Nik Lentz: UFC Fighter Turned Trader - [Making Markets, EP.3]

Today's guest is Nik “The Carny” Lentz. It's not every day you talk to a UFC fighter-turned-trader, and this conversation is both intense and insightful. We start by talking about Nik's journey from a difficult childhood to a UFC career and his philosophy on fighting, parenting, and life.

We then cover his move to trading derivatives full-time and his approach to position sizing, risk management, and more. Please enjoy this unique kind of episode with Nik Lentz.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes 

(00:01:39) - (First Question) - Nik’s childhood and how he got into ultimate fighting

(00:08:54) - Nik’s mentality when in the cage fighting

(00:10:37) - Links between traumatic childhood and becoming a UFC fighter

(00:11:48) - How Nik feels about his children potentially fighting in the future

(00:13:29) - Nik’s earliest UFC fights and the importance of storytelling in the sport

(00:21:35) - Insecurity and work ethic, getting the balance right to be able to perform at the top

(00:26:35) - The relationship between drive and motivation and the kind of upbringing you have

(00:28:52) - How Nik got into finance and his first moves in the market 

(00:33:00) - Nik’s development of his own investment process and how he manages risk

(00:36:00) - Determining position sizes, when to get in, when to get out. The ratio between Nik’s low-risk trades versus his big swings

(00:38:16) - The similarities between gambling and investing, Nik’s opinion on the apparent lack of differentiation 

(00:40:19) - Nik’s advice to young people looking to get started in investing

(00:41:32) - Comparing the ups and downs of UFC fighting versus trading in the markets

(00:43:32) - The process of walking away from fighting and whether Nik thinks he will ever walk away from investing

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