James Thompson - The Colossus

Full transcript: James Thompson on London Real

0:01 MMA has taught me about being mortal. James Thompson! I remember Kimbo in some swamp town right in South Florida. A big black guy in a beard smashing people at barbecues. I was surprised to get the fight, but I’m brought in to lose.

0:24 So the third round’s happening and one of your years has got a big pool of blood. And then all of a sudden the year explodes, the referee stops the fight. Completely stops it. Oh, I took that back. It’s a fight. You’ve got to let it go.

0:50 I was making no money. The fights weren’t really coming in. And even if they were coming in, I was losing them because I was gambling. Being a compulsive gambler and being a professional mixed martial artist doesn’t go… It doesn’t blend together, Brian.

1:05 But you can’t feel sorry for yourself for too long because guess what? Shit happens.

1:23 There aren’t many guys that I love more in this world than James the Colossus Thompson. James puts it all out there on the line. Ever since he was in his 20s, he was taking big fights, taking big losses and he kept coming back. And that’s been the story of his life, the story of his career. And it doesn’t stop here because he is fighting in one of the greatest organizations in the world, Bellator.

1:48 Here at the O2 in London. And it just caps off a career fulls of ups and downs, including his gambling addiction, which he still works on dealing with to this day, including a famous loss to the street brawl or Kimbo slice where his left ear exploded in a burst of blood and caused him years and years of pain after that fight was stopped when it really shouldn’t have been. And he lost a lot of opportunity and it definitely would have changed his life forever.

2:18 But James is a fascinating guy. He’s a huge lump of a man with a serious intellect and an amazing sense of humor, a beautiful blog. And he makes great video content as well. And I love having him on the show. He also co-hosted a famous interview now I had with Mr. Howard Marks.

2:36 They reputed and beloved cannabis smuggler that has now left us. May he rest in peace. So I’ve had a relationship with James from the very get-go and we went really deep here. And what I love about James is he’s not afraid to get vulnerable and tell you that it’s hard to be a fighter, that it’s hard to be a parent. It’s hard to struggle with gambling and it’s hard just to struggle with life and try not to hate yourself and set yourself up for failure.

3:00 And there’s so many lessons we can learn here from James, the Colossus Thompson. And I was really honored yet again to sit down and hear him talk about this so much. And I know he’s going to put a beating on Mr. Kimbo’s slice, although I like Kimbo a lot too, upcoming here. So sit back and relax and spend the next couple hours with myself and Mr. Thompson.

3:22 You know, when I’m out here walking around in shortage, a lot of people ask me, Brian, what is London Real really about? And it’s a great question. You know, every week I strap in with these guests in my studio and I search for something. I search for what is the greatness that they’ve managed to achieve through all the struggles in their life. And I try to condense that down into a few ideas and nuggets and inspirational pieces that you can use in your life and I can use in my life.

3:49 And we’ve managed to get together a certain group of individuals that wants to go even further. And that’s what the London Real Academy is all about. It’s a group of 1000 people around the world that meet up in live events, on live Zoom calls with me, on our social network. We watch premium content together. They get special access to success secrets, videos from some of the guests, including James.

4:12 And we build better versions of ourselves. We stop making excuses. We actually get things done and we achieve success and we achieve greatness or we die trying. And that’s what it’s all about. And it’s really been my mission from the get-go with London Real.

4:25 And this is the embodiment of that vision. And if you want to hear a little bit more about it, I put together a short video. Check it out. The entrepreneurial journey, it can be a lonely road. I push myself in so many areas, but you can’t do it all yourself.

4:52 The thing about the Academy is it’s like, look, you have the ideas, you have the ability, you have the skill and you have the ambition for yourself. But when you have a group of people pulling you forward, it’s so important. Accountability is what’s missing from most of the programs or any gurus or any internet mentor that I had before. I wanted to get some accountability. I wanted to make myself accountable to a group, to you.

5:30 The reason we started the Academy is because I felt like we were doing these amazing talks. Like we’d have a Peter Sage episode or a Dan Payne episode or a Kala or someone, and you get super inspired and then YouTube stops and then you go back to your life. And you don’t make any changes. And it was just like, it felt like, what are we doing? You’re designing your life right.

5:51 The good times are now. And in a few years, you’ll look back and say, wow, that was amazing. The thing about the Academy is it has so many different sort of layers to it. I think your web seminars are awesome. The way you broke it down and the style of your teaching is pretty awesome.

6:12 I like the feet. When I have to motivate myself, I kind of look at their struggling and getting over those struggles. So I actually follow daily the feet. The best feature would be the sort of Facebook aspect of it, the social media aspect of it, as in creating a profile with your goals, your dreams. Everyone’s on the same vibe and we may be at different stages in our journeys, but everyone’s on the same page.

6:47 At the end of the day, everyone’s really trying to push themselves and building the best you. It really resonates with me. And the fact that I’m committing a small amount of money and the fact that I’m actually trying to interact with those people means that I’m invested and means that I will keep it for the long run. You have to be serious about yourself and what you want to achieve. And if you’re serious about yourself, this is going to be such a fantastic platform.

7:57 London Real, sponsored by Bulletproof. This is London Real. I am Brian Rose. My guest today is James the Colossus Thompson, the English heavyweight professional mixed martial arts fighter who is rematched with Mr. Kimbo Slice at Bellator MMA coming on July 16th here in London at the O2 Arena.

8:29 Everybody knows you won the first fight. We’ll talk about that. Secondly, James, you are old school. You appeared at the Japanese pride fighting championships in 2004, having faced legends like Dom Fry, Bob Sapp, Alistair Wolverine, Brett Rodgers, and of course Kimbo Slice. You are also an incredible writer and content producer on your website and blog Colossal Collective.

8:49 Everybody loves it. And you have a long history with London Real. You and I both interviewed the legendary drug smuggler Howard Marks three years ago. May he rest in peace. James, welcome back to London Real.

9:00 Oh, it’s nice to be back, Brian. It’s great to see you, man. Mate, I love what you’ve done with the place. Looks great, man. Looks great.

9:07 Really, really good stuff. Thank you, man. And congrats to you because one of the video clips we put out last time was you talking about Kimbo Slice. And, you know, at the time, this is three years ago, three and a quarter years ago, and at the time, I don’t even know if you were signed with a fighting organization. And let’s be honest, MMA was not where it is now.

9:29 And I don’t even know if valetor was around or what was happening. And it just wasn’t even clear what you were doing next. So for me to watch you transform, you know, three and a half years later to now have this rematch kind of of your dreams, it’s it’s touching to see, man. It’s very powerful. Cheers, Brian.

9:48 And, you know, when you’re in something like, like I say to you, I love what you’ve done to the place and all these guests. I imagine when you’re in it, you know, you just you’re just doing it, aren’t you? You just on you. You just doing what you do. When you take a second to look back at it, when I heard you that, you know, talking about you kind of think, oh, yeah, I have done a lot.

10:14 Yeah, I have done this. I have done that. And this is a big rematch. It is big. And you know, when I remember talking to you back then, I didn’t know if you were going to make a big comeback.

10:21 I couldn’t tell. And maybe you weren’t talking about it that much. But there was a point was there a point where you were like, you know what, I’m going to make another run at this. I’m going to get a fight. And then things started happening.

10:31 Was there a point you can look back where you were like, OK, things change there. I realized I am going to go for this. Do you know what, Brian? That’s a really good question. When I when I look back, you know, you know, the Kimbo fight, what happened there, you know, went off the rails, you know, gambling, blah, blah, blah, all that kind of thing.

10:52 And I think my lowest point were I was ready to. That was it for me. I was ready to give it up. And do you know what? I’ve only ever admitted this to my missus.

11:04 I was that low. I actually I will admit to I had talked to my missus about it. I was that low at the time. And then I was making no money. The fights weren’t really coming in.

11:17 And even if they were coming, I was losing them because I was gambling. You know, being a compulsive gambler and being a professional mix martial artist doesn’t go. It doesn’t blend together. But it doesn’t mix me. Not unless you just want to get your ass kicked. And, you know, that was what happened.

11:37 I got my ass kicked feeling really low. And I actually said to my missus, I got this pudginowski fight. And I said to her, you know, I’ll throw it. I’ll throw it. I’m just going to take the money out.

11:50 I have never said anything like that. I’ll fall. But I said, no, I was. I said, we’ll bet on it. And she went, no, you can’t do it.

12:01 She was like, I’ll throw the fight. Yeah, we’ll bet against it. I’ll intentionally lose. And that was that. And we’re out and we’re out. Oh, that was a lot.

12:08 Because then, you know, that would be over. Done. Done. This is the thing with MMA. I have a very love hate relationship with which isn’t really about MMA.

12:18 It’s about me when I look at it. It’s all where I am looking out on MMA. But I’ve been very up and down with it. But that’s what I thought. And then I thought pudginowski. I went over and if you see that fight, it’s the first fight ever for him. And I was in terrible shape. I mean, I trained for it. I had six weeks.

12:42 I mean, it’s a long story, but I went out to America. I split with my missus, went out to America to train. We’re staying with a friend over there. But then he didn’t mention his wife giving birth in a week. So I had to move out to this other guy’s house. And then he got ill. I didn’t have a lift.

13:00 And so I actually came. I actually rang my missus now, who I’d split up with. And I said to her, I told her the situation. And she said, come back. Come back. Stay with me. And train. You know, at least you’ll be training.

13:14 I wasn’t doing anything over there. I couldn’t get around. And America is so big. So I went back. That’s what I did. Trained for six weeks after I got over that initial.

13:28 Right. So you thought about maybe trying to fight and you’re like, I’m not going to. You went to fight Pujnowski, which was in Poland. Was he the world’s strongest man at the time? Well, he’d come out of that a couple of years ago.

13:39 But, you know, he’s won it something like eight times. And I was, you know, I get thrown in like with the Kimbo fight. I got I’ve beaten a few good people. But I’ve also lost to a lot of people. Do you know what I mean?

13:52 So they see me as a name who’s beatable. Right. Do you know? And that’s what I know because, you know, all the things that have happened, blah, blah, blah. We think, you know, my record’s not great. And that. But if I get my head together and things are going well, I’ll I’ll give anyone a good match.

14:15 So anyway, yes. So I go to fight Pujnowski, big fight in turbo shape. But I could go a couple of rounds. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, first round, this is I can actually pinpoint. That’s why it was a good way.

14:30 I actually pinpoint the moment and you actually see it. I was I was fighting him and he hits me with a couple of shots. Now I go to him back and it’s really bad kind of technique. And I didn’t really land. And he hits me with a couple more.

14:48 I go to him, he meets me with a couple. I think I’m losing to Pujnowski in a fucking box. And do you know what? You’re thinking of this while you’re in the cage. Yeah, very, very right. And I put my hands down. I put my hands down. I thought knock me out. I wanted it to be over.

15:04 I just I just wanted it all to be fucking over. You know, the stress that they’re going through this to fucking put him thinking about putting my armour on the line. Do you know what I mean? All of it. I just had a fucking no. And I wanted it to over. So I put my hands down and he hit me about four or five times.

15:21 And they looked and he looked a bit tired and I was still there. I thought, fucking hell, I could win this. I couldn’t win. And yeah, beat him in the second round. Because you dropped your hands probably.

15:37 Well, I forget because that was it was pretty equal fight up until then back and forth. But he put everything into that and I was still there. And he didn’t really hurt me. And I’d given up for that second. I’d given up and I was still there.

15:56 On a fight on yourself, on life, on everything. On everything. And that’s that’s that’s a real. I was a real big moment for me. I come back and I won. And then from that, I won my next six fights, I think.

16:11 And I was really getting kind of the groove back. Right. You beat Bob Sappen in India. Yeah, I had a couple of fights. And I was like, oh, I mean, that’s impressive. So that was a turning point for you in Poland. And it’s funny. You say you have this love hate relationship because I think of Andre Agassi.

16:28 And I remember in his book called Open, he was dating, I think, Brooke Shields or something. And he says, you know, I hate tennis. And they’re like, what are you talking about? You’re the champion. He’s like, but I hate it. And people couldn’t understand it.

16:39 Something you do is something you hate as well. You feel that way about MMA or did you used to do it? Do you know, it’s not really about MMA. It’s it’s about me. And I’m in through that. I said, I don’t like MMA or I do like MMA or love MMA often.

16:57 But it is a real love. It’s so hard and it takes so much. And unless you’re going to what I figured out. And I think the reason why I had such a or have such a problem with MMA is I. I don’t know. And I see many MMA fighters and athletes like this. They invest too much. They become I’m not James. I’m the Colossus.

17:26 I invest so much in that. You put so much of your time and that, you know, it’s a different job. You’ve got people always asking you about it and it kind of seeps in subconsciously, I think, to your ego. And then when you lose, well, speaking for myself, obviously, I can’t speak for anyone else. But when I lost, it wasn’t just me losing. It was it was me. It was everything. I just took it so hard.

17:54 Right. You’re so emotionally invested. So much. Everyone watches your performance. It all hinges on minutes, if not seconds.

18:01 And you basically bet the whole farm. You’re a gambling man. You bet everything on that one night. Yeah. And that’s what I’ve always done. Really. When I look at my fucking I’ve lived my life, it’s ridiculous.

18:16 I’m just like just either balls out or nothing at all. There’s such a disparity. And I always had a bit of a self. But is there any way I mean, I’m thinking of Conor McGregor. I mean, he becomes this entity that then, you know, speaks kind of like Tito Ortiz used to like in the third person, you know, Tito this and Tito that.

18:41 Conor. But he becomes this thing that’s so much bigger than a person. It’s like this entity that’s a fighter, if not an entire production company that flies around. You know, when he loses, you know, that’s a big hit to take. But is there any way to be the best without things?

18:58 That’s that’s that’s been I’m talking, you know, obviously my experience. And you talk about someone like Colin McGregor. I imagine it’s heightened so many fold. But, you know, I listened to Colin McGregor when he first came out. Right. Connor. Yeah. Yeah.

19:13 And I saw him and into you and I said to my missus straight away, he’s got it. I am seeing him do anything. I can’t remember exactly what he was saying, but I could I had full confidence and he believed it. He really believed it. And not only did he believe it, he put the effort in it. I think when you do that, when you really believe it, I mean, you put the effort in as well.

19:39 You know, it’s only going to be good things. Yeah. And it’s funny because as the public, we see you guys all fight and we’re like, oh, they must believe it. And they must put the effort in. But you know, behind the scenes, there are guys that talk a bit, but they don’t really believe it.

19:51 And then there’s guys that just don’t put in a lot of the training. And you can spot a faker. And when you saw him on the camera, you’re like, OK, this guy really believes. You know, I can spot a faker because I think I faked it so many times when I’ve not enjoyed it. And they’re asking you, how are you going to beat this guy? And you’ve like, well, I haven’t really done any training.

20:11 I’ve just been constantly gambling. I’m not quite sure. But you don’t say that, do you? You know, it’s an act and you’re playing a part. And you know, you’re not being honest because you can’t be honest. So all that is a burden, isn’t it?

20:32 And it seeps into you as well. Because when you lie to the people, you lie to yourself and you carry around these things. Yeah. And you’ve got to keep it up. You’ve got to keep it up.

20:40 For like 10 weeks, 12 weeks. Yeah. And then it’s almost like, you know, win or lose. It’s like a relief. Because it’s over. It’s over. You know, way about when I then take my money and then go and gamble it, like literally two, three weeks.

21:00 And then back on the, you know, that kind of like that sickness and then get feeling worse and feeling shitter. And then, you know, I mean, you’re just on this negative cycle. But with this fight, you know, this is why I’m lucky. You know, I’m lucky in a lot of ways, I believe, because I’m not the best fighter by any means. But I really do give it 100 percent and I really do try. And this is where, you know, I’ve got somewhat of a name and I’ve had some successes.

21:39 So, you know, it’s all about kind of building on that and, you know, not getting sucked into your the closer. So keeping a healthy distance. But what I also think from that is that I lost a little bit because I lost a little bit of the ego and you need the ego. It’s almost like now I’m too clear headed. You know, it’s a real delicate balance.

22:06 I mean, it’s a real delicate balance because when I see fighters and I see them making excuses for losses and things like that, you know, I’ll just think, oh, wake up. That’s not what happened. But now they need that. They need to see it that way. They need people.

22:25 You know, they need to come because like what we said before, they need to believe that that’s why they lost because if they don’t have that, if they don’t have an excuse, then it’s down on them and then, you know, it’s all painful and all the rest. So I understand MMA has taught me a lot about myself. It really has. Good and bad. Yeah. Talk me a lot about myself. I’m going to start my blog back up.

22:52 And that’s what I realized when I was talking to someone that MMA has taught me about immortality. I’m here. I’m fucking off. Sorry. No, talk me about being mortal. OK. Do you mean I’m a couple when I thought about it.

23:11 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It really has shown me that because how I thought I was even before any I call it cage fighter syndrome fighters, you know, see it or when I have a couple of fights, win a couple of fights. Well done. All to train a bit more. And you think you’re better than you are, but you need to think you’re better than you are.

23:34 Otherwise, you’re not going to get all most people do. Otherwise, they ain’t going to get in the fucking cage. Yeah. You have to have this almost completely skewed world view of the world and think so much more of yourself to even jump into that ring or that cage. You do have to be a little insane. You do. And, you know, I’ve got older. I can look back and I just think, oh, fuck, you know, I mean, like, wow.

23:59 But it reinforces exactly what I believe in so much as you believe what you want to believe. Do you mean? And but it’s not just believe in what you want to you can believe it. But then the work comes behind it. And if you do that, like you say, we call it look like Colin McGregor has done.

24:21 I mean, they talk about in fighting Floyd, you know, which whether he does or not, it doesn’t fucking matter. They’re talking about him. Yeah, it’s just the belief and then bouncing back after the loss, just saying, you know, I’m still the man. And so it’s all down to your own frame. That’s the same as life.

24:38 I mean, you know, no one was at the famous Eleanor Roosevelt quote where she said there’s only one person that can make you feel bad about yourself. And as long as you are up here with this frame of the world and you can believe you’re this or that. So to you, you know, whether you believe, you know, the other good quotes, whether you believe you’re going to make it or whether you believe you’re not going to make it, you write either way. That’s another good one, too. You know, it’s the same kind of thing. Now, that’s, you know, you hear it so much and it’s almost like quite trite or it can be.

25:12 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You don’t really listen. You hear it, but you don’t listen. And that’s it because the reason you hear a lot is because it’s fucking true.

25:20 Yeah. Yeah. I forgot someone says you can be your winner, your loser. They’re both right. Yeah. We’ll get to that quote. Let’s talk about Kimbo.

25:26 The fight’s coming up and I just want to get all this stuff out on the table so people know the history because some people don’t know you’ve got a beautiful looking left ear. I want to talk about that, too. But Kimbo slice. I’ll tell you how I remember him. I remember Kimbo in the backyard brawls in some swamp town right in South Florida where he’s out there where he’s and he had all these nicknames, Kimbo, ten thousand or whatever.

25:50 I think he was a bouncer for like some, I don’t know, pornographic filmmakers. And they used to take big wads of cash and put it on the line and he would beat these guys up in these literally like barbecue brawls. And I always remember he had a great boxing style about him, not necessarily a good MMA style, but he had some really good, you know, tight hand movement and he would, you know, light guys up and it looked pretty nasty. And then his MMA career was kind of built on the back of that. And this is like seven, eight years ago when that’s how you could actually sell an MMA fight.

26:23 That wouldn’t happen these days with the UFC or Bellator probably. And so he was kind of thrust into the limelight and had a few fights in Bellator. And then you came up. Is that a pretty good synopsis? Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I like people said to me, I do feel about Kimbo, you know, getting paid this much or doing this.

26:42 And I think, well, you know, he’s gone about it like he’s like people criticizing me for the path I went down to get where I am or, you know, that was just his path. I mean, it was I think it was a great idea. I think he was the first person to get a million views on YouTube. Yeah. And that’s why we all watched it because, you know, a big black guy in a beard in a beard like he just put it on.

27:07 But a big black guy with a beard going and just smashing people at barbecues, you know, with the warden. I wish I would have thought about it. I wish I would have thought they just marketing really well. And with that came a lot of pressure, you know, but also good paychecks. So it’s a yin and a yang. But, you know, ultimately Kimbo’s done well out of it. And yeah, I know it’s my time. Right. And so it was seven years ago. Do we know exactly when? Eight years ago. I should check the date.

27:41 Elite XC calls you up and said, how would you like to fight Kimbo Slice? This is on, I think, CBS television. It was one of the first times I think it was even on television. Fairly new. They’re like, would you like this fight? You were busy filming gladiators here in the UK. You had to ditch that TV gig and you go in. What were you thinking right away? Were you like, yes, the pay was probably good. I’m sure it was much less than what Kimbo was getting paid. But still, you were getting probably paid well. Do you remember what was going through your mind?

28:08 I was like, I got the phone call from my agent when I was in the gladiators. You know, I was on the internet or something that some time after we were training for like the you know, the wall and things like that. The pugilistic situation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was no way getting the gig on the wall. That’s what you all remember. Like, you took me fucking ages to get up there. And then I ended up falling off. And then when I came out, when I came off, I ended up jumping off.

28:38 And I could have way so much. I hit the bottom and then the guy on the other end went straight up. But yeah, I mean, that was that was fun. But I was like, 100% went in. And what happened with the gladiators? It was a bit of a, you know, I am not really into or know much about the TV side of it.

28:59 But I was kind of seeing how it went on. And they wanted to sign these contracts and blah, blah, blah. I was trying to start a bit of a revolution. Now I got this call for the fight. But it got back to the gladiators people that I was a bit of a, you know, I was a little bit older. I had a little bit more about me.

29:17 So I knew what I’m trying to get them all to stick together. So I went in there to tell her the let the producing lady that, you know, I got this fight and blah, blah, blah. And she was there to tell me that she didn’t want me in gladiators anymore. Okay, so it was like a bow. Okay, you’re sad. I’m like, No, I know. I resigned. He was trying to get he was going to get it in first book. You know, yeah, it turned out nice.

29:46 So you got the call. Did you think you could beat Kimbo Slice? Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. I mean, okay, that was a great fight for me, you know, an MMA fighter. But you know, because I feel like with all this MMA and everything, you know, people say, Oh, the crowds and, you know, the lights and everything and Eddie. And, you know, I’ve just think, well, I remember being at a Japanese event. And, you know, the first time I thought I’ll list a million kind of corner corner for a fucking an elevator with smoke and walking out some samurai helmet. I’m just like, fuck it.

30:24 This is 2004. Yeah, I was like 24. Right. 24. I can’t be much older than that. How many people is this site Thomas super ring? Yeah, like, you know, the 68 something like this. 68,000. Yeah. And what I remember, yeah. And I’m just like, you know, completely like two phases and most people are there if I’m just so over my head. And I just remember I don’t know, it’s not about the fight, but I remember afterwards, all the crowd leaving and everyone sweeping up. And just it was just another day. And that’s all it is. Another day. Do you mean just don’t get caught up in all the bullshit and tinsel and everything, the sparkly shit.

31:14 Do you mean you just got to go? No, you can do it. Go in and do it. Right. And then enjoy afterwards. Right. You know, if you can. And since you had already done that early work on your 24 pride, you’d been through all the lights. So for the elite XC fight against Kimball, the first time that stuff, that stuff wasn’t going to phase you know, so you were there for the fight. You were well trained for that fight. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. And so we went through this fight. And and as I remember the first round, you won and all the judge scorecards 10 nine, which was you must have been feeling pretty

31:44 Good after that round, because his hands weren’t getting to you. Well, you know, he landed the couple, but he felt very strong. That’s what I remember about him. He felt very strong. But are you bigger than him? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m a lot bigger than him. You know, which is, you know, a great advantage to have. But he was very strong. He landed one or two, but I knew I had more than him. And it second round, you know, like, like was mostly me laying on top of him, landing elbows. That was 10 eight, 10 eight. And then the judge what Gary slime got the guy he knew Gary slime is the obvious Gary Shaw, the promoter, the promoter, right? Yes, I had a buddy of his judge, New Jersey, who you got 10 eight rounds. So people don’t know that means you you won the round by a huge margin. And some of the judge gave it to him. But 10 eight, even though he was on the ground eating elbows. Exactly. Okay, so that third round, if the year wouldn’t have gone, I mean, he probably would have given like an 11 seven. The third round’s happening. And one of your years is cauliflower it up your left. Yeah, yeah. So people that don’t know what that means. It’s got a big pool of blood or it’s got a pocket of blood in your ear. And you can do one or two things. You can try to drain it before by sticking a needle in there. It’s fairly common with the fighters. But that can also sometimes introduce an infection inside your ear.

33:14 And then you might have to pull out of the fight. You made the choice not to drain it. You’re trading with Kimbo on the on the ropes, he hit you with, I guess, a right hook. Yeah, I think it was something I don’t know, maybe it burst open, right? Yeah, pretty epic. Pretty epic. Blood everywhere. Going down your your your side. And Dan Murliada stops the fight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, completely stops it. Yeah, yeah, completely. That’s I mean, you had Gary slime on his son out on the side.

33:45 Screaming like there’s so much in that fight. Like I had him in side control at one point Kimbo’s here. I’m on top of him. I’m literally there are five seconds and they stand the fight up. I said hey, I mean, you know, Gary slime and his sons stand them up, stand them up, stand them up. And you know, the referee I don’t the referee wasn’t bribed, but he just was easily led. Yeah.

34:11 And that can that stuff can’t add up. Right. Oh, well, and that’s just back in the early days when it wasn’t clear, you know, what the organization is. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It can sway the judge. Well, yeah, I guess it wasn’t as cemented the rules. Yeah, just because it was newer. Gary, Gary slime that day. Well, not that day. So on a press conference, I always remember they asked him, what will you do with James Thompson loses?

34:41 Like, remember, I lost to Brett Rogers coming off this fight. So I was surprised to get the fight. Obviously, I’m going to take the fight. But I’m brought in to lose. Right. I’m going off a loss. So they wanted you to lose. And you were on a press call before that. And he said, quote, Yeah, what will you do Gary if James wins? I said, I’ll hang myself.

35:01 I have a lot of organization since went out of business, I believe after Kimbo lost his next fight. Yeah, that’s right. And based. So the old organization was was they really needed him to win and continue to get pay per views. And so they didn’t want you to win that fight. No, didn’t do anything to help you to win it. And then all of a sudden, the ear explodes. The referee stops the fight, which is quite crazy because I’ve never I rarely probably have an MMA these days. No, because it’s not a reason to stop. Well, I you know, the the maybe like like like I said earlier, maybe Kimbo would have landed a couple more and that would have been I would have been a maybe I don’t know. But maybe I would have got a Clinton took him down. We’re both shattered. It’s a fight. You’ve got to let it go. And that’s not what they did, you know. And I you know, I took that bad, which is all down to me. And like I said earlier, I kind of learned a lot about it. Now, what was side effect of that is that my ear is actually more famous than I am.

36:01 You know, people actually, you know, they want to take a picture of the air. It’s people looking here. Can you just you know, I’m quite I’m actually quite proud of it. Yeah. No, no, I understand why people want, you know, but it’s not good to be jealous of your name. So we tell you on body part, it’s not a good thing. So the they stop the fight, they give the wind to Kimbo. What happens to you next day? I just do you know what?

36:31 I was I was kind of like, you know, other sponsors are gone. Well, right after the fight, I was looking for the footage. I wish I would have kept it, you know, for now. I was right after the fight. I’m going backstage, fucking people all over. And we’re in the back on a Javed Shaw Gary Slimes son comes up to me and he’s you can’t go to the hospital.

37:00 You can’t go like really frantically. And I was talking to some people and I looked towards him and I went, Yeah, yeah, well, he wasn’t lucky. He didn’t hear my response. So I went back to what I was doing. Then he grabbed me by the shoulder, turn me back. You’ve got to go now. You’ve got to go now. And I just thought, this fucker wants me to go to the hospital too much. He was just a gut fit. He wanted me to go too much. And I went, I’ll go after. I went, where’s the press conference? And I seen him go white. So I thought, like, that’s where we’re off. So I went to the press conference.

37:30 And I walk in Gary Slimes on the kind of pulpit. Yeah, just had a news that James Thompson has been taken away with breathing in, breathing difficulties. We’ve seen how he is. He’s in hospital. He’s in good hands. And then he goes to me and I’m not having a drink.

37:49 Do you know what I mean? Now I wish, I wish I went up, he gave, he then kissed my ass and then I went up to the, to, to, to, to, to, but I didn’t mention anything about that, which I really kicked myself. My agent was kind of like, you might get paid the win bonus. They might want to keep you sweet. You know, so I was just like, Oh yeah, we want a rematch. But, you know, that didn’t happen.

38:12 But that’s just the reason I mentioned that he’s just, he’s a complete carbon copy of how they really, really after ripping me off, like to cover it. I know that. And, you know, one of the reasons why I just thought, justifiably felt sorry for myself. But you can’t feel sorry for yourself for too long because guess what? Shit happens. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? You’re going to cry about it and being, but, you know, I was like, you know, everyone’s telling me, Oh, you know, everyone knows you won. I have, but he’s, he’s a loss on my record. Do you know what I mean? I just lost to Brett Rogers.

38:53 Now they said all these things lined up and I just felt like I just missed my opportunity. I felt he was a great chance. Really, I should have, really, I should have finished him in the second round with the elbows, but he’d taken a bit out of me with the big bombs. They’d landed. So I was kind of kicking myself for that. And, you know, took the wrong path. But now, so let me finish up on now, seven to some odd years later, you’re meeting him in 10 weeks. He just came off of a win with data 5000, which was a long winded fight where I think people had heart attacks during the fight. I think data did and it was some crazy fight, but Kimbo did win, but it was like they were just, I don’t know, throwing bombs, looking for the end. How do you feel? How’s training going? Have you faced off with Kimbo? Do you guys not like each other? Yeah. Well, you know, I like to say I see Kimbo. I hold nothing against Kimbo. He does his thing and he makes his money. He’s been marketed very well. And I think the pressure must be under. So I get it, you know, so I don’t feel any ill will towards Kimbo at all. That is what it is. You know, I’m kind of, you know, I haven’t been I’m not in the best of shape. I’m coming up like everything was going well. And then I had the you know, the injury with Lashley, you know, I owed loads of money then.

40:20 I then I had the Japanese fight in TK back to Japan to fight a guy who’s 45, who hadn’t fought for eight years. And I thought, that’s a great fight, even with an injury. You know, I didn’t know that the doctor said, you know, couple of weeks, you’ll be back on it. So I thought, yeah, yeah, I’ll take that fight. So I took the fight. But a couple of weeks, I wasn’t back on it. I couldn’t train on it. You know, I couldn’t do anything. And then by the time I could train, I had like three or four days before the fight. I hadn’t done anything. I couldn’t I couldn’t do anything. So I actually rang. I made sure that I got a basic pay in Japan. I knew I was going to lose. Okay. It’s horrible. It’s horrible. It’s horrible. It’s a worst feeling I had in my life, because I needed I like say, with the Lashley fight, I was minus money by the time I come out of that fight. So I needed this fight. I got two kids.

41:20 Now, I’m support. It’s not just down to me. Oh, sorry. It is just down to me. He’s definitely down to me. Do you know what I mean? So I’m coming off the losses now. So this is an important fight. You’re 10 weeks out. You’re feeling pretty good. You kind of got into this level. You want to get yourself to the next. I’ve got a few more levels to get over. But, you know, in the past, I’ve kind of, you know, I was a bit younger, but I’ve done it on six, seven weeks. Notice I blasted it.

41:50 You know, I started off from 12 weeks from this fight and I needed to and I’m gradually I’m doing it the right way. Right. And your head’s in the game on this one. Yeah. And you’re going to be healthy. Yeah. And you’re going to be probably very fit. Yeah. So what’s the prediction for the fight? Yeah. I 100% know I’m going to win. I know that sounds like a turbo, but I know I’m going to win. Just the fact I’ve got the fight and it’s so kind of amazing. And then O2 Arena.

42:20 It’s massive. It’s huge. Yeah, it’s massive. And it gives me a great platform. Like, you know, I’ve not really kept up with the videos I’ve done. I’m not really kept up with my blog. I’ve got half finished documentary. I’ve done. I’ve got half finished T-shirt business. What? I was throwing everything into. I’ve got, well, I’ve got loads of things.

42:48 I am the man of the half finished project. Yeah, but you also complete some great content. The Kalsa Collective is amazing. Your videos you made in the past with Don Fry are incredible. You’re a great writer. You’re a really funny guy. I appreciate that. But yeah, you’re right Brian. I am a funny guy. No, but I’ve got a lot of content and this is a great platform to beat Kimball.

43:18 I mean, I’ve got a half finished writing my book. I just haven’t got it out there. I haven’t got the cover. So I’ve done it all. So I’m using this now Kimball’s. I’m going to beat Kimball, put them demons to bed and then a great platform to get my blogs. I maybe do a few videos. You know, I podcast. You know, I look at what you’ve done with your podcast.

43:47 And I don’t think I would go anywhere near as much as you’ve thrown into it. But I would like to do a podcast, but it’s just me talking. I mean, I realize this now. I could talk into my missus. I’m like, you know what? I’m going to do this. And she and I just I can see it. I like and she and she tells me straight. Do it then. Yeah, she’s right. But it’s also a full time job. And you’re you know, you’re busy training into all those other things. Yeah, that’s true. Look, I’m super excited.

44:15 I think you will win as well. And I think that, you know, when you’re on your game and in shape and everything’s going well, you know, you think as you’ve been there, you’ve done that you have the history, you don’t have the nerves. You’ve won before you know you can win. You’ve competed top organization. So, you know, when all that’s happening, you know, you’re you’re you’re a man. It’s hard to beat. He’s gonna he’s gonna have to. He’s gonna. Yeah, I am. I am gonna be a man. Oh, that’s hard to be. It means so much to me. It means more to me than it does to him. Yeah, put it our way. And I’m I will be.

44:45 In much better shape. I’ve improved since the last time in lots of different ways. He hasn’t. So, you know, it seems I would go. But the fight is a training. The training is the hard. You know, you hit fight to say that all the time. And it is that that’s gonna be the training is the hardest part. Is it the sparring that hurts or is it just all that hard? All the cardio. Do you know, I do you know, the yoga.

45:13 Which I’m still I do you know, the hot yoga. That’s the most you can get away from kind of sparring and that. But it’s so hard in itself. You know, just stretch. I find stretching in heat ridiculously hard. You know, all of it. But that’s what you do, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s all they’re all small parts that make the win, right? So you have to do that stuff. Let me ask you about something that you’ve always been open about. You mentioned a few times there, which is gambling. How is your perspective grown? And on what gambling is, what it means to you. I remember the last time you were here, you had dates tattooed on your arm. And they were crossed out. But you’re crossing out some more dates on your arm. And you were running out of arm because one was you were crossing out the last day you gambled and then the last date. And I remember you telling me, Brian, I remember I used to be on the way to train to London shoe fighters and I’d see the awful license betting and I would go in there and it’s something you struggled with. How is that battle going? You know, it is a constant battle and, you know, it’s gone up and down. I’ve actually seen a hypnotist about it because I’ll have long periods and then, you know, I end up slipping up. And even if it’s I’d not slipping up like I used to, like I’ve done 20 grand in like just two days at the casino, like foaming out the main from the sort of like, just what almost wanting to lose so I can go home. I don’t know that shit. So I’m, I’m

46:43 Still near like that, but sometimes when things don’t go well, I will go and go on. It just makes me feel shit and I only lose. So that’s why I went to the hypnotist because I get a guy called Freddie, Freddie Jack, Jacqueline. I’m not doing his name, but Freddie Jacqueline. He’s a really, I saw his son on YouTube doing this in, he was kind of going to shake someone’s hand and I actually got shaky grabs it puts it on the, you call the interruption interrupting technique and it just stops and go. What happens is because you’re so programmed, we all are to shake an arm. That’s a movement we all do. So when you go to shake and the person goals, you grab the wrist, you put it in front of the face. I say something like you see your vision now in and.

47:44 What you do is interrupt their thought pattern. I find this so interesting because when I watched it, he explained that we did it, which I haven’t really seen, but it was so interesting because I thought. He’s causing confusion in the brain in that second when you know what the plan you shake hands and you go on to the next thing. But when they do that, and then. It’s an awareness and you just and you’re listening to his voice and he has control. Obviously, he knows how to do it and so I talked to him about.

48:16 This guy knows this stuff, so and he put me onto his dad. I rang his dad up. He said more kind of thing with sports people and. It was even before being hypnotized, talking to him on the phone, he made a lot of things clear. He said, why do you want to go? Why do you want to stop gambling?

48:35 I said, oh, well, you know, obviously you’re losing loads of money. You know, all the stresses are strange. I got kids now. You know, I got my little son, Rocco. I can’t have him. I can already see him looking up to me and he’s on me on TV the other day and he’s going to the screen and he’s looking at me.

48:53 And he was such a powerful feeling. I thought because a lot of the times I underplay a lot of things what I’ve done and seeing him and see how he can believe it. And I thought, well, he’s really going to look up to me and I can’t fuck up. I can’t because he’s looking up to me and I’m gambling. He’ll be doing the same. So, yeah, I told him, he said, well, I believe you. He said, I believe what you’re saying. I said, well, yeah, it’s true.

49:22 And he said, well, stop then. And I said, wow, yeah, what he said. I think I’d put stop. He said, next time you go, he said, what he asked me when was the last time I gambled? I said, oh, I went to get something from Tesco’s and I bought some scratch cards, like the most loserist thing to buy.

49:42 I feel so like a loser buying them, you know, and I see people in front of me buying them. They’re losers. And he said, you know, I get all that, but I’m still doing it. And I do almost automatically. And he said, all right. He said, well, next time you go to do something like that, stop and think about what you’ve said.

50:00 Be aware of what you just said to me, because it’s the truth. And if you’re aware of it, you’ll get all that pattern. I put the phone down and I thought, fucking hell, you can’t be that simple. You can’t be that simple. It probably is, but it’s also that hard and that complicated. There’s no quick flicks.

50:18 He’s not going to do a watch in front of you. You have to be ultimately conscious of your behavior and try to work at it every day. Right. Well, what I find is awareness is such a big thing, being aware of what’s suspect because I’m in this pattern of, you know, just, you know, I’ve just gone. I’ve done it so long and it’s breaking that pattern and reframing it.

50:44 And I went after after seeing him, actually, I went. Oh, no, sorry. This was before I went to see him and I went to buy something and I went to I stopped myself from buying scratch card just because for that second I became aware. And because of that, I thought, ah, and it was only not buying a couple of quids with a scratch card. But I realized I have the power from that. So I saw him, he hypnotized me.

51:15 I you know, he helped me. He helped me immeasurably. OK. He really did. And it makes me realize how susceptible we all are to, you know, like he explained it to me.

51:30 And I thought this is dead on like driving a car. You know, you’re doing it automatically. You’re not even thinking about it. You know, when music comes on the radio or whatever, you’re just taking in and you’re not even aware. But being aware just well, you’re just in it, aren’t you? You’re in control.

51:50 So I mean, he said to me, if people realize they’re simple, this was, you know, I’ve got to make more of my seminars really, because it is that simple. And it is that simple, but it’s simple to lose that awareness. Yeah. As well. Why do you think gambling interests you? Is it an escape from reality?

52:13 Is it kind of a dopamine hit? But then after that’s over, you just hate yourself for it? I think it’s a self-destructive thing, because I do think a lot. And I don’t know about the whole genetic. You know, my dad was a gambler.

52:29 He did lots of things kind of like that. So I don’t know if it’s a genetic thing. I wouldn’t say that because I think that’s a bit of a cop out. But I’m not really sure. I’m not. I started late gambling, too, you know, after the Kimbal fight.

52:48 Not sure how old I was, but that’s literally when I started gambling after the Kimbal fight. Again, so to bring it round, it’s almost like a massive closure, like more than people realize. Understand. Huge closure. Because that was a big, dark, deep moment in your life.

53:10 And I’ve come out of it. And sometimes what I think people can do, and I’m definitely, definitely susceptible, and I have done this, is concentrating too much on the past. Again, all these cliches and trite things, but it’s true. You can’t change it. It’s happened.

53:33 Do you know what I mean? You’re gambled, you’re lost to that, you’re recalled shit. But what are you going to do about it? Yeah, they say anxiety is focusing on the future, depression is focusing on the past. Right, OK.

53:44 So yeah, you’re right. When you keep running it over in your mind, you’re trying to be yourself up about it. And yeah, you are talking about these bad moments you had a lot, so they’re kind of in your mind. You know, I think it’s important to own it. And then move on.

53:58 Yes. Yeah. Do you love yourself or do you hate yourself?

54:05 I love myself. I seem to make things very hard for myself. I do. I’m not quite sure why. I think I will see a psychiatrist just because I like talking about myself.

54:25 But I find it interesting how we work out. I’m not insecure or thinking I’ve realised everyone’s got the different demons. These happen to be mine. So I do like looking into it quite a lot. But sometimes I think I can look into it a bit too much without actually doing much about it. It’s like looking into it isn’t doing something about it. Looking into it is just half the battle.

54:52 It’s procrastinating a little bit. Yes, yes. I’m terrible at procrastination. But it’s all things I know. But in another way, I think I’m the worst because I know it. Like I could give this seminar.

55:08 I would feel confident about gambling. Honestly, you could put me for a look. I would just ramble on. I think I could hit some good points. I think I could go on about it.

55:22 Yet I’m still kind of struggling in ways. My kids have helped a lot. Well, it’s funny that Hitniss says to you, you know it’s wrong. Don’t do it. But I mean, the basis of all human addiction is that we know what’s wrong, whether it’s alcohol or drugs or gambling. And yet we still do it. We don’t know why. And that’s where kind of the whole psyche happens.

55:45 And then you go really deep, whether you’re really being self-destructive, whether you hate yourself, whether you’re punishing yourself, whether you’re trying to escape from life because you don’t want to be doing something in your life that you’re doing. I mean, it gets complicated. Well, I go and I talk a lot with my missus about these things and why this and why that and coming from all these angles. And then I get a bit pissed off with myself. And I just think I’m being so fucking self-absorbed and narcissistic and constantly thinking about this and thinking about that and what are you going to do? Do you know what I mean? Just get on with it and do it.

56:21 But while you’re doing that, you’ve also got to, you know, it’s what I tend to do is to get too consumed with one particular thing. But that thing I tend not to see through. Do you know what I mean? So I get kind of that and then get way laid onto something else. And that’s why I’ve got so many half-finished projects, which are all good in their own little ways. Because when I produce something, I put a lot of effort into it. And, you know, I do feel like I’m quite proud of what I produce. You know, my videos, so little videos of like things from like Meggins to, you know, whatever. But, you know, I enjoyed doing them. And I was pleased with the production and what I put out there. But I think it’s a case now, as I’m getting older,

57:16 I think it’s a case of like, so after this fight, I’m going to beat Kimball. I’m going to have a great platform. I’m going to get my book out there. Good. Yeah, this is time to make the transition because you’re going to fight for how many more years? Oh, mate, this might be my last fight. This might be. I say my missus says I’m bipolar because I’m up and down all the time. I mean, she’s like one minute. I’m like, oh, this is my last fight. This is the I’m the next minute. I’m like Colossus Academy of MMA. I can see it. Do you know what I mean?

57:57 I’m doing this and what I’m scared of is starting it and letting a lot of people down because of how I’ve been in the past and people relying on me. I’m not a good person to be relied on. Do you know what I mean? I don’t. I think that’s what I need. Do you know? I think that’s why I’m scared. I think it helps when you’re accountable. And that’s what I think you’re two kids really helped probably helped you through a lot of this because you can’t run away from them.

58:31 You can’t, you know, you can’t go gamble your life away because you have to come back and face them and care for them. And now your son can see you on TV. So ultimately, it’s a good thing, right? Yeah. Well, yeah. Ultimately, it’s a good thing. And I kind of I kind of know this might be part of the problem. I kind of know in my head. I know in my head, you know, I’m going to I’m going to I know it’s going to be all right, which is quite dangerous. But I do beat down. I know I’m going to sort it out. Yeah. Do you know what sometimes that can I know I’m going to sort it out. So I’ll sort it out tomorrow. Right. Yeah. I know you for a while. So I know this in your personality. Yeah. And you have a very nuanced personality. Like you said, you’re not insecure. But yet, you know, people hearing you say those things might think that about you. But it’s very nuanced. And like you need to sort this out. But maybe you can wait a little. And then but when you’re held accountable, you can do amazing things produce beautiful videos, crazy content, insightful blog articles, funny tweets, all that stuff you win fights. And then when you’re off, they can go the other way bipolarish. So yeah, so tell me about MMA fighters. I mean, you know them behind the scenes, you train with them at London shoot fight.

59:47 You fought with them in all the organizations around the world. I’m sure pride in the early days, some of those locker room conversations must be some that are just so far out there. I’ve interviewed MMA guys over the years, but we just had Alex read in here. And I mean, that guy is just he’s he’s just all over the place. You know, he’s ultimately he really is, you know, Alex, he trained in the back of the day. He’s ultimately a performer. I think he just ultimately wants to win the crowd. And he loves the attention. And there’s something beautiful about that and good about him. And then also something so reckless and train wrecky. But then some of that I see in you. Yeah, yeah. Is that true about most MMA fighters? Well, you know, that’s a good question. I mean, to take it back to Alex, Alex is tell you what, he’s got a thick skin.

1:00:34 And I say this, I say this to Alex all the time, I’ve known him, I’ve known him a long time. But I say he was an asshole before he got famous. So is it? But he’s not he’s not you do anything for you. I look at Alex’s path. And we got where he got and he’s mental. It’s absolutely but he’s mental as well. But, you know, yeah, he’s a and he’s a tough like lot of people go on about Alex Reed.

1:01:10 Oh, he’s this is Alex Reed is a tough motherfucker. I’m tired. He’s a tough, tough guy. And anyone who watches his fights, we’ll see that, you know, he ain’t some kind of pretty you would not from seeing how his personality is, you realize how tough a person he is. So, you know, I’ve got a lot of time for Alex and you know, I’m excited that he’s on this show as well. It’ll be great.

1:01:39 Now, as far as you know, obviously, you know, people are different, you know, all generalizations are wrong, you know, including this one, but I think ego is such an important thing with fighters and belief. And I think because what I what I realized throughout my career is I was always looking for someone to take me under the wing and tell me this is what you do. This is I mean, invest a lot of me now. I’ve been all over the world in different places and, you know, extreme couture, you know, team quest, you know, I mean, American top team, I’ve been everywhere trying to find this almost like father figure or take my lose wing and show me this and that.

1:02:37 And what I think the reason why I don’t think I found that is I don’t think I gave the places enough time. Do you know, I went to say extreme couture, for an example, and they got loads of people coming there and they got their own fighters there and I’m only staying for eight weeks. I can’t expect them to invest loads in me. But then I saw that they had their own little camps and guys and they weren’t doing like classes or that they had it focused on them, which is what I realized I needed to do, which is what I have done. But through doing all this, I think I realized that, you know, my career is coming to an end and I can be that for someone else if I want to be.

1:03:31 But I’m not sure if I want to be. What I said before about letting people down and that. And also, I’m not sure if I want to spend my whole life to do with MMA. Yeah. Are you tired of it? Well, I’m tired of it in point. I do. I really like teaching. You know, I’d like my son and my daughter not so much to go into MMA, but to have, you know, that kind of gym spirit and, you know, what I’ve noticed with gyms and I’ve been to a lot of them, the person who owns the gym sets a tone off the gym. And it’s a very strange thing, which I’ve noticed in a lot of ways, but people do.

1:04:18 It’s leadership, really, isn’t it? And I think I could bring about a very good environment for people to learn. And yeah, I’d like my kids to kind of, you know, be around that too. So, yeah, I’m just at a really strange point in my life. I’m really excited about this fight.

1:04:44 I’m putting a lot of effort in getting fit, but I’m not even sure if I want to do after that. But do you know what? I just kind of give myself a break. I’m missing, just give you, just concentrate on this fucking fight. Yeah. Just win this fight. And then we’ll see what happens.

1:05:02 So that’s kind of where I am. All right. And all MMA fighters are performers at heart to a certain Yeah. 100% I’m all looking to prove something in one way or another, which you’ve got completely nothing wrong with that. But everyone’s got their own.

1:05:23 I don’t want to project my shit onto other people’s. And you know, MMA is much more professional than it was when I started. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? It’s come such a long way.

1:05:37 Now, and you know, you’re seeing people like Colin McGregor, and ultimately, I think he’s a good walk. He gets in people’s faces. He makes it exciting. But like we said before, the ultimate confidence in oneself. So he can take that confidence. And if he quits MMA and goes into whatever, you can apply that to anything. So I think it can be a really good life lesson.

1:06:04 And like I said earlier, you can learn, you can definitely learn a lot about yourself. Yeah. Talk to me about the UFC. It was rumored this week that they were going to sell their organization for $4 billion. You never fought in the UFC. That doesn’t mean you might not one day.

1:06:21 Did you ever miss that feeling? Do you have thoughts about the UFC? When I talked to Michael Van Em Page, he’s like, I don’t want to go fight there. I’m quite happy in Bellator. But the UFC totally changed the game of mixed martial arts. I would think in a good way.

1:06:34 Although fighters, some fighters say in a bad way. What’s your thoughts? I believe it’s, you know, they’ve got a monopoly on it. And any kind of monopoly is bad. Do you know, I don’t understand the UFC. Because I think they know why they’ve done so well in so many ways.

1:06:53 But what I just can’t understand is how they keep squeezing and squeezing the well, mainly the fighters. But, you know, everyone around the it’s we are the UFC. Fuck you. You know, fuck you. MMA, it’s not MMA, it’s ultimate fighting. And between the fighters, they’re actually product.

1:07:19 There is no UFC without the fighters. But, you know, all right, the top guys, I’m not worried about the top guys so much making the Colin McGregor’s if he gets 10 million or 15 million or whatever, you know, the people who are coming up through that I just don’t understand. People say the undercard doesn’t make any money. People don’t turn up to see the undercard. But I say, yeah, that’s true. No one turns up for the or just to see the undercard. But to get on the undercard to be UFC is the best organization in the world, which it is to get on that undercard takes a lot. And when you’re getting five and five, you might leave with $5,000.

1:08:03 It’s more than that. Now, I don’t understand why they don’t have a basic and then on top of that, they want to put the Reebok deal on that to take away the sponsorship. And they just tightening the screws more and more, more and more. And I just think you’re giving companies like Balator an opening. UFC have got it locked up. But the only thing that will bring them down is themselves. And ultimately, it will because you’ll piss off enough people. And I believe they’ve done that for all kinds of people with that general attitude. And when a viable option comes along and people think, well, fuck it, we’ll go over there. And I think that will happen.

1:08:44 I really I can’t see. I don’t. But I mean, we’re seeing you have some fighters. It’s shot me down. We’re seeing fighters like Ben Henderson. I’m a huge fan of him.

1:08:55 He went to Balator and a lot of the great names. But at the same time, UFC has such critical mass. A lot of people in America don’t even know what MMA is. They just know what UFC is. They even call it. You have to brand it so well. I train UFC. Yeah, yeah.

1:09:09 Not going to say that. You know, I don’t like that at all what they’ve done because for me, it’s MMA. UFC is a massive part of MMA, but it’s not MMA. Right. And people, I think, forget that. But and you were fighting MMA before the UFC was around, basically.

1:09:25 Well, not before the UFC. I mean, I went to the pride fighting championships in Tokyo twice. So I remember MMA when the UFC honestly, pride was bigger than the UFC for a long time. And pride was considered the elites where all the cool guys went to fight. I mean, you were fighting the best of the best. So you remember a world where the UFC wasn’t monopoly dominator. So you have a different perspective, maybe a better perspective.

1:09:51 Well, I don’t think it’s, you know, who knows how it’s going to go in the future. You know, like say UFC don’t look like they’re slowing down. And I still think they got more of a market to go into. But I think ultimately that Achilles heel will be tightening the screws too much on the main product, which is the fighters. And then some fit, something coming along, another organization, Viacom, Balator, you know, Viacom don’t give a shit about MMA, but if they see the bottom line numbers and they’re good, they’ll for a bit more money, a bit more money. All of a sudden, they can be a contender. And I think people underestimate how quickly that can happen. And like you said, Ben Enderson coming over that, you know, and I think we’ll see more and more of that, or we could see more of that.

1:10:46 Now, if they sell, you know, to some kind of Chinese company, I mean, God knows what you might do. So you are following the news. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I don’t think I don’t see how they would sell because it seems like that’s their lives for doing that. But I mean, there’s price for everything, right? Yeah. Well, how much money do you need? I don’t know.

1:11:04 I don’t know how much you’re gambling, maybe. By the way, thanks for talking about your gambling. You know, we really haven’t talked about it on the show much. We talk about everything here. And I think as humans, we understand like substance addiction, because it’s around us all the time. And we’re like, Oh, yeah, that guy’s a drunk.

1:11:20 That guy does drugs. But the gambling thing, I think so many people, it’s just not talked about enough. And I don’t think a lot of times people give it the credit of all the other addictions, you know, and it’s and it’s just as severe, sometimes more destructive, because you can drink yourself to death, but that’s not going to bankrupt you. You know, I mean, there’s so I appreciate you talking about it. And I think we should talk more about it, you know, no, no, no, it’s fine. And it helps me. Like when I talk, I talk to my friends, I talk to my Mrs. And it helps me help helps me I try and be as honest as I can with myself.

1:11:54 With with all sorts of things, because ultimately, you know, that will help me, do you know me and help me get over it. And I can’t just as a person, I can’t have things, you know, really, I should show up about a few things, but I need to kind of get it out to kind of sort it out in my own head. So, you know, hopefully, I don’t make them say mistakes. What I think I you know, I haven’t been to gamblers anonymous for a long time. But this is the other thing, I don’t play blackjack now, because, you know, I can’t, you know, I can’t play blackjack, you know, but I do pay poker, which is a love poker.

1:12:36 Poker is like life to me. Not not not like like, but it’s it’s it’s so much about poker, which is just like life, when you’re bluffing, when to go all in, when you’re, you know, so much about it. And I really do love the game. But it’s such a tight walk, rope walk, I’m walking with it. You know, I won a poker tournament, you know, fazing, fazing pound or something like that. And I thought I and then I won it. And then I went and gambled it. I was in a casino. And that was, I was, and I was talking, oh, no, I’ve got income to fall on that. And then I gambled it. And then I had to go back to my missing. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I won. Oh, great. And what you know, a fazing. Oh, right. Yeah, great.

1:13:31 Well, it’s not I got it. Oh, right. What happened? And I just thought, sometimes I, you know, I still play poker and I haven’t made that mistake again. But I think to myself, I don’t know. And that’s why I’m going back to Gombers Anonymous, because I think

1:13:52 Hearing me talk about how I’m gambling and how I’m getting over this and how I’m but I still play poker might not be helpful to other people, especially when I’m still fucking up, even if I say about my fuck up. So I don’t know. But I think the thing that will what’s more important than gambling or the thing that will get me past gambling, I think now is helping other people with gambling. Okay. Oh, do you not even have to be gambling, but, you know, helping other people in a lot of other in a lot of different ways, you know, I don’t want to buy up in a gym. I think there’s something for that. Yeah, no, I think I think giving back and helping others is a great path forward in life as you get older, because and it helps you with all the bad things you do to yourself. Yeah, because I think a lot of these addictions happen when you feel alone, and you feel like you’re not part of this collective, you know, to take one of your terms up. And so when you start feeling that you’re connected to everybody, and that you’re all part of this thing, and you’re helping this person, and your kids are looking up to you, and you got to think about their future, then you stop just being about your own ego, which you’re trying to destroy all the time. And you’re always focusing on you, I fucking hate this guy, I don’t like this guy. And it’s like, wait a second, it’s not about you, let’s look at the kids, let’s look at these people. I think it’s easier to get over those

1:15:14 Destructive patterns when you’re thinking about it. I think you’re humbled, right? You know, when you’re the guy telling other people, if I’m telling someone else not to gamble, and then what I’m going to go off and do it, you know, with poker, I don’t know. I’m I’ll stop playing poker, just for a couple years, maybe. What have you ever done any videos or blogs about gambling? I haven’t actually know. I think you should. And I think it would be really therapeutic for you. And it could be a step. Not that I’m a counselor, I’ll send you my bill after this. I think that would be good. I’m sure you’re hesitant to do it, because it’s very vulnerable for you. But I think maybe after the fight, or maybe think about it, I think a solid blog post or even a video, just talking about it, or even some ideas or suggestions would be powerful.

1:15:56 So I’ll leave that with you. Yeah. For a 21 year old kid out there that’s watching us right now, that’s won a couple fights in his local MMA organizations, who’s strong, 155 pounds, tearing through people, you know, Purple Belt and Jiu Jitsu. You know, what advice do you give to that young man that is looking at his career? Maybe he’s going to the UFC or de Bellator or somewhere else. What advice do you give to a young mixed martial artist? He’s in your hands, you know, he’s in your hands. Like we talked a bit earlier. And I said the one thing what I’ve liked is consistency in many things with MMA. I should be a lot better than I am. 100% everything I know, and the training, I should be better, but I haven’t been consistent. So I would say to them, you know, and it’s again, it’s quite, you know, someone might lose a fight, a close fight at the gym. I talked to him about it. And I kind of, I kind of think it’s how you respond from that loss.

1:17:04 You know, you might think it’s all over. Like, again, the ego takes a massive batter, you just been beat up in front of like, you know, however many people don’t mind many people, you know, even at sparring at the gym, you know, egos getting bruised all the time. So, but whatever happens there, it’s about consistency. And as long as you want to do it, and you, I was going to say about the love-hate thing as well. It’s hard, but sometimes,

1:17:38 What, this is what I think sometimes, giving up sometimes can be a good thing. You’ve got to be strong to give up sometimes, but other times you’ve got to be strong to forge ahead. Now, whenever that time is, it’s down to you. And no one else can tell you that. No one else.

1:18:01 You’ve got to figure that out on yourself. So basically, I’d talk to the kid, but I’d just bring the conversation back then to me. That’s what I’d do. Just like an MMA attention horror.

1:18:18 James, let me ask you a few questions about your success and like maybe some of the secrets of how you know, you got to this point because you are a success, you know, you’re about to fight in a huge card in a huge arena. Was there something training wise or something or about your mindset that you changed years ago that made you at least allow you to be in this place to be a fighter? You’re obviously a guy that’s traveled all around the world to gain knowledge. You don’t hear that from a lot of guys that have been in the game as long as you, a lot of guys would stay in Britain, train with London shoot a great team and would never do all these things. Is that one of the things you learned early on to go and get knowledge or was it to be an open mind or to write? Was there something? Yeah. James, I always ask everybody here a question at the end.

1:19:24 I’m going to ask you, I might’ve asked you this before, but I want to know the answer now. You pick up the phone, you call 20 year old James Thompson. Has he had an MMA fight yet? At 20? Nothing. So he’s still playing rugby, lifting weights, getting pretty big.

1:19:40 You give him a little advice. You say, James, this is older James. And you’re like, what? And then you tell him something. What do you tell him?

1:19:46 What? Yeah, there’s fucking number. I would say, keep, keep on keeping on. You find something you want to do. Just keep on it. Keep on it. Be consistent. You know, would I be the same person if I wouldn’t have gone off? You know, I kind of think all this shit too. If

1:20:13 What happened wouldn’t have happened to me, would I be the same person? I wouldn’t be the same person. And I’m glad I’m this person, even though it’s fucking rough sometimes. So you’d probably put the phone down on me by now. You’d fucking go on far too much.

1:20:31 But yeah, I’d say, you know, keep on keeping on. And you know, advice to myself, if you want, from now on, you know, however many fights I have, you know, don’t get side to track. Buy anything. Just keep on, just look at the thing in your sights now. You know, that thing’s Kimbo. So that’s all right. And then the next thing, okay, my book, or maybe another, whatever. Take it one step at a time. Best advice you’ve ever received could be training advice, could be something you picked up at team coach or somewhere, all these places, or just be something that someone told you, what comes to mind? It’s a quote by Robert Anton Wilson, who, if anyone’s not heard of Robert Anton Wilson, go look him up. There’s loads of videos on YouTube. He’s kind of like philosopher type. He’s very switched on posing.

1:21:31 He’s helped me a lot with a lot of things. And he said, I can’t remember what he said now. Oh, look it up. And when you find out what it might be, let me know. No, he said so.

1:21:47 The, the, the, the, the, the, the, oh, fuck it. Oh, come fucking around. We’ll come back to it. Oh, we’re gonna have to come back to that. I’m gonna have to go out my phone. I’m gonna find out.

1:22:01 He’s on my Twitter. It’s on J, J Colossus. I mean, it’s the quote. Read that quote. Last question to the advice out there. Like we said earlier, to that young kid, looks at you, looks at your career, looks at the big MMA organizations. Like I got to do that. I got to do that. What’s the one thing you tell them? Do it. Do it. I mean, he’s, that’s why the Nike slogan on that is so good. Because, you know, you might have noticed I can ramble and go off on all kinds of different tangents. I think I get sidetracked. But ultimately, you’ve got to fucking do it. And then if you do it, things, things will come. And you know, that’s what I’ve seen a lot with my mum, what she’d done. She’s not being scared of things. She’s approached them head on and different doors have opened, which you wouldn’t expect. And you would never expect it until you do it. So you’ve got to do it. And, you know, I’m gonna take my own advice on that one.

1:23:04 Good. And you’ve always done it, man. I mean, you went to Japan, you took that fight with Kimbo. A lot of people wouldn’t have done those things. And maybe they would have been secretly scared or secretly not believing or wanting their own success. But you took all those things.

1:23:16 So you open those doors. And however, what bad things you say about yourself, you do take a lot of those risks. And that’s brought you where you are today. So you live in proof of that. No, cheers, Brian. I appreciate that. And, you know, I do kind of forget, because I kind of think like people who know me, I’m not a big deal. I’m me.

1:23:36 When you’re on top of the mountain, and whenever we’re on the mountain, we don’t realize how long it took to get up there. Well, kind of. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know, I could have so fucked up in so many ways. I get people look up to me, makes me a little bit uncomfortable. I don’t want to make the same mistakes or follow in my shoes.

1:23:59 Do you know what I mean? Until I’ve got my shoes sorted, clean the dog shit off and, and I’m fucking walking down the right path. Then follow me. I hear you. I hear you. But you’re desperation either way. Yeah. And I want to finish on this. It was funny as hell, actually, because we started London Real, I don’t know, four and a half, almost five years ago now.

1:24:17 And you were watching our show in the early days and you commented. Thank you very much, by the way. And you commented on the YouTube video. And I remember seeing it and I was like, that’s not James Thompson, because I watched your pride, your fights and pride. I was a huge MMA fans. And so too, I flew to Japan a couple times, blah, blah, blah. And I was on the Rogan show and Rogan or someone said, or Nick was like, Oh, Brian, Colossus commented on the thing. And I was like, that’s the real Colossus. And I heard you say that. And I was like, Yeah. I was like, I better get back to him. And, and so then we came back and we had you on the show and then you co-hosted Howard Marks with me. That was just amazing experience.

1:24:56 We still remember him here. He was smoking weed out of that window. You know, you smoke before that. You know, I, I, I, I, I, you know, this is what I’m talking about, about doing it. You know, I, you know, just that small thing of, you know, where that led to, I mean, taking advantage of it. And then I’m a smoking a joint with Howard Marks, which is something I remember forever. Do you know what I mean? So, so, so it’s true, isn’t it?

1:25:26 It really is true. You’ve got to fucking do it and open the doors and not be, not be scared to walk through. And I think I have been a little bit scared without realizing with all these things I’ve got going on, but not finished. I think there is a bit of fear, which I never thought I had because what happens if I do my book and it fucking falls on its arse and I’ve been talking about this book I’ve fucking been doing forever and blah, blah, blah. It’s not something I constantly think about, but you know, maybe, maybe it’s there, but the only thing you can do is do it. And then I’m going to do it.

1:26:07 Look out, look out, look out. Yeah, you did it. I mean, I offered you the Howard Marks thing and you were like, yeah, let’s do it. You showed up. Then we co-hosted Irving Welsh, the author of Trains Body. How epic was that? We had you on. And so it’s great to have you back.

1:26:20 I’m pumped to see you against Kimbo. But you know what? Honestly, it’s not like I like you more if you win or you lose. I’m just happy to see you doing it. I know you’re going to win because I know what you can do when you’re there and in the zone. But for me, it’s not even important if you do.

1:26:37 It’s important for me that you’re enjoying the experience, that you’re being James, that you’re getting a little bit better every day. We don’t have to leave all the demons behind, but we’re at least making progress and you’re connecting with people and you’re saying yes to things like you said. You’re doing things because it opens doors and you’re going to publish your book, which is great. And if it fails, then it’s like 99.9% of all the other books out there.

1:26:57 So there’s really not a lot to look up to. I’ve enjoyed writing it. I’ve got to go over it again. I’ve got all the experiences and different stories. And I’ve got great stories.

1:27:12 That’s one thing. When I finished documentary, what I was doing, I moved out, split with my missus. I was living at the gym and I thought I’ve got fuck all. I’ve got fuck all. And I thought, no, I’ve got something. I’ve got a story. So I started filming a documentary in the gym when I was living there. And then I started getting a Pudginowski fight and I was going to call him out when he came to London. I thought, oh, I’ll build all that. And I sorted it out with the place he was fighting in London. So I was going to go over the guardrails and get in his face and do all that. But the promotion ended up telling him. And then that was the next day. And he never turned up. I didn’t want part of your nonsense. Well, no. And a lot of that documentary, you took footage at Rogan’s when you were on his show. I still remember this. It’s from years ago.

1:28:05 Yeah. I got to publish that too. Yeah. I got to get that. All right, James, I’m wishing you all the best at the O2 Arena. I’ll probably be there. No, mate, you’re going to be there.

1:28:14 I got to be there, right? I mean, like, I’ve seen like all the former guests. Exactly. And he’s a great guy too. He’s a very talented guy. He’s going to do really well.

1:28:26 Venom. Yeah. He’s going to do really well. He’s such a kind, respectful guy. I mean, I wouldn’t want to spar with him because I don’t think he’s that respectful when you’re sparring with him. But otherwise, just like proper, you know, just really nice young man. Yeah. Yeah.

1:28:40 We love seeing him. Ito Portal, the movement specialist and expert who was here is working with him as well. And then I think he was out there. That’s all you need, isn’t it? Yeah. I think Alex Reed saw him and Ito and they were like, he’s trying to get in on that.

1:28:52 So yeah, yeah, that on top with Ito working with him, it’s going to be great because He does work on McConner McGregor too. So maybe with you next. Yeah, fucking I need a bit of movement. Right. I could do with that.

1:29:02 Anyways, can’t wait to see you with Timbo. Great. Publish the book, man. All the best to you and come back and see us again sometime soon. You know, always a pleasure. Thanks for having me.