Link: The Steve Austin Show: Brendan Schaub

Do you like watching professional fights? Do you like watching stages professional fights? You’ll enjoy this episode of the Stone Cold Steve Austin podcast.

Even if you only like one or the other you should check this episode out.

(If you’re 0 for 2 on those interests, well, okay there are plenty of other podcasts out there for you.)

Steve and Brendan go over:

• Real talk from a friend: As much as I listen to Joe Rogan, I missed the entire thing where he tells Brendan to quit. (In so many words.) I watched it for the first time a couple weeks ago. It’s not new or anything, but I was happy to hear more about it on this episode. Brendan tells Steve what it was like to go through that. Joe told it how it was and was coming from a place where he cared for Brendan. It was a pivotal moment for Brendan and in hindsight one of the best things that could have happened to him because it got him out of fighting.
• The importance of promotion: Brendan and Steve talk about how important promotion has become in MMA. (It’s always been important in wrestling.) For mainstream success, there has to be something interesting beyond the purity of the fight. Otherwise you’re an Olympic sport that gets eyeballs only when the Olympics are on. Brendan says that watching the Ric Flair documentary opened his eyes beyond the surface of pro wrestling. If you want that next-level monetary success in the UFC, you need to promote your fights and you need to win. In the WWE, Vince can strap a rocket to your back and it’s fueled by crowd pops. In the UFC, you can get that rocket on your back, it’s also fueled by crowd interest, and you can lose it in a night.
• Money in fighting: Early in the episode, Brendan has a line about how if you’re in it for money you’re better off working at Starbucks. At least you’ll get benefits. I thought he was exaggerating, but later in the episode he gets into the numbers. It’s been a few years since Brendan was in the octagon, but I was shocked at the numbers he was talking about for each fight. Some fights were $8000 to show, $8000 to win. The average UFC career now is 2 years. (Notice the turnover in the undercards.) Brendan says he retired with $2000 in the bank. It reminds me of Kevin Hart’s book where he says he was knee deep in credit debt when he did his breakout performance at Shaq’s show. It’s easy to spend too much money. Particularly when you aren’t making a ton in the first place.

It’s 90 minutes so I’m only touching the surface on what they cover in their conversation. Check it out!