Transcript for JRE MMA Show #71 with Rico Verhoeven

Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to see you.

Yeah, it's going to be in Holland. Yeah.

I believe we're around 25, 30,000. Wow.

Yeah, it's a lot bigger than it is here.

the step of going to MMA then to kickboxing is so much close. For example, from high school, it's so much more logical when you do wrestling, right? You're a little bit of boxing. Well, let's jump into MMA then because it's so close to each other and when you go to kickboxing, it's totally different, right?

But still, I think like every country is like very patriotic. They want their own guys to be very good at something.

No, but it's also like Moetai. It's also with the clenching and the holds. Right. It's like I think it's a little bit boring. Like what we do with glory now is it's like more commercial. You can hold like just for three, three seconds. Right. And then break and then continue. Continue fighting. So, and then the end, that's what people want to see.

I like the knees, but I don't know. I don't know. I was too many cuts nasty. Yeah.

So I think that's a good thing. Yeah. But I'm just not a big fan of the elbow work. But I love to see it, but I don't like to get it. I remember. I remember. I remember. I was, I was, I was. I think I was training with the black Zillians like years ago. I think it was even before I became champion. And I was training there doing a little bit of MMA and helping some guys out. And I was training. And somebody could just, he said, on accident, he's just bop through an L-O, right under the nose. He just opened it up just a little bit. What the hell are you doing? Yeah, I'm sorry. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Excellent. Yeah. Excellent. So, well, I gave him a few extra low kicks after that.

Yeah, I was like, let's give it a try when we're in there.

That was a wild crowd that even jumped to the ropes and everything went crazy.

I'm not from the organization or something. Yeah, he did some bandage or something over his arm in the neck because that's what he posted on Instagram. But I don't know. I don't know. For me it was... Yeah, you know, it was like an anti-climax that was the way I wanted to end that fight. Right. But I think for the rest, for him, this was the perfect way to end the fight because this is the way you could get a rematch. Because if it would have lost, No point in doing a rematch. If you would get knocked out, no point in doing a rematch.

Yeah. But from my feeling, everyone says, yeah. But Rico walked into the jabs, the first round and everything. That's true. But I was pressuring him. I was pressuring him the whole time. And I was trying to feel like where is my distance, where I can hit, and where I can, where I get hit. So a lot of course, that's why you get tagged. Yeah, you get tagged sometimes. So my nose was already during training my nose opened up. So when he hit it, it opened up again. So I was like, yeah, it is what it is. You know, I'm not really bothered by it. So I was pressuring pressure and I was like, okay. Now I got, now I got it. So after that first round, and yeah, then we jumped into the second round. That was fit. I was ready for it. I was ready for this fight. And that's what I like to do. I would like to drag people into the deep waters.

Yeah, because I've been training with light guys for like my whole career. So when I started the gym, I started it with a super pro sports center. with Dennis Correl, he had Albert Krauss, he was the first K1 Max Champion, and he had Alfred Lima, like multiple middleweight champion, real champion, so I was working with those guys, like every day, and they just kept on pressuring me, and like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, So I was like, I can keep hitting him, keep hitting those guys hard or just go with less power and pressure them, like they try to pressure me. And of course, in the beginning is like still you get tired, but at a certain moment, you get like, hey, this is going better. And we're just going to hit them. Yeah, you don't try to hit them hard, but just try to keep the work.

But it's for me, it's like I'm playing a game. For me, this is, we always say fighting is a thinking man's game, because fighting, everybody can fight. When they have to, everybody can fight. When doesn't matter what person, when you put them in a corner and it's life for death, everybody can fight. But it's so much more than that. It's so much more than just fighting. So, and that's how I try to step into the ring with that mentality.

six upon I got like three or four times this like we go now I understand why you are the champion I fought everybody but this I've never felt before and you're on a different level and that's the biggest compliment I could get because I'm in the in the ring for five rounds with this guy and they they got every opportunity to do everything they've trained for with me for five rounds. So I didn't knock them out. We just fought for five rounds, but they just did not know what to do. And that's, yeah, for me, the biggest compliment I could get.

It's like, that was like the fool Rocky version of a fight that people would love to see you get tagged in the beginning. And then you over well and then when you put them away I was like holy shit what a fight yeah what a fight that was that guy's a big mother fucker yeah he's a big guy and they're lost against him like back in the days and when I was like just a little kid And so this fight brought something with it as well. He's like, yeah, he's the champion now, but I beat him. But it was like six, seven years ago. I'm a totally different fighter than I was back then. So let's go. I'm ready for you. So yeah, this was the the best thing. And he speeded my face during a press conference. So I got some extra motivation for that fight.

But then again, it's the same thing for me. How did you do that? You got tagged. And I said, but then again, like I said, it's a thinking man's game. So I get hit. from my point of view, I made a mistake, I switched to the South Pole, but instead of switching and stepping outside of his front leg, I was right in front of his leg, and he was just going left right, and I was walking straight into that, and that's what happened. It's not that from my point of view that he timed that so it happened and from that moment I can do two things I can think okay I can jump into the fight trying to get that point or whatever that moment back or just thinking about my like okay you lost this round take it and let's go fresh into the second that's what I did so just think about okay I lost this round but I got four more to go and I got back into the corner and my choice hey you back so yep okay he's tired now

Yeah. Just stay focused, stay relaxed. And of course, he hit me with some good shots, but he's a big powerful guy.

Yeah. And then, yeah, it's he's huge and like 200. 70 pounds. Yeah, that's that's a big motherfucker. So then he's like, yeah, now it's one one say come on man. You beat me like six seven years. I beat you.

I don't know, he won a tournament last year. So he sent a few. Yeah, so maybe that fight is going to come, but like I said now, I'm in like last year, the 31st of December, my contract was finished with glory. So we've been in negotiations ever since. So from that moment on, I said, in my last contract, you guys told me the butterfly was gonna happen and it didn't happen. So that's when I won first. Give me the butterfly and from that moment on, we're gonna discuss.

I was championed. I was beating everybody people said that Yeah, because good. He's the champion, but he hasn't fought bother. I was like, hey, if he was so unnatural that I just said, hey, if he wants to fight, let's go.

Do it everyone.

What's rude? What kind of yours? Yeah. So yeah, yeah, a bunch of problems, but then eventually the fight happened, because that's the fight that people wanted to see. Yeah. But for me, it was just like another fight. And then the fight ended that way. Yeah, that was too bad. So, but now we can do it again. Yeah.

Uh, yeah, there was a bunch of stuff going on in between and like last year he fought as the Gurgas also a good kickbox. I believe he's now all doing MMA in Bellator and he's fought as before, right? Yeah, he fought as before but got disqualified.

Yeah. So, and but after that, he's so crazy.

So, and the essential while dude. Yeah. And then after that fight, they both got caught with using whatever. Oh, steroids. Yeah. Oh. So, so they both got suspended. And I believe Hasty hasn't wasn't suspended. I don't know. But he got suspended till December this year. So, that's why.

He won, wasn't easy, but he won.

Do you know who he's training with? I don't know his name, but I know the guy. I don't know who he's training with.

It looks very fat. A lot of people look good on Instagram. You know that.

Yeah. So what that's the thing now. We both have it. So he fought last year. March and I fought last year September so because I was in the go she still am in negotiations with glory for a new contract So it's it's both been a while for us, but I've been before that I was like in a much crazy Yeah crazy.

There's what people don't understand. Like, hey, you step in the ring and that's what you do. That's what you were born to do. That's true, but you need that attention. You need that vibe of walking towards the ring, stepping into the ring. All those people looking at you at that moment. That's a certain type of feeling that you get. You got to be comfortable with it. Yeah. And that's exactly what it is. You got to feel comfortable. And only way you can Be comfortable and stay comfortable is being active.

Yeah, they do. That's how they got caught.

It's not local.

Yeah, sure. So I got tested like every every time.

Oh, no. No, no, no. Oh, that's not the dust thing. They just dust at the events. Oh, I would even rather have that. Yeah, just wake up and random come test, but this is not what they do, but they just like really strict when you're when you're there.

I should have no clue. I don't know what to do or what ways there are to because I'm not on it. I don't want to stay busy. I don't want to think about it. But whatever, you know, I just jump in there and just do what I got to do. But that's why I told glory now again after this whole issue because a lot of people were caught last year. And they didn't expect that. I was like, hey, we got to keep doing this because this is the way we make the support clean. Yes. And I think that's what we deserve because we, yeah, we are, we are a good sport. We are all athletes, but I want to be safe in the ring. And what do you mean with safe? You're going into a fight, understand? Somebody that uses whatever can maybe just punch a little bit harder in the beginning of the fight or whatever.

So that's what I mean with telling Gloria I want to be safe when I'm in the ring.

So, but I'm in the end, you know, I just go in there and I'm not even thinking about it.

They're doing so good. I'm really enjoying myself, and that's what I said. I want to bring kickboxing to a new level, especially when you go out in Holland. Like normally in Holland was like soccer or whatever cycling or ice skating. That's where parents were bring their kids to and do that. Do kickboxing. And now they're like, hey, kickboxing. This is cold. When did that change? I think like two, three years ago. What one made a change? I think because of the bottom fight? That was, so we were getting, we were getting more airtime, and after the butterflies, and everything that happened around him, and there was surrounding him, like what the things you said would happen outside in the club and these and that. He was like, the national asshole. And I was like, the national good guy. And that was like the perfect clash. And then, of course, yeah, I beat him. So everybody was like, Oh shit, these are here. Right, so that's it.

Yeah, in whatever way reason or whatever he thinks happened, but like because you're suspicious I'm suspicious about it so because he's looking at one arm then looking at the other arm and he's just it's a fake thing for me but it's but that's what I have with this whole thing that he tries to create it's like When he's getting announced and everything's like, yeah, butter, Harry 110, something fights and 90 knockouts, but I'm obsessed with what I'm doing. I'm when I fight and when I have an opponent and I'm fighting, I'm looking for everything I want to know everything about you and everything these days you can find on the internet so when I'm looking on the internet for example you look at Wikipedia and you're looking all on the fight from back in the days K one days and even before that you maybe get to sixty seventy fights So where are the other fights? Does that mean like when you were younger in the youth period, you did like 40 something fights? Did you knock everybody up? I don't know. My trainer's been there for years even before that and he doesn't know about it. So that's strange because everything is documented on the internet, everything you can find on the internet. So two things is records inflated.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, the stuff on Leco that the we really will kick Chris, but that's what I said he got he he he's got that he's got amazing records, but yeah, I think it's not as crazy as they make it to be

Like he did 100 something fights so many knockouts. But when I look at it, I can't find it. Because maybe it's there. Maybe it's there. Maybe it's from years ago, whatever. I don't know, but that's all that I'm looking at. You're suspicious. I'm suspicious about it because when I look at Wikipedia, and I'm looking, when he was around, you start from when he was around 16 till now.

I think it's pretty even balanced out. I think I train strength like three times a week, but even my strength between is so balanced out with doing strength and then the same. muscle group I also do conditioning so first I do low reps and then do a lot of reps because these muscles are for me aren't supposed to be big they need to be strong and they can be they need to be making the same punch 50 times with the same strength so in a 10 times really hard no 50 times on the same strength same level so that's how we approach that and then Yeah, we got skill training, like two, three times a week, like padwork. I got explosive training, so I tried to always look also at different sports. It's soccer at McFoodball and it's ice skating. And they all have a certain type of explosiveness that they train in a certain way. So I try to pick everything from everywhere and work with that. So we created a training that we just used for being explosive. So there's nothing to do with endurance because it's maybe like 45 minutes and it's just a few seconds. You go. Go back. Go. you come back. Because logically for a big guy, you're slow. When something is big and heavy, it's slow. That's what we try to do. We try to be as fast as possible for a big guy.

So we never go max max.

Yeah, as much loose weight as possible. Like a few with the barbell, but as much with the dumbbells because that's when you gotta keep in balance and work on that core and stuff like that.

Normally twice the three times a week.

Um, it depends, depends on who's who's in. Because now in preparation, we're gonna fly guys in and then yeah, it's gonna be pretty tough sparring because that's what you, yeah, what you got, what you get the guys for. Right. But in the end, I'm always thinking about, hey, we do hard sparring. But we don't want to injure each other. Right. There's no point for me in knocking guys out during sparring. Because then I don't have any sparring partners anymore. Right. So I do hard sparring, kick him hard on the legs, kick him hard on the body. And of course, people get knocked down, knocked down.

We go pretty tough. We go pretty tough to the head, black eyes, bloody nose, but I'm always like 90%. I'm always looking at like, hey, when I'm making a move and I can make a head kick, I always try to, when I see I'm going to make a full hit. Try to keep it back just a little bit So I think yeah, but just being controlled. I think it's very important So I train with all the guys all the heavyweight guys from glory. I train with and of course you do hard sparring, but we do not I add from my point of view. I don't don't want to injured them, right?

Well, for example, I train with Benny Atikbuy. He's like the number two and number three in glory. And I find him twice. But we train together. We use now at my gym and I try to make him better. Say, you try this, try that. And because of his better, you're better.

And people like, no, no, no. I don't want to train with competition because then they know what I'm going to do. that's true, but you also know what they're doing. So it just depends on how you approach things. Every negative thing has a positive thing added as well. So I'm always looking at the positive things and always trying to surround myself with people that are positive. Yeah, that's the vibe that I'm going with because that's what works.

Yeah, but you got to be you got to be comfortable with that because you also see a lot of guys that like I'm not gonna do that, I'm not gonna do this, I'm not gonna help that guy, I'm not gonna tell him whatever because it's not gonna be good for me. But in the end, everybody that gets better can help me get better as well. So I always position myself as a sponge, try to get this much info in wherever I am. So for example, I'm not really going into acting, I want to act. So now Kevin was on your show as well, Kevin Hart.

Yeah, so it was crazy.

He's such a good guy, but so so much positivity and he has such a great vibe and he's such a great mentor and I was just sitting there. We were talking and like I said, I was just position myself as a point. I was just trying to get as much information in there as possible. And yeah, now I've been I'm here now in a lay for about a month now. I've been training with Mark Wahlberg and also the same thing. And Anthony Hardong. And he hard on his hair. It's amazing because when you're in a lay, you want to do Dutch kickboxing. That's the place you got.

Yeah. Yeah, he's amazing. So so every time I'm a lay, I'm going to tell people where to go.

So, so technical. Yeah. So, so much fun. So, last Saturday, we, uh, we started sparring a little bit. Yeah. I'm looking for a little bit of sparring. He said I didn't do so anything for 10 years, but I want to do it. Just want to help you out. It's good, but I just want to move around. You know, I don't want to kick nobody's ass. I just want to move around. So that's what we did. I get a lot of fun. And then you still see how that feeling has that Dutch kickboxing touch. So it's amazing.

And he's definitely going to go to. But just heavy weights is difficult, heavy weights barring is hard. Yeah. Good level, heavy weights barring. Yeah, we just keep keep going around and that's the trial of being here. So actually, I'm here for vacation, but when I'm here, I gotta work as well.

Is it? Yeah, maybe we're doing it in January.

I don't want to go to Holland. I don't want to go to Holland.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So I'm with, with, with paradigm. It's my, uh, Miss, my American management.

So that's your next goal. Exactly. So I'm still an active athlete, but I'm still looking at like, hey, what can I do next? Because I can't and I don't want to do this for like 10 more years.

It depends on what, or right now you're in your prime. Yeah. So it depends on what, what comes on my, my route. So yeah. I was still looking at some of them in negotiations with Lori.

So there we fill up like arenas and here we can get like

Glories were exactly. So that's for me now where I'm read. It's like, I'm still in negotiation with glory for a new contract. And if we, in what way or the other, we can't get out of it, so maybe I'm going to do something else, or I don't know, I'm looking at the sport like a totally different way. I don't want to, I think the sport can totally be elevated in all certain ways, you know, in all different ways, because how crazy would it be to do mixed fights? it's fun to go from one guy go to the other sport and how cool would it be that the other guy would go to the other sport as well so someone from MMA coming to kickboxing and the other way around yeah well the other way around see

It's like the big gloves. That's crazy. Yeah. But I don't mind where I'm doing the small gloves, but kickboxing is small gloves. It's pretty insane. How can you intense? Because there's no way to block anything anymore.

So much different. Yeah, it's so different. Yeah. Clean. She can do whatever. So yeah, that's that's pretty insane. So but like I said, I don't know why one's doing that.

So who knows more the better right more competition the better Yeah, exactly exactly because that's what brings the whole sport up. Yes That's perfect. That's cool, but it's like I said it. It's I just like to do different stuff Yeah, and now like I said, I don't want to do, don't want to fight for another 10 years. So let's see what, yeah, what's going to happen. You know, I'm going to make a movie either way. So I'm going to start filming a movie beginning of next year. So that's that's pretty cool. It's the movie. It's going to be it's like totally from blank we started it so it's been it's been written now I got the first draft of the script and it's it's crazy. Tell me what you do. Yeah, so I'm like a like a blank ops kind of guy but Something happens during operation I stop because I think okay, this what happens crazy I told them not to do this and it still this happened so I'm I'm gonna stop And yeah, I know they bring you back.

Exactly. So yeah, of course. Of course, but I'm the that's the thing. I don't want to be a fighter because people already know me from fighting right. I want to do something else. I want to really show my my acting skills, but so that's going to be this is going to be so much fun and That's what I get my excitement from because I love doing Kegbach, they say what's six years old. And then it's like forever. So I want to do something else as well.

But a lot of, in the end, when you look at the history, a lot of athletes did it. Yeah sure not a lot we're like really good but again we got like on a Schwarzenegger Chargo Van Dam and sure it's possible and I like the challenge is there ever a worry of being like one foot in one foot out with your fighting career

No, not because then the thing we said, I'd also discuss this with my trainer, because he's really cautious with that, he's like, hey, when we focus on making a movie, that's what we're gonna focus on. And if we're going to have a fight, we're going to fully focus on that. So, no side things or no. Let's do this for a second. And then we go back. No. Just going to focus on that.

And still, the people still say that about me now, at this moment, like a week ago, it's not focused. He doesn't say, hey, but I train every day. I'm focused in what I'm doing. I'm focused in kickboxing, but I just like the acting part. And I just want to gain my knowledge and get better at it. So you got to train it. This is the same as kickboxing. Yeah, it's a guy to stay focused.

I did some, yeah. I like it. I like it. It's a lot of fun. But now the last two years, it's been so busy with keep boxing and everything that happens on the side. It's just no time.

You know, like I said, for me, when I look at it, people ask me this a lot. Like, Rico, what did you go to MMA? Yeah, it could be possible but like from if I look at it honestly It's not my basic Ambition to go there because my ambition my next ambition because when I look at it like if you jump into something different You should you have the the will and Want to be the best right and I don't necessarily have the will to be the best and MMA But if you get it crazy.

You can't talk about some stuff.

Come on. Okay. Okay. Keep it going. Just a little bit more. Okay. Let's go. I got this. I'm motivated. No, so that's exactly what you said.

Because I know what to do. I've trained this for like two or three years. So I know. But my body just needs to work on it. Have to ever fight in between. Maybe another fight. And then I'm going to be able to do a high level fight.

It's the lead of pressure. And so, but in the end, how much I hate it, it works for me because it's also for me a mental training because I hate it so much and I jump on the third meal or I go outside and I just want to go more, come on you gotta keep going, gotta keep going because when you have that feeling like 90% of the people would stop Hmm, say put you're not that person you gotta keep going and that's what that's how motivates me just to do things different than everybody else does

Yeah, exactly. The grind is, I think that's the moment when it starts. When you get that feeling, shit is going to hurt your body starts hurting. And that's when like a lot of people give up. And that's where we escape is we continue.

Yeah. But it's just, I always feel like running is not the base of your, it's not most important, but it's like really important factor of the total package. Right. So it's just your Yeah, the oxygen you have, like for keeping the same pace for a longer, longer time. Then of course the explosiveness that we use during a fight is important, but also just, yeah, the your basic lung capacity should be, should be big as well.

Yeah, we do it, but not that much.

Yeah, I think for everybody's different, but like for me throughout all those years I've been trying different stuff and I think now I created the right combination of different trainings just polishing everything and I think I found the right way to get fit because I don't need to get I need to get better. I'm always looking to get better, but you get better by putting in the work. But I'm always looking at how can I change my training up, what would be an add-on in what I already have. Right. So now I think I created the right combination, but still I'm looking to add stuff on, but I think I created the right way to get fit for a fight because I've shown that throughout those years. I've shown that I'm fitter than all the rest and that's that's a part, but I still I think the biggest difference is that everybody is strong and everybody can fight. But the biggest difference is mentally. What happens to you mentally when you get to the fourth and fifth round? Think that's the most important thing. How strong are you mentally to continue fighting? A lot of people when you feel like, I always, for the people that do not understand what this, what this fighting game is, what happens to you when you're in the ring or in the knock the gun. So you can always compare it with driving a car. You driving a car and the last, what is? 40, 50 miles. The, the, the gas light comes on. Hey, you got to get gas. That's the same thing that happens to your body. When you get tired, whatever happens in your mind or your head, hey, you're tired, when you're tired, you need to rest. And we as athletes, we do not listen to that light that goes off in your car. And even in my car, I don't listen, I always go, I have a few times I was on the side of the road without gas, so I'm sorry.

Appreciate that. But that's yeah, I think that is what it is.

It's like a car. It's so stupid, but for me it works because I always push my car to the limit. That's what I do to myself as well. You know, and that's what I luckily have a great team of people around me for because even when Everything is hurting and tired and I almost get over-trained. My people have to pull me back. There we go. Just no point in training now because you're gonna get over-trained and you're gonna fuck yourself up.

Right. I don't have it. I tried to have it and every time in an preparation I think I got it. Now I got it. I don't know, got it.

Like, hey, we got a step back because for me in my mind, I don't know what it is, but when I'm not working, Um, standing still. We'll go down. That's what happens in my mind. So right. I got to keep working. I got to keep grinding.

Since I was like 17.

Yeah. When I come in, they know what's going on. So critical, right? And then the whole team.

Can you imagine like in the beginning of when we were working like for three, four years. And then I come in Monday morning, power training. Can I show you a work, something you're looking at me? What the hell, what the hell, the youth who this weekend?

What have you been eating? Yeah, Saturday night I went to the McDonald's. What's the problem? Look at your blown head, man. See that I'd like, you know, fat, all the water in your, the fluid.

So that's how like he sees me like multiple times a week. So he saw me like like Friday. So he just knows you just knows everything.

Uh, yes, every morning. I, uh, I, uh, check my blood pressure, stuff like that, uh, give my temperature.

Yeah, just write it down. And then, uh, send it to the, uh, to the doctor. Have you known it?

Yeah, we, uh, we now check it more through the temperature than through the heart rate.

Interesting. So my temperature is up. I gotta watch out.

Fighting off a cold or you still your body still recovering from the last training. So from that we can. So we I'm doing it now for a few years and that's exactly what when I feel like hey, when my temperature goes up and it goes there, it doesn't feel good. And then every time when we in the end, We always look back at it and analyze stuff. And then my tray said, hey, Jack, there. This training was, was shit.

Yeah, because there's so much more than just fighting and good training. It's like good nutrition and yes and that and it's just everything has to be balanced out.

Yeah, so in camp. So in I think like two years ago, I started with that. Do you eat horse meat? Yeah, this is not a big thing over there.

I think that was a good excuse for the things that he did next to next dividing.

Yeah, it works.

Yeah, so no, so that's No, I have no clue. No, okay. It's not like in my diet or something. Just what do you eat a lot in a lot?

Yeah, yeah, sure. So but that's that's the fun people like How much do you eat? It's crazy, yeah, but I burn a lot as well. So I have to, and for me, don't know the fun thing with that is the fun and the strange thing when I tell people, said, when I get closer to the fight, I'm eating myself slim. So the more I'm eating, the slimmer I'm getting because I'm training very hard and your body's just an aburting process. When the food is gone, it's going to start burning fat. So I get slimmered to close where I get to the fight. That's it. But when you see what I eat, like how do you do that? But it's just all.

Yeah. No. It's just like a private cook. Okay. Yeah, private chef. That runs with me. And just make sure every day I get and they check the macros and make sure that you get the same the right amount of protein the right amount of carbohydrates Yeah, so it's not like really like that everything is put on a scale or something like that we don't do that because Yeah, and certain things I just want a little bit more or I still have I'm still a little bit hungry, so it's so you need to lose weight right now, right? So but still I have in my mind always a certain type of fight weight that I like to fight on what is that weight? like one hundred eighteen and a half.

I think it's around two, two, four, nine, two, eight, five, five, two, fifty, eight. I think.

One eighteen's two sixty pounds.

Yeah. So, okay, then I'm lying then I'm not a little bit happier. Guys, come on. I'm in LA. I went in and out a few times. So how could you not? So it's got to be run to 65.

Yeah, yeah, so for me people said like we go how do you do it? Is it from you? Fighting is a lifestyle. It's not it's not like when I go when I wake up Oh this morning. I go to the gym think about the fight folks focus focus focus go out to gym and my focus is all as I wake up with it I go to bed with it and when I'm in bed, I'm dreaming about it. I think this is 24-7 every day. I'm thinking about it. Every meal, every thing you do is just thinking about what's coming. That's why you're in the champ. Yeah. I think so. But for me, it's like such a crazy thing that goes on in my mind because I train twice a day. And then at night when I'm at home, I think like, you know what? I'm in front of the television of my wife on the couch. I want to do some stretching. I'm just going to say it in the ground. Just stretch. Or do some more ab work. Just. I don't know. I think like I'm obsessed or you have to be obsessed.

So it's constantly that pressure and I just think, hey, my opponent probably now is resting or whatever he's doing. I don't care, but I need to do something next. So constantly that's that's wanting through my mind. Everything that I'm doing, he's not doing.

It's really like all natural stuff and I go to the doctor so he takes my blood and then from there on he always looks at how does it look is it looking good? maybe you need some more neutral or whatever. So he fills it up whenever it's needed and during the period I'm training, I just take the normal, the normal stuff, magnesium, iron, whatever, just a vitamin C stuff like that, just to keep everything on the right level and then once a month I go to him. or the closer we get to the fight, maybe go twice a month and then you just check it like, okay, it's good. Oh, no. Oh, you got a lot of white blood cells. So you're getting close to being your muscles in a tight, you know, even over-trained tool. Look at that, maybe get some more protein, you know, and stuff like that. So that's how we try to do that.

One and a half year ago something and it works, I like it.

No, I just do literally the cryo of the machines.

So I did like two different in Holland now. It's like really starting to to to be a hype. So yeah, to get like different places.

Yeah. So first I started with with the one with the neck down.

You got it. So that's what I started with. And then, but I think the only one we have now is an Amsterdam, like the full body. And like, Amsterdam was like two hours.

So now I'm going. I get one, I get one in my own gym. So, um, just like, and jumping in and out. Easy. Yeah. So, uh, just start with that. And then from there, I'm going to see, uh, going to see how it works. Put about sauna. Yeah, I use it, but not not too often.

You know what? I like it for the full first two minutes. And then afterwards, I'm like, it's like, again, it's like Mediterranean. I know, but I'm like, after my wife's enjoying it, there's, there's something. I love it. It's so nice.

You're a opponent. We're probably going to get out now. You're going to stay in. Come on. It's like really a myth. It's just dripping off.

like 80 85.

So I also have So there was this place where I went for the cryo and he said, oh, we also got something else. I don't know what it's called. Can't remember. So you just put in a cocoon or something and just go to sleep. But you're in water. So you're like floating. So the water is like your flow. Yeah, the water is floating. It's called floating.

Yeah, but it's like here. It looks like a cool. Okay, I know what you're talking about. And then they just close it and they put you in that free deprivation tank for an hour. I have one right here. Really? Yeah. It's awesome. I'm going to sleep for now.

Yeah. Why are you so small?

Yeah, yeah, it's amazing and they said they say when you finally get to the point where you know how to work Relax mentally relax. Yeah, it's the same is one hour's like four or five hours asleep.

Yeah, so my my physical therapist comes in to the house and just keeps it keeps the blood flowing guys just make sure Yeah, everything. Not just for recovery, but also also just for the injuries. Keep checking. Oh, what's this? What's hurting? And so luckily, I've been doing pretty good. Not too many injuries.

Yeah, that's just getting more tense. And then you've got to rip something or whatever. So yeah, that's so important. I think that's One of the key factors in being a pro athlete is the people you have around you Yes, and the team that helps you balance everything out and they say hey we go get you're the fighters Yeah, I'm Rico the fighter I'm Rico the champion because all those people that are the team Yeah, that are around me so still in the end you're doing an individual sport But you have a great team around you to be that person that you are in the ring.

Well, that's the fun thing. I started off with the guy I was telling you about of your Lima. He's also kickboxing world champion in different different way divisions and I was training with him and he took me with his training. It took me to his training and I was working with him in his prime and without him knowing he was teaching me so much about mental training because I was trading with him and he was never giving up and the moment I just showed something like he gave even extra even more gas.

Yeah. He was even pushing the pace even more and that's what I was seeing in his fights and I was just studying him and from that I learned so much and I respect when I was still so much. So thankful for that. So and he still my mental coach. with that so easy my corner and every time when he says something I just think about I don't want to disappoint this man because he knows what how important this is and I think it's from the start of last year or something I was really like a little bit skeptical about talking to people like like psychologist or something I don't know it's talk about personal stuff you know it is pretty deep with somebody you don't know is, I don't know, maybe in my mind just doesn't add up, you know, because I feel good. But still, I got a situation that I had to, or yeah, I just had to and I went there and it actually felt pretty good. So from that moment on, I just kept on doing it. Just talk about Just talk about stuff. You know, it's just you like like know what I know What how many things happen of what everything that happens in your life and you just got a process all that stuff But sometimes you just So many things happen in your life that you just can't process and you put them away and they're fucking with you in the back of your head exactly exactly and then when you just have the time and take that time to talk about that stuff It just feels a lot better. It feels like a bag of bricks on your bag. You just fall off.

Yeah, exactly. But for me, and maybe a lot of people have maybe not nowadays, but like from back in the days, people say, like, when you talk to a psychology, you crazy. Right. Right. Right. Right. That's what, yeah, that's what that's how people in Holland, like,

Yeah, so, but I think that's what my, uh, what I got from my dad is just being tough, being tough and being hot in yourself in whatever situation you're in. Just be tough on yourself and just because that's what he was. He was tough on himself. And so that's what I got from him. And, but now I just think like, okay, just do. tweak everything up and just get mentally imbalanced and especially when he passed away like almost two years ago It's just yeah, it was tough. It was stuff especially when the relationship we had wasn't like It was like on and off on and off and when it was on it was like a lot of discussion and it just Just hurts and then things happen in your life and you just try to process everything and give it a certain Spot, but it's just hard sometimes. And then you just need somebody outside of your comfort zone to talk about that. Right. And yeah, that really worked and helped for me. So I'm very thankful for that. And just, you know, I think always, our approach thing is that everything in life happens for a reason. whatever positive for negative and sometimes you you know what happens and why it happened and sometimes you probably know it after like a few years and maybe you never know it but in my opinion everything in life positive for negative happens for a reason and just Yeah, it's on you.

And that's one of the reasons I love watching your podcast because that's what you bring. And especially what I think for people that maybe sometimes struggle with certain things or like you just explain in a situation or anything like fun. What the fuck did I do to life that constantly haven't been just backfires on me? I always think like you are responsible for the choices that you make in your life and nobody else.

So those are things like, are so important to me. And that's what I mean with, I try to surround myself with people that boost my flame. and just look at my phone and just like go through it like who did I text or who did I call like you know those people need to boost my flame they need to be important in one way or the other doesn't mean that they have to to to be important in business or in work or it can be in every in love or in family or whatever need to be important in some kind of way just need to have positively around me because I've seen so many negative things from my family side that it doesn't work. It drains you and I believe it's like karma. If you're negative, you will attract more negative things. If you're positive, or positive things will come your way. I'm 100%.

Of course.

No, it just just happens. You're just doing it all the time. Yeah, you're in the car. Right. Just, yeah, it just happens when you're under threat mail, whatever. It just, it just, happens when you think about what's going to happen in the upcoming months. You just know that, okay, this is going to be next level, okay, but how are we going to approach this fight? What is going to happen? What might happen if he does this? How do that? Okay, but this could happen and that could happen. And in my mind, before going into the fight, I fought it already like a thousand times. Maybe even more. Because you're thinking about this this person and this fight for so long and for like three or four months that's a long time. So that happens. And what I always feel like what's fun to people to realize is that my confident level during a period of like three or four months into a fight goes like up and down, up and down. How is that possible? You are the fucking best of what you do. You smack and shit everybody in the in training and in camp. And how does does it has? I don't know, but that is what happens. I think that happens to everybody. So you just accept the process. You just accept the process, but it's such a fucking frustrating process that when you're when you're here, just gotta get back up there again, but you know that it's part of the process, because I've been doing this for my whole life. So I know it's part of the process, but still it's frustrating. So, and that's where, for example, it's a mental coach and a psychologist can help you with too. cope with that at that moment so that you don't stay here and you do climb back up again. But it's and then you say, well, but where does that come from? Okay, come from anywhere, you know, from your body being tired. Like, hey, why can I cope with this training? Or why is this training getting to me? Or during sparring, why did I get hit five times with the right hand and didn't block or react or whatever?

It's going to be UFC five pass and I believe it's on ESPN as well.

Of course. This is going to be kickboxing history. So it is.

So it's just, it's an tendency. Of course you had like back in days, we had so much, so many great fights. And we had the K1 tournament and it was, there was amazing. But this is just the one the biggest one on one fight and from this time.

Yeah, but that's yeah for us the same thing. So you just hope that during the years, you know, we just keep building it up building it up and hope like for example with with Anthony opening up more opening up more gyms, more great American kickboxers and America fighters will stand up and compete.

How do they get out of my Instagram and Twitter? It's all the same. Just re-go for Hogan. Oh.

So it's RICO, it says Rico, and then V-E-R-H-O-E-V-E-N.