From big talk to world champion

You are a former kickboxing world champion. How did you first get into the sport? Which aspects appealed to you?

Honestly, I was a »would have, could have, should have« fighter. My friend Juan Alexander told me to stop talking about what I could have done and what I should have done, because I had never actually done it. It was his dare that made me get into fighting.It wasn’t something I wanted to do. It was more of a »shut up, don’t talk, just do it« kind of thing. I was a big talker, and I had never accomplished anything in my life. My friend said: do something, stop talking about it. That’s why I became a kickboxing world champion. Not because I wanted to be one, but because I was a talker.

Transitioning from athlete to coach means stepping into a very different role. What was the biggest adjustment for you?

The biggest adjustment was understanding that fighters are all very selfish, and they have to be that way in order to be successful. We just had to navigate that.

I also had to learn that not all fighters are the same. They weren’t like me, they were different, and I couldn’t treat them the way I treated myself. Some were better than me, some less so. So I always had to adjust and find the happy medium to make them better.

As a coach, you have celebrated remarkable success, and one of your athletes, Islam Makhachev, has recently defended his title. What sets exceptional fighters apart from the rest and how do you recognize true potential?

What sets exceptional fighters apart is obviously their exceptional skill set, but also their mindset. They’re stronger than most. They never skip a workout, they never skip a session, they always do everything they’re supposed to do. If anything, they overtrain, and that’s where you have to be as a coach: you have to pull them back a little. So true potential comes down to this: they have to have the skill set and the mind to go with it.

Take Cain Velasquez. He had the mind to control himself. When someone was trying to hurt him, he didn’t hurt them. He just spanked them a little, like a little baby, because they were doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. He gently put them in their place. Only when they still didn’t get the lesson did he really put them in their place. That’s the mindset. He’s strong-minded, and most exceptional fighters are strong-minded. Very strong-minded.

Looking back on your career, is there a particular moment that stands out as especially meaningful to you?

One fight that stands out for me would have to be Cain Velasquez versus Brock Lesnar. I put more effort into Cain than into anybody else I have ever coached, and we spent a lot of time together. I believe that’s why it meant more to me: There was so much effort put into that one.

Your biography is titled »In Your Corner«. What does that title mean to you and what message do you hope readers will take away from your story?

»In Your Corner« is the message that there is always going to be somebody behind you who can help guide you. And that person is needed, whether it’s a wife, a teacher, an older brother or an older sister. Someone always has to help you. Someone always has to help guide you. That’s what »In Your Corner« means to me.

You have already achieved so much as an athlete and a coach. What goals would you like to pursue in the years ahead?

What I would really enjoy is speaking in front of thousands of people in arenas. Hopefully I can reach some of them with words of encouragement, positive words that put them on track to do something they always wanted to do but were afraid to do, because they had no guidance. Maybe some of the things I say in a speech can help them accomplish those goals. That’s what I want, and that’s what I’m looking forward to most.

As for coaching: I love coaching. That’s the reason I do well at it, because I love it. So I will always continue to coach some fighters. But mostly, I want to pursue helping people.

As a coach, you have celebrated remarkable success, and one of your athletes, Islam Makhachev, has recently defended his title. What sets exceptional fighters apart from the rest and how do you recognize true potential?

What sets exceptional fighters apart is obviously their exceptional skill set, but also their mindset. They’re stronger than most. They never skip a workout, they never skip a session, they always do everything they’re supposed to do. If anything, they overtrain, and that’s where you have to be as a coach: you have to pull them back a little. So true potential comes down to this: they have to have the skill set and the mind to go with it.

Take Cain Velasquez. He had the mind to control himself. When someone was trying to hurt him, he didn’t hurt them. He just spanked them a little, like a little baby, because they were doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. He gently put them in their place. Only when they still didn’t get the lesson did he really put them in their place. That’s the mindset. He’s strong-minded, and most exceptional fighters are strong-minded. Very strong-minded.

Looking back on your career, is there a particular moment that stands out as especially meaningful to you?

One fight that stands out for me would have to be Cain Velasquez versus Brock Lesnar. I put more effort into Cain than into anybody else I have ever coached, and we spent a lot of time together. I believe that’s why it meant more to me: There was so much effort put into that one.

Your biography is titled »In Your Corner«. What does that title mean to you and what message do you hope readers will take away from your story?

»In Your Corner« is the message that there is always going to be somebody behind you who can help guide you. And that person is needed, whether it’s a wife, a teacher, an older brother or an older sister. Someone always has to help you. Someone always has to help guide you. That’s what »In Your Corner« means to me.

You have already achieved so much as an athlete and a coach. What goals would you like to pursue in the years ahead?

What I would really enjoy is speaking in front of thousands of people in arenas. Hopefully I can reach some of them with words of encouragement, positive words that put them on track to do something they always wanted to do but were afraid to do, because they had no guidance. Maybe some of the things I say in a speech can help them accomplish those goals. That’s what I want, and that’s what I’m looking forward to most.

As for coaching: I love coaching. That’s the reason I do well at it, because I love it. So I will always continue to coach some fighters. But mostly, I want to pursue helping people.