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[@joerogan] JRE MMA Show #167 with Cory Sandhagen

· 8 min read
[@joerogan] Summarizer
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@joerogan - "JRE MMA Show #167 with Cory Sandhagen"

Link: https://youtu.be/DKUCkIkB4Zw

Short Summary​

Number One Action Item/Takeaway: Prioritize continuous self-improvement and trust in one's overall martial arts abilities rather than over-tailoring training specifically to an opponent.

Executive Summary: The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including MMA fighting strategy, philosophy, the future of AI, and the importance of staying true to oneself. A key takeaway is the speaker's evolving perspective on fighting, shifting from aggression to a more focused, zen-like approach centered on skill and adaptability, as well as his strategy of continuous self-improvement.

Key Quotes​

Okay, here are 5 quotes from the transcript that I found particularly insightful or interesting:

  1. "I think MMA should be a completely different scoring system than the 10-point must system because I think the 10 we just stole this boxing system which is a great system for boxing because you only have two weapons and you only have your hands. You don't even have elbows, right? So, think about all the different factors in MMA and we're limited to 10 points. To me, that seems silly. I think it should probably be 10 points for each aspect of the sport." This quote highlights a long-standing debate about MMA judging and scoring. The speaker proposes a more comprehensive and granular system that accounts for the multifaceted nature of MMA compared to boxing.

  2. "Yeah. I think that um if I'm too competitive, I won't work on stuff. Like it like uh a lot of camp for me is getting better at stuff. And then the last four weeks is figuring out how to win. It's not like I think that practicing winning is just as important as being able to practice a certain skill. So a lot of my camps will be developing those skills. But then like the last four or five weeks, it's just I need to focus on winning each round regardless of who it's against or whatever." This is a valuable insight into the training philosophy of a high-level fighter, separating skill development from strategic implementation for winning.

  3. "It was actually after the Umar fight where I realized how in the way I got of myself in that fight. How so? Um, overdoing it. Um, from insecurity a little bit. Um, over like that was my first camp with Trevor too. And Trevor's a phenomenal coach. I've known him for a lot of years. He has a lot of champions. There's no like there's no reason to doubt any of what he has going on or my other coach Carrington Banks or anyone really. But because I kind of have this mindset on life or did used to have this mindset on life where it was, "Hey man, like manage everything like make sure everyone's doing their work like blah blah blah." This quote shows a fighter's self-awareness and willingness to relinquish control to trust established coaches, an important lesson in teamwork and personal growth.

  4. "Spicy food I guess makes you not cramp up as much. Oh really? Yeah. So like about 10 years ago when he told me that um I started eating a bunch of spicy stuff and I stopped cramping up as much... If your neurons are too busy firing off to your mouth, they won't have time to bother cramping up your muscles. What? That sounds pretend." This is an interesting and surprising anecdote about the link between spicy food and muscle cramps, followed by scientific explanation.

  5. "I think that like a lot of the old religions and the old like echoed through time ways of being are to, you know, destroy your ego, eliminate yourself, be like this watcher of your thoughts and all of that stuff. And then start to identify with the watcher of what you think that you really are. And then once you spend enough time doing that, you'll spend enough time realizing that everyone else has that watcher inside them. And that maybe they don't realize it yet, but they're still really connected to their egos that are really just a bunch of ideas that were indoctrinated to them based off of our environment or who we grew up with and all of that stuff. And then you can start to love people a little bit more." This quote is a philosophical insight into the nature of ego, identity, and the potential for greater understanding and love by detaching from rigid self-perceptions.

Detailed Summary​

Okay, here's a detailed summary of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast transcript, presented in bullet points:

Key Topics:

  • MMA Gloves: The guest and Rogan discuss Trevor Whitman's MMA gloves, praising their superior design and materials. They lament that the UFC hasn't bought or licensed them, opting instead for their own design that some fighters find less suitable, especially those with thinner hands. Rogan shares that the UFC developed new gloves but threw them out.
  • UFC Gloves Design Changes: Discussion about the UFC's new glove design. Some feel the new gloves affected the knockout numbers, while others are not sure. There are some debates about hand size and gloves.
  • Importance of Training Partners and Sparring Intensity: Emphasizes the importance of conscientious training partners who aren't reckless and cause unnecessary wear and tear. Mentions the need to reduce miles taken off the clock during training.
  • MMA Scoring and Judging: Criticism of MMA judging, particularly the emphasis on offense and damage over defensive skills and near submission attempts. The guest believes near submissions should count.
  • 10-Point Must System vs. MMA: Argument that the 10-point must system is inadequate for MMA due to the diverse skill sets involved (striking, grappling, takedowns). Suggests a more comprehensive system with more judges.
  • No Time Limit/Submission-Only Fights: Discussion about the appeal of no time limit, submission or knockout only fights, reminiscent of early UFC events. This will help with casual fans.
  • Gaethje and Golf: Guest mentions Gaethje's new addiction of Golf, and his participation in the Fanatics Game, which helped reinforced his additction more.
  • Jon Jones: Guest and Rogan debate about Jones, and how he is out of the ordinary for not training consistently and still winning fights. They debate about genetics and talent vs. hard work and work ethic.
  • Weight Cutting and Weight Classes: Discuss the effects of weight cutting to the extreme. They debate about instituting more weight classes and eliminating weight cuts.
  • Corey Sandhagen Fighting Morab Dvalishvili: Sandhagen will fight Morab next, and how he will not change for him, and be the best that he can be.

Arguments and Information:

  • Whitman Gloves:
    • Superior foam, shape, and hand protection compared to UFC gloves.
    • UFC's development of new gloves being a waste given Whitman's existing design.
  • UFC Gloves Design Changes
    • Some people believe the new gloves do not provide a lot of impact.
    • New ones are better for the thin hands and the old ones for thick hands.
  • Sparring Intensity:
    • High-intensity sparring is valuable but must be approached strategically to avoid injury.
    • Guest emphasizes his defensive style as contributing to his longevity.
  • MMA Judging:
    • Defensive skills often undervalued in MMA scoring.
    • Casual fans prioritize blood and offense, leading to premature stand-ups.
    • Judges who haven't trained grappling may misinterpret grappling exchanges.
    • Near submission attempts should hold weight comparable to damage.
  • Scoring System:
    • The 10-point must system is a bad fit for MMA because it only focuses on two aspects.
    • 10 points for each thing is not good either, therefore making the scoring very confusing.
    • Should have three extra judges to balance the scoring more.
  • Jones:
    • Discuss Jones, and how talented he is for not training much in between fights.
    • Mentioning he retired after wanting 6 months to train for a fight with Aspinol.
  • Morab:
    • Very dedicated and physical.
    • DC went to his house the day after a fight and he was out running.
  • Weight Cutting:
    • Some fighters are losing 26-30 pounds in a couple days.
    • Water loading with cutting of sodium.
    • Performance hit from being dehydrated before the fight.
    • Cheat on the hydration tests because drinking water at a certain time.
  • Weight Classes:
    • Should have more weight classes.
    • Smaller gaps for the classes is needed (ie. 85 to 205 is wild).
  • Sandhagen fighting Umar:
    • Not taking game plan seriously.
    • Not playing to his strengths, but looking for the big shots.
  • Sandhagen fighting Figgy:
    • Figgy blew his knee out.
    • Sandhagen put TJ in a 50/50 position where he blew his knee out.
  • MMA vs Taekwondo:
    • MMA is a superior fighting style that's completely changed martial arts.
    • Can see what fighting in Taekwondo and then adding fighting styles from kickboxing helped make an advantage.
  • High Caliber Fighter Mindsets
    • Some fighters need cool down time in order to perform.
    • The mentality to give every single inch of what you got vs some fighters don't need all that energy in order to win.
  • UFC:
    • Is a melting pot from all around the world.
    • Do not care which country you are from, or your background. They only care about the performance.

This summary should give you a very comprehensive overview of the content of the podcast transcript.