Fitz and a Fighter

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Eliot Marshall is a former UFC heavyweight and veteran MMA coach.  He was the long time head coach of Elevation Fight Team in Denver before abruptly wanting to stop coaching MMA fighters as a team.  He talks about the regrets he has in how he handled stepping away from the team, but more importantly, his upbringing as a mixed race kid in New Jersey that was ostracized by his peers and community.

He found a connection in martial arts as a kid and took it all the way to competing in the UFC.  He is especially known for having great jiu jitsu and discusses the benefits that martial arts can bring to everyone.

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Cody Brundage is a UFC middleweight prospect who has won back to back fights, most recently an emphatic 1st round stoppage of Tresean Gore at the UFC Apex.

In this interview, Fitz and Cody dive into what it's like dealing with the nerves that come along with a fight, his journey as a privileged kid to wanting to prove himself as a fighter.  They also discuss the condition of Cody's daughter Kingsley and learning what real adversity is.

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Jason and Randy Sklar (aka The Sklar Brothers) chat with UFC announcer Brendan Fitzgerald on Fitz Nation about their upcoming show 'The Nosebleeds' on UFC Fight Pass.

They also go into their careers as a unique brand of twin brother comedians, and how they transitioned to be known as comedians for sports fans with their hit show Cheap Seats.

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Cody Stamann is fresh off a recent win vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC Austin and chats with Brendan Fitzgerald about his life and career on Fitz Nation.  Hear Cody's journey from his blue-collar background in Michigan, finding combat sports and diving deep into MMA.

Stamann has had a solid UFC run so far and looks to keep building momentum after his big win!

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Chris Curtis chats with Brendan Fitzgerald on the Fitz Nation Podcast.

Curtis broke into the UFC in late 2021 with a huge win over Phil Hawes.  He then went on to finish Brendan Allen shortly after.
Recently, he earned a win over Rodolfo Vieira at the UFC Apex and takes a quick turnaround and huge opportunity to take on Jack Hermansson at UFC London!

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Here's another repost of an old episode that is relevant this week!  Yair Rodriguez is back in a main event at UFC Long Island this Saturday, so I thought I'd post our chat from February of 2020.

This was one of the last shows I did with an in-person guest (as I did for all of the first 23 or so episodes).  

After talking with Yair that day, I realized how great it would be to have video of the show as well for use on YouTube (and now UFC Fight Pass).  Watching him go through his memories and feeling the emotions made for such a compelling conversation.

I'm a huge fan of Yair's for the fighter that he is and the mindset that he has.  I thought those who didn't listen to it back then still might find it a great listen.

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I spend Friday at UFC X in Las Vegas, the UFC's gigantic fan expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

As part of my day, I sat down at the UFC social media booth with Kevin Holland.  As always, he was great to chat with.  Hope you enjoy!

The video version is available on my YouTube channel.

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Brendan Fitzgerald chats with UFC veteran and featherweight contender Alex Caceres.

Caceres is a recognizable character to fight fans with his free-flowing style and of course the trademark hairstyle.

He has been on a long journey in the UFC and is still going strong as he is about to turn 34 years old.

Full episodes of Fitz Nation are now exclusively on UFC Fight Pass

Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Veganism (Influenced by documentary forks over knives, wearing a Vegan strong shirt)
4:30 - Life Update
5:00 - Pinched his sciatic nerve
5:15 - Rolling a blunt
6:00 - What was Alex’s earlier life like?
7:10 - Father was a drug dealer
7:40 - Molested when he was a child
8:30 - Body dysmorphia
10:10 - Run in with police officers
12:00 - Afro-Cuban and Afro-Dominican, Completely Latino
12:20 - What Formed Alex
15:00 - Alex’s belief in the Martial Arts lifestyle
16:15 - Anything is an art
17:04 - The Non-Physical World
18:00 - The Flaws of the Education System
20:25 - Doesn’t Have Expectations of Himself
22:22 - What It Means To Live With Expectations
24:00 - When Did Alex Think MMA Was A Career
26:04 - How MMA Was The Perfect Path
27:46 - Alex Smiling during the Fights
30:00 - Alex’s TUF Experience
31:20 - Biggest Lessons He’s Learned in MMA
33:45 - Alex’s Is Afraid to Shine Bright
35:30 - Alex Doesn’t Watch Tape
37:00 - The Magic Of Not Giving a Fuck
38:55 - Managing the Small Things
39:30 - Alex’s UFC Career
41:50 - What Alex Wants To Achieve

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Fitz is back with UFC featherweight contender Josh Emmett.   The veteran from Sacramento is ready for his main event vs. Calvin Kattar in a high stakes match-up at UFC Austin later this month.

In this episode, Emmett discusses his upbringing with a single mom and older brother that dealt with addiction, how he found wrestling and what got him to pursue being a fighter in the UFC.

He also discusses his mindset as a fighter and one who is so clear on his mission to be a UFC champion. 

He has never been closer, as he sits in the top 10 with a huge match-up on the horizon.


SHOW NOTES
0:00 - Intro
1:44 - Josh’s thoughts on the fight several weeks out 
2:44 - Josh’s reflection on tribulations of the game and how he understands it’s his time now despite being 37
4:43 - Josh offers his thoughts on what it will take to beat Volk 
6:47 - Talks about upbringing 
8:50 - Connection with Dad
12:25 - Breaks down his usage of the term “tough” to describe childhood
14:35 - Explains his brother was murdered several years ago 
15:25 - Why he fights
16:14 - Why Wrestling Clicked
20:05 - Talking about his school, which was almost 80% athletes
22:30 - How life changed going down a COMBAT sport as opposed to a regular sport 
25:15 - Why Josh likes wrestling despite the grueling nature of the sport
27:25 - Reflection on his mindset before he realized athletic success 
31:30 - Josh’s love for competition 
34:03 - Josh admitting he doesn’t “like to fight” 
37:40 - Viewing MMA as a job versus athletic endeavor 
41:15 - Why Josh chose to pursue fighting 
43:30 - What advice would Josh tell a younger version of himself 

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Check out the full interview only on UFC FIGHT PASS.

On this episode of Fitz Nation, Brendan Fitzgerald chats with UFC flyweight contender Maycee Barber.  

Barber has packed a lot of life experience into her first 23 years.  She was just 20 years old when appearing on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018, getting a big win and earning a UFC contract.

She has been thought of as a bright star and eventual championship challenger, but things didn't go according to plan in her goal to be the youngest ever UFC champion.  

As always, the ups and downs of life come with valuable lessons, which she discusses on this episode.

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