Taken from JRE MMA Show #134 w/Belal Muhammad:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rqeubE6rD25ml5T3xSmOD?si=89d2629beb4241ce

Honestly, I think it's a It's a tougher fight than Francis.

I think that Syrogan his movement his footwork he's so good with his front leg and for John Jones who when I remember when he came back from OSP he looked so stiff and that was a time off and putting a lot of muscle on he just looked like a slower version of himself so now this time it's a longer Time off and you're coming back with way more weight on and you're going against 1 of like the faster Heavyweights and then more smoother heavyweights instead of getting on you where you know he lands that hard punch I could do it, but I could just shoot under that hard punch and got you I mean a serial gun You have to watch the kicks watch the full work cut him off Yeah It's the thing

is the serial gun was out grappled by Francis when Francis had a bad knee Francis his knee was fucked up and Francis out grappled him and beat him handily with grappling Yeah you know I talked to Eric Nixick And he said Francis is grappling is on a totally different level than he used to be before and he's so big and so strong Yeah, like you know he's in camp with the blue boy Even off

and he said he was just holding him down doing every once to him I'm Like that is really impressive because look boy beat Fedor in combat Sambo.

He's a monster monster He's 1 of got like stabbed right?

Yeah, he's yeah 1 time I saw him at You know he's under Ali and we only had like a media day for his fighters and look away like comes up to me in it like I make pics every Every fight and I like circle fighters where I think it's gonna win now posted on my Instagram He like came up to me like shoulder bump.

He's like you didn't pick me my last fight And I was like I was like what I was like dude I don't even think I don't even know you fighters even really pay attention I like did I now I started realizing that these guys are like watching it, but of course they watch Yeah, I was like this guy's crazy, but I was like man.

I got a pick him every single time he goes It's like nuts, but yeah, I always talk to Eric Nixon Eric Nixon's 1 of those coaches that he's like my brother I'll call him after hey, they're giving me this guy.

And he would always tell me like Francis is Francis 1 of those heavyweights that loves to wrestle like you know Wrestling practice strikers.

They don't they hate to be in that grind.

It's a different type of grind They said Francis is there all the time.

mean, especially after that steep a fight the first deep a fight He learned like that's where his Achilles heel is Yeah grappling and that also you can't take everybody out like sometimes like not in that fight at least steep a just Weathered the storm somehow or another yeah And you have to have the gas tank and you have to have the grappling to survive all those other exchanges

But that was at his moment remember what he was just knocking everybody out and he had like 2 minutes of fight time

Well, it's also like we talked about with hums on when hums I went after Kevin Holland if you get out of that round How much do you have left?

Yeah, he got out of the round steep a made it out of the round and then steepie started dominating

But that second fight man Francis's take down defense.

That's what DC was saying patient Francis is scary Francis Yeah, that's why I'm mad.

Yeah, I'm mad because I feel like we were deprived of 1 of the great fights in MMA 1 of the most compelling fights in MMA Does it mean I'm not interested in serial gone and John Jones?

I'm very interested in that fight I'm very for all the things you listed also For serial guns performance against tied to Ivasa.

It's like god damn serial gun and serial gun does a lot of shit That's very unusual Like first of all, he stands totally sideways and he does like a twisting kick with his front leg to throw a front kick You know, yeah, yeah, very weird.

Yes, he stands totally sideways and he like twists his leg in He doesn't stick it up and stab it forward.

Yeah, you never did that Well, take my nose.

Yeah So no, that's him throwing sidekicks Spinning heel kick he throws this kick off the front leg if you go to tie to Ivasa

He's so tough Tie is so tough That was a crazy-ass fight and that was a perfect fight to like showcase with serial guns capable of because his his Movement the fluidity of his combinations and the guy moves like a middleweight.

Yeah, it's 240 plus pounds This was a great-ass fight So he stands sideways and he throws this front kick when he gets distance.

He throws this front kick off the sideways stance and he turns his body.

Oh there's that kick to the body those round kicks.

Very very interesting man watching the 2.

And he throws it off of both sides with the front leg.

He's the most agile and the, like, probably the most technical of all the heavyweight strikers.

Cyril's very well-rounded when it comes to his striking.

So for John, it's gonna be can John take him down?

Can John, like how does John perform at heavyweight?

What is the 3 years off like is he hungier and even better?

Because he's fired up, but he you know like y'all must have forgot.

He usually does to right remember he was always that guy that would want to beat you at your own game Oh, you're a wrestler.

I'll strike with you Yeah, so well it comes out there thinking 0 gone you're a Smooth striker.

It's also a first fight at heavyweight We really don't know how he's gonna respond when he gets hit by a big heavyweight We don't know anything.

I mean it's a years and it's also John is older now, you know Honestly a lot of partying.

Yeah, John parties, you know, I don't know what he's been doing Maybe he's been living clean over the last few years.

I know I'm with us so who don't now and yeah, maybe that's a little might so I'll help him too.

I like so who does mindset and I like that fight ready camp I think what Henry brings to the table is very unique his mindset is really incredible and you know, I talked to Mighty Mouse about it.

I had Mighty Mouse on and Demetrius are saying that like he's so meticulous in his training and how he prepares and plans for things Yeah, like it's everything is like very very focused.

I was thought Dan EG He was telling me how he went down there and he was he's like, I never talked to anybody with kind of like the war mindset as him It's like he sees it as like a chess match.

He breaks it down in that type of Way, it's not like all the squad there see red whatever happens happens Yeah He does this this and this even with I said I had breakfast with him once before the Sean Brady fight and he was like, let's watch a little tape on him.

And just like watching 1 tape of Sean Brady, he's like, oh well, he stands like this, I think you should do this, this low kick will be perfect right here.

But just seeing how he breaks down how he talks to people, it just tells me that being a coach and being at his gym, he'll get deeper and deeper and deeper into those little aspects of the fight that a lot of people don't really care about or look at.

I know a lot of fighters that they'll never even watch tape of somebody they're going to fight.

They're just going there with the mindset of if I'm in shape, and I'm on my bus I'm gonna win.

Yeah, I think he's 1 of the great coaches out there I think for us a hobby is probably I mean he's 1 of my all-time favorites It's not my favorite, but I think there's just a few guys like that like Henry Cejudo you know that are just like they're next-level coaches.

I feel like it's not all about toughness and

I've had Coaches that tell me that oh well this guy never fought before why you gonna think that he's a good coach, but you don't need to be a fighter or that.

Some people are just better at understanding and breaking down fights in general than having to go in there and fight.

Some people can teach, some people can fight.

Some of the great coaches, like think about guys like Teddy Atlas, wasn't known as a great boxer, amazing coach.

Emmanuel Stewart wasn't known as a great boxer, but amazing coach, 1 of the greatest coaches ever.

Yeah, I mean, Eric Nixick, my coach, Mike Valli, I've never followed him before, he's the same way.

And like I said, it's like, some people are better at teaching.

Some people are better at breaking down film and seeing other guys' weaknesses.

Like, I know Nixer was telling me that he used to be a football player, and he would bring that mindset, that game plan mindset of, what's the weakness?

If I know these guys are good at the past?

Well, we're gonna play past defense and then fighters don't think like that for me when I fought Damian Maya My goal is to stand a strike with you.

I'm not gonna grapple with Damian Maya when I'm fighting Wonder Boy I'm not gonna strike with Wonder Boy.

I'm fighting these guys a certain way I'm switching it up each time

He was I know he was down there He said he was down there for visiting

Yeah, They had a falling out so he left and then I think

he was doing stuff out of his garage But then now he was down with crazy.

So who'd Oh training out there with them now, too I think I'm not sure if he's doing his full camp there, but I know he was doing some stuff there

1 thing he's done right is put that weight on slowly.

Yeah, that's the 1 thing he's done, right?

Because he's got a custom to being 255 pounds and walking around real big and heavy and he looks real big and heavy he looks like a heavyweight He doesn't look like a light heavyweight the gained weight

and I'm wondering Who he's sparring with mmm because you know there's this?

Being in the gym and being who you are John Jones You know there's people like want to see how he is and a million people trying to get an inside scoop of oh How does he look how does he look and we really haven't heard anything like that?

from any of the Little birds on somebody's shoulder or something like that So I wonder if he's actually sparring with anybody training with anybody or if he just has that much Loyal teammates that are not gonna say a word about it until he wants to

I don't know It's a good question because if he's gonna fight a guy like Cyril gone He really wants to get some movement some from some really top flight kickboxers So like who does he have that he can work with like that?

You know, you really want, Cyril is so good at mixing up the kicks and the knees and the punches and the combinations, and he's so light, like the way he stands on the outside, like if you're gonna compete against a guy like that, you gotta get some similar looks.

And how many similar looks are there out there for a guy that's 245 pounds?

Okay, and Then John fights steep a and John beats deep a then what?

I think He's 1 of the toughest guys there.

My immediate goal is to beat Cyril Ghosn and to beat Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones said.

After that, I'll be in conversation with the UFC.

Because I'll show you what I'm fucking interested in.

What I'm interested in at UFC heavyweight click on that shit

That's the boy Yeah Sergei Pavlovich that motherfucker.

That's the Russian Fedor I mean the Russian Francis rather he like comes out guns blazing on people just like Francis used to That motherfucker can bomb

he's a mont and he's so fast to with that.

very good Does it have any fights of his?

way he beat Black Beast and Taito Ibasa so quick, I was like,

I mean, we think about Cyril Gon going through that war with him and Sergey just put it on him.

think Corbett was talking about, he used to train with him, and he was like, yeah, he'd be in the practice room with us All the time and stuff like that.

I mean this fucking dude scary I mean to beat Derek Lewis like that to have Derek completely honest.

He's landed Mark Smith is a Dan Merguliana seen enough.

Look at that that fucking dude can crack He can crack

he's interesting so I want to see him fight more obviously he beat to it Go to the tie to Ivaso fight he beat to Ivaso.

I mean the fucking combination this guy has Look at this boom

So he's, to me, with Francis leaving, he's 1 of the most interesting guys at heavyweight.

If not the most interesting guy at heavyweight.

Yeah, I'm very interested to see him fight a guy like John Jones that that's crazy to me So if John gets a few fights at heavyweight if he gets Sergeant if he beats him that's an F and then if he beats deep in me Ochoa's That's another if and then he fights Sergeant.


Speaker 0: The Joe Rogan experience.

Speaker 1: So what do you think

Speaker 0: of this John Jones, Syrogan fight?

Speaker 1: Honestly, I think it's a It's a tougher fight than Francis. Really? I do. I think that Syrogan his movement his footwork he's so good with his front leg and for John Jones who when I remember when he came back from OSP he looked so stiff and that was a time off and putting a lot of muscle on he just looked like a slower version of himself so now this time it's a longer Time off and you're coming back with way more weight on and you're going against 1 of like the faster Heavyweights and then more smoother heavyweights instead of getting on you where you know he lands that hard punch I could do it, but I could just shoot under that hard punch and got you I mean a serial gun You have to watch the kicks watch the full work cut him off Yeah It's the thing

Speaker 0: is the serial gun was out grappled by Francis when Francis had a bad knee Francis his knee was fucked up and Francis out grappled him and beat him handily with grappling Yeah you know I talked to Eric Nixick And he said Francis is grappling is on a totally different level than he used to be before and he's so big and so strong Yeah, like you know he's in camp with the blue boy Even off

Speaker 1: yeah,

Speaker 0: and he said he was just holding him down doing every once to him I'm Like that is really impressive because look boy beat Fedor in combat Sambo.

Speaker 1: He's a monster monster He's 1 of got like stabbed right? Yeah in the heart. Yeah, he's yeah 1 time I saw him at You know he's under Ali and we only had like a media day for his fighters and look away like comes up to me in it like I make pics every Every fight and I like circle fighters where I think it's gonna win now posted on my Instagram He like came up to me like shoulder bump. He's like you didn't pick me my last fight And I was like I was like what I was like dude I don't even think I don't even know you fighters even really pay attention I like did I now I started realizing that these guys are like watching it, but of course they watch Yeah, I was like this guy's crazy, but I was like man. I got a pick him every single time he goes It's like nuts, but yeah, I always talk to Eric Nixon Eric Nixon's 1 of those coaches that he's like my brother I'll call him after hey, they're giving me this guy.

What do you think about it? And he would always tell me like Francis is Francis 1 of those heavyweights that loves to wrestle like you know Wrestling practice strikers. They don't show up. They don't they hate to be in that grind. It's a different type of grind They said Francis is there all the time.

He loves to be in that I

Speaker 0: mean, especially after that steep a fight the first deep a fight He learned like that's where his Achilles heel is Yeah grappling and that also you can't take everybody out like sometimes like not in that fight at least steep a just Weathered the storm somehow or another yeah And you have to have the gas tank and you have to have the grappling to survive all those other exchanges

Speaker 1: But that was at his moment remember what he was just knocking everybody out and he had like 2 minutes of fight time

Speaker 0: Yeah,

Speaker 1: then all of a sudden you fight a guy. Oh, thanks pass the second round

Speaker 0: Well, it's also like we talked about with hums on when hums I went after Kevin Holland if you get out of that round How much do you have left? Yeah, he got out of the round steep a made it out of the round and then steepie started dominating

Speaker 1: But that second fight man Francis's take down defense. He looked

Speaker 0: good patient Francis. That's what DC was saying patient Francis is scary Francis Yeah, that's why I'm mad. Yeah, I'm mad because I feel like we were deprived of 1 of the great fights in MMA 1 of the most compelling fights in MMA Does it mean I'm not interested in serial gone and John Jones? I'm very interested in that fight I'm very for all the things you listed also For serial guns performance against tied to Ivasa. It's like god damn serial gun and serial gun does a lot of shit That's very unusual Like first of all, he stands totally sideways and he does like a twisting kick with his front leg to throw a front kick You know, yeah, yeah, very weird.

Yes, he stands totally sideways and he like twists his leg in He doesn't stick it up and stab it forward. He like twists it and go in.

Speaker 1: Yeah, you never did that Well, take my nose. It's a twisting kick. Yeah.

Speaker 0: Yeah, it's called a twisting.

Speaker 1: Okay.

Speaker 0: Yeah So no, that's him throwing sidekicks Spinning heel kick he throws this kick off the front leg if you go to tie to Ivasa

Speaker 1: The 1 he was landing to that front

Speaker 0: to the body. Oh, dude.

Speaker 1: I is so tough.

Speaker 0: He's so tough Tie is so tough That was a crazy-ass fight and that was a perfect fight to like showcase with serial guns capable of because his his Movement the fluidity of his combinations and the guy moves like a middleweight. Yeah, it's 240 plus pounds This was a great-ass fight So he stands sideways and he throws this front kick when he gets distance. He throws this front kick off the sideways stance and he turns his body. Oh there's that kick to the body those round kicks.

Speaker 1: Oh this is the finishing move. Oh

Speaker 0: yeah. Very very interesting man watching the 2. There it is.

Speaker 1: See it? Yeah.

Speaker 0: See how he throws it? And he throws it off of both sides with the front leg. He's the most agile and the, like, probably the most technical of all the heavyweight strikers. Cyril's very well-rounded when it comes to his striking.

Speaker 1: He's so smooth. Yeah. And he's like intelligent. Like he understands the distance. All right, now this is a knee distance.

This is not kick distance.

Speaker 0: Very interesting fight. So for John, it's gonna be can John take him down? Can John, like how does John perform at heavyweight? Can John close the distance? Is he as fast?

What is the 3 years off like is he hungier and even better? Because he's fired up, but he you know like y'all must have forgot. He's got that mindset

Speaker 1: He usually does to right remember he was always that guy that would want to beat you at your own game Oh, you're a wrestler. I'll Russell you're a striker. I'll strike with you Yeah, so well it comes out there thinking 0 gone you're a Smooth striker. I'll smooth you. I don't know.

Speaker 0: It's also a first fight at heavyweight We really don't know how he's gonna respond when he gets hit by a big heavyweight We don't know anything.

Speaker 1: Yeah,

Speaker 0: I mean it's a years and it's also John is older now, you know Honestly a lot of partying. Yeah, John parties, you know, I don't know what he's been doing Maybe he's been living clean over the last few years. I don't know.

Speaker 1: I know I'm with us so who don't now and yeah, maybe that's a little might so I'll help him too. So I like that

Speaker 0: I like so who does mindset and I like that fight ready camp I think what Henry brings to the table is very unique his mindset is really incredible and you know, I talked to Mighty Mouse about it. I had Mighty Mouse on and Demetrius are saying that like he's so meticulous in his training and how he prepares and plans for things Yeah, like it's everything is like very very focused.

Speaker 1: I was thought Dan EG He was telling me how he went down there and he was he's like, I never talked to anybody with kind of like the war mindset as him It's like he sees it as like a chess match. He breaks it down in that type of Way, it's not like all the squad there see red whatever happens happens Yeah He does this this and this even with I said I had breakfast with him once before the Sean Brady fight and he was like, let's watch a little tape on him. Let me look up what he does. And just like watching 1 tape of Sean Brady, he's like, oh well, he stands like this, I think you should do this, this low kick will be perfect right here. But just seeing how he breaks down how he talks to people, it just tells me that being a coach and being at his gym, he'll get deeper and deeper and deeper into those little aspects of the fight that a lot of people don't really care about or look at.

I know a lot of fighters that they'll never even watch tape of somebody they're going to fight. They'll never. They're just going there with the mindset of if I'm in shape, and I'm on my bus I'm gonna win.

Speaker 0: Yeah, I think he's 1 of the great coaches out there I think for us a hobby is probably I mean he's 1 of my all-time favorites It's not my favorite, but I think there's just a few guys like that like Henry Cejudo you know that are just like they're next-level coaches. Yeah, I have this mindset They just

Speaker 1: that's the most important thing. I feel like it's not all about toughness and

Speaker 0: right

Speaker 1: I've had Coaches that tell me that oh well this guy never fought before why you gonna think that he's a good coach, but you don't need to be a fighter or that. Some people are just better at understanding and breaking down fights in general than having to go in there and fight. Some people can teach, some people can fight.

Speaker 0: Some of the great coaches, like think about guys like Teddy Atlas, wasn't known as a great boxer, amazing coach. Emmanuel Stewart wasn't known as a great boxer, but amazing coach, 1 of the greatest coaches ever. There's quite a few guys like that.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, Eric Nixick, my coach, Mike Valli, I've never followed him before, he's the same way. And like I said, it's like, some people are better at teaching. Some people are better at breaking down film and seeing other guys' weaknesses. Like, I know Nixer was telling me that he used to be a football player, and he would bring that mindset, that game plan mindset of, what's the weakness? If I know these guys are good at the past?

Well, we're gonna play past defense and then fighters don't think like that for me when I fought Damian Maya My goal is to stand a strike with you. I'm not gonna grapple with Damian Maya when I'm fighting Wonder Boy I'm not gonna strike with Wonder Boy. I'm gonna take him down

Speaker 0: right when

Speaker 1: I'm fighting these guys a certain way I'm switching it up each time

Speaker 0: is John in Phoenix. Now. Is he training down there?

Speaker 1: He was I know he was down there He said he was down there for visiting

Speaker 0: cuz he was with Jackson Winkle John. Yeah, They had a falling out so he left and then I think

Speaker 1: he was doing stuff out of his garage But then now he was down with crazy. So who'd Oh training out there with them now, too I think I'm not sure if he's doing his full camp there, but I know he was doing some stuff there

Speaker 0: 1 thing he's done right is put that weight on slowly. Yeah, that's the 1 thing he's done, right? Because he's got a custom to being 255 pounds and walking around real big and heavy and he looks real big and heavy he looks like a heavyweight He doesn't look like a light heavyweight the gained weight

Speaker 1: Yeah,

Speaker 0: it looks like a fucking heavyweight,

Speaker 1: and I'm wondering Who he's sparring with mmm because you know there's this? Being in the gym and being who you are John Jones You know there's people like want to see how he is and a million people trying to get an inside scoop of oh How does he look how does he look and we really haven't heard anything like that?

Speaker 0: Yeah

Speaker 1: from any of the Little birds on somebody's shoulder or something like that So I wonder if he's actually sparring with anybody training with anybody or if he just has that much Loyal teammates that are not gonna say a word about it until he wants to

Speaker 0: I don't know It's a good question because if he's gonna fight a guy like Cyril gone He really wants to get some movement some from some really top flight kickboxers So like who does he have that he can work with like that? You know, you really want, Cyril is so good at mixing up the kicks and the knees and the punches and the combinations, and he's so light, like the way he stands on the outside, like if you're gonna compete against a guy like that, you gotta get some similar looks. And how many similar looks are there out there for a guy that's 245 pounds?

Speaker 1: That could move like that.

Speaker 0: Yeah, it moves like Cyril.

Speaker 1: Yeah. There's not a lot.

Speaker 0: Yeah, interesting fight. But here's the problem. Let's say John beats serial gone. Okay, and Then John fights steep a and John beats deep a then what?

Speaker 1: People are sleeping like Curtis blades. I think He's 1 of the toughest guys there.

Speaker 0: My immediate goal is to beat Cyril Ghosn and to beat Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones said. After that, I'll be in conversation with the UFC. Go to the UFC heavyweight rankings. Because I'll show you what I'm fucking interested in. What I'm interested in at UFC heavyweight click on that shit

Speaker 1: Pavlovich Oh

Speaker 0: Pavlovich Oh

Speaker 1: my god

Speaker 0: That's the boy Yeah Sergei Pavlovich that motherfucker. That's the Russian Fedor I mean the Russian Francis rather he like comes out guns blazing on people just like Francis used to That motherfucker can bomb

Speaker 1: he's a mont and he's so fast to with that. He's so accurate

Speaker 0: very good Does it have any fights of his?

Speaker 1: Not on that website.

Speaker 0: Oh, okay.

Speaker 1: Not the

Speaker 0: way I have it. The

Speaker 1: way he beat Black Beast and Taito Ibasa so quick, I was like,

Speaker 0: who is this guy? The Taito Ibasa fight was incredible. I mean, we think about Cyril Gon going through that war with him and Sergey just put it on him. His boxing is fucking tight. Very tight, man.

Real power punches, excellent technique. Big guy, too. Big, heavy fuck. I

Speaker 1: think Corbett was talking about, he used to train with him, and he was like, yeah, he'd be in the practice room with us All the time and stuff like that. So coming up with here. Yeah, man.

Speaker 0: I mean this fucking dude scary I mean to beat Derek Lewis like that to have Derek completely honest. I mean look at the combinations. He's landed Mark Smith is a Dan Merguliana seen enough. Look at that that fucking dude can crack He can crack

Speaker 1: that

Speaker 0: he's interesting so I want to see him fight more obviously he beat to it Go to the tie to Ivaso fight he beat to Ivaso. I mean the fucking combination this guy has Look at this boom

Speaker 1: Seconds a

Speaker 0: tie gets up and just guns blazing. So accurate. Oh my goodness. Dude. So he's, to me, with Francis leaving, he's 1 of the most interesting guys at heavyweight.

If not the most interesting guy at heavyweight. Yeah, I'm very interested to see him fight a guy like John Jones that that's crazy to me So if John gets a few fights at heavyweight if he gets Sergeant if he beats him that's an F and then if he beats deep in me Ochoa's That's another if and then he fights Sergeant.

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