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00:00And before we even talk about your fighting career,
00:02I want to say thank you very much.
00:04You know, we know that you are a Naval veteran.
00:05I thank you for your time
00:06that you've given to this country and served.
00:08You know, what was that experience like for you
00:10and how did that push you into your career now
00:13as a heavyweight MMA fighter?
00:16Well, I did six years from 18 to 24.
00:20I got out back in September of 2020
00:23and there's a lot of character developing, you know,
00:26like not everyone you work with is going to be,
00:29well, good at their job
00:30and not everyone you're going to work with
00:32is going to be as passionate as you are.
00:34But, and then there's also some people
00:35who are more passionate and some people who are better.
00:37So it's like, there's so much room to learn
00:40both knowledge and perspective.
00:42And that kind of just gives you a sense of understanding
00:44when it comes to learning techniques,
00:47when it comes to fighting, you know,
00:48learning techniques when it comes to jujitsu or striking.
00:51And it's like, one, you have to be patient with yourself,
00:53but two, you have to be patient with others.
00:55This way you can absorb as much knowledge as you can
00:57from different like realms.
00:58So it's helped me quite a bit.
01:01And I'm sure, you know,
01:02you learned some of your hand-to-hand combat skills
01:04there for sure.
01:05And you had a long amateur career there.
01:06Obviously part of that,
01:08you had a big gap there between 2018 and 2021
01:10while you were serving.
01:11You know, what did you,
01:13how have you felt like that kind of long time,
01:16some fighters that get into it
01:17and they just, you know, have a couple of fights
01:19and they jump right into, you know,
01:20being a pro and at a very young age
01:22and maybe haven't learned all the things,
01:24you know, life experiences that you have
01:26that, you know, could help them.
01:27And, you know, it takes till later on in their career
01:29to really see the best of them.
01:31How do you feel like that time that you spent there,
01:33the things that you learned,
01:35the growing that you did helped you
01:37and, you know, the actual length of your amateur career
01:39may be helping you now as you transition
01:42into being a pro in mixed martial arts.
01:46Well, funny story about that.
01:47Actually, I got in trouble when I was fighting
01:49as an amateur when I was enlisted.
01:51So like, you know, your government property
01:55and, you know, it's liability issues and whatnot.
01:57So when my command find out I was fighting,
02:01they kind of like sat me down like,
02:02hey dude, like, we're not gonna,
02:04we're not gonna like, you know,
02:06beat you with a stick or nothing,
02:06but like, you can't do this.
02:09So I had to stop, I had to take a break.
02:11Like I kept training, but I wasn't allowed to fight
02:14on any like, you know, platforms like that.
02:16So it just, you know, I kept my nose down,
02:18I stayed focused and I told everyone
02:20like that I was working with like,
02:21hey, like, this is what I want to do.
02:22This is what I'm going to do when I get out.
02:24So it feels good to like, you know,
02:27stay committed to that goal in such a long term
02:30that it's been years since then.
02:32And as soon as I got out,
02:33I trained for about another year or so,
02:36and then here we are, you know?
02:38So it's been a long, long process,
02:42but we've learned a lot.
02:43So I'm very thankful for that.
02:45You absolutely have, you know,
02:46and you know, you've used that in some great things.
02:48You've been a champion in other promotions.
02:51You were a, you know, East Coast champion in the ADCC.
02:54So, you know, a guy who has a great grappling experience.
02:57Although, you know, when you look at your record,
02:59both amateur and pro, only one submission win.
03:01How do you think that you've used that
03:04to, you know, find other ways to win?
03:06And, you know, now in your first two pro wins,
03:08how do you think that's helped you,
03:09that submission wrestling,
03:10even though that hasn't been the way
03:11that you have finished these fights?
03:14Well, I mean, as a heavyweight, you know,
03:17these guys are big, you know, and I'm not like,
03:20I don't think of myself as a large heavyweight.
03:23So if I can avoid going to the ground
03:25with these bigger guys, these wider guys,
03:27you know, they got these big broad shoulders,
03:29these wide frames and whatnot.
03:31I don't want to get on the ground and use those techniques
03:35if I can finish the fight standing up, you know?
03:37If I know that I have more, you know,
03:40stamina than these guys,
03:42I'll be faster than them on my feet.
03:44And then I'll chop them down from there.
03:48But if it does go to the ground,
03:50if it does get to that point,
03:51I am confident and comfortable knowing
03:53that I have the tools to handle them down there as well.
03:56So I think that it's a cool utility to have in the belt,
04:01but I'm not going to go out of my way to use it
04:04unless I have to.
04:06Absolutely.
04:07And now you'll be using it for Lights Out Extreme Fighting.
04:09What drew you to this organization
04:10and how excited are you to make your debut for them
04:13in Sean Merriman?
04:15I'm super excited.
04:16I actually met Sean Merriman last,
04:20like I think a week or so ago.
04:22I went to the promotion for Lights Out 22
04:25and, you know, I just want to get a feel for the promotion,
04:27see what they got and like how they do everything.
04:30And it's phenomenally put together.
04:32These guys are very professional.
04:35And the promotion, it looks really cool to be a part of.
04:38So I'm really excited that like, you know,
04:40that I get that chance.
04:42And, you know, I'm just starting out as a pro
04:47for almost a year now.
04:48So like I'm doing my best to, you know,
04:52just showcase my skills on every platform
04:54that gives me an opportunity.