Joe Rogan Experience #10045 — Justin Wren & Rafael Lovato Jr. Transcript

Transcript

0:00 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 I really am, man. I want to commentate your fights. I know for a fact that Bellator right now is a higher level than it's ever been before. I'm 35. jiu-jitsu black belts in the world. And when you're competing as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu martial of his time. He believed in, you know, learning from all the arts and creating your own personal

2:43 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has. So whenever he first technique that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has. Jiu-Jitsu. And so he started making trips to California to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And I was just a teenager. I'm a young kid. So, you know, I was already doing some boxing at the time. I was always traveled to learn. The first time I went to Brazil, I was 16 years old. It was in 1999

5:00 my big life goal, my first life goal. And, um, and I achieved that in 2007, but, show everyone like, hey, we can do it. Jiu-Jitsu was getting a little too comfortable, you know, and I had been fighting. Same guys. uh, became the first non-Brazilian to ever win a major absolute title. And I did it in Brazil. um under my father under the the jikundo system and um and i did one fight and i i enjoyed it

8:56 um we had a couple guys that were fighting then as well uh one of which went to the UFC. And so I was sparring with these guys, helping them get ready. You've done camps out there. Dream, I believe. Justin, whenever we fought last year, he got to train with Matti Uccio has is you can't get them to stop yeah you train with a lot of guys like what was different for you man i think the way that they they move and see the punches coming and the blocks are different

11:24 And for me, it was so good because they can work with me as a jiu-jitsu guy much different threaten someone with a takedown, which opens up a lot of striking as well. And so the way they It wasn't my focus then, but I love to cross train, you know, and just the movement. How many camps have you done down there? down there with you whenever you're 16 actually my dad has never gone to brazil whoa he you know

13:55 Oh, okay. California to train. Um, so he's, he has not made a trip to Brazil yet but I think it's coming soon he's he took a long break Yeah. Yeah, it's like a six-week walk. Yes. It's a long walk. I feel so bad that I can't remember the name. Yeah. El Camino de Santiago. Fly to Spain to walk six weeks. Yes. yes they're special he trained for it and you know and he that was one of the major

15:51 Appalachian Trail. Yeah. he, he follows his passions, martial artists, musician, he plays the organ, uh, just a very That's very fortunate. So it's really cool, my whole martial arts journey. Shoe-to-box is known for some of the roughest sparring ever. But it's definitely hardcore down in Curitiba. You might be boxing only. Uh, just depending on what my body feels.

19:28 You just fight him. That's just the way they do it. And Vanderlei knocked Shogun out in training. yeah I think one of the things there's some really Yes. He used to be completely opposite, though, right? what i saw in the post-fight interview what makes sense about that with him though is that he was Yeah. You know, and Eddie Bravo does his camps with him up in Big Bear.

22:44 He'll work out six hours hard a day. I used to do the Wing Chun dummy too. Yeah, man. I mean, he actually used Wing Chun in. He'll hang heavy bags. He does it all himself. I used to do the Wing Chun dummy too. And I went, look at that shit. I mean, there was one round where Conor did pretty good. It was just he edged him. I mean, it was the biggest fight of all time. They're saying it was above 2.4 million pay-per-view buys which is

25:06 He was apparently having, like, Dylan Dennis in Conor's corner was screaming shit at Khabib while the fight was going on. Yeah, there's that. But what happened really? It's like, oh, now they're beating the shit out of each other over here. What is his name? I don't know if he got fired. Good luck He felt like there was a fight going on sport. It's bad for the image.

28:15 Fights got canceled because people got cut. over there was like 13 different people that came over to our Airbnb, had a blast. Um, there were some incredible people there. Um, there's a guy And he wanted to wrestle, And so he wanted to wrestle, And Nick says, What if you just cut off my arm? And his Instagram. So he wound up getting He, like literally, so on that top left picture, he calls that on his other arm, he calls that his potato.

31:25 Yeah. So they did it. Don't kill me. And so I'm going to do this. And when that happened, it was just pretty disappointing. I never really even sat down and watched it with him. talking about it too. All the motions are flying and they you know, they have a history and and it's hard to let that go. bus that shit's way out of line i mean throwing a dolly at the bus that's not what a martial artist

35:17 I mean, that was a big part of their promotional campaign was seeing Conor throw the dolly And then they're promoting this. It's like, come on, let's talk. When I'm on top of you and you're tired and I'm beating the fuck out of you, that's when And there's no disrespect. factor in Jose Aldo charging at him, losing his composure, face first and getting clipped

37:31 i'll keep taking this like he didn't want to stop after connor tapped like he was holding on to him And this sport should be about two men expressing themselves to the best of their physical ability inside the cage. and kind of killing Like, the whole thing, it's weird because part of what makes Conor so interesting But the idea that people should be surprised after Conor throws a dolly at the bus

39:48 I don't even know what he has to do. He's a professional fighter. But the idea that we should be shocked after him throwing a dolly at a bus because Khabib's on the bus. gotta go. We gotta go. All of a sudden the car came up onto the sidewalk, started driving like The problem is you don't know how much of that's bullshit. You heard it, too. Not that Dublin isn't hard, but it's like they're not known for their humor and shit talking.

42:36 Translator had to come up and say, you don't whistle in public. can google that but if you um are sitting there and you like cross your legs and you show the I remember it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There's a photo of him that he posted on his Instagram with his father, him and his father standing right after the fight he did it.

44:06 So that strategy with Conor backfired. That's what got Conor to the dance. It's almost like he has to... I was honestly shocked that they were using it in promotion. It is the biggest fight in the history of the sport. They would never have an assault to advertise the Olympics. this might be more for the purist or hardcore mma fan or martial artist that competes but

46:49 of the head trying to practice noon chucks but i remember watching that guy throw kicks and you that people would say to each other at the weigh-in, under each other's breath, like, probably made that fight twice as big. Favorite moment of the night? And in a fight where he said, the thing about Derek Lewis is he can always just land one punch. So I always look forward to talking to him.

49:26 It's fucking Instagram's all motorcycle accidents, dudes jumping off roofs and landing on their heads. out right before we walked out here there the music what's your issue with Daniel? And he's, look, I mean, and he joked around about it with DC. He goes, motherfucker, I'll fight anybody for money. It's going to sell a lot of everything. I know that it could go any way and that one shot from Derek Lewis can put DC out or anyone

51:57 There's a difference between 6'7 and 5'10, though. It's true, but he can flip over be ungrabable. doing that in training. He said he hits way harder as a And I think his life should be a movie for sure. not being the Olympic champion And now I think that people, you know, after people seeing him choke out Rumble Johnson and you realize he's not an egomaniac.

54:03 I know they're going to strip DC, I mean, I don't know. But I think there's an obvious conflict of interest when the promoter is also responsible for who holds titles and who gets to fight for titles. You know, not, oh, Logan Paul sold five million YouTube buys. What does it say? I don't know a how that act is structured. What does it say? Dude, it's hilarious.

56:14 Act of 1996 specifies that All right, if you can translate that. 15 U.S. It's like a dollar bill thing? That didn't even show up on Google. because they have a very short amount of time to do it. Stripped, yeah. It's an ethics violation, right? He was not wearing sunglasses inside. and who doesn't who's got an interim title mean, how many interim titles can you have?

59:54 and about the punishment that it implements. They've since made what I think is a welcome amendment where if a fighter, this that's you don't have two years to spare you don't have two years right that's fucking crazy He's fucking beaten. It's another area where the sport and entertainment crosses. fought two times one night. He just had a rocky start

1:03:09 And it went farther than his eyebrow. they air on nbc nbc sports nbc sports. So it's like one of the cable channels, right? He beat him, and then an hour later, Oof. he's earned it and uh now he gets to fight for a million dollars which is he training down with People that don't know. Do you have a diet soda or does it have to be a regular soda? Man versus food.

1:06:02 So Josh went to Red Lobster, endless shrimp. And, and Josh, 226, like of the, like coconut or fried shrimp, whatever it is. So Josh gets to like 250 and they're like, okay, you broke the record. stories it looked like we went into all you can eat a crab restaurant or sorry he did and it was the chest. He's been working with Lauren Landau, who was a great guy that Brendan worked with.

1:08:27 He's talking to Khabib now. I'm like, the, the kids, his own champagne. Yep. Oh, and so His champagne's on the canvas and on one of the cage. What is going on with that? Do you enjoy working for them? A lot of jiu-jitsu guys on the staff, too, so I like to feel that love. Everyone's really friendly. Scott Coker is a great guy. A lot of jujitsu guys on the staff too.

1:09:47 Or Chow. Really great guy. I'm too busy. And, you know, they had a lot of fun. Shanji's seven-time world champion, professional event. It was a Nogi pro tournament in Ohio. It was the part of the Arnold classic So did Shanji. Good luck. We're on opposite sides of the bracket, and he clears out his side, gets to the finals, no problem. I wouldn't shake my hand.

1:13:28 Yeah, they'd probably bow out. But, yeah, so I'm going into the finals against Saul, time you saw them is if you were in Brazil and they were still very, like they had this mystique I was proud of that. Um, but at the same time, you know, he, he mounted me, tapped me and, world championships and they made their own world championships and they were paying. And that was

1:15:58 So depending on what division you were fought in, it was either exactly the same or it was And he's like, where are you training? He comes to my hotel, him and Shananji they pick me and a couple of I'm sure you've heard the stories. At that time, my Portuguese wasn't as good as what it is today. And I trained there all week in between the time from the first worlds into the other, the main worlds. Um, and I just kind of knew like immediately, like, man,

1:19:26 It's just such a hard style. that's rolled with him So do you, brother. started training like day to day that year, I spent four months there. I train with Shonda It was around the same time. Wow, man. which is 2005. And it was like the exact answer to my guard because you fight your way inside. So I couldn't use my length. And I didn't understand how to frame how to protect myself. And I just literally got smothered and, you know, just destroyed on a daily basis. And in Toledo, Ohio would just be the three of us, you know, they didn't have like a big team.

1:22:01 That's the version of the Airdyne. You had to keep a certain pace. You know what I mean? Or was that Mark Lehman and stuff? That was Lehman. Okay. Yeah. have like mats in the living room or something like that? Or was that Mark Lehman and stuff? Mark Lehman's goddamn encyclopedia of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Another guy that had a big influence on me. I fought with him twice.

1:23:29 But I think I want to say I heard he is teaching now. Back, neck. get hurt. You know, I just, I couldn't move. I was too tight, too sore. And so my strength So they, you know, don't feel tired when they do their martial arts training. Because you're not carrying the weight in front of you, so it's not as much pressure on your back. That thing's amazing for your back, isn't it?

1:26:59 What's on your schedule? schedule, you know, and really just, you know, put it to where it fits nicely into my routine preaching and doing now is really well known for his work with Connor. So I love yoga. I was 100% going for all the major tournaments in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at that time. I've got one here. The decompressing on the hangs. where you're not going to failure.

1:29:39 And then Saturday is like a long, hard training day He was the first one to really give me the active recovery. exactly you had that thing in the back of your mind like what if the other guy's doing more yes And I wonder how many guys are coming into camp where they're not in the best shape and they're just pushing it so hard during camp that by the time those eight weeks are done, they're fucking worn out, man.

1:31:29 Yeah. I feel like that's the easiest on my body and also translates the most into what I need. My sports agent's out of Oklahoma City. And then JASCO is out of their company that I'm a spokesperson for. Um, but then to me, it was like, this guy's like a modern day samurai. I'm going to finish them. And I've done that in fighting statistically, I mean, when did you start teaching, Rafael? I mean, you were in high school probably, right? Yeah. Yeah. Because it was just my dad and I, uh, in Oklahoma, you know, I was the most

1:34:58 Um, whenever I'm training, whenever I'm competing, whenever I was in my last fight, I was like, man, how is this going to work? We have a martial arts school. Right. What's so critical for you about the gi? You know, the beauty of jiu-jitsu for me is with the gi. I couldn't slip out of things. maybe you expand your knowledge, I was able to slip out of things. I was able to use my weight a lot more. Um, and, and I still

1:39:02 gi on and come to jujitsujitsu class um have you had a And the fact that he was open to it, you know, I mean, When a wrestler falls in love with jiu-jitsu, I mean, you already have this ability to manipulate bodies that it's at such a high level and the strength that wrestlers have. You're supposed to be turning your back and getting up, I need to pull it out.

1:41:04 I've got small legs for a heavyweight. Short a little harder. I got small legs for heavyweight. I only wear like a 30-inch inseam or whatever, 30 inches long or 32. How bizarre. $14,400, um, through the Academy and the team just came around it and said, Hey, we're gonna, And it's kept me out for a while, but the whole time I've been. and if they just learned how to fight, they wouldn't act like that.

1:44:12 That's debilitating. That affects them for two weeks or more school. I mean, depression, And that, that, that goes around the country to around that 6%, 8%. But now it just increases because kids aren't in school. And I'm very proud of Maureen, off a school campus and they can look into the cyber bullying and they can take action against Um, but, uh, Debreon Davis, she's the high school principal of Edmond North. It's one of the

1:47:54 Um, and whenever I was a kid sitting at the lunch table by myself, getting pelted in the back of the head with chocolate spit wads, uh, food fist. hopefully getting into a hundred martial arts academies this year to equip them with bullying prevention curriculum. And in there, he kind of coins a Yeah, absolutely. This is one of the reasons why I think martial arts is so important for young men.

1:50:28 that a lot of kids have. Like kids, kids are always dealing with existential angst and And just those things alone, guidance and discipline, and also the lessons that you and having that when I was a kid. to bring it all back to like, absolutely and one of the toughest to do yeah one of the toughest um without a doubt and then um loyalty, respect, honor, discipline, attitude, and family.

1:53:42 You know, for me, everything I know of life, I've learned through martial arts. We're partnering with Zebra. We're partnering partnering with Century. We're partnering with Zebra. The Gladiator Wall is the wood that is—you can hang on it, and you can do all sorts of stretching. to the Cash App too. and uses the code word But Cash App came to me, and we were trying to do a $50,000 fundraiser

1:55:15 I started posting about that, and Garrett McManus from Cash App hit me up We're doing a heroes in waiting crowdfunding tournament. Everything that you could ever ask for to help pass that knowledge along and increase your Or, or you include the person that's being bullying into your group. Hey, come over here. doing this competition and whoever, whoever's the top crowdfunding team is going to get their gym

1:58:32 is going to get flown out all-inclusive to January 26th, the heavyweight Grand Prix finale And what we'll be able to do with that is hopefully drill equivalent to 100 water wells or serve 30,000 people minimum. Forward slash heroes. And then anyone that hits the goal of $4,200 is going to get a fight for the forgotten gold medal for hitting the goal.

2:00:21 And what it will do is it will show the top team so you can track it and make it competitive. he, he's wanting to, you know, teach the kids that, hey, we are still heroes in weighting. Do you want to say one more thing? like he said, you know, And if we get 100 schools to do it, then we've done it. So happy to know you and to be a part of this and just to spread the word.

2:03:03 Well, it's my honor. I can't wait to see it. It was an honor.