The Mind of a Champion: Dakillaking on Mindset, Faith and Fighting for Greatness

0:00 If you, if you feel like you, you run my mind. You run my mind. If you have any hopes, if you have any hopes on doing anything, do not compete against the killer King because it will kill your dream. It will kill your dream. So if you if you thinking of for example, getting a third belt, don't try and do that against the killer King because in game over.

0:26 Already you know what anybody, whoever thinks of fighting you, even in their dreams, they should wake up and come apologise. Because. Because that dream is dead on arrival. But I I like to put, I like to put MMA guys on the sport. Of course, I feel like the top three skills, you know, we talk about the mindset. And let's talk about the skill sets. Before we dive back into today's conversation, I want to share something important.

0:55 This episode includes a pay partnership with Better Help, a platform designed to make starting therapy easier. I know from my own journey as a leader and entrepreneur that life can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are seasons, severe stress, uncertainty, and pressure build up, and you need a safe space to process it all that severe therapy comes in. Therapy isn't only for people facing technical challenges. It's the space to reflect, grow, and find better ways to see my stress, relationships, and as no goals. It takes courage to seek help, but it's also one of the smartest investments you can make in your mental and emotional welcoming.

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2:29 We're live ladies and gentlemen you once again welcome to the Kingdom sparkers live from the Riverside studio in London England back welcome introducing first fighting out of the blue corner my Co host Noela, the best sales expert on earth can our wonderful guests fighting out of the reckoner. He's a mixed martial artist with a professional record of 26 wins and 11 losses. Fighting out of Freud in England by way of Abigerne Cote d'Ivoire make welcome the.

3:07 Killer King. How are you, Alex? Hello. Hello. Yeah, I'm doing good. I'm doing great. I'm excited for this fight coming up. Yeah. I can't wait to be there. OK brother, we appreciate you. We appreciate your body of work, and of course, we have a special introduction for you. So sit back, relax while we'll give you your flowers.

3:36 So, Champions, today we're joined by a true warrior, a man whose name commands respect across global combat stages. Alex the killer. King Lahore is not just a French Lahore. Lahore. Wow, I'm not French. He at the end we didn't like him on the E French people. Excuse my French, Lahore. Sorry Sir. You know he's a symbol of discipline, resilience and evolution.

4:03 Born in France, raised in the UK and representing Africa Will Bride, Alex's beauty of career that reflects fuel greets from his early days in MMA to becoming one of Brave CF's most respected fighters. With our professional record of 26 wins and 11 losses, and a Johnny filled with lessons about belief, purpose and mindset has He steps into the Brave CF100 main card in Bahrain this November, representing the continent on one of the biggest global stages in combat sports.

4:35 We'll dive deep into his story, the battles inside and outside the cage, and what it truly means to leave for the heart of a King. Alex Lahore, right? Walk up to the king of broadcast. Brother, brother Let. Me, let me, let me, let me. Let's take French classes now. Yeah, it's. Lahore. Lahore, right?

5:01 Lahore, right? Wow. Wow. Is it Bono, Primitina or Bonsoir? Bonsoir. Yeah, Bonsoir, Monsieur. Monsieur Alex Lahore. I haven't taken French in forever. Wow. So Bonsoir, Monsieur Alex Lahore, let us start from the beginning. When did you journey as the Killer King truly begin and what has actually inspired you to step into Timber Sports?

5:32 You know what literally coming into MMA was literally just by luck. One of my friend saw a new club opening in in the area and he was like he was bothering me to go with him all the time. I don't know, I wasn't really feeling it, but I went with him one time and never looked back. I just enjoyed it. And yeah, I literally quit my job and just started doing that full time.

6:00 I just find I found like peace and freedom in in the sport, you know? So I just thought, yeah, let me just do that. So you did not choose much arts, Much arts chose you. Exactly, Yeah. Interesting. Wow, that's amazing. Yeah, we're actually talking earlier. We're mentioning to each other before this call how the most aligned experiences, sometimes they come randomly or they come by luck. So that's actually amazing.

6:33 It's kind of the same situation. You didn't know. There was no way you could have seen that that was going to be such a massive part of your life. You just kind of fell into it. It sounds we know that you represent multiple nations right now, France, the UK, Africa. How does that? Free nation, not multiple Free nation we've got. Free multiple.

6:56 We've got, we've got to be Well, yeah, we've got to be precise, OK. Because they're not any, because they're not any nation. They're not any nation. They're. Bro, you know, you represent Nigeria as well. You represent Nigeria as well. I was born. I was born in France. Let me raise the flag. Let me raise the flag, brother.

7:19 You represent us as well bro. Yeah, yeah. And then obviously I, I, I, I am originally from the Ivory Coast. My parents are from the Ivory Coast. Obviously they migrated from Ivory Coast to France and then I migrated to the to the UK. So I live in London. I've been living there since 2005. S them free country made me. So like I said, I walked, I walked into a gym in the UK, I wasn't doing no MMA when I was in France. My background in Ivory Coast gave me my physical abilities. So yeah, the whole 3 made the Killer King, you know? So that's why I have to represent the three countries. But yeah, we also represent Africa. We represent Palestine.

8:10 You know, we about, we about the, the, the, you know, the real people, the good people. We want peace on, on, on earth. We want, you know, good people, happiness and just evolution moving forward. It sounds like. You've proved us correct. You've proved us correct. It sounds like peace is one of the main themes that you've taken from being part of so many different cultures.

8:37 Has there been any other identities or any other mindsets that have really sat in that you think have been because of you're from several different nations, so you represent so many different types of people? Yeah, obviously me being from three different, you know, background has made me understand people a lot. You know, different cultures, different way of talking, different way of communicating.

9:06 You can say certain things in certain places and they would not take it the same as a different place. So yeah, me travelling and being in, well, every day, I'm always either speaking French or speaking English. So it's like I've learned to kind of be in the middle and understand people more. So yeah.

9:27 Wow, French Monsieur. Monsieur, I'd love for you to teach us something in French, but before you. Useful in me. Yeah, I am the best. Well, I love that. I love that. So you are the best in combat sports. We are the best at podcasted. So take it or just take it or you take it. So you know Max Holloway in the UFC, say something. In order to be the best, you have to be to the best and the best is blessed.

10:00 So what has been the biggest challenge early on on your journey to becoming the best? You know, you're faced with self doubt. You know your environment, you know discipline that is required to stay consistent. But for you on your own journey, what has been the biggest challenge on that journey to becoming the best?

10:23 Just to be fair, biggest challenge was consistency, man. Being able to stay consistent. Obviously being able to find yourself while being consistent. Yeah, actually doing it, that was the hardest thing right now for me. It's more of a lifestyle now but at the start it was really difficult. I had to work and train and you know it was, it was very difficult at the start.

10:53 Now it's more of a lifestyle. I coach, I, I obviously I trained myself and I obviously compete. So it's all, it's all in one, it's all together, it's all I do and I'm enjoying it. That's awesome. So I know you self trained and you're self-made and you really have to find. AI have a team. I have people that are trained with.

11:18 I have guys that I work with, but obviously everyone's got the part. So I've got someone for the striking, I've got someone for the wrestling, I've got someone for the jiu jitsu, I've got someone for the conditioning, I've got someone for like the massage, fitness or steel physio. So I've got a team, but I chose the team which put them all together.

11:39 When you were first starting out kind of first building that team, maybe it was just you and a trainer or you just by yourself in a gym. Did you have a defining moment where you thought, I can actually do this, I can actually do this for real. I can do this professionally. I can build that team. I can do that.

11:58 Yeah, yeah. So from the start, when I first started, obviously I was, I went to the local gym that said my friend, you know, took me. So it was a team. So there was loads of people training there and stuff. And then after maybe a year, well after, sorry, after 2-3 months, they asked me if I wanted to compete on an amateur show as I obviously I said yes and I competed and you know, I saw like how it works, obviously the fighting, the ticket sales, the crowd and I just, yeah, I just thought there's a big potential in this, not just in fighting, but in everything else. At the time it wasn't legal in France. That's why I saw that straight away that obviously in France is not legal.

12:46 And I know they will be legalising it over there. So if I get onto it now, I'll be a step ahead from from everyone over there. So which is obviously happened, but now the difference is because I've started in the UK, the people in France, they don't know me and they, you know, they're always disrespecting me and, you know, talking about my losses and not actually, you know, considering what I've done, what I've achieved, you know, on like, like, like we said, with a, with a small team, with a small, small circle, for example, if I didn't, they're calling him a legend already.

13:28 I don't, I don't think he's done as much as what I've done is he doesn't have as many fights that have as many fighters I've got in. I think I've fought in bigger organisations, the name, more organisation, the name. I think I fought for titles more than him. So yeah, I should be called a legend too.

13:47 But the only thing that separates us is obviously he's 41 and I'm 35, obviously 36 soon. So yeah, that's the only thing that separate, separate us really is obviously the age and obviously the technical abilities. I think my technical abilities are way more rounded. I'm comfortable in more area than he is. We're going by from what we've seen online and through his fights.

14:17 And yeah, we're we're happy, we're confident, and we're looking forward to it. Oh, you were actually about to test it. And to, to, to be honest, in MMA, a record of 26 and 11 is super impressive. You've got more wins than losses, even if your losses are multiplied by two. So we, we see the likes of Charles Olivera, for example, he's a legend.

14:45 And of course he he's got a lot of losses under the belt. The losses actually are not just losses, they're lessons, right? Yeah, the lessons and people, people are very faecal minded. I have trained combat sports and I know why I did not GoPro right. So I have a very big respect for humans like yourself who are brave enough to you to this.

15:10 Yeah. Yeah, it's. Not it's a life choice. You know, you've got to put your life into it to get to that, to that top level, otherwise you won't be able to do it. It's hard work. Every day is, yeah, ups and downs, injuries, sometimes not being able to do certain things. And obviously sometimes you want to fight, but you can't get a fight.

15:35 Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot for the mind, for the body, for the soul. It's I just love the whole, the whole, the whole martial arts, the whole MMA kind of, you know, the, the lifestyle it replicates, it replicates real life a lot. You know, there's so many, there's so many things from yeah, so there's so many things from MMA that you can take and use in your everyday life, you know, throughout the training. Absolutely.

16:05 You know, I, I love the fact that you, you speak about mindsets, right? And when you look at the title of this podcast, it's called the Kingdom's podcast, Growth mindset, leadership, AI and business insights. That is what we are about and the philosophy that will hold very dearly on this broadcasters mindset skill set, tool set, right? And we know, thank you very much Sir, that we, we know that MMA is a physical game or what a lot of people do not realise is it's a festival, the mental game, right? And your nickname, the Killer King, it carries a lot of power, but what does it really mean to you? Like, what does it really mean?

16:45 Is it about the dominance, the mindset, or something deeper? The Killer King is just a fight, a fight name really is how I approach my fight. So that's my persona as a fighter. So when when I come into competition into my Killer King persona, it's destruction. It's obviously with runner and control.

17:12 As you can see on my Instagram, I call myself the king of control violence. We do the violence at the highest level in every department, you know, wrestling, jujitsu and striking. So that's the if you. If you feel like you, you run my mind. You run my mind. If you have any hopes, if you have any hopes on doing anything, do not compete against the killer King because it will kill your dream.

17:41 It will kill your dream. So if you if you thinking of for example, getting a third belt, don't try and do that against the killer King because in game over already. You know what, anybody whoever thinks of fighting you, even in their dreams, they should wake up and come apologise. Because. Because that dream is dead on arrival. But I, I like to put, I like to put MMA guys on the sport. Of course, I feel like the top three skills, you know, we talk about the mindset and let's talk about the skill set. The top three skills you require for success in MMA, in my opinion, are wrestling at the grappling wishes, jiu jitsu and striking.

18:30 I feel like the best form of striking is Muay Thai. Yeah. What's your what's your opinion? Yeah. What's like the top three in in? Your Yeah, that's what I do. That's my favourite. Muay Thai is my favourite out of all the arts. I like the violence of it. Elbows, knees, high kicks and. The art of the atriums. The art of the atriums.

18:49 I'll give it over to my Co host. Yeah, that's my, that's my my favourite. But yeah, for me, I feel like if you do an MMA, you should have a good healthy Muay Thai or boxing is OK. But if you have a good Muay Thai, you're good. If you have a good wrestling offence or defence or both, you're good. And if you have a good jiu jitsu, you're also good.

19:17 But the main, main, main thing I feel is the conditioning, because if you're tired, all your your skills goes away. So yeah, that's that's the the hardest bit I would say for in MMA is the fitness, you know, being able people don't people don't really feel it or understand it because you have to do it to feel it. Because people don't realise how much energy takes to go from striking into grabbing someone and then into, back into striking and then into takedown and then into jiu jitsu and then back into that's crazy like cardio, like battle of energy, you know?

19:59 So yeah, it's important for me to mention that that conditioning for me is the number one thing to to, to make sure you have, you know. Well appreciated. So it sounds like anyone who gets into the ring with you, anyone who's around you should turn around and just go back home, right? It sounds like you're definitely. A winner if.

20:28 You're a killer. If you're on the wrong side, if you're on a good side, you're OK, you can roll. But if you're on the wrong side, then yeah, it's difficult. And it was obviously, obviously it's a road to get there and you've had to face some sort of loss at some point. Even if you are in a phase of being an absolute monster killer, someone that no one should ever come close to.

20:53 How do you usually or how did you mentally reset after a loss in order to get to the point of being a consistent winner like you are? So dealing with a loss is first of all you've got as an athlete, you've got to understand that you can't win them all and losing is part of the sport. Obviously we want, we all want to win them all.

21:18 There's guys that win them all and beating like Jon Jones for example. But I have one in a million, you know. So from the losses what I did was obviously look at the mistake I made and then went back into training. They just motivated me. They motivated me to do better, to carry on, to be consistent.

21:40 And also the main motivation is the haters. When you get the haters costing you every day, then you use that to go back to training and to get even stronger and better so next time you can shut the haters up. So yeah, you've got to use everything that's around you to become the best version of yourself.

22:00 I. Love that. That's amazing, yeah. Yeah. Do you have any type of faith or spirituality that plays in your journey or anything you do before you step into a fight that you go through at all? That's my everyday thing. That's my number one thing. I am a Muslim man for I I, I follow Islam, so that's number one for me.

22:28 Without, like we say, without God, we wouldn't have been here Is everything is from God that he's like I said, I'd never, if you ask me or like when I was maybe 10 or 11 was you going to do, are you going to do MMA when you get older? I would have never chose MMA. I would have said football or I would have said, yeah, I was mostly said football, never thinking about boxing or kickboxing or MMA or anything like that. So yeah, the journey, I just take it as you come, my whole life has been that, you know, my life has been so different than most of the people in the world.

23:08 Obviously I'm a lonely child, so I don't have no siblings, Big Brothers or little sisters or little. Yeah, I've got, but I've got a big family. I've got a big family, loads of cousins. I've got step brothers though, on my dad's side. They were in Africa. No, no, some of them are in France as well and in the UK. But yeah, done everything, you know, with the power of God. The reason why I'm still here today is because of God. He has a plan for me.

23:40 I don't know what the plan is, but I'm just driving and keep going forward. That's it. That's awesome. That's awesome. I think AI is going to talk about maybe some daily excellence and some things that you do every day just to remain as excellent as you are. So go ahead, AI. Brother Salaam Alaikum. Alaikum Salaam.

24:08 It's, it's, it's, it's great that you're a person of faith. I'm a Christian, but I also, you know, very much respect the, the Islamic faith. I've read the whole of my own faith scriptures and of course I've read on, you know, some parts of the Quran and I understand like the whole 5 pillars of Islam, you know? From the.

24:26 Hajj to the Salah to, you know, even the arms given, which is a cut, right? And of course, confession of faith. What do you call it again? I've forgotten technical names. And of course that I think that the very last one is you have the pilgrimage as well. It is wonderful to see, you know, Christians and Muslims come together and understand that there's only one God and believe in the higher power and the higher purpose, right?

25:00 So very much respect to you. And of course, you know, you were talking about God's plan for your life, that there's a part of the Bible that says his plans for us out of good and not of evil and to give unto us unexpected. And you know, so brother, God has great plans for you and we actually wish you, you know, very, very well and of course wish you success in like all of your future endeavours, you know, and Speaking of excellent, Thank you.

25:26 You're welcome. I've only said it on this podcast that people don't relate to perfection. They relate to excellence. And it's really beautiful that you are a person of excellence and not just a person of excellence. You are authentic. You're you're unfiltered. You're Roy. You are who you are and unapologetic about who you are, you know? Yeah, but that's a big problem.

25:50 People don't like it. That that is your problem. That is your problem. Even though what I've done is incredible. Brother, I'll, I'll tell you this, I'll tell you this, right? Take it, take a £50 note, right? Take a £50 note, put it on the ground, step on it, put it in a mud, rumble it or take it to the shop.

26:11 That £50 note will buy the same thing that a creased £50 note will buy, right? Yeah, yeah. Good, so you are that £50 note that has been, you know, robbed boy. It doesn't tarnish your value. Yeah, exactly. Determined by what people say. Your value is determined by what God says. I mean. You get it.

26:31 So you know the the fight game actually determined. It demands like a mix of fear and focus. Or how do you channel both when you walk out to face another warrior? Because this is not an untrained person. You're fighting another warrior and like how to you stay motivated, you know, with that hunger for excellence. And I also like for you to weave in, you know, as a Big Brother guy or you are a veteran, you are a legend. And I love for you to provide advice to, you know, the young generation of athletes as well.

27:06 Yeah, I'm, I'm literally very up for that. That's what I said. When I finish my career, I will definitely still be in the martial arts, obviously managing, coaching and doing a whole lot as obviously sharing my knowledge to the younger generation. Yeah, just passing on the words. I've got my son who's three years old. He's going to be 4 on Fight Night so. Happy birthday.

27:32 Friends, he's already he's already training and he's enjoying it and The thing is that I didn't even make him right. Literally, I just, I just obviously I'd take him to training with me sometimes and and a lot I'd take him with me and yeah, it's just a natural. It's just a natural. He enjoys it and you know, I don't even force him to do it. So yeah, again.

27:59 The power of Ethan by example. Yeah, exactly. The the God's God's will, man. I didn't, I didn't really, you know, make him want to fight or train. Interesting stuff. You said God's will. There's something you guys say in Islam, Mashallah, meaning God has, God has wielded. So if God has wielded for your son to be a fighter, I guess he definitely will find that calling. And as a veteran fighter, like, how has your training philosophy evolved over the years?

28:35 Say that again, sorry. OK, I said there's something you guys say in in Islam, right Mashallah and Mashallah means God has God has wield it. So how has it changed over the years? So really I've always been like, I've always been training smart, like literally using the word as it sound, as it, as it what it means, you know, training.

29:00 So for me, it's always been training. Even when I go into the gym, I'm training, I'm not competing with my my training partner. And that's one thing that most of the fighters don't do. They compete with each other in the gym when really there should be training in the gym, which mean learning new skill, understanding what you're doing, comprehending what works, what don't works, what don't work.

29:29 Sorry. And yeah, the whole thing. So the whole aspect of what we're doing, so the whole aspect of fighting so and there's so much things. So I don't that's why I sometimes I don't get when I see people coming into MMA and then after three years they're in the UFC and then they get black belt and I'm like, what we talking about? I've been doing this for 10 years. This guy definitely if you put this guy in front of me, he's not a black belt.

30:00 You know, like there's so much things, but everything is changed now. Martial art is a little bit, I'll say the real roots of martial arts are a little bit dying due to the social media stuff, money. Everyone wants to be like, you know, like I said, people are not black belt level and they're getting given black belt level.

30:24 You know, they're getting given black belts and stuff like that just because of their name or where they compete, not because of the art. So yeah, it's something that I'm not involved in. You know, I like the real roots. That's why I've been doing jiu jitsu for over maybe I think 10 years now. And I literally just got my brand belt the other day. Why?

30:48 Because I don't put the gear enough for me to feel like I'm a black belt. You need to be able to use the gear to comprehend the gear properly. Most of the guys who have a black belt in MMA, if you put them in the gear, they don't know what to do. So yeah, for me, I try. I like to keep things real.

31:09 So regarding my training, the way I train is I make sure that every day when I leave the gym I've learned something new or I've improved on something that I wasn't, you know, good at before. Or I always go in with not all, but I always go in with a plan of training for the day. And for our audience who might not know, I know you say they don't know what or they don't have proper practise of the Gee, what does that mean? The.

31:40 Gee and no Gee. Yeah, I was, I was. I was going to touch on that before you talk about it. I'm the bachelor artist here, you know, between me and my Co host and I'm going to put you on the sport, right? So Gee and no Gee jiu jitsu, right. The Gee is like that white coat. That looks like a oh, OK, OK, OK. Fight it.

32:00 And kimono, yeah, yeah, that that kimono just so that the name man understands, right. And traditionally you'd need to get the ghee that's the traditional jiu jitsu. But you also have the non traditional jiu jitsu, which is the no ghee, right? And no ghee, for example, what you have with GFCBJJ that is going on right now, right?

32:22 And The thing is, no key competitions have actually come to stay right, even though that is not the traditional. So are you like against the new school in which you have black belts in Noogi And of course, you still have the black belts, the ghee black belts. So I'll, I'll love for you to differentiate and of course talk about it, speak to it.

32:46 Yeah. So I feel like obviously the Noogi is the the different game. It's so there's so much that you can do in the nogi because there's not the grabbing. So the body is free. It's all about yourself if you are. Sorry to interrupt you. Sorry to interrupt you but I I feel like the Nogi 1 is what is more applicable in MMA. The crash yeah, yeah of.

33:12 Course. Well, you don't. You're not of. Course. Yeah, of course the nogi is is much better for the for MMA. But for understanding the basic, understanding what you're doing and understanding what jiu jitsu is, you have to put the ghee on. You have to comprehend what jiu jitsu is by putting the ghee on.

33:32 Obviously no ghee Jiu jitsu is more for obviously MMA and you know, to be a bit loose. It's a different style, like I said, with without the without the ghee, it's more of a personal thing where if you're more flexible, if you're faster, if you're, you know, I don't know. Yeah, like that's a more flexible, faster, better gene.

33:59 You can always. Find basically. Yeah, you can always find a way out. But with jiu jitsu is 100% technical. You can be strong, you can be, you can be flexible, you can be whatever. But the GI always stays the same, the grips are always the same. So if you don't understand what grip to do at the right time, when to move, what to move, what to block, what to not block, then you're not going anywhere. You can be the strongest person you want. If you don't have the right skill, there's nothing you can do.

34:30 But in in nogi, you can everything. You can explode out. You can find a way out. If you're flexible, you can get your legs over. There's so much you can do. So yeah, that that's how I see it. For me, it's it's just different. And This is why even more I don't understand when people are getting given a black belt and you never wear the gear. So you're going to, you don't wear the gear, but then you're going to get a black belt and no gear. It's crazy because no GI's got so much more than GI, you know? So like for me it's just, yeah, so I don't get it. But everyone is allowed to do whatever they want. And this is my mindset.

35:11 This is how I see things. Obviously I've been in a game from a long time now, consistent as well. So yeah, I feel like I'm allowed to, you know, put out an advice from someone that's been in the game for that long. So walk us through like your perfect fight camp, like what it looks like when you're leading up to a major event.

35:37 Perfect fight Camden Never exist. Me that don't exist. There's always something. The life of a fighter. You always have a little niggo, you always have a little thing. You've got stuff outside of fighting that's made that might be bothering you. Life of a fighter and a training camp. It's yeah, it's something, it's a battle.

35:57 It's a fight in itself. That's why it's such a good relief. Once you've jumped on the scale and made weight and you know that it's Fight Night tomorrow. It's like finally all the hard work, everything, sacrifice dieting, all that stuff that's done now and just go and join the fight now. Right. So the training itself doesn't really matter because at some point there's going to be some factor either inside of the training or outside of the training that's going to throw you off anyway and you just have to deal with it.

36:30 Yeah. It's really just about getting the training done. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's all about training, the training, getting the training done, obviously accordingly to your opponent. Yeah, that's it. Just keep turning up. Work that game plan that you have with your team and then just, yeah, just go and put it in place on Fight Night.

36:52 It's easier said than done, but yeah, it's all about that consistency and that hard work. Show up and show out, right? So like, how do you balance the mental aspects and you know, the physical conditioning? So balancing the mental and the physical, that's that's, that's the difficult part. But I feel like it's important to talk to yourself.

37:19 It's important to get advice from people who are where you want to be. It's important to have a good team around. And yeah, I think that's, yeah, that's the only for me. What gets me going is actually doing what's need to be done. If you know you've trained your hardest at the best you can do, there's nothing else we can do.

37:49 So doubtful give you that confidence to not, you know, doubt yourself because you gave it all you couldn't have done anymore. So for me that that that's what gets my mind going. So what's your most underrated skill that separates good fighters from great ones? Or you know, a loser to you like what's the one skill or like what's a secret sauce that maybe you have or the greatest fighters have that separates you?

38:24 What separate the greatest fighters like me and you know, the rest of the great ones is that we have a natural fighting instinct. So we do things without knowing, but it's the right thing. You know, there's people who do things instantly and then, Oh no, that was the wrong move to go for us. It's automatically the right thing. It's it's something that, you know, like we was talking about earlier, it's a God-given ability. I don't, I never decided to be like that. I can't even train that.

38:55 All I can do is just train what I know and just repeat it and just hope he comes out in the fight. What do you call that fight IQ? Because, you know, in the MMA circle, there's a lot of talk about. No, it's not the same. It's not the same as Fight IQ. Fight IQ is something totally different. Fight IQ is understanding what to do in the fight.

39:20 What I was talking about is fighting instant when your body just reacts automatically to save you. So yeah, don't you? Think that that that closely linked because you talk about. Are there two different things because. I, I, I'm separating the fight and IQ, right? When you talk about IQ naturally, OK, intellectual caution, right?

39:44 You see that there are people who become good drivers even without going to driving school. They work with that instinct. There are people who are. Going out. So that's what I'm saying. Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. There's people who can be in the gym and train and do, but then when it comes to Fight Night, they fight. They don't have the natural Ike, but they're the best in the gym, you know?

40:06 And there's guys who are not the best in the gym, they get beaten up, but when they go into the fight it's like, oh, something else. Because now it's like live or die. So something else comes up. That's what you. Think, I think that that has to do with fear. I think so. Most probably fear or just the will.

40:28 I'll say fear and the will to win also Yeah. Or will to not get beaten up? Right. Yeah. That, that, that's great. That that's crazy. You know, we've had some guys come from do our promotions into the UFC lately. Case in point, patchy mix, I don't like what has happened with the likes of patchy mix and was the other guy Patricia or people? So it's fighting, but you go step up into a bigger promotion and it feels like you're freezing. So what you talking about about guys who are very good in the team who are naturally good, not going out on Fight Night and freezing.

41:14 And you know, my Co host talked about the fear. So I I think the fear factor is also a thing, But what do you think is actually beautiful to these recent, you know, step UPS from PFL Bellator guys going to the UFC and not being the killers that we used to know them as from like the lower promotions when they were fighting because they still ever made you fighting. Yeah.

41:39 So what what would you attribute to that to? Is it also like the fear factor or maybe they've been overwhelmed by stepping up to like a bigger promotion? For me, I would love to to, yeah, to carry on. You're asking if I'm if I want to if I like to go to a bigger promotion? No. No, no, I'm saying that these guys, we've seen these guys come in from Bellator BFL right into the BFC, right, in recent times and not putting in good performances, right?

42:08 So what happens? You know, as a fighter, you have that mentality of the fighter, you have that killer mentality, right? And we saw these guys, they were killers from Bellator, from PFL, but step into the AFC is a big step up and it's like they freeze and they are not able to replicate those performances. We've seen you from Cage Warriors, you know, come to grave and you're still performing. But what happens when these guys change promotions and they're not able to replicate that level of excellence they used to showcase?

42:36 It's just the, it's just the level of, it's just the level of fighters in the show really. You know, you can come from, for example, the level of fighters on obviously Kedrus. I haven't fought on Kedrus since maybe 2018. I was on Octagon before coming to Brave, so yeah, it's that's what that's what sometimes you're in, you're in an organisation and you're at the top of the organisation.

43:01 You're one of the best fighters and you go to another organisation. And then there's the level of fighting is different. You got guys from different places and yeah, you might not feel yourself there and it's part of the game. You can you just go, yeah, adapt yourself and just know what's what you're good at and what you're not good at and where you can go and just be real with yourself, really. Interesting, so I'll give it over to you the my Co host to quiz your what what she bigs about what I say these common cart.

43:41 It's a very special one. Breathe CF 100. That's a milestone. That is a milestone that you're part of it. Obviously this event, it marks a very proud moment with not just you, but for African athletes on the card. What does this representation mean to you personally? So brave. CF100 It marks a super proud moment not just with you, but four different African African athletes on the card.

44:18 What does that representation mean to you personally, and how do you handle the pressure of representing an entire continent in front of the entire world? For me, it's not pressure. It's what I do. That's what I want to do. That's why we're the crown, you know? That's why I put it out there. I want to push this sport to my, you know, follow country of Ivory Coast.

44:45 So, you know, guys can leave off the sport, you know, just like how I leave off the sport and, you know, by using my physical ability given by God. So I know I've got loads of cousins, step brothers, friends and lots of people who are in Africa who have better physical ability than me, but they don't have the facility, they don't have, you know, anything for them to get to it. So, you know, showing them that there's someone from the country who's doing it at the top and who also wants to share. It's not a pressure for me, it's more like a duty. So it drives me to do it like knowing that this is, you know, happening and you know, the opportunity is there. It's a motivation.

45:36 It's not a pressure. That's awesome. That's so awesome to hear. We're just going to do a quick fire around. AI is going to explain that, and then we'll wrap it up and let you go. I know you have to rest and recover. You got a lot going on. So yeah. No pressure makes diamonds, brother. So yeah, I was just. I was going to say.

45:59 That on the five pressure questions 5 pressure questions quick fire round fun and insightful. So just give the most authentic and quick answer you can keep. Are you ready to? Rumble, let's go. Let's go, brother. So the very first question, your walk out song before a title fight, what is that going to be?

46:22 I don't have a special workout walkout song, I just choose on the moment so I don't know yet. You'll have to see on the night. OK, who's the toughest opponent you've ever faced? The toughest opponent I've ever faced, I think it was some guy called Carlos Vemola, because he was full of everything, every possible possible performance, announcement stuff.

46:51 Wow, he was just up, you know, so while. You can watch the fight, it's on YouTube. OK, he's. David's Carlos Vemola OK, the five round title fight, but this guy is like, he doesn't look, he's not human. Superhuman. I'll I'll, I'll watch it. I'll give a feedback. So what's one African dish you cannot live without?

47:15 Of course, the official Ivorian dish, which is called the acheke. You know, actually what is it made out out of? Cassava. Wow. Cassava. There is cassava drained up, dried up and then like turned into like a couscous kind of thing. And we eat that with fish. We eat that with plantain. We eat that with grilled chicken and a bit of like spicy stuff.

47:42 It's it's it's a traditional Ivorian food. Yeah. We have something like that in Nigeria called Gary. Gary Yeah, yeah, it's a bit similar, yeah. Cool, cool. That sounds really good. What are three words that describe your mindset going into Brave? CF 103 words. 03 words. I've got more than three, but purpose, faith and peace. I love that purpose.

48:19 Favourite. Calm before the storm, calm before the storm. I love that. And of course, finish the sentence. A true champion is on dash. Who shows the example? A true champion is the one that shows the example so people can look at him and say I want to be a champion like him. I love that because there's something I've said on the podcast before, what is important is not the example of your power or the power of your example.

48:51 And you know, I love that you love to lead by example from me and of course my Co host. It's a very, very big thank you to you. Of course, when a person shares their time with you, they share their life with you. And the Sr uniform version in life is time. So love and respect to you brother. And of course, we wish you the very best in your title fight.

49:10 And of course over to my brilliant and beautiful Co host Doyle Arouk. Yeah, I just want to thank you for your time and your energy and everything you do just to represent all the people like you, the entire all of the cultures that you represent, not just representing a man of faith, a man of purpose, a man of drive, a man of excellence.

49:32 It just shows the impact that your longevity is going to make for generations to generations. When you look at your son and he is looking up to you, just know that it's not even obviously not just him. It's the ripple effect of your greatness, of your strive, of your resilience and of your ability to never give up on the purpose that God has over you reaches much farther than you can even imagine right now.

50:01 So I just, we're just so happy to have you and I just really greatly appreciate your time. Really greatly appreciate getting to know you and meeting you and understanding the killer and who you actually are. What makes you you. Just thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. That.

50:21 Was great words we. Love you, we love you appreciate you. We want you to give us a quick shout out, right? Just quickly tell people why they should listen to the podcast. You know what you love about the podcast real quick in just one minute podcast. And of course, you know, like talk about brief CF you know that people should watch the.

50:40 Yeah, so. Just that shout out thing, yeah. What is the post podcast called again? AI. No, that's your. Name the Kingdom The Kingdom's podcast. The Kingdom's podcast. Oh kingdoms. The Kingdom. The Kingdom. Kingdom. Dems Dames King Dames podcast. OK, Kingdom Kingdom podcast. Yeah, the King games.

51:02 Podcast, you know, I just, I'm just going to just, yeah, just talk about how my experience. So I feel like this podcast is great because we talk about real stuff. We talk about stuff that are important. We talk about stuff that are human. So for me, it's very important nowadays because of all the virtual stuff, the AI, the stuff like that.

51:22 We slowly losing our realness, our human side. You know, everyone is using technology now to do everything. So yeah, having a podcast like your podcast with real humans talking about real stuff, it's it's great. So I recommend people to listen to it and to even come on it if you if you can. Thank you very much brother.

51:51 We appreciate the and of course your fight November 7th, yes, for ACF 100 guys go TuneIn and of course we watch the killer king take on the throne rightfully from us. It's love and respect. And of course, from a Noel Abouk. Yeah, I just want to thank you again. Thank you so much. We wish you so much luck. Just blessings over you and your family or your training and your healing and everything over your body for this fight. We're just so grateful to have you on here, and we wish you nothing but the best.

52:25 We want you to come home with a win. So that's all I have to say. Go grab this for you brother. God bless.