This week I get a chance to talk to a good friend of mine about his amazing life! Mat Rocca is a true Canadian MMA Pioneer who, in 1996, tried out for and made the infamous Lion's Den - a world class MMA team led by Ken and Frank Shamrock that produced many legends in the sport through intense and brutal training sessions. At the young age of 19, Mat found himself in the middle of a historic time in Mixed Martial Arts as the sport began to transition from the wild west to the highly regulated global phenomenon that we know it as today. Mat is also highly successful on the mats - he is currently Brown Belt in BJJ as well as a No Gi World Champion - we cover a ton of great topics listed below:

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SHOW NOTES:

2:42 Guest Intro

5:28 How Mat Met Ken Shamrock in 1995 & Found Himself Trying Out For the Lion's Den

15:25 The Gruelling Selection Process to Make the Team

20: 36 Why Did He Want to Make the Team at Age 19?

23:03 Mat's Martial Arts Background

24:35 Winning the Mental Battles: Mat's Mentality Towards Training, Life & How He Pushed Through to Make The Lion's Den

34:00 Crazy Stories: Training and Life In The Lion's Den

42:40 Mat's First Pro Fight in Australia, Bareknuckle

53:57 Fighting MMA Legend Akihiro Gono in Japan with Shooto

1:02:43 Finally Getting a Win Over Shawn Tompkins

1:04:14 Lessons From Fighting, Meeting Jocko Willink Trying to Get Back to a Normal Life

1:10:00 How Mat Helped Me Mentally At the No Gi World's in 2019

1:14:52 What Does Mat Think About Modern MMA & BJJ, Thoughts on the Evolution He's Seen Over the Years

1:29:00 How Mat Has Transitioned From Fighting To BJJ Competitor

1:32:04 Mat's Experience Winning Gold as a Purple Belt at No Gi World's