what’s going on junkie Nation Gorgeous
George and goes are back with one of our
favorites honestly a local Vegas guy who
we’ve known for a long time seen him
progress through
the pre-us Sierra until now he’s an
actual UFC fighter for the last well how
many years now Dan five or six yeah half
a decade there you go
I think you get to 10 we can say when
you made a career out of it being a UFC
fighter which I’m sure is a lot of MMA
fighters goals when they’re progressing
through right you don’t want to just do
a dance or two and then bounce and say
oh I did it I mean you I think you want
to make a career out of it you’re well
on your way
for sure and it’s crazy how fast the
time flies because I mean I remember
fighting in Titan FC and cffc and LFA
and Legacy and like just to see how fast
my career has progressed and
I’d say I’m probably one of the most
active UFC fighters on the roster
looking back at like the gods I fought
and how many fights I’ve had and the
amount of time it’s I I don’t I don’t
know the statistics but I feel like I’m
up there so can’t complain
this will be your third fight this year
so that’s definitely an active schedule
an honest yeah so if things go well I
could see you squeezing in the last one
if you wanted to or maybe you just call
it a season and see you in 2024 but uh
you know that’s one way to keep your
name out there especially in a stacked
division like yours 100 and that’s my
goal at the beginning of this year my
goal is to fight three times January
when I found Jamie Jackson June and then
I was hoping for a December card at the
end of the November December we got the
September offer so I was like and it was
a good opponent Bryce Mitchell so we
took that fight but definitely I’m I’m
on route to fight four times this year
you know you never can look past a fight
because you never know how it’s gonna go
but
who do everything in our power we can we
could do to win and you know get a good
W just hopefully keep the ball rolling
and keep the momentum going my wife Stu
with another baby at the end of February
so I’m hoping to fight
yeah at least one more time before then
and make it four if it’s this year or
early next year it doesn’t really matter
but yeah we’ll stick keep herself
relevant until I got to take a little
little break and you know change diapers
yeah
okay so let me ask you a question here I
think it’s relevant to you because
you went down this path and earlier in
this interview we talked about you know
the other promotions that you fought in
and of course you did have a pit stop at
Dana White Contender Series where they
passed you over this year man everyone’s
getting the contract I I would say I
think they went five and five the first
two weeks uh and and pretty much every
other week maybe one or two no I think
just one hasn’t gotten it does it
chapter hide or is it you passed it
especially when he says you know show me
that you want to be here or or I don’t
know I I still remember the huge
disappointment in the gym when you
didn’t
uh get you got the win you just didn’t
get invited to be part of the USC
because I thought you did fight your ass
off and I thought you proved you were
UFC talent and I know I’m going back a
few years but just your thoughts yes I
mean for me it’s all
perspective it’s one of those things you
could use as fuel you know put that chip
on your shoulder like man I didn’t get
picked but dude I I’m I have almost 15
fights now in the UFC so I’m far past
that honestly I’m a little guilty I
haven’t even watched
one episode of the contender Series this
season and I’ve just been so busy I’m
focused on myself but I’m grateful man
I’ve I’ve been I’ve been in this game
for a minute
I’ve made over a million dollars
fighting in the UFC so I’m grateful I’m
blessed you know I have a house I have a
beautiful family
and those are the little things that I
focus on I don’t really focus except
when Dana White does his thing that if
you don’t know now you know and they put
the Dana White Contender Siri logo next
to my name because they still didn’t
pick me and they claim me
yeah I remember man
um you know I want you to go for the
finish your fight didn’t go to a
decision you got the Finish like yeah uh
you know this look you’re there you’re
right 15 fights in I guess it was just
something that went through my head this
year because I remember the first year
it was it was reality television you
know like when and then you all sit on
those stools
and we all wait and one person’s gonna
get the contract whoa he was crazy this
week he gave away too you know but for
the most part at least I thought that
was kind of going to be the setting and
now it’s just like everyone come on in
carry come on in to a roster that’s
already pretty full pretty damn full I
don’t even know if you need more bodies
to be honest yeah I can’t even imagine
the stress of the matchmakers just
having to bring on more and more and
more
I mean there’s fights every single
weekend so I get it they got to fill
shows and you know keep signing these
prospects but
yeah dude honestly I just
the little things you just don’t care
too much about anymore and it just yeah
all I can do is focus on myself focus on
my own self growth and getting better
and continuing to climb the ranks and
make some money
so then Jackson uh land where Mitchell
like these guys are no jokes these are
very tough Fighters can you maybe point
to one thing that you feel all three of
them have in common and then maybe a
couple things that separate them as
challenges
um
they’re all Hillbillies
I don’t know uh they’re all they’re all
different in their own ways you know
like
Damon Jackson was one of those guys when
I fought him at the time he was on a
good for fight win streak they were all
on win streaks Nate land where Damon
Jackson the only guy is not on a win
streak besides I mean is Mitchell but he
won 14 in a row before that so
um they’re they’re they all
they all have little things that just
give them that
Edge like Mitchell’s just he’s good at
obviously what he does when he gets on
top his top pressure his wrestling game
I think is really underrated because he
doesn’t have pretty wrestling but he can
fight from long extended positions and
find a way to get the takedown get the
body lock get the back
um Damon Jackson was honestly very
similar so the preparation for Jackson
and Mitchell are kind of the same
just a little bit different things here
and there just you know being very
urgent defensively and you know Finding
in when to mix in my offensive takedowns
too because you know I scored one on
Jackson too when I saw Jackson it was
like don’t get don’t let him touch you
don’t let them grab you because that’s
the only his only chance of winning and
when I actually clinched up with him I
was like man this guy’s name is not that
strong so you know I took him down at
the end of round one and
felt like I could have done in round two
but then I knocked him out so
Nate landwer was a little different
because I knew he would kind of come in
and
he had that durability
I I wasn’t sure if he was going to
wrestle as much but we we kind of
assumed we’re like all right listen how
do we beat Daniel let’s let’s try to put
him on his back or put him on the cage
and you know just win win by points he’s
hard to finish he hasn’t been finished
so let’s just try to get a decision here
and he came out and struck with me and
it wasn’t a surprise but he was very
tough
and we planned for that even Eric was
like hey I know you got to walk off kill
over Damon Jackson no walk off Kos with
this guy because he’s just stupid tough
he’s a zombie you know he’ll you I
probably should have choked him out but
anyways we got the win now we’re
fighting Mitchell and he’s very I think
I think people underestimate and stand
up a little bit his stand-up’s very
Herky jerking weird weird timing but he
hurts guys here at some barbeau’s on the
feet so it’s not it’s not like one of
those fights like just don’t get taken
down and you win you got to be kind of
cautious and
uh just mindful very mindful everywhere
everywhere the fight goes and
so I don’t I I don’t know man I don’t
they’re all a little bit different but
at the same time it’s just
me showing up at my best and giving my
best effort and
I believe I could be victorious
hey Dan have you ever seen a cartoon
where they got like a little devil on
one shoulder and an angel on the other
and they’re talking to each other
yep does like having being a fighter but
also being on the management side do you
ever have one of those talking to you
not from the Fighter’s perspective but
from like the agent side because you
know when here that’s a nice little
streak and maybe even a possible fourth
one
um I’m sure you’ve seen the other side
of the of the negotiation tables like
does that ever happen to you do you ever
have like two sides of you that talks to
yourself
um I guess but not in like the agent
fighter aspect it’s just as a human
aspect you know the
you deal with the confidence and then
the doubt and both those voices creep
into your head you know you
for instance when I found a land where
hearing everyone saying like
I’m just gonna run through them you know
he’s a perfect opponent that’s built for
me and
me knowing that I’m capable of that
capable of finishing him capable of
knocking him out and beating him and
also the other voice in me was like well
this guy’s
crazy he’s got a gas tank you know he’s
awkward
he could beat me
um I’m still a human like I’m beatable
I’ve lost before so you know there
people can put together game plans to
beat me and you think about that so it’s
a balance of the doubt and then the
confidence and not being overconfident
and not being too doubtful of yourself
I feel like I do a pretty good job
managing it but I’m very honest with
myself I’m honest of what can happen I
don’t I don’t go in there thinking I can
lose but I know what I that I can lose I
also know that I can win it’s it’s
literally in you know it’s an option to
go out there and
either shut down and be behind and be
just literally milliseconds behind you
can lose the fight or just go in there
and be focused on the present be in the
moment and do everything you can and
give the best effort you can and you
know
at least if you do that and you lose
you’re okay with it because you did
everything that you’re supposed to do
leading up to it and you did everything
you could do in the fight to get the
result you want you just didn’t get it
but
that’s kind of my main thing is just
being very focused on being in the
moment and
but I have those mental battles every
day I think about it every day from the
day I signed the contract even when I
don’t have a fight it’s like when am I
gonna fight I have those thoughts am I
doing enough right now am I on the couch
am I eating is my way at a good point
um should it be lighter should it be
heavier uh should I be running should I
be lifting right now it’s it’s always a
weird Unknowing
I don’t know the sports hard especially
when you don’t know when you’re gonna
fight
um it’s not like a league where you’re
fighting you know you’re gonna fight
like in a pfl I’m gonna fight four or
five times this year and I have every
single date laid out it’s not like that
in the UFC sometimes
like myself right now I got a good
Street going good momentum so they wanna
you know you keep me relevant and keep
me active but last year I fought one
time I was coming off a three fight
losing skid and I fought one time and it
wasn’t my choice I was healthy I was
capable and I wanted to keep fighting
obviously I have to be smart you know
it’s like on a three fight losing skid
though I want to risk you know losing
again losing my job maybe I’ve seen
people lose their job off two losses so
it’s uh just one of those things you
gotta just
take a bit day by day and practice being
in the moment because if you’re not in
the moment you’re not you’re not in the
fight
hey Dan I don’t know if you remember
this
um and George too do you guys remember
our show I want to say it was called
like Wife Swap or something where they
swapped uh families for like a week or
something and they had to kind of
operate in the other person’s
environment you guys are so polar
opposite if you were on a show similar
like that but let’s just call it fighter
swap where he’s
over at a big gym like extreme Couture
now and you gotta go over there on his
farm who do you think cracks first or
who do you think would benefit more from
the other person’s environment like do
you ever look at uh the Solitude that he
has outside of just training with a a
little small group does it ever make you
jealous do you think he would ever want
a big group setting or no it’s a lot but
take it from there of well I could only
speak for myself
um all I can say is I’ve been there
before I when I was training in Hawaii I
was working construction full-time I was
I was doing slave labor you know picking
up barrels of concrete shoveling sand
um getting messy getting picking up 100
pound
uh big Stones flag stones and plain tile
and just doing everything I was doing
everything slave labor and then freaking
going to train after that and having the
train while being tired like so I I know
what it’s like to live that labor life I
mean for him it’s more of a lifestyle
farmer you live on the farm he has just
like he’s probably living he’s living
his dream but that’s also his comfort
zone I got to a point in my career I
fought 11 amateur fights in Hawaii then
had two pro fights
um and after my second profile I made I
had come out to Vegas a few times I was
living with Brad like
for two three weeks at a time doing like
little mini training camps so I always
knew I was gonna make the move but after
my second Pro fight I was still in
Hawaii
and that’s when I knew I had to make the
decision to just leave my house leave my
home leave my comfort zone
um I left Hawaii with no money no job no
family I had Brad out here that was it
and
you know extreme Couture they opened
their doors for me and
I had to earn my way to where I am now I
had to I didn’t I didn’t know any of the
coaches you know I I knew Robert Falls
from coming out a couple times and but
he was like he was the star he was a big
time coach so I didn’t even want to like
cross those boundaries I was like I’m
just gonna show up every day and keep
putting in the work and that’s how you
know that’s how I got introduced to Eric
because I was like he wasn’t really
coaching a lot of guys yet he was the
gym manager but he saw me showing up
every day and we kind of gravitated
towards each other in that sense and
started working her way up but
to your question if we were to swap
roles you know I I can’t speak for him
but I can say I’ve been I’ve been where
he’s at I’ve had that smaller team I’ve
had
um that you know just kind of Labor
environment but I don’t know I’m doing
everything
possible
to be the best in the world
um
I take care of my body I I do a full
extensive strength and conditioning my
recovery I train with some of the best
guys in the world the big one of the
biggest gyms
um are 45ers 55 35 45 55ers or just
insane that the the level of Talent on
the mat is insane even guys that aren’t
in the UFC and all I know is I’m getting
pushed every single day and I’ve created
kind of a small team out of extreme
Couture to best benefit me going into my
training camps
Dan I think
I think you’re alone I think the
family’s away so we can keep it real if
you went that way would you miss that
coffee press the most the one in the
background oh this one yes
um I’d probably take it with me to be
honest uh
when I
during the pandemic they had us at the
that Marriott Hotel on D Martin and I
took my espresso machine with me because
we had to stay in the bubble and that
was I don’t know it was cool just to be
in the hotel and making coffees for my
team and
yeah I’d probably take it with me
bro I think there’s some stories of
Fighters that were on cards that
couldn’t even leave their room right
I don’t know that it was a weird time I
mean I fought a bunch of times you
couldn’t leave your room
um they would even monitor the hallways
and then when you guys oh yeah hotel at
least it became a bigger bubble because
you had the hotel
but yeah man it’s incredible some of the
stories like some pfl guys were
sequestered for like 17 days in New
Jersey on one of their cards I remember
that one too that’s crazy yeah I
remember in Abu Dhabi we literally like
Eric had a room next door Erica Skyler
and then I was in my room but our
balconies connected and you could
squeeze through so we just like go over
into each other’s rooms and
because they taped their doors they tape
their doors so if you left the tape
would break they’d know you left the
room but you can go you could slide
through the balcony so we found our way
you guys never got caught
I I mean no oh good all right well no
because you remember there was a UFC
fighter who’s talking a teammate or
something like that I don’t know I can’t
remember what story that was but what’s
in the bag
[Laughter]
away the mice will play
have you been training just as intense
as if Eric were here cracking the whip
yeah
I mean at the end of the day it’s all
about self-accountability you know
showing it showing up even when you
don’t feel like it keeping yourself
accountable I feel like I’m a very
disciplined fighter and
but yeah Eric was gone we communicated
this before he left and I I don’t think
he was ever worried about me you know he
doesn’t have to be there crack I keep
myself accountable I show up every day
but I’m also
I feel like I’m at a point in my career
where I and I have the confidence
because it takes confidence but
sometimes you need two days off
sometimes you need three days off to
you know heal the body hit the body
because we constantly pound our body
every single day and you don’t you don’t
get worse in that time often that’s
where I feel like a lot of Fighters are
just you know afraid of they feel like
they have to train three times a day run
their body into the ground because I I’m
in a way I’m doing that because I’m in
training camp and everything’s just kind
of dialed in but there are days you just
be like you know we’re gonna pull back
today we’re not going to do exactly
what’s on the agenda today we have to
adjust we have to adapt and we have to
be smart and that’s where great coaches
and the team comes in handy so I just I
have a really good team you know and at
the at the end of the day I have to keep
myself accountable and keep everyone
accountable and we just all do a really
good job at it so no no pressure there
last question at the top of your
division is Alex wilkinowski all three
of us could probably say great things
about the guy it’s well deserved he’s
done you know he’s not a great run
but when you are in your car and maybe
you catch ESPN 100 local Alice
volkonowski man the guy’s unbeatable or
maybe you go and listen to MMA junkie
and you hear a couple clowns that go and
not goes and I saying man it’s tough I
don’t know who’s gonna so when you hear
a lot of that right what what do you
feel what do you what do you feel I know
you can’t answer for the other
featherweights but I always wonder what
the featherweights feel you know like is
is there something like oh yeah I got
something for him like you know like
what what
um
is it fuel you know does it put a chip
on your shoulder or or how do you
interpret all that
I think Alex volkanovsky is obviously
one of the best pound for pound fighters
in the world
um I don’t I don’t think about that like
he’s unbeatable he’s 100 beatable he has
lost before
um I mean I think it was like his first
fight but he’s won everyone since but
he’s beatable and there it’s the right
strategy and the right timing and right
now it’s not my time it’s not my time to
be the one to beat him but when my time
does come then that’s something I can
focus on and but I’ve never I never
really had the thought like man this guy
even when I fought the mosar evil if
he’s undefeated
I didn’t have a doubt that I was gonna
lose to him I didn’t I just thought I
had the you know the recipe to beat him
and I didn’t it wasn’t my night and
just one of those things man it’s like
every single person is beatable but it’s
it’s fighting it’s fighting is all about
timing and
you know his time will come my time will
come
and yeah I don’t know I don’t think too
much about it
I like it that’s a great attitude to
have you don’t necessarily have them on
a pedestal but you give them as respect
at least that’s what it sounded like to
me so Dan thank you so much for the
catch up good luck yeah the rest of your
Camp leading into the Bryce Mitchell
fight on the 23rd here in Las Vegas you
guys are the co-main event that night
here at the uh Apex and of course
Safeway cut all that good stuff and
we’ll talk to you soon man well I’m sure
we’ll see you at the gym soon
okay sounds good right on guys
