The Diamond's Journey To #1 w/ Dustin Poirier

Did you see “THE FIGHT” a few weeks ago? For all my podcast followers, I’ve got a SPECIAL INTERVIEW for you this week! In his first big interview since beating CONOR MCGREGOR, I caught up with DUSTIN POIRIER for a revealing talk about the controversial fight and a whole lot more. First, you will LEARN a ton about MENTAL Preparation, PERFORMANCE TRIGGERS, HOW to EXECUTE under PRESSURE etc etc On July 10, Dustin THE DIAMOND Poirier (28-6) and THE NOTORIOUS Conor McGregor (22-6) went toe-to-toe and elbow-to-elbow for the third time in their MMA careers. It was one of the most highly anticipated trilogy rematches ever after each man knocked out the other in their previous bouts. The fight racked up more than 1.8 MILLION PAY-PER-VIEWS worldwide, making it one of the most-watched MMA events ever. It was stopped on a TKO after McGregor suffered a nasty broken leg at the end of the first round, leaving open the possibility of another mega rematch. That’s a fight every MMA fan wants to see, INCLUDING ME! Like they have different styles in the ring, Poirier and McGregor have completely different styles outside the ring. Dustin is not brash and outspoken. Instead, he QUIETLY AND CONFIDENTLY takes care of business. Widely known for his CLASS and HUMILITY, Dustin is also a dedicated HUSBAND, FATHER, and PHILANTHROPIST who the UFC recognized in 2020 for his charity work. Dustin is TOUGH …PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY. And, as the #1 ranked lightweight in the UFC, THE DIAMOND SHINES BRIGHTER than anyone else in the MMA universe right now. As a HUGE FAN OF DUSTIN AND MMA, I was excited to get to know him better during this latest podcast episode. Even if you're not into mixed martial arts, you’ll find this interview FASCINATING. Although we dig into the McGregor fight, we also go deep on several other topics, including MENTAL TOUGHNESS, SELF-AWARENESS, and EMBRACING a heightened state of EMOTIONS every time Dustin prepares to fight. We also get into the need for continued PERSONAL GROWTH and what it means to be a ROLE MODEL as a highly visible public figure. And, in one of the most HONEST answers ever, Dustin reveals what he likes best and hates most about the current MMA fight game. LISTEN CLOSELY, and you can take what Dustin has to say about all of these things and use it to your advantage in your own daily battles. 👉 SUBSCRIBE TO ED'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW 👈 → → → CONNECT WITH ED MYLETT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ← ▶︎ INSTAGRAM ▶︎ FACEBOOK ▶︎ LINKEDIN ▶︎ TWITTER ▶︎ WEBSITE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

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• 1:01Speaker 01

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• 1:39Speaker 03

  This is the Ed Mileage Show.

• 1:53Ed Mylett?

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• 2:38Ed Mylett?

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• 3:05Ed Mylett?

  All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. Bombshell conversation today. The gentleman that I've invited to be with me today just took his second of three fights in a pretty dominant fashion with Conor McGregor. He's a number one contender in the lightweight division in the UFC. And he also handles himself with a tremendous amount of class and dignity, and that's the reason that I really wanted him on. So, Dustin Poirier, welcome to the program, brother. It's great to have you here today.

• 3:33Speaker 04

  Thank you for having me, man. I appreciate the invite.

• 3:36Ed Mylett?

  How are you feeling?

• 3:37Speaker 04

  Feeling good. I, I just got back to Louisiana on Sunday, you know, after the fight. So it's been a little bit over a week here. But I'm, I've been gone for 10 weeks in training camp and then a week in Vegas. So I'm just getting my feet back under me here in Louisiana. You know, trying to feel like myself again. It's what, you know, it's such a rush doing that.

• 3:53Ed Mylett?

  Well, you ended up having, this is one of the most watched pay-per-views in the history of the sport that you just participated in. It wasn't a normal fight, man. Let's just be honest. I mean, it was your third one with him, lot of build up to it. And let's just get into some of the stuff first. What I want to do today for my audience is, and if you're new to my show today, subscribe. But what we're going to do today is we're going to talk a little bit about what's happened recently with Dustin, especially the fights with Conor McGregor. But we're also going to talk about his mindset. What's built this man? This is a guy who didn't finish high school that has now turned his life around into this amazing experience that he's having right now. And he's in the prime of his life, the prime of his career. How did he get here?

• 4:32Ed Mylett?

  How did he do it? But I think we can start where we just finished, which is with Connor. So first thing I want to ask you, not even about the fight, the post-fight, there were some things said by him that were, you know, relative, so outrageous that I thought he was going to come out the next day and go, look, I was in shock. I had this broken leg, you know, I apologize, but that's not really what happened. So how did you, did you hear what he was saying about your wife about? The DM thing, all that stuff, could you hear him and did you just choose not to respond as you were walking out?

• 5:03Speaker 04

  Yeah, I can hear, I mean, we were right there, right by each other after the fight. If that you're talking about right after?

• 5:08Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 5:09Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah, I mean, I heard everything he was saying, but I had security around me. I couldn't, even if I tried to get to him, I wouldn't have been able to. But that would have been a bad decision, obviously, on my part, but in the heat of the moment, things happen. But, uh, yeah, I can hear everything he said.

• 5:21Ed Mylett?

  10 years ago, do you think you'd have responded differently?

• 5:24Speaker 04

  I think I would have found a way to him 10 years ago.

• 5:26Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 5:27Speaker 04

  You know, yeah.

• 5:28Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 5:29Speaker 04

  And I think, uh, you know, he didn't just say stuff like that post-fight. He, he was saying stuff like that all week, uh, at press conferences, at the weigh-ins. He was saying a lot of, a lot of things, you know? But in my business, what I've realized is all that stuff is noise. The only truth is when that bell rings, for 25 minutes, we have real life.

• 5:50Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 5:50Speaker 04

  Uh, the moment, and that's all that matters. Everything else is noise.

• 5:54Ed Mylett?

  You know, it's interesting, that's true in everything. It, and most people succumb to the noise, you know, in business even, right? There's all this noise, there's this distraction, there's these things that can pull us one way or the other, there's haters, there's all these things, most people succumb to it. They listen to the noise. It, it takes, if it takes 1% of your energy, 1% of your focus, it's hurt you, especially at the level that you're fighting at, right? Especially at the elite level in business or sports, you can't afford that.

• 6:18Speaker 04

  Right, and I've been a victim to it before, but I think that's what has helped me moving forward and, and in these past fights, you know, I've definitely been a victim to overthinking.

• 6:26Ed Mylett?

  So that's happened, and this is interesting. So everybody who doesn't know, this is a three-fight trilogy. Dustin lost to Connor.

• 6:32Speaker 04

  This was a rubber match.

• 6:32Ed Mylett?

  This was the rubber match. Dustin lost to Connor the first time, and then there's this huge gap, six, seven-year gap between the second fight. And then the second fight, you handled that pretty easily, put him on his tail. The next fight was looking the same way, there were two of the three judges had the rounds 10-8 the first round, even though Connor's been saying it was closer. I mean, that's, you know, debatable, but you know, if you watch the fight, Dustin was handling his business before Connor's leg breaks. But the first fight, you say he did get in your head, the noise did get to you. So talk about that, what did he do the first time that got in your head? And what did you do the second time to not let him?

• 7:08Speaker 04

  The first time, I just think I was younger in my career. You know, I read a lot of media, things they would put out, whatever the headlines were, I would click and read. I would read what he was saying, what his coach was saying, all the critics, you know? With where we're at with social media in our life and in the world, everybody's opinion is on full display if you look for it. And back then I was looking and reading. And I think those seeds of doubt got planted early. Not in the way that the things he said I thought were true, but it just made me so angry that when I went out there, I was a little bit blinded by anger. I wasn't fighting to my full potential. I was just caught up in the wrong place, you know? When you're fighting at the highest level, one mistake is all it takes. And whenever you're angry and you're moving on emotion, bad things happen, you know, in there a lot of times.

• 7:53Speaker 04

  And I think that's what it was earlier. And then as I just progressed in my career with the second and third fight with Conor, a lot of the talk, I didn't even enter my being, you know? It was just noise, like I said. I didn't even think twice about the things he was saying.

• 8:08Ed Mylett?

  In the third fight, did you sense some of that talk was fear or weakness on his part? In other words, or were you just drowning it out altogether? You're like, this guy's saying some things that make me think I got an advantage.

• 8:18Speaker 04

  Also, in the first fight, there was an aura, like this was new to me. This was a huge fight. Nobody's ever spoke to me the way he was speaking. Nobody's I fought had carried themselves that way. He had an aura about him and, you know, not that he's not special, but I thought this I'm fighting somebody who's super special. And then as you mature through fighting, you realize all these guys bleed. It's just another human being. And that's what I saw in this third fight at the press conference. I saw the aura wasn't there. I saw a man. I saw a man scrambling, scrambling for footing. That's what I saw.

• 8:48Ed Mylett?

  There wasn't a lot of time, frankly, between the second and third fight for either of you to make huge adjustments, were there? Like the second fight, you handled business. I think even Conor would say, second fight. I mean, you owned that fight. So what would he be relying on? Or you to think the third fight was going to be that much different? Because there wasn't that much time in between the fights.

• 9:09Speaker 04

  There wasn't, you know? It might have been, what was it? Five, six months between fights? And, you know, being knocked out, you need to let your brain heal as well. Not only the technical aspect that you need to. Get better at, you need to let your body heal and your brain heal. I think maybe he really, him and his team really believed that leg kicks was the main cause of him letting his guard down and getting hit with big shots and ultimately getting knocked out. They thought maybe if they prevented the leg kicks and stopped the leg kicks, that it would be a different outcome.

• 9:39Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 9:39Speaker 04

  I think that's what they were, that's what they were holding on to.

• 9:41Ed Mylett?

  Would you, that aura that isn't there for you anymore? Is it, is it not just that he's a man? Let me ask you directly. Do you feel like he's regressed as a fighter? And that's made it easier for you? Is it a combination that he's regressed and you're better? Or are you just that much better and he's the same guy?

• 9:58Speaker 04

  It's tough to say. In this sport, it's such a new sport and it's always evolving. So I wouldn't say he regressed, but if you're not evolving, ah, well, maybe I will say he regressed. If you're not keeping up with the wave of all the new information, all the new techniques, all the new things that are working nowadays, you are in a way regressing if you stay the same.

• 10:17Ed Mylett?

  Wow.

• 10:17Speaker 04

  Not only in fighting, in life. That's like, you know, what I try to do every day is be better than yesterday, whether it's in combat sports or it's in business or as a father or husband. I'm just trying to take those mistakes and get better every day. Like, like if somebody's hitting me with the jab, I know I need to learn how to slip a jab, right? If in life I'm making mistakes, I need to learn how to slip those mistakes, how to learn from those mistakes. So I've just put it all together, you know, encompass it all and just try to grow as a person. And that's what combat sports is to me.

• 10:49Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, it's, that takes a huge level though, Dustin, of what I call self-awareness. That oftentimes when you're having success, this is important for everybody and everything to realize, especially in your case now. The world loves you right now. Right? You're amazing. You're incredible. You McGregor two out of three times, you're probably going to fight Olivera for the title, right? So, you know, when you're doing well, this, these are the times in life that you do need to be self-aware and making changes and growing. Most people are willing to make changes. Listen, you get knocked out in a fight, you get knocked out in business, you reflect, you're self-aware. What do I got to do better? How do I improve? It's harder to do when you're winning. And that's what I respect and admire about you. The more accolades, the more success, the more money, the more notoriety, you're still

• 11:32Ed Mylett?

  trying to find those inches to improve to stay relevant. Isn't that true?

• 11:36Speaker 04

  If I don't, I'm dying in a way. If I don't keep getting better, whatever it is.

• 11:42Ed Mylett?

  You're conscious of that too. So. Let me ask you about one more thing on McGregor and then I want to talk more about you and your life and your career. But you know, I think it was Khabib said, hey, these guys fight 100 times, you know, Dustin's gonna win 100 times. I doubt that that's necessarily true because this is combat sports at the highest level. But do you want to do this again with him? And do you think the public wants to see it again at some point?

• 12:06Speaker 04

  You know, he has such a big fan base who believes that if his leg wouldn't have broke, maybe he could have came back and, and maybe he could have landed a shot that stopped the fight or whatever. And then that's, that could happen in anything. Maybe if, if I'd have bought a lottery ticket yesterday, I would have won the lottery. Anything's possible, right? Anything's possible. I, I definitely think an interest is, is there for a fourth fight. But he has a long road to recovery ahead. No telling what's going to happen with me moving forward, what fights I'm going to get. And you know, a lot of things have to happen before that fourth fight is even a reality. But it's, it's, it's possible that that could come about, you know? I think the fans would still want to watch it.

• 12:47Ed Mylett?

  I'm sort of struck. You're being kind to him. I'm sort of struck that, you know, this is pretty recent, some of the things that he said. And it impresses me, your composure, your poise. You showed it that night. You showed it afterwards. You really haven't done an interview since then until now. But I'm struck by the fact that you still seem to be maintaining your composure. I did see you at the little Connor, Sleepy Connor chain. I did see that on social media. Do you still have that thing, by the way?

• 13:18Speaker 04

  Yeah, I have it over here on the counter.

• 13:19Ed Mylett?

  You do? And you're having fun with that? But?

• 13:22Speaker 04

  I'm gonna auction it off.

• 13:23Ed Mylett?

  You're gonna auction it off and give the money away to charity, correct?

• 13:26Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:27Ed Mylett?

  Yeah. Do you hold ill will towards him? In other words, is there a part of you like, I'd like to get him again? Or it just doesn't matter to you? It's a fight?

• 13:33Speaker 04

  Somewhere along the line, things change. You know, of course, the man in me wants to, to get him back and make him pay for a lot of things he said. But at the same time, it's not about... How many times can I beat this guy, hurt this guy, embarrass this guy? It's about what steps are next for me and my family to prosper, for my career to advance. And whatever that that is, then I'm gonna try my best to go that route. You know, I'm trying to align my actions and my goals. And whatever I gotta do to to get there, that's what I'm gonna do. Man to man, he definitely crossed the line. I understand this is entertainment and a sport. But some of the things he said, you don't say. But at the end of the day, man, like I said in the press conference, I don't hate anybody. I just know what's real and what matters. I'm in a good spot.

• 14:18Speaker 04

  And and the same thing with the lead up. And back then, when I was a young man, I didn't know. Like I said, I read too much. Nowadays, when he's talking and saying stuff, you can't tell me who I am or who my family is. Because I know who I am and I know who my family is. So, you know, I wish him a good recovery and we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens.

• 14:40Ed Mylett?

  So let's talk about you a little bit. I want to ask you a question. This could seem way out left field. So and I hope you'll answer me honestly. I'm gonna ask the question first. I'm gonna tell you why I'm asking you. No one's asked you this. I want to know if you still love fighting. And before you answer me, I'm gonna tell you why I ask you. I watched you after the second fight when you won. Okay, I mean, like, right after you won. I'm talking before you got interviewed. I'm talking about in the cage still. And I watched you really closely. And I, this is just a sense. I watched you, I thought, I wonder if in that moment, you, at least for a second, thought, I've accomplished what I want to right now. And just for that moment, was there any part of you, and I'm curious about this, that went, this is it?

• 15:23Ed Mylett?

  And I I know then the interview starts, then wow, this is McGregor, there's money, there's more fights, there's my career, I can get the belt. Do you still love it? And has there been any point recently, the last year or two, where you've thought about the end of it? Even though you're such a young man, you're at the top of the sport. But it's just a sense I had in watching you that I was curious about.

• 15:43Speaker 04

  So the the business of fighting, I don't like. The only thing I love about combat sports. Is that 25 minutes? That's the only thing I love about this anymore. Of course, you know, let me take that back. I love the camaraderie at the gym. I love being around my friends, working on different things, showing up every day, pushing each other. I enjoy that. But the entertainment side, being in the spotlight side, that's never a reason I laced up a pair of gloves from the beginning. And at the point I'm at in fighting, there is no just fighting. Every fight is so huge. There's so much media. You're in the spotlight, so many critics, so many voices and so much noise surrounding these fights. It's turning me off, you know? I don't like that.

• 16:27Speaker 04

  The only thing I like is the fight because that's the only thing that's real and true about this to me anymore. You know, the media can twist and put whatever they want out. The sheep run and believe it. The company itself can build somebody up. Of course, that person has to win fights, but they can build somebody up and everybody believes everything that they say. But the truth is, when that bell rings, and that's the only thing I love about this. I'm still in love with the fight. That's it.

• 16:55Ed Mylett?

  What about the preparation? Do you still love the preparation?

• 16:58Speaker 04

  I love to push myself. Yeah, I do. I enjoy that. I love to push myself mentally, physically, get to the best conditioning I can be in, get to the strongest mindset. You know, there's something, like right now, I'm going through the decompression stage. I was just talking to Teddy Atlas and we kind of put it into words. I've never heard anybody say this before, but whenever you go out there to fight, it's like going, it's like being a deep sea diver. You're going into the darkness, into the trenches. We don't know what's gonna happen, but we're gonna go. And that's the definition of bravery is going into the unknown. We go to the unknown and I'm ready to go deep as we have to go. But after all that happens, we have to come back to the surface and you have to decompress. You can't just come right back. So that's what I'm going through right now. I'm decompressing.

• 17:40Speaker 04

  I'm getting my body back used to this everyday lifestyle. So, you know, there are a few things I do enjoy about it, but besides the fight, I don't love anything like the fight, man.

• 17:53Ed Mylett?

  I appreciate you being honest because I had read that on you. And

• 17:57Speaker 04

  And the other question, like, for years, you know, I can't fight forever and I've been fighting a long time. I have 46 fights. I've been in the UFC for over 10 years, fought the best of the best, and I still feel good. Like I said before, there's tread on these tires.

• 18:13Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 18:13Speaker 04

  It's just strategically hitting that gas pedal now and

• 18:18Speaker 04

  The goal is to to come out with my faculties, come out healthy, come out in a good spot for my family. So we'll see, but uh, we'll see what happens. You know, I've always been so focused on plan A, that I didn't even look at plan B, because I couldn't. I couldn't take my eyes off the road. So we'll see what happens, man, but I still feel good. And I know I have a lot in me to give.

• 18:39Ed Mylett?

  One of my favorite answers ever on the show, one of the most honest answers ever. Most guys mid-career at your stage are willing to, you know, kind of admit that. And so I really appreciate I read it on you. And I'm super impressed with you. Super impressed. You do have a career post of fighting in whatever the heck it is you want to do, just because of your self-awareness and your growth. You're at this arc in your life. And I just want everybody to acknowledge this about you. Growth has a capacity too. So sometimes people even in the sport, they blossom later in their career because their growth capacity expands as they work, right? Personal growth is that way too, that, you know, when you begin to grow as a human being, your capacity to grow more continues. And I look at you, I'm reading about you, man. And I know a lot of people, you know, like we've talked before we went on air here is

• 19:24Ed Mylett?

  like, we know we have a bunch of mutual friends. And what you've turned your life into, I just want people that have children or that are in a bad spot right now, just to realize what's possible. You didn't finish high school because you're getting in so much trouble fighting and getting in trouble, correct?

• 19:36Speaker 04

  Yeah, I never finished the ninth grade.

• 19:38Ed Mylett?

  That's incredible. And then you turn this into, you're not only a person, brother, because of the platform you're on that people admire as a fighter, but you really are starting to show young men, how a young man ought to hold himself, in my opinion, how he ought to be a husband, how he ought to be a leader, how he deals with adversity. What the heck happened in the last 20 years that has made you into this man that you've become? Because you certainly weren't on that track when you don't finish the ninth grade. What took place?

• 20:05Speaker 04

  I wish I could answer that. Wanting more, wanting more for me and my family. And always keeping that mindset to learn, to not do the same, not make the same mistake twice. You know, I try my best to learn. I'm not perfect, but I really mean well. And I'm flawed, as we all are. I'm flawed, but a diamond I am. I'm flawed, but a diamond I am. And I just do my best, man, to learn, to take lessons, to listen. I listen to people and I listen to myself and try to learn.

• 20:37Ed Mylett?

  You have something all people who are in the prime of their life have, brother, that I just want. See, I think that when you're in the midst of being great at something. You don't appreciate it. You can't acknowledge it in yourself. You don't see the growth in you that other people see, but what you do every once in a while, like you get is a glimpse like, wow, look what just happened. So you get these little glimpses. You're like, there's these surreal moments when you're achieving in life. You've had them. You probably had them in the fights with Connor, where you're like, there's just a moment, it floods you, go, whoa, this just happened, even though you've been preparing for it. But what you have that I think most happy people have, productive people have, is they toe this line, very fine line between confidence and humility.

• 21:22Ed Mylett?

  And we've all seen people err on the side of getting too overconfident with not enough humility, haven't we? And we see what happens to them. There's great examples you've been potentially in there with recently. And then there's that other line that we have to watch where we have tons of humility, but not enough self-confidence. And I think you've been that guy before too. So to me, you toe that line. Does that make sense when I say that, that there's this learner, this student, this stud, this champion, this kind of a warrior, but is also has the humility to want to grow and get better and says, hey, I'm flawed. True?

• 21:57Speaker 04

  100% true. And I try to preach that to these young fighters. Like, confidence is great, and it's a key. And you need it to fight another man at the highest level. You have to have it, but you also have to understand that you're not more human than human. You can be hurt, you know? I know, going into these fights, no matter how good I've prepared, no matter how focused I am, one shot can turn the lights off. One mistake, I can get into submission that I can't get out of. I understand those things. There's always, you know, I'm not invincible. You find that out quick in fighting, because if you're not humble, you might get on a run, you might get on a stretch, but you will be humbled at some point.

• 22:34Ed Mylett?

  I think you find that out in life. I have, you know? I mean, no matter whatever run I'm on, God has a way eventually of going, hey, you're a human. Let me remind you of who's running the show here. Every time my ego's got the better of me, somehow life and God's had a way of just reminding me of my flaws and my weaknesses. And so I didn't realize those things until my 40s. The fact that you're realizing those things- In your early 30s is very impressive to me and the fact that you share it is why I do this show is because I get in the minds and the hearts of people achieving at the highest levels. No matter what it is, I've had people on here from every walk of life, from faith to sports to business to personal development to wellness. And I want to get in their mind and their prime. And a lot of the things you've learned, I think, I think fighting in general

• 23:19Ed Mylett?

  is there's a point where you do have a team. I love how much you acknowledge your team and Brown and these other people. You made a post today on social media about your team, right? You acknowledge them. But the thing about fighting that always has been special to me is that then there's a point where they close that cage and it's you and that other man. It's you and that other man and all your preparation, all your team support, all the mental work, all the visualization, all the reps. It's you and that man. And that's special. I think that causes a human being to grow. I'm curious in that moment, when you're in that moment and you're about to face that other man, right? Because we face that in life, in business, we face that moment of walking into the boardroom. If I don't get this deal, there's a sales guy out there right now, he's driving in his car, brother. He's driving to an appointment, he's getting fired up, listening

• 24:04Ed Mylett?

  to the great Dustin Poirier, and he's talking to my let, and he's like, if I don't close the sale, my kids don't eat this week. Right? That's that man he's facing. Right? And I'm curious, guys got chills saying that. And I'm curious for you, when you're about to face that man, what are you feeling? Are you just focused? Is there fear? Is there a combination of emotions? What is a dude feeling when Buffer, you know, starts screaming your name and pointing at you? And you're there, all the way back to those days where on the junior circuits and no one was screaming your name. What's that feeling like when you're man to man in there?

• 24:38Speaker 04

  There's definitely a roller coaster of emotions. Fight night, even fight week, but fight night in the locker room and everything. Those are different emotions than what you're talking about right now. Whenever, whenever I walk out into those lights and my feet touch that canvas and I feel that that canvas underneath my feet, the thinking's done. I'm just, I'm just in the moment, in a flow state almost.

• 25:02Speaker 04

  It's it's like nothing else matters but this moment and it's something special. It's a high. It's a it's like a drug that I can only get from stepping in there with the world watching, with everything on the line, with a man about to try to hurt me. It makes me feel the most alive that I've ever felt in that moment and nothing else matters. Nothing else matters but that moment and and I really enjoy that about it. But before the fight in the locker room, that's where doubt can creep in. That's where the nerves are really there for me and I'm sure for every every fighter.

• 25:33Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 25:33Speaker 04

  Or anybody about attempting to do something great. But over the years, I've learned that those feelings never go away.

• 25:39Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 25:39Speaker 04

  I have forty six fights and every time I'm I'm in the locker room scared to death, nervous. They don't go away, but you do get acquainted with them. You do get acquainted with those feelings. And and so now when they come in, when they start creeping in, I'm just, I know that means that we're about to try to do something great. If you if you're attempting to do something great and don't feel that, you need to do something bigger. You need to do something better, greater, because you should be, you know, you should be in that in that place. That's your body preparing itself to do something at the highest level. You know, that's just human nature. Those are chemicals are popping in your brain, getting you to to getting you ready to face those fears, to go into the the depth and and I love that about it, man. You can't get that from anything else.

• 26:20Ed Mylett?

  Oh, wow. Everybody go rewind about a minute and a half and go listen to that again. That's so good, man. Like, a couple of things I always want to unpack that you said. One, all those emotions that you become familiar with, such a huge thing. The other thing that you said.

• 26:33Speaker 04

  They don't go away, but you get acquainted.

• 26:34Ed Mylett?

  You they don't go away, but you get acquainted. Wow. I love that. And that the other thing you said, and I just want to unpack this because there's a little clue in there that I teach that, you know, and I know you know this too. He went earlier, he said, well, my feet hit that canvas, boom, I go into flow state. What that is, is that's called a trigger, everybody. So when you're feeling all those emotions backstage that he's become a little bit familiar with that don't go away, trigger for Dustin, you know that maybe it's unconscious, his feet hits that canvas, he triggers his zone, he triggers his habit mode, he triggers execution mode, thinking goes away. So if you are driving to that board meeting, or you are going into anything that's important to you, those emotions that you have are never going to go away, you become familiar with them, but you should have a trigger, whether it's when you open up your folder, you open up your laptop,

• 27:17Ed Mylett?

  you're about to speak, you have to grab your shirt, you touch your ear, it's a trigger that puts you into that state where everything goes away and you execute. So that's just, I just want to make sure we unpack the brilliance that was just noted there. So do you do that?

• 27:30Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah. In my mind, it's more of, in our everyday life, we try to control everything, right? And that kind of flusters us because we can't control everything. But I think the trigger for me, when I fight, is when my feet do touch that canvas and I smell the leather and the, it's just a certain smell that this thing has, the metal of the octagon, the, the blood that's been on the canvas, that smell of rust in the air, like there's, there's a, for sure a trigger, but an acceptance. I really, like, I've done everything I can to put myself in this position, this bell's about to ring, and I accept what's about to happen, I'm prepared, and I'm just gonna, we're gonna find out. It's the moment, and I accept what's gonna happen, and I, you know, I think that's it. And my whole career wasn't like that. It's been over the last few

• 28:14Speaker 04

  years that I've really felt more comfortable in that moment.

• 28:18Ed Mylett?

  Why? Did you, like, post-fight start reflecting? Did someone point something out to you? Was it just experience over time? Like, why did it change?

• 28:25Speaker 04

  I think experience over time, and also the fact that I can't control everything, like, just like I said, accepting. It might make some people, like, turn some people away, but it's almost like I don't, I care less. I used to care too much.

• 28:39Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 28:40Speaker 04

  And now when I get in there and my feet hit the canvas, I accept what's gonna happen. Hopefully I win, hopefully I perform at my best. That's the goal here. But and in that moment, I don't care. I can't force anything. I just gotta go.

• 28:53Ed Mylett?

  I think it's one of the most insightful and brilliant things that any athlete's ever said on my show. And the reason for that, brother, and by the way, I cannot get over how how you can articulate these things because it's when you're training and preparing for something, wanting it, winning, having an outcome, desiring to be number one. All those things are part of the juice that gets you to prepare. But then there's got to be a point where you separate from outcome and you execute. Because those are two different spaces. The outcome's in the future. So if you're still obsessed with that, when your feet hit the canvas, you're not executing in the moment. What you're saying is, I want it, I want it, I want it, but when I get there, I don't. I separate and execute in the present moment. That'll take care of itself one way or the other, and you can't control it.

• 29:38Ed Mylett?

  Any emotion wasted on that future is energy you're not dispensing in the moment of execution, right?

• 29:44Speaker 04

  Yeah, tomorrow's not promised, but we do have right now under those lights. And that's what I love about it.

• 29:52Ed Mylett?

  You have faith? Just curious, I'm listening to you, you're talking about being a husband and a father. Does faith play any role in your life or or not?

• 29:59Speaker 04

  Yeah, I'm a Christian.

• 30:01Ed Mylett?

  You are. Is that recent? Just out of curiosity, is it the last 10 years or did you grow up with it?

• 30:06Speaker 04

  I grew up with it.

• 30:07Ed Mylett?

  You did? Okay. I appreciate you saying that because I I look at you and I I wonder, I'm just curious. This is two person have to answer it. Do you do you say a forever for a fight that you know that you're going to be safe or protected? Or that you would execute at your best? Is there is there a prayer, any part of that that's part of your pre-fight work?

• 30:23Speaker 04

  Yeah, I pray every night. I pray in the locker room before the fight. And it's kind of come like a habit or every time before I walk into it, I pray real quick that me and my opponent come out safe. Get back to our family safe. That's that's a simple thing that I say, you know, protect us both because I know what I'm going to try to do to him. And I expect him to do the same to me. And at the end of the day, this is, you know, it's a sport. But this is this is a war and I know things happen, but I do say a quick prayer right before I walk in. But yeah, I pray every night.

• 30:53Ed Mylett?

  Your wife was at the fight. She come to all of the fights and is that comforting to you? Or can that be more pressure sometimes to know that family's sitting there watching you take shots like that?

• 31:04Speaker 04

  No, it's comforting to me because she's been to pretty much all of my fights. She drove me to Arkansas to my first fight back in 2008 or 2009, no 2006 or 2007. She, I didn't even have a car. She drove me to my first fight. So she's been there through all the fights.

• 31:20Ed Mylett?

  Oh, man, I love hearing that. So what is next? You want to fight Olivera? Like, what is, what do you think is next for you?

• 31:27Speaker 04

  Right. I mean, that's, that's next for sure. I'm the number one contender. I turned down a title fight offer to fight Conor again. So I'm still in the same spot. I know Dana's saying that the title fight is next, but I'm still, I'm still in that decompression and I don't really want to plan too far ahead. I just want to be with my family. And as the weeks, you know, start to happen and we start discussing things, we'll figure out what's next. But I believe that's what it's looking like.

• 31:52Ed Mylett?

  That's who it will be then. It will be, will be him next. But you're, what is a good gap between fights at this level? Is it six months? Is it eight months, a year? Like what is real? Cause you also don't want any rust if you go too long as well, right? So what is, what's about right? Cause you didn't take much of a beating in this fight with Conor. So at least I don't think so. So where, is there a six month gap that's about appropriate?

• 32:14Speaker 04

  Just everybody's different, you know, because it could be physical rehab you need to do for, for this fight. Yeah, I took no damage. I'm fine. I just worked out this morning. But mental too, you don't want to burn yourself out. You don't want to burn yourself out. And I've been doing it a long time and I like to pull back a little bit, have fun, work on things. Cause when I'm in training camp, I'm focusing on that actual fight. You know, of course I'm getting better, but in these downtimes like right now, then I can have fun and learn new things and really explore martial arts a little bit. You know, I have friends here in Louisiana who have fights coming up all the time. So I try to help them get ready and just, everybody's different. But for me, depending on the damage in the fight, obviously.

• 32:56Speaker 04

  Yeah, I would say uh four or six, four to six months is is is good for me.

• 33:02Ed Mylett?

  You're doing other stuff too. You're you're an entrepreneur. What's this hot sauce deal you're doing?

• 33:07Speaker 04

  Yeah, Poirier's Louisiana uh style hot sauce. We launched that at in December of last year. We're about to launch a hotter version of the sauce, the KO edition. I I like to cook and it just seemed like something that during the uh quarantine, the initial quarantine where we were all stuck in our homes, that's when this idea really took off. I was stuck in the house and eating some hot sauce and I was like, man, I would love to have my own hot sauce. I love to cook and that's kind of the downtime in quarantine. That the the hot sauce is a result of that.

• 33:35Ed Mylett?

  I'm surprised. I thought you were gonna tell me because you know, stuff's brought to you guys all the time. Hey, man, you ought to do this hot sauce deal. That wasn't the deal. It was actually your idea.

• 33:44Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah, yeah, it was my idea. The ingredients that I wanted.

• 33:48Ed Mylett?

  No way.

• 33:48Speaker 04

  I teamed up with the, yeah, oh, yeah, for sure. This isn't like a white label sauce where I just slap my name on it. We we reached out to a few companies, found out more about the companies and decided to go with a a great company out of Canada called Heartbeat Hot Sauces, you know, does an incredible job, small batch, very attention to detail. I actually had a couple of their sauces in the cabinet and yeah, this this was thought out and and planned. This wasn't like a slap your name on it type of thing.

• 34:16Ed Mylett?

  I love it. And uh, speaking of that, do you have a pre-fight meal?

• 34:20Speaker 04

  It's different every time. It's simple stuff, though. I kind of like to go into the fight hungry. So I'll eat like a normal breakfast, you know, and a light lunch. And I like to feel empty. I don't eat again till after the fight. I like to feel a little bit empty and light. I don't want to feel full of food and flat footed. I like to be a little hungry.

• 34:35Ed Mylett?

  And you used to have real trouble cutting weight. That's why you went up in weight. How is cutting weight for you now? Do you, how much more weight do you walk around at than you actually end up in the octagon on fight night?

• 34:47Speaker 04

  I would, I would say I I walk around uh lighter than I used to when I was cutting down to one forty-five. I think I was messing my metabol, my metabolism up, you know, putting such a strain on my body.

• 34:57Ed Mylett?

  So you don't, you're not dehydrating to get ready for a fight or anything like that?

• 35:01Speaker 04

  Oh, I de, I definitely am. I'm I'm cutting weight.

• 35:03Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 35:03Speaker 04

  I'm I'm, yeah. But uh, I probably. 20, 20 ish pounds. I, I walk around everyday life.

• 35:11Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 35:11Speaker 04

  Sometimes a little bit more like around the holidays, I'll get a little bit heavier, but it's usually like low twenties, 22 pounds or so.

• 35:20Ed Mylett?

  And I just want to know more about you, man, because I'm super fascinated with you. Is that Jack Johnson in the picture behind you?

• 35:25Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 35:26Ed Mylett?

  Yeah. See, I know my stuff. So I'm curious, are, have you always been a fight fan?

• 35:31Speaker 04

  The guy was a giant.

• 35:32Ed Mylett?

  What's the purpose of having him behind you? And are you've always been a fight fan?

• 35:36Speaker 04

  I've always been a fight fan and I love history of combat sports and just the things he accomplished. I, I just think of something special, you know? Fighting is hard to do in itself. To become a world champion, to become a world champion with, with everyone cheering for you is a tough thing to accomplish. But think about back in those days, being a black man, world champion.

• 36:00Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 36:00Speaker 04

  That's incredible, man, you know?

• 36:02Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 36:02Speaker 04

  Against all odds. That's what, that's what fighting is.

• 36:05Ed Mylett?

  Yeah. Any research on Jack Johnson? You also, I'm relatively sure I know enough about his history. He's also married to a white woman and there's just the timing for Jack Johnson to be a dominant champion. He went through a ton to be the world champion. I love that you love heroes and that you love history. And that's why I want to see you continue. I think the

• 36:24Speaker 04

  The underdog, you know, the, the, the underdog.

• 36:27Ed Mylett?

  Yeah. Well, you are, and I, it's weird because I don't know that you, you know, I think the second Connor fight, even still, people thought you were probably the underdog in that fight, but now that's kind of changing. I think probably when you fight Olivera, you might be again in some people's minds, potentially. But you know, it's a different preparing for a fight when you've won a bunch too. I think it's just going to be interesting to watch your career. I'm curious about, um, styles. I just want to ask you a couple of things about styles. I know you're decompressing, but one of the things that, you know, is I, I, I will, Connor has a really wide stance. And I've always wondered if someone like yourself would, he would be more susceptible to leg kicks with that super wide stance. Also the southpaw thing you have going stylistically, is that some type of an advantage for you with him?

• 37:12Ed Mylett?

  So A, is there any truth to that? And B, if you do end up with Olivera, stylistically, are there things matchup wise, you don't have to say what they are, obviously tip your hand, but do you feel like you have some advantages there that my people wouldn't be aware of?

• 37:25Speaker 04

  I do. Me and my coaches haven't started breaking down tape yet on Olivera and looking for tendencies and openings. But I'm sure we're gonna, I mean, I'm confident we'll find them. With the Connor fight, yeah, if you're standing really wide like that, you can do in and out movement very quickly, very fast and be a counterpuncher, which he's great at. That helps him with that. But having that leg so far out there, the calf kick, which is kind of, you know, new to mixed martial arts. It's just getting popular in the last couple of years. It kind of exposes your lower leg to being attacked. But yeah, I think he stands that way for more of his counter punching in and out movement.

• 38:00Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, no question. I'm so excited to see you in this next fight. I think it's gonna be awesome, whenever it is. And then if you win that fight, my buddy, Michael Chandler, wins his, I'd love to see you guys together, too. I think it'd be fascinating to see. But a couple more things I just want to ask you, and I'm just, you know, curious for you to answer for people. There's a lot of people that listen to my show that are running on a treadmill right now, they're at home with their family on YouTube watching it, or they're, they're taking a walk and they're inspired by this man's story to go from not finishing high school to being, you know, just this unbelievable worldwide figure. And by the way, one thing about the UFC, guys, it's a worldwide sport. When you're the world champion or the number one contender, that's in the world. You know, this isn't like, you know, most sports where there's three or four or five countries participating. You've got

• 38:44Ed Mylett?

  all the different styles. You've got people from every doggone continent that you're competing against to be number one. But if there's someone listens, goes, hey, man, I've got a dream too, but I'm kind of on my tail right now. Things are not going my way, you know, but I've got this dream. I've got this vision. I'd like to be a champion in my way in my life. And they, they run into you at a Starbucks, they're like, hey, man, give me a little advice. What would you say to somebody who's trying to do something great with their life, but they're just not there right now?

• 39:09Speaker 04

  That's a deep one. But the word that comes to mind as soon as you ask that question is consistency. You know, there's a lot of days that I don't want to go to the gym. There's a lot of days I don't want to get up and run miles in the morning that I'm hurting or, you know, just burn out, but I have to, but I do it. I do it. Consistency is the key, you know? Time spent under that pressure. That that's the key. Obviously, self-belief, work ethic, a lot of things play into accomplishing those those big goals, but consistency. On the days you feel like you don't want to do it, that's when you need to do it. I really, really think consistency. And like you said, like self-evaluation, admit your wrongs and then try to get better so you don't do it

• 39:54Speaker 04

  again. Try to tighten up all the gaps. Hold yourself accountable.

• 39:58Ed Mylett?

  I think you're amazing. I'm always struck by guys that are such badasses in one area of their life and have such stoic, quiet humility and kindness in another. That that duality, that complexity of a man is something that I just, and a woman, I just think is what makes a human being really beautiful. This is a dude who can get in there and he's one of the great, you know, combat sports people in the world right now. And then you get him privately like this and there's just this kind, reflective, genuine man. So it really exceeded my expectations today, Dustin. I've told you this off-camera, there's ever anything that I can do for you or your family in any way. I'm very much rooting for you. I'm very much impressed with you and I know my audience is now. So biggest question, because

• 40:43Ed Mylett?

  he is an entrepreneur, he is making moves in his sport, and my audience probably knows you but may not, where should they find you? Where should they follow you to go stay rooting for you on your journey? What's the best place?

• 40:57Speaker 04

  Probably Twitter, Instagram, it's all under Dustin Poirier. I'm on Facebook, Dustin Poirier. And if you'd like to find out more, well, me and my wife and my foundation are doing, you can go to the goodfightgroup.com. And we're doing our best to change people's lives and be a beacon of light out there.

• 41:16Ed Mylett?

  You're a good man. You're a good man.

• 41:19Speaker 04

  Just a man, just a man.

• 41:20Ed Mylett?

  Just a man. You're a good one. And obviously, an incredible, incredible athlete, but a better man. So, thank you for today, brother. I am indebted to you and grateful. You know that you did this for me when I'm, we're gonna do this in person and I'm a little bit ill. And so he sacrificed to move this up for me today while he's decompressing, while he's taking his time with his family. So I'm grateful for that, brother. And thank you for being here today. Thanks for having me on, man. It was awesome. Blessing for me. Hey, everybody, if you're new to the show, subscribe to an audio or video platform, share this with people. It's the greatest show in the world, changes people's lives. I bring you the best people at their best, and we get into their mind and heart and find out why they're winning, and hopefully they can help you win more in your life and find more happiness and success. God bless you all. Max out.

• 42:10Speaker 03

  This is the Ed Mylett Show.