0:05 Welcome back to the episode of Careful Boys. Today we're going to talk about certain traits that almost don't match us. And to kick it off, we're going to have Vanoss ask Nick everything she wants to know about him being a fighter. Cuz at first look, she was like, "He ain't no fighter." I'm not a fighter. >> Once a fighter, always a fighter. Like anything you want to know about like cuz we mentioned Nick is a fighter and she always makes her laugh. >> so taken back. She couldn't believe it. It was almost as if like she met a ████ and the ████ was like, "I was I went to Harvard." And you're like, "You went to Harvard?" >> That's what it felt like, okay, Vanoss? That's what it was like. >> Yeah, and that I could I could second that. >> You went to Harvard? Yeah, so go ahead. She was like in disbelief. She was like belly laughing. Like, "YOU A FIGHTER?"
0:56 THAT WAS IT. >> I JUST can't imagine you hitting anybody. >> [laughter] >> No, that again, that's the part that really got me. She's like, "You're a fighter?" And you're like, everybody's like, "Yeah, yeah, he was right." She's like, "You hit people?" And that's why I stopped. >> [laughter] >> And then she had to clarify like I'm speaking English, okay? Like she was like like like striking right striking Like punching? >> Like you used to do what the people did yesterday that we saw. >> Like you take your hands and your feet and you move them in aggressive ways against people? >> That's the funny thing of like when you size a person up and you think someone can and whatever and then when you really start going into the sport of fighting and how good people are and they look so innocent and they look so cute, but they're vicious, right? And and then something turns on them like Ron. Like Ron is one of the most
1:47 friendliest peaceful looking guys, but when he goes ding, he's a he's a hunter. And I'm just like, "What the hell?" Is that why? Cuz looks like a peaceful guy? Insult me again, please. He's just he's so laid-back. And so and like when I when we're watching yesterday, none of those people are laid-back. >> Yeah. Right? So when I see Nick and I'm like, what? Like you're like on top of your game sometimes. Like I don't know, it just seems it just seems Oh, another dagger. Just another yeah. He just twisted it, too. >> Oh, ████ So [clears throat] So when you first started, what was the thing that you were good at naturally and what took you the longest to to get better at? >> I was naturally good at striking, but I
2:37 still wasn't that natural at it. Yeah. That was like my forte. That was what like Did you get into fights a lot back then? >> In like middle school, high school, I kind of got into some fights. The reason why I started fighting was because in high school, there was this thing that all the kids did, all the guys did. We had like half a day and they were like, "Hey, we're going to do a fight club." Like all boys kind of do this in some form. We're going to gather and I fought this one kid that I didn't really like. Actually, the white kid from the story I told about earlier when he called his mom a ████ I threw down with that dude and I've always wanted to beat the ████ out of him. And we fought and I was like, "Yo, this is sick. This is dope." And I got a really like I had a spark for me. So then I was like, "All right, I'm going to start pursuing this." And then I started training. I would find buddies I could train with,
3:27 you know, and then eventually I joined a gym. That's how I kind of started. You wanted to get into it because you wanted to learn how to beat people up better. Well, it was just like I just beat up that one guy. Like I wasn't like a phenom or anything. He had a taste of drugs. Well, the way you're making it sound is like, "Well, you know, this is like I really like this." So then you went to go take classes. >> Yeah, exactly. And I was like, "I want to do this. I want to do another sport. I I see myself doing well at this." In my head it was like, I grew up doing martial arts. I did karate when I was a kid. So, it was like a natural base for me, right? So, I was like, all right, I could take the skills that I learned from when I was little, and I could turn it into something. So, I was like, all right, I'm going to pursue this. I started fighting. I started training, and then one of the one day the coach was like, "Hey, you want to do a fight?" And I was like, "All right." They just kept asking me to do it, and I just kept saying yes. So, like five like four or five fights
4:17 later, you know, that's when I started getting like injuries, and I wasn't like training that smart. I was just kind of like doing it too much, and then I got injuries, and then I shifted to like a coaching role. That's kind of how it kind of started. But, you don't coach Oh, wait. Yeah, you do. Okay. Wait, so you did four or five fights? Yeah. Is that a lot? Not really. No. That's why I say I That's why I say I dabbled. Like, I didn't really do it that much. What what what was actually going through your mind the very very first time you got hit? It was uh what the ████ did I sign up for? >> [laughter] >> Like, my first day of sparring, I would argue though even one fight's a lot. Cuz most people don't even do one, and most people don't even train. Yeah. So, that So, so even like like the random guy that showed up inside the the
5:07 cage yesterday, like the guy that has a one and oh or one and one, to me, that's already crazy because he's had to train however many years, then the week of the fight you have crazy anxiety, you have to weigh in, you make the weight cut, and the night before you can't even sleep cuz you're like, "Oh my god, what the ████ am I doing tomorrow?" You question everything. So, to me, even like one fight is a lot. >> Wait, thanks for I appreciate that. >> that at least four times. So, the fights you're talking about is like the big situation that happened yesterday? Yeah, it's the It's Yeah, like that. >> Like a whole like the in the ring? Yeah. So, to practice, you're Do you don't actually practice fighting? >> You do. You spar. Yeah, you have like sparring days. Yeah. So, like >> Like where you're hitting each other? >> You do years of training like that. So like fight in there. So say you say you get scheduled for a fight, you usually have like 8 weeks to start preparing for a fight. >> Okay, okay. I didn't know you were
5:57 talking about Okay, I thought you just said you basically you just tried fighting four or five times meaning like practice like training. >> [laughter] >> Four or five times I was like, okay and now you're coaching people. >> [laughter] >> That's the right response though. That's the right response. If that's what you thought, that's the right response. >> Okay, okay. So like the fight fight is like a dance performance like the whole okay. And then you have the whole prep for the performance. It's not It's not dancing. I'm not dancing. >> I know, I know. >> [laughter] >> You know. >> at an open mic for fighting. Yeah. But that's how they kind of would do it. Like they would do like smokers. They'd be like, all right, we're going to have match-ups on this day. So you go on the Saturday, you find a match-up, they'd be like, oh, you're similar weight, you're similar weight, similar experience, all right, you guys are going to fight each other. And then that's how we would do it. So I did like two kickboxing fights
6:47 and then I did two MMA fights. Two MMA fights is the ones that we just watched, the ones in the cage. So I did two cage fights and then I won one, I lost one cuz I got out-grappled. No, no, we don't want to hear the excuses, just the scores. >> [laughter] >> Not an excuse, just an objective fact. So then that's when I started wrestling and I was like, all right, going back to your first question, that's when I said, okay, I'm not that good at grappling, I have to get good at grappling. So then I started doing a ton of that and then now I just only teach jiu-jitsu now. Is grappling like jiu-jitsu the Jiu-jitsu, wrestling, yeah, the gay stuff. The [clears throat] butt scooting gay stuff, laying on my back. >> And that's what you like. The ground and pound. That's not what I like. Well, that was what his weakness was so he turned it into a strength. And now it's the only thing you do. That's pretty cool. >> Well, it's cuz I just didn't want to get
7:37 hit in the head all the time. >> But you still coach people for striking. >> Yeah, I I coach people for striking. I still strike. One What if your favorite people takes classes from him? Oh. >> Mutual friends. I know a lot of people and That is a very specific person, but Yeah, one of [laughter] the Yeah, yeah, one of my favorite people in the whole universe. >> Yeah, yeah. Next one of my favorite people. Shut up, boners, dude. Shut [laughter] the hell up, dude. What are you going to do, hit me? I might. I'll punch a girl I'd punch many girls in my day, okay? >> No, dude, you're laid back. Yeah, I'm a laid back but I'll punch a chick. It's weird cuz you're like uptight and laid back at the same time. >> [laughter] >> Kind of both. I'm not uptight at all, actually. I'm actually very easygoing. >> Very very good yin yang. He's [laughter] He's in a relaxed position, but he's like rock hard. He's like solid. He's like I don't know what you're talking about. Rock [laughter] hard. No, when I when I honestly when I look back
8:27 >> with the pillows like this. >> [laughter] >> You hear the leather on the couch. >> Every time she asked me a question I get tighter and tighter, dude. What's [laughter] your problem? We're just We're just talking. >> When I look back at what I used to do, I go I can't believe I did that. Like I I Like what specifically? Just the the me pursuing fighting, like going into that because it was it was crazy. Like I I learned really quick that I was like, I don't know if this is for me, like competing all the time and fighting. I just I didn't really get that much joy out of it. It was more of like once I started coaching and helping other people do it, then I started getting a lot more joy and like excitement from it. I was like, oh, I really like doing this. He's going to be like the kung fu master that on the top of the mountain that you have to seek out and then he's like, I'm retired. >> [laughter] >> And you're like, please, Sifu. Please
9:17 make me your student. >> Gave it up already. No student. That is cool, though, cuz you had to learn to do it before you could teach it. Yeah. And that's why I think I'm good at teaching beginners is because I went through all the growing pains all the time. There are teachers that have never done fights, right? >> Well, I think most people don't want to teach beginners. Like if you're a high-level guy, you don't want to have to go through the ████ same thing over and over again. But I really like connecting those pieces for a lot of people. And most of the people cuz I I I taught a lot of kids growing up like through my I I would only teach the kids classes. And I think that helped me just get better at teaching like the fundamentals and stuff like that. But um yeah, it is crazy because it does feel like a complete different person, a whole different like mindset to even do that. And looking back now, I'm like, I'm such a ████ now. It's crazy. So when you saw his cauliflower ear, what did you think was the reason for that?
10:08 Birth defect, right? No. I I I don't know what I thought about it. >> [laughter] >> She's like, they look weird. Blobfish, that's what she said to me. >> Actually, now that you're saying it, it does make sense that he fights. >> [laughter] >> Because of the ears. >> [gasps] >> I just never put the two together. >> She thought it just looked mangled or something. >> I don't really know. I don't really know. It's It's nice that you didn't focus on that or anything. No. Now when I talk to Bonos, I'm going to just see her just look at my ears and be like, "Hmm." >> [laughter] >> Well, were were those from when you were fighting though? Yeah. I got this one from Well, I got both of them from fighting, yeah. So in those four to five fights that you did, I got this one from just training in my first like 6 months. What? >> ears And that didn't make you want to stop? >> It did It made me Well, it it did both.
10:59 It was like, "Well, you can't quit now." Oh, that's true. >> Cuz now I have And it like cauliflower ear is like this is like a It's like a badge of honor, I guess, right? >> 6 months in? Yeah, cuz I had big old dumb floppy ears and they just were And I was just getting beat up all the time. Like when I first started training, I thought I was going to be like a phenom. I was like, "Dude, I'm ████ sick. This is a natural thing for me. I'm going to be good." I got my ass kicked for like the first like 3 years, like just destroyed. To the point where I was like when my coaches were like, "You want to fight?" I was like, "Have you seen me in practice, bro? I'm getting smoked every every day, you know?" Cuz I was just training with guys who were just better, you know? But I think me going through that and then actually fighting and then being like, oh, oh, I can do this. Like this is something that isn't that crazy and it's something that I actually was kind of good at at one point in time. That's when I was like, oh, okay, maybe
11:50 I can do this. So it was like for me it was just going through the pains of getting ████ up and still doing it anyway. I think it was really important for me as like uh a person, like personal development, you know? >> Yeah. I think it taught me a lot. Whatever, dude. ████ cancel this video. No, this is good. >> What is your No, it's good because like >> Cuz to me when I talk about this stuff, I think it's boring, you know what I mean? So >> It's not boring. It's so interesting. >> I do think that there's a very powerful thing that like a lot of times people will, I don't know, chase their passions, their careers, their hobbies, or whatever, and then they reach some conceptual point of like failure or loss, and that's like a quit zone, whereas like fighting is so definitive. Like if you have a loss, that is like a loss, and then you're still like, yeah, I'mma do this like four more times, and then you're still going to stay in the
12:40 game or the industry. Like I I do think that fighting is like the kind of the most black and white like win-lose feeling. Cuz like let's say you're like doing auditions or whatever. If you don't get something, you can look at it from optimistic point of view. This door closed, but this one open. But in fighting it's like if you have a loss, it's an objective loss. And there's really no Not even other sports. Like losing a basketball game is like you're that was a loss for that season, and there's still like this many in the Like there's still so many different versions of getting better in order to get ready for this next a fight. When you lose, like physically, record, and spiritually, mentally, there's so much defeat. >> So permanent. And it's not like a credit score where you can bring it back up. That one is that one loss is forever. >> And it's a career loss, too. Like a lot of the times they're like [laughter]
13:31 That's it. You lost you're done. No, for sure. Cuz that's how I felt like when I had when my last MMA fight I lost. And at that time all the guys that we were training with they were all like undefeated. And I was like, "Damn, bro. Like I'm one and one already. Like this is ████ I'm washed. I'm I can't even beat this guy." You know, like but those were the the real thoughts that you're having because you're like, "At this level I can't beat that ████ dude?" Like, man, how am I going to make it to the next level? Like you have you have to battle those like those thoughts. And that's the last thing you want when you're fighting, right? It's like cuz it has to you have to be very confident in your skills and your ability. Otherwise, what the ████ you doing it? What if your record was going to be 50 to three but the first three it would have been zero to three? Yeah, like that that I think it'll for a lot of people a lot of people quit after that. Like they just don't You just had to wait for the fourth fight.
14:21 >> Yeah, exactly. Exactly. But sometimes that's why when when you have a you start your career with like a bunch of losses and you could kind of turn it around that that speaks more volumes, I think, right? Cuz it's like the at the end. But the record thing sucks because like if you're stand-up comedian and you're you just suck, you could be like booed for like 50 times no one knows and you can perfect your skill. And fighting has such a high turnover rate for that reason, right? Like you can get injured. Like we train with so many guys who were so promising and they could have made it to the like the big leagues, but one injury or their girl got pregnant or they had to go back to school, something happened in their life where they couldn't do this anymore and they had to go to work and ████ like that. So, for me it was always a balance of "Am I going to continue this path and make no money for a really long time? Or I could actually Like the first time as a college student somebody was like,
15:12 'Hey, can you teach me a private?' And I was like, 'All right.' How much? And then I was like, 65 bucks. And at the time as a college student if I could work $65 an hour just doing something I love >> Yeah. ████ yeah. I get Like, nurses make that an hour, bro. Like, I could do this now and like pay my way through college and support myself while doing a hobby I really enjoy. So, for me, I was like, "Ah, I think I'm just going to go this way." And I I got all these concussions and I was like, "Man, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze anymore." And I had more people ask me to coach them than like fighting. So, I was like, "All right, I'm just going to just do this." But, now it's a hundred an hour. Yeah, homie. 125 an What is it? What is it, actually? Don't worry about it, dude. Come on. What the ████ Hey, if I decide to uh You got to ask. You can't afford it. You know what I'm saying? [laughter]
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