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No Degree EP 27 Demetrious Johnson Transcript
[0:00:00]
Jonaed: Welcome to the First episode of the No Degree podcast. This is your host, Jonaed Iqbal and today's guest is one of the greatest fighters of all time. He's the first flyweight champion in UFC history. He won in the 2017 ESPY award for Best Fighter. He has 11 successful title defenses, the most in UFC history. I have Demetrious Johnson a.k.a. Mighty Mouse, DJ was told that he could either play sports or work if he wanted to get things from his mom. He chose to play sports. He placed 3rd at his junior year and 2nd his senior year in the state wrestling tournament. He also played football and ran track. Gaming has always been a passion of his, and it is something he does in his free time.
He started fighting as a hobby, but his work ethic and discipline made him one of the greatest fighters of all time. Learn how DJ moved up, cemented his legacy and continues to stay on the top. Subscribe to our Patreon @patreon.com/nodegree. Every contribution is appreciated. This show isn't possible without you. Let's get this show started.
Jonaed: Hey, Demetrious. Let's kind of take it back. How was high school like for you and what did you want to become in high school?
Demetrious: This is Tanyth Johnson. Say hi.
Jonaed: Hey, how are you?
Demetrious: In high school, I did a lot of sports. You know, I started back from middle school. My mom was very straightforward about what we’re going to do. She said, “You can either work or you're going to go to school. Here's two options. You can work and pay for all your stuff or you can do sports. I’ll pay for everything.” You know, like car insurance, all that stuff. She want us to focus on our athletics and schooling. So, I took that route. I did wrestling, football, cross country, track, and I excelled at sports. After losing my state championship in high school wrestling, I’ve never taken third. But after I’ve lost that, you know, I didn't run track that year. I was like, you know what, I'm going to chill. I'm not going to be an athlete for the last quarter of my high school career, because I had been playing sports since elementary. I was a breath of fresh air so I went right into working. Worked at [0:02:18] [Indiscernible] even golf courses, worked at Taco Bell, did construction, masonry construction as a hod carrier.
Then, I find a way back to my original construction job at [Phonetic] And at [Phonetic], we’ll mix the recycled paper and we will make it into D boards. So, let's say you ordered a brand new Samsung 85inch QLED TV. They got to protect it when they ship it so it’s protected by these D boards. And I was a guy who would basically – if the customer wanted a 2inch, 15inch or 60 inches, I would do that big -- I run a machine now, but it's kind of that specific. I’ll cut thousands, millions of those, put it in a box, tape it up, put it in a pallet and ship it out.
Jonaed: So, you had all these jobs and obviously, your mother instilled a good work ethic in you. What did you like about working or did you even like working? And can you share more about that?
Demetrious: I love working. I mean, work is why I think I’m successful as a martial artist, to be honest with you, you know. Working 40 hours a week for $10.76 an hour, at the end of the week, going to get $400, right? Then I did construction making $14 an hour, work 40 hours, did some overtime. Due to prevailing wages, you want to get money. So for me, I never had, you know, I was never lazy. If I wanted something, then I would have worked very hard to get it. I get the money and then I'll take that money and do what I want. So, now being a professional athlete, the harder I work in the gym or the harder I work at Twitch, or, you know, building my brand name and toys or whatever it is, there’s always going to be a good outcome to it for the most part. They might not be financially -- but it's building, you know, with the toys or the shirts and the shirt you got on. It's not going to pad my pocket. It's building my brand and treating the footprint on my [0:04:21] [Indiscernible].
Jonaed: Yeah. So, your mother was deaf, I'm correct, right?
Demetrious: That's correct.
Jonaed: How was it growing up with the deaf mom? And you know sign language, I assume.
Demetrious: Nope. I would say my wife does. Actually, she wanted to be a Special Ed teacher. But with my mom, she was very good at reading lips. When we were being raised by her, she taught us to look her in her face when we talk and not cover our mouths. She would read our lips every day. And as I got older, I thought that she was deaf. She would set up things like we were on a toilet pooping and we need a rope. Totally, she went, [0:04:55] [Indiscernible]. “Mom. Toilet paper.” Then she would say, “Are you talking to me?” “Yes.” “Here you go.” We never put two and two together. You don’t know any different unless you're told and that's how she raised us.
[0:05:08]
Jonaed: Yes. Would you say she was really instrumental in your work ethic and your views on life?
Demetrious: Yes. She just basically said, “If you want something, go get it.” You know, work hard for it. I remember when I first got my job at [0:05:23] [Audio Glitch], 15 years old. I walked down there for the obligation and walked back up, back home and they called me. Ever since then I started working.
Jonaed: What was your dream job in high school? What did you want to be when…
Demetrious: When you think about it, when you're 16, 17, 18. You're not thinking about all your life, what you dream of. You know, I was more focused on sports literally every season, football, cross country, track, wrestling. I was always into sports. So for me, all I know is being an athlete. I never knew anything else. Didn't know I was going to be [0:06:41] [Indiscernible], but all I knew was to be an athlete my whole life,
Jonaed: Now you’re on your senior year, right? You got second in States. Did you ever think you were gonna keep doing athletics? Or what were the emotions going through you then?
Demetrious: No, I think after I lost that championship, you know, and going through the whole wrestling undefeated or didn’t lose not even once. And I was like, you know what? There's no point to be going to track. There's no point. There’s no money in track, there’s no money in wrestling. So a little bit of work. That’s what I did. I went to work. I went in and started working my summer job earlier because I opened, Barber Spring Hits. And I also enjoyed being a kid, like it felt so good to go to school right after school at 2:10PM, I get off, go to my car and drive it home and hanging out with my friends. Instead of going to track. When I look back on it, you know, there’s a part of me saying maybe I should be in track but I actually am grateful that I took that last season off of athletics just to chill, be a kid. You got any kids?
Jonaed: No kids, no kids.
Demetrious: If you ask me, you’re going to be doing what I’m doing.
Jonaed: I know. So, how did fighting come along? Because you're working full time and you were training like you still kept in shape, right? It seemed like that was a core part of your life. How did fighting start?
Demetrious: I moved in with my buddy, Jordan [Phonetic]. We lived a POU house and me -- I don’t know how they came across it, but we saw the original UFC, I think 54, 48. Chuck Liddell versus Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski. So, we saw that. We watched it and we thought it was cool. Then it came down to a fight or we lose our shot and I didn’t, [0:07:49] [Audio Glitch]. We want a challenge not because you to want to pick a fight or whatever reason. I saw that I can do this too. I already went to the gym and signed up. And I started thinking that -- Well, I went into the gym, and I start to get the bag, and then a gentleman saw me, Reese Andy saw who I was. I know Reese back from wrestling days, back in [0:08:10] [Indiscernible]. He was, “Do you want to learn how to fight?” I said, “Sure.” I signed up and then the rest is history. That's really how it happened.
Jonaed: So, was that one of the reasons, cause I know Arlovski is one of the fighters that you idolize, right? Was that the reason when watching that day?
Demetrious: Well, it wasn’t Andrei Arlovski Honestly, it was the workout. I didn’t care about hurting people or how they hurt people. It was how they got to work and defend yourself on the street, from my perspective and that's the bag and that's where, sorry. Yeah. So, that’s how it started.
Jonaed: Now you're still working because you're all about having a plan B because a fighter's life is hard. When you started competing professionally, what was going through your mind? Because it didn't seem like, hey, I'm going to make the big leagues. It was just kind of something you're doing and you're just really good at it and you just kept on doing, you're getting better at it.
Demetrious: Absolutely. I think the biggest scene that went through my mind when I was working and training full time. Well, I went to a lot of job. I worked at Journeys as an assistant manager, Red Lobster. [0:09:19] [Audio Glitch]. But it was until I got my full contract WEC, you know, I still work even onto my path at like in the UFC, I still work. I think the biggest thing that athletes get confused with is once they thought they made it to the big leagues, they just quit their job. That's not the case. The money is good, but it's not great. [0:09:46] [Indiscernible]. So, there's another, you know, $4,000. So now he's got, what, $12,000. And then it's like, “Okay, well, I've got $12,000 to last me the whole year. That's $1,000 a month.
[0:10:09]
So it really is about that far. For me, it was very important that I kept a full time job. That way you get something from your career. So, all that I need for my career, signing WBC, I bring my savings. I put in investments and all up to this point. At ONE championship, I still save my money up to this day, because you’ll never know when that last fight is going to happen. And I've always been a big believer that you’re always going to work up until you get that probably you can stay in your full time career as a professional athlete. That's true for family. You know, if you're working full time at a job and you're also a professional fighter, you’re not a professional fighter. It's a hobby. Until that hobby is able to pay your insurance, your car payment, your mortgage, your food, air fare, all that stuff, you're not a professional athlete. My personal opinion -- a friend of mine, he told me he was -- you know, these guys out here who were fighting at the casinos are either for athletes or not. They’re making $2,000 to show and $2,000 to win. There you go. You made four grand. I can make that in a weekend, you know, doing X, Y and Z. So…
Jonaed: Did you ever think that you would be fighting full time? Because it was a different landscape back then. Now it's like the numbers that some people make versus what they made before, even the minimums.
Demetrious: Yes. I never thought that was happening because when I first started in the mixed martial arts, the smallest process weren’t , one of the Bible went and said to me. We had no exits. We’re going over to overseas, a good beat because that's a lot of time away from the house. And I was still working full time. You know, my coach, Matt Hume, will call me and like, “Hey, we got this fight. Can you make it? And I was like, “Let me go ask my boss first for requesting time off” And I went asked. He said, “I’ll see what I can do.” Now to take a week off from work. Literally, I was -- You know, I look back on it. It brings tears to my eyes. It was an amazing time, you know. Me working a full time job. My wife working a full time job.
No kids. And then my coach calling me here, “We got a fight in Vegas. Do you think you can make it?” I said let me ask my boss. My boss said that I should get her off. Get a full week off from work. Wife comes down with me. We have a good time in Vegas. We go out there and blow the bricks off somebody at Saturday night and go out and have drinks. Sunday, we're back home. Monday, I went back to work again, right back to work.
Jonaed: So how was it at work? Like when your coworkers saw you? They're like, “Hey DJ, you're fighting.” Because it's different when you go back to work?
Demetrious: Well, the guys I work with, they're all older. They're a lot older than me. A lot wiser. And they're like, “Hey, good job. Make sure you get that [expletive] order out.” “Absolutely. I'll get it out.” And the reason why I ended up so good, is that the reason why I went right back to work on that money is because I knew, I hoped that call will come again. When the call came again, my boss and the heads goes, “Yeah, you can go down like your work’s tied up. We'll cover here. When you get back, well, you can go back to work when it suits you.”
Jonaed: So, they were really supportive of you.
Demetrious: Oh yes. My boss, people are still talking to this a lot. He said about -- there are some points I'm not going to quit fighting to stay at my full time job. And he goes, if you ever chose fighting, I’ll fire you. I said, “What the [expletive]? But, you know, I made the right decision and he always supports me. I mean, he saw something in me that I didn't see, and I'm grateful that he was very supportive of me. Be able to take time off and go to fight. Because being raised, you know whatever pays your bills. That's more important than anything else. A lot of people out there, the Gen X or whatever you want to call these new millennials. They think everything’s going to come overnight like, “This is my dream. My passion, I’m going to do it.” No, you got to -- until that passion can pay the bills, you better figure it out because [0:13:49] [Indiscernible] kept the electricity up.
Jonaed: Another person who's been instrumental, as you, you mentioned is your wife does Destiny, right? How has she supported you throughout?
Demetrious: She’s amazing and she carries so many different things. I was really thinking about her day. I was like, she's a fucking monster. She woke up at 6:00AM this morning, went to the gym, did a work out, came home. We went to work out again and she took a nap. And now she’s just cleaning up. We're not going out tonight. But she always have been very supportive of me, she’s like my psychic my best friend. She's very honest with me when it comes to making decisions about my career. She supported me since the very beginning. You know, my second amateur fight, she's with me in the ups and downs. We’ve been together when I didn't have a job and she was supportive of us and now I’m returning the favor. We’re like Yin and Yang. We’re like ebony and ivory. We’re together forever.
Jonaed: So, when did you become a professional athlete by your own definition? When was that and when did you decide like, “Hey, now it makes sense. Now I got the bills paid.”
Demetrious: My second fight against Ian McCall. That's when I literally start thinking about sports seriously. I started to train under Matt Hume full time. When I quit my job after we found a good fight but I still wasn't trained by him full time. So, I would say my second with Ian McCall [0:15:08] [Indiscernible].
[0:15:12]
Jonaed: So, when you took it serious, what really changed? Because you probably saw a lot of improvements in yourself because now you had more time to dedicate. So what changed when you started training full time? Because you were obviously still winning, you're doing a lot of things, but now it's like a different level of DJ.
Demetrious: Just the coaching aspect. I’m training with my coach full time. Before that I was hoping, like I was training here. Then I would go to my location here. We scratched all that. My coach said, “I want to see everything you're doing this. I want to dictate when you’re doing this, how you feel. I don’t see any different. Even my diet, he wanted to oversee. Once, I came back to that Ian McCall fight, I’m going to beat him. They want me to work on the title for flyweight. Held it off for six years. He said he wanted the best for very long time. And now I still feel a difference. It's just a thing. You don't have to work 40 hours a week. That's a lot of you know, wear and tear on your body.
Jonaed: When you started, did you -- well, even when you won the belt, did you ever think like, “Hey, I'm going to set the record in the flyweight division, I'm going to be one of the greatest of all time.” Because no matter what, in every conversation you deserve be there. You're like on the Mount Rushmore. But at UFC, did you ever think that was going to happen? When did you start? When did it start materializing for you? Like, “I’m really this good.”
Demetrious: I would say the biggest thing was that I set a goal and then the 6th, the 7th, the 8th, the 9th positive things. I was like, “Holy shit, I'm going to go down to UFC. And I was like, You know what? I think the goal was to break his record. And I was like, you know, obviously, Jon Jones, I think he had 13 or 14 title fights and I’ve seen a lot of them. But he's lost a bout and then it's Daniel Cormier, then it’s this guy. But when you look at the last division, the UFC Flyweight Division has been around 2012. That's eight years ago, right? There’s only been three champions. Me, Henry Cejudo and Figueiredo. I held it for six years. Henry held it for a year and a half and then we have Figueiredo. So, six years of my career was trying to break that record. And once I did it, I was like, this is awesome. For me it was never -- I guess that was the biggest thing. I never sat there like if I were to break the record, when I first got the belt, I felt like once I kept getting closer and closer, I’m like, okay there’s the golden record. But now, that's a minute of mixed martial arts history. I don't think there's ever been another champion who’s won it all consecutively, 11 times.
Obviously, I think the next athlete who can do it is by Amanda Nunez or Valentina. But they have a different type of career. They're women. Valentina wants to get pregnant. That’s one year off. Also, Nunez, she’s gone to 145. She’s done like 135. It hasn't been very consistent, but I think those two definitely have the skill set to make it happen. You know, I think about the athletes, he's about to be 30, you know, or he's 28, 29. And he just got the injuries that held his career back. So, I think for me, I was blessed to be able to get the bones of my young age that bang so many times and to be successful.
Jonaed: One thing about you is you're really detached from the outcome of a fight. You go in there, you do your stuff. Why is that? And was it coaching that kind of taught that? Or was it just your personality?
Demetrious: I think it’s a little bit coaching and it's a little of just my personality. There's a gentleman that I trained with. I believe John’s his name, and I came back on my bike and went to the locker room changing and getting my gear on. He goes, “You don't care about your fight. “I said “What do you mean?” He goes, “You [expletive] win all the time and you come here acting exactly the same.” I said, “Well, do you know how it should be?” He goes, “No, I agree. It's actually a breath of fresh air. It’s nice but do you think there’s some amusement in your level of fame or stardom or athletic ability. It would be totally different for you. I was like, “Yeah, I'm not attached to the outcome because in a day I know I'm going to lose.” I can accept the fact that I know at least one day which I have lost. Then your outcome of competing or just your genre or your aura, whatever you call it, it is at a much positive era. Don’t get me wrong. Losing sucks. Winning's a lot better, but I feel that person should never have to change their perspective of how they act.
Even when I do lose, I still continue to push forward, keep on going on my plan, keep on striving for my original goal. And even when I win, I could lose. It’s anything goes and I think that’s more credit to my wife because I remember my first loss, when I lost it though, you know, it’s “we lose, you don’t lose.” We lose. You don’t have to go through a loss because you have a champion born. We're happy to be -- You come home and your wife still loves you, your kids still love you. You still got a car, your house is still beautiful. So it's like, “Okay, it’s back in office. Let’s get back to the gym, back to work and get back to making money.
[0:20:26]
Jonaed: How do your kids see you? Do they know that their dad's a fighter, that their dad's on TV? How do they view you?
Demetrious: As they get older, they view me more as a gamer. They see me game more than training and fight and which I implore – I actually prefer that more. I think my kids see me more as a gamer, it means happy in my eyes. I want them to see me as an athlete. I want them to see me as their dad, seeing me do the things I truly enjoy.
Jonaed: You've always been a gamer. So, what games did you grow up on?
Demetrious: Oh, God, man. I grew up on [Phonetic], Snake, Rattle and Roll, Platoon, [Phonetic]. I mean the list goes on and then I really fell in love with Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo 64, Dreamcast. After Dreamcast, that’s when I played PS2 and then the PS3, PS4, PC and boom. That’s how it is man. I love games I’ll try to have a game in tattoo.
Jonaed: Are you planning on getting a game in tattoo?
Demetrious: No. I’m too old for that shit.
Jonaed: The other thing is you also started shooting Twitch as you were fighting. What got you into that? Because you’ve always -- And I know you're holding your son and kind of just watching, you're like, “Hey, let me watch this.” What made you decide to get on Twitch?
Demetrious: You know, I don't know who it was, but someone told me that he wants me to be on Twitch anytime [0:21:54] [Indiscernible]. I told him, “Okay. Can you watch Mega Man X?” And he goes, “Yup.” And I said, “Okay.” So, I downloaded the app Twitch and I saw [0:22:04] [Indiscernible] part 42 and 24. Mega Man’s my favorite game of all time. I love Mega Man X, Mega Man 2 and 3, the whole Mega Man series. And I said, “Man, that's dope”. I already explained that he gave me these ideas and actually, you know, my wife said, “Hey, you should start shooting at Twitch. [0:22:19] [Indiscernible]. “I don't need that.” You know what I mean? She said, Actually, I think you’re missing the point.” She goes, It's a great platform to go to interact with your fans on the platform.” I was like, “Okay.” I'll never forget, I'm sure. My first game in my underwear and in my loft. I have three viewers. And viewer says, “You know, you can’t be naked. You have to run around.” “What the [expletive] you talking about? This is my house.” And I can't believe we’ve gone, what, four years… [CROSSTALK]. Four years. So, October it’ll be five years and I’m super excited. The community that I had built that, [0:22:58] [Inaudible] you know, just the list goes on. Those are like the two founders who were there at the very beginning with me. Then it's just an amazing community.
Jonaed: I think you mentioned recently that you want to be known as a gamer, right? And not just as a fighter, but you also want to be known as a gamer. Can you expand more on that?
Demetrious: I think the biggest thing as an athlete, I think a lot of athletes like to live by that identity, which there's something wrong with that at all. I think it's great and I’d love to be known as what I've accomplished in mixed martial arts but I know that I can't [0:23:30] [Audio Glitch]. So, I want to go there and build a great foundation in the gaming world space, we're all spacer. As much as I am passionate by it, how much I love it, how much I want to see it thrive and succeed, that's what made me started Twitch and be interacting with them on the platform. You know, when I'm done fighting, I want to be able to load on my shared goal to hang out with people. My ultimate goal is to make [0:23:55] [Audio Glitch] that I don't have to worry about money. So, anyone that comes in through Twitch or anything like that, I want to put that money right back into the stream to give a better experience for my viewers in the community.
Jonaed: You seem to be very big on just community and fans. Why is that? And you're also super positive cause I've been on your streams and sometimes people say negative things. So, you just really brush it off. Why is that? And how is that?
Demetrious: Say that one more time?
Jonaed: How are you so positive because I see some of those comments, right? You get someone, not too often, but once in a while you get someone who says something and you're just like,” Hey, just be positive.” Even people will come defend you and they'll be like, “Hey guys, just be positive.” How do you come across? Why are you like that? Emotionally, sometimes like, “Argh, screw you.”
Demetrious: Yes, I mean being in the limelight for a very long time, you see the good of the good and the bad of the bad. Like take my wife, she’s very good about pushing positivity. Why not be positive? You know, there's enough negative in the world that overcomes my positivity. So, if I could be that light shining armor in the darkness, surrounded by all negativity and people would come into my channel and have a good experience and have an ability to see me as a positive person. I can rub some of my positivity on them then I'm doing my goal. I'm doing what I'm happy to do. I have yet to be seen by some people get so caught up with negativity that I want to be a positive person, not only in the gaming space but in the mixed martial arts space as well.
[0:25:22]
Jonaed: I’ve realized that you’re very good at talking smack. I’ve seen you when you play certain characters, like you're on Rogan's podcast. No, Hey, I know what I got -- if I really want to double but you never really went that route. And it seems like integrity is a lot like -- you're like, Hey look, this is the man I strive to be. And you don't seem to compromise money over your integrity. Is that sort of…
Demetrious: Yes, I’d like to think so. I have to be honest, I'm going to be very transparent when it comes to certain situations like honor again. One day my coach came in and it was me 10 [0:25:53] [[Indiscernible] and I can't remember what else. My coach came in and he goes, and this is why I love the guy. He goes, “I'll let you guys go now but when I come in here and ask you how you're feeling. How's your back? How’s your ankles? I don't care that that hurt. I'm asking you if you want to make [expletive] money.” And I said, “you got that right [expletive] way.” Then he goes, “So, let's [expletive] make money.” There’s this [0:26:21] [Indiscernible] when it comes to integrity, I have to be where like it’s an honest, transparent [0:26:27] [Audio Glitch]. Why not? I don't need you. I have a game that's fulfilling my needs right now. Yes, I try to be transparent, I try to be honest and if people looking at it as I have integrity, I'll take it. What's up, buddy?
Jonaed: Another thing is that what really sets you apart is you're super insightful and you're super technical. Now, were you always this technical or is it something that you just developed over time?
Demetrious: In fighting or in general?
Jonaed: Let's talk about in fighting because in wrestling, obviously you have to be technical. So, did it stem from the wrestling days and it just carried over and started when you start fighting?
Demetrious: I think in mixed martial arts, I got really technical because there's so much you can learn in mixed martial arts and I've been doing it for so long. Now I train seven days a week. Sunday would be just pure footwork. Saturday, sparring. There's a lot of stuff you can learn in mixed martial arts, the Dos and Don’ts. I really took that and I really excelled in that. But when it comes to like, you know, in general life, I kind of ask a lot of questions. I ask a lot of questions, If I don't know something, I want to know about it and I'll do everything I can to grasp all the information I need. And that's where it comes from.
Jonaed: Obviously, a lot of people want to become fighters, right? A lot of people who fight, they want to get the belt. What are the few things you think that set you apart?
Demetrious: I think what set you apart, if you get the bug, is athletic ability, skillset, determination, coaching…
Jonaed: What set YOU apart? What specific skillset…
Demetrious: I would say those things. The coaching and determination, the skillset, athletic ability, all that stuff that you need to know, I would say, you know, the difference between me and Khabib Nurmagomedov is that he’s very fun. He’s a phenomenal athlete. Extremely good. Great coach, you know, rest in pieces, Father. Same with John Jones, great coaching, athletic ability and his knowledge of the sport. All of us, all champions have something in common. They all have that X factor that somebody else doesn’t have. Or you could be at the right time, right place, right shot. Like half might get lucky, but other than that, yes, I think it's determination, athletic ability, skillset and knowledge and determination.
Jonaed: Let's say you're 18 again. You have all the knowledge you have now, how would you go about your career? Would there be anything you would do differently?
Demetrious: Start playing, start investing earlier. That's it.
Jonaed: What do you mean start investing? Just outside of athletics?
Demetrious: Yes. Like start streaming on Twitch sooner start building my brand sooner, but then at the same time, if I would do that, will I take my fighting aspect, right? Right now I’m in a place where I'm able to focus on that. Back in the day I was working full time, training full time and not trading my time. But I don't know if I want to focus on [0:29:37] [Indiscernible] and do this. [0:29:39] [Audio Glitch].
Jonaed: Do you have any other goals left in fighting? Because you've accomplished a lot. So, what are, what are the next goals?
Demetrious: Yes. Obviously, keep on waiting and keep on making money. Hopefully you get the ONE championship though. Right now my every fight is leading me one step closer to my ultimate goal. And once I reach my ultimate goal but I'm like, “Yeah, I'm done.” I think when it comes to accomplishments, belts and stuff, I think that satisfied that need for me. Now, it’s just going out there. It's my job. I'd love to do it and why not continue to do it? It's a great source of income and I like do it.
[0:30:18]
Jonaed: What advice would you have for fighters getting in right now, you know, younger fighters?
Demetrious: Save your money and enjoy it
Jonaed: Now for the gaming future. Once you start gaming full time, where do you see yourself in that space?
Demetrious: You know, that's a hard one to say, because I feel like if I was gaming full time, it would have to be just for fun because I am a type of person where I just can’t -- I like to have a schedule, but me and my wife and the kids. I would say for me, it will come down to, I'm going to find the right stage. Obviously, I want to help companies and help watch titles. But at the same time I don't see myself being a sports player. I do see myself as a Twitch streamer, but I don't want that my only source of income. That is very stressful.
Jonaed: What do you think you would have done if in a different life, you weren't a fighter? Or stop? What do you think you would have done?
Demetrious: I think I will be in construction. That's where I was at before. Yes, I would probably in construction. I think if I’m a Twitch streamer, I don’t think I would have the same success that I have now if I want to bow out in mixed martial arts. I think a lot of people, you know, it's weird but when I became a streamer and I was like, “Why are they successful?” When I look at high paid streamers, and like, you know. The only streaming to actually go watch with doctors back [0:31:49] [Indiscernible]. So, I try to be like, how am I going to be successful? Well, what is a successful Twitch streamer, right? For me what that is, and I don't think I reached it yet, but I would love one day to reach it.
Jonaed: Cool. So, you know, I want to be respectful of your time. Have you ever felt insecure about not going to college, not going to school or you feel like, look, I know my stuff?
Demetrious: No, not at all. I went to college. I went to college for two years. Now it’s like a waste of [expletive] time.
Jonaed: What would you sort of do in college?
Demetrious: I was going to get my AA. I was told you have to go to college to be successful, which I think [0:32:51] [Indiscernible] is a great school. [0:32:56] [Indiscernible]. But for me, [0:33:01][Indiscernible]. So, that's what I would say. I mean, I don't have any [0:33:12] [Indiscernible] because I learned more as a professional athlete in the business world than going to school.
Jonaed: What have you gotten better with overtime? Because I know you got better in certain aspects of fighting, right? As you got older, you didn't train as much, but you have this knowledge and you have a different way of doing things. And I know earlier your coach was harder on you and now later in your career, you're harder on yourself, right? So, what have you gotten better with overtime?
Demetrious: Oh, see, you got better at financing, just learning, looking for information, looking for creativity, obviously being a better person. I was saying, just searching for information that would better me as a person. I'm always searching. Right now I'm looking to upgrade my kid's dream. Don't have to. I don't have to, but I want to do that right now. And you know, he's always trying to be better. That's it.
Jonaed: What would you say was the smartest thing you did while fighting? Not outside of fighting where you save money, what do you think? Or even at one moment, what moment stands out in your fighting career?
Demetrious: Listening to my body. Like when I had to get my game room repaired. I did that. When I had to get my monitor repaired, I did that. When I needed to take a break from fighting, not break from fighting, chill and relax, I did that. I was right outspoken in my first thought, it did start in a more productive way to train.
Jonaed: Has there ever been a time when you're fighting that you're like, well, what am I doing? Like, why am I here? This sucks.
Demetrious: Never, never, never thought that. Never. Maybe when I do a certain drill like hitting stuff. But like, I’ve never thought that way. No. Never have.
Jonaed: Yes. So what's your favorite aspect of fighting?
Demetrious: I mix everything together. Like all the other stuff, like boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai. That's all great, but I think they have the ability to do whatever you want is my favorite part about it.
[0:35:09]
Jonaed: So are there any fighters that you kind of see a lot of promise in right now?
Demetrious: Yes. One of them…I would say Israel Adesanya, Sean O’Malley. Those are the two at the top of my head. Those two right now are very, very good in their career. Their both athletic, they’re both long in their careers, long in their division. Paolo Costa, The Eraser. He’s very promising. He’s very tough, great hands, very big. That’s just the surface, you know. Those are the guys that come to the top of my head. They’re going to be ready for mixed martial arts.
Jonaed: Did anything change for you as a fighter when you had your kid? Because I know sometimes people's motivation change, right? They start fighting a little different. They're like, “Hey, I got to make sure I don't get hit in the head as much.”
Demetrious: I want to make sure [0:36:26] [Inaudible] smarter you know, with my career like know when to stop. If I get knocked out or pass out, I'm done. I don’t need this. There are other ways to make money in life. But luckily, I've been blessed in my paying profession. Never been knocked out and I want to keep on going.
Jonaed: All right. How would listeners support you? What's the best way to support you?
Demetrious: To support me, just find me on Twitch, Twitter. Invite at Twitch channel.
Jonaed: Okay, cool. So, subscribe to -- what's your Twitch handle?
Demetrious: MightyGaming. Subscribe, comment. You know, hang out, sit back, have a beer. Enjoy, chat. Enjoy.
Jonaed: All right. So I just want to thank you for your time. You know, I appreciate you. And looking forward to your next fight.
Demetrious: Thanks, bro. I appreciate you, man.
Another great episode. Thank you for listening. Hopefully this information was valuable, and you learned a lot. Stay tuned for the next episode. This show is sponsored by you. No Degree wants to remain free from influence so that we can talk about the topics without bias. If you think the show’s worth a dollar or two, please check out our Patreon page. Any amount is appreciated and will go towards making future episodes even better. Follow us on Instagram or Snapchat at No Degree podcast. On Facebook @facebook.com/NoDegreeInc. If you want to personally reach out to me, connect or follow me on LinkedIn at Jonaed Iqbal, spelled J-O-N-A-E-D, last name, I-Q-B-A-L. Until next time, no degree, no problem. Nodegree.com.
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“No degree, No problem. Any problem, we can solve them. Linked Insomnia keeps us evolving. We’re growing in the knowing. The wisdom is flowing. If you did, you know, now you know where I’m going. No Degree, no problem. Any problem we can solve them.”
“Linked Insomnia keeps us evolving. We’re growing in the knowing. The wisdom is flowing. If you did, you know, now you know where I’m going. Yeah”
[0:39:59] End of Audio