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Aug. 11, 2011 - The Joe Rogan Experience
02:12:42
JRE MMA Show #129 with Gordon Ryan & Mo Jassim
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g
gordon ryan
56:59
j
joe rogan
50:12
m
mo jassim
23:07
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b-real
00:01
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Speaker Time Text
unidentified
Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out!
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night, all day.
joe rogan
Alright, what's happening?
unidentified
Not much.
joe rogan
Good to see ya, good to see ya.
Moe, introduce yourself.
mo jassim
My name is Moe Jassim.
joe rogan
I'm the head organizer of ADCC 2019. And for people who don't know what ADCC is, Abu Dhabi Combat Club, when was that founded?
In 2000?
mo jassim
No, 1998. 98!
That was the inaugural one.
joe rogan
That was the first one.
mo jassim
Yeah, way back in the day.
joe rogan
That's pretty wild.
When you think about like the UFC starting in 93, and that's where everybody really got excited about Jiu Jitsu.
And then Abu Dhabi only five years later.
mo jassim
Yeah, because I mean, the owner and creator...
joe rogan
Pull this sucker right up to your face.
It moves around.
You can grab it.
unidentified
Is that okay?
joe rogan
Yeah, perfect.
unidentified
Hold on one second, sorry.
joe rogan
What's mine?
unidentified
I'm not recording.
There's a mic on accident.
joe rogan
Oh.
Start again?
unidentified
No, it's good.
joe rogan
Did you record it at all?
unidentified
No, I'm not.
joe rogan
But was he recorded before?
unidentified
I was just going through the wrong input.
joe rogan
I have it on a different thing.
I'll take care of it.
Oh, okay.
All right, we're good.
So 1998, it started.
And why did they...
No Gi back then was very unpopular.
mo jassim
100%.
It's sort of an interesting story how it started.
So the owner and creator of ADCC is Sheikh Tahnoon.
And he was going to college in the 90s in San Diego.
UFC comes out in 1993. He gets hooked on it.
And he just starts training, walks into a jiu-jitsu school in San Diego and starts training.
He hides his identity.
No one knows who he is, not even his instructor.
He just goes by the name of Ben.
joe rogan
That's pretty gangster.
mo jassim
Yeah, like literally no one knows who he is except a few people.
So he graduates, I believe, in 1995, goes back, and then tells everybody who he actually really is.
And, you know, he starts creating this rule set.
And you're right, no gi back then was just pretty much non-existent.
So he went against the grain.
And he did something interesting, sort of like what the UFC did.
You know, the original UFCs, it wasn't mixed martial arts.
It was art versus art.
And that was the concept of ADCC. Judo guys versus jujitsu guys versus sambo, etc, etc.
So he created this rule set and in 1998, the first ADCC happened in Abu Dhabi.
joe rogan
It was really interesting because back in the day, it was frowned upon to have no gi competitions.
Like Brazilian jujitsu guys wanted you to train and compete only in the gi.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
You started in the gi, right?
gordon ryan
I started in the gi.
The first two and a half years was only in the gi.
And then I made a transition to no gi.
joe rogan
When year did you make the transition?
gordon ryan
So I started in 2011. So 2014 is when I really started to make the transition.
And then by late 2014, 2015, then it was pretty much all no gi.
Because I didn't have any gi training partners.
Eddie Cummings, Gary, all the competitors at Henzo's.
At least John's students.
We're all no-gey guys.
joe rogan
Eddie Cummings, has he vanished?
gordon ryan
I have no idea what happened.
joe rogan
I went to his Instagram the other day to see what he was up to.
gordon ryan
He posted like three years ago.
joe rogan
Yeah.
gordon ryan
He stopped training with us and then he was training for a while at Unity.
And then I haven't talked to him.
I don't even know if he's still training.
He had a PhD in physics.
So I heard he started teaching again.
He's got like a normal job now.
I have no idea.
So maybe he's trained, maybe he doesn't.
But he definitely doesn't compete anymore.
joe rogan
So weird.
He was so talented.
gordon ryan
He was.
He was.
He went in and was crushing EBIs and had really good, tough ADCC matches.
He had that super close match against Tankino.
And then they just, like, after the EBI with Geo, where he lost to Geo, he just, like, we didn't see him anymore after that.
unidentified
Wow.
joe rogan
Crazy.
But, you know, it's such a wild sport and it does so much damage to your body.
You know, so many guys, I mean, everybody that I talked to years later, like, oh, I got two discs replaced in my neck.
I got this going on.
I got that going on.
gordon ryan
Because everything we do is concave shoulders, like with the shoulders coming forward.
I can't lift my...
I can't do anything overhead.
I can't wash the back of my neck because my shoulders are just...
I'm always inverting doing this.
It's like anything like this I can do, but I can't bridge trying to scrub my back of my head.
I can't get my shoulders back there, so it's just all a mess.
And I'm only 27, so once I'm 40, I'm going to be fucked.
joe rogan
But I think you could probably fix that.
gordon ryan
Yeah, I could.
I'm just lazy.
joe rogan
You saying you're lazy is hilarious.
That is hilarious.
gordon ryan
Every day I go to watch John teach and I'm like, just sit up straight.
And then I do it for like 30 seconds.
I'm like, my back is tired.
And then I just end up sitting like this the whole class.
My fucking head's like leaning forward.
I'm like, oh my god.
joe rogan
Yeah, you gotta wonder, like, who's been able to do it the longest?
Like, what's the longest-running, like, competitor?
mo jassim
I would say there's Andre Galvao.
gordon ryan
I mean, Andre, yeah.
I would say Andre.
Because, I mean, he's competing, what, since he's 16?
mo jassim
He's been at the highest levels for 20 years.
You know, I saw him in the early 2000s.
There was a documentary called Arte Suave.
He was a brown belt back then.
This was, like, 2001, 2003. And here he is.
joe rogan
How old is Andre now?
mo jassim
He's got to be close to 40, right?
unidentified
I think he's 40. I think he'll be 40 for this ADCC. Is that his last one?
gordon ryan
Well, last year was supposed to be his last one, but then he came back for this one, so I'm going to plan to make sure that it's his last one.
joe rogan
When you do these matches, since you've been doing these no-time limit matches, like the Felipe match, which I think you really shine in those matches, but that's really for the cognoscenti.
That's really for the hardcore people that want to see.
gordon ryan
It's not spectator-friendly.
It's just to determine who's better at jiu-jitsu.
But no-time limit matches for spectators are just atrocious because...
Who the fuck wants to watch four hours at jiu-jitsu?
Most people don't want to watch ten minutes at jiu-jitsu.
So who wants to watch a two-hour match?
But they're important to have sometimes just to show who's the best because you actually have to do jiu-jitsu and know how to do submissions.
Well, not in the Felipe match because there wasn't a submission.
But you have to be better at jiu-jitsu than the other guy.
There's no stalling and playing tactics for ten minutes and winning by advantage or two points.
So they have their place, but to build a sport to a spectator sport is not...
No time limits, not the way.
joe rogan
Well, it's not the way for spectators, but it is the way, as you said, to determine who's the best.
And I think that's supposedly what jiu-jitsu is all about.
Really, the early days of the UFC, there was no time limits because it was just like, who wins?
And that's the purest form of any martial art.
It's like, you know, as soon as you have rounds, then you have people gaming the system.
They try to win the round by sprinting in the last 30 seconds and really going hard or...
Trying to figure out a way to manage your time.
You can't really do that if there's no time limit.
gordon ryan
Which I think that has a place too, like points and rounds and stuff.
Because then you have the whole tactical element which comes into play.
But I think this is a place for both for sure.
But spectators definitely need a time limit.
They want to know when this is going to be over.
joe rogan
It would be fucking wild, though, if all UFC fights had no time limit in this day and age.
I mean, they would be brutal.
mo jassim
Didn't Hoist have like an hour and something match with Kimo, I believe?
joe rogan
I don't think it was that long.
mo jassim
It was like something ridiculous.
joe rogan
It was pretty long, but I don't think it was that long.
I don't.
Find out how long the Hoyce-Kemo match was.
I think it just seemed long because it was so crazy.
gordon ryan
Because he was finishing everyone so fast.
And then he was against Kemo and it was a little bit longer.
joe rogan
Tom Erickson had a match with Murillo Bustamante back in the day in one of the weird offshoots.
One of those small companies that tried to make a big MMA event.
I think it was a no-glove event too.
It was back in those days.
And I think that match went like an hour.
unidentified
Wow.
joe rogan
Yeah, and you know, Murillo Bustamante was 185 pounds and Tom Erickson was 300 pounds.
mo jassim
Yeah, he was a monster.
I remember Tom Erickson.
joe rogan
There's a weird sound.
Do you hear that?
What is that, Jamie?
unidentified
What?
joe rogan
That sound.
unidentified
What sound?
joe rogan
You don't hear it?
unidentified
No.
joe rogan
I hear like a feedback.
You don't hear it?
You guys hear it?
You guys don't hear it?
unidentified
No.
joe rogan
Maybe it's just my headset.
Hold on.
Yeah.
All right.
I'll deal with it.
But it's just, again, it's not fan-friendly.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
My match at Keenan was an hour and 45 minutes, my first match.
joe rogan
Jeez.
gordon ryan
That was my longest match, yeah.
joe rogan
Hour and 45 minutes.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
How'd that end?
gordon ryan
That heel hooked him.
That's actually an amazing story we have to go over.
That's how Mia Mo first met.
He hired Keenan to beat me up.
joe rogan
So it was only 4 minutes and 40 seconds.
So it was really like one round in the UFC today.
gordon ryan
I feel like that was just, it felt like so much longer because Hoist was finishing everyone in like the first minute.
He would just like hit a double leg and then strangle them when they turned around.
joe rogan
It was also so chaotic and then, you know, it was so crazy because Keenan came in carrying a cross.
Remember he had a cross on his back?
gordon ryan
Oh, yeah, yeah.
joe rogan
Like a giant wooden cross, like walked in with it.
mo jassim
Joe Son, right?
joe rogan
Yeah, yeah.
Joe Son.
mo jassim
Yeah, I remember.
And that was one...
I remember when Keith Hackney was just punching him in the balls.
joe rogan
Yeah.
mo jassim
Those original UFCs were...
Those were really no rules.
joe rogan
They were pretty crazy.
Yeah.
But, you know, that's really the birth of jiu-jitsu.
I mean, that's where...
For people in America, that's where they recognize, like, oh, my God, I don't know shit.
gordon ryan
That's what got me into jiu-jitsu when I was, like...
Seven eight years old I was watching the UFC and it just happened to be a Hoist Gracie tribute and there was like all the reruns of the early UFC's and I was like yeah I'm gonna fucking do that when I get older and then like for the longest time I like wouldn't train I'll just like hear like I'll hear Joe like breaking down how to do a kimura he's like oh yeah he needs to get his left hand here and I like go my buddy the next day I'm like fuck yeah like shit works I'm like fucking doing kimuras and my fucking friends and shit It's really amazing how one
joe rogan
martial art was—if you look at all the other martial arts, everybody wanted to be like Bruce Lee, the small guy who could beat everybody else.
But in reality, the bigger people win.
Like, in any kind of fight involving striking and size and speed, it's just such a giant advantage.
Jiu-jitsu is really the only thing where the smaller person actually can dominate a bigger person.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
mo jassim
I agree 100%.
I was actually thinking about this recently.
I don't know any other combat sport where you could have two elite level athletes and a 60-70 pound weight advantage and the smaller guy wins consistently.
joe rogan
Right, in absolutes.
mo jassim
Look at what's his name.
So we're doing the Hall of Fame for this ADCC, the inaugural one.
So I had to look up the stats.
The highest submission rate in ADCC is Marcelo Garcia.
Right.
89%.
joe rogan
That's pretty crazy.
mo jassim
And he was submitting Rico Rodriguez.
Guy's 100 pounds heavier than him.
joe rogan
Rico Rodriguez, who was a UFC heavyweight champion at one point, he heel hooked him.
That was after he took Rico's back, and then Rico slammed him.
Remember?
He threw all his body weight back.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he got pissed, and then he's like, let me do a fucking heel hook.
joe rogan
Yeah.
mo jassim
That was illegal, because in the 80s, you see, you're allowed to slam only if you're in the threat of a submission.
So, Marcello was on his back with a seatbelt grip.
If he had switched to a rear naked, it would have been perfectly legal.
But he just slammed him, flatlined him.
joe rogan
Yeah, it was also like, come on, man.
Guy's 160 pounds, you know?
The difference in size was so preposterous.
But yeah, in any other sport, you would never imagine that a small guy would be able to finish.
gordon ryan
I talk to wrestlers and like, what do you mean you have open weight divisions?
unidentified
Right.
gordon ryan
I'm like, yeah, like, you know, you have like a 66 kilo guy fighting like a 100 kilo guy.
Like, yeah, that just doesn't make any sense.
joe rogan
In wrestling, it doesn't make any sense.
Yeah, I know.
But in jiu-jitsu, it actually can kind of work.
mo jassim
Even our last ADCC in 2019, there's a guy from Australia, Lachlan Giles.
He got bronze in the absolute, and he submitted a guy named Muhammad Ali.
You've got to see this guy.
He was like 260, shredded.
So he took out three of the biggest guys in 2019. I think that was the first time since 2007 a guy in the 77-kilogram division, 170, medaled.
joe rogan
Remember when Gunnar Nelson, when he beat, what's his face?
mo jassim
Jeff Monson.
joe rogan
Jeff Monson, yeah.
That's crazy.
Monson's a fucking fire hydrant, a giant fire hydrant.
Zero neck, all tattoos.
mo jassim
Just took him out.
joe rogan
Like, communist tattoos all over his body and shit.
He's over in Russia singing Russian songs.
gordon ryan
The best was the one year he protested.
He just got naked and started walking around.
joe rogan
Yes!
I was there for that one.
unidentified
Were you?
joe rogan
Yeah, that was 2003. Yeah, he took off all his fucking clothes when he lost it.
Who did he lose to?
He lost a decision to someone.
mo jassim
I remember, that was the one I didn't see, but I just know he stripped down, grabbed his Speedo, and just like threw it to the crowd.
joe rogan
Yeah, he walked off naked.
Yeah.
gordon ryan
That's amazing.
Imagine being like the security guard having to fucking tell Jeff Monson he's got his cock out, and you're like, man, you can't be doing this here.
joe rogan
I mean, he literally looked like the Hulk back then.
mo jassim
He was a two-time champ.
I think he was the first two-division champion in ADCC, so he was a beast.
joe rogan
He was the first guy I ever saw do a north-south choke, and a lot of people thought that, oh, you can only do that if you're strong.
That's like a goon move that he's just squeezing his head.
gordon ryan
Yeah, but no.
joe rogan
And then Marcelo started pulling it off, and people were like, oh, that's a real move.
mo jassim
That was the interesting thing about Marcelo for me is he would always reinvent himself every ADCC. So 2005, he's hitting everyone with his X-guard sweeps, so that's what everyone's expecting.
2007 comes, he's just finishing everyone with north-south chokes.
joe rogan
I saw his debut in 2003. I was there live in Sao Paulo.
That was wild, because I was there with Eddie when Eddie was competing, when Eddie beat Hoyler.
And when he choked out Shaolin, everybody was like, holy fuck!
And it was the way he did it, the speed in which he arm dragged and took his back and in the scramble, secures the choke and then finishes it, like, as they're scrambling, and just puts him to sleep.
mo jassim
You know what the crazy thing, too, is 2003, Marcelo got second in the trials.
So he was a last-minute replacement.
joe rogan
Crazy.
mo jassim
And, like, no one really knew who he was.
And then it's like Shaolin just got put to sleep.
And then he even tapped out Mike Van Arsdale.
joe rogan
He was Fabio Gurjell's student, right?
unidentified
Correct.
joe rogan
And he wasn't even, like, he did a lot more gi than he did no gi, right?
mo jassim
Yeah, that's what he was known for.
And then he just ended up being, like, for me personally, the two greatest champions in ADCC, number one, I'd say Galvao.
But there's an art, some people believe it's Marcelo.
So he was definitely a pioneer.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
Well, Marcelo finished more people.
gordon ryan
It depends on what the criteria is.
Andre has more medals, but I think that the way Marcelo won was far more impressive.
And he's got a lot more division wins.
He's got way more fights than Andre overall in ADCC. He did the division every year because he never won the absolute...
Whereas Andre just did the Vision and then the Absolute.
He lost his first two and then he double golded and then he's just been doing super fights since 2013. So he hasn't had that many fights compared to Marcelo.
joe rogan
Marcelo was built so weird too because he had these giant ass tree trunk legs and it's like normal size upper body.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
Just so weird, you know?
mo jassim
One of the head judges trained with him for a week and he came to Abu Dhabi and he was telling me he's like the weirdest body type he's ever felt.
He's like these tree trunk legs that could elevate him and these really small hands.
So he's like, once he takes your back, there's no way you could defend him.
gordon ryan
Training with Mikey is like the same way because his legs are shorter proportionally than his upper body.
joe rogan
Musumechi?
gordon ryan
Yeah.
So you're trying to pass his guard and his little tiny feet slip into places they normally wouldn't be able to because his legs are so short.
So I'm fucking trying to pass his guard and his feet are coming inside my arms.
I'm like, man, I don't know what to do here.
joe rogan
He sat down outside and I had to get a photo of it because it's so preposterous.
I'm like, what are you doing?
gordon ryan
How do you sit like that?
Where his knees come in and his feet go out.
He sleeps like that on plane rides.
He'll just sit in the chair and then fall asleep, apparently.
joe rogan
I don't even know how the fuck your body contorts to that shape.
It has to be like his body developed while he was doing those positions.
gordon ryan
It's because I think his legs are actually disproportionately short compared to his torso.
Like, I think, like, for the size of his upper body, I think his legs are actually, like, disproportionate.
I think they're shorter than they're supposed to be.
mo jassim
100%.
You can see.
He's got this long torso and these...
joe rogan
He's so odd.
mo jassim
So good, though.
joe rogan
So good!
He's so good and so weird.
All he does is eat pasta and pizza, and he only eats once a day.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
He's a fucking genius, too, when you talk to the guy.
gordon ryan
And then drills the rest of the other 23 hours.
joe rogan
Yeah, he drills 12 hours a day.
mo jassim
Yeah, I mean...
joe rogan
Every day.
Yeah, I mean, but listen, that's where you get results.
You get results in doing those incredibly uncomfortable things.
mo jassim
I think he's the third American to ever get a world title.
I think first was BJ Penn, then Rafael Lovato, and then Musumishi, I think, is like a three-time Gi champion now.
So he's got definitely the most titles out of any American.
joe rogan
And I love the fact that he's going no Gi now, too.
He's doing a lot of no Gi.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Well, who's number one?
What they're doing in Austin was so exciting because to be able to go watch world-class jiu-jitsu right here in Austin.
gordon ryan
Yeah, it's awesome.
joe rogan
It was so fun.
So fun to just go there and just be able to take that in.
gordon ryan
Yeah, now that production value and everything is through the roof and they're doing a good job.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's amazing.
So, Abu Dhabi, this is an enormous event, right?
And this is happening in Vegas.
mo jassim
Yes.
So, like, the first major event I did for ADCC was 2019. For me personally, my target, I thought the best ADCC ever was 2005, the one in Long Beach.
That was my target.
It had 2,800 people there.
You had a bunch of MMA guys.
You had GSP, Diego Sanchez, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields.
joe rogan
John Jacque Machado had that match against Dean Lister.
Dean Lister, that's right.
mo jassim
Yeah, so I was like, I gotta beat this one.
This was the best one.
So 2019 comes.
We broke the record.
We had 4,000.
It was a big success.
Then comes this one, and we started selling tickets on Black Friday.
So at 10 a.m., I wake up at like 10.45, and I had like six missed calls from the Thomas and Mac, which is where the event's going to be.
I'm like, oh shit, something went wrong.
And I answered the phone.
I'm like, what's going on?
He's like, do you know how many tickets you've sold?
I was like, no.
He's like, you've sold 5,000 tickets in 45 minutes.
So we sold more tickets in 45 minutes a year out than we had in 2019. And we sold every single premium ticket in the first day.
We sold over 7,000 tickets.
joe rogan
That's incredible.
For jiu-jitsu.
mo jassim
That's so wild.
We sold a million dollars in ticket sales for a crap thing about in one day.
joe rogan
That's incredible.
mo jassim
Yeah, so I miscalculated that one.
joe rogan
Well, now you know.
mo jassim
Yeah, it's a good problem to have.
joe rogan
As long as you get this guy involved.
gordon ryan
Gotta charge more.
mo jassim
Yeah, I mean, definitely.
I mean, having Gordon around has been a big boost, you know.
I get into arguments about it all the time.
I'm like, listen, you can hate the guy.
You know, anytime someone tells me they don't like Gordon, I'm like, okay.
But there's definitely a benefit.
joe rogan
I had a conversation with Mark Zuckerberg about it.
He's like, well, what do you think about his attitude?
I go, why do you think he's so fucking popular?
There's two reasons.
One, because he's the best.
And then two, because he talks so much shit.
You don't think that's a smart move?
gordon ryan
The best is...
I'm like so shadowbanned on Instagram.
He goes to follow me.
He follows my backup account.
He probably couldn't find my real account.
unidentified
Zuckerberg?
gordon ryan
Yeah, so Zuckerberg follows my breakdown page.
The other one.
But he doesn't fucking follow my real page because he can't find it.
I posted one day.
I posted like he was following me.
And I tagged him.
And I'm like, dude, fucking whitelist me, you fuck.
I'm so shadowbanned that he couldn't find my real account.
joe rogan
It's so funny because I think he wants martial arts to be very respectful and he trains in martial arts and he does MMA. He really loves it.
He loves the sport.
gordon ryan
Does he?
joe rogan
Yeah.
And he loves you.
He thinks you're extremely skilled.
He loves watching you compete.
He's like, I just don't know.
I'm like, that's what's fun!
It's part of the fun!
He's like Americanizing martial arts.
gordon ryan
But it's good though because people see me on social media and they're like, they meet me in person, so their expectations are so low.
They're like, there's no way he could be worse than that.
So if I'm any better than I am on social media, they're like, oh man, he's a great guy.
joe rogan
That's funny.
That's so true.
You talk so much shit.
But it's like, think about how many more eyeballs are on you to see these accomplishments.
Because if you were just quietly running around submitting all the best black belts in the world, it would still be impressive, but there's no way it would get the kind of attention that it's getting.
And part of the reason why it gets so much attention is because you're smart about social media.
And talking a lot of shit on social media is very effective for getting people hyped up.
mo jassim
I mean, it does two things.
gordon ryan
As long as you can actually back it up.
joe rogan
Yes.
gordon ryan
Otherwise, you're just a clown.
unidentified
Right.
joe rogan
Yeah.
mo jassim
And you see that a lot.
I mean, it does two things when you talk shit, right?
First of all, it energizes your fans.
They get all ramped up.
But the people that hate you, they want to see you lose.
So, at the end of the day, they're all tuning in.
joe rogan
Yeah.
mo jassim
The flip side to that, though, is it puts a tremendous amount of pressure, you know?
So, like, people are waiting for Gordon to lose to just, you know, cheer.
Yeah.
That's the flip side to it.
gordon ryan
Which is amazing because people in grappling lose all the time.
No one goes on a 10-fight winning streak in grappling.
A 10-match winning streak is unheard of.
Maybe have a good tournament and you double gold, but to win more than 15 matches in a row rarely happens.
I think Hadra's best winning streak was 20 matches or something like that.
So, like, people win some, they lose some.
But I know that the day that I lose, again, it's just gonna be, like, the end of the world.
Like, I haven't lost since 2018. I'm gonna, like, lose by advantage and be like, see?
Was never that good at all.
joe rogan
How many matches have you won in a row now?
gordon ryan
I think it's 57. Since 2018. You know, people don't know how crazy that is.
joe rogan
But again, like we were talking about Musumechi, you train seven days a week.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
That's unheard of, too.
You know, everybody wants to take days off.
Everybody wants to relax.
You know, there's levels to everything.
There's levels to your commitment.
And it's also your association with Donaher, your amazing training partners, the lineage that you come from.
But if you look at the success, it's just...
The formula's there.
You can see why you're so successful.
There's no luck.
It's not just the craziest genetics ever.
It's none of those things.
It's consistent hard work, plus intelligence, plus technique, plus the great training partners.
It's just...
mo jassim
I get that all the time.
People ask me, what makes Gordon so good?
I'm like, he's not the most explosive guy.
There's guys bigger, faster, and stronger.
For me, he does train seven days a week, and he's just got a gift where he can see a position or any technique in jiu-jitsu and break it down instantly.
I've never seen someone who could just break it down to its most basic parts and rearrange it.
joe rogan
Have you always had that kind of discipline?
gordon ryan
No.
A big thing that improved my work ethic a lot, I mean, I was always a hard worker, but when I saw Gary was training seven days a week, and then I saw John, who, like, could barely walk, like, just teaching, like, a class at Henzo's, then he teaches, like, eight privates throughout the day, and then teaches again.
Like, he would just teach, like, 8 a.m.
at Henzo's in the city, and then he would teach 9, 10, 11, 12 privates, and then he would teach afternoon class, and then he would teach, like, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 p.m.
privates.
Seven days a week.
And then we get up and go to walk and he needs a hip replacement and he can barely stand up.
And I'm just like, man, if this guy can fucking do this, I gotta step my game up.
This is ridiculous.
And he's been doing the same thing for 30 years.
It's just like, okay.
There's definitely something to this consistency that I should be taking notice of.
joe rogan
It's with everything.
It's with music, it's with comedy, it's with writers, like the people that can like sit down and do the work day in, day out, they lap everybody else.
gordon ryan
If we can just show up, you're already ahead of like 90% of the people.
joe rogan
Yeah, yeah.
gordon ryan
Because most people are just inherently lazy.
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
If you just are doing jiu-jitsu for 10 years, and even if you don't have a training program, you're just showing up every day and just training hard, even like an idiot, you're still going to be ahead of most people because most people just don't even take training seriously.
Me and Mo talk about this all the time.
This is your fucking job.
Most people just treat it like a hobby.
I know hobbyists who train more than most black belt world champions.
Most black belt ADCC world champions train 3-4 times a week.
It's just like a hobby to them.
And they go out, but they're all so lazy that they're all of the same level.
Like, they have ten guys who train three times a week, so they all progress at relatively the same speed so they can get away with it.
But now once there's more professionalism and there's more money, as more money comes into the sport, you'll see that change and you'll see real professionals start to grow.
joe rogan
Well, I think with you, it's not just the training every day, but it's also the analyzing of positions and doing the intellectual work.
gordon ryan
Yeah, it's mostly John.
He always talks about everyone's happy to come in and do the physical work.
You know, they come in, they train hard, they get a good sweat, they're sore.
But the mental work is the hardest work, and nobody wants to do that.
He's like, you tell someone to come in and fucking do...
You know, you do three round, three hard rounds and you do a hundred burpees.
It's like, oh yeah, no problem.
You tell them to fucking sit down and figure out why this arm bar is not working, why the mechanics aren't right, and that no one wants to fucking do that.
joe rogan
Right.
gordon ryan
So that's the most important stuff is the mental work.
joe rogan
So does John just analyze, I know he analyzes tape like all day long, he analyzes video footage, but does he analyze it with you guys?
Does he break it down to you afterwards?
gordon ryan
We do tape studies like once every two weeks at my house where we watch like specific...
He has like specific things that he wants to work on for that week or whatever the case is or goals he wants to accomplish during that tape study.
So we'll watch tape at my house and then he'll say, okay, this is the theme for tonight.
This is what we're going to look at.
Like the last time we watched...
We call it scrimmage wrestling, where it's wrestling with submissions under ADCC rules.
And you don't really see a lot of it in ADCC because of the fact that no one even really knows it exists.
People just take wrestlers and they teach them wrestling and then they go to ADCC and hope for the best.
A tape study.
We actually watched Diego Sanchez fighting Nick Diaz in the UFC because there was a lot of up and down scrimmaging where Diego would hit a takedown, Nick would go for a submission, and then Diego would always end up on top.
And John just builds this habit of, we call it hustle till you score, where you just don't stop moving until you get to a score.
And it just completely changed the way that we all think about the ADCC scoring criteria and how to play the game.
joe rogan
How does John maintain his motivation?
gordon ryan
Dude, I wish I could tell you.
He's just been doing the same thing for 30 years.
He just loves it.
I mean, I wish I had, like, half the dedication and, like, interest in jiu-jitsu that John has.
And, I mean, I'm the most dedicated athlete, I would say, to jiu-jitsu, and it still just pales in comparison.
Like, we're in podcasting right now.
John's, like, watching, like, a 1957 boxing match or, like, the semifinals from, like, the 1960, like, Judo Olympics.
Like, it's insane.
joe rogan
It's just, most people, when they work really hard towards something, they get a personal reward for it.
Like, I mean, he's recognized widely as one of the greatest jujitsu trainers of all time.
unidentified
No question.
joe rogan
But, like, it's not like the guy gets a lot of, like...
Personal satisfaction there's not like a lot of people like heaping praise on him It's not that's not his motivation which is so interesting to be that dedicated like you get a lot of praise like you You're the guy who you're when Felipe quit and then you fucking walk around with a big smile on your face or when you Write down on a piece of paper they're going to submit Wagner-Rocha with a triangle and then you go and do it.
You're getting that feeling out of your own personal satisfaction, your own personal accomplishment and achievement.
He's not even getting that.
He's getting it from other people's achievements and yet he's so dedicated.
gordon ryan
He's really selfless.
He literally doesn't ask us for anything.
No money, no nothing.
He just wants you to show up to training.
I think he gets a lot of satisfaction from building athletes and seeing them succeed with the stuff that he teaches.
I think that's where his happiness comes from.
When I win ADCC or I do something big, you can tell he's very, very happy.
That's one thing that genuinely makes him happy.
mo jassim
I remember with John, I used to train with him for about a year when they were in Puerto Rico.
And, you know, most instructors, they'll just come, like the standard is 30-minute warm-up, three techniques, and then you roll for 30 minutes.
So me and John would actually hang out after class all the time.
He'd just come over, we'd get some food.
He'd always be watching tape, and then he'd always be making notes.
He'd make a program for a week.
He'd always have a goal, one week, one month, three months, and he would just go and apply that every day in class.
So, you know, that's all he does is dedicate himself to his craft, and you see the results.
joe rogan
There's no one like him.
No one else does that.
gordon ryan
He doesn't do anything else in life.
He has an apartment now, and I'm like, hey, did you go furniture shopping?
Did you get plates and dishes?
He's like, hmm, I have to do that.
I'm like, we've been living here for a year, dude.
I had to go to fucking Bed Bath& Beyond last week to pick him up plates, bowls, dishes, utensils.
What does he eat?
unidentified
Takeout?
gordon ryan
So he fasts and he just goes to Whole Foods at the end of the day and picks up Whole Foods.
Hits on chicks.
But he doesn't have...
I helped him move into his apartment.
No one's ever been in any of John's apartments.
So I helped him move into the apartment.
So he's got some furniture.
He's got a bed and a couch and stuff.
He's like, I'm going to need to put some furniture in here.
I'm like, yeah, that's never going to happen.
But then I asked him, I'm like, do you have cups and bowls and stuff?
He's like, no.
So I had to go and buy them.
Like all this shit.
He like moves in.
He's like, Gordon, what do you think about Wi-Fi?
Like, what do you mean what I think about Wi-Fi?
He goes, is it worth getting?
I'm like, yeah.
I'm like, you want to like hook up your TV and watch like, you know, Netflix something?
He goes, I despise TV. I'm not going to watch it.
I'm like, okay.
I'm like, well, what if you want to have your phone connected to the Wi-Fi so you can watch tape?
He goes, I can just watch it with the 5G. It's free.
I'm like, okay.
And I'm like, well, what if you have a chick over on a date and she wants to watch something on Netflix?
He goes, good point.
How much does it cost?
And I'm like, I don't know, like 80 bucks a month?
He's like, okay, I'll consider it.
I'm like, alright.
joe rogan
He's like a character in a movie.
He really is.
I've never even heard of a person like him.
If a person was like that, they would be pretending.
They're pretending to be this stoic master who's just selfless and dedicated to the advancement of their students.
But there's no real people like that.
gordon ryan
No, that's him.
That's just like, that's insane.
mo jassim
And what, you guys have seven?
I think there's seven of their teammates in this ADCC, so he's doing something right.
joe rogan
Yeah, clearly.
Now, this ADCC, how will people be able to watch it?
mo jassim
It's exclusively on Flow Grappling.
joe rogan
Okay.
mo jassim
Yeah, for this one.
joe rogan
And so, is it a pay-per-view thing on Flow Grappling?
mo jassim
A subscription.
So, if you already have a Flow membership, you'll be able to watch it.
You know, they gave me a lot of support, to be honest.
A lot of people like to bash Flow, but, you know, I've been following the sport for 22 years, so I remember what it was like before they were around, you know?
gordon ryan
Like, couldn't even watch matches?
mo jassim
It's like a dude in a camcorder, and you get your DVD six months later, you know?
So, for example, this ADCC, they're bringing over 70 staff themselves just to produce this event.
So, they've been a big help, for sure.
joe rogan
Well, the commentary was always great on Flo, and it was great on who's number one, but Howl's not there anymore, right?
Is that what happened?
gordon ryan
That is correct.
joe rogan
So there was like, for people who don't know, Leandro Lowe, who's this beloved world champion jiu-jitsu guy, got murdered the day before Felipe Pena.
gordon ryan
The day of.
joe rogan
The day of.
gordon ryan
The night before, yeah, like in the middle of the night.
mo jassim
Did you hear about that story?
It's crazy.
So he's in a nightclub the night before.
And I knew Leandro too.
He competed in ADCC. I hung out with him a few times.
Very nice guy.
So based on what I've read in pretty good sources, he's in a nightclub.
Some guy comes and removes a bottle off his table.
So he takes him down, mounts him, says, have you had enough?
Guy says yes, he gets up.
As he gets up, the guy shoots him in the head, kills him.
This is where it gets interesting.
The guy who shoots him and kills him is a purple ball in jiu-jitsu, and he's a military police officer.
So they arrest the guy and, you know, Brazil, they don't mess around over there.
There was like 60, 70 people outside the police station, you know, protesting and just waiting for this police officer to get out, so...
joe rogan
What the fuck, man?
mo jassim
Yeah, it's, I mean, over nothing.
I mean, just shoots him dead in the club, right in the head.
So, over nothing.
joe rogan
That's a guy who's probably killed a few too many people.
If you're a little that casual about killing somebody, you know, oh, he mounted me, fuck that.
It's just so crazy.
I mean, literally, Leandro could have broken every fucking bone in his body, and what would he have done?
Nothing.
Instead, he lets him up, and he shoots him and kills him.
Crazy.
mo jassim
Yeah, over nothing.
It's ridiculous.
joe rogan
It's so sad.
It was so sad.
So anyway, so Leandro was good friends of Felipe, so obviously it's very emotionally devastating for Felipe, but that's where it gets weird.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
unidentified
Right.
joe rogan
So why don't you fill us in on the rest of it?
gordon ryan
So then I get a call, like, oh, hey, Leandro died.
Felipe wants to cancel the match.
So I'm like, all right, we can't cancel the match.
He's like, well, he wants to change the rules to 30 minutes.
And I'm like, no.
Felipe's notorious for always trying to change the rules last minute.
Or do Weasel's way into something that wasn't agreed upon.
So I'm like, no.
I'm like, we either fight as the agreed upon rule set...
Or we just reschedule.
Like, we had the bet match, the contract.
It was for a no-time limit match.
joe rogan
We should also explain to people that you gave him 10 to 1 on the money.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
So you put up $100,000 to his $10,000.
gordon ryan
Correct.
joe rogan
You guys put it in escrow, which is a wild thing to do.
mo jassim
I was the escrow accountant.
joe rogan
Okay.
So it's a wild thing to do.
gordon ryan
That's how the whole match came, because he was competing against some guy who won, like, the Brazilian trials.
And, uh...
He like basically beat Felipe.
It was like a terrible match for Felipe.
Felipe won, but he didn't look great.
So he's like, oh, do you want to do a no time limit match?
He called him out publicly.
He's like, do you want to do a no time limit match?
We can do a bet match if you want.
I'm like, oh, you're doing bet matches, no time limit now.
I'm like, I'll give you four to one odds.
I'm like, you can pick the number.
I'll put up four to one.
Like you put up 10,000, I'll put up 40, put up 100, I'll put up 400. And he makes those big long posts basically to say no.
And I'm like, really?
4 to 1?
No?
I'm like, I'll give you 10 to 1. He's like, okay, fine.
10 to 1. So I'm like, okay, fine.
I'm like, you pick the number.
He's like, 10,000.
I'm like, 10,000?
Like, that's the best fucking number you can come up with?
I'm like, if someone gave me 10 to 1 odds, I'm putting up like at least 100 grand.
Like, fucking figure it out.
He goes, I'll put up 10,000.
I'm like, okay.
So he wires Moe the 10,000.
I wire Moe the 100,000.
And then he's trying to change the rules, and I'm like, no, we have this contract agreed on.
So I'm like, we either fight as agreed, or we reschedule the match.
If you can fight for ten minutes, you can fight for an hour.
It doesn't fucking make a difference.
If you're going to do the match, do the match.
So then he's like, oh no, I'm not going to fight, I'm not going to fight.
So then, this is where it gets interesting, because...
He's like, I'm not gonna fight, I'm not gonna fight, and doors are about to open.
So Flo has a meeting with him, and they're like, hey, we'll give you some extra money.
And he's like, okay, now I'll fight.
And I'm like, okay, so you fucking, you wanted to fight, you just fucking wanted more money.
So they had to pay him more money to get him to fight.
And then he goes out, and you can always tell when Felipe's starting to lose it, his body language falls apart, he starts complaining to the ref.
So the second he didn't want to sit back, we went out of bounds, and he didn't want to go back to bottom guard, which is the position that we finished in.
And I'm like, yep, he's done.
And then I started picking up the pace a little bit, and then we ended up standing back up, and then he just walks over to the judging table.
And Howell was there, and he's like, are you done?
Like, what's wrong?
And Felipe apparently was just, like, looking around, not saying anything.
Like, just, like, traumatized.
So then, like, this crowd starts booing him, and then he comes back to the mat, and I'm like, yup, he's toast.
So then I started picking up the pace more, and then, like, two minutes later, he's like, okay.
I was, like, passing his guard, about to pass his guard.
And I just hear, okay, I'm gonna stop now.
And I'm just like, what?
And he's like, I'm gonna stop now.
I'm like, really?
He's like, yeah.
I'm like, alright, buddy.
So I just got up and he just fucking quit during the match.
So then he had this whole post-fight interview where he's like, dang, I'm a terrible person and this and that.
So now, he's just getting back to his normal life.
Like, things are just starting to settle down.
And, uh...
I just realized when Mo got here, I'm like, we have a second bet.
He's like, would you give me the same odds for ADCC? I'm like, yes, absolutely.
I'm like, 10 to 1. So we signed the second contract.
So now Mo messaged him the other day, and he's like, hey, Felipe, you need to send me another $10,000 for if you guys meet at ADCC. And now he just fucking wakes up to this message like, oh man, I have to send this fucking guy another 10 grand.
So now we have a second match where if we meet at ADCC, it's the same 10 to 1 odds.
joe rogan
So this is only if, because the brackets are random?
How are the brackets picked?
mo jassim
I do the brackets.
joe rogan
Oh, so you do it.
You select.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Well, you could conveniently select.
gordon ryan
I asked him to put the top four seeds on my side, but he told me they couldn't do that.
mo jassim
Yeah, he always does crazy stuff.
I mean, for example, Gordon's the first guy I've ever seen who's doing the super fight and asked to do the division as well.
So he's doing both.
He's going to do the division.
The crazy thing is this.
Potentially, very high chance maybe.
I mean, I think Philippe Penna is going to be the second seed.
So if they do meet, it'll be in the finals.
So the two superfight fighters in 2019 was Philippe Penna against Gordon.
So there is a possibility where Gordon would face Philippe Penna and then the next, you know, an hour later, Andre Galvao.
So it's just insane.
gordon ryan
Someone will definitely kill themselves if I submit Penna and then submit Andre.
Like some hater somewhere is just going to blow their brains out 100%.
joe rogan
Yeah.
They've run out of shit to say.
That's one thing for sure.
gordon ryan
The only thing they're making fun of now is my hairline.
I have a little widow's peak.
My dad had a bad widow's peak.
They're like, man, his hairline's receding.
I'm like, that's the best you guys got.
I'm like, this is what we're going to do now?
You're just going to make fun of my hairline?
joe rogan
Dude, I'd kill 50 kittens to have your hair.
If that's all they can make fun of, that's hilarious.
There's a moment where, like, someone achieves this undeniable success where even the haters have to just take a dig deep deep breath.
gordon ryan
It's almost like arguing with liberals about Trump.
Like, they just refuse to acknowledge facts.
mo jassim
Like there was hundreds of people after the last match like Philippe a three-and-oh he won that match Like I just like what he won the match Who said that there's a ton of ice I mean there is not the comments Yeah, my issue with that whole thing that hopefully Gordon match was I was actually the one that informed Gordon because he likes to sleep late when he competes so So it was like 3.30 p.m.
Nat tells me what happened if the match might get cancelled.
So I was like, shit, I gotta wake him up.
So I wake him up and I sit down and I tell him the situation.
And the reality is Gordon was 100% ready to postpone the match.
So the narrative is that he was the one that was pushing it to happen.
And that's really not the case.
And I know that because I was the one that informed him.
joe rogan
So how does Howell fit into that?
gordon ryan
So then they did this...
They had this show on YouTube where they came out and Howl was like...
They were doing this interview with these three guys.
Not this podcast, basically, with three guys.
And Howl...
Like, basically said that I was, like, offered to move the fight up to the beginning of the card, and that I was, like, I said, no, I refuse, and that I would only fight and agree upon terms.
I was not willing to change anything in the contract, and that I wasn't willing to reschedule.
They didn't mention about paying him more money.
They just left some things out where it just made me look like the bad guy.
And I'm just like, this is just not what happened at all.
joe rogan
But Howell's a good guy.
That's what I don't understand.
I've known Howell forever.
I don't understand why would he do that.
Was he misinformed?
gordon ryan
So apparently he just got his information from fucking Felipe's Instagram.
I'm like, that's where you fucking got your...
We both made a public post.
And I'm like, this is just...
So, like, I'm okay where if people call me out for being an asshole and I'm actually an asshole, I'm like, okay, fine.
But, like, if you're just gonna attack my character and just say something just didn't happen and blatantly lie about it, then I have a problem with it.
I'm like, just like, no, guys, this is not what happened at all.
joe rogan
It really sucks because he's a very good commentator.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he is.
joe rogan
It's very hard to find someone who's that good at jiu-jitsu, who understands positions and is also a very good broadcaster.
And I think Howell fits that bill.
He's very good.
mo jassim
He's very talented.
joe rogan
I love listening to his commentary.
I was really bummed out when he got fired.
But then when you told me the whole story behind it, I was like, oh.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
I didn't want him to get fired.
I'm like, guys, you just have to fix this.
This is not what happened.
joe rogan
Well, he should just apologize.
He should just apologize and say he was misinformed and they should hire him again.
He's the best at it.
In terms of a broadcaster, who's a really good professional broadcaster, who's also very knowledgeable in Jiu Jitsu, understands positions, understands the rule set.
mo jassim
For example, Hywel signed up because we do ADCC rules seminars because the rules are very complex.
Hywel took the course, and to be honest, very knowledgeable.
So, you know, he took it very serious.
You know, me and Hywel bumped heads a few times, but I like him.
We were supposed to do a, you know, for ADCC 2022, we were supposed to do like a pre-match show together.
So I was bummed, but I invited him.
He's going to come to the event and watch, so...
joe rogan
Maybe they could iron it out.
mo jassim
Hopefully.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, did he apologize?
gordon ryan
No, he didn't.
He didn't?
Flo apologized.
Hal didn't apologize to me.
He definitely fucked it up.
I mean, I didn't want him to get fired, but he fucked that one up big time.
joe rogan
Yeah, but that sucks if you get bad information from someone's Instagram and you think, well, I know Felipe.
Felipe's a good guy.
He would never lie.
And then you just go and say the thing.
mo jassim
You gotta double check.
joe rogan
You should definitely double check.
mo jassim
Especially something that, like...
gordon ryan
But Felipe is, like, notorious for doing shit like this.
Like, he's, like, the hardest person ever to negotiate with or do anything with.
joe rogan
Isn't it weird, though, when someone's that good at something but also has kind of a shifty character?
gordon ryan
Yeah, that's like most people in the sport, though.
joe rogan
Really?
gordon ryan
Yeah, yeah.
Because everyone's fighting, for the most part, over such a small, minuscule amount of money.
And there's so many people in the sport, and there's so little money, that everyone's just willing to fucking backstab one another for fucking ten dollars.
joe rogan
But wouldn't you think, though, that at this point, when they've seen how much money you make, Because you make so much more money than anybody else when it comes to selling instructionals.
gordon ryan
It's like a Connor to the rest of the guys.
joe rogan
It's so different.
Wouldn't you say, hey, what is he doing different?
gordon ryan
You would think, right?
joe rogan
I should fucking do that.
gordon ryan
I don't get it.
mo jassim
I don't get it either.
gordon ryan
I think they're just so blinded by hate.
That they just are just like, fuck that guy.
And they just refuse to even acknowledge anything.
But yeah, I mean, it makes my job easier.
It's great for me because I'm the only guy doing it.
I mean, not everybody...
I mean, no one can do what I do.
Like, no one's going to go on a 60-match winning streak and be able to call submissions and stuff like that.
But there are other ways to build a brand.
And these guys are just...
I'm so bad at it.
joe rogan
But conceivably, someone could do what you've done if they did what you've done.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
Like, conceivably, it's possible.
You know?
I mean, it's not...
gordon ryan
Yeah, if I do it, people could do it.
joe rogan
Yeah.
gordon ryan
But it's just...
I don't know, man.
It's just...
They just don't.
joe rogan
Isn't that interesting when one person just separates himself from the herd and nobody goes, hey, I need to do what that guy's doing.
And then that becomes like the norm.
Like you must train seven days a week.
You must study tape.
You must analyze it from an intellectual perspective and not just be a brute.
gordon ryan
It's so crazy.
Actually, we're just releasing it now for ADC. I just wrote a book on this about building brands and how to be successful as a young person or a young athlete.
It goes into a lot of that stuff.
But it's just crazy how none of these guys can differentiate themselves.
Okay, if you can't win, at least, like, be different.
Like, do something different where it's like you get someone's attention.
joe rogan
But you are different.
The thing is, people trying to be different, then you get Dylan Dennis.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
You know what I mean?
You get people just trying a little too hard.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
You know, obviously he has talent, but there's something about that extra, the trying too hard, that people are like, eh.
gordon ryan
Yeah, it gets played out.
joe rogan
It doesn't work.
gordon ryan
And then when you don't win or you don't compete, then it just kind of spirals out of control.
joe rogan
Then it's like he's just making a lot of noise.
mo jassim
My thing with Gorin, too, is he doesn't play it safe.
A lot of guys, when they reach the top, that's when they stop taking matches as much and they just want to protect their position.
He's clearly not doing that.
His division has five ADCC champions in it.
It's never happened before, so he's one of them.
So he's got Philippe Pena, Vinny Magalès is in there.
Orlando Sanchez, Cyborg, and all these killers.
And he's like, hey, can you put two, three, and four on my side of the bracket?
I'm like, it doesn't work like that.
gordon ryan
I was like, I can't.
I'm like, I'm already going to be there for the weekend.
Like, it's just more free money to get to the Division.
I'm like, I may as well just fucking do the Division and get more money.
joe rogan
Yeah, it makes sense.
Have you read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell?
gordon ryan
I haven't.
joe rogan
It's a really good book.
It's you.
It pertains to you and your success.
It's about the Beatles.
It's about all these different outliers in sports and art and what they've done that separate them from everybody else.
Like with the Beatles, they got this job in Hamburg where they were playing seven nights a week.
They were playing five, six hours a night.
They were playing every night.
So they left Liverpool, they go to Hamburg, they're playing, and they do this for like a couple years and they come back and they are a completely different band.
They're so much better.
They're so smooth and in sync.
And then when they came to America, when they broke out worldwide, that was where it all came from.
It all came from insane amounts of hard work.
Insane amounts of numbers and reps.
gordon ryan
Did you see, I'm sure you watched The Last Dance?
joe rogan
No, I didn't.
I haven't seen that.
gordon ryan
That was really good, too.
joe rogan
I've heard it's really good.
gordon ryan
You can see why Jordan was different than the rest of the years.
Yeah.
joe rogan
It's that same thing.
It's just like being willing to put in way more work than everybody else, way more thought into it, way more focus, and that's where results are achieved.
mo jassim
100%.
gordon ryan
And a lot of these guys, too, like, they're all just focused on, like, being athletes.
So, like, they'll teach seminars just to survive, and then they'll just train and do the bare minimum.
But, like, it's like you.
Like, you're commentating UFC. You don't just do that.
Like, you have a podcast.
You have this.
You have that.
Like, you got to be doing other shit besides just training.
Like, you have to, like, get your fucking brand in order.
You got to organize your life.
You got to do all the shit that people don't want to do.
And athletes are so tunnel vision.
I just want to compete.
I just want to do this.
I just want to train.
You got to...
Branch out and do other shit too.
joe rogan
Comics are similar, the same way.
When we started doing podcasts in 2009, I told all these comedians, I'm like, do it multiple times a week.
They're like, I don't want to.
And I'm like, dude, you want to get people addicted.
I go do it three, four times a week.
And even the guys I was doing it with were like, why are you fucking doing this so much?
And I was like, listen to me.
You've got to do it more.
The more you put out there, the better you're going to get at it, and then the more people are going to listen to it.
And they're like, yeah, but I gotta do stand-up and this and that.
I go, bitch, I do stand-up too.
The fuck are we talking about?
You go on stage at night.
Well, I gotta write.
Well, I fucking write too.
I write at night.
Like, there's time to do all these things.
gordon ryan
But, like, most of those people, I mean, some people can change, but, like, most of those people, like, the second they start making those excuses, I'm just like, okay, like, he's done.
Like, he's never gonna make it.
But, like, I just, like, give up.
But, like, every now and then you get, like, a guy who...
Like, you give them advice and you're like, okay, I'll do that.
And they just immediately, like, it's just so easy.
Just look at the guys who are successful and just use that as a guideline.
joe rogan
The thing about it is, with stand-up, there is an argument that impulsive, lazy people also can be great stand-ups.
Because they just do it enough, where they're going on stage enough, and they have these ideas, and then they know how to push the idea to the public.
They know how to, like, set the joke up right, and they do it in front of so many different crowds that they polish it up to the point where it's this fucking hilarious bit.
Like, I've seen guys that are lazy as fuck, and they're great comics.
And you just gotta go, okay, you could be better.
You could be even better than you are, believe it or not, and you tell them that.
They're like, ah!
They don't want to hear it.
mo jassim
That's the problem with jiu-jitsu, though, like Gordon said.
A lot of them don't treat it as their career.
It's just like a hobby.
And I tell these guys, it's like any professional sports.
You have a very limited window of your career.
Eventually, you're going to have to retire.
And they don't think like that.
joe rogan
Do you think it's also because the financial compensation is not at the level of the NBA or something like that?
Where if you're going to play in the NBA, you're playing against these guys that are...
They're fucking grinding.
They're trying to get there.
These guys are practicing every day.
They're focused and driven and those are the guys that ultimately succeed.
gordon ryan
That's part of it too.
Another thing that no one talks about to my success is that...
I have the financial freedom to just focus only on training.
Like most guys will win ADCC and then support themselves for that year.
They'll do like a seminar tour where for three months or four months out of the year, they're teaching seminars and they're making active income where you got to travel here, you got to travel there.
And that fucks up your training.
And the only reason why people wanted you in the first place for the seminar is because you're talented and you're winning competitions.
So then you just take time away from training, you start losing more and then the demand for seminars goes down and it kind of spirals out of control.
I set myself up with a passive income and the instructionals and everything else.
So I don't have to do the seminars if I don't want to.
I just spend all of my time training.
So my training, I have the ability to train way more than these guys because I set myself up in a much better financial position through the passive income.
And no one talks about that.
People spend half the year teaching seminars and they're like, oh, man, like I missed it.
I missed, you know, six months of training.
And then they lose competitions, and then it just goes down from there.
joe rogan
Is it possible to do both?
Is it possible to travel and still get that training in?
Or do you really have to be in a specific set and setting?
gordon ryan
I mean, you have bodies, right?
But like...
For me, going to Ohio to teach a seminar is not going to be the same as training with John for the weekend.
unidentified
Right.
gordon ryan
I mean, traveling itself just gets old, and you're flying all around, not eating properly.
You're eating airport food and shit.
Yeah.
And then you're, like, miss lifting a lot of times.
A lot of times guys travel and they teach a seminar, then they'll sit on the beach.
And it's just, without a routine, it's tough.
Like, it's just much better to stay in a routine.
So you have, like, okay, I'm doing this, this, this today, and this, this, this tomorrow.
And the traveling gets old.
I mean, you have bodies, but it's not the same as having, like, a coach with a training program.
Like, you just show up at a random gym to teach a seminar, and now you have 50 people who you have no idea who they are.
They're probably going to try to injure you or go super hard.
Now's my chance to fucking show Gordon how good I am.
It's like, no, dude, I just taught a seminar.
I'm not trying to fucking have you jump into my knee and break my leg.
joe rogan
Right, right, right.
That does happen.
mo jassim
But there's a lot of athletes out there who could go on seminar tours, and those are pretty lucrative.
I mean, they can make, what, $2,000 to $4,000 per seminar.
Like Craig Jones.
gordon ryan
It's a great income, but it's active income.
Like, you have to be there.
Like, there's only so many seminars you can teach.
There's only one you.
There's only so many seminars you can teach in a year.
And every seminar you teach is going to inherently detract from your time training.
joe rogan
Because your model is put out these DVDs and these videos.
gordon ryan
Exactly.
I spend a weekend in Boston filming an instructional and over the course of a year it'll make me a million dollars.
It's just one weekend of work and then everyone in the world can access it.
It's not like I have to be there to teach a seminar for 200 people.
I just upload it and then someone in Europe can buy the instructional and watch it right at home.
joe rogan
And that's at BJJ Fanatics.
So, in doing that, you must see those techniques and all the training that you've done.
You must see it in other competitors as well.
Do you?
gordon ryan
Oh, yeah.
I mean, a lot of the top-level guys behind closed doors, they'll never admit it, but they tell me, like, yeah, I just watch all your instructionals.
And you can see it.
In my generation and the older generation, you don't see it as much because guys have already fell into their games and they don't want to change.
Which is why they're getting left behind and the new generation's beating them.
But in the younger generation, like at ADCC Trials, you see a lot of our stuff.
You see like the back attack system, you see body locks, you see leg locks, you see all the stuff that we're doing in the instructionals.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's so interesting to see that systematic, very technical approach spreading.
You do see these very clear pathways that you guys choose, and then you see other people adopt those pathways too.
And you see them follow the same things that John is teaching you guys.
You see other people adopting that.
unidentified
So for like ADCC, we have eight qualifiers.
mo jassim
So if you win the qualifier, you get to go to the World Championship.
So we have North America, South America, Brazil, Europe, and Asia.
The interesting thing to me is the North American trials have skyrocketed past the other regions, past Brazil, past Asia, and past Europe.
And this was the first time I did the Brazil trials.
Very tough.
You know, it's a fighting culture, but they're lacking the wrestling and the leg lock.
And if they don't adapt quickly, that gap between the North American athletes and everyone else is just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.
joe rogan
It's pretty crazy that Brazil, they rejected leg locks for so long that some of the really, really high-level black belts, like if you tap them with a leg lock, the crowd would throw shoes at you and boo at you.
mo jassim
It used to be viewed as a dirty technique, to be honest.
joe rogan
Which is so weird.
gordon ryan
Well, the thing is, it all comes down to technology.
The people who have most technology are going to ultimately win over X amount of years.
So a big problem for Brazil is the best technology that they have access to or that we have access to is the instructional videos.
Like, if you can be anywhere in the world and buy a John Danaher video or a Gordon Ryan video and you can watch that, that, in my opinion, is the best technology that you have.
The problem with Brazil is my instructionals are $250.
That's 1,000 reais, and I have 20 of them.
So you're really going to get someone in Brazil that's going to spend 20,000 reais, $20,000 for us on my instructionals.
A lot of people in Brazil don't have...
The financials to be able to purchase the technology.
So that's going to make it harder for them to stay at the level that America, Europe, that we're operating at because they just don't have access.
A lot of them don't have access to the technology.
Many of them do, but many of them don't.
So, it's going to be interesting in the next ten years.
It's like if you took two islands and you put nerds on one and you put jocks on the other and you have them fight in the first four months, the nerds are going to get beat up.
But then two years from now, now they have fucking spears.
And then they have guns five years later, and then the meatheads are still just trying to throw rocks at the birds.
So ultimately, technology is going to prevail.
So I think the big problem that Brazil is running into and will run into is they don't have as much readily accessible technology as America, for example.
So I think in the next decade or so, it's going to be a competition between America and Europe, Russia.
When it starts getting money pushed into the sport and it gets bigger, you get a guy who's been wrestling all his life who fucking grew up in the fucking middle of nowhere, Russia, who starts taking up jiu-jitsu at an early age and he's wrestling.
Like, that's going to be a problem.
joe rogan
What are the best schools, best gyms in terms of technique that come out of Brazil?
Are there some outliers that are more technical?
mo jassim
There's a new kid from Brazil.
For me, I think he's going to be the second biggest superstar after Gordon.
He's like 18 years old.
His dad is producing some serious, serious killers.
A lot of people think...
joe rogan
Mica Galvao?
mo jassim
Mica Galvao.
joe rogan
Yeah, he's a beast.
mo jassim
He's a beast.
I trained with him.
My mind was blown.
Very, very talented.
joe rogan
So young, too.
mo jassim
Yeah, he's good in the gi.
He's good no gi.
Speaks perfect English.
And Brazil is a little weird.
It's very rare where all of Brazil will come and support an athlete.
And they're all behind Mika.
So his dad is producing.
They got two other athletes in there as well in the 66th division.
And these guys are killers.
They were just smoking everyone at the trials.
So...
joe rogan
And do they have that same sort of a systematic, tactical approach?
mo jassim
I think Mika's dad, his coach, and he was like a police officer, so he trains like military style.
So whatever he's doing, I mean, it's working.
gordon ryan
Another big problem, too, is all the Brazilians who are super successful all moved to America.
So most of the Brazilian champions live in America now.
And then you have some good champions that live in Brazil, like Felipe lives in Brazil.
But a majority of the champions moved here to either train or open up schools.
So it'll be interesting.
Brazil has a few guys that are good champions that they're producing now, like Mika's a very young kid.
But over the last five years, there's a lot less champions coming out of Brazil.
joe rogan
That's really interesting.
So they just come over here, and then they start schools and make money.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
Yeah, which is harder to do over there.
mo jassim
I mean, the other problem, too, is this.
If you want to learn leg locks, who do you go to?
Okay, you got John Danaher.
There's some Tenth Planet guys who are very good.
Lachlan Giles.
There's not that many experts in leg locks, so...
That's a big issue.
Other than buying DVDs, I don't know how you close that gap.
For me, I hate leg locks personally.
It's like a whole other martial art.
It's obviously very effective, but they have to learn that part of the game.
I went to Brazil.
This was the first time I did the Brazil qualifiers myself.
I went there for one reason.
The other ones, they were okay, but I went there to get that passion into Nogi.
And, you know, I was there for two weeks, and we smashed a lot of competitors.
So I'm interested to see what happens in 2024 and the next Brazilian trials to see.
Because I've seen the progression in the North American trials massively over the last four years.
So I want to see if that happens in Brazil.
Because at the end of the day, they still own 85-90% of all ADCC titles.
joe rogan
It is pretty wild when you think about it that way, right?
But obviously that's the birth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Fucking Brazil.
unidentified
Clearly.
mo jassim
Exactly.
gordon ryan
Over the next five years, there'll definitely be more Brazilian, maybe even 10 years, more Brazilian champions than any other country per ADCC. But the next decade, I think, you'll start to see a shift where it's more Americans, more Europeans.
joe rogan
And are there good guys coming out of Russia, like you were talking about?
Has that happened yet?
gordon ryan
Not yet, because most of them just are too busy wrestling or they go right to MMA. Yeah.
But I think as...
And a lot of the Samo guys kind of clash and think jiu-jitsu is soft or whatever the case is.
But I think as the sport grows in popularity, and especially when there's more money pushed into it, I think you're going to have people who are dedicated from a young age who are very good at wrestling.
Near Olympic level in wrestling, but not good enough to make the Olympics, so they do jiu-jitsu instead.
And they have like Olympic level wrestling with high level intricate jiu-jitsu.
And that's going to be an issue.
Because the main hole, one of the big – the two major holes of the last decade in jiu-jitsu has been leg locks, which is now starting – the gap is starting to be filled there, and the integration of standing and ground techniques.
The standing position in jiu-jitsu is terrible.
The wrestling for jiu-jitsu rule sets is mostly terrible.
But when you have Olympic caliber wrestlers who have been training jiu-jitsu since they're five years old, you're going to have a real issue.
joe rogan
Yeah.
So what needs to be done to get more eyes on it?
Because right now, to me, it seems like I know you guys sold thousands of tickets, but those are probably thousands of jiu-jitsu students.
unidentified
Well, I'll be honest with you.
mo jassim
So 2019, me and my team, realistically, we worked on it for four months.
We didn't really give it our 100%.
But the best feedback I had in 2019 was a middle-aged woman comes up to me.
And she's like, I just came here because my son asked me to come and I had a great time.
So my whole thing is I need to cater to the masses.
If I only cater to Jiu Jitsu fans, I'm not gonna grow.
So how do I do that?
For this one, you know, one of the biggest influences for me was Pride FC. So we're going very heavy on the production, and I bring up this analogy all the time.
How many UFC fans actually train a combat sport?
It's probably less than 1%.
NFL is what?
1% of women, you know, no one trains it.
So I need to get the masses and not just cater to jiu-jitsu fans.
So that's what my goal is with this event.
joe rogan
The problem is that jujitsu, watching jujitsu, is not that exciting until someone submits somebody.
Whereas watching MMA, everybody understands what's going on.
That guy kicked that guy.
That guy punched that guy.
Oh my god, he's got his neck.
gordon ryan
That's the big thing.
It starts at the athletes.
And most athletes are boring.
When I go out, I have the Anderson Silva effect.
You go out and you're like, this dude is just going to make his opponent look like he's never trained before.
So that's why people watch me.
If you look at what I do, most people are interested in matches because of movement.
That's why Gary is so exciting.
You know, you're going to watch Gary Tone and you know it's going to be a fucking sick match because he's going to be just scrambling all over the mat the whole time looking for submissions.
My matches actually don't have that much movement.
But when I get a hold of people, it's just like when I get them into certain positions and they just can't escape, they can't move, they can't do anything, that's what's interesting.
So most people enjoy movement, but when they watch my matches, it's interesting because of the fact that I just make guys look like they don't know what they're doing.
But most guys are boring.
Like, you see Andre go out and he just pushes a guy around for 20 minutes and then hits a shitty double leg and scores two.
And it's like, yeah, everyone knew that was going to happen, number one.
Number two, no one wanted to watch that.
So it really starts in the training room.
An athlete's always going to train or always going to compete like he trains.
If you train to fucking submit guys, no matter what the rule set is, you're going to go out and you're going to try to submit guys.
joe rogan
Yeah, there's matches like that one who's number one match between Wagner and Hinger.
Yeah, and Hinger.
It's like, oh.
They just pushed each other around for 15 whole minutes.
gordon ryan
And there was no wrestling exchanges.
unidentified
No.
gordon ryan
There was no jiu-jitsu at all.
joe rogan
It didn't make any sense.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
So, like, you get a match like that, and you're like, oh, man, we're going to watch this who's number one today.
Let me show my friend who's never trained.
And they see that, and they're like, what the fuck was that match?
joe rogan
The best part of that match was Eddie Bravo.
Eddie Bravo heckling.
mo jassim
He was saying some...
I think he was yelling, like, Iminari.
joe rogan
Oh, we were hammered.
Yeah, he was yelling out some wild shit.
mo jassim
I think the problem with jiu-jitsu, too, is for the last 20 years, you know, it's been ingrained to the athletes, it doesn't matter how you win.
You can win by an advantage.
You see in the Gi Championship, they win by an advantage and they'll rip open their Gi like they won the lottery.
And I keep telling these athletes...
The days of just winning is not enough.
It's how you win.
You've got to go out and market yourself.
And I think that's the hard part right now is that transitioning from amateur to going a little bit more mainstream.
You have to be excited.
You have to market yourself.
joe rogan
Well, some of the young up-and-coming guys that are very excited, like the Ruotolo brothers.
What is the secret to their success?
These guys are 19 years old.
mo jassim
I was just thinking about this.
So the best up-and-comers I've seen are the Rotolos, Mika Galvao, and there's this American kid, Cole Abate.
joe rogan
Yes.
mo jassim
He won at 16 years old.
He won our trials, took everyone out.
And the one thing I've noticed, the common denominator for all of them is extremely supportive parents.
So Cole's dad's there, Mika's dad, and the Rotolo's mom and father really support them.
And they've been competing since they've basically been born.
joe rogan
Those kids are very impressive, the Rotolo brothers.
gordon ryan
I agree with that on a technical level.
In order to differentiate yourself and be a champion, you need to be good at everything, good everywhere, and have one to two things you can do better than everybody else.
So the Rotolos are good at everything.
They have a unique ability to manage pacing better than anybody, better than almost anybody.
So that's one thing.
They have a very unique ability to hit dark strangles from anywhere.
They are dark strangle masters more or less.
They have very good darces and they can finish people with them from any position, top, bottom, doesn't matter.
And they have an incredible ability to put side-to-side flanking passing pressure where they're never engaged inside the guard.
Every time you see them approach a guard, they always touch the legs and they walk to an angle.
They walk to north-south.
So the whole time you're in a full crunch trying to pull your knees into your chest and they have really long arms.
So they have hands on your legs and you're trying to make contact with the legs.
You can't make contact.
So they have incredible ability to put massive amounts of passing pressure on you.
If you try to stand up or overextend yourself from bottom position and get up, your hand comes out and then you get darts, you get strangled with the darts, which they're exceptionally good at.
And then when they see you starting to break from the passing pressure, then they pick the pace up.
So they have three things which they do better than almost anybody else, and that's why they're so successful.
Everyone has holes in their games, and if you exploit those holes, you can beat them.
You've seen Craig exploit some of their holes in their game, and Craig managed to beat them.
But they do everything well, and they have three things which they do better than almost anybody else.
So on a technical level, that's why they're so impressive is because they have something that differentiates them, and they're very dangerous, so you have to respect them from every position.
joe rogan
Which brother tapped Gary?
gordon ryan
Ty.
unidentified
Ty Rotilla.
joe rogan
Were you surprised by that?
gordon ryan
I was very surprised because we did a whole camp based around Dark Strangles and Gary tried to put a hand in.
First of all, Gary, he turned towards him and actually gave Ty the arm.
All he had to do was put his back on the floor.
So I'm watching him like, what's happening right now?
And then he turned towards him and Ty locked Darks and I was like, ooh, that looks tight.
And then before he can get any of his escapes going, like the cage was in the way and then it just got too tight and he had a tap.
And I was like, wow, that was not what I expected at all.
joe rogan
Gary puts himself in danger.
Yes.
He is a risk-taking motherfucker.
That dude just flies at you.
gordon ryan
When I watch Gary matches, I'm a hundred times more nervous watching Gary matches than I am competing myself.
I watch it and I'm just like, why did he just let himself get flattened out in half guard?
I'm like, why did he just let his back get taken?
I'm like...
I'm like, just go out there and fucking, like, try to kill these people.
Like, don't just mess around.
The one time he...
The two best performances Gary's had was the 155 EBI, where he went out guns blazing and just submitted everybody easily.
And that was a match against Paul Horace, I think.
joe rogan
Yes.
gordon ryan
Because he, like, really respected Paul Horace, and he was like, I don't want to get my leg broken.
So...
joe rogan
Also, Paul Harris at the time was on all the steroids.
gordon ryan
He was so big.
mo jassim
He's the most feared athlete I've ever seen in ADCC. I'll never forget, one of his opponents in 2011 goes up to him, before they're about to face each other, hey man, if you catch my leg, please don't break it.
I'm not going to name names.
There was famous athletes who were just terrified of this guy.
joe rogan
Because he hangs on.
He doesn't let go when you tap.
mo jassim
Did you ever see that video with him and David, a villain?
joe rogan
Yeah.
That was so dumb because they should have never allowed them to restart with a locked heel hook.
That's the rules though.
Set, go.
gordon ryan
Those are in the rules.
joe rogan
That's so dumb.
That's so dumb.
Because in scrambles, everyone knows this, when you're in the middle of a scramble, you're still moving.
If someone's trying to secure it, you're still defending.
But if you let a guy say, ready, set, go, and all he has to do is just crank on it.
mo jassim
I agree 100,000%.
One of the most controversial...
Oh, man.
joe rogan
Yeah, this is it.
This is the match.
So they let him start from here.
gordon ryan
It's a bad break in the heel knee bar.
See, he gets broke?
See the knee hyperextend?
joe rogan
Yeah, oh my god.
How bad was his knee after this?
gordon ryan
I mean, that looks bad.
I don't know if he got surgery or anything, but if you go slow-mo, you can see right there.
Yeah, that's a bad break.
joe rogan
Did he break the knee or is that like a shin bone break?
That looks terrible.
gordon ryan
You get ACL, you get hamstring.
I mean, so it's a heel knee bar.
So he has a heel hook grip, which means that David can't turn back into the knee bar.
Because usually if you have a knee bar with only one leg extended, the guy can high leg and twist and turn.
But if you turn back into it, the normal way to escape, you get broken with the heel hook because he has a heel hook grip.
joe rogan
That seems so insane that they would allow this.
So insane.
To start from that position.
mo jassim
Oh, God.
joe rogan
So insane.
mo jassim
So I think for this match, this was in Nottingham.
At least you let go.
I think the controversy was he tapped and said he didn't, and that's why they put it up.
joe rogan
Paul Harris did?
mo jassim
No, but Avalon said he didn't tap.
joe rogan
Really?
mo jassim
And there was some confusion.
joe rogan
Oh, let's see that.
Let me see that.
I want to see if he tapped.
Where?
mo jassim
See, that's when they say...
gordon ryan
Oh, that's the tap.
See his leg?
joe rogan
Oh, that seems like he tapped.
gordon ryan
Yeah, watch.
joe rogan
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
They should have looked at that tape and said that's a wrap.
mo jassim
But that's one of the most controversial things we do in ADCCs.
We'll let you out of the bounds.
Just specifically for that.
joe rogan
Look, Paul Harris is trying to...
Hey, I'm trying to do a hug.
Oh, we want to do it again?
Okay, but let's have a fully locked in heel hook.
mo jassim
I would have been like, it's over.
joe rogan
The fake tap is one of the saddest things.
It's so sad.
Yeah, he tapped out Matt Lindland twice.
Yeah.
gordon ryan
I had to fight that fucking guy a week after ADCC. I had my broken hands still.
I was all beat up from ADCC. And the weekend after, I had to go out and fight him.
unidentified
He was huge.
gordon ryan
Paul Harris.
joe rogan
Yeah, he's a giant dude.
He's so jacked.
gordon ryan
He shows up in a tank top.
He's like 230. I'm like, oh my god.
mo jassim
He's extremely flexible, too.
It's weird.
gordon ryan
He can do full splits.
mo jassim
He can rotate his entire torso very easily.
joe rogan
Really?
mo jassim
Yeah, I mean.
joe rogan
That's interesting for a guy that's that built.
mo jassim
Yeah, he was behemoth.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he can do full splits and stuff.
joe rogan
Yeah, he was one of the scariest guys in MMA. And then, you know, a few guys figured out his game.
mo jassim
Belcher, right?
joe rogan
Yeah, Alan Belcher.
Alan Belcher trained, I believe he took Lister down to camp with him, and they just went over every single aspect of leg-lock defense, and that's all they drilled.
They just drilled that constantly.
And so he actually entered into, like, leg-locked positions, entered into Oshie positions, and then beat him up.
mo jassim
Countered.
joe rogan
Yeah.
Belcher's a bad motherfucker, though.
gordon ryan
I hate that.
joe rogan
Belcher's fighting.
He's a boxer now.
And he's a heavyweight.
gordon ryan
Is he?
unidentified
Yeah.
mo jassim
I didn't know.
joe rogan
He's fucking huge.
Go find out Alan.
Go Alan Belcher boxing.
Yeah.
mo jassim
I didn't know that.
joe rogan
He's boxing people now.
Look at the size of him.
mo jassim
That's him?
unidentified
Hello, USADA. That's incredible.
joe rogan
Yeah, he fought 185 in the UFC, but obviously cutting weight to make 185, but now he's a super jacked heavyweight.
See if you can find a video of him.
He actually looks very good.
Well, he's a smart guy.
Alan's a very smart guy, and he's a very disciplined guy, so like...
Oh, it's bare-knuckle boxing.
Oh, Jesus.
That's even grosser.
gordon ryan
Everyone comes into these fights.
Guys who used to fight MMA, they're all three times the size.
joe rogan
I love it.
The bare-knuckle thing is weird, how that's become so popular.
But no one has bare-knuckle MMA. Yeah.
It's weird because you really should.
I mean, if you can shin someone in the face, like, why can't you punch them with a bare knuckle?
If you can elbow someone in the face, why can't you punch them with a bare knuckle?
mo jassim
That was always an interesting thing to me about Japan.
They didn't allow elbows, but soccer kicks to the head, no problem.
joe rogan
And stomps.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Yeah, soccer kicks, stomps.
It's just...
gordon ryan
Soccer kicks are brutal.
joe rogan
You really have an unrealistic idea of what your hands are capable of, though, if they're wrapped and gloved.
Because your hands are very delicate instruments.
I mean, some people's more than others, obviously, but no matter what you do with your hands, these fucking bones are not meant to be hitting people.
gordon ryan
They must break their hands every fight.
joe rogan
All the time!
mo jassim
Fedor used to break his hand almost every fight.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, it's so common.
Well, it's common in MMA. It's common in boxing, just in regular boxing.
And in the last fight just this past weekend, Cyril Ghosn broke his hand on Tai Tuivasa's head.
Yeah, but the thing about bare knuckles, I don't understand what they're doing with those raps, because they don't really have bare knuckles.
I mean, the knuckles are bare, but the hand is somehow or another supported, which I think, you should be fucking bare knuckle, bare knuckle.
It's like, you have bare elbows, you have bare knees, you have bare feet.
mo jassim
Does it protect your hands?
gordon ryan
Maybe from wrists?
joe rogan
It must do something.
gordon ryan
Wrist support?
joe rogan
Yeah, wrist support for sure.
I mean, when you think about it, your fist is shaped like that.
If you hit anything on the edge, it's going to jack your wrist up.
It'll fuck you up.
These two bones are the only bones that are really supported.
These break all the time, the little ones by your pinky and the ring finger.
mo jassim
Do you think it's the way they throw punches?
Because I remember Federer used to throw these huge looping punches.
joe rogan
Right, those casting punches.
Yeah, he throws punches like this too.
He'll throw these kind of weird punches.
There's something to that, but it's also, it's chaos.
You're throwing punches.
You try to hit him with these knuckles, but you hit him with these two.
And then your hand shatters.
And then you have this swollen fucking mass inside your leather glove.
gordon ryan
And you have two more rounds to fight with a broken man.
joe rogan
Yeah, guys do it all the time.
But it's just weird to me.
Like Uriah Faber, when he fought Mike Brown.
He broke both his hands.
He broke both his hands.
He was throwing elbows.
mo jassim
Oh my gosh.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's interesting because That's the only aspect of MMA where the part of your weapon is protected.
And it's really kind of the weakest weapon.
You know, a punch is, I mean, it's very powerful, obviously, but it's very weak in comparison to a kick.
mo jassim
Or an elbow, yeah.
joe rogan
Or an elbow.
Yeah, I mean, an elbow, you feel nothing.
You could, like, you could do that on a table and it doesn't bother you at all.
If you did that with your hand, that would really fucking hurt.
But you see these guys, you know, fighting in bare knuckle boxing, and you're like, that's really interesting how that's kind of taking off.
mo jassim
It's getting bigger, right?
Yeah.
joe rogan
They're smart marketing.
They're doing a great job.
You know, they get a lot of hot chicks over there.
Did you see that last girl?
She flashed the crowd.
mo jassim
Yeah, I saw that.
joe rogan
Was her name Ty something or another?
unidentified
I saw that yesterday.
joe rogan
Yeah, she showed everybody her tits after she knocked some girl off.
Nice combination, too.
She hit this girl with a clean uppercut and a smooth left hook, and then she's like, and here's my tits, too.
mo jassim
Sign up to my only fans.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, why not?
gordon ryan
She gave her a bonus for the next one.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, it was on all over these websites.
For a first, bare knuckle boxer flashes a crowd.
Smart marketing move, right?
unidentified
Yeah.
Yeah.
joe rogan
It's just, I think it should be bare knuckle.
I also think there should be no cage.
I really think they should be fighting on, like, an open field.
I'm like, if you have a field for football, why don't you have a field for MMA? Just have them stand in the center and just fight.
Like, because it's too easy to get up if you have a cage.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Someone presses you up against a cage, you can wall walk, you get back up to your feet.
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
The cage changes it completely.
unidentified
Whee!
joe rogan
Oh, Jesus.
That's the full one.
Some good-sized cans, too.
Congratulations, lady.
It was a nice combination, too.
Watch the combination.
Boom!
And look at this clean left hook.
Very nice.
She's hot and she gets crap.
mo jassim
That was Bare Knuckle as well?
joe rogan
Yep.
Yeah, well, they've got Paige Van Zandt went over there, Rachel Ostevich.
They've got these hot girls fighting each other.
Is that in the U.S.? Yeah, they can fight in, like, Wyoming.
mo jassim
Okay, I was going to say, how did they get sanctioned?
joe rogan
Yeah, I think they can only fight in Wyoming.
There's, like, fucking cowboys show up with dip in their mouth.
unidentified
I mean, the original fresh bear scratches.
All the rich cowboys.
joe rogan
Yeah, Wyoming's a wild-ass place.
It's such a small population.
And it's like super duper rich people in like Jackson Hole and then ranchers.
Yes.
It's weird.
gordon ryan
Every 100 miles.
joe rogan
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the only place where they do it.
Or maybe Oklahoma.
That fight was in Bangkok.
Oh, in Thailand.
The one you just saw?
Yeah, that one was.
So they're doing it outside the United States as well.
But they're signing a bunch of former MMA fighters that just sometimes their knees are gone.
mo jassim
I think Hector Lombard was doing it as well.
joe rogan
Yeah, Hector's doing it.
Mike Perry just beat Michael Venom Page, which is pretty crazy.
That's a big win for him.
Venom Page is a bad motherfucker.
Monroe, Louisiana.
Oh, interesting.
Oh, it was in Montana?
So they do have some in other states.
Interesting.
So one's in Montana, Monroe, Louisiana.
Yeah, it's like, I don't know how they sanction that.
I don't know what the rules are in terms of, but I'm surprised that no one has come up with a bare knuckle MMA organization.
mo jassim
It used to be in the beginning, right?
joe rogan
Well, you know, you have Letwe, which is bare-knuckle, like, Muay Thai style with headbutts.
That's David LaDuke, that fucking savage.
He's the king of that shit.
gordon ryan
I trained with him once.
joe rogan
He's a wild guy to watch.
gordon ryan
We did jiu-jitsu together, yeah.
joe rogan
Oh, yeah?
gordon ryan
Yeah, he came to Henzo's.
He was in town for, I think we were at...
Masvidal versus Diaz was New York, right?
joe rogan
Yes, I believe so.
gordon ryan
I think it was that card, and he was in town, and he came to Henzo's the next day, and we did jiu-jitsu.
He's like a blue belt, a purple belt.
joe rogan
Yeah.
I think he's talking about doing some MMA. I think he's thought about doing it.
He definitely entered into a grappling tournament.
I saw some video of him in a grappling tournament strangling some people.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he's not bad.
joe rogan
Not bad.
He's a wild striker, though.
I'll tell you that, man.
And he's like one of the rare guys that puts combinations together with headbutts.
So, like, as he's holding pads, he headbutts the pads.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he's got a good social media, too.
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
It's like him, like, breaking watermelons and shit with headbutts.
unidentified
What's his name?
mo jassim
David LeDuc?
unidentified
Yeah, that can't be good for your head.
joe rogan
That just can't.
I mean, you're trying to...
I mean, soccer players get CTE. From that fucking...
mo jassim
Just hitting the ball?
joe rogan
That light-ass, bouncy-ass ball.
Imagine, like, slamming your head into tie pads.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
That can't be good for the noggin.
I mean, I'd like to talk to him in a few years and just ask him what his memory's like.
How many more years do you think that you can maintain this level of dedication?
Have you thought about this?
gordon ryan
Yeah.
So it's all, number one, pending my health, particularly my stomach, which is like probably 70% better now.
That's amazing.
The last podcast, I told you, like, I literally have no idea what we talked about at all, besides me telling you that I was nauseous.
Because you were trying not to puke.
I was so nauseous, I was just like, come on, fucking hold me together.
joe rogan
Tell everybody what happened.
So what happened was you got staph infection.
Henzo's in New York City was notorious for giving people staph, that basement, because it got no sunlight.
It was down there, and you got a bunch of savages out there strangling each other and sweating in this puddle, and it just got funky.
Right?
And so you got bad staph.
gordon ryan
So I had recurring staph infections in 2018 and then I was taking oral antibiotics and it just wiped out everything in my stomach, like all the good bacteria, everything.
And then I had But it ended up being a fungal overgrowth, a massive fungal overgrowth in my small intestine and a huge bacterial imbalance in my stomach and then H. pylori which I had.
But it was misdiagnosed as gastroparesis because I did a stomach emptying test where you eat like radioactive eggs and they scan your stomach every x amount of like every half hour to see how it moves through the stomach and I was emptying slow.
And so they misdiagnosed it as gastroparesis.
I still have people message me every single day who are catching up on the podcast.
They're like, man, I just saw Joe.
Tell me what you did for your gastroparesis.
I'm like, I don't fucking have gastroparesis.
But they misdiagnosed it.
After like four years, I went to like all the best doctors in the country and they're just useless.
Like they just, oh, we'll do an endoscopy.
I had one guy do a colonoscopy and they're like, yeah, you look fine.
And I was like, okay, well, if I can't get these doctors to figure it out, I guess I'm just going to deal with it.
Hopefully it'll get better.
And then it just got worse as time went on because the fungal overgrowth just started getting worse and worse.
And then it was like affecting my kidney function and it was like awful.
And then I had to like partially I took a leave of absence.
I guess I like retired from grappling from a year because I couldn't even like function as a human being.
Never mind.
Like I couldn't even like hold the conversation.
I was so nauseous all the time.
Wow.
And then we were doing the podcast and I was like traveling.
I was like looking at houses in Austin because he convinced me to move to Austin.
And I was here like eating restaurant food for like three days before and we went to the podcast and I was like, fuck, I can't even talk right now.
joe rogan
Because you used to have to eat very bland food.
gordon ryan
I would just wake up 24-7 nauseous.
The best way I can describe it is the worst hangover you ever had where you want to throw up to feel better but you can't.
That's my baseline.
Then it gets worse from there.
Imagine you go to training and now picture you have the worst hangover you've ever had and you have to run a marathon 30 minutes later.
The more tired you get, the worse it gets.
So then I was like, yeah, I just, I can't do this anymore.
And then somehow, like the stars aligned, and actually his doctor in California, because he had some bad stomach problems, he's like, you got to go to Dr. Rebar in California.
And I saw him and he's like, yeah, I don't think you have gastroparesis.
I think you just have something in your small intestines, which is backing up into your stomach.
And causing like a bile and food backup, and that's why you're emptying slowly, and it's mimicking gastroparesis.
So he did a bunch of tests that no one's ever done, and like my levels are like way off.
Like one of the things was like normal was between like zero and five, and then high was like over five or over ten, and my level was like 555. It was just like 50 times what it was supposed to be.
So I've been on this treatment now for a year.
A year in October.
And I'm like 70-75% better now.
I can actually hold the conversation.
I can eat food.
I can do shit.
And now I'm competing again.
joe rogan
So are there cases in like medical literature that talk about people taking high levels of antibiotics?
Because you took it over a 12-month period, right?
You were constantly on antibiotics.
gordon ryan
Yeah, because, so basically, you take the antibiotics and it wipes out the good bacteria in your stomach.
And then your immune system is trying to fix that.
So then your immune system is low.
It's not as strong as it usually is.
And you're training.
I'm training all the time.
So I'm always just run down.
And then you get staph again.
And then you take more antibiotics.
And then it wipes out your stomach even worse.
So then your immune system is on overdrive trying to fix it.
And then you get staph again.
So you just...
It's like a cycle where you just keep getting staph and keep...
Fucking up your immune system in your stomach.
So there was probably like a year period from like 2018 to 2019 where I think I was on antibiotics more than I wasn't for staph.
I would like get staph and be like on 10 days, two weeks of medicine and then three days later I'd have staph again and I'd go back on antibiotics.
Like it was just miserable.
joe rogan
And for anybody who's never taken antibiotics and tried to work out, it just drains you.
gordon ryan
It just kills you.
You have no cardio.
You have nothing.
So then I started using HibicLens in the shower when I would train.
It's like the soap that they use to wash their hands before surgery.
It's like a super strong soap.
And that helped a lot.
And then I met his doctor, Dr. Rabar.
And now that I'm getting better, I hardly ever get stuff.
I get, like, maybe, like, once every six months.
joe rogan
Do you use defense soap?
gordon ryan
I don't.
joe rogan
I know John was skeptical of that, but it's because he hasn't seen the research on it.
Like, defense soap is fucking legit.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
And the good thing about it is it doesn't kill any of the bad bacteria, or the good bacteria, rather.
gordon ryan
Yeah, that's the thing with Hibiclens is it wipes out everything.
joe rogan
Yeah, everything.
That's not good.
gordon ryan
But I'll try defense soap, because, like, there was, like, a point where if I didn't use...
If I was, like, on the mats and I didn't use Hibiclens, I was guaranteed to get staph.
joe rogan
I will have them send it to you.
gordon ryan
Okay, perfect.
joe rogan
But my friend Guy Sacco, who runs the company, he created it because wrestlers, like they were working with wrestlers, and they were all getting staff.
And so he did all this research into various essential oils and things that are good for healthy bacteria but kill off bad bacteria.
So it's got like eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil.
gordon ryan
I would love to try it.
joe rogan
And it also smells good.
It's the only soap I use.
unidentified
I'm going to try it.
joe rogan
I use it every day.
But it just, it stopped, for me, it stopped all staph, ringworm.
I was getting it all the time.
Well, not all the time, but I got staph twice and I got ringworm probably three or four times.
Okay, so you don't get it before.
It was annoying as far.
I don't get it at all.
And I wasn't getting it at all when I was using it on a daily basis.
It's just, it also just like, it smells good.
It's just better.
gordon ryan
It's like regular soap.
joe rogan
And they have wipes.
They have all kinds of shit.
They have stuff that even if you can't get to a shower immediately, they have these wipes that look like those butt wipes.
And you just fucking clean yourself off with them.
gordon ryan
But I'd definitely love to try that.
But to your original point of how long I'm going to compete for.
joe rogan
But keep going on with that.
So what did they do?
What was the medication to fix that?
gordon ryan
So he just got to my house to do this show.
And he's like, what are all these fucking pills?
I literally have like 30 pill bottles that I have to take twice a day.
And it's just a combination of like over-the-counter stuff to help me.
There's like nothing that's in it that's prescription.
But he gave me...
I'm on a strong oral antifungal.
First, I treated the H. pylori, and then I'm on a strong antifungal, and then all just immune and gut-supporting medicines that just take time to rebuild the gut bacteria and flush out the fungus and the bad bacteria.
joe rogan
I know we talked about this before and the last time, but have you ever said, you know, I'm going to take like a month and just do some serious hardcore fasting and see if that helps?
gordon ryan
So I did do the fasting.
It wasn't my choice.
I just literally couldn't eat.
But I did try to do probably about three weeks of fasting.
It just didn't help.
I think I needed the medicine.
The first success I had was when you introduced me to Brigham with the Ways to Well.
They gave me a bunch of stuff which increased my appetite a lot and was helping.
My main thing is keeping weight on and gaining size.
I'm big, but I'm a small heavyweight.
So, depending on my stomach, I'd be 205, you know, one day, and then I have a good month, and then I'm 225, 230, then I'm back to 210, and my weight would fluctuate based on how much I could eat.
So, they put me on this regimen, and they gave me, you know, a bunch of stuff that increased my appetite, so I got super big, but I was still getting nauseous, so it didn't, like, fix the problem.
I could eat more, but then I would just be nauseous after.
So then I was using a combination of the ways to well stuff with his doctor, and now their stuff makes me more hungry, and I can actually eat food now, so everything's getting a little bit better.
I used to just eat two eggs, and I would just feel it sitting in my stomach.
It just wouldn't filter down.
So I would just be carrying food all day long.
And then I'm trying to force feed myself to keep the weight on.
And they actually did a test and they're like, yeah, not only can you not eat, but your body is only absorbing like 60% of the food that you actually do eat.
So I was eating like 10 times less than I was supposed to and then just not absorbing half of it.
So it was just like a total disaster.
joe rogan
How much longer do you have to be on all this medication?
gordon ryan
Well, I have to do a retest like this week.
I have to take a P-test and some blood work.
And then I'm going to do a meeting with him on September 20th, right after ADCC. And then he's going to tell me where to go from there.
We have to see what my levels are.
I'm sure he's going to keep me on a lot of the stuff.
It's just like overall stuff to help promote digestion and overall stomach function.
But I'm just listening to what he says because everything he's said so far has been accurate.
mo jassim
A lot of the meds are over the counter, right?
gordon ryan
They're all over the counter.
unidentified
Because he's a medical doctor, but he's also like a holistic guy as well.
gordon ryan
Like an integrative guy.
mo jassim
Because I had stomach problems too.
I went to UCLA. I went to Cedars.
I even went to the emergency room six times because I thought I had a heart attack.
And yeah, it's like so much pressure in my chest.
And they're like, it's not your heart.
So I went to every doctor.
I go to this guy.
He fixes me in one week.
And it's been seven years.
joe rogan
What was your issue?
mo jassim
I had a parasite.
joe rogan
Oh, wow.
mo jassim
And I went to the best doctors in the world and none of them could figure it out.
joe rogan
What kind of parasite was it?
mo jassim
I don't know what the exact name was, but I went to Mauritius, which is a very tropical island.
So I took antibiotics.
I was cured in a week.
So I know he's messed up because he's been over a year of treatment.
joe rogan
That's wild.
mo jassim
That's crazy.
joe rogan
And still dominating every day.
gordon ryan
I'm looking back now, I have no fucking idea how I did this.
It's like we're doing tape study a lot of times and like we're doing tape study with my match against Lucas Barboza and I'm like talking about tactics and so right before the points part of the the fight started I set to guard and I'm like I'm like pause so it's like 20 of the guys watching the tape and I'm like you see tactically here I should have just kept hand fighting because he was getting really tired he was way more exhausted than I was I'm like, I should have just kept hand fighting and kept wrestling him.
I would have broke him in the next few minutes.
I'm like, but I was so goddamn nauseous that I had to just fucking sit to guard and recompose myself to get ready for the overtime because I fucking just couldn't wrestle anymore because I was so nauseous.
So like a lot of stuff you see me do like isn't tactically correct, but I'm just like trying to manage the nausea through the match.
joe rogan
What's crazy that when you talk about if your health holds up, with most grapplers, they're like, oh, my back, my arm, my this, my that.
With you, it's just a stomach thing.
gordon ryan
Just my stomach for now, yeah.
joe rogan
So if that gets to 100%, how much longer do you think you can maintain this level of discipline and activity?
gordon ryan
First is contingent upon John coaching.
I'm not going to compete unless John's coaching.
joe rogan
Really?
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
So if he retires, you're done?
gordon ryan
Yeah, I'm done.
Or if he fucking gets into a car accident or something, yeah.
Wow.
So, you know, John is a major part of this, so I won't do it without him.
Nat is also a huge part of it.
She runs the diet and the lifting and supplements and everything.
joe rogan
That's such a giant advantage, having a girlfriend who really knows her shit when it comes to bodybuilding and weightlifting.
gordon ryan
So probably without John or without her, I probably wouldn't do it.
So as long as those two are there, I'll be doing it probably until I'm 40. I want to compete until I'm 40. 13 more years.
That's wild.
Everyone's like, oh man, Gordon's in his peak now.
It's like, no.
My peak is going to be between 35 and 40. Because what people don't understand is...
Most sports, you peak earlier because they're explosion-based sports.
Football, explosion-based sport.
Wrestling, explosion-based sport.
But in jiu-jitsu, it's a sport built mostly around isometric tension.
And my entire game already isn't a movement-based game.
It's an isometric tension game.
It's about negation of movement.
I'm not athletic, so I don't try to make myself more athletic than the other guy.
I try to make him less athletic than I am.
So you peak, especially with my kind of game or like a Hodger kind of game, you peak much later.
So instead of peaking where you have, you know, you're 28 and now your explosivity will decline after that age, it doesn't matter.
My game isn't built around being explosive.
It's built around being isometrically strong and negating movement.
So you hit your isometric peak between the ages of 35 and 40 while you still maintain cardio.
After 40, you start to diminish with the cardio.
But between 35 and 40 is when I'll be my strongest, and I'll have another 10 to 15 years of technical development, which I've only been training for 12 years now.
So I'll have twice as much technical development, and I'll be more physically mature by the time I'm 35. So that's the time I'm really going to peak.
It's not now at 27. It's 35 to 40. Wow.
joe rogan
That's wild.
We just got to make sure we get more eyes on this fucking sport.
That's the thing.
It's just, if guys like you, people like the Rutolo brothers, people like Mika Gabao, people are submitting people.
These young guys that are coming up, guys like Gary, exciting people to watch.
gordon ryan
Mark Galley's doing a real good job too.
joe rogan
Yes.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
And amazing, him coming over from Guy.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
And now, like, that fight with Lovato was amazing.
To dominate him and almost finish him, it's really crazy.
gordon ryan
You know what's crazy about that is Nicholas never did standing position ever in his life.
Not in the Guy, he never wrestled, never did anything.
All that wrestling was like two months of wrestling with John.
joe rogan
That's crazy.
mo jassim
I've never seen a gi guy transition to no gi like that.
He's been training, what, five months?
gordon ryan
That's even less than that.
mo jassim
That's insane.
joe rogan
Just so smart the way he went to you guys.
Just such a smart move.
gordon ryan
Yeah, he was willing.
I mean, he's with it.
He understands what we're doing, and he has the same mindset of control that leads to submission, so he's like a perfect fit.
joe rogan
Have you seen, like, an uptick of people watching and people, like, who's number one in flow?
Have they noticed that there's, like, a steady increase in the amount of viewership?
mo jassim
100%.
I mean, I'll be honest with you.
The problem is a lot of jiu-jitsu is just painful to watch.
joe rogan
The gi is rough.
John Jock Machado said that.
He goes, man, the gi is so boring.
Even I don't like.
gordon ryan
This lasso's number one, me and Penna, was the biggest flow grappling show ever by a landslide.
It was bigger than 2019 ADCC. Wow.
So now this ADCC is going to blow everything out of the water.
So there's definitely a huge increase.
joe rogan
So when you say big, how many people tuned in?
gordon ryan
I don't know the numbers.
mo jassim
They don't give you the metrics.
joe rogan
They don't tell you?
Oh, they're like Netflix?
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
Fuck out of here, bitch.
Tell me the numbers.
gordon ryan
I know.
But they said it was bigger by a landslide.
mo jassim
The problem with the Gi, though, is it's competitor-based.
I just don't see them ever getting massive amounts of people to go watch.
They'll always have a lot of competitors.
Like last weekend, I think they had 5,000 or 6,000 competitors.
But they're never going to get spectators.
There's too much education to appeal to the masses, in my opinion.
gordon ryan
The best part is that people will never admit this and they fucking hate it.
I think I'm the only person who can save Gi Jiu Jitsu.
If I started competing in the Gi, that's the only way people would watch it.
But no one will ever say that.
joe rogan
You have thought about doing that, right?
gordon ryan
Yeah.
Mostly I just want to learn how to teach in the Gi.
If I ever have a school or something I can teach students.
I'm confident in the Gi now.
I trained with Marigali and the Gi and other Black Belt World Champions, so I know where I stand.
But I don't feel like I can teach Gi Jiu Jitsu as good as I can teach no Gi Jiu Jitsu.
So I'm going to start training in the Gi after ADCC just recreationally.
And then if I want to compete, then I'll do a match here and there.
But I definitely want to start training in the Gi just to sharpen up the teaching and everything.
mo jassim
Could you imagine if you won a Gi World title?
joe rogan
Well, that would also be a great way to get people to compete against you, because they would probably jump at that.
There's a lot of Gi guys that are experts in collars and sleeves.
mo jassim
I've seen him in the Gi.
People, they don't believe him.
I'm like, he's really good in the Gi.
I've seen him with my own eyes.
gordon ryan
They just think you lose your powers, you put on the Gi.
That's not how it fucking works.
joe rogan
No!
Like, John-Jacques Machado used to tell me, because, you know, John-Jacques only has one hand.
So when he transitioned to Abu Dhabi, it was very easy for him.
He goes, because he never grabs.
Like, his game is all overhooks and underhooks, but he was elite in the gi and elite in no gi with basically the same game.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
mo jassim
He was so good, though.
joe rogan
Oh, John John's a bad motherfucker.
gordon ryan
My entire game is like, if you're standing and I'm on bottom, you go into Ashigurami.
Well, if I have pants to grab and I'm in Ashigurami, it's going to be easier to knock you down.
joe rogan
Yeah.
gordon ryan
If you're on your knees, then I go butterfly sweep at Tsumageshi's.
If I can get to a belt and pull you onto me, I can hit Tsumageshi's easier.
And then it's forcing half guard from top position.
And if I can get to half guard and I can feed a lapel and use a stronger cross face, I can pass your guard easier.
joe rogan
Yeah.
gordon ryan
And then mount and back, there's just more friction to hold people and more collus to strangle with.
The main thing that fucks me up is if I get caught in a spider guard or lasso guard with an expert who can keep my grips and not allow me to start flanking the legs and I get caught in a deep spider guard or something, it's kind of annoying.
But people are just idiots and just think that you just lose all of your jiu-jitsu if you take the gi off or put the gi on.
joe rogan
Yeah, that's pretty dumb.
But they're hoping.
But at least you could trick them into competing with you for a little while.
mo jassim
I don't think we've ever seen a no-gi guy go to gi, though.
I like a strictly no-gi guy.
I can't think of one.
It's always been gi to no-gi, so the gi's more technical.
gordon ryan
Gotta train the gi to be good at no-gi.
joe rogan
Well, that was always a weird thing where MMA fighters would tell me that their instructor made them train the gi.
I go, explain how that makes any sense.
And Eddie Bravo would say, like, okay, now imagine if you were supposed to be playing in the U.S. Open for tennis.
And they said, my friend, you got to learn racquetball.
You're like, what?
It's different.
There's a wall.
Why am I playing racquetball?
No, they've got to get more technical.
gordon ryan
Imagine any Olympic training center.
They just bring in geese for the wrestlers to wear.
joe rogan
Right.
gordon ryan
Like, you're going to do judo today.
joe rogan
I always thought that combat samba was so strange because they're wearing headgear and shin pads and MMA gloves and shorts, but with a kimono top.
gordon ryan
Yeah, that's out there.
mo jassim
That's what Federal is in, right?
joe rogan
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
mo jassim
That's where it came from.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, he was a world champion in that.
gordon ryan
But my career is rolling around on the ground, so I can't really talk shit.
joe rogan
So you think by the time you're 40, then you'll be done.
Where do you think the sport will be by then?
I mean, if you really look into the future in 13 years, how big do you think can it grow?
gordon ryan
I think there's going to be some money.
I mean, the problem is, like, I'm trying the best I can, but I'm one guy.
So, like, I'm trying.
I mean, there's a trickle-down effect, so everyone who fights me gets paid, like, twice as much.
So athletes will make more, but I think that it is possible to bridge the gap into a spectator sport.
I think there's always going to be a cap on how many people will watch it.
Like, it's never going to be as big as the UFC, but I think it'll be a lot bigger than it is.
And I think that we can start getting people to get paid well as real athletes for matches.
I think that I'll be making seven figures a fight and other people will be making six figures a fight.
So that people can compete and not have to worry like they can just compete and be athletes like right now if you want to make a career you have to own a school or you have to teach seminars you have to do something else you can't just be a competitor like for most people you know now if I'm competing I can be like I'm the first guy I think who can just make a like a career and be rich off just competing but that we're a long way off to have anybody else be able to do that How much of an impact has...
joe rogan
I know you just recently started using a cold plunge.
How much of an impact has that had on your recovery?
gordon ryan
Yeah, so I had the Morozco.
And we were talking about it, and Brigham had one.
And for those of you who don't know, I fucking hate cold water.
Who doesn't?
If it's below 80 degrees, I won't get in.
Below 80 degrees.
So I'm, like, talking to Rogan.
He's, like, been trying to convince me since I met him.
He's, like, sauna, cold plunge, heat shock proteins.
Try it, bro.
And I'm, like...
So then one day I'm, like, oh, fuck.
So then our friend at Roka was doing an ice bath.
And it was, like, one of the ones that you, like, pour the ice into.
Like, just a bucket and then you pour the ice in.
So I, like, said it.
I got in it and I was, like, oh, this is fucking terrible.
And I sat in it for, like, five minutes.
And I got out and...
Then I messaged Rogan, I'm like, I just did an ice bath.
He's like, which one?
I'm like, I'll just pour some ice in.
He goes, yeah, it's fucking weak shit.
You can only get it to like the high 40s.
You can't get it down to freezing.
And I'm like, okay, so I'll try a real one, I guess.
But I felt, I don't really feel physically a lot better, but I feel so mentally sharp after I do it.
I feel like very calm for the rest of the day, for like the next 24 hours.
And I feel just like if I want to go to sleep because I basically just had a fucking panic attack I can warm up and then I can go to sleep or I can like wake up and like do shit that I have to do.
So then I tried Brigham's at like 30 degrees and I sat for three minutes and I fucking got out.
I was like on a different planet.
I was like hallucinating and shit and it was like it was like actually freezing.
There's ice floating around.
I was like oh my god that was terrible.
But then I felt really good after.
And so now I do them like five times a week, probably.
I do like five times a week.
I just got it.
And I sit in usually three, four minutes.
And I did seven one time and I could have did more.
I should have did more.
But you gotta like be in the mood to go for a record.
joe rogan
Yeah, I did it once for 20, but I did it because I filmed it and I put it on Instagram.
I was like, I just want to see how long I could go.
unidentified
Wow.
joe rogan
So I just filmed it and I did 20. It was fucking horrible.
And I couldn't warm up for the rest of the day.
I drove to work.
It was 95 degrees outside in Texas.
I drove to work with no AC on my windows rolled up shivering.
gordon ryan
Yeah, we did it the other day.
I had like a barbecue at my house, and one of the guys who's here filming for Future Kimonos, my sponsor, he's like a cameraman, and he's never done an ice bath before.
So he gets in, and I'm like sitting down, I just did it, so I was sitting by the fire, warming up, and I look back, like fucking, I don't know, it felt like a half hour later, and he's still in there.
And I'm like, how long has he been in there?
Like 12 minutes.
I'm like, oh fuck.
So he gets out and he's like, yeah, I could have did longer, but I don't know.
I just figured I would get out.
So I'm like, okay.
So I don't think anything of it.
Like two and a half hours later, he comes up to me and he's wrapping the towel still in his underwear, just shaking.
unidentified
And he's like, do you have a...
And I'm like, yeah, man, go to the bathroom.
gordon ryan
He sat in the shower with the water as hot as it could go for like an hour.
And he comes out and he's like, okay, I'm a little bit better now.
Like still shaking.
joe rogan
When you go from cold plunge to sauna, it feels amazing.
gordon ryan
Oh, because you warm up like instantly.
joe rogan
Well, it takes a couple minutes, but I mean, the 185 degree sauna feels like nothing.
mo jassim
Is that okay to do, though?
I always thought it was hot to cold.
But you can go cold to hot.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's okay if you're not a pussy.
Yeah, you should always end on cold, though.
mo jassim
Okay.
joe rogan
You end on cold because the idea is you want your body to reheat itself.
mo jassim
And what temperature do you do for the cold plunge?
Because I hear different things.
You should do 40, 50 for a couple minutes.
unidentified
He's got it at 36. Yeah, we have it at 34 at the house.
joe rogan
And the blue cube that I have here in the studio I love, it's a little different than the Morosco because the water circulates.
So it's even more uncomfortable.
And that's 37 degrees.
But I can't differentiate between getting in that at 37 degrees and the Morosco at 34. It feels the same to me.
Because obviously 3 degrees is nothing.
But that one thing that does feel different is the circulation of water.
So when you get in the Blue Cube, you're like, Jesus, what the fuck is it?
It's more uncomfortable.
gordon ryan
If you move in the Morosco, you feel it like, oh fuck, I'm getting cold way faster.
joe rogan
Yeah, like when I check my watch to see what time it is, how long I've been in there for, like, just the movement, like, then your hand's like, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
gordon ryan
Someone commented the other day on my Instagram, like, to, like, move around more because apparently when you sit still, your body creates, like, a thermal layer where it, like, I don't know, apparently you don't get as cold.
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
And, like, move around.
So I started, like, moving around and I was like, oh!
I'm gonna sit still down.
joe rogan
That's where the blue cube is really excellent, because the blue cube is the water's always moving.
So you don't ever get that thermal layer.
gordon ryan
I'm trying to convince him to do it.
Oh, fuck.
I wish we could play.
I wish we could be...
So he had his girlfriend go in the thing.
It's fucking hilarious.
So I'm like, so Rogan has this rule.
I'm like, he fucking invites people to his house, and he's like, I'll give you a thousand dollars to do a minute.
I'm like, you should do it with Lena.
He goes, okay.
He's like, there's no way she'll be able to do it.
I'm like, I don't know.
Money's a pretty big motivator for Lena.
So she fucking...
He's like, I'll give you $1,000 to do it for a minute.
She's like, $1,000?
He's like, yeah.
He's like, okay.
So she gets in.
I'm like trying to coach her.
I'm like, nice deep breath.
I'm like, she gets in, she's like, oh, oh my fuck, okay.
So she's like shivering, and I'm like, nice deep breaths, take it easy.
She's just screaming, a thousand dollars!
unidentified
A thousand dollars!
gordon ryan
Turn it off!
She gets in, it's like 15 seconds.
She's like, how many minutes?
How many minutes has it been?
How many minutes?
And I'm like, it's been like 10 seconds.
And she's like, A thousand dollars!
unidentified
A thousand dollars!
gordon ryan
And she makes it through the minute, and she gets out, and she's on the floor in the blanket, shivering.
joe rogan
My daughter's 12-year-old friends did it.
I had three of her friends come over, and I go, if you guys go in there for one minute, I'll give you a thousand dollars.
And their eyes are lighting up.
They're thinking of toys, all the shit they're going to buy.
mo jassim
Did they make it?
joe rogan
Yeah, man.
They all did it.
They all did it.
One of my daughter's friend's sister, who's nine, did it.
Nine years old.
She jumped in there for a minute.
gordon ryan
Just gritting her teeth.
mo jassim
Now I have to do it.
unidentified
She's just gritting her teeth thinking about toys.
joe rogan
I gave it to them in $100 bills, too.
These crisp, clean $100 bills.
They're looking at it like, this is amazing!
gordon ryan
Imagine I go home, Joe Rogan just gave me this.
joe rogan
Yeah, they're like, what if I do two minutes?
I go, then you get 2,000.
It's going to give them 1,000 a minute, but no one ever did more than a minute.
mo jassim
When do you do it?
Do you, like, first thing in the morning or post-training?
joe rogan
Right before I get here.
So I worked out this morning, and then right after I work out, I go right into the sauna.
I do 20 minutes in the sauna, and then I do three minutes into the cold plunge.
That's my general daily routine.
mo jassim
What about post-training?
Does it help with lactic acid?
joe rogan
Yeah, it definitely does.
Well, it flushes your system in a wild way, right?
Because your circulation, like, when you're in a 185-degree sauna, and it's really hot, man.
The last 10 minutes is rough.
mo jassim
185?
joe rogan
Yeah, the last 10 minutes is rough.
And I throw water on the rocks, too, so it's fucking hot and moist.
gordon ryan
We were at Brigham's.
We were supposed to do like 20 minutes.
It's like me, Nat, Justin Wren, and Brigham.
Like, the four of us, like, smashed into this four-person sauna, which, like, we barely fit in, because we're all huge.
And he's got the timer outside, and, like, the timer doesn't go off.
So we're, like, fucking 27 minutes in.
We're like, how long have we been in here?
And he's like, oh, man, we're, like, seven minutes over.
I'm like, oh, perfect.
We're about to have a heat stroke.
joe rogan
I used to do 25. I was doing 25 for a while, but I would just be so tired after it was over.
I felt like I was doing too much, like the time was too much.
It was like I'd passed the point of diminishing returns.
So I feel like, for me, it seems like 185 degrees, 20 minutes.
And then as far as cold plunge, three minutes seems like the magic number.
Occasionally, I'll do five minutes.
One thing I will do, though, if I go back and forth and back and forth, then I'll do more sauna time.
So I'll do, like, 20 minutes in the sauna, and then I'll do three minutes in the cold plunge, and then I'll do another 20 minutes in the sauna.
And by the time that 20 minutes is up, I'm barely, I mean, I'm barely suffering.
And then I'll do another two minutes in the cold plunge, and I end it always on cold.
mo jassim
That's what I was going to ask you.
joe rogan
Always end on cold.
mo jassim
Always end on cold, right.
joe rogan
Because it's easier to end on hot.
Because it just warms you up, and you're like, okay, I'm done.
But when you end on cold, then you're like, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
And you make your body heat itself back up, and that's where you get a lot of the...
gordon ryan
The sauna's what I'm missing.
Like, I feel like if I do, like, a hard workout, like in my gym, I have to, like, take, like, ten minutes at least to cool down before I can get into the cold plunge.
I'm just like, my body's just, like, so shocked.
I feel like if I just sat in the sauna and relaxed for, like, 20 minutes after the workout, it would be a lot better to then move into the ice bath.
joe rogan
It also increases your red blood cell count.
It has a mild EPO-like effect.
And it also maintains your heart rate.
So if you do a hard training session, and you have elevated heart rate, and then you go straight into the sauna, it maintains an elevated heart rate.
Like, I've gone in the sauna with one of them chest straps on, the MyZone's chest straps, and it was reading 140 beats per minute just sitting there in the sauna.
Because I'd gone right from working out and gone.
It's so fucking hot, like, you don't get a chance to, like, completely cool down.
So your body's pumping all that blood.
gordon ryan
It's like an extra 20-minute workout, essentially.
unidentified
It is.
joe rogan
Yeah, exactly.
While you're static.
You're just sitting there.
mo jassim
And your heart rate doesn't go down.
It just stays pretty, I mean, slowly.
joe rogan
Well, it does go down slowly, but not when you're in there at 185 degrees for 20 minutes.
Because you're fucking suffering.
So when you're suffering, you're like...
Like, when I looked at my watch, and I see, like, I'm only at 12 minutes.
I don't know.
It's eight minutes to go.
And I'm like, fuck.
This is rough.
gordon ryan
That's me in the ice bath.
I don't even look at the timer.
I'm just counting the seconds.
It's so much worse.
I'm like, fuck, five seconds only went by?
joe rogan
Yeah, it's hard, but the benefits are really worth it.
The benefits for your immune system and then mental clarity.
gordon ryan
I just feel so sharp mentally after.
I'm having all these ideas pop into my head.
I'm answering emails.
I was procrastinating.
It's been good for me.
mo jassim
I have one at the house.
I've got to use it once.
joe rogan
You don't use it?
mo jassim
I've never used it once.
joe rogan
You just have it sitting there?
mo jassim
Now that my girlfriend uses it, I have to.
gordon ryan
He's like, we have one of these in Puerto Rico.
I'm like, how is it?
He's like, I don't know.
I never used it.
joe rogan
You have to use it.
mo jassim
My girlfriend just did, what, two minutes yesterday.
Now she's hooked.
joe rogan
Are you still in Puerto Rico?
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Are you staying there?
mo jassim
Yeah, I love it.
joe rogan
Fuck taxes, right?
mo jassim
I just always go back and forth, Puerto Rico, Miami.
joe rogan
So for taxes, you have to spend like 51% of your time there or something like that?
mo jassim
Yeah, 183 days, but I always hit like 210, 215. I like that, I just get away from everybody and it's very relaxing, so...
joe rogan
That's dope.
mo jassim
I'm a homebody, so I'm not one of those guys who has to go out all the time.
joe rogan
I thought it was pretty gangster you guys moving your entire organization to Puerto Rico because they wouldn't let you train in New York.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
How crazy is that?
joe rogan
Looking back on that now, how fucking crazy was all that?
mo jassim
Dude, I saw it.
joe rogan
Tell you you can't do jiu-jitsu.
mo jassim
What?
joe rogan
Like, the government's gonna come in and tell you you're not allowed to train.
mo jassim
I know a lot of people who lost their businesses.
gordon ryan
And now COVID's still around, and all the people who are yelling at you are just walking around like it's normal now.
joe rogan
How about that Dr. Lena Wen, the lady from CNN, is now telling everybody that her children's verbal skills, their speech development, was hampered by wearing a mask.
Like, yeah, they could have told you that.
mo jassim
They said that?
joe rogan
Yeah, people, speech experts would have told you that.
This is terrible for children.
Like, this idea that you're just going to, like, with no problem whatsoever, stop society.
mo jassim
I mean, has there been any studies that show the masks were effective?
I mean...
joe rogan
N95 masks have an effect, but none of them are 100% effective.
It's a respiratory disease.
Respiratory disease is spread, period.
End of discussion.
If you talk to virologists, they'll tell you, you cannot contain a respiratory disease.
I mean, you could protect yourself if you're in an area where there's a heavy spread and you have an N95 mask that's properly fitted.
It will have an impact.
But, you know, the most important thing is to protect your immune system.
And that's the least discussed aspect of the fucking pandemic.
gordon ryan
Just be healthy.
joe rogan
Yeah, don't be fat.
Don't be fat.
Take a lot of vitamins.
Vitamin D deficiency is a giant problem.
At one point in time, they did a study which showed that 84% of the people in the ICU were deficient in vitamin D. The funny thing is, I thought obesity would be the number one.
It was actually, I believe, vitamin D. Yeah, it was like 78% was obesity and 84% was...
unidentified
And what did they do?
mo jassim
They just had everyone go inside.
joe rogan
Yeah.
unidentified
Perfect.
joe rogan
Let's get fatter and paler.
mo jassim
I was in Europe last year.
I got a ticket for not wearing a mask outdoors.
joe rogan
Oh my God.
gordon ryan
He sent me this voice note.
mo jassim
I was so pissed.
gordon ryan
I was about to crack my phone in half.
He's like, yeah, they stopped me outside and they gave me a fucking ticket.
I'm like, can I just imagine if I was in that scenario?
Like some fucking cop telling me, hey, I'm going to give you this fucking $400 ticket.
joe rogan
I'm going to give you a ticket for not wearing something that doesn't even work.
gordon ryan
Yes.
mo jassim
Outdoors.
joe rogan
Yeah.
And now that they know that they don't work, like they've talked about it on CNN. I mean, like that same lady that Dr. Lena Nguyen just said that it's like facial decorations, that a regular cloth mask is like facial decorations.
gordon ryan
And they increase the chances you get bacterial pneumonia, right?
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
Because if you wear the same mask over and over again, it just traps all the bacteria onto the mask.
joe rogan
Fucking gross people.
They're not cleaning that thing.
It smells like your bad breath.
I know you've got to get out of here at 2 o'clock, right?
gordon ryan
We're okay.
joe rogan
You good?
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
We'll keep going.
Yeah, the fact that you guys had to do that and that you had to move the entire organization down to Puerto Rico was just...
I love that you did it, but it was like, wow, what a crazy sign of the times.
gordon ryan
We had to move somewhere because we didn't know what was going to happen in Austin.
Places were going to shut down.
At least moving there, we had to place a train.
So I was like, we'll move there.
That was going to be a three- to five-year thing, and then...
We were trying to open up a school and we just couldn't open up a school.
mo jassim
Disaster.
I went to a shopping center.
There's 40 outlets.
Two of them are occupied.
I tried for a year to open a school.
It was like impossible.
I'm like, they wouldn't return my calls.
It was impossible to work down.
I'm like, guys, this is just, I don't know what to do.
joe rogan
There's a little too relaxed down there.
That's the problem with living in paradise.
mo jassim
Island time, you know?
joe rogan
Yeah, island time's real.
mo jassim
It was just impossible.
joe rogan
How much of a jujitsu scene is there now?
Like, did you guys like...
gordon ryan
Over there?
joe rogan
Because you guys went there, and I mean, how many people stayed and kept training?
mo jassim
They had jujitsu there.
I mean, I think some of them were upset, to be honest.
joe rogan
That you guys showed up?
mo jassim
They're like, how are we going to compete with these guys?
unidentified
Right.
mo jassim
You know what I'm saying?
But it's not too big there.
gordon ryan
But, I mean, everyone who moved there with us moved back here, and then a couple of the guys, like three of the guys, we have Fernando, Luis, and Juan, who have lived their whole lives in Puerto Rico.
Like, Fernando's almost 40. He's been there his whole life, and they moved to Austin with us to train, so that was pretty cool.
But, yeah.
Yeah, we were training out of our buddy's gym.
He actually used a gym for one of his camps where he brings guys down.
And then it was called Combat 360. And we were just training there for the year, trying to open up a gym, which he was like hammering away trying to get people to help us and just was literally impossible to do any sort of business.
mo jassim
I remember John was going to strangle one of these guys.
So me and John go together.
And this guy's like trying to charge us.
gordon ryan
He just has no patience for incompetence.
And just fucking talking to everybody there was just the problem.
mo jassim
We meet with the owner of the shopping center and 40 stores, two of them are occupied.
He's trying to charge us like $2.50 a square foot.
So John just looks like he's about to kill this guy.
He's like, you're trying to charge me Manhattan prices for this.
And I told the guy, I'm like, look around.
If we get 400 students here, we're going to bring you football.
I wouldn't budge.
I was like, alright guys, it's just not going to work here.
gordon ryan
Then I was like, here, I did the show with Rogan.
I talked to him for like a half hour, just like probably most of his friends, and he convinced me to move to Austin.
I'm like, Rogan has this thing where every one of his friends, he's like, come on, bro, just fucking make the move.
joe rogan
It's the greatest city ever.
mo jassim
It's really, I love Austin.
joe rogan
It's so great, and there's only a million people here.
unidentified
For now.
joe rogan
You get around.
Where are they going to go?
Fucking, you have to build.
There's no houses available.
unidentified
When you get around, it's so easy.
joe rogan
Me coming from LA, everything was a fucking hour.
Everything.
mo jassim
I'm from LA too, yeah.
joe rogan
Go to the Comedy Store at 8 o'clock at night.
Takes an hour.
It should take 22 minutes from my house.
It takes an hour.
Everything takes an hour.
And plus, in the morning, you want to fucking shoot yourself.
gordon ryan
L.A. is the fucking, the worst.
joe rogan
It's crazy.
Going down to Orange County is death.
It takes hours.
It would take us two, three hours to take my kids to Disneyland.
It was crazy.
It takes an hour just to get from L.A. to L.A. And if the shit goes down, if something happens, if there's an earthquake, if something goes down, you're not getting anywhere.
You're not getting out of there.
There's just too many fucking human beings.
Also, people devalue people when there's that many people.
People become a problem.
They don't become a valuable asset.
Like, oh, this is my community of people.
That's my neighbor Bob.
Hey, Bob.
No, it becomes all these fucks.
Look at all these fucks in front of me.
gordon ryan
New York's the same way.
joe rogan
Yes!
mo jassim
But people in Texas are so nice.
joe rogan
They're the nicest!
mo jassim
Anywhere you go.
It doesn't matter.
joe rogan
They're all fucking armed!
gordon ryan
Dude, we fucking pulled up to Terry Black's the other day.
There's like a fucking hundred person line.
I parked like right in front.
A dude fucking runs out.
He's like...
unidentified
I knew it was you.
gordon ryan
I knew it was your truck.
He's like, come on in.
We're gonna take care of you.
They fucking cut the whole line.
joe rogan
Oh, that's awesome.
gordon ryan
They got us all everything we needed and was like, you guys need anything?
He's like, please let us know.
And I was like, no, it's okay.
joe rogan
Those guys are great.
gordon ryan
They're all so helpful.
joe rogan
Terry Black's is the shit.
mo jassim
I eat it every single time.
joe rogan
Goddamn, those beef ribs are preposterous.
They're so good.
They're sausages and brisket.
I love barbecue.
I'm so happy to be here.
There's just so much good shit about this town, and then there's so many comedy clubs here, and I've talked so many comedians into moving here now.
gordon ryan
He loves fucking comedy.
I'm taking him to see Kill Tony tonight.
joe rogan
Oh, you're going to have a great time.
mo jassim
The only thing I like doing, because I'm from L.A., but not too much of a fan as I used to be, but the only thing I like doing there is going to the comedy store.
So every time I'm there, I go like three, four times a week.
joe rogan
Yeah, the Comedy Store is awesome, but we're recreating something like that here.
We have an amazing scene.
I mean, there's like 12 world-class comedians that have already moved here.
mo jassim
That live in Austin full-time?
joe rogan
Yeah, that move here.
And we don't even have, I mean, the main comedy club is still being built.
My place is still being built.
mo jassim
I'll definitely be stopping by.
joe rogan
But we'll be ready somewhere around January, right at the turn of 2023. We should be ready.
mo jassim
Is it going to be multiple rooms?
joe rogan
Yeah, we got a couple rooms.
Yeah, it's going to be fun.
And then there's a lot of other good spots around here too.
Like there's a Creek in the Cave.
It's a great room.
The Vulcan where we're at Tuesday and Wednesday nights every week.
That's a great room.
Then there's Cap City Comedy Club reopened, The Domain.
So Austin has a booming scene.
It's a great place for stand-up.
It's just like, they're fun crowds too, man.
They're not fucked up and woke and annoying.
mo jassim
I was in the comedy store one time.
Marc Maron is performing.
This guy gets up, like, starts yelling at him.
And it's like, it's Marc Maron.
It's not Andrew Schultz or Anthony Jeselnik.
And this guy looked like he was on a gram of test.
joe rogan
What's he yelling on him for?
mo jassim
He's yelling at him because Marc Maron made some Jewish joke.
Finally stops the big.
joe rogan
Mark's Jewish.
mo jassim
That's what he says to the guy.
He's like, bro, relax.
I'm Jewish too.
And this guy's like, it's not funny and stuff like that.
I'm just looking like, who goes to a comedy club with that mindset?
joe rogan
Self-righteous twats.
They're always filled with these fucking virtue signaling douchebags.
They're filled with people that want to show everybody how righteous and ethical and moral they are.
gordon ryan
That's why I love Tony.
Because Tony just doesn't tolerate it at all.
He just fucking crushes you the second anything happens.
joe rogan
He's the greatest host of a podcast, like a live podcast ever.
He's the best at it.
That show killed Tony.
gordon ryan
He's so fast.
joe rogan
No one's faster.
mo jassim
I used to see him in the comedy store all the time, and I'd be dying laughing, but people would just like the looks on their face.
joe rogan
Oh, he goes hard in the paint.
But if that's what you like, he's your guy.
gordon ryan
Yeah, the dark humor just kills me every time.
joe rogan
No, he's an animal.
And so, you know, he's out here.
Tom Segura's out here.
Christina Pazitzki's out here.
Yep, yep.
Tim Dillon.
Brian Simpson just moved here.
David Lucas is here.
Hans Kim is here.
Duncan Trussell's here.
We got a lot of fucking comics here right now.
It's fun.
It's fun.
So every Tuesday and Wednesday night, it's a party at the Vulcan.
mo jassim
Such a good time.
unidentified
I can't wait.
mo jassim
I mean, I love stand-up comedy.
It's just weird to me because, like, I remember growing up watching Eddie Murphy's Delirious.
And when he's ripping on Arabs and stuff like that, me and my brother were just dying.
We'd be like, yeah, he's ripping on us now, you know?
We're like, we made it!
joe rogan
That's funny.
mo jassim
Everyone's just like, they think being offended is a badge of honor.
joe rogan
It is.
Yeah, it's something like...
It's social media.
Social media fucked everybody's head up because everybody had an opinion now.
Everybody had an opinion that you could see...
unidentified
The worst people.
joe rogan
Yeah, the most complaining.
gordon ryan
Yeah, the people who don't have any accomplishments and just have all day to spend on Instagram.
Those are the people who are most heard.
joe rogan
That is what the problem is, is that they have the time to do that.
And it's a great distraction from accomplishing anything in your real life.
If you just spend all your time complaining about shit, you feel like you're getting something done.
mo jassim
My thing is intent.
It's obvious that they're just performing.
Like, do you really believe, you know, like Chappelle, do you really believe he's just a bad person?
It just doesn't make any sense.
joe rogan
They don't care if they really believe that.
They care if they can pretend that they believe that so that they have a target, so that they can pour all their outrage at and it makes them look more virtuous.
But it's really just about cutting someone down to make yourself look better.
If you look at the content of what Chappelle put out that they criticized, it's not transphobic at all.
mo jassim
I've seen it six times.
joe rogan
He's genius.
And, you know, it's great that he does it and that they attack him because it shows how ridiculous it is.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Because then people watch and they go, what the fuck are you complaining about?
Like, what is going on?
Like, this is comedy.
Like, comedy without victims can be pretty fucking boring.
mo jassim
Yeah.
joe rogan
Okay?
It's like someone's going to take the hit, kids.
gordon ryan
But it's amazing because everyone they try to cancel who just doesn't...
Apologize.
joe rogan
You just get bigger.
gordon ryan
They just get way bigger.
joe rogan
Yeah, you just get bigger.
Just don't quit.
mo jassim
They canceled one of Chappelle's shows, right?
They went to the venue and he had to...
joe rogan
Oh, that didn't mean anything.
mo jassim
No, I know it doesn't.
joe rogan
But those were silly people that worked there.
mo jassim
Oh, they were their employees?
joe rogan
Yeah, we will not stand for this.
So he went to another place right across the street.
Like, it was right down the street.
mo jassim
It's just crazy to me.
joe rogan
Last minute change of venue.
mo jassim
When I grew up, if you didn't like something, you just don't watch it.
But that's not enough for them.
joe rogan
Well, it's just these fucking people, man.
mo jassim
No one can watch it.
joe rogan
Everybody's special now.
You know, this is what happens when you give kids participation trophies for getting their ass kicked at soccer.
They grow up and they think everybody's special.
No one's a loser.
Everyone's amazing.
Your opinion's valid.
You need to be heard.
You need to speak your truth.
Go speak your truth.
And everybody's like, I need to be heard.
We can't tolerate this in our community.
Meanwhile, you're ready to turn on the next person.
You're ready to turn on...
They'll never be woke enough.
No one will ever be woke enough.
When they fought, they'll push the boundaries until they eliminate everybody who's not this far left and then they'll go further left.
They'll go full communist.
mo jassim
They'll never be satisfied.
unidentified
Never.
mo jassim
That's the point.
joe rogan
That's the problem because they're malcontents.
These are not like normal, healthy, rational people with good lives and that are successful.
mo jassim
Didn't Kevin Hart apologize for years ago like for that bit and they still, it wasn't enough.
joe rogan
It didn't matter.
And he said he wasn't going to apologize again.
He's like, I'm not apologizing again.
I did it a long time ago.
Like, I'm a good person.
These are just jokes.
gordon ryan
They don't want apologies because whenever someone apologizes, then they actually get canceled.
joe rogan
Well, what they want is you to bend the knee.
Bend the knee.
unidentified
Power.
joe rogan
It's just a weird time for people and their opinions, you know, because it's so easy to get an opinion magnified.
Like if you have an opinion and then a bunch of people retweet that opinion and, you know, you see people, they spend all day on Twitter just posting their opinions on things and bitching about shit.
mo jassim
That's why I love Chappelle.
He's like, I don't give a fuck about Twitter.
It's not a real place.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's not a real place.
Well, it's a real mental institution.
That's what it is.
If you, like, no bullshit.
If you collectively looked at the people that post the most on Twitter, and then you looked at the amount of medication those people are taking, the amount of therapy those people are taking, the amount of anxiety and mental illness those people have, It's not representative of the general population.
It's a sick group of people.
mo jassim
Yeah.
I mean, I just don't get it.
Like, why should Andrew Schultz or Justin McFans not be able to go watch the show?
I just don't understand that.
Why should an adult not be able to go enjoy something that you don't?
It just makes no sense.
joe rogan
Because people are crazy.
It literally makes no sense.
But it's also people that don't have, like, real struggle, like, physical struggle in their life.
One of the things you find out about jiu-jitsu people...
They just make up problems.
Jiu-jitsu is one of the best medicines for a human being because the exercise is so fucking difficult.
It's so hard to get good at jiu-jitsu and then training is so hard that like everything else is kind of easy.
gordon ryan
You have like a real problem.
unidentified
Yeah.
gordon ryan
Like you're not fucking worried about bitching when someone's trying to break your arm.
joe rogan
Yeah, exactly.
gordon ryan
Like people who don't, everyone's so comfortable now, they don't have real problems so they just make up imaginary issues.
To complain about in their head.
joe rogan
What they need to do is get some imaginary real problems like jujitsu.
It's not a real problem like you have to do it, but you should do it.
And if you do do it, you'll be better at the other things you do.
And you'll be better at coping.
Because you're dealing with real adversity.
Someone's fucking mounting you trying to strangle you.
That's real adversity.
It's not a microaggression at the office.
mo jassim
But jiu-jitsu is tough out of the combat sports because basically you just get your ass kicked for the first three, six months.
joe rogan
That's what people need!
mo jassim
And you don't even know what's happening.
joe rogan
There's so many people out there thinking they're the shit.
They're nothing.
They need to know they're nothing.
They need to know that they're basically helpless.
I remember the first time I ever went into jiu-jitsu class.
It was at Carlson Gracie's.
And this purple belt just fucking raped me.
Just manhandled me.
He wasn't even bigger than me.
He was the same age as me.
I had no disadvantage.
gordon ryan
Yeah, you couldn't rationalize it at all.
joe rogan
And I was like, I know how to fight.
I used to kickbox.
unidentified
I can fight.
joe rogan
I was Taekwondo champion.
I can fight.
And this guy was just doing whatever he wanted to me.
And I was like, wow.
And I remember leaving there going, well, that's important to know.
gordon ryan
Yeah.
joe rogan
Because I didn't know that that was real.
b-real
I didn't know that I was that...
joe rogan
I thought, well, bigger people could probably kick my ass and, you know, world championship black belts could probably kick my ass.
But a regular person?
No.
It's like, that's good for you.
Getting your ass kicked like that is fucking good for you.
Because you've got to break it down before you can build it up.
gordon ryan
And it's, like, as close to a superpower as you can get.
joe rogan
Oh, yeah.
gordon ryan
Like, grappling or fighting a normal person who has, like, no martial arts experience is, like, literally playing with a child.
joe rogan
Yeah.
gordon ryan
Like, you see, like, bodybuilders grappling, like, jiu-jitsu guys, and it's, like, doesn't matter.
They look like children playing with their dad.
joe rogan
Do you remember the old no-rules fight with Pedro Sauer?
Pedro Sauer fought this bodybuilder, this fucking giant Jack bodybuilder.
mo jassim
He's Hunter Hickson.
I remember that.
The big monster.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's like a famous old-school, like, one of them dojo matches.
gordon ryan
No, I haven't seen it.
joe rogan
It's another one of those cases where we were talking about the early days of MMA, recognizing that Jiu Jitsu is really the only martial arts that delivers as promised.
A small, technical person can defeat a larger, untrained person.
mo jassim
And that's what it showed.
I mean, I always heard for UFC 1, they purposely picked Hoist instead of Hickson or something like that because of his muscular stature.
joe rogan
Sort of.
mo jassim
Is that true?
joe rogan
There's a little bit of that.
Also, they couldn't control Hickson.
No one could tell Hickson what to do.
Hickson was not playing any games, and Horian, I think, had a lot more control of the situation if Hoist was his champion.
But the idea was, if anybody ever beat Hoist, then you throw in Hickson, and he mauls everybody.
mo jassim
Because Hoyler and Hickson had much more impressive competitive careers.
joe rogan
Hoyler certainly did.
But Hoyler obviously was much smaller.
mo jassim
Yeah, too small.
joe rogan
Yeah, I mean, he competed at Abu Dhabi at 45, right?
mo jassim
Yeah, exactly.
joe rogan
All right, so tell everybody one more time.
It's on Flow Grappling.
Tell everybody the dates.
mo jassim
ADCC 2022, September 17 and 18 in the Thomas and Mac Arena, Las Vegas.
joe rogan
Awesome.
Fantastic.
Gordon, you're the fucking man.
Thanks for being here.
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