Joe Rogan Experience #10112 — Don Frye Transcript

Transcript

0:00 the joe rogan experience train by day joe rogan podcast by night all day What did you say? you know, man, I know some things. There's a lot of that. Was it? He's selling it, but it's bulletproof. He believes that shit, who he is. you know what if i get a couple pro wrestlers to be my ookies, you know, I fought before. and then I think I changed my name because of contractual things.

4:21 And Art, he's a billionaire, you know. I mean, he's like the top dog because he used to have what's called Sunkist wrestling team and so that was his baby and he When I got out of college. we had a couple of horses, you know, and being a college wrestler, you get a bit of an ego on you. pull the shoes um shape the shoe you know and all that good stuff well he he did the technical work

6:53 Yeah. he's the guy who got me into wrestling so then I went and stayed at Jerry's house In the fire department? And so from there, you thought about fighting? Probably similar. No, never been. Yeah. Just a busy man. It's beautiful. That's pretty wild. And that was real cool. well we could take breaks you're doing the hell fucking night. All the guys that I've had

10:55 and couldn't afford to live there. And so I did that. horse-roaring school for their 12-week program. Oh, wow. Starting my own business. This is like old school western shit Yeah Yeah Boy, a couple of them act out, Yeah, that was the end of that career. You know, you used to be a college athlete. Shout out to Doug Stanhope. Yeah. And then we were sitting there watching something on TV and saw Dan, clip of Dan.

15:12 Hemorrhagic stroke, yeah, after surgery. Robin Quivers? And so then we saw Dan fight, and I called him up. And he says, yeah. It was NHB. Yeah, you do whatever you want. You know? Was it Tank? Holy shit, I remember your fight with Tank. Nobody knows. there the new fans yeah they should go back because that's that's the history of the sport i always tell people we knew more about martial arts after four years of the ufc than had been

17:53 It is, yeah. Right. they're cutting weight. Look at that. Right, right. time or if they just decide to impose their will they can take the guy down or if you want to take They were practicing karate chopping people on the top of their heads. Right. You know, you're working six, seven days a week, and I knew as soon as I gave it up, He was a fucking gorilla.

21:16 They shot that power double. so I guess I'm a great-grandfather and Dan's a great-great-grandfather. the history of all martial arts. Yeah. Right, right. So exciting. Because my athletic career was like this, you know. that helps yeah it does for sure and because there's a lot of wrestlers, they go in there and bam, Because a lot of people weren't sure if it was going to last back then.

24:06 Yeah, he's dirty. I mean, his wife, you know, was the head of Henley Distributing, you know. Yeah, that was the big joke is after the fights, Do you remember when Dan fought Ken Shamrock? It was supposed to be, I think it was supposed to be in Albany. and that's where I met you. Fuck yeah. To not be missing Yeah. You got to think, that guy was fighting.

26:51 Yeah. I believe Oscar's like 48 or something like that. Really? Shit, shit, you know. Just do that. And hopefully, you know, make a comeback. Really? Yeah. Yeah. And the infections tried to get me a couple of times. How many discs do you have fused? Look at that lower left. open for a week um so that the plastic surgeon could figure out how to connect it

29:52 As a horseshoer bolts and screws and plates and yeah so if i go down there columbia and get you know the stem cell you might have to do you got going on there like resurfacedfaced? No, I just wore them out, you know. with the knob and the other side is all natural bone. When did you get your first surgery after fighting? single fighter maybe i have and i forgot but most fighters that i know is that something blow out

32:57 And he was going to be the gold medal winner. So they went back to the normal. I mean, amateur wrestling fucks around so much with the rules, and so does judo. But it's like you're scoring. So it's hard to follow. and then but you could but you know that's going to drain you and so they choose to come in a to miss weight. Right. You know? They're choosing to miss weight. Absolutely. They're like, I don't want to do this. Fuck it.

34:59 A lot of these guys are cutting. I think it should be – I would love it if it was 5 pounds, is right but the thing about pro boxing is you know you have all these different organizations you got your middleweight champion fighting your light heavyweight champion. I mean, that's, why cut it off at 285? Yeah. When in his prime, people forgot about Tom Erickson.

37:11 in the face though yeah who does i can't enjoy it well you're you're an unusual guy don fry Oh, really? And then from New Japan Pro Wrestling, so how'd you find out about that? They contacted me. and be a bad guy American shooter style, God bless Jeff Blatnick. I think so. And fantastic doing commentary because of that experience. and that's when you were getting most of your injuries, you think?

39:53 I ended up taking bumps that I shouldn't have taken. Would you do a lot of different shows, or were they mostly televised? Yeah, people don't know, if you're not a fan of pro wrestling, Yeah, you're getting whacked. It's a work. have won the 80 olympics you know and then then he ended up he got out you know he trained jeff Yeah, it was two weeks after 9-11.

42:52 Oh, really? Don Fry, 20 years ago. Jesus Christ, that fight. walk towards each other and is keeping this guy up he was probably thinking the same thing about you. But I hit hard, Joe. I hit hard. Yeah, you do. super arena shows where it was just insanity oh we did uh tokyo dome i did antonio enoki's Was that an ego deal too? the two scumbags that were my agent at the time.

46:35 Yeah, that's the sport. Like man Yeah Were about Ali That made me real sad. pinnacle when he knocked out thomas hearns that fight was just like that was the fight that made It was barely a boxing match. That was, I still question... I'm done. No. See if you can find some clips. He did that. Khabib. I mean, Khabib and, I mean, very few guys have ever gotten to the point where Khabib

50:13 I don't know what he was doing, but look at this. I think he's shooting at the roof. Wow. Because the Pride was something special. if not a million, pay-per-view buys. I'll tell you what, Joe. Yeah, everybody who came over to America had already been past their prime in pride. I love Bob, man. 5% body fat? And he had some skills. Bob's funny That period of time from like 2001

53:36 Did they fight? We're going to see Alistair Overeem. Right. they're about to fight like fight day they did it to uh alexander volkanovsky really wasn't it him And it's a huge disadvantage if they don't test his opponent. Are they really here? They spilt it on the way to the toilet. you can't punch, you know, you close fist. You will be fined eventually somewhere, some amount, you know?

56:20 until yesterday japanese irs come to our office looking for you he said they're downstairs right now And then they effectively kind of blackballed him over there yeah they destroyed it so how many years did it run for in its like in its heyday It was Hickson versus Dakota, right? And that was one of the big attractions to Pride. That was like the first creation of pride, I guess. I don't know.

59:52 you'd worked it out in advance, I mean, you had Gene LaBelle. Well, it's a lot of guys who were in pro wrestling were legit combat sports athletes. caught in a heel hook and you like're like, hmm, that looks a little fishy. Shit. Remember? time we stopped in Hawaii, and my ankles were this big, you know, but that time we stopped in Hawaii and my ankles were this big, you know.

1:02:23 Not a lot. Takeyama would have to be my toughest fight. Physically and psychologically, I mean, you just, you just, both of you left a little bit of yourself in that ring, Well, just the preparation, too. Because you are just, like I said, not to be redundant, but I am, but you completely Oh, really? Yeah, just to show up, yeah. Oh, Joe, I don't even remember anymore. Really? For. What'd you do for conditioning? Oh, Joe, I don't

1:06:00 did to John Loeber in the rematch. Yeah. In the hardest discipline, you know. Amazing wrestler. Remember when Royce Alger came over to the UFC? No. I get it. You called him. French guy, M&A? I think it was an Inoki show. Oh that's right When you were really putting together a real legit MMA team where they had like real One guy was a former and the whole deal yeah steve is amazing you know you'd him the evil yoda you know he is he he was a great

1:11:29 Torres. Kiyoki Torres. Or George Torres, but he goes by Kiyoki. because I would always feed my guys, you know. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. the night before the fight. They were telling me, you were already banged up to the point where you could barely train. Frank had trained Cyril for a fight me, and then I called Frank to train me for the Coleman fight. You've seen the frame.

1:14:49 It was five months after my fifth back surgery. Your body just fails you. His back blew out. Yeah. parents house um for thanksgiving or something, we were out on those fucking three wheelers. It ended up being the last jump. You broke your neck, you know. Because of your neck? Yeah. At the end of the 80s. There's no one tougher than wrestlers. and you know working out with the team all that but I went up to the Las Vegas

1:19:54 And like a dumbass, I picked the wrong one, you know. Archie's a great guy. No, that was a fucking mistake when that was. And so then they, you know, he broke my ocular, I think it is, right and i says come on bob it's mark hall you know come on and uh mark hall was undersized right The fucking guy's going around saying that he took a dive. He was a paramedic, okay?

1:23:44 Probably right back fresh as a daisy, you know. That was a crazy KO. That was a wild one tank could fucking crack oh man it was it was like one of those puppets you know so we just cut the strings I walk out lumber out there and step sideways, heel, heel. Yeah. him and his buddies at the bar tank it put him away i remember one time uh i was there for i

1:25:41 And it was just chairs flying and all kinds of crazy shit. Guys, I'm fucking eating here, you know? Someone should do a documentary on Pride. but I think he caught Fedor when Fedor was battle-worn and it was pretty deep into his career There's no reason to even fucking talk about it. The men would, you know, I mean, you planned your whole fucking week around it, you know.

1:28:07 Five in the morning. Back when I was doing the interviews. but he did not like you going anywhere or doing anything else. UFC was doing small places in comparison to what Pride was doing. At one point in time, they were $40 million in debt, which is just nuts. I guess they just decided, listen, we'll wait. it's kind of wild because if they sold it who the fuck knows what would have happened

1:30:57 and they had that crazy fucking brawl, and then it became popular. Her introductions were legendary. What do you want? Thank you. You know? To all the way to Japan to kickboxing Jerome LeBanner Your bulldog? Yeah. the evolution of the sport i mean you're a pioneer you were there in the early days when you see what People were pumped. Thanks. Thanks, partner. There's not a lot of people like you yeah probably good good call i mean think about it like what you've

1:34:58 You just had to? That's stupid. From the smashing machine? Yeah. who was the smashing machine. And then you got to see the two, he, apart so bad and I'm like I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep this going yeah and Did your wife know? It's hard for fighters, especially when you're making that much money right yeah and that's all you know right i mean all i've known is physical you know

1:38:38 but most people have no idea the kind of pain and injury guys are going through Now I'm on morphine. So, yeah, I don't remember what happened, you know. You know, when you're peeled up and you're drunk, you spew a lot of hatred. that you have on your chest is this like a back support it's supposed to yeah it's supposed to Oh, yeah. It would take me half an hour to get out to the barn to feed the horses, you know.

1:42:33 You got the card. You got to feed the family. Mr. Severn. What's it on? Dan's amazing, man. He was UFC 2, right, wasn't he? you know and that one is hard it was hard to find back in the day they don't i think there's I don't know if – I think I might have one or two that's not even opened yet. I'll have to find one. I just knew there was going to be bullshit involved.

1:46:10 I said, I want to fight that guy. Oh, that's hilarious. I remember the first one I did, which was in Dothan. and banged his head yeah yeah i mean how dirty is an arena have to be you fall on pipes yeah he He was so fast. Yeah. They were crazy. You have to see it. Yeah, they've closed up, but, I mean, he died young. Okay. I don't know which surgery it was, but I...

1:49:42 Jesus Christ. And then that was in 10 or 11. Yeah. Oh, my God. And I'm like, yeah, fuck. When I was in the fire department, we put up with all kinds of fucking cussing So the doctor just missed the infection. Yeah. Excuse me, sir. That, it's gone down to, I think it's been three weeks now. Yeah. Oh, that's cool. I'm happy for him. Which is pretty crazy.

1:53:52 Well, listen, Don, we got some barbecue for you. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry. You're awesome, man. Yeah, shit. It's been a pleasure, sir. I really appreciate it. Taking care of the other 70% No listen You're gonna have to come out Yeah, I'm in North Tucson. Don, you're the fucking man.