Full transcript
0:06What's good, gang?
0:24>> First question over here. Tommy, can you
0:26kind of take me back to when Tim Welch
0:28first invited you to come out and train
0:30in Arizona? What did you see in the MMA
0:33community out here that made you believe
0:35this was the right place for you?
0:38>> Yeah, you know, I've been around mixed
0:39martial arts my whole life. Uh I started
0:41wrestling when I was three years old and
0:44then uh my dad opened up the first uh
0:46MMA gym in Great Falls, Montana, our
0:48small town. And um that's when I saw the
0:51UFC on TV. That's when I knew I wanted
0:52to be in the UFC one day. And um the
0:56Montana MMA scene was super small uh
0:58small, you know, everybody kind of knew
1:00each other and uh I saw this redheaded
1:02dude knocking people out with left hands
1:04and it was uh Tim Welch, you know, I've
1:06been watching him fight since he was
1:07like 18 years old and uh you know, I
1:11knew like, yo, I got to follow this
1:12guy's career. So, I followed his career
1:14and then uh watched him move to Arizona,
1:16train with Benson, and uh you know,
1:18getting really good. And I started
1:20messaging him in like uh middle school
1:23on Facebook and I said, "Hey, like when
1:25I'm old enough, I want to move out to
1:27Arizona and train with you." And um you
1:29know, years later, Shook Sean got on the
1:32Contender Series and said, "Uh Sugar's
1:34going to buy a house. Do you want to
1:36come out here and see if you can do this
1:37for a living?" I said, "Hell yeah."
1:39>> And was there ever a moment when after
1:42you moved here to Arizona when it kind
1:44of felt like home rather than just a
1:46place to train?
1:48for sure. You know, I was a pretty
1:49depressed kid growing up. You know, I
1:51just had this fire burning in me that I
1:53just really wanted to be in the UFC to
1:56be able to change my life financially
1:57and, you know, inspire other kids around
1:59the world to do the same thing. And uh
2:02yeah, that that fire just felt like it
2:04was burning inside me my whole life. And
2:06when I finally got out here, it it felt
2:09a little bit of comfort, you know,
2:11knowing like, hey, I'm making the right
2:13move. I'm on the right path to get to
2:15where I believe I'm destined to be. and
2:17that's in the UFC, you know? So, uh, it
2:21it definitely felt like home. And, you
2:23know, what Tim has built at the Red Hawk
2:25Academy, it it's the coolest [ __ ] gym
2:27in the world. Like, I love going there,
2:29hanging out with my friends every day,
2:30the environment that Tim's built, you
2:32know, it starts at the top, and you need
2:33a real leader, and that's exactly what
2:36Tim is. And going into this your fight
2:39this weekend, what would you say is the
2:40biggest difference between the fighter
2:42that we're going to see on Saturday
2:44night compared to when you fought here
2:46last against Dumaroa in Rough?
2:49>> Just more confident, more calm, more
2:51collected, you know what I mean? Uh, I'm
2:53learning at a high level right now. I'm
2:56knocking dudes out for 100k bonuses and
2:58I'm breaking world records in the middle
2:59of all of it. And um, yeah, I just
3:02really like to fight, bro. I am so calm
3:05and confident when I get in that cage.
3:07It feels like home to me. It's funny.
3:10People are saying, uh, you know, it's
3:11got to feel good to to feel at home and
3:13be fighting at home. But, you know, I'll
3:15go beat this kid's ass in a backyard in
3:17Morocco and I'll still feel at home.
3:20>> And, you know, both you and Marwan are
3:23undefeated with multiple finishes in the
3:25UFC. What do you believe you'll be able
3:27to show this weekend that you haven't
3:28been able to show to the fan base this
3:31weekend? I'm at a higher level than this
3:33kid, you know what I mean? He he went
3:34and fought a 50% fighter. And uh Harry
3:37Hardwick, like no no disrespect to
3:39Harry, tough dude, but you know, he's
3:41he's got a lot of losses on his record
3:43and uh he he beat Marwin's ass in the
3:45first round. Marin got lucky in the
3:47second round, clipped his jaw. Uh didn't
3:49even end up finishing him. The the the
3:51doctor, you know, pulled Harry from the
3:53fight, but it was 1-1. So he he barely
3:55got the job done there. And then um you
3:57know in his last fight it was on the
3:59prelims in an empty stadium and uh it
4:02was against some five and three bum that
4:04he took on on short the guy took it on
4:06short notice you know and uh he couldn't
4:08even cash 100k on that kid and uh you
4:10know I'm out here breaking world records
4:12and cashing 100k I'm at a different
4:14level and that's exactly what I'm going
4:15to show this Saturday night.
4:17>> And speaking of breaking world records
4:19you've gained a lot of comparison to the
4:22Diaz brothers. What do you kind of make
4:24of those comparisons and were they a big
4:26inspiration to you growing up?
4:29>> Most definitely a big inspiration. You
4:30know, uh I'm a fighter fighter. I love
4:32to fight and uh I do this for the love
4:35of the game. You know, I truly love to
4:37entertain the fans. Even the people that
4:38hate on me, I'm giving them purpose in
4:40life. You go look at their videos and
4:42their their Instagram views. Anytime
4:44they mention my name, they get more
4:46views than all their other videos, you
4:47know? So, I'm I'm giving these guys a
4:49purpose. I'm giving them life. and I'm
4:50inspiring other kids around the world to
4:52do the same thing one day. And uh you
4:54know, I'm just grateful to be here and
4:57uh doing what I love for a living.
4:59>> And then last one for me, I know you've
5:01spent a good amount of time at the MMA
5:03live during your career. I'm curious if
5:05you've had the opportunity to train with
5:06Jose Delgado, and if so, what do you
5:09make of his opportunity this weekend?
5:11>> Yeah, definitely. Uh you know, I came up
5:13at the MMA lab. I'm I'm an OG there. I
5:15just started training there in 2017 and
5:18uh yeah, it's cool to see, you know, a
5:20kid get an opportunity like he's getting
5:22Saturday night and I I hope he goes out
5:24there and capitalizes on it.
5:26>> Thank you.
5:28>> Hey, Tommy Jeremy with the Arizona
5:29Sports and Events Alliance. Um you
5:31mentioned training here in Arizona, but
5:33what is it you like about the state
5:35number one and then also what do you
5:36think makes this state a good place to
5:38host events like UFC?
5:41Yeah, you know, I love the food out
5:43here. The food, the parties, the night
5:45life, you know, it's it's everything a
5:47guy like me needs and um so just having
5:50my my home MMA gym in the mix of all
5:53that is just a cherry on top.
5:57>> Your thoughts on Arizona being a host
5:58for UFC? What makes this a good place to
6:00host big events like this?
6:02You know, I think uh there's a lot of
6:05Mexican crowds that live in Arizona and
6:07there's no, you know, more fighting
6:10spirit than a Mexican fighter. And uh I
6:12think I'm the most Mexican fighting
6:14spirit on the card. And uh that's
6:16exactly why, you know, I only fought
6:18seven weeks ago. I broke a world record,
6:20cashed out another 100k, you know, made
6:22made a quarter million in my first two
6:24UFC fights. A lot of kids would get
6:26comfortable and have their feet kicked
6:28up right now, but I look at Arizona as
6:30my second home, and I knew they needed
6:32somebody like me on the card. You know,
6:34the people deserve to to have an
6:36entertainer like me on the card. These
6:38guys are paying money to come watch
6:39this, and I'm going to make sure
6:40everybody in that arena that night gets
6:42their money's worth.
6:47>> Tommy,
6:48just uh just just a couple things to
6:50start here, brother. I feel like we kind
6:52of went through this with the last
6:54opponent in Montes, but um Rahiki was
6:58asked, you know, about the comments of
7:01him not wanting to take the fight, and
7:03he said, you know, it's it's not true. I
7:05would I would take this fight on this
7:06guy with, you know, one day's notice.
7:09And um
7:11he responded to you kind of saying, I
7:13would fight him in the parking lot for a
7:15cheeseburger. And he said he's not like
7:18that. Um, he's the type of guy that'll
7:20say that in front of people and I'm
7:22gonna see him around the corner and he's
7:24going to say, "No, it's all good, bro."
7:26So, let me let me just get your thoughts
7:28on those comments.
7:29>> Yeah, I think I already proved that to
7:31be wrong. You know, I popped up here in
7:32the elevator and that's the first kid I
7:34saw and he was there with eight of his
7:35teammates and I'm sitting here with, you
7:37know, my little my little brother Jonno
7:39and my uh my striking coach JJ and I got
7:42right in his face right away. He tried
7:43to touch me. I pushed him out of my face
7:44and you know I I told him he looks like
7:46a scrawny little [ __ ] and Saturday
7:47night I'm going to make him look like my
7:48little brother and then uh yeah so I
7:52mean I I think I already kind of proved
7:54that wrong. Security had to break it up.
7:56I don't like that kid. He doesn't like
7:58me. He thinks this is all fun in games.
8:00Like I'm the kid that'll actually go
8:01fight this kid out in a parking lot.
8:02He's not like that at all. He's a [ __ ]
8:06>> Yeah. He said he's he was on stage and
8:08he said, you know, this is this is the
8:09nice guy you're seeing right now. I'm
8:11nice in front of the cameras. But
8:13Saturday night, I'm I'm apologizing for
8:15what I might do inside of that octagon.
8:18>> Yeah. I mean, I just proved he he
8:20doesn't know what he's talking about and
8:21doesn't believe in what he says. I mean,
8:23he he he should be I I'd assume he's not
8:26stupid enough to think that this is all
8:27an act. And and I kind of just punked
8:29him in the elevator with eight of his
8:31friends and showed him it wasn't an act.
8:32Like, I'll fight him in front of his
8:34whole [ __ ] team. I don't give a [ __ ]
8:36This kid's not on the same level as me.
8:38And Saturday night, I'm going to go out
8:39there and show that. And then as far as
8:41like if this fight does end up
8:44grappling, he he kind of said he said,
8:46"Listen, I'm kind of a mystery box when
8:48it comes to grappling because nobody
8:50really knows what I have in my bag." And
8:54he kind of threw it out there like, "Go
8:55ahead, go and, you know, try and mix in
8:57the grappling."
8:59>> Yeah. I mean, we all saw his Contender
9:01Series fight. Uh, if that guy wasn't a
9:03bum and and went he he almost lost to a
9:05dude that's been 0 and2 on Contender
9:07Series. And if that guy had any sense of
9:10uh killing instinct in him, he he could
9:12have finished the fight easily. Um he
9:15hasn't been tested like me, like he like
9:17you said, I heard him say some [ __ ] like
9:19uh you know, by the time he's 28, like
9:22he's going to be this, he's going to be
9:24that. He said he got to UFC after a year
9:26going pro. It sounds like to me he
9:28hasn't been through the same fire. I've
9:30been through the same setbacks. I'm cut
9:32from a different cloth. You know what I
9:34mean? And uh Saturday night, I'm going
9:36to go out there and I'm going to enjoy
9:37shutting this kid's mouth.
9:39>> And then last one, uh it seems like
9:42every time you fight, it's probably one
9:46of the most, if not the most talked
9:47about, fight on the card. When it comes
9:49down to rankings and and negotiations
9:52and things like that, are you even
9:53worried about rankings at this point, or
9:56do you just think, man, give me whoever
9:57because I know I'm going to make you
9:59money? Yeah, you know, I think I need a
10:02thank you letter from all the guys I'm
10:03fighting. You know, you you fight me,
10:05you're automatically in the spotlight.
10:07It's the most talked about fight. Uh I
10:10kind of have a track record of that. So,
10:12if anything, all these guys calling me
10:13out in my weight division. They they
10:15should be writing me thank you letters
10:16because I'm running laps around all of
10:18them. I'm cashing 100k bonuses every
10:20time I fight and I'm breaking world
10:21records.
10:29Thank you.