular view of the show
2:34and you like what we do here. We're
2:35approaching quite a significant landmark
2:37on this show in terms of a subscriber
2:38number. So, if there was one simple free
2:41thing that you could do to help us, my
2:43team, everyone here, to keep this show
2:45free, to keep it improving year over
2:47year and week over week, it is just to
2:48hit that subscribe button and to double
2:50check if you've hit it. Only thing I'll
2:51ever ask of you. Do we have a deal? If
2:53you do it, I'll tell you what I'll do.
2:55I'll make sure every single week, every
2:57single month, we fight harder and harder
2:59and harder and harder to bring you the
3:00guests and conversations that you want
3:01to hear. I've stayed true to that
3:02promise since the very beginning of the
3:04D of Sio, and I will not let you down.
3:07Please help us. Really appreciate it.
3:08Let's get on with the show.
3:13>> Dustin Porier.
3:15>> Yo,
3:16>> you know, there's a there's a question
3:18that we kind of throw around in society.
3:19Um, we say it quite quite flippantly to
3:21people we meet, friends, family,
3:22strangers. Um, but but in this context,
3:25I want to ask it in the most sort of
3:26intentional way and give me the long
3:29answer.
3:31How are you doing
3:36>> as a whole? Great.
3:38Uh recently
3:41there's been some turbulence, you know.
3:42Uh but I'm I'm doing well. Doing well.
3:46>> There's been some turbulence.
3:49>> Yeah.
3:51Give me some color on that.
3:54I
3:56last week,
3:59which is not new to me, let my emotions
4:00get the best of me. Kind of was in a in
4:02a bad spot. uh mentally started
4:05drinking, got arrested, you know, um got
4:10into some trouble at the airport in
4:12Atlanta and uh you know, not proud of
4:16it, but it is what it is.
4:19>> I want to um give some background
4:21context and I spent the last couple of
4:23days sort of looking through your
4:25childhood and where you come from and
4:26who you are to try and fill the picture
4:29of Dustin Porier in my head. And I've
4:31got lots of photos of you here as a as a
4:34young man. Um, got another one even
4:36younger here that I'll share with you
4:38here.
4:38>> Yeah.
4:39>> And I think this is incredibly important
4:40context because I'd watched you fight
4:43the best that there is and beat the best
4:44that there is in the UFC. But it wasn't
4:46until I understood your earliest context
4:48that I started to like understand the
4:50picture of where you've come from and
4:51also in some part like how that makes
4:53you who you are today.
4:55>> So, so take me back. What is the early
4:57context that people need to understand
4:59to really understand you as a man?
5:01>> Um,
5:03I'm just a man. Uh, trying his best,
5:06trying to provide for my family,
5:08learning as I go,
5:11not scared to work hard, not scared to
5:13chase dreams. Just a kid from Lafayette,
5:16Louisiana, who found something to put
5:19his all into and and try to become great
5:20at it, you know, with fighting.
5:23>> Your your father and your grandfather
5:24were fighters. My father boxed um
5:28growing up when he was younger. My
5:31grandfather was in the Navy and worked
5:32in the oil field and stuff. They weren't
5:34successful fighters. I wouldn't say they
5:36were like nobody knew who they were, but
5:38definitely Yeah, I come from fighters
5:39for sure.
5:40>> And from money? Do you come from money?
5:42>> No, definitely not.
5:44>> What was that like growing up? Was there
5:46>> It was normal to me cuz I didn't know
5:47any different, you know. Um, it wasn't
5:50like I missed a meal or anything like
5:52that, but definitely wasn't wasn't rich
5:55or anything or had money to do a whole
5:58lot of things when I was younger, but a
5:59working-class family, you know.
6:01>> And your parents divorced when you were
6:03younger?
6:03>> Yeah. Yeah. I lived I lived with them up
6:07until about maybe kindergarten or first
6:10first grade, then they got divorced.
6:12>> Do you have any sort of mental models or
6:14mental images of them being together
6:16when younger? Is there any memories of
6:17them being together?
6:18>> Honestly, dude, not to to be to turn it
6:21dark or anything, but the early memories
6:23I have of them together aren't the best.
6:25You know, it's fighting and violence and
6:27stuff,
6:28>> physical fighting.
6:29>> Yeah. Yeah.
6:31>> In that Instagram post you you wrote
6:33recently after the incident in the
6:34airport, you mentioned your father and
6:36you mentioned, I think, some of his
6:38struggles. He had his own struggles with
6:39alcohol.
6:40>> Yeah. His whole life he has. Yeah.
6:42Alcohol has ruined his life. And alcohol
6:45was present when you were a young man
6:46when you were still there.
6:47>> He's been an alcoholic my entire life.
6:49>> Did you have a relationship with him
6:51after the divorce?
6:52>> Yeah, of course. I don't know what
6:54that's called. Uh split custody or
6:55something where
6:57>> every other weekend I would go to his
6:58house, spend the weekend at his house.
7:00>> How did that season of your life do you
7:02think as you look back shape the man
7:03that you became? Like that early context
7:05under the age of 10 years old that
7:07violent parents, they divorce, they
7:09separate, your dad is struggling with
7:11alcohol. Like how do you look back on
7:12that?
7:13>> As a grown man, I look back and think my
7:15father was an idiot for,
7:17you know, getting not being there with
7:20his kids. You know, as a father, I think
7:21about that. Like I I don't waking up
7:25with my kids in the house, running up to
7:26me, making them breakfast every day.
7:28Like I couldn't I I never want to live
7:30that type of life. I can't can't even
7:32imagine it. So, as an adult and a father
7:34looking back on it, I think he's made a
7:37lot of mistakes that, you know, I think
7:39he still lives with. and your mom.
7:42>> Uhhuh.
7:42>> Got some nice photos of her as well. Um
7:46that's your wife. Um but she seems to
7:48have been um a real constant throughout
7:51your life. That's her there.
7:52>> For sure. For sure. I'll be on vacation
7:54with her in a week. Yeah. Look at my
7:55face.
7:57>> Post fight.
7:58>> Her and my grandmother raised me. She
8:00was, you know, everything. Mothers are
8:03everything.
8:05And she's she still is, you know,
8:07calling me, texting me every day,
8:09checking on me, asking how I am.
8:10>> And you got two brothers.
8:12>> So I have two brothers I grew up with.
8:15Two brothers and a sister I met when I
8:18was 25 26 years old from my father.
8:23>> I guess I'm trying to figure out as well
8:24cuz I I heard about what you were like
8:25in school. You struggled in school.
8:27>> It sounds sounds like you got in a lot
8:29of fights when you were younger.
8:30>> Um I'm trying to figure out where that
8:32came from in you.
8:33>> Yeah.
8:36I mean, living in South Louisiana, we we
8:38fought all the time. Uh, but I just kept
8:41doing it. I just kept going with
8:42fighting, you know,
8:43>> as a young man. I I read that you were
8:44expelled from school as well.
8:46>> Uhhuh.
8:47>> And was that again for fighting and
8:50struggling to
8:50>> Yeah. Yeah. Fighting. The one that got
8:52me expelled was a fight.
8:54>> And that seems to be a little quite a
8:55consistent pattern from 10 to 14. Um,
8:59struggling in school, fighting. And then
9:01at 15, I hear that you end up in
9:03juvenile detention center.
9:05>> 14.
9:06>> 14.
9:06>> Mhm.
9:06>> What was the what was the road there?
9:08What happened?
9:09>> I had got into some trouble at one of
9:11the times I was living with my father. I
9:13uh got into a fight
9:16>> and and physically hurt somebody in the
9:18fight and got arrested and uh I was on
9:21probation at the time and I wasn't going
9:24to school. got picked up for truency and
9:27some other things like that for not
9:29going to school and uh failed the drug
9:31test. I was on probation at the time,
9:33failed the drug test and then I they
9:34sent me to juvenile detention.
9:36>> Were you drinking at that age?
9:38>> Yeah.
9:38>> At 15.
9:39>> Mhm.
9:40>> When did you start drinking?
9:42>> I was talking to my wife the other day
9:43and I was thinking about that. I don't
9:44know 12, 13 probably. H
9:48it is it is quite um it's quite curious
9:50to me that you know 14 15 you're getting
9:53in trouble for fighting you end up in a
9:55detention center you're drinking from 12
9:57years old and it it like begs the
9:59question to me as someone that's done
10:00lots of these interviews like what was
10:01going on in that in that young man's
10:03mind
10:03>> I don't have an answer what was going on
10:06um not having anywhere to put my focus
10:09not I wasn't trying to be the best at
10:12something I was just living dayto-day
10:14doing whatever you know I didn't have
10:15any goals
10:16I was a young kid, you know. It's tough
10:18to it's tough to say to look back to
10:20that young and really say what I was
10:22thinking at that age. Um
10:25I was just being a kid, I guess.
10:26>> Were you a happy kid?
10:28>> Yeah.
10:28>> You were a happy kid.
10:29>> Yeah.
10:29>> And you were spending the week with your
10:31mother and then the week you said was it
10:32the weekends with your father?
10:33>> The weekend or every other weekend? I
10:35forget exactly how it was. Yeah.
10:37>> And when you talk about his life being
10:39ruined by alcohol, what do you mean by
10:40what do you mean by that?
10:42I mean, he has
10:45he's ruined his marriages. He's ruined
10:47his relationships. He's ruined his
10:50friendships. He's ruined his
10:53relationships with his family, with his
10:54kids. Two son, three Well, my little
10:56brother kind of is off and on talking to
10:59him, but he has two kids that don't
11:00speak to him at all and and won't uh you
11:04know, he's been in jail plenty of times
11:06for for alcohol-related stuff. And
11:11yeah, I if I could paint a picture what
11:14you think of of of a classic drunk uh or
11:17alcoholic, you know, very selfish um and
11:21continues to go back to it. Continues
11:22he's actually homeless. Homeless right
11:24now.
11:24>> He's homeless right now.
11:26>> Yeah. Part of that me getting in trouble
11:28at the airport was
11:31I just felt uh and it's not my weight to
11:33carry, you know, but I just felt I try
11:36to help him out and he's back out on the
11:38street. It's like it almost doesn't want
11:40help, you know? And I was just kind of
11:43on Father's Day, I was traveling to work
11:47and I I just
11:49couldn't stop thinking about my father
11:51and I started drinking in the airport
11:52and that's kind of what led to the
11:56incident. It's just But when I feel like
11:58that, you know, I've been going to
12:00therapy and stuff like that. years ago,
12:02I started going to therapy. And
12:05when I started feeling better, I stopped
12:06practicing everything I learned through
12:08therapy, you know,
12:09>> and uh then I felt that feeling again.
12:12Just an
12:14I guess call it depression. Just didn't
12:16feel well. And when I feel like that, I
12:18know I shouldn't drink.
12:20And I drank anyway. So, you know, not
12:22that my father anything's an excuse.
12:24Obviously, I did what I did. Um,
12:28but I knew I knew better in the moment
12:30when I'm feeling like that to to to
12:32drink or do anything. You know, alcohol
12:34has never benefited me, especially in
12:36times like that where I'm mentally not
12:39the best.
12:41>> You use the word depression there to
12:43describe that feeling to to give it a
12:44word. So, let's use that word.
12:46>> Um, can you paint a picture for me in
12:48terms of what that actually feels like?
12:50That day that you wake up, it's Father's
12:51Day, you don't feel good. Like, what is
12:53that?
12:53>> No, I I felt good in the morning. you
12:55know, I spent the morning with my with
12:56my kids. My daughter wrote me a letter.
12:58She gave me presents, you know, did all
13:00the Father's Day stuff. I had a a great
13:02morning. But then when I left my home to
13:04go to fly out, I started feeling it, you
13:07know, and and
13:09days leading up to that, it would come
13:10off and on, coming off and on, and I
13:12would think about, you know, my father
13:13and it would kind of bring me down, but
13:16it wasn't that bad. But for Father's
13:18Day, it just hit me, man. It hit me hard
13:20>> because he's currently homeless.
13:22>> Yeah.
13:22>> Here in Louisiana. Yeah.
13:26Yeah.
13:28I actually, man, when I got out of jail
13:29in Atlanta and flew back home on that
13:32Tuesday, I got back late maybe Tuesday.
13:36Uh Wednesday morning, I drove to where
13:38he
13:40he lives or where he sleeps, and uh went
13:43to the sheriff's office, got in contact
13:45with the coroner. I had to do a whole
13:46process to to sign a OPC, order of
13:50protective custody. I tried to get him
13:52to pick him up against his will and and
13:53all this stuff and they did but I went
13:56at the wrong time and I went early in
13:58the morning when I woke up and when they
14:00picked him up he wasn't disoriented he
14:03was normal you know and uh so they
14:06released him again.
14:08>> What is the range of feelings and
14:10emotions you have towards him at the
14:12moment?
14:16you know, he's always
14:18that's tough. And I'm not angry at him.
14:21I'm uh and once again, this isn't an
14:24excuse for my actions. You know, my
14:25father just came to a head on Father's
14:27Day, but uh just
14:34upset to see him doing this to himself
14:37and not getting out of his own way and
14:39continuing to let it get just worse and
14:41worse progressively over the years when
14:42he when he knows better. you know, when
14:45he knows better.
14:48I mean, most people when
14:50you make a mistake or do you try to fix
14:52it, you try to make tomorrow better than
14:54yesterday, you know, next year better
14:56than this year. Everybody just keeps
14:58doing the same thing. And that's because
15:00he's addicted to alcohol.
15:03>> What is his story?
15:09I wish I I I knew more so I could tell
15:11you, but
15:14been like a hard worker his whole life,
15:16you know, did whatever. Worked in the
15:17oil field for a long time, but uh check
15:20to check his whole life. Um
15:23simple guy, you know, was a really good
15:25athlete in in school.
15:28Got a woman pregnant at a young age in
15:29high school, so he couldn't uh continue
15:32to focus and chase his dreams of playing
15:34football. um you know back then when you
15:37got a a girl pregnant you got married
15:39and got a job and and things like that.
15:42So that's what he did.
15:44>> So that day you wake up you're feeling
15:46okay in the morning it's father's day
15:48you start thinking about your father you
15:50get that feeling that you describe as
15:52depression.
15:52>> Yeah.
15:53>> Um which is just how what is that
15:55feeling? It's feeling
15:56>> for someone that has never experienced
15:57it before. You know, I I've had bouts
16:00with depression throughout my career.
16:01When it hits me, you know, it hits it
16:03hits me hard. And that day, it hit me.
16:05It hit me hard, man. You know, going to
16:07the airport, it just feels like
16:08everything is has a its own gravity and
16:11it's going to pull me towards the
16:12negative. No matter what it is, it's
16:14like a cloud in my in my head that I
16:16just can't get out from under it. It
16:18It's hard to explain to you unless
16:19you've been through it. That's what I
16:20try to tell my wife cuz she's always so
16:22happy and so, you know, which is great.
16:26But like when I feel like that and it
16:28doesn't happen often, but man, when it
16:29hits me, it's bad, you know? It's bad.
16:32>> Do you remember the first time you felt
16:33that?
16:35>> I don't, but my wife, you know, me and
16:36my wife been together a long time since
16:39we were in off and on through middle
16:41school and high school and all that,
16:44but she she tells me, "Don't you Yeah,
16:48>> there she is. She tells me, "Don't you
16:50remember? Like, I've always thought
16:51something, you know, you never wanted to
16:53be around big crowds, go to all the
16:55parties with me when I was younger and
16:56do all that stuff." Yeah, because I I
16:58just didn't like to be around that many
17:00people that much, you know, I I maybe it
17:02was uh anxiety I was dealing with. I
17:05don't know. This stuff is all new to me.
17:06So, I'm just I would tell her how I feel
17:08and she's like, "Don't you remember?"
17:10So, she thinks I've been having it, but
17:11I started noticing it, you know, more
17:13recently
17:15>> in the last years, three, four years.
17:18Was there a catalyst at all? A catalyst
17:20moment? Something that happened that
17:22caused you to feel that or
17:24>> if I could link it to something, it was
17:25I lost a big fight, came back home with
17:28which fight?
17:29>> My second fight with Justin Gatechi.
17:30>> Yeah.
17:31>> Lost that one, came back home,
17:32everything was good, and then it would
17:34just I was really emotional, man. You
17:36know, some days I would be fine, some
17:37days I would be sad, and I was like,
17:39"Something's off, you know, something's
17:41off." off. So that's when I started
17:42going to therapy and trying to unpack
17:44some of the stuff that I didn't even
17:46know I was walking around with, you
17:48know.
17:48>> Did you learn anything through the
17:49process of therapy? I've been to
17:51therapy, too. I've been I mean,
17:52>> still the day uh I got back from
17:54Atlanta, I started going to therapy
17:56again
17:57>> after the airport incident.
17:58>> Yeah. Yeah. Right before I I went try to
18:02help my father, uh I went through a
18:04therapy session. So I had kind of closed
18:06the door on therapy when I started
18:07feeling good again, you know? But then
18:09I'm starting to realize like it's not
18:10something that you just fix. It's
18:13something you have to work on always.
18:14And you know, so and that's that's what
18:16I'm trying to do, you know, since for
18:18the last week I've been waking up early,
18:20reading some stuff, writing, doing
18:23something hard in the morning, just
18:24trying to do everything that I was doing
18:25that made me feel better 3 years ago.
18:30And I'm trying my best, man.
18:34Have you learned anything about yourself
18:36through the process of therapy? Yeah,
18:38that maybe some some of the childhood
18:40stuff I'm still carrying around. I don't
18:42think about it, you know. It's not like
18:43the first, you know, but
18:44>> it's unconscious a lot of it.
18:45>> Right. Right. Right. But deep down I'm
18:47still carrying things I think from my
18:50childhood. And everybody, you know, I've
18:52learned a lot through therapy. Everybody
18:53deals with different emotions and
18:55process things differently. And
19:01and I'm still going through it. You
19:02know, I'm back in therapy now.
19:05I've I've been able to interview lots of
19:06people and so I've interviewed like
19:07psychologists, lots of them, so many
19:09therapists I've interviewed. One of the
19:10the things that I noticed which was
19:12quite stark to me was that um young boys
19:15in particular that grow up without a
19:17stable father figure are much more
19:19likely to be um have anger issues, be
19:22depressed, struggle in life. But it's
19:24actually the the data excuse more
19:25towards young boys without that sort of
19:27stable father figure. Um but also that
19:29if you compound that with there being
19:31violence in the home from a young age
19:33that's also another factor which
19:34exacerbates the situation where so those
19:36are sort of two of the things that stood
19:38out to me was the absence of your father
19:40also having a father or a parent that's
19:42dealing with addiction
19:43>> is another burden for so many reasons.
19:46So those three things are the things
19:47that from your story and from you know I
19:49I thought oh that's
19:51>> those are um those are challenges that
19:53are understandable to stay with you as a
19:55as an adult.
19:56>> Yeah for sure. And then then you don't
19:58even think about think about them at all
20:01throughout your whole life. And then you
20:02sit down with somebody and start opening
20:03things up and talking about things. You
20:05see, well, maybe I could be, you know,
20:07this could be linked to different things
20:08and I could be carrying stuff that isn't
20:10mine to carry and and things like that.
20:12You know, as I'm growing up and being
20:13more mature and talking and speaking to
20:15with professionals and stuff, I'm
20:16starting to unpack some of that.
20:18>> And was that difficult to do
20:20>> therapy?
20:21>> Yeah.
20:21>> Yeah, man. Yeah. You know, it's
20:23>> difficult to even say, isn't it?
20:25>> Right. And even at the beginning when I
20:26first started doing interviews like
20:28Ariel Hwani and stuff and I would bring
20:29it up like I'm you know I'm working on
20:31myself I'm going to therapy. I it felt
20:33weak in the moment like who am I? I'm
20:36going through therapy. I'm telling the
20:37world I'm going to therapy. But then I I
20:38look at it hindsight. I'm like you know
20:40what that's that's strength. I you know
20:43especially in a tough guys sport.
20:44>> Mhm.
20:45>> You know we're fighting and bleeding and
20:46beating each other up. Beating the best
20:48guys up in the world. You know fighting
20:49the best guys in the world. And I need
20:51to go to therapy to unpack some stuff.
20:53It just it's crazy. The human mind is is
20:56incredible.
20:57>> It's funny cuz we go to the gym, right?
20:58And we like work on our physical
21:00performance, but going to therapy is
21:01that we got to hide that.
21:02>> And the gym was a part of therapy for
21:04me. Fighting was a part of therapy, you
21:06know, for me. And uh and I always always
21:09was scared of that. You know, what am I
21:11going to do to
21:13to sabotage myself when I when I retire
21:16from fighting because I don't have this
21:17outlet anymore. You know, I've done it
21:18for 20 years of fighting. I always had
21:20somewhere to go, you know. I always had
21:22to to get better at the gym, to to work
21:25on fighting, to focus on something.
21:27Every day I could get up and push myself
21:29to try to be better, to answer a new
21:31question, to do anything with fighting
21:33to get better
21:35on multiple levels, whether it's the
21:37techniques or whether it's my my
21:39physical fitness, anything. There was
21:40always something to work on work on
21:42always. And when I retired, I was kind
21:44of worried about that, like how will
21:46life look post fighting, you know? Um, I
21:50was scared of it. I was scared of it
21:53>> because I mean you've been fighting
21:55since you were what 16 17.
21:58>> Yeah.
21:58>> And you're 37 now. So it's just over two
22:02decades that fighting has been your kind
22:04of north star and your orientation.
22:05>> It was always there for me. Always there
22:07for me. You know, no matter what was
22:09going on, I could go to the gym and
22:11drown out any noise in my brain. Any,
22:15you know, quiet that voice in your head.
22:18And I was scared to not have that
22:19anymore. And I I still have it. I can
22:20still go to the gym every day if I want,
22:22but it's not the same. You know, it
22:23doesn't feel the same.
22:26>> It doesn't feel the same.
22:28>> Not being on the mats preparing to fight
22:30someone for your life and your family's
22:32well-being in front of the world. If I'm
22:33just training just to spin my wheels, it
22:35doesn't feel I've done this my whole
22:36life training. Still fun. I have fun.
22:39You know, we do whatever train, but it's
22:41not It doesn't feel the same to me
22:42anymore
22:43>> because there's not a goal, a big goal
22:45at the end of it to focus your being.
22:46>> Exactly. Hm.
22:49>> When you look through the last 20 years,
22:50you do you see fighting as a really
22:52productive distraction in some respects
22:54then?
22:55>> For me, yeah, for me 100%.
22:59>> Yeah. It was an outlet. It was something
23:01to focus on. It was something to try to
23:02be the best at. It was It consumed me,
23:05man. It consumed me. Fighting was my
23:08entire life. And now post fighting, it's
23:10like separating myself
23:13from the fighter is I'm I'm trying to
23:14figure it out still. You know, a a buddy
23:17of mine told me the other day, a wise
23:18man told him, "If you're lucky, you die
23:21twice. If a man's lucky, he gets to die
23:23twice." And that's kind of what I'm
23:25going through right now. Now, that that
23:27makes sense to me. You know, that part
23:29of me that every day wake up, push
23:31yourself to be the best fighter you can
23:33be is dead. You know, I'm retired Dustin
23:36now. I'm businessman Dustin. I'm father
23:38I was I was a father before when I was
23:39still fighting, but I have other things,
23:42other hats to wear. You know, it's just
23:43I'm trying to figure it out.
23:46I'm trying to figure it all out.
23:48>> And it's only been 11 years. Not even a
23:51year. Yeah.
23:52>> July 30th, wasn't it? Last year that you
23:54retired
23:54>> here in this in New Orleans.
23:57>> Do do they offer you any support with
23:59that retirement process?
24:01>> As far as
24:02>> as far as giving you like a road map for
24:05how to deal with the mental shift?
24:07>> No.
24:07>> There's no like sort of postfighting
24:10program.
24:10>> No, there should be. For sure. There
24:12should be, but no. because it's quite a
24:14familiar story across sports,
24:16>> right? And that's what I was always when
24:17I would see it happen, I knew I was
24:18like, I'm never going to be that, you
24:20know, I'm never going to be the guy that
24:22goes and gets arrested or gets hooked on
24:24drugs or blows all of his money and
24:26just, you know, you see it over and over
24:28and not just in fighting, in
24:29professional sports, you know,
24:33it's like you've done something so long
24:35your whole life, so intense and so, you
24:38know, it takes all of you. When it's
24:39gone, it's like, what else can I do to
24:41the maximum? What else? dopamine hit can
24:43I get what can I just pour myself into
24:46and go crazy on something you know and a
24:48lot of times it's bad things dangerous
24:50things you know you see it time and time
24:52again and I always said I'll never be
24:53that guy and I'm not you know I ran into
24:55some trouble the other the other week
24:57but I'm still making a lot of right
24:59decisions you know what I mean I'm not
25:00that it just sucks to be at this point
25:02to where I always saw those guys getting
25:04arrested and doing stuff and I was like
25:06man what an idiot what an idiot you know
25:08but I wasn't going through it then I
25:09didn't understand it
25:10>> at that time And alcohol has been a a
25:13constant through your childhood through
25:16your career
25:17>> for me drinking.
25:17>> Yeah.
25:18>> No, I mean I
25:19>> when you were younger
25:20>> celebrate when I was younger probably
25:23every weekend you know but
25:25>> as I became an adult and focused on
25:27fighting I went years without drinking.
25:29>> Okay. And then even now, well, as I when
25:32I retired, it slowly became more and
25:35more and more cuz I didn't not have, you
25:38know, when I was in training camp, I
25:40wasn't getting drunk and and drinking
25:42like that. I had to wake up the next day
25:43and run miles and be at the gym and make
25:45a weight and I was really focused.
25:48>> Um, but when I retired, I didn't have to
25:51anymore. So then it kind of started
25:52slipping back in. And even when I was
25:54fighting, you know, c celebrations,
25:55gatherings, I would drink. I would
25:57drink, but it wasn't a weekly. It wasn't
25:59a weekly or daily thing, but I've always
26:01had a bad relationship with alcohol.
26:04Like I've always
26:0690% of the times if I do drink, I'm
26:09going to drink to be the best at
26:11drinking.
26:12>> I'm going to drink more than everybody.
26:13You know, that's the danger. It it can
26:16benefit you in other things that that
26:18drive and that craziness. You know, you
26:20can focus it on something and it'll
26:21benefit you or it can hurt you. You
26:24know, and that's that's the way I've
26:25always been. So I as learning learning
26:28myself over the years, I know, you know,
26:31to be careful with alcohol and going
26:33through mental things like I know
26:35especially when I'm feeling the way I
26:36felt that day to not touch it. But I
26:38just
26:40told that voice to shut up and I just
26:42drank and did what I wanted to do, you
26:43know, but I I know better. Um, as I got
26:46gotten older, it's gotten better, you
26:48know, but until recently,
26:51>> I sat here with um a lady called Dr.
26:53Anna LMK. She's like a dopamine expert.
26:55Uh,
26:56>> and I actually didn't really know until
26:57she she sat here and explained it to me
26:59that um, alcohol gives you a big hit of
27:01dopamine.
27:02>> Yeah.
27:02>> She also said to me that um, sort of
27:04genetically, person to person, we all
27:06have a different vice. So, for example,
27:09she said that she got addicted to erotic
27:11novels.
27:12>> Now, another person would never get
27:13addicted to that. Um, some people's vice
27:16is alcohol. So, they they do what you
27:17describe, which is they have one and
27:19then it's just straight line up until
27:21>> Right. Yeah. other people like they can
27:23have one or two or three and it kind of
27:25plateau and they stop and they go home
27:26>> and I envy them. You know, I have my
27:28wife is like that. One of my good
27:29buddies is like that. They can have two
27:31drinks and be done. If I drink, we're
27:33drinking till the bottles gone. You
27:35know, that's
27:37no matter how many times in my life I've
27:39said it's going to be different this
27:40time. It's going to be, you know, I'm
27:41only going to have two. It It's never
27:45never worked out. So, coming back home,
27:47talking to my wife and stuff, uh,
27:51I'm going to cut alcohol completely out
27:52of my life. You know, I made that
27:54decision. I'm not going to be like my
27:56father or make another mistake like I
27:58made in the airport. It's just it's not
28:01helping me in any way. You know, it
28:03might be a quick release and a quick hit
28:05of dopamine, but it's not benefiting me
28:06in any way. So, I got to cut it off. Cut
28:09it off from my life.
28:10>> It's not an easy thing to do
28:12>> with socializing and things like that.
28:14It's it's it's tougher to to be the
28:16sober one, but in everyday life, it's
28:18it's not hard
28:19>> for me. You know, I've I've never been
28:20an alcoholic. I just have a bad
28:22relationship if I do drink.
28:24>> So, cutting it out completely is,
28:26>> you know, not a big deal.
28:28>> So, so take me to that day then. You
28:30wake up, you go to you go to the
28:31airport, you're flying to Atlanta.
28:33You're going you're going somewhere.
28:34Where are you going?
28:34>> Atlanta. I'm going to uh to South
28:37Florida. It was actually a three-le
28:39trip. I was supposed to go to South
28:41Florida for a day that afternoon, fly
28:44out, go to LA,
28:47>> shoot a commercial for 3 days from LA,
28:49Vegas,
28:51work for CBS
28:54for the weekend,
28:56and then fly home. So, it was a three it
28:59was a big trip.
29:00>> Yeah, three leg trip.
29:02We didn't We didn't even get the first
29:04leg. We didn't even get the first leg,
29:05man.
29:06>> There should be a button just down below
29:08here. And if it says subscribed, you're
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29:14And if you're not subscribed, please
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29:18know. And according to the algorithm,
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29:21but you haven't yet hit that button.
29:22Thank you so much.
29:24>> What happened?
29:26What the sequence of events?
29:29>> On my flight from Lafayette, Louisiana,
29:31I drank two champagnes. Nothing crazy,
29:34you know. Just
29:36um landed in Atlanta. I had a little bit
29:39of a layover.
29:41Went to a bar, restaurant bar,
29:44started drinking champagne.
29:47Some guys came in, took some shots. One
29:50thing led to another,
29:52go to my gate, get into it with the desk
29:55agent. They call security, call the
29:57police.
29:58>> Do you remember what you said to the
29:59desk agent?
30:00>> No.
30:01>> No.
30:02>> Did the police didn't tell you after?
30:04>> No.
30:04>> So, you didn't even get on the plane?
30:05>> No, I never got on the plane, I don't
30:07believe. I'm pretty sure 90 90 90% sure
30:10I never got on the plane. Um, and it
30:13might have been that the desk agent
30:15might have saw I was intoxicated and
30:17it's like now we can't get on this plane
30:18and that's might have what started it. I
30:20don't know. But I do want to apologize
30:23to those desk agents whoever they are
30:25and the police for having to put up with
30:27me man. They did it. I actually
30:31uh asked a lawyer in Atlanta who I've
30:33been working with if he can please get
30:35me that officer's information, his
30:38address. I want to if I can write him a
30:39letter, his cell phone, if I can call
30:41him just to tell him how great of a job
30:44he did, you know, dealing with a person
30:46in that condition and how professional
30:49he was and, you know, he's incredible.
30:51It could have been so much worse. It
30:53could have been so much worse. I just
30:55want to thank him. I didn't get to do
30:58that.
30:59>> So, there's some kind of argument with
31:00the desk agents that you I'm guessing
31:02you can't recall.
31:03>> No.
31:04>> And then they say you're not getting on
31:05the flight.
31:06>> Yeah. And that leads to them calling
31:08>> the police.
31:08>> The security or police
31:10>> and the video we see is of the security
31:14guy coming in.
31:15>> The police officer. Yeah.
31:16>> You've watched the video, right?
31:17>> No. So, my wife watched it. A buddy of
31:19mine. I've kind of pieced it together at
31:21this point. I don't want to see it, man.
31:22>> You don't want to see it?
31:23>> I don't want to see it.
31:23>> Okay.
31:24>> I don't want to see it. Even when my
31:25wife started playing it and I heard it,
31:27she went watching the other room. And
31:28then I have a buddy I work out with 5
31:30days a week.
31:31>> He's kind of between him and my wife,
31:33I've put the pieces together and pretty
31:35pretty much know the the extent of what
31:37happened.
31:39>> Why don't you want to watch it?
31:40>> I just don't want don't want to see it,
31:42man.
31:44>> Can you articulate why that is?
31:47uh to see myself in that condition,
31:49disrespecting police officers,
31:51disrespecting uh workers at the airport,
31:54disrespecting myself, disrespect my
31:56family. I just don't feel like it's
31:57going to benefit me to see that. If
31:58anything, I think it's going to bring me
32:00down. It's going to I'm going to keep
32:02thinking about it. Uh I I like I said,
32:05for the most part, understand what
32:07happened, know what happened. I don't
32:08need to see it again, you know.
32:11So, in that video, you you seem to get
32:13aggressive quite quickly, and you you
32:15offered this um gentleman a fight. Um he
32:21kind of backs off. He knows who you are
32:22clearly straight away.
32:23>> He backs off. What I find interesting
32:26also is he pulls out his taser. He's
32:28going to he says, you might tase you,
32:30but as you walk away and you're
32:32arrested, you dap him up and you you you
32:34congratulate him on the job he did.
32:36>> Yeah. And my buddy was telling me that
32:38>> he he was telling me like his my buddy's
32:40wife thinks that's the best part of the
32:42video.
32:43>> It's the best part because it's funny
32:45because you're known as
32:46>> Yeah. So I didn't watch the video at
32:47all.
32:48>> Mhm.
32:50>> And I
32:52every day passing I be able to piece a
32:54little bit more together and memories
32:56kind of, you know, flashes of what
32:57happened are kind of playing in my head.
32:59But uh I I got home, deleted all my
33:02social. I posted that on Instagram. Then
33:05I uninstalled all social media off my
33:06phone. So I haven't since Father's or
33:08the day after Father's Day. I haven't
33:10been on anything. I haven't se I know
33:11they're making fun. I know they're
33:13talking about me. Obviously I've been in
33:14the light with being a professional
33:16athlete for a long time. I know how this
33:17goes. Um so I just uninstalled all my
33:20stuff. So I haven't seen any of the
33:22clips, any of the videos, any of
33:24anything, you know, besides what my wife
33:26and my buddy are are telling me.
33:27>> Your buddy that you train with?
33:28>> Yeah.
33:29>> Yeah. Well, it was it was uh it was
33:31interesting because you you seemed as
33:33you walked away, you were quite polite.
33:34>> Yeah, that's what I I told him. I was
33:36like, maybe I realized what was going
33:38on, you know, maybe I had a aha moment
33:41like what the hell is what am I doing,
33:43you know, in that drunken stuper. I
33:45don't know.
33:46>> You said to him that he did a good job,
33:47>> right? Yeah.
33:48>> Which was quite nice,
33:52>> right? And I
33:54looking back at it now
33:57with what they're what they're telling
33:59me and the way he handled it, he did a
34:01great job. You know,
34:02>> I need to thank him cuz like I said, it
34:04could have been so much worse. What if
34:06it was a young hotthead cop who wanted
34:07to be a superstar? I wanted to, you
34:09know, it could have been horrible. you
34:11know, I could be sitting here facing
34:12serious charges
34:14and just to put my wife and my children
34:16through that, you know, just,
34:20you know, it's not good.
34:22>> So, you went to jail that day?
34:24>> Yeah.
34:24>> You got charged with being drunken
34:26disorderly or intoxicated?
34:27>> No, they charged me with uh public
34:30intoxication.
34:32>> Okay. And they let you go the same day.
34:35>> Yeah. I spent like a night spent the
34:36night or the afternoon in jail until I
34:39sobered up.
34:41Then they release you on probation or
34:42something.
34:43>> I'm not on Well,
34:44>> what's it called? I don't know what the
34:45laws are here.
34:46>> I haven't been to court and all that
34:47stuff yet. So, they just know they on
34:49bond.
34:49>> Okay. On bond. Okay.
34:52>> And that's when you go and you know
34:53after then go and you do the therapy
34:55session, you go and try and find your
34:56father.
34:57>> Yeah.
34:58>> All these trips are canceled, I'm
35:00guessing, at that point.
35:00>> Yeah.
35:01>> You have to go home and speak to your
35:03your wife.
35:04>> Right. Right.
35:05>> Can't be easy. It wasn't fun for sure,
35:08you know, to let her down. And
35:11it's just been so long since I I don't
35:12even know how to
35:15address it really when I when I got
35:16home. I I haven't been in trouble. I
35:17haven't been arrested in so long, you
35:19know, decades and decades. I don't I
35:21don't even know when's the last time I
35:22got arrested. This is the first time in
35:23a in a very long time.
35:26But to go back and
35:28my my partner who's been with me through
35:30everything and and has grown with me
35:32through everything to go back and like
35:36see her face to face.
35:39Yeah. I just keep apologizing and it'll
35:42never happen again.
35:45>> If I'm a fly on the wall during that
35:46conversation when you get home, what do
35:48I observe?
35:51me telling her it'll never happen, never
35:54happen again, and
35:58her telling me it can't happen again,
36:01you know. Um,
36:08yeah, man.
36:10Telling her that I'm going to focus on
36:11myself and and be better from this. I
36:14know it sucks right now in the moment,
36:15but this decision, this arrest, this
36:20quit drinking for the rest of my life,
36:23it's going to benefit me and my kids in
36:25the future. So, things happen, you
36:27learn. Um, and that's just what it is.
36:30You know,
36:32>> you met uh Jolie when you were 14 years
36:36old.
36:36>> Younger.
36:37>> Younger. Really?
36:37>> Yeah. 14 is is like a freshman in high
36:40school.
36:41>> Mhm. We were dating
36:43uh in middle school
36:46>> and in many respects she's really um she
36:48sacrificed quite a lot for your a loter.
36:50>> A lot. She dropped out of college and
36:52moved me to South Florida
36:55uh for me to chase my dreams.
36:59>> Cuz she was going to nursing school,
37:00wasn't she?
37:01>> Yeah. Yeah.
37:04And I honestly don't think I would have
37:06made it to the point I made it to in in
37:09fighting if I didn't have an anchor like
37:10that at home. You know,
37:16man, she been my best friend for a long
37:18time.
37:28Yeah. sort of go home after getting
37:30arrested and speaking to her and like
37:33not only did I let myself down, but I
37:36have a family, you know, I have kids. Uh
37:40I let my family down, man. That's what
37:41hurts.
37:42>> This is another beautiful photo.
37:45>> Yeah,
37:45>> the gang.
37:46>> That's them.
37:51Yeah, man. I let them down. Let myself
37:52down. But like I said,
37:55I'm going to learn from this and
37:57continue pushing forward and it will
37:59never happen again. Um, it's going to
38:01affect the trajectory of my whole life.
38:03This one this one arrest, you know. My
38:07my son and my daughter is never going to
38:09grow up and see me intoxicated. They're
38:11never going to see me say things or do
38:14things I don't mean to do or mean to
38:15say, you know. So, like I said, it
38:18sucks, man. It's it's bad. Um, but it's
38:21going to benefit me and my family in the
38:23long run. So, it's just something that
38:24had to happen, I guess.
38:26>> So, she did she know what had happened
38:28before you got back from jail.
38:31>> Had she seen videos or
38:32>> No, no, no, no,
38:33>> she hadn't.
38:34>> No. Well, the police officer called her
38:37>> when I was in the in the holding cell
38:39and stuff. So, yeah, she knew what was
38:42going on. She didn't know in the moment
38:44if she probably knew a couple hours
38:45after, you know, once they booked me and
38:46all that.
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40:54What's interesting is um
40:57you know we've seen these kind of
40:58incidents happen before but I've I've
41:01never seen such a large amount of people
41:04understand you would expect the reaction
41:07to be from the general public from
41:08fighters from people at large to be oh
41:11my god this is a bad person but I think
41:13because you've conducted yourself in a
41:15certain way throughout your career that
41:16wasn't the sentiment
41:17>> I'm not seeing what people are saying
41:19>> it wasn't the sentiment I can tell you
41:20it was it was crazy I was like I was
41:22saying it to my fiance I was saying Like
41:24the reason why the sentiment has been
41:27he's going through some things and this
41:30is a good man is because a you've
41:32conducted yourself so well throughout
41:33your career. You've had good values in
41:36victory and in and in loss. But also I
41:39think because you've actually spoken
41:40about some of these struggles publicly.
41:42>> I've never bit my tongue. I've always
41:43been open, you know, about what I'm
41:46going through. When I was able to
41:47pinpoint and talk about what I was going
41:49through when I didn't know, I couldn't
41:51speak on it. But as I got older and
41:52started doing therapy, I'm able to speak
41:54on it. And
41:56>> yeah, I am going through things at some
41:59some days, you know.
42:00>> Um,
42:01>> well, that's what I'd say to you is, you
42:03know, you've not looked at the internet,
42:04but the internet has been heavily
42:07supportive of you.
42:08>> And, you know, my I think a lot of that
42:10probably is longtime fight fans and
42:12people who've been following my career a
42:13long time. You know, I grew up in
42:14fighting, so people got to watch me from
42:16a kid, you know,
42:19grow up. So they they know my character
42:21for the most part. It was a bad day. It
42:23wasn't, you know, it's not a bad life. I
42:25had I I messed up. I had a really bad
42:26day
42:27>> where I was angry at the world and
42:29obviously alcohol doesn't doesn't help
42:31that. And uh I really messed up. But
42:34people have seen me year after year and
42:37I I mean well and I really mean it and I
42:39think they they know it's authentic and
42:41>> but I am just a human being and I make
42:44mistakes. So, I think those fans, if
42:45people are sticking up for me, it's
42:46because they they know it's Dustin.
42:49Like, I'm going to he's going to shake
42:51back or he's going to, you know, turn
42:53this into a positive somehow. And that's
42:55my goal, you know. I don't want to let
42:56anybody else out there down. I'm trying
42:58my best. You know, I I have to take care
42:59of myself first. And I'm doing that the
43:02right steps. And that's that's just it.
43:04I think the people who are standing up
43:06for me
43:08have watched me grow up, you know. Well,
43:11dare I say, I think that was the
43:12majority of the sentiment was that this
43:14is a good a good man who's who's
43:16struggling and it was people sending
43:18sympathy because because of that, but
43:20also because there's a couple of clips
43:22that went viral online of you speaking
43:25on both Theon's show and Joe Rogan's
43:28show. And so, in the in the in the wake
43:30of, you know, this clip going viral of
43:32you in the airport, these other clips go
43:33viral with them, which is
43:35>> Oh, you haven't seen it? Okay. Okay. I
43:37mean, obviously I did the I did the
43:38interviews or whatever you're talking
43:39about, so I said it. So, I'm sure if you
43:41showed it, I would remember, but I
43:42haven't seen what people are talking
43:43about.
43:44>> Well, this clip went viral at the same
43:45time. And this is what gave it context.
43:48>> Have to. Yeah.
43:50>> You just There's no If you get
43:52complacent or if you Why
43:54>> I'm like a It's honestly, bro, I'm a
43:55danger to myself when I'm have nothing.
43:58No goal circled on my calendar. I'm a
43:59danger to myself, man.
44:00>> Yeah.
44:01>> Yeah. I beat I beat myself up mentally.
44:03I I'm home. I drink. I'm It's just not
44:06good. I have to have some kind of
44:07battle.
44:08>> Yeah.
44:08>> Yeah.
44:09>> H And I've always been like that. But
44:10like as I'm getting older, I'm kind of
44:12recognizing
44:12>> Oh, you can see it more.
44:13>> Yeah. So, I kind of set set goals. So, I
44:16>> So, that clip went viral and there was a
44:18a clip just like it um of you on Dur
44:21Rogan, which is you saying almost
44:23identically the same thing
44:24>> which also went viral with it.
44:27>> So, this gave everybody context.
44:29>> And so, you see that and you go, "Okay,
44:30we understand." And I think we're now,
44:32you know, we're old enough, mature
44:33enough to understand that once a pro
44:35alete leaves the high octane, high
44:38adrenaline sport like UFC that your
44:42brain has changed
44:43>> for sure.
44:44>> And not least because of the dopamine,
44:46but also, you know, there's other
44:47reasons why there's there's head
44:49injuries are quite prevalent in the
44:52sport. So there was a huge amount of
44:53sympathy. I just wanted you to know that
44:54cuz I know you've not seen it but
44:55>> but I mean I still feel horrible but it
44:59you know and not even using fighting or
45:01head trauma or my homeless father or any
45:04of that stuff as an excuse. I just want
45:06to say that like I did these things. I
45:09know better. I know right and wrong. I
45:11don't want to lean on these as a crutch
45:13of of my actions. You know what I mean?
45:15And the other the other clip that went,
45:19just so you know, just so because these
45:21this is you and Joe Rogan talking about
45:23similar thing.
45:24>> Want to show what I was talking about.
45:25It's like a gift and a curse, man. It's
45:27like you have to be all in at something.
45:28Those kind of people who are built like
45:30that.
45:31>> Whether it's fighting or drinking or
45:34whether it's good or bad, you're going
45:36all in. It's dangerous.
45:37>> The problem. Yeah. The problem is like
45:39what you see with Connor, when they
45:41don't have the fighting, then they go
45:42all in with the other things.
45:44>> Yeah. Yeah.
45:45>> Right. Fighting was always for me always
45:47pulled everything together, you know.
45:48>> That's why like retiring is scary, man.
45:51Days are long. I have a lot of time.
45:52It's I don't have to get ready for a
45:54fight. I don't, you know,
45:55>> you're still a young man, too. You still
45:56have a whole lot of life ahead of you.
45:58I'm
45:58>> 37, man.
45:59>> Yeah. So, it makes you think like, what
46:01do I do now? What do I do with my
46:02future? What do I do? What do you want
46:04to do?
46:04>> Dude, I kind of got like for a week or
46:06so, I would say depressed, but I kind of
46:08got into like a funk like what the hell
46:09am I going to do with my life? Every day
46:11I would wake up for the last 20 years,
46:13how can I be better fighter? How can I
46:14what's new in fitness? How can I push
46:16myself? I want to be the champion. And
46:18then boom, you lay the gloves down and
46:19you wake up and you're a
46:21civilian.
46:22>> And that's meant that you, you know,
46:23some of your your fellow fellow peers
46:25like Jon Jones have come out and said
46:26some really nice things and other
46:27fighters have come out and said some
46:28really nice things and sent their
46:29support and, you know, well wishes.
46:32>> I appreciate it. I'm I'm working on
46:33myself. I'm trying my best.
46:35>> Were you aware that John Jones had had
46:37done a post and stuff? My buddy Kyle
46:39said, the guy who I work out with every
46:41day I was talking about, he told me that
46:43Jon Jones came out and said something
46:45and it was positive.
46:47>> He said, uh, Matt Brown as well, a
46:50former fighter did a video. He said it
46:52was really nice and stuff. And I'm sure
46:54I'll see some of that stuff. I don't
46:55want to like you relive the moment that
46:57much. I don't want to keep like diving
46:59back, but when I do get back on social
47:01media or do start watching videos and
47:02stuff again, I'm sure I'm going to see
47:04some of it, you know? you know, and I
47:05appreciate everybody, but
47:08I'm I just
47:10it feels weird to, you know, I'm I'm not
47:14looking for for that for sympathy or for
47:17to make this okay. It's not okay, you
47:19know.
47:20>> You know, it's not. But I I think the
47:23reason I'm sort of really keen to tell
47:25you is once upon a time we didn't really
47:27understand mental health and so people
47:31were thought to be crazy or whatever
47:33when they acted out of character but I
47:36think the world has gotten to such a
47:37place now where we we think about
47:39context a bit more
47:40>> and this was really it was really nice
47:41to see for me um having done a little
47:44bit of background research as well to
47:46see that people's first reaction wasn't
47:48just to villainize somebody it was to
47:50understand people actually went, "Oh,
47:52no. This is someone struggling with
47:54their mental health. It's not a bad
47:57person. It's a bad mental health
47:59situation." Um, which I've actually not
48:02really seen before, which was, as I say,
48:04it was really nice. But I know you I
48:06know what you're saying. You're saying
48:06you don't want to blame anything, right?
48:08I don't want to blame anything or have a
48:10crutch to lean on about my actions,
48:12about what happened. You know, I did it.
48:14you know, I'm not not blaming it on
48:16mental health or anything like that,
48:18even though I'm focusing on that now.
48:21You know, I I did I
48:24did that. I decided to drink that day
48:26when I wasn't feeling well. It's it's
48:27all on me.
48:28>> So, is it kind of a bit of a roller
48:30coaster in your world post fighting in
48:33terms of your mental health? Is it ups
48:35and downs and ups and downs?
48:36>> Yeah, big time.
48:38>> And what is the
48:39>> Some days I wake up and I feel like I
48:41made the right decision, you know? Uh, I
48:45need to be home. I need to be doing
48:47things around the house. I need to be
48:49here every day with my kids making the
48:51breakfast. And then some days I wake up
48:53and I'm like, "What the am I doing?
48:55I can beat all these guys still, you
48:57know? I can still beat these guys, but I
48:58don't know if that ever leaves. I might
49:00be 60-year-old having coffee one day
49:03saying the same thing. I can beat these
49:05guys. I don't know if that's just a
49:06competitive spirit. I don't know if
49:07that's just fighting your whole life. I
49:09don't I don't know. But I these top guys
49:11that are winning now and and fighting
49:13now on these upcoming cards, I can I can
49:15beat them still.
49:19I know I can. And then I wake up the
49:22next day and I'm like, "Ah, good thing I
49:24don't have to fight these guys anymore."
49:26Then the next day it's like, I can I can
49:30be the world champion. You know, it's
49:31it's just up and down every day.
49:35And how does your your mental health
49:37sort of correlate to those ups and those
49:39um thoughts?
49:40>> Even though I have those days where I
49:42want to fight and think I made the right
49:44decision, my mental health has been
49:46pretty even. You know, up until
49:48recently, I I haven't been worried about
49:51myself or having to
49:53go to my journal and sit in the morning
49:55and have coffee like I've been doing
49:56this last week, you know. But I when I
50:00do start feeling 100% normal, okay
50:02again, I need to continue to do those
50:05things, you know? I can't I can't
50:09stop because I feel good. It's it's a
50:10constant. It something's going on with
50:13my brain. Like I have to practice these
50:16these things every day. And now being
50:19removed from the incident, removed from
50:21my three years ago when I felt really
50:23bad and I was in the dark place, I'm
50:25realizing that like it's it's not a
50:28Eureka moment where you're fixed. You
50:30got to this is everyday work for the
50:31rest of your life most likely. I'm
50:33pretty sure.
50:35>> Was it just the last week or was it you
50:37said in recent times?
50:39>> In recent times that was like the
50:41the boiling point on Father's Day. Um,
50:44but there's been days. Yeah. There's
50:45been days where I've not expressed to my
50:48wife how I'm feeling and I was feeling
50:50down or
50:51>> the last two months.
50:52>> Couple few months. Yeah. There's good
50:54days, bad days, you know,
50:56>> where you haven't expressed to your wife
50:57how you're feeling.
50:59>> Yeah. Some days I will tell her, but
51:00some days I I don't, you know, I just
51:03continue to go along my day and, you
51:06know, so I don't want to be that guy to
51:10where I wake up and my wife's worried
51:11about how I'm feeling that day. wake,
51:13you know, I don't want her worrying
51:14about me like that. I wonder who who's
51:16waking up today is is depressed is upset
51:19Dustin waking up today or is this my
51:21normal husband I'm waking up to? I don't
51:22want to worry her. So some days, you
51:25know, if I'm feeling really bad, which
51:27hasn't been that often lately, I'll tell
51:29her I'm, you know, today I'm not feeling
51:31that well. I don't want my daughter
51:33coming in the in the bedroom, you know,
51:35why is that staying in bed all day? You
51:37know, I don't want to tell her again
51:38that I'm not feeling good today. You
51:40know, she doesn't understand. and I have
51:41a she's about to be 10 years old. She
51:44she can't comprehend what's going on. I
51:47can barely comprehend it, you know. So,
51:50to keep them more on a steady day-to-day
51:54thing, if if it's just slightly I'm kind
51:56of feeling a little bit off today, I
51:58just suck it up and go about,
52:01you know, my business.
52:02>> But there will be days where you you
52:03stay in bed all day.
52:04>> There has been. Yeah.
52:07And you try and sort of avoid the
52:10conversation with like your daughter.
52:12>> Yeah.
52:13>> It's not It's not often, but it happens.
52:15Yeah.
52:16>> Do you find that if you don't talk about
52:17it, it kind of comes out in other ways?
52:19Cuz I
52:20>> Well, you battle it up so long until it
52:21finds a way out, you know?
52:22>> Yeah.
52:23>> Yeah.
52:24>> Which kind of brings us to the airport
52:26incident, I guess.
52:26>> Could could be
52:27>> to some degree,
52:28>> right? But even the airport incident,
52:30those days leading up, even if I did
52:32have an off day, uh I didn't feel like
52:36it was that that bad, that serious, that
52:39dangerous to myself or anybody else, you
52:41know? I really didn't feel like that.
52:46>> It's an interesting thing. I've I've
52:47often actually contended with when I'm
52:48having like bad moments, do I tell my
52:51partner so I can really relate to the
52:52feeling? Cuz in part, I think as a as a
52:55man sometimes you want to be you have it
52:57within you that you need to be strong
52:58and steady. Especially with like my
53:01fiance, I'm like I have to be strong and
53:02steady. So if I'm having a bad day or
53:04whatever, I I feel like I have to keep
53:06it to myself. But then it always finds a
53:08way out and it hurts her like it will
53:10hurt the relationship.
53:12>> So actually I think with with age I've
53:13gone actually to avoid all problems be
53:16honest as fast as you can.
53:18>> Right. Yeah. Honesty is always the best.
53:21>> It's always the best. Is that kind of
53:23how you feel as well with it or is it a
53:24similar? I mean,
53:25>> for the most part, I I am really open
53:26and honest, but like if I'm just kind of
53:30feeling off and it's for me to I know
53:32you don't understand what that what that
53:34means or maybe you have something you
53:36can link it to when you feel kind of
53:37just like today's not
53:39>> not my day. If I'm feeling off, I'll let
53:40her know. I've been pretty honest. But
53:42like I said, if it's just slight like
53:44I'm just not feeling right, I won't if
53:47it's slight, I won't I won't even bring
53:49it up. I got to be a dad and continue to
53:51do things every day and stuff like that.
53:53But if I'm feeling really down to where
53:55I don't even want to leave the house at
53:57all and stuff, you know, I'll let my
53:58wife know.
53:59>> On this point of purpose, when you were
54:01talking to Thea and Joe, it was you were
54:03saying that, you know, the purpose you
54:04had for 20 years has now gone. So in its
54:06place, you kind of need to find
54:08something else. You need to figure out
54:10what what's in its place. How are you
54:12thinking about that today?
54:13>> I retired at 36 years old. That's young
54:16to, you know, like I said, the days are
54:18long. I have all day every day to I need
54:22to stay busy and that's what I have been
54:24doing, you know, working with CBS,
54:26working with uh the podcast we have down
54:29in South Florida every Monday. I've just
54:30been trying to saying yes to as much
54:32stuff as I can. So, I'm don't have time
54:34to sit back and think. And that could
54:35have been my demise as well. Maybe I was
54:37being too busy. Maybe I wasn't focusing
54:38on my mental health and myself as much.
54:40You know, it's easy to get lost in these
54:42whirlwinds of busy and be here, be
54:44there. You know, life just moves so fast
54:47sometimes.
54:48Do you have a plan for for for what you
54:51want to commit yourself to? You're 37
54:52now, right?
54:53>> So, I mean, you got another 50 50 years
54:56ahead of you to to climb other mountains
54:59potentially,
55:00>> right? No, I don't have anything locked
55:01like locked down what I'm going to do
55:03exactly what I'm going to focus
55:05everything on, but I need to find
55:06something, man.
55:07>> Has there ever been anything that
55:09compared?
55:09>> No, nothing ever will nothing. I have a
55:12void inside of me that nothing will, you
55:14know, being a father is very fulfilling
55:17and and I love it and it it's it's
55:19rewarding and I actually enjoy it, but
55:22nothing fills that void of what fighting
55:26was in my life. You know, I haven't
55:28found anything yet. I don't think there
55:30is.
55:33>> You don't think there is? I just don't
55:34know what's going to consume me and take
55:38all of myself the way fighting did. You
55:41know, I woke up thinking about it. I
55:43went to sleep thinking about it. I It
55:46was my life, man.
55:52I cared so much about it, man. I was in
55:54love with it.
55:56>> You can still play a role in the
55:57industry though. No.
55:59>> Yeah. And that's what And that's what I
56:00thought I was, you know, was a good
56:01avenue. That's what I was trying to do.
56:03That was my goal after fighting is I
56:05want to stick around the sport
56:08whether I'm on the desk broadcast or
56:10with the podcast. Anything pertaining to
56:12the sport where I can talk about it, you
56:14know, be around the sport that's given
56:16me everything I have and taught me so
56:18many lessons in life. I I just want to
56:20be around it speaking about it, be on
56:22the mats, helping younger fighters,
56:24whatever, you know, and I was doing and
56:25I was doing that when I retired, you
56:27know.
56:28>> I'm still doing it.
56:30>> But it's not the It's not the same.
56:33>> No.
56:34>> How does it compare as a percentage? Is
56:36it 20% the way there, 50% the way there?
56:39Or
56:40>> probably closer to 20. It's not It's not
56:41even 50. No.
56:44>> Have you spoken to other fighters who
56:46have expressed the exact same sentiment
56:48that like fighting was the the Mount
56:50Everest for me and I don't know what to
56:52do next?
56:53>> Not really to that to that exact point,
56:56but other fighters have reached out and
56:58said, "Hey, you know, I'm I'm all ears
56:59if you ever want to talk about it." But
57:00I went through it as well. You know,
57:02laying the gloves down isn't as easy as
57:03you think. You know, people who I look
57:05up to you have reached out to me and and
57:07uh I never took anybody up on it. You
57:09know, I've never started speaking to
57:10other fighters about what they do to get
57:12past and I should, you know, it's all
57:14it's my my doing, you know,
57:17>> cuz it's not it's not a new problem, is
57:18it?
57:19>> No, this is
57:20>> everyone but lots of people have
57:21expressed,
57:22>> right? And it's not just a new problem
57:23with fighting. It's a new problem, I
57:24think, with a lot of athletes, you know,
57:26who've done it for a long time and
57:27reached the pinnacle. and you know when
57:30it's over
57:32you know you have a lot of life left to
57:33live.
57:34>> I've heard similar sentiments expressed
57:36from some of my friends that were in the
57:37military and then left the military 36
57:4037 years old and it's like that was
57:43their Everest that was also the
57:44camaraderie that they had being in camp
57:46and uh being in in on base and stuff
57:48like that and going away being deployed
57:49and then they come back and they're a
57:51civilian all of a sudden. Right.
57:54>> It's difficult.
57:55>> Yeah, man. But that's life. Life's
57:57difficult you know. just
57:59got to figure something else out, you
58:01know, got to figure solve a new puzzle.
58:03It's just life keeps going.
58:05>> You were going off to work when you were
58:07caught up in this airport incident.
58:08>> Yeah.
58:09>> How are you thinking about work
58:10prospects and stuff like that
58:12considering all that swirling around at
58:13the moment and all these things?
58:16>> Worried about losing everything I've
58:17been working on, you know, that
58:21is a possibility as well, you know.
58:24um
58:27like post fighting when I retired, all
58:29the stuff that I've been doing, all the
58:32the desk work that me focusing on
58:34getting better at all that stuff. I'm
58:35like, did I just ruin everything that I
58:37that I was working for, you know? I
58:38don't know yet.
58:40It's still too too early to really have
58:43those answers, I think.
58:44>> Have you got like sponsors and stuff
58:45like that, or is it just your partners
58:47where you do guest work and podcasts and
58:49stuff like that?
58:49>> No, I have a bunch of sponsors.
58:51>> Yeah. and they've been understanding.
58:54>> It's kind of murky right now. I think
58:55it's still too fresh. I know uh one big
58:59one isn't a sponsor anymore.
59:00>> Oh, you lost a sponsor.
59:01>> Oh, yeah. I'm I'm sure I lost a few. I'm
59:04waiting to see when the smoke clears
59:06who's still with me or not. That day
59:08cost me not only embarrassment and
59:12embarrassment to my family, uh it cost
59:14me a lot of money, too. you know,
59:17I'm I'm losing sponsors. I'm losing gigs
59:19and losing things that I had set up. You
59:21know,
59:22>> you're losing gigs you had set up in the
59:24future as well.
59:25>> Well, we'll see.
59:27Obviously, the gigs, the three things I
59:29was supposed to do that that week
59:32are are gone. And then a big sponsor of
59:35mine is gone because of it.
59:39>> And of the um of the comm the
59:41professional commitments you have coming
59:42up, what are those kinds of things that
59:44you have? I know you um you said in an
59:45interview that I watched that you'd
59:46reached out to was it Paramount?
59:49>> Oh, I worked with Paramount.
59:51>> Yeah, work with them. But you'd reached
59:52out to them to say, "Listen, I want to
59:53sharpen my skills
59:55>> as a commentator,
59:56>> as a desk analyst."
59:57>> Des desk analyst. And so you'd reached
59:59out to them post, you know,
1:00:01postretirement because you wanted to get
1:00:03more and more into that. I just thought
1:00:04it was really cool that you proactively
1:00:06reached out to them and said, "Listen,
1:00:07I'm here."
1:00:08>> Yeah. If you guys think that I would be
1:00:10a good fit anywhere on a broadcast or
1:00:12anything, I would love to
1:00:14talk about fighting and talk about this
1:00:17sport as it continues to grow with what
1:00:18I've learned through the two decades of
1:00:21doing it. You know, if I can be a voice
1:00:24in this area, please let me do it. And
1:00:26and they did, you know, and I told them
1:00:27like, I'm coachable. I don't have no
1:00:30hard feelings. Like, if I'm doing
1:00:31something wrong, please let me know. I'm
1:00:32very, you know, because a lot of these
1:00:34other people who work the desk come from
1:00:36a media background or things like that.
1:00:37Of course, we have a lot of fighters,
1:00:39but who work the desk, but a lot of
1:00:41these other people might not take
1:00:43criticism and coaching as well as
1:00:45somebody who's been coached their whole
1:00:46life. So, I'm letting them know like if
1:00:48if there's something I'm doing that is
1:00:51not the right etiquette, it's not if I
1:00:52if I can do something better, please let
1:00:54me know. Coach me. I'm not it's no
1:00:56judgment. You're never going to rub me
1:00:57the wrong way. Please let me know. I
1:00:58want to be good at this. That's what I
1:01:00was trying to let them know.
1:01:01>> Well, it's cool. It's cool because a lot
1:01:03of people, they they come in with a lot
1:01:04of ego. um especially if they've been at
1:01:06the the the peak of their powers in one
1:01:08profession.
1:01:09>> Yeah.
1:01:09>> They kind of don't want to humble
1:01:10themselves enough to be
1:01:11>> a whole new thing for me. You know,
1:01:13>> talking on TV and talking about fights
1:01:15and and things like that is a whole new
1:01:16thing. So, I wanted to learn as much as
1:01:19I can.
1:01:19>> And you have a contract with them?
1:01:21>> Yeah, I did. We'll see.
1:01:23>> Oh, you're worried that it might not be.
1:01:25>> It could be. Yeah.
1:01:27>> I guess when something like
1:01:28>> I had a year contract with with
1:01:30Paramount CBS to work the the desks for
1:01:33the fights. Okay. Well, I hope they all
1:01:36stick with you.
1:01:37>> We'll see. I think on the in a few weeks
1:01:39I'm back on the podcast. So, I know
1:01:41they're bringing me back to the Monday
1:01:42podcast. We talk about fights every
1:01:44Monday. In two weeks, I'll be back on
1:01:46that. And so, we'll see if that
1:01:48continues. You know,
1:01:49>> you you know, the other thing is you are
1:01:50you are young. You're 37. I'm 33. And uh
1:01:54>> you're young.
1:01:55>> Yeah. Yeah. That's how I can I can
1:01:56almost relate would be like if my career
1:01:59was was wrapping up in a couple of
1:02:01years. Like my main, you know, but I'm
1:02:03in the I guess my career is business. So
1:02:06I can kind of do that forever.
1:02:07>> Well, for sure.
1:02:08>> But if I if I had to if I'd spent the
1:02:10last 20 years of my life I've spent the
1:02:11last 15 years of my life building
1:02:12businesses. So if I wrapped up in a
1:02:14couple years time and I had to change
1:02:16profession and I couldn't do what I've
1:02:19done for the last 20 years anymore.
1:02:21>> Gosh,
1:02:23that's what athletes go through
1:02:24>> for sure. They climb the mountain and
1:02:26then aging happens and they get older
1:02:28like we all do and then they have to
1:02:29say, "Right, brand new mountain." That
1:02:31doesn't happen to most people in most
1:02:32care. You kind of just keep climbing.
1:02:33>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
1:02:34>> True. I never thought about it comparing
1:02:36it to other other uh careers.
1:02:39>> Do you enjoy the the desk work?
1:02:40>> I really do, man.
1:02:41>> Yeah.
1:02:42>> That's why I'm scared to lose it, too,
1:02:43cuz I I really enjoy being connected to
1:02:44the sport. You know, this sport has,
1:02:46like I said, given me everything I have.
1:02:48Me and my family, everything we have is
1:02:50through fighting.
1:02:53Just like Jon Jones, where marginal
1:02:54improvements in your cognitive
1:02:55performance can have a massive impact,
1:02:57sometimes I podcast for 10 hours a day.
1:02:59Over the last couple of weeks, I've been
1:03:01in filming for a TV show and then I have
1:03:03like one or two days off to get all of
1:03:04my work done, which means there's lots
1:03:06of cognitive load. And so I turned to
1:03:08ketones because I find myself more
1:03:09articulate, able to think more clearly,
1:03:12able to work out better when I'm fueled
1:03:14by ketones. And so the reason I became a
1:03:16co-owner of this company and the reason
1:03:17why they now are a sponsor of this
1:03:19podcast is because I remember one of my
1:03:21team members called Cristiana, she tried
1:03:22it once and came up to my desk and she
1:03:23goes, "This is the best product ever
1:03:25made." And I think in part that's
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1:04:39below.
1:04:40>> And this is obviously a bit of a
1:04:41personal question, but it gives useful
1:04:42context. Is at 37 years old, you're
1:04:45thinking as a man, you know, I've got to
1:04:46provide for my family for for the next
1:04:4830 40 years potentially. Are you are you
1:04:50set up sufficiently? Cuz there's a lot
1:04:52of talk around fighters not getting paid
1:04:53that much in the UFC as well.
1:04:55>> I mean, uh the career I've had
1:04:57>> Yeah.
1:04:58>> I don't have to work another day of my
1:05:00life.
1:05:00>> Really?
1:05:00>> Yeah.
1:05:00>> Oh, congratulations. Well done. Because
1:05:03a lot of people also they go out and
1:05:04they, you know, we hear the stories of
1:05:07buying a little too many watches or
1:05:09gambling or whatever it might be.
1:05:10>> I need to stop gambling. That's what I
1:05:12need. I told my wife the other day, she
1:05:14was like,
1:05:15>> she's like, I just paid some bills. I
1:05:17saw you made another deposit to the
1:05:19gambling thing. I was like, I can't cold
1:05:21turkey everything. Give me one. Let's go
1:05:23one thing at a time. One thing,
1:05:24gambling's a couple steps up on the
1:05:27list. I got some other things I need to
1:05:28stop doing first. Well, if you can take
1:05:30care of yourself the rest of your life,
1:05:32then you know, all good, right? To to
1:05:34have fun still,
1:05:35>> right? Right. Yeah.
1:05:36>> So, a lot of a lot of pe a lot of
1:05:38fighters, a lot of people generally
1:05:39can't say that when they leave.
1:05:41>> But I've always, you know, I have a few
1:05:43businesses in in Louisiana and
1:05:45elsewhere. I've always planted seeds my
1:05:47whole my whole life, you know. I started
1:05:48investing when I was 23 years old, you
1:05:50know, before I was even making real real
1:05:52money. I was investing what little I
1:05:54had. I always planted these seeds cuz I
1:05:56I knew I couldn't fight forever. it was
1:05:59going to end any any, you know, I could
1:06:01have get in a car accident and never
1:06:03fight again. It could end any day with
1:06:04fighting. I knew that. So, I've always
1:06:06planted seeds to try to have my future
1:06:09taken care of, you know, always since a
1:06:12young age.
1:06:14>> Smile.
1:06:15>> Actually, when I was like 18, 19, I told
1:06:17my wife, I'm not I'm not going to fight
1:06:18past 35 years old. And I almost hit that
1:06:21mark. I was too young to at the time
1:06:22when I told her that,
1:06:24>> too young to see the, you know, full
1:06:26picture and know how my career was going
1:06:27to play out. what 36 I I hung it up. But
1:06:31I told her from a very young age, 35, I
1:06:34lived half my life and I have a whole
1:06:35another life to live. At 35, I can go to
1:06:37college. I can go I can do do be
1:06:39whatever I want to be. I have a whole
1:06:40another life to live. So I kind of
1:06:41always
1:06:44angled at 35
1:06:46to pivot.
1:06:48>> And that was the moment.
1:06:50>> Yeah, man.
1:06:51>> That's the moment where you were tired.
1:06:52>> Oh, yeah.
1:06:53>> How does it feel looking at that photo,
1:06:55>> man? And these are my brothers in this
1:06:57picture, man.
1:06:58>> I can see the emotion in your faces.
1:07:01>> Yeah, my mother's back there. And I
1:07:03mean, this is my family. You know,
1:07:06all these guys are my family members.
1:07:12It a special day.
1:07:15And I got to do it in Louisiana. You
1:07:16know, it meant a lot to me. It really
1:07:18meant a lot to me.
1:07:22Well,
1:07:27Yeah, man. I was just a kid chasing
1:07:29dreams and it just flew by so quick.
1:07:33And I I guess that's a part of me that's
1:07:36I scared for the future is. I don't I
1:07:40don't know,
1:07:42you know, for 20 years I was dreaming
1:07:43about being the best. I just want to
1:07:46dream again, you know. I don't know what
1:07:47that dream will be. I just need that in
1:07:49my life, whatever that is.
1:07:53Yeah,
1:07:57special day, man.
1:08:04>> So many emotions in your face as you
1:08:06look at that photo.
1:08:06>> Yeah, I'm trying not to tear up, dude.
1:08:08>> How come?
1:08:10>> Because it just makes me feel that way,
1:08:11you know,
1:08:16cuz I still love it. But I know I need
1:08:17to walk away from it, you know, continue
1:08:21walking away from it. But I still love
1:08:23it. And like I told you, it's like a
1:08:24piece of me.
1:08:28Like those gloves, me putting them on
1:08:30the mat is a piece of myself I left, you
1:08:32know? I I really truly believe that.
1:08:52You know, I was a kid when I started
1:08:53this
1:08:55the fight life.
1:09:01You know, it it taught me how to be a
1:09:02man. It taught me how to do business. It
1:09:05taught me a lot of things about myself.
1:09:10I didn't go to school. Fighting was my
1:09:12my education, you know.
1:09:16traveled the world and met people and
1:09:18sat at tables I would have never dreamed
1:09:20of be you know sitting at and through
1:09:23fighting uh it was just incredible
1:09:25journey
1:09:28you know uh but if I can go back in time
1:09:31to when I was a kid 16 17 if I could do
1:09:34it again I would do it again even
1:09:36knowing everything that what could be
1:09:38what damage I could take I would do it
1:09:41again that's how fun the ride
1:09:49But nobody rides for free, you know.
1:09:52That's why I'm saying I would do it
1:09:53again. The the damage, the ups and
1:09:56downs, the unknown, nobody rides for
1:09:59free. Whether you're working clocking in
1:10:01at a job, working in an office for the
1:10:03your whole life, you know, or you're
1:10:06fighting men all over the world, uh
1:10:10we're exchanging something, you know,
1:10:12for something. So, I would do it again.
1:10:22I'm just glad I got to do it here in
1:10:24Louisiana. You know, where it all
1:10:25started.
1:10:29You know, that was special to me
1:10:33>> because UFC doesn't come here often to
1:10:35Louisiana.
1:10:37The time that came before my retirement
1:10:39was back in 2015 and I fought on that on
1:10:42that one as well. To get him to come
1:10:44back here just for my retirement was a
1:10:46big deal.
1:10:50And I'm proud of that. I'm proud of
1:10:51bringing it back to the city. you know.
1:10:53>> Mhm.
1:10:55>> I have a game room at my house and I
1:10:57have this the UFC actually sent me a
1:10:59retirement p big picture frame with uh
1:11:03my wife, my daughter, their name was on
1:11:06the canvas for this fight and I didn't
1:11:08even know
1:11:09>> the UFC printed their names on the on
1:11:11the canvas of the octagon.
1:11:12>> So, they cut them out of the thing and
1:11:14they have them framed in a in a nice uh
1:11:16shadow box with pictures from the fight
1:11:19and their names and stuff. That was that
1:11:20was really nice, man. And so I have this
1:11:22picture hanging on my wall in my game
1:11:24room in my house.
1:11:26I got actually I need to call Mike. This
1:11:28guy here and this Mike Brown. I need to
1:11:30call him back. He tried to call me and
1:11:31he's been texting me the last few days.
1:11:33I need to call him back. Let him know
1:11:34I'm good, you know.
1:11:35>> Mhm.
1:11:39>> I've been silencing every call, you
1:11:42know, not just want to talk to people
1:11:44since Father's Day, but I need to start
1:11:46I need to reach back out.
1:11:50There's a lot in your head, isn't there?
1:11:51That photo seems to have teleported you
1:11:53back, you know.
1:11:54>> I'm just thinking thinking about that
1:11:56night
1:11:58thinking about the guys in the picture,
1:12:00seeing my mom in the background, you
1:12:01know,
1:12:04my friends. It was just incredible
1:12:07night.
1:12:09And it hurts me a little bit like to to
1:12:11be sitting here talking about getting
1:12:12arrested last week. Like it feels like
1:12:14such a fall from grace, you know,
1:12:15looking at this picture like I was on
1:12:17top of the world. In this moment,
1:12:21I felt like I did it all the right way,
1:12:22you know,
1:12:25even had the UFC uh place in IRA. I did
1:12:29it my way when I was walking out the
1:12:30octagon that that night. And uh you
1:12:34know, just
1:12:37it's life.
1:12:42That's life.
1:12:43>> That's life.
1:12:45It's life. is part of the um part of the
1:12:46hero's journey is the the ups, the
1:12:49downs, the redemptions, the all of it
1:12:51and everything you teach. You know, it's
1:12:52funny cuz when I think about your
1:12:53earliest context, it was in my object
1:12:56subjective view difficult. It was a real
1:12:58challenge. You got a father that's an
1:13:00alcoholic, the violence in the home,
1:13:02growing up in a you know, in a
1:13:04workingass area and you rose from there
1:13:07and look what happened.
1:13:09>> Yeah, it was beautiful.
1:13:10>> And then look at
1:13:11>> I'm proud of it. And then the roller
1:13:12coasters go down too. And that's why
1:13:14they they're so good when they go the
1:13:15opposite way and such. And
1:13:17>> and so this is just an for me this is
1:13:19maybe just the platform of your next
1:13:21era,
1:13:22>> you know,
1:13:23>> for sure. Whatever that is, I'm I'm here
1:13:25for it. But man, I'm just learning and
1:13:27living, you know, and trying my best
1:13:30just like everyone else.
1:13:33It's incredible though what you've
1:13:34proven that you can do, you know, from
1:13:37>> I I
1:13:39honestly
1:13:41no BS look you in the eyes like I feel
1:13:43like anything I set my mind to I can I
1:13:45can accomplish. I can make it happen.
1:13:46>> Look what you've done that.
1:13:49>> Yeah.
1:13:50>> You don't need to look me in the eyes
1:13:50and no BS me. You've you've done
1:13:52something that you know
1:13:55very few men could ever ever accomplish,
1:13:58especially considering where you came
1:13:59from. So, I think I am quite excited to
1:14:01see what you set your mind to next
1:14:02because if that's what you're able to
1:14:04accomplish by 35 years old or something,
1:14:07God only knows what you could do with
1:14:09the next two decades of your life if you
1:14:11aimed all that energy at a equally
1:14:13terrifying goal.
1:14:14>> I would love to. That's what I need.
1:14:16Something terrifying. I need something
1:14:18like that. Something that
1:14:20>> I can't stop thinking about.
1:14:22>> Mhm.
1:14:23>> You know,
1:14:25>> and you've got the mentality that few
1:14:26have, right? like to have accomplished
1:14:28this, you've got something the core
1:14:31components to be a wildly successful as
1:14:33you say with whatever you put your mind
1:14:35to. So,
1:14:35>> well, I'm not scared to work for it,
1:14:38>> you know.
1:14:38>> At this moment in this photo, were your
1:14:40family encouraging you to hang up the
1:14:42gloves?
1:14:43>> My wife was.
1:14:44>> Yeah.
1:14:44>> Nobody else in my family. No.
1:14:46>> How come?
1:14:48>> She was pregnant. She was uh a couple
1:14:51months away from giving a few months
1:14:52away from giving birth to my son. Um I
1:14:54had been doing it for a long time.
1:14:59we just kind of both knew it was about
1:15:01the time, you know.
1:15:03>> You said you were scared because of the
1:15:05the void of purpose that would be in
1:15:06your life um thereafter, but I've also
1:15:08heard you say you're scared of like the
1:15:10the brain injuries that fighters often
1:15:12get in the wake of any sort of contact
1:15:15sport.
1:15:17>> I had the the great privilege um of
1:15:19interviewing arguably the world's leader
1:15:22on CTE. Mhm.
1:15:24>> And for people that don't know, um, CTE
1:15:26is a progressive brain disease caused by
1:15:28repeated head trauma leading to abnormal
1:15:30protein builds up which lead to brain
1:15:31decline. Older adults with a history of
1:15:33traumatic brain injuries have a 230%
1:15:36greater risk of developing um,
1:15:38Alzheimer's than those without. Um, and
1:15:4061% of UFC fighters stated they worry
1:15:42about potential long-term brain damage
1:15:45with with a good percentage about 21%
1:15:47noticing differences in their brain
1:15:49function after their fighting career.
1:15:51And lastly, a 2023 study found that more
1:15:54than 40% of brains from contact sport
1:15:55players who died before the age of 30
1:15:57had CTE.
1:16:00I I I think I heard you say that you
1:16:02were concerned about
1:16:05brain damage or brain trauma from from
1:16:07fighting.
1:16:07>> Yeah. Part of me laying the gloves down,
1:16:09like I said, for my wife wanting me to
1:16:11was because she was kind of
1:16:15worried about my behavior a few years
1:16:17back and I I went to a neurologist and
1:16:19did a scan with contrast where they put
1:16:21the die in your brain in your veins and
1:16:23do all that stuff and I have I had some
1:16:25uh you know changes in my brain but we
1:16:28don't have a passport of
1:16:32>> before
1:16:33>> or throughout the process you know we
1:16:35just have a a snapshot of right now of
1:16:37my brain But yeah, the doctor, the
1:16:39neurologist told me that, you know, it
1:16:41has to be posorous. You can't, you put a
1:16:43chemical on the brain, it releases a
1:16:44protein. You know, if you So,
1:16:47we won't know until I pass away. And
1:16:49they
1:16:51study my brain if I if I have it or not.
1:16:53But the doctor was telling me like, you
1:16:55know, looking at the things you have
1:16:56going on, like I can't say you have it,
1:16:58but
1:17:00>> your wife was noticing different
1:17:01behavior.
1:17:02>> Yeah.
1:17:04just like emotional and
1:17:08>> it's it's not a conversation people have
1:17:10a lot about CTU. I actually I only
1:17:12learned about it about a year ago when I
1:17:13interviewed this person and I couldn't
1:17:15believe it.
1:17:16>> I couldn't believe that um athletes that
1:17:18are doing contact sports, kids that are
1:17:19doing American football
1:17:21>> are um
1:17:22>> and not only fighting, I played football
1:17:25all my youth, you know, as well.
1:17:28>> So, I'm sure my head's been rattled a
1:17:30good bit. I have a brain scan here which
1:17:33is really for the listeners at home to
1:17:34show them what what advanced CTE looks
1:17:36like on the brain but it is these kind
1:17:38of like plaques that kind of build up in
1:17:40the brain from contact head injuries and
1:17:42what the symptoms of that are often
1:17:43mental health disorders. They are um and
1:17:45there's a spectrum addictions also sort
1:17:47of associated with CTE. People sometimes
1:17:50see boxes for example slurring their
1:17:52words and such and that's also within
1:17:54the sort of so same family and category
1:17:56of CTE.
1:17:57>> Yeah. But but but as you say, it's not
1:17:59something you know when you're alive and
1:18:00they have to post obviously look at your
1:18:02brain and check if you h if you have it.
1:18:05And what did the neurologist say that it
1:18:06was a little bit abnormal?
1:18:07>> I have uh scarring and stuff. Uh I'd
1:18:11have to pull out my phone and find the
1:18:13exact terminology for the parts of the
1:18:15brain. I don't know. You know, I have a
1:18:16thinning in the back of my brain
1:18:19>> at at whatever part. And I have a you
1:18:21have a septum in your brain like your
1:18:22nose.
1:18:23>> Yeah. And um my se septum is is
1:18:26splitting a separated a good bit and
1:18:29that the neurologist thinks my left and
1:18:31right side aren't communicating as
1:18:33smoothly as they should because of the
1:18:35separation
1:18:37>> and they suspect that that's to do with
1:18:39head trauma.
1:18:39>> I mean we don't we don't know.
1:18:42>> Do you feel different? And it's a
1:18:43strange question to ask, but have you
1:18:44noticed any difference in in your
1:18:47yourself other than, you know, the
1:18:50differences one would experience when
1:18:51they left a job that was that
1:18:52significant?
1:18:54>> No. Uh, besides like ups and downs with
1:18:57mood and stuff like that, that's one of
1:18:59the the things I kind of notice. Uh, and
1:19:02all being honest, like spontaneous
1:19:06decisions, I I notice like if I'm like,
1:19:09"Fuck it. I'll just put $5,000 on this
1:19:11bet right now." like just I wouldn't
1:19:13normally do that. I I feel like but
1:19:15maybe it's just who I am now. I don't
1:19:17know. Or saying it, I'm going to
1:19:19get drunk as I can right now in the
1:19:22airport just you know I feel like that
1:19:26is like spontaneous decision- making.
1:19:28>> Uh that I wouldn't normally do, I think.
1:19:31But maybe I would. I don't know.
1:19:34>> If we're talking about brain trauma and
1:19:35like decisions I made or ways I feel,
1:19:37I'm sure I can draw links to all kinds
1:19:39of stuff. you know, I don't even know if
1:19:41it would make sense or would would be
1:19:44correct. You know, when you're
1:19:45scrambling for answers, it's easy to
1:19:47like draw lines and say, "Well, this is
1:19:49because of that. This is because of
1:19:50that." You know, I feel I feel normal
1:19:51besides ups and down days and stuff like
1:19:53that. I feel
1:19:54>> I feel normal.
1:19:55>> Um, so is there any possibility that you
1:19:58ever return to the UFC?
1:20:03If you had to plot it as a percentage,
1:20:09>> 5%.
1:20:10>> And since you've retired, has that
1:20:12percentage gone up or down, do you
1:20:13think, progressively?
1:20:16>> Down, I think.
1:20:17>> Down. Okay.
1:20:18>> Down, I think. Cuz I would have to
1:20:22reinstate. First of all, I'd have to get
1:20:23my wife on board. Then I'm going to do
1:20:26another training camp and do this again.
1:20:27Uh, but I'd have to reinstate myself in
1:20:29the drug testing protocol. And I think
1:20:31I'd have to do like 6 months of clean
1:20:32drug testing before I'm eligible to
1:20:34compete again.
1:20:35>> So that would be another 6 months. You
1:20:36know, it's just a lot of hoops to jump
1:20:39through.
1:20:40>> Mhm.
1:20:42>> And your father?
1:20:44>> Difficult. Difficult. Extremely
1:20:46difficult. Um layers of emotion. It's
1:20:48funny, you know, we've all got people in
1:20:49our Well, a lot of people have people in
1:20:51their lives where they've watched them
1:20:53struggle with addiction. They've tried
1:20:54to help them. They can't make sense of
1:20:56why they won't accept the help, why they
1:20:58won't change. They know they're doing
1:20:59like I've heard it's such a familiar
1:21:01story.
1:21:01>> Yeah, man.
1:21:03>> What's the latest with him?
1:21:06>> He was latest with him is two days ago
1:21:09he was sleeping in his truck uh behind a
1:21:14business.
1:21:15>> And how did you find this out?
1:21:17>> Oh, you have a
1:21:17>> Dude, when I got uh this is Father's Day
1:21:22week.
1:21:25This is a My sister sent me this.
1:21:27somebody who she knows.
1:21:30He was parked, my dad was parked at the
1:21:32at the park.
1:21:34Um, somebody snapped a picture of him
1:21:38getting out of his car.
1:21:44He's He So, he's got his top off. Oh
1:21:47gosh.
1:21:47>> No shoes.
1:21:48>> No shoes.
1:21:57My sister actually gave him that truck
1:21:58that he's living in.
1:22:02God.
1:22:05>> And we're still working. We're still
1:22:06working to to get something get him to
1:22:09do something or admit himself do just to
1:22:12help himself, you know.
1:22:17>> Sorry. I'm so sorry.
1:22:18>> I mean, that's life. But to see your
1:22:19father like that, you know, it's just
1:22:20like damn, man.
1:22:23Is it alcohol?
1:22:24>> Yeah,
1:22:24>> it's alcohol.
1:22:25>> Yeah.
1:22:26>> Does he he does he do other types of
1:22:27drugs?
1:22:28>> Never smoked a cigarette in his life.
1:22:29Never smoke
1:22:30>> marijuana. Doesn't take pills. Like just
1:22:34alcohol.
1:22:37>> We're trying. Me and my sister are
1:22:39trying. His other his other kids don't
1:22:42want anything to do with him, but me and
1:22:44my sister are trying to
1:22:46get him right. And my wife's super on
1:22:50board like trying everything to to but
1:22:52if if he doesn't want to help himself,
1:22:53we can only do so much, you know. But
1:22:55like I said at the beginning, that's not
1:22:56my weight to carry, you know?
1:22:59>> I'm trying my best. I'm a father now,
1:23:01too. I I got to look out for me and
1:23:04mine. I I can't babysit my father, you
1:23:07know.
1:23:09It's um it can often drag people down
1:23:13themselves if they try and save someone
1:23:16from themselves.
1:23:18>> Yeah. Did I almost lost my mind on
1:23:19Father's Day? I'm I'm the guy you're
1:23:21talking about.
1:23:22>> Yeah, I know it cuz it's I've got a sort
1:23:24of personal story in this regard where I
1:23:25had to sit with one of my close
1:23:27relatives and um I can see that they
1:23:29were destroying themselves trying to
1:23:30save someone else. And um they are the
1:23:34only person in this family that I'm
1:23:35talking about that have made that
1:23:37decision to try and save this person and
1:23:39they are paying the price.
1:23:40>> They are sick. They are upset all the
1:23:42time. They're like they've got constant
1:23:43despair. Whereas all the other siblings
1:23:45in that family have thought it.
1:23:47>> Yeah.
1:23:48>> And it and it would appear that they're
1:23:49living more peaceful lives because
1:23:50they've said it, but because of
1:23:52this person's heart, they are unable to
1:23:54just cut it off and let this person go.
1:23:58>> Yeah.
1:23:59Is there part of you that's that's
1:24:00worried that someday you're going to get
1:24:01a call and it's going to say
1:24:03>> I've been waiting for months every day
1:24:05I've been waiting I know me and my wife
1:24:07talk about this all the time like every
1:24:09time I get a call about my dad from my
1:24:11sister or something I'm like just
1:24:13waiting for the you know waiting for the
1:24:15news he's not in good health and he's 74
1:24:1875 years old like
1:24:22no telling if he's eating and I don't
1:24:24know you know every call I was like this
1:24:26is the
1:24:29What did your mom think about this about
1:24:31your father?
1:24:33>> Uh I mean as of most recently she didn't
1:24:36know she didn't even know that he was
1:24:38homeless. I I told her recently after
1:24:41all this stuff happened. You know I
1:24:42explained to her that he's she's just
1:24:44sorry that I have to deal with this and
1:24:46you know
1:24:48>> she got remarried and then Yeah.
1:24:52>> Yeah.
1:24:58So, what's next?
1:25:01>> Vacation with my family.
1:25:03>> Where you where you off to? 30.
1:25:05>> Right here in Florida. 38.
1:25:08Go on vacation with my family. Sit in
1:25:09the sun with my kids and family. Just
1:25:11have a good time, man.
1:25:14Stay off the internet.
1:25:15>> Mhm.
1:25:16>> Continue to work on myself.
1:25:18>> Have good mornings.
1:25:20>> That's it.
1:25:22Well, you know, I know you're not
1:25:23looking at the internet, but I just
1:25:24wanted to let you know that the
1:25:25internet's been really kind. There's a
1:25:27lot of really, really kind. You
1:25:27>> don't hear that too often. So,
1:25:28>> you don't hear that too often.
1:25:30>> Good to hear.
1:25:30>> That's actually why I wanted to do this
1:25:32interview as well is in part I just
1:25:33wanted to tell you that, but also I just
1:25:36wanted uh I hoped we could be a bit of a
1:25:38platform for people understanding the
1:25:39like complicated nature of mental health
1:25:41and purpose and addiction and alcohol
1:25:43and all these things that through doing
1:25:45this show I've been able to sort of
1:25:46piece together myself. I've probably
1:25:48interviewed 700 people now. you don't
1:25:50find many new things,
1:25:51>> right?
1:25:52>> One of the most crazy things I've
1:25:53learned from doing the show is like,
1:25:54"Oh, We're all the same."
1:25:55>> Yeah.
1:25:55>> We all struggle with the same things at
1:25:57the most fundamental level, you know?
1:25:58So,
1:25:59>> pretty sure,
1:26:00>> you know, and um we're all excited to to
1:26:04see what it is you put your your great
1:26:07talent and your mentality and your
1:26:09obsession to in the next season of your
1:26:12career, cuz whatever it is, you know.
1:26:14>> Thank you, man.
1:26:14>> It's going to be incredible.
1:26:16>> Yeah. I just got to find it and continue
1:26:18doing it and continue working on myself
1:26:20and
1:26:20>> and please be patient with yourself.
1:26:22>> Yeah, man. Patience is a virtue I I
1:26:23wasn't blessed with.
1:26:25But I'm working on it.
1:26:27>> I'm working on it every day.
1:26:30Every single day, man.
1:26:32>> We have a closing tradition where the
1:26:34last guest leaves a question to the
1:26:35next, not knowing who they're leaving it
1:26:36for. And the question left for you is,
1:26:38"Dear next guest, what are you doing to
1:26:41improve the world?
1:26:50I'm trying to leave it better than I
1:26:51found it. Better than leave it a better
1:26:53place than I came into with everything I
1:26:56can, you know.
1:26:59uh
1:27:03for the most part making the right
1:27:05decisions and
1:27:08showing that people do care, trying to
1:27:10be a good, you know, a person who cares
1:27:13about people and stuff like that. That's
1:27:14what hurts me too, man, is
1:27:16me doing that. I wasn't I wasn't myself,
1:27:19you know? I know it's easy for me to say
1:27:21and try to hide behind like a
1:27:24drunkenness or
1:27:27mental breakdown and all. I feel like
1:27:29all those are excuses. Like that's
1:27:31people who know me know that's that's
1:27:33not how I roll, man. I just feel
1:27:37bad about it cuz that's my my intentions
1:27:38are always
1:27:4099.9% of the time good, you know, and to
1:27:44hear about the video and everything I
1:27:46did and you know, I just
1:27:49hurt myself, man. Really let myself
1:27:51down. Hard to look in the mirror at
1:27:53times. Um,
1:27:56but I'm going to continue continue doing
1:27:58what I was doing before this happened.
1:28:01you know, leave the world a better place
1:28:04than I found it, man. And teach my kids
1:28:06to do the same.
1:28:08>> And in 2018, you did um start the Good
1:28:10Fight Foundation.
1:28:11>> Yeah.
1:28:12>> Um you and your wife um after clearing
1:28:16out your old fight gear and auctioning
1:28:18it off to support Lafayette families.
1:28:20You started this foundation and you've
1:28:22actively been involved in in in the
1:28:24charity. Um I I I went on the website
1:28:26and saw you driving delivery trucks and
1:28:28packing school supplies in the kitchen.
1:28:30Um, but also I saw the work that you had
1:28:33done in Uganda providing kids in Uganda
1:28:36with multiple new water wells as well.
1:28:38And you were a 30 years old awarded the
1:28:40first ever Forest Griffin Community
1:28:42Award. The award presented annually by
1:28:43the UFC to recognize an athletes
1:28:45exceptional volunteering and charity
1:28:48work.
1:28:49>> And you didn't have to do that, you
1:28:51know, especially at such a young age at
1:28:53sort of 28 years old when you when this
1:28:54all began. And um, if people do want to
1:28:57go and check out the foundation, I'm
1:28:58going to link it below. Um it's called
1:29:00the good fight foundation and I looked
1:29:03at the mission statement on the website
1:29:04etc. and it's exactly what this question
1:29:06asks. It's how can you do good for other
1:29:08people in the world that need it
1:29:09>> right and I I truly honestly 100%
1:29:12believe I'm doing it. You know
1:29:14>> I'm using the platform I built through
1:29:17hard work to benefit as many people as I
1:29:19can. You know uh fighting was going to
1:29:22benefit me and my family every time I
1:29:24walked to the ring. So, why couldn't I
1:29:26my mindset was why couldn't I stack more
1:29:28on my back and go in with a cause and
1:29:32sell everything I wore that night and
1:29:34benefit a family or benefit a person or
1:29:36another organization. I was like, let me
1:29:38stack up as much on my back as I can and
1:29:40keep this momentum going um with the
1:29:42foundation. But when we first started
1:29:44it, it wasn't I didn't auction off
1:29:47everything I wore to the octagon and we
1:29:48didn't link it to goals. It was just
1:29:50kind of random. We were packing up my
1:29:51house, moving from South Florida back to
1:29:53Louisiana. Mhm.
1:29:55>> And we had all this stuff and we just
1:29:57saw a news article that a police officer
1:29:59got killed uh couple streets where me
1:30:02and my wife went to school, a couple
1:30:03streets away from where we went to
1:30:04school and he left behind a wife and and
1:30:05kids, Officer Middlebrook here in
1:30:08Lafayette, Louisiana. And we're like,
1:30:10well, we're packing up the house. What
1:30:12about all these gloves and fight shorts
1:30:14that you fought in on these big fights?
1:30:15Can we sell it? Maybe we can sell it and
1:30:17donate to his family. And that's what
1:30:18sparked the whole foundation starting.
1:30:21We did it for maybe a year, two, a year
1:30:24and a half, two years just out of my
1:30:26name before we made it an actual
1:30:27nonprofit. We were just eBaying fight
1:30:30warn stuff and donating it to the food
1:30:32pantry, donating it to this fallen
1:30:33officer's family. And then it turned
1:30:35into let's let's keep this going and see
1:30:37if other fighters would get behind this
1:30:39and give it a name so it's not Dustin
1:30:41Porier does this, it's the Good Fight
1:30:42Foundation so more people maybe get
1:30:44behind it. And it just kind of
1:30:45organically happened on something I'm
1:30:47very proud of. I mean, in in a couple
1:30:49weeks, we have the backpack back to
1:30:51school drive. We we do probably 1300
1:30:54backpacks filled with every school
1:30:56supply on the school supply list for
1:30:58Louisiana.
1:30:59>> Yeah. It's
1:31:00>> incredible.
1:31:00>> It takes it takes everybody to make
1:31:02these goals happen, man. Not just the
1:31:04monetary side, but the going in this
1:31:06warehouse and packing every single
1:31:07backpack cuz we stretch the dollar with
1:31:10this foundation. You know, we don't have
1:31:11any paid any everything is and we try to
1:31:14keep it as minimal as as possible to
1:31:16keep everything affordable. So, we buy
1:31:18bulk backpacks,
1:31:20>> break all the pallets down to backpacks,
1:31:22bulk flash cards, everything that goes
1:31:24in the backpack for the school year. We
1:31:26buy bulk and have to pack every backpack
1:31:28ourselves.
1:31:28>> Wow.
1:31:29>> And uh it's something that I really
1:31:32enjoy doing and I'm happy I have a
1:31:34platform to to do it and raise
1:31:36awareness. And you know, no kid should
1:31:39go to school without a that's just one
1:31:40of the things we we've done annually,
1:31:42but no kid should go to the school
1:31:43without the proper school supplies they
1:31:46need, you know. M
1:31:47>> it's crazy. So just small stuff like
1:31:49that, you know, we're just trying to
1:31:51make a difference.
1:31:51>> Well, if anyone wants to donate, you can
1:31:53go to the Good Fight Foundation. Um I'll
1:31:55link it below and uh they're doing
1:31:57incredible work. So it's a wonderful
1:31:58thing, wonderful cause and as you say,
1:32:00you run it in a very lean way so that
1:32:02you can uh optimize for doing more and
1:32:04more good.
1:32:05>> Dustin, thank you so much.
1:32:06>> Thank you, ma'am.
1:32:07>> Thank you so much for being such a class
1:32:08act and thank you for agreeing to have
1:32:10me interview you today. It's a real
1:32:12honor. Um, you're a legend in my eyes
1:32:14for so many reasons, not just because of
1:32:15the man that you are, but because you've
1:32:16climbed impossible mountains and also
1:32:18the way that you conduct yourself after
1:32:20fighting, which is a real, it's really
1:32:22like inspiring to me. Um, the values,
1:32:24the integrity, the orientation towards
1:32:26family, towards doing good, and actually
1:32:28to being
1:32:31openly human.
1:32:33>> Definitely definitely am that.
1:32:34>> You know, that's my first time living
1:32:36life, man.
1:32:37>> The good, the bad, and the human. And
1:32:38you're you're willing to be so honest
1:32:40and open about that. And it um there's
1:32:43lots and lots and lot I know this sounds
1:32:44like a crazy thing to say, but that
1:32:46airport incident is going to help a lot
1:32:48of people in a lot of ways that I don't
1:32:50think you'll ever get to see indirectly
1:32:51because of um what I think is going to
1:32:54come from it.
1:32:55>> Thank you, man. I I hope you're
1:32:58>> hope you're right. And I'm an open book.
1:32:59I'll talk about it and talk about my
1:33:02struggles and I hope it does help
1:33:03somebody.
1:33:04>> Thank you.
1:33:04>> Thank you. YouTube have this new crazy
1:33:06algorithm where they know exactly what
1:33:08video you would like to watch next based
1:33:10on AI and all of your viewing behavior.
1:33:13And the algorithm says that this video
1:33:16is the perfect video for you. It's
1:33:18different for everybody looking right
1:33:19now. Check this video out and I bet you
1:33:21you might love

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