Taken from JRE MMA Show #144 w/Jared Cannonier:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/07TNGl4VKA4UfM4wFehiGD?si=c42e12f86af94c1f

The Joe Rogan Experience Man, it's interesting watching these guys come and go and, you know, and come in with so much promise and it doesn't quite, you know, injuries.

Yeah, there's really, you can't tell, a bunch of knee injuries.

Yeah, well you know, the UFC is a promotion machine.

So they sell the world a dream for each and every 1 of us you know what I mean so a lot of people out there in the world have this have this idea of me that you know could be completely wrong you know what I mean so we all have these expectations Everybody has these hopes and dreams and stuff like that.

And us as far as, especially with the mics in front of our faces, are allowed to share ours.

So everybody definitely believes us when we say, believes me when I say I'm gonna be a champion 1 day, you know what I mean?

I seriously believe myself when I say that.

But a very few of us are gonna make it to that level, you know what I mean?

A very few percentage of us are gonna make it.

And that's the reality I had already come to terms with when I first started this.

So when I first started doing MMA, I already had a full-time job, a good, comfortable job, you know what I mean?

I was able to take care of my family, so I was good.

And I was able to go train, so I was happy.

I just told myself, I'm just gonna go as far as I can go.

Pretty much make myself no promises, you know what I mean?

I understand my ability, and I had confidence in myself, which is why I did it in the first place, but I understand the reality of it, and I was blessed to already have a full-time job to be able to take care of myself, because there's a lot of fighters, a lot of fighters out there are broke trying to fight yeah you know the majority of majority of fighters are in broke situations trying to fight so yeah when I first when I was training It wasn't my goal to be a UFC fighter I just want to go as far as I can learn as much as I can while I have this time here on earth So this is far as I've gotten well.

you've got a great approach, man You got a great approach to life a great approach to this this path that you're on to be a better martial artist and a better person.

It's a fascinating approach, it's very samurai-like.

I do take, For me, I like to take energies from all places and try to create this, I don't wanna say character, but create this avatar and equip this avatar with all these different perks and stuff that I find admirable, that I find moral and things that's gonna make me a bigger, stronger, better, what am I, a human, a man, a black man?

If you wanna use those labels and terms, you know what I mean?

Yeah, and not necessarily try to distinguish myself from any and everybody else You know what?

I mean look to any and everybody else to see the potential that I have because we're all human we all have the potential to do great and wonderful things or terrible and Bad things, you know what?

I'd say I said this is 1 thing I tell my children, my children, you know, we have the ability as humans, this is what makes us unique from any other species on this planet, that we have the ability to be an animal.

We have the ability to be a demon or a devil, or we can be a celestial or a god or a goddess, you know what I mean?

Not that we would physically embody our definitions of these things, These are just conceptualizations, but I think for me, that allows me to take the trajectory of my life and point it to where I want.

To use the word that has been so conceptualized to Godhood.

And I realized that I'm not THE Almighty, but I am living an aspect.

I am, so many different ways to put it, living in experience, you know what I mean?

That God can look back and say, yep, I've done this.

Maybe this has already been done, maybe it hasn't, but for me, I just wanna go up, be better.

I wanna be able to levitate and shit like that, you know what I mean?

Do things that nobody else does, which is probably 1 of the reasons why I joined the Army and do martial arts in the first place because everybody where I'm from, where I grew up, definitely wasn't joining the army and nobody was doing martial arts that I knew of.

So, I guess I was just born a non-conformist, if you will, and I just like taking the route that I find best suits me.

I think if people could adopt that mindset and adopt that way of thinking I think that would be very very beneficial to a lot Of people

it's very admirable Sometimes when you hear someone's philosophy the way they think about things and the way they approach their life you go.

that's what I just felt when you're saying that I was like that's it's very admirable.

I like when someone has a very clear disciplined sort of view of What their life is and what they're trying to accomplish And you have especially with this mindset that you have about constant growth about looking at it like that like you're always on the path Yeah And in to approach that as a martial artist and then you know Be a martial artist while you're still an elite fighter in the UFC Yeah, you're still a martial artist and I think that's why you're so good.


Speaker 0: The Joe Rogan Experience Man, it's interesting watching these guys come and go and, you know, and come in with so much promise and it doesn't quite, you know, injuries. Yeah, there's really, you can't tell, a bunch of knee injuries.

Speaker 1: Yeah, well you know, the UFC is a promotion machine. So they sell the world a dream for each and every 1 of us you know what I mean so a lot of people out there in the world have this have this idea of me that you know could be completely wrong you know what I mean so we all have these expectations Everybody has these hopes and dreams and stuff like that. And us as far as, especially with the mics in front of our faces, are allowed to share ours. So everybody definitely believes us when we say, believes me when I say I'm gonna be a champion 1 day, you know what I mean? I seriously believe myself when I say that.

But a very few of us are gonna make it to that level, you know what I mean? A very few percentage of us are gonna make it. So that's the reality of it. And that's the reality I had already come to terms with when I first started this. So when I first started doing MMA, I already had a full-time job, a good, comfortable job, you know what I mean?

I was able to take care of my family, so I was good. And I was able to go train, so I was happy. I just told myself, I'm just gonna go as far as I can go. You know what I mean? Pretty much make myself no promises, you know what I mean?

Because I understand that. I understand my ability, and I had confidence in myself, which is why I did it in the first place, but I understand the reality of it, and I was blessed to already have a full-time job to be able to take care of myself, because there's a lot of fighters, a lot of fighters out there are broke trying to fight yeah you know the majority of majority of fighters are in broke situations trying to fight so yeah when I first when I was training It wasn't my goal to be a UFC fighter I just want to go as far as I can learn as much as I can while I have this time here on earth So this is far as I've gotten well.

Speaker 0: You've got pretty fucking far.

Speaker 1: Yeah,

Speaker 0: you've got a great approach, man You got a great approach to life a great approach to this this path that you're on to be a better martial artist and a better person. It's a fascinating approach, it's very samurai-like. It is.

Speaker 1: I do take, For me, I like to take energies from all places and try to create this, I don't wanna say character, but create this avatar and equip this avatar with all these different perks and stuff that I find admirable, that I find moral and things that's gonna make me a bigger, stronger, better, what am I, a human, a man, a black man? If you wanna use those labels and terms, you know what I mean? But for me being who I am.

Speaker 0: That's a great way to think about it.

Speaker 1: Yeah, and not necessarily try to distinguish myself from any and everybody else You know what? I mean look to any and everybody else to see the potential that I have because we're all human we all have the potential to do great and wonderful things or terrible and Bad things, you know what? I mean? I'd say I said this is 1 thing I tell my children, my children, you know, we have the ability as humans, this is what makes us unique from any other species on this planet, that we have the ability to be an animal. Or we can be something better than that.

We have the ability to be a demon or a devil, or we can be a celestial or a god or a goddess, you know what I mean? Not that we would physically embody our definitions of these things, These are just conceptualizations, but I think for me, that allows me to take the trajectory of my life and point it to where I want. I want to ascend, you know what I mean? To use the word that has been so conceptualized to Godhood. And I realized that I'm not THE Almighty, but I am living an aspect.

I am generating a perspective. I am, so many different ways to put it, living in experience, you know what I mean? That God can look back and say, yep, I've done this. You know what I mean? Maybe this has already been done, maybe it hasn't, but for me, I just wanna go up, be better.

I wanna be able to levitate and shit like that, you know what I mean? Do things that nobody else does, which is probably 1 of the reasons why I joined the Army and do martial arts in the first place because everybody where I'm from, where I grew up, definitely wasn't joining the army and nobody was doing martial arts that I knew of. So, I guess I was just born a non-conformist, if you will, and I just like taking the route that I find best suits me. You feel me?

Speaker 0: Yeah, I do feel ya. No, that's a fascinating path. I like what you just said. I like what you just said a lot. I think if people could adopt that mindset and adopt that way of thinking I think that would be very very beneficial to a lot Of people

Speaker 1: you know

Speaker 0: it's very admirable Sometimes when you hear someone's philosophy the way they think about things and the way they approach their life you go. Oh, that's Admirable

Speaker 1: and

Speaker 0: that's what I just felt when you're saying that I was like that's it's very admirable. I like when someone has a very clear disciplined sort of view of What their life is and what they're trying to accomplish And you have especially with this mindset that you have about constant growth about looking at it like that like you're always on the path Yeah And in to approach that as a martial artist and then you know Be a martial artist while you're still an elite fighter in the UFC Yeah, you're still a martial artist and I think that's why you're so good.

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Balancing the Dream of Being Champion with Reality