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Welcome to another episode of Fitz Nation as I sit down with Brazil's Caio Borralho!
Caio takes us through his evolution as a Fighting Nerd, revealing how he transformed his fear of confrontation into a badge of honor. With raw honesty, he discusses the importance of maintaining his authentic self amidst the glamour and brutality of MMA. This is a captivating insight into the mind of a fighter who views pressure not as a burden, but as a privilege.
In the final segment, Kyo delves into a less violent battle - the daunting journey of fatherhood and how his faith played a major role in navigating the uncertainties of becoming a father. He also shares his profound appreciation for Sao Paulo, a city that has given him so much and instilled in him a hardworking attitude. As he passionately discusses his ambition to become a world champion in the next five years, you can't help but feel inspired by this Fighting Nerd's cerebral approach to MMA. This episode is a treasure trove of insights, making it an absolute must for any MMA enthusiast wanting to understand the sport beyond the cage!
Fitz Nation on YouTube
Fitz Nation on UFC Fight Pass
Fitz Nation merch
Welcome to another episode of Fitz Nation as I sit down with Brazil's Caio Borralho!
Caio takes us through his evolution as a Fighting Nerd, revealing how he transformed his fear of confrontation into a badge of honor. With raw honesty, he discusses the importance of maintaining his authentic self amidst the glamour and brutality of MMA. This is a captivating insight into the mind of a fighter who views pressure not as a burden, but as a privilege.
In the final segment, Kyo delves into a less violent battle - the daunting journey of fatherhood and how his faith played a major role in navigating the uncertainties of becoming a father. He also shares his profound appreciation for Sao Paulo, a city that has given him so much and instilled in him a hardworking attitude. As he passionately discusses his ambition to become a world champion in the next five years, you can't help but feel inspired by this Fighting Nerd's cerebral approach to MMA. This episode is a treasure trove of insights, making it an absolute must for any MMA enthusiast wanting to understand the sport beyond the cage!
Kyo Bohalho is on my show. How are you doing? How are you, kyo? I'm very good. You know you have one of those names that, even though I know how to say it, it's still tough to pronounce. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, how do you say it? Bohalho, bohalho, yeah, bohalho. It's like the L.
Speaker 2:Claudia Gadelia, the L is the thing, the same thing. Yeah, we're Brazilian, we like these kind of names.
Speaker 1:you know All right, and what a big honor. And Kyo just told me that this is his first podcast interview in English. Yeah, exactly, it's like I was excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, thanks for doing that for me. Thank you, oh, hold on.
Speaker 1:I have to. I also check this out.
Speaker 2:Oh, this guy's no thanks, we are ready for the Fighting Nerd, let's go. That was awesome. You're kind of like the leader of the Fighting Nerds.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, yeah, how did you guys come up?
Speaker 2:with that name. Actually, it was my coach that came up with the name, because we've seen that in Brazil we were different from the other fighters, you know, like the way we behave, the way we approach the fighting game, like studying. We even studied where to put your head to get more power on the punch, like distance control, and we keep studying all this. And then there was a day that he came to me and was like, oh, let's do this team and I have two names. The first name is MMA Big Riders.
Speaker 1:MMA Big Riders.
Speaker 2:Riders, yeah, and why is that name? Because we were always searching for the harder training. Like there's a good guy over there, ok, we're going to train with that guy. So, big Riders, you know, the guy that goes surfing and get the big one.
Speaker 1:Yeah sure, big Wave Riders.
Speaker 2:So that was the first choice, and then the second was the fighting nerds, because we have a bunch of nerds that study fight all the time. We only watch fights all the time. We like anime, we like chess, we like all this, so why not? And then I think we got fighting nerds after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's stuck. Yeah, there's a little more range to it.
Speaker 2:It's kind of you know the fighting, all the aspects of fighting, and the nerd. There's kind of a little bit different. So it just come up with all together Two words.
Speaker 1:You can say what it's about Fighting nerds.
Speaker 2:That's easy.
Speaker 1:The fighting wave riders or the big riders. You've got to explain it and whatever. And nerds is something that everyone can relate to because they all went to high school or some level of school or something like that. And I've got to say like when I saw you guys put these glasses on, dana, I was like this is going to be fun. You guys got a good thing going. People wear the patty wigs right when it's time for a patty the baddie fight and it's a fun atmosphere. People are starting to wear pink hair for Sean O'Malley. This is dollar store. Put some tape on it.
Speaker 2:Glasses Everybody can be a fan of the fighting nerds. Good marketing yeah, that's really good. It was my coach idea actually. He's very smart on that.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, Kyle. What's your background down in Brazil, Like how did you get to be a fighter?
Speaker 2:So I started judo at six years old. When I was six, I was a kid full of energy and my mom was like I need to figure out what to do with this kid. And then she heard that had a good sensei over there that was very disciplined. And then she tried. And here I am. I started with six years old. I competed on judo my entire life until I was like 19. So I'm turning around there.
Speaker 2:And then I started jujitsu. And then I fell in love with the pride tapes and UFC tapes and all these. I fell in love and was like, oh, I want to do it. And then I started Muay Thai. I kind of was letting go of the judo stuff because I was putting my own money to compete. So I was like I got to make money on it. So I started jujitsu, Then Muay Thai. I did my first kickboxing I'm a two-fight and then after that I did my first MMA. I'm a two-fight and I'm from a small city in Brazil, San Luis Maranhão. It's Northwest Brazil. And then, after my first Hold, on You're from Northwest Brazil.
Speaker 2:Northwest Brazil yeah.
Speaker 1:So you're not from.
Speaker 2:Sao Paulo. No, no, no, I'm from.
Speaker 1:Maranhão. Yeah, so you're from a small. Ok, that's out in the jungle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly Over on the top, it's right on the side on Fortaleza.
Speaker 2:OK, fortaleza, yeah, I've been there, fortaleza is the city, ciara is the state, and then on the side we have Maranhão is the state and the city is San Luis, san Luis, and that's where you're from and that's where I'm from. And then I came to Sao Paulo back in 2014 to start to pursue in the dream to get into the UFC. I just had one amateur fight, so I started my career Almost all in Sao Paulo, okay, and I did some fights there and here we are.
Speaker 1:How did you grow up? The story with a lot of Brazilian athletes and fighters in particular is that they come from the Favellas, they come from nothing, very poor background, and then they kind of fight their way out and the ones that make it to the UFC. It can be quite life-changing. How did you grow up?
Speaker 2:No, I can't complain. You know my mom always working very hard to give me everything that I wanted. You know, she, she raised me very well. I, I didn't, I wasn't hungry, I didn't pass any of this of these things, you know, but it was a good life actually. Yeah, life, I'm small town. Yeah, I cannot be more thankful to my mom. You know, she put them into English class, you know, and school, good schools, and I was math and chemistry teacher before I was fighter.
Speaker 1:No way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what. That's why fighting nerds.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say there's more to it. Yeah, exactly, you are kind of an academic. Yeah, yeah, I was when did? You learn to speak English.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I started to do some, some English classes when I was 10, 11, 12, and then Suddenly I was talking already. You know yeah but the first time I got here in America was 2021 to do my photo shooting for Contended series. So it was the first time that was like okay, I can talk English, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean, you speak English phenomenally well, thank you, thank you. That is really you know cuz, like even even comparing you to other Brazilian fighters that I know that can speak English. It's like you're right up there, it's crazy that it just kind of started humbly as like a school subject, because I took Spanish I can't. I mean yeah, and it served you well, because now you're on this kind of global platform and speaking English will allow you to To go further.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I always know that there was going to be Very important for me to speak English. You know, all my tattoos are in English too, Because I knew when I get to the FC everybody would see my tattoos in English. They wouldn't understand the message behind it. You know so yeah, which?
Speaker 1:okay? Can you show the tattoo on your arm since this fight or die? Yeah, this is fighter fight or die. Okay, explain that one so.
Speaker 2:Like it's simple, like in life, we only have two options or we fight or we give up. You know, when we give up, you almost dying for this thing inside of you. You know, and I've been through a lot of injuries and a lot of surgeries. I did like three surgeries on my left Shoulder and I did two surgeries on my left knee, and it is a bunch of other surgeries and At this time I only had two options or fight and get better, or I give up, you know. So that's why I did this tattoo. Yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:So like die, like a piece inside of you die exactly if you're gonna give up in this one thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you give up a piece of your diet always. That's very true, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then the one on your neck.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is the free spirit. Okay, can you?
Speaker 1:show it to the camera. Free spirit, I mean, because that one I mean not a lot of people. I feel like you're doing, you're committing to a certain lifestyle when you get your neck tattoo yeah right like the arm. You can work in any office with that tattoo on your arm. With this one, yeah, you kind of got to be a good fighter. What is this one, though?
Speaker 2:free spirit so there was a time in my life that was very anxious. I'll have anxiety crisis, you know, like breath, no breath or anything, because of the injuries and all this and that and and there. Actually there's two messages behind. But and then there was a music that there was the only music that, when I heard it, calmed me down, and the name of the music was free spirit.
Speaker 2:It was a very good music from Khalid was a very good music. And the other thing is about I think I'm free spirit when I'm a side-dog, doing what I choose to do, what I love to do, and I think people needs to be more free spirit because at these times nowadays we have bunch of people in social media and we always try to be like this guy or like the other guy or like this girl and you're never gonna be like then. You know you need to be free spirit yourself, to be truly free With you. You know to be okay with yourself, you know. So that's the other kind of message that I have on this one how old are you?
Speaker 1:dirty. Where do you think your life perspective comes from? Because the fight or die meaning behind that is very true, but a lot of times it takes maturity and a lot of life perspective to get that and the free spirit to acknowledge that on the world of social media and Comparing ourselves to what's out there on our phones, as opposed to living the life we want to live takes a long time, but you seem to learn that by 30 years old. Where does that come from? I?
Speaker 2:Don't know, man. Actually I don't know.
Speaker 2:I've been through a lot of things in my life. You know, when I left my hometown to go to Sao Paulo Sao Paulo is a big city, just like New York to a very big city, and I'm a guy from northwest, from a small town, going there with one, I'm a true fight, trying to make a living on fighting. You know. So I think All the things that have been through my life made me think this way, made me a Harder person, you know, like more experienced it. You know no ego like I'm killing my ego every day, you know. So I think it's around there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what do you think the habits were as you were coming up like, like, why, with just one amateur fight from a small town, did you bet on yourself?
Speaker 2:Oh, this is something. This is something I need to prove something to myself. You know, because when I was young and there was a conflict like, oh, you and me going to brawl, let's go I always Got out. I was always afraid of it, afraid of any confrontation, you know, and I grew up with this in my mind. You know there was episodes that was Playing around with kids in the streets and that kids came to me oh, so now it's just you and me, let's go, you and me in front of everyone. And I just panicked and it was like, no, I'm not doing so.
Speaker 2:Imagine you grow up with this and everybody making fun of you. You know that you have faith, fear or this, and that maybe this grew Something really big inside of me, that I need to prove something to myself. You know, here I am fighting the best guys in the world kinking some ass. You know I'm proving to myself that I'm capable of, you know I'm capable of getting in any conflict. I'm capable of doing what I want to do, you know. So maybe that that will come from what do you recall?
Speaker 1:a switch Like, what was the switch that made you go from that Person to the person that wanted to prove something to yourself?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, when I was like 15, 16, and I started to be more serious about my judo career, that's when I was like, oh, I want to be something in the sport. You know At that time was judo. I wanted to be an Olympic judo. So when I didn't got it, I was like, no, I want to be something in some kind of sport.
Speaker 1:In combat sports. Yeah, in combat sports.
Speaker 2:I need to prove myself that I can't be in confrontation, you know, in become be, you know, strategic. So maybe that was the switch, I think 15, 16 years old. Then I started to train my ass off like crazy three, four, five trainings a day, trying to be someone. And then I did a switch to MMA and I was like, oh, I can't be good at it, you know. So I'm just going to need to prove it to everyone and to myself personally.
Speaker 1:What do you remember about when you're doing something really challenging, that you don't know if you're going to get to the other side or not, and then you do, like, what does that teach you? Like, what do you learn from that type of?
Speaker 2:experience. It's like it's teach me actually before, because you always feel fear of doing something, you know. But right after the fear, you have the best feelings in the world. You know, that's what I'm always thinking about when I go to the fight. Always, we all, always fight. We always have fear inside of us, but after the fear, the experience, after this, that's the best feelings in the world, even if you lose. Of course it sucks, but you did something that you were not supposed to do, you know. So that's what I keep thinking on my head all the time, like okay, after that I'll be thankful, after that I will thank myself you know, Like I cannot run away again from something that I don't want to do like a confrontation.
Speaker 2:You know I'm not a guy anymore, you know I'm not a kid anymore, so I just need to pass through it. And I know after the fear the best feelings will come, you know.
Speaker 1:But the fear still comes, it still comes.
Speaker 2:You need to overcome it?
Speaker 1:How do you explain that Like? How do you describe what it's like to do what you do and to acknowledge that fear?
Speaker 2:Man, it kills you inside of you. You know, Like, little by little, you know, but you need to overcome that. You know you choose to do it for your life. You know, Like I don't know if I can explain, but it's a mix of everything. You know Excited, fear, and you think good things and you think bad things and that's what makes you evolve. After all this I've done, you know, that's what I've been thinking all the time. I don't know if I'm making myself clear, but it's around that.
Speaker 1:Yeah well, it's something that I will never be able to relate to and a lot of fans won't be able to relate to, because a vast majority of us do not compete right in an MMA fight. Right, I might get the Geyon and roll around with somebody right, but to walk out with the world watching.
Speaker 1:I always find it intriguing to try to get you to describe what it's like you know, because it's like you can't really do it justice, I imagine. But it's interesting to just see how you choose to put it in the course, at the moment, nothing.
Speaker 2:I don't feel nothing For your fight coming up Like before.
Speaker 1:For sure, For sure.
Speaker 2:When I see the guy, the first, when I see the guy's fights to study him, I've got to be shaking. You know the first time I'm shaking. But I understand that this is my body preparing himself. You know, because we have fear in ourselves in a bad way, you know, in our mind, and it's not bad. The fear it's going to make you more powerful, you know more intelligent, you know more dangerous. That's the fear on you. They're going to make it, you know. You need to survive on it, you know. So I don't just push fear away. I like to feel it. I like to feel this inside my belly. You know, I like it.
Speaker 1:I like it.
Speaker 2:But it's definitely something that you need to learn how to live with it. You need to learn how to live with it Because, all the way, you're going to consume you a lot. So just go with the flow, you know. Just go with the flow and try to focus on the things that you have to do in this day, like right now I need to do this. Okay, after that, I need to do this. Be on the present, you know, because fear will reach your life if you're thinking about it all the time. So I just think about what I need to do right now. Oh, I need to do the marketing stuff. Okay, I'm good. Oh, now I need to cut away. So let's cut away. And now fighting, let's fight, you know, but at the moment that I'm walking, I don't feel anything. That's when I'm free spirit. I don't feel anything.
Speaker 1:When you're walking you don't feel any fear. No, no Cause, I've heard, for some fighters it's like the fear builds up until the referee says go, and then it all melts away. In the same way that when I was a young broadcaster, you would get nervous to a certain degree, depending on what level you're at in your career, until they say action. And then, once I'm on camera, there's no room for fear. I might as well just do a good job. Yeah, exactly, but for you it melts away before then. Yeah, before then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I go to the wings. The wings is always good for me, you know the face off no fear at all. And then I'm kind of start. Then I put myself like no, now I need to hydrate.
Speaker 1:You know so there's no time for fear.
Speaker 2:But some stuff keeps coming to your mind for sure. But the moment that I sleep and then wake up in another day, there's no fear anymore.
Speaker 1:There's nothing.
Speaker 2:actually there's nothing.
Speaker 1:No judgment, I just gotta imagine the day of the fight has gotta be really challenging. Like you're gonna fight in Sao Paulo, it's gonna be like midnight, so you're gonna wake up at like I don't know. Let's say you sleep in, you wake up at noon, right 11 am, so you can still be on point. Like it's a long time to wait around. We all know how tough it is to even wait around for a flight to go on vacation.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. So for you, how are you?
Speaker 1:feeling, with Sao Paulo coming up, knowing what it means to you. It's not an apex fight. It's not fighting in an arena in the US, like it's where you left home for and where you've called home for the last you know 10 plus years. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I fought five times in the apex already.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And only one fight that I got was in the Nha Bu Dabi Right. That was the big crowd Was full of energy, you know. Crowd. I love the vibe and everything, but everybody was cheering for the Muslim. You know, not for me. Now, this time in Brazil, you know, I'm so excited, like I have everything inside of me like fear. I'm full of fear, you know, like I'm fighting in front of my people with a good guy actually. So it all comes to me, but it's special for me, you know, because I know how Brazil fans they embrace you, you know, and they are there with you. They fight with you, you know, and I just cannot wait to have this walk out with my music on, you know, and everybody screaming my name and ooh vai morer, ooh vai morer. I think it will be an awesome moment, a moment that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Of course, I have a lot of fear on me, but for sure, after this fear, the best feeling is coming. You know, that's what I keep thinking about.
Speaker 1:Why do you think you've resonated with so many fans? Like, when I talked, I talked to Safe Sao downstairs. I said I'm going up to do a podcast. He said who are you talking to? I said Kaio and he said I love that guy. He said tell him. I said hi, I love that guy. Awesome, do you feel that? Yeah, like you have like as it prospect on the way up, you're not just another Brazilian prospect, like you kind of broken through a little bit. Why do you think that is?
Speaker 2:I think. I think it's. I understood the kind of product that I am, you know, and I sell myself as this product. There's no false. I'm not a false guy character, a character, you know, a false, you know I'm real. I think people feel that, you know, and people relate with the nerd thing. Everybody was a nerd something in school. Everybody got bullied in school sometime. So I think everybody relate to that. You know, I think to use this kind of platform that, you see, is you need to be a character, but you need to be true. You know, and I think people feel that that I'm true. I'm always talking to everybody, you know. I'm always being polite to everybody, so I feel the love from everyone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you're like an outward guy, Like you're not. You don't strike me as a nerd, aside from the glasses. Right, I would look at you and just be like you got a big smile, Like most nerds are introverted, maybe a little shy, maybe a little reserved, but you're the opposite and I would imagine you kind of just like learn to go through that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know what I mean. I don't know if it's consciously you know, maybe it's unconscious.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do so. So what are the biggest nerd qualities that you have outside of MMA? Like, why are you a real nerd?
Speaker 2:Like I was chemistry and math teacher.
Speaker 1:Chemistry and math teacher.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like anime, I like chess, you know, but I'm an MMA nerd, I think I'm most of it. I'm an MMA nerd, I like I watch almost all the fights, I study all the fights. All my possible opponents already studied them, you know. So I'm kind of nerd on MMA most of it. I have other things that. I'm into yeah you're in that realm of stuff right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but on MMA. I'm obsessed about this game. You know, I keep all that, I do, all that I consume, all that I do is about MMA. It's about this life you know, so I put myself all into it. Maybe that I'm an MMA nerd.
Speaker 1:When did you fight on Contenders' 2021?
Speaker 2:2021, yeah.
Speaker 1:So like what has it been like to be part of this, this blossoming team, cause you've been around at your team for a while, right, and all of a sudden the world gets to see, oh, who's this new team? And I would imagine for you guys, it's just like we're not new. Right, we've been doing this for a while. But what's it like now for you guys as a team, and you specifically, to see it starting to come to fruition? I would imagine like what you've visualized is like we could be the fighting nerds. We could put glasses on people. We can win a lot of fights with the best people in the world. What's it been like these last two years?
Speaker 2:It's been hell of a great great things happening. The first thing I think we feel proud of we are proud of ourselves cause we've been training for the past 10 years hiding in our gym back in Brazil, in our gym. Nobody knew us, and sometimes people oh, this nerd's the guy. Oh, this is the nerd guys, okay, don't leave them any attention.
Speaker 2:And now people started to oh, I wanted to be like these guys, I wanted to train on the fighting nerds that we receive tons of message from athletes from all over Brazil going to train with us, trying to train with us, and for us it's like a proud moment for me and my coach, Pablo. We're very proud for where we are at right now and I think we can build a lot of things still, you know.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of things that we still need to be doing. We have a ton of good, good, good athletes there. They have like three, four, five fights only, so I think it's just the beginning. When we got the first time here in Contender, we said this is the fighting nerd's takeover, and I think it's started right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, well, you've already put a few guys through Contender this year and then last year. I mean there's, you know, there's no denying you guys. Now is like a formidable group, are you? You're a coach too Like? Are you a corner? Are you mostly focused on?
Speaker 2:Yeah, most focused on my career. I don't like to you know mixture these things, you know, yes, tough. To mix these things up because of course sometimes I give, I give some classes there and I talk with all the athletes. I'm a kind of leader there, and so they all came to me to talk about technique or everything. But I don't like to be confused about what my part of on the team. You know, I like to be the student, I like to be the guy they're gonna learn most of the time not only teaching you know.
Speaker 2:So I have my coaches and I obey everything that they say you know, and I just wanna be the guy that is gonna learn, not only teach you know. So I don't like to mix things up.
Speaker 1:I'm an athlete from that team, that's all.
Speaker 2:Maybe I'm a leader. Yeah, I'm a leader, but I'm an athlete, I'm not a coach, you know.
Speaker 1:If it's so much about learning, what are some of the most recent things that you've learned? That, really, that you've ingrained Like not just not like MMA skills, but more like mindset skills.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's a ton of it, maybe the Like what's a recent thing that you've.
Speaker 2:You know that's kind of spoken to you, the one that I learned, and that's something that make me a little bit more calm about all the things that are coming into a fight game. So it's like pressure is a privilege, you know, for me this is the quote. You know Like cause the position that you are right now, everybody wants to be in that position. So you are a privileged guy to be in this position and this pressure that you feel is good, cause it's all about how you face it. If you face a pressure as a bad thing, it's gonna be a bad thing for you, it's gonna consume you. But I face it like a good thing, cause for me it's a privilege to be the position that I'm in right now A leader from the fighting areas, a UFC fighter.
Speaker 2:Everybody wants to be a UFC fighter. If you ask any of the kids growing up fighting, all of them gonna. They wanna say, oh, I wanna be a UFC fighter. So pressure is a privilege, you know. The other thing is that after fear, that's the best feelings in the world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good one. That's what I keep thinking. Whatever has fear brings with it the best feelings in the world after it?
Speaker 2:Exactly exactly. It's like you know, as long as it doesn't go south like, as long as you don't die from whatever you're fearful of, for sure, for sure, and you come out on the other side of that and most of what we face is no acute danger like that right, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:But that is something like whatever your fearful of chances are, it's gonna bring some pretty great feelings on the other side of it if you deal with it the right way. You just need to do the first step.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just need to have today.
Speaker 1:Outside of fighting. Can you think of an example in your life where it's like something that's quote unquote, fearful or something that kind of brings anxiety, but really if you face it you get on the other side of it? I don't know, some guys are nervous to get married right, and then it's just like walk up there, man, say your, I do's, and it's the best feeling in the world I just had a son Get in the cold tub.
Speaker 1:You're not gonna like it. But after you come out of that cold tub you'll be like this is why we do it, you know.
Speaker 2:I just had a son, you just turned one month Congratulations.
Speaker 1:One month. One month old.
Speaker 2:I didn't know he was that new he just turned one month old.
Speaker 1:Well, so that'll bring some fear. Yeah, exactly, want everything to go right Every time that I was thinking it's out of your hands.
Speaker 2:Every time I was thinking about the labor because my wife, she wanted normal.
Speaker 1:Sure yeah.
Speaker 2:Every time I think about it. I was like man.
Speaker 1:I don't wanna be there, you know.
Speaker 2:Like, come on, take me out of there. You know Was full of fear, full of fear. But then it came to my mind after the fear I'm gonna see him. You know, that would be the best feeling in the world. So I thought I wasn't going to see anything, but in the moment I was like that recording he was coming out. I was like, oh, he's coming, let's go, let's go. So you know, at the time was the best feeling in the world. But before that, before that, I was so anxious, full of fear, I didn't know how I was going to react, because people say that some daddy's faint at the time that the new boy is coming, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's a great experience. You know, it's a great experience to have a son, you know, and it's an adventure, and I'm ready to go into this adventure and start learning with him. You know, and you know, leave a lot of things together. Congratulations.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you, I have two sons. Two sons congratulations One, that's eight and one, that's one oh thank you, so I kinda know that, you know it's been a while, obviously, but that I can, you know, jive with you on the fear. It's a lot of anxiety, it's out of your hands completely. Yeah, and it is. It's the best feeling on the world of the other side. What an example.
Speaker 2:I'm glad you just got to experience that, you know. Thank you so much. That's when I put all my faith on God, you know, cause he controls everything. I have no power to do anything Like. I can do whatever I can to protect my child, but I won't be able to protect him 100%. That's when I put my faith on God. That's when I'm calmed down, you know.
Speaker 1:What UFC fighter or fighters do you think you've drawn from? As an MMA nerd, as you say, which fighter do you look at and you just go? That person really does this well.
Speaker 2:George St.
Speaker 1:Pierre GSP. Huh, yeah, that's the one pretty clear. Yeah, he came up with that answer pretty quick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was the fighting nerd.
Speaker 1:He was the fighting nerd, the original fighting nerd.
Speaker 2:He was the original fighting nerd. You know I learned a lot from this guy watching his fight. You know how he approached the fighting game, how he trained and everything you know. So I think the guy that I'm most seeing was him GSP and Conor.
Speaker 1:Conor too. Yeah, can you explain, conor? I don't disagree with you on his rise to prominence. Do you still think that Like?
Speaker 2:right now. Yeah, if he's gonna still.
Speaker 1:Like, do you still like hold him in admiration for the way that he's been fighting? I was more about technique.
Speaker 2:The technique, yeah, I was orthodox, and then I changed to softball watching him Because Conor yeah because Conor. Yeah, I tried and then I was like man, I need to be softball, I need to train softball. So I started training only softball for like years and years and now I'm more softball than orthodox, really. Yeah, because of him.
Speaker 1:Do you like power in your front hand, or have you learned to have more power in your back?
Speaker 2:I use both very good. Yeah, I use both Because when you're left handed you need to use your jab a lot, so then you can use your left hand properly. Because people that change to or they are softball, they only throw the left hand, they don't set up. So I need to set up with my front hand, my right hand, to then my left hand be mortal, right, right.
Speaker 1:So you're coming at it as a former orthodox. Your right hand is not a problem. You got that power and activity because you're used to that. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:And then you learn to back it up, exactly, exactly. You see my last opponent, the Michel Lecceciuk. He's a softball Bomb on his hand, but he doesn't use his front hand. So if you see the fight all the time that he throw the left hand, I saw everything Because he believed on his left hand. When you're softball. You need to have a good right hand to set up things. You are a nerd? Yeah, that's very well explained.
Speaker 1:I mean when you could sit in a chair and let me unravel a new skill set of the game you're doing your homework.
Speaker 2:Thank you, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, like A lot of fighters will and rightly so be kinda saying the same things I wanna be the best, I wanna be UFC champion, I wanna be known as the greatest of all time or one of the greatest of all time. What kind of what mission are you on? How do you explain the mission that you're on?
Speaker 2:No, for sure I wanna be a world champion, that's for sure. That's the main goal. When I started MMA is to be a world champion. When I was in Judah, my goal was to be a Olympic champion. That's all I need. I want to be the best, for sure. But I was thinking about these days and I don't wanna be the greatest pound for pound king, the greatest of all time and this, and that I just wanna be remembered as one of the most cerebral fighters in the game.
Speaker 1:Cerebral fighters.
Speaker 2:Cerebral fighters in the game. One of these martyrs fights. They step in the Otacon. Just like Sam Pia, if I'm remembered. Just like him I'm happy with it. I don't wanna be fighting too like almost 40 or something like that. I think 35 is a good time to just go stay more with my family, with my business and all this and that.
Speaker 1:So maybe five more years of career and I'm okay with it Right, but to be a be known as a smart fighter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's what I want.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not like a feared fighter in terms of this the biggest, baddest dude, whatever. Like when you fight Kyle, you're in for a chess match, so he's gonna be in the advantage of it Exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm always one step ahead. I'm always always know what you're gonna do. I study you a lot. I know all your patterns. I know all the things that you do. I know what you do after I scramble, while you do most after scramble.
Speaker 2:I know everything about you and it's gonna be hard to fight me, because I know you more than you know me. That's how I want to be remembered, not a guy that was the strongest or this or that. Because we have a strong guy, always comes the stronger one and everybody's beatable. But, like right here, it's kind of hard to be beaten. So you need to be studying a lot to beat me on this game.
Speaker 1:I remember some great ice hockey teams that wanna be known as tough to play against, and I always admire that as like a goal. You know what I mean it's never gonna be easy. Acknowledging that it's not always about the result, but like, when you play us, you're in for a tough night, awesome. And like, if you're a fighter tough to fight against, like I'm gonna know you, like I'm gonna be researched in addition to all my physical tools, exactly, yeah, that's an admirable.
Speaker 2:Thank you, an admirable way to go about your business. Yeah, that's all I think about the most cerebral fighting in the game Cerebral fighting.
Speaker 1:How long have you been in the States? Like a week and a half or something. You've been here for, like, I think, two weeks already. Two weeks, yeah. Have you come to train in different places for several weeks at a time?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Like where else do you go? I came for.
Speaker 1:Or is it mostly here?
Speaker 2:Yeah, mostly here I came. I was in Sweden training with Hamza Chimayaz, no way Last year.
Speaker 1:Can I have a Hamza Chimayaz story for my podcast? Yeah, do you have any.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't know. Maybe I don't know, I guess when you get on the training mat, he probably becomes a lot more mortal than a lot of fans think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and you're used to it, it's your weight class, right, you're not going to get into it and he's a nerd too, cause the time that I got.
Speaker 2:Hamza Chimayaz is a nerd, yeah the time that I got into the I fight in nerds actually, because the time that I got into this gym and I was introducing to him, I was just a contender guy that fought one time in UFC and the guy came to me and the cancer came to me. I know you, I watch all your fights and contender and this and that I was like, oh, this guy maybe is a nerd. You know, a fighting nerd. He watched a lot of fights.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But he's a very cool guy Right. He asked me to train with him again to this fight against Paulo.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, but I had my fight going up so I need to be thinking about myself this time.
Speaker 2:But, Hamza is a very good guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I've been there. I've been training with Paulo Costa too. Before I come to the contender, I spend like two weeks in Paulo Costa's camp, so I trained with him. I came to Extreme Couture like three or four times already to train around him. Yeah, be him for like two weeks already.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, a couple weeks. So now, like what I'm hearing. So you've trained with Hamza Chimayev. Yeah, you trained with Paulo Costa. Whoever wins that fight might fight for the title. Next, you trained with Sean Strickland here at. Extreme Couture what have you noticed going with all the top five guys in your weight class? Like what does that do?
Speaker 2:for you it's more something about myself. You know, like it's more like because we keep doubting about ourselves all the time, like, am I this, am I that? And when I go there and train with these guys, you know, toe to toes, I'm like, okay, I can do it. I can really do it. I'm good at it. You know I can really good. I need to do adjustments here and there, but I can really do it and it's good to have these guys from this caliber to train with you. You know, like you feel more prepared, you feel more ready to go. You know I'm fighting the same guy that Sean beat beat. You know I'm fighting a booze right now.
Speaker 2:So, the same guy that Sean beat. Sean is a very great friend of mine, so I'll be talking with him, you know, getting all the information that I need.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's it. Yeah, there you go, man. I like to pass on advice to whoever's listening Kyo. Maybe they're not a fighter, but like what's a piece of life advice that you like to leave people with, or like a message that you like hope more people can live by.
Speaker 2:Just don't give up, man, that's all. Don't give up. Wherever you wanna do in your life, just don't give up. Maybe what you want is right there, close to you. If you give up, you're never gonna know. If you go through it, if you fight and go into it, you're gonna discover some things. You're gonna discover some good things, you know. So just don't give up. I'm a guy that didn't give up in the injuries, didn't give up being away from my family, didn't give up on anything. I don't give up and I'm not giving up a guy, you know. So just don't give up. Believe in yourself and work hard. Work hard and learn through the way. You need to learn. It's not just about working hard. Oh, I lost. I need to work harder. No, you need to work smarter. You need to take all these lessons that you gotta take to advance, you know. So be smart and don't give up, man, that's all.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, the most often said things are for a reason. Right, it's simple. Don't give up. Exactly.
Speaker 2:Keep doing it, just do it. You're never gonna understand why. You know, like you may be understand after, but if you already understand before the things happens and you understand why, what's the funny part? You already know everything. What's the funny?
Speaker 1:What's the funny? Thing?
Speaker 2:Just go bro.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm honored to be the owner of these glasses.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:And it's been great to chat with you. What's your son's name? What's?
Speaker 2:your son, liam. Liam, liam Bohalio.
Speaker 1:Liam Bohalio.
Speaker 2:Congratulations on your little baby boy.
Speaker 1:And what I'm excited about is I'll be in Sao Paulo and I'll call your fight man Co-main event. And I love Sao Paulo. It's a great city. Yeah, it's a great city. I mean I've been in Brazil a handful of times, but Sao Paulo is my favorite. I love Sao.
Speaker 2:Paulo too. I came from a city in San Luis. It's beach you know, it's coast, you know, and people might think, oh, you came from a coast city and you go to Sao Paulo, big city, no beach, you know anything? But I love Sao Paulo. I love the city. It's a working-hard class city, you know. That's the city that gave me everything that I have right now. I just bought my house. Now I have my son. My wife is from there, so I'm thankful for Sao Paulo. I love the city.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll see you down there in a few weeks. See you, kaio Bohalio, unfit's nation. Thanks for coming by, man. Thank you, thank you guys, thank you.