Brendan Schaub: From UFC Fighter To Selling Out Comedy Shows (#442)

Brendan Schaub

Back to the idea of getting tossed in the deep end... I've been doing stand-up for about two years. I think I'm the fastest comic to ever get a network special at Showtime. So, I was like, "No." For the most part, people are like, "Oh, this guy's been doing it for about two years. This is good for him." No, man. When you do that, what happens is it actually pushes you further away from them.

Sam Parr

We're live now! Brendan Schaub, what's going on? I'm Sam, this is Sean. We just get right into things, but Sean and I have been huge fans of you for a long time. We're both huge UFC fans, we go to a bunch of those shows. Been watching you on *Fighter and the Kid* for a while, then the show with Theo Von... Yeah, that was awesome. So we've been fans forever. I think we each actually might have a Thick Boy shirt.

Brendan Schaub

I love it I love the shirt

Shaan Puri

just the body actually so I'm a real fan

Brendan Schaub

I went all I went all the way dicks in the heart fellas dicks in the heart

Sam Parr

I don't drink otherwise I would have your your whiskey

Brendan Schaub

whiskey's not

Sam Parr

But you know, you do lots of stuff. I'll kind of give what I know about you. Basically, you're from Colorado, played a little bit in the NFL. I don't know if you actually made the cut entirely, but you were very serious for the Broncos. Then you went into the UFC and did awesome. You knocked out some great guys. Yep. After that, you got into show business via podcasting. You originally were just on Joe Rogan a bunch, eventually launched your own thing, and now you have "Fighter and the Kid." But you also have like three or four other podcasts, right? I don't know how big they are. I mean, I know that you have hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and each video gets like hundreds of thousands of views. So, I actually don't know how big the empire is.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, sure. So, just going back to football. Yes, I played at the University of Colorado for the Buffs, who just got Deion Sanders. I'm excited about that! Then, I had a cup of coffee with the Buffalo Bills. When I got there, they said, "We're all set on slow white guys," so that broke my heart. From there, I was selling supplements door to door, like *Pursuit of Happyness* style. Then, I started training in jiu-jitsu and boxing. Next thing you know, I'm fighting grown men in a steel cage in my underwear. Two years after I started training, I was in the UFC. I made it through *The Ultimate Fighter* and was a finalist there.

Sam Parr

with kimbo slice right

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, it was the biggest season with Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. Shortly after that, there's a common theme in my life: I get put in the deep end. It goes from 0 to 100 in every aspect of my life. It's just this common theme throughout my entire career, whether it's comedy, football, fighting, or podcasting. I get thrown in the deep end, and I gotta figure it out. So, I was in the UFC, and then probably two years in, next thing you know, I'm ranked top 10 in the world. It was terrifying. But then, slowly after that, I moved to LA because I grew up in Venice Beach during the summers at my uncle's house. My dad would always bring me out here for the summers, so I've always felt a weird connection to Los Angeles. Once I could make the move, I did. Then, I started a podcast—this is damn near 11 or 12 years ago—called "The Fighter and the Kid" with Brian Callen. That thing took off. Now, fast forward to 2023, I own a podcast network called "Thiccc Boy Network," where we have probably around seven shows. So, yeah, between "The Fighter and the Kid," "The Shop Show," "Food Truck Diaries," "Fight Companion," and "The Golden Hour," it's going well. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work.

Shaan Puri

Yeah, your output's pretty insane. You know, the thing about you is that you said you got thrown in the deep end, and you're kind of right. Transitioning from football to UFC was a really short transition. Then you're doing it at a high level; you're in the actual UFC. It takes most guys a long, long amateur journey. They go to a small promotion, then to a bigger promotion. You kind of fast-tracked that. In comedy, you did the same thing where you went from "I'm a UFC fighter" to "I'm a comedian," and then you got a special on Showtime really fast. I think there's probably... I don't know how you think about it now, but there's good and bad with that fast track. On one hand, you learn fast. On the other hand, you kind of get your ass kicked because you're pushing the boundary further than maybe you were ready for or had ever experienced.

Sam Parr

learned and you're learning publicly

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, there you go, correct. So, you know, in hindsight, looking at it, even when I was in the UFC learning comedy, I just... I wish I had people around me that said, "Slow down, man." Now, I'm fighting. You don't really have that option once you're in the UFC, you know? It's the big league. They call you with Mirko Cro Cop, or Matt Mitrione, or, you know, Brock Lesnar. You gotta take the fight, so you really don't have control there. I could've been smarter about making decisions when I was young. I had a lot of belief in myself, and, you know, eventually that experience catches up with you. I was a lot more athletic than a lot of those heavyweights; that's why I excelled so fast. But again, that's a blessing and a curse because you get to a level where you're fighting these vets with 40, 50 fights, and they've seen an athletic dude, you know, with a good right hand and good wrestling. But, you know, eventually, you're this cheat code, and it catches up to you. There's nothing that replaces experience. So that was a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that I was able to transition, get out, build a fan base, and go into something I've always wanted to do—comedy. You know, it's true. When I started comedy, I had some great mentors. Joe Rogan's like a brother to me, and then there's Brian Callen, Dio Vaughn, Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer, and Joey Diaz. I have just this plethora of amazing comics that I was around. I would go to dinner with them, do all the podcasts with them, make them laugh, and they all encouraged me to do stand-up, which I always wanted to do since I was a child. Everyone told me, "It's gonna be 10 years before you find your voice." I'm like, "Yeah, I'm never scared of hard work. Let's do it." The issue with that is, you know, I get catapulted. Instead of doing open mics, one of my first things I did was, you know, Chicago Theater, the Vic Theater, which... how did...

Shaan Puri

You even start because it's a big jump from, "Oh, this dude's funny when we hang out, cracks jokes, busts balls," to, "Oh yeah, this guy's good. He's a funny guy." Then, you're on stage and you gotta do a set. That's like a different thing altogether. You know, me and Sam, we try to be funny in our little pond. It's like you don't have to be that funny to be the funniest business podcast, so we're...

Sam Parr

we're we're a dwarf among midgets is what we are yeah it's like it's

Brendan Schaub

Like everyone has that funny uncle at the party, you know? If your brother's like, "Man, I think you're really funny," there's a big difference between your family and friends going, "Oh, you're funny, man! You should try stand-up," and Bert Kreischer, Joe Rogan, Joey Diaz, Brian Callan, Chris D'Elia, and Theo Von going, "Dude, you need to do stand-up! Dude, you know you got it!" What did you even...

Shaan Puri

Are you reading a book to develop that first set? Or are you just going to Joe Rogan's house with a notepad and saying, "Hey, how do I write this stuff?"

Brendan Schaub

no it's like sink or swim so you know I had my 10,000 reps on podcasts with comedians keeping up with them making them laugh being you know really quick at it and then really it it's almost the perfect situation in order to get started in stand up because the find the kid got you know so popular we do live find the kids but remember brian gell has been doing comedy for 30 years so when they we got offered to do a live fire and the kid I told brian I'm like you ever been to a live podcast they suck it's 2 guys on my they do the worst dude and brian goes no man no no I've been show business for 30 years we're gonna do a performance so I go okay what do you wanna do so we came up with this whole idea to make it a show and brian at the time knew I wanted to do stand up but he didn't wanna I guess scare me because it is scary you know especially doing friendly sold out crowds when most people are doing open mites it's 15 other salty comments you know so for me you know doing it as sold out crowd brian go alright here because brian was always late to the podcast you know I'm I'm very professional I'm I'm I'm not late I'm never late and whatever 12 years of podcast I've never been late it's not what I do so brian would be late and he used to drive me nuts I used to roast him every time he'd come in late he was like so our first live show let's keep up with the theme we're gonna pretend I'm late I'm not there and you gotta start the show by yourself so you're gonna tell a story for 10 minutes and I'll come in you get all upset we do the whole app I'm like alright cool I'm like I can handle that so I tell a story to us get a tone stories so that carries on for you know 4 or 5 shows and then again we're at I'm afraid probably portland or seattle some sold out theater and I'm backstage before the the crowd I'm pretty nervous I told brian I go man I don't know what story I'm gonna tell and you know brian was like frantic he was you know again he's looking for something he goes what I don't know what story I meant to tell you what the hell are you talking about story no you're doing stand up dumbass I was like oh shit and then it just clicked I'm like oh so storytelling you just told me that because you didn't wanna scare me he goes crap you're doing stand up dude and I was like oh that's what I'm doing so shortly after that I come to realization like this is stand up you should it's just your way of doing it so then we do a live fight with the kid at the comedy store you know the world famous comedy store which as a kid was like you know the mecca it's like messing square garden for basketball so I we do their comedy store goes great and then 6 weeks or 6 days later I'm driving I get a call from the man's at the tommy store emily and she calls me and she goes hey brad this is emily at the tommy store I go hey how are you doing she was great show the other day I'm like thank you she goes hey we're seeing if you'd like to do a set in the belly room see give give you 6 minutes I go let me call brian cowan see if he's available she goes no dumbass just you you had a great set the other night I'm like me you want me to do stand up in the comedy store she goes yeah it's a it's in a small room the belly room but if you want 6 minutes it's yours so I was like say less so I did that and then there was just you know that was in 2014 2015 ish like early 2015 probably right around end of 2014 and then just you know you get that bug and then it's off to the races man you know I knew it was you know it takes a takes a lot of work but back to the.

Brendan Schaub

Of you know, getting tossed in the deep end... I'm doing stand-up for about 2 years. I think I'm the fastest comic to ever get a network special at Showtime. Now, don't get me wrong, I challenge any comic to do a network special and have 60 minutes within just 2 years. Is it as good as Bill Burr's special? No. But in my head, I thought people would see that and go, "Oh my God! If we're only doing this for 2 years, look at this guy! Think how much better he's going to get in 4 years, in 5 years, in 10 years." We're just going to be on 15 years, but a lot of people don't have that insight.

Sam Parr

they don't give a shit about that

Shaan Puri

yeah they don't see

Brendan Schaub

It’s like that, and you know, I... and again, this was a while ago, so I was young. I always... it might be an asset or it could be a huge gaping hole that I have, but I always see the best in people and society. I don't pay attention to the negatives; I just gravitate towards positivity. So I was like, "No, for the most part, people would be like, 'Oh, this guy's been doing it for two years. This is good for him.'" But no, man, when you do that, what happens is it actually pushes you further away from them. I thought it would bring me closer to being legit and being like my peers. No, it pushes you farther away because a lot of those guys that I mentioned earlier, and even outside of those guys, a lot of famous comedians took them 15 to 20 years to get a network special. So there’s a lot of... it’s not even jealousy; it just rubs people the wrong way. I didn’t see that coming, I gotta be honest, and I don’t think really anybody did. But it is what it is, you know? You do that, and then you move on. You just keep grinding and go to the next one, the next one. So yeah, it’s been interesting, man. It’s been really interesting. I learned on the fly; I also learned the hardest way. That’s the only way I make changes. I learned the hard way, so I wouldn’t change anything. You know, things are pretty good.

Sam Parr

are you the the ceo of the network now I mean how how

Brendan Schaub

are you

Sam Parr

so you're having to be the talent and you're running the business

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, heavy lies the crown, man. So, I grew up in a business-minded family. My dad's an entrepreneur; he's always been business-minded. I have a double major from the University of Colorado in Sociology and Business, so I always gravitate towards business. I worked for Showtime for six years. I built their entire podcast branch, which is crushing it now. Shout out to Brian Daley! At the end of those six years, this was December last year, 2022, six months prior, they offered me another six-year contract. I was just looking around, and Showtime was great to me. I was getting a salary, and they were reaping the benefits. It was good for both sides. But I stopped and thought, "Man, I feel like I could do this on my own." You know, I am an entrepreneur. I see what they've built, and I've helped them out a lot. They've helped me out a lot. I feel like I can invest in myself and do this on my own. So, I turned down the contract and decided, "I'm going to do it on my own. Start Thick Boy Studios." I owned all the IPs to the shows that I started with them, so I brought that over. In hindsight, I didn't really know who to talk to. Nobody in my lane has done this—leaving a major network in podcasting and bringing it over on your own. It's a different animal when you're not only in your talent but also running the business.

Shaan Puri

raise money for that or did you just self fund it what'd you do

Brendan Schaub

I self-funded it from all the other shows and stand-up. I just put all my money into that.

Shaan Puri

Whenever I start a new thing, I'm like, you know, people are like, "Oh, congrats!" and I'm like, "Ask me in a year." We'll find out what's going to be fun to discover. This is either a bad idea, an alright idea, or an amazing idea. We'll find out because, you know, I go into things relatively blind. I don't do a ton of research before I dive in, but I have confidence that I'll figure things out eventually. The reality is that some ideas are better than others. So, a year in now, owning your own podcast network, is this a bad idea, a good idea, or is it an amazing business?

Brendan Schaub

I think it's still too early to tell. Oh, meaning we're a year in. Financially, am I making more money? Yes. But, you know, that can't just be the main focus. My life is more complicated now. I have less free time, so what's that worth? There are these pros and cons I didn't think about. At Showtime, I was the talent. I would create shows, and they would make it happen. They had the employees, the creative team, the producers, and the editors. I would come up with ideas, they would execute them, I would sit down, knock it out, get paid for that, and move on without worrying about the next day or the next week. Now it's a little different. I would say one of my biggest faults is that I'm a control freak, so I need help. I'm getting there, but you want somebody to care as much about your business as you do. That's impossible to find. With Showtime, they're CBS, so they're doing all the right stuff in terms of hiring and bringing in the right people. I didn't take into consideration how hard it is to find good employees—people that actually care and can get the job done, who mold with the team and gel with the team. Those are the kinds of dynamics I didn't even think about. Also, when you're at Showtime for six years, starting with zero subscribers, and then six years later you're at like 600,000, well-known in the space, up for awards... you’re starting from dead zero again. So that's six years that you built for them that doesn't come with you. I don't own that Showtime page; that's theirs. So you just start from zero again. I think we're at like 160,000 or 170,000 now, a year in, which isn't bad, but it takes time to keep chipping away.

Sam Parr

**Status listener**: Like Sean and I, the metrics that we know are downloads. We describe downloads as being from platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and also iTunes, and all that stuff.

Brendan Schaub

uh-huh

Shaan Puri

what do

Sam Parr

What’s the size of your biggest show? I think it’s "Fire and the Kid." What size are you guys at now for that?

Brendan Schaub

we we do we look at it

Shaan Puri

Per episode, because otherwise you can get a lot of downloads if you just pump out more and more episodes. Like, per episode is the real deal for these shows.

Brendan Schaub

Well, see, so finally, "Kid and the Golden Hour," which is formerly known as "King of the Sting" with Theo Von. So finally, "King of the Sting," even though they're on the Think Boy Network, those haven't changed. They're just under my banner. But those weren't part of Showtime at all. Showtime was "Below the Belt," which is now "The Shop," "Food Truck Diaries," and some other shows. And then I wasn't doing "Fight to Pay" with them; that's all new. So, you know, I would say probably cut my audience in half. You know, probably in half.

Sam Parr

mhmm and what but what's the fighter and the kid at

Brendan Schaub

Fighter and the Kid... I mean, now we're going down a different road because there are factors that have caused this. You know, we've been doing it for 12 years. It's like this: we've been as high as 600,000 an episode and as low as 100,000 an episode. There have been some outlying factors that caused those issues. With the changing of the king of this thing, with Theo leaving, you're talking about a whole new show. So, you start from basically scratch again, starting with Chris D'Elia and then Griffin. It's a completely different show; the dynamic is completely different. So, you're reintroducing that show. Although there was an audience there—I think we were at 500,000 subscribers—those 500,000 subscribers were there for Theo Votto and Brendan Schaub. When you say, "Alright, well here's Brendan and Chris D'Elia," some people will know and would like to dialogue with Theo and Brendan. So, that's fairly new; you know, that's about 6 months old. That one's probably around 150,000 to 200,000 just on YouTube. But I think a lot of people in podcasting, because it's the thing in 2023, look at YouTube, YouTube, YouTube. Audio's king for the most part. People listen to podcasts on their way to work or when they're at the office. They'll be sitting down watching a podcast for 2 or 3 hours, however long your podcast is. The audio is key, so my main metric that I focus on is always audio. Now, if audio starts to go down, we've got problems.

Sam Parr

Yeah, we're at... like when we have guests on every once in a while, and they'll be like, "Are you guys big?" And they'll just look at the YouTube, and our YouTube only gets like 30,000-20,000, all the way up to 200,000 per episode. But then our audio, it's like consistently 100,000-200,000-ish or something like that... like consistently every single time.

Brendan Schaub

crush

Sam Parr

And that, and that's crushing it. I'm like, "No, it's pretty big." It's just like you can't see those numbers. But our audio, I mean, it's like that's as true to subscription as you can get because it's just consistently... audio's king.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, audio's king. But this new generation of podcasters coming in, you know, you see the Logan Pauls or the Andrew Schulzes of the world. Rogan is massive on YouTube, but it's again... I don't know what Logan Paul's numbers are as far as audio. Logan Paul's a buddy, I guess I could find out. But because he's a YouTuber, his numbers are massive on YouTube. I'd be curious to see what his audio is like because, again, audio is king in podcasting. So I never focus on YouTube too much. Now, if there's a decline, you're like, "Alright, we gotta figure this out and we'll work through it." But if my audio's solid, I don't... you know, I'm not... there's no red flags.

Sam Parr

What's your ambition level in terms of this business? Are you thinking, "I think we can get to $10,000,000 in revenue," or is it more like, "I want to exit for $100,000,000"? I think we can get to $50,000,000 in revenue. Where do you see yourself? What’s your not quite north star, but like your 2, 3, or 5-year goal?

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, that's a great question. Rob Dyrdek's a good buddy, and he's such a... I don't know. You got Rob Dyrdek; he would be great for you guys to have on.

Sam Parr

We've had him on, and he killed it. I think we were a little bit early in his public business persona. We had him, and he blew us away. He was amazing.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, I've known Rob for years. I always knew he was just so volatile when it comes to business. He makes so many great decisions. He came into the Thick Boys studios here in Calabasas, and I was probably, I don't know, two or three months into it. You know, he was still trying to figure it out. He was looking around and saying, "Man, this is cool." He kept asking all these questions, "What's your goal? What's your goal? What's your goal?" Finally, I think it was even on air, I said, "Dude, you gotta chill. Let me get to cruising altitude and get to Wi-Fi before I start figuring out goals. This thing's just taken off. Once I get to cruising altitude, I'll let you know the goal." So, we're kind of getting to cruising altitude. I don't know what the goal is. I think once I get to the network where I think it could be at, then I would start looking at other options. The other thing I would say, too, as far as business—whether it's whiskey, merch, whatever it is, even stand-up or podcasting—I've never done anything for money. I do it because I love to do it, and it's fun for me. It's what I want to do. If it makes money, fantastic! That's great. But if it doesn't, all good. It's something I want to do. So hopefully this thing goes great, makes a ton of money, and I can retire. When I say retire, I mean do fewer shows but with just more money in the bank. I love doing it; that's why I started it. So hopefully, you know, when we do this show in three years or five years, I'm talking to you guys and we're celebrating some big moment. But I couldn't tell you what that looks like, and that might be a problem. I mean, you guys are the business guys. Is that a problem that I don't have some sort of end goal here? Even though I...

Sam Parr

make years

Brendan Schaub

so so I don't

Shaan Puri

think you gotta have an end like what people want like a 5 year plan and you're you're kinda taught this at a young age like you're 18 years old what you gonna major in is that dude I don't know I don't know shit about shit yet yeah and so people are often pushing for that it's great when you have it so I always say that if you know the direction you wanna go you know the outcome it's great when you have it but the reality is most people don't have it right off the jump and that's totally normal you just gotta get in motion get momentum because as you start going you'll start navigating you'll you'll get a better vantage. It's like you start climbing the mountain you're higher up you could see more and that'll give you a little more but I do what I do think helps is a vision for your life so a vision for like what what kinda what do you wanna do with your life your talents or like so for example I might not know oh I'm trying to hit this revenue target I'm trying to sell in x years or whatever but I do usually know man it'd be fucking awesome if dude what if my job was I literally get to sit down with my friend sam and we just shoot the shit about business and what if there are millions of people listening to that wouldn't that be cool yeah alright that's literally when I started this podcast it was I was walking around with a friend we had just signed the paperwork to sell my my first company and he was like what do you wanna do next and in silicon valley where I live there's only one answer I'm a start another company it's gonna be bigger and badder than the one before that there's only one socially acceptable answer in silicon valley it's like in hollywood if you're not trying to make it what are you doing here and so but I gave him the honest answer I go you know what I think what tim ferris does is awesome it seems like that dude gets to wake up just be curious about shit run experiments learn about things and then he just takes the coolest stuff he learns he talk and he just gets to talk about it and a 1000000 people have them in in their ears and he gets to influence a 1000000 smart people by sharing little nuggets I go that would be awesome I wanna be in a a 1000000 people's earballs and that's just what I kept saying I wanna be in a 1000000 people's earballs and he was like dude I never heard that word but like he go he goes that's a like that's like a vision for like what would be an awesome life so I I think that sometimes you don't have to have the number but it is cool to have a man that'd be awesome if my life was x or if I was able to do that do x

Sam Parr

I remember talking to you guys about Justin Khan. Justin Khan is one of the guys who started Twitch. Sean actually sold his company to Twitch, and they sold it for **$1,000,000,000**. I was talking to Justin backstage one time, like two or three years after the sale, at an event I was hosting. I asked him, "What are you going to do next, Justin?" He replied, "I want to go after **$10,000,000,000**." It didn't work out for him, by the way. I remember reading a blog post where he mentioned he was motivated to outdo what he did before, partially out of rage and having a chip on his shoulder. I think that can be great fuel, but I was in it for the wrong motivations, and it didn't work out. Something Sean said, which I expressed differently but he said it better, was **A to Z**. I like to do this all the time: "Alright, step 1 is A, step 2 is B." I don't need to worry about anything else in between. But step Z is like, "Maybe one day this becomes a **$1,000,000,000** company." For now, let's just focus on getting to **$1,000,000** in revenue, or let's just focus on paying the rent. After that, maybe we can hire a handful of people, and then I'll figure out the rest. But maybe one day it could become this, and that's a fun way to have a north star to help with decision-making. It's also very motivational; you're like, "I'm doing this for this reason."

Brendan Schaub

To reach this many people, there's pressure. It's also less pressure where, you know, I think having that entrepreneurial spirit that I was born with from my dad... You guys, it seems like you have the same thing too, given the success you've reached. You know, I never stop and smell the roses. It's always, "What's next? What are we going to do next? What makes us successful?" This next thing, the next thing in my sports career, and even in comedy... I've never just stopped and, you know, smelled the roses. I'm constantly pushing, constantly pushing. I don't know if that leads to a happier life. Sometimes you get a check and go, "If you're doing it, it's all good, man." If nothing changes, your life's pretty freaking great, man. If you just stayed here, it's all good. But I wish I was more like that. I don't know what else I could get that would make me happy. I guess if I had to fly commercial, my life would change. That'd be great, you know? But outside that, things are good for me.

Sam Parr

fly private you mean yeah

Brendan Schaub

if I yeah if I didn't have to fly commercial I hate flying but well you hey

Sam Parr

I see you got the nice 911s. You got the cool Ferraris. I mean, you got the toys. Yeah, private is a nice next step.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, if you would have told 10-year-old Brendan some of the stuff you'd be doing, some of the stuff you'd have, he'd say, "Holy man, this is insane! Dude, good for you, you made it." But I don't feel like that.

Shaan Puri

We always talk about this on the podcast. A lot of people ask, "What advice would you give your 21-year-old self or your 15-year-old self?" We ask the opposite question: What would our 15-year-old self say to us now? If they could look at our life now, they might say, "Dude, you're unhappy! Look at your situation, man! Are you joking? You get to do this every day! You better be smiling, bro!" That's what my teenage self would be telling me right now. It's almost a good reminder. Like I always say, dogs and kids have it figured out. I want to learn more and be more like my dog and my kids because, oh dude, all they do is play. Everything is good. They're happy and grateful. We get things screwed up when we get older.

Brendan Schaub

and and do you guys have kids

Shaan Puri

I got 2 little ones

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Yeah, I have a 7 and a 3-year-old, and I don't think I've ever been as happy in my life as I was yesterday with my two boys. I bought them three lizards. I was like, "Man, if I could just feel that level of happiness one time, my life is complete." Being a dad really gives you a different perspective on things. I might be stressed out about work, so I might come home and that stuff goes out the window. You know, there's nothing better than being a dad. Our software is the worst. Have you heard of HubSpot? See, most CRMs are a cobbled-together mess, but HubSpot is easy to adopt and actually looks gorgeous. I think I love our new CRM. Our software is the best. HubSpot: grow better.

Shaan Puri

Tony Robbins... If you ever, I don't know if you've ever been to one of his events or looked into his stuff. Most people think, "Oh, Tony Robbins, I don't need motivation," or "That's like a cult thing," or whatever. I've been to a bunch of them, and I find it really, really useful. It's a good... I don't know, I'm not very religious, so it's a good operating philosophy for life. One of the things he says is, on one hand, there's the sort of **science of success**. That's kind of what you've done well, which is whether I'm going into football, fighting, comedy, podcasting, or now the business side. The science of success is basically like there's an approach to figuring out a target, working hard every day, making progress, taking it seriously, all that stuff. Then there's the **art of fulfillment**. They're unrelated. If you want to have like the complete life, you've got to figure out, "Oh, just like I learned the skills of how to be successful, I’ve got to learn the skills of how to be fulfilled." The magic happens when you sort of integrate the two. Can you both create new projects and try to be successful while being fulfilled? Because what most people do is they go for that success thing mostly from a...

Shaan Puri

Of view of, like, you know, trying to prove themselves. It's like some insecurity a lot of times that will drive it. No, I love that. Yeah.

Brendan Schaub

I think, yeah, for me, I do a pretty good job. I mean, I'm trying to stop and smell the roses a little bit, so I'm doing a better job. My kids help me get there. I think a lot of mistakes that people make, whether it's in business, entertainment, or stand-up comedy, especially with social media now, is that you can always compare yourself to somebody doing better. For your friend that made a billion, the next thing was $10 billion because he saw a guy make $10 billion. If you're constantly chasing that and comparing yourself to others, that's where happiness never comes. So I try not to compare myself to others, especially because my journey is so different from those guys that I look up to. My journey can be different, man, whatever that looks like, and I just have to accept that, which I try to do. I was...

Sam Parr

sean and I you wanna go

Shaan Puri

Yeah, I was reading something yesterday that reminded me of you, Brennan. I was reading a blog post where Sam put out this great tweet asking for "What's the best blog post you ever read?" One of them was this thing called "The Physics of Passion." He basically goes into this concept called the Kool-Aid. He draws this graph and explains that as you do things and people start to like your work, admire you, love you, or become fans of you, it kind of grows steadily. Then there's this point he calls the Kool-Aid, where it takes off. At that point, you're going to have two groups of people: a bunch of people that love you and a few people that hate you. He explains that you'll know you're there when people accuse your fans of just "drinking the Kool-Aid." They love everything you do, but sight unseen, and they're Kool-Aid drinkers. That's how you know you've hit the Kool-Aid.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah I love that

Shaan Puri

On the other side, you're going to have people who want to tear you down—the haters, you know, "quote unquote." At first, they're always a small group, but they're kind of loud. Some people even support them and say, "Oh, you're speaking truth to power. You're calling it like it is. You're kind of exposing this person or this brand or whatever it is."

Brendan Schaub

yep

Shaan Puri

And you got both. So, I was reading that, and then I knew we had this pod today. I was like, "Oh dude, he's lived that." Because, yeah, you know, for people who don't know, you have a big fan base and you also have a big anti-fan base. The anti-fan base, I think, is on Reddit. I go to this subreddit a bunch, but I'm not like... it's weird. I like you, but I also find it funny.

Sam Parr

they're so clever

Shaan Puri

These people are kind of dicks, but they're also funny in the same way. It's kind of this double thing. I'm curious, like for you, obviously that's... you know, it's probably funny for me because I'm outside of it. I'm not the person that's the butt of the joke in some of these cases. But you know, me and Sam got maybe one one-hundredth of the kind of passion and hate that you have because you've been doing this a long time. You've made it really big. When I read our YouTube comments and I see something like that, it stings in the moment. But also, there are a lot of times where I'm like, "They're not wrong." You know, there is some truth to where they're being a dick about it, but there's some truth to what they're saying. I could see that. I'm curious.

Brendan Schaub

for you

Shaan Puri

When you hear about the stuff on the subreddit, or you just check it out or whatever, do you have any moments where you're like, "Alright, they're kind of being mean about it or they're being a dick about it, but there's some truth to what they're saying?"

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, I'm sure you know. In all honesty, I don't pay attention to it. I think it's a bad thing, whether you pay attention to the negativity or the positivity. I think you just gotta keep doing your thing. You know, my heroes growing up didn't live in this world, so it can't be healthy. I think we'll find over the years how it affects the brain, how it affects creatives and businessmen who do pay attention to that stuff and read the comments and things like that. So, I don't want to be that sample size. I'm not going to be that.

Shaan Puri

you're not trying to get that digital cte of reading comments every day yeah

Brendan Schaub

I already have enough CTE, man. I'm about to buy my Porsche off the PCH. But I think with the Reddit group, it's interesting because they watch everything you do. There are some things that I'm on board with, and then there's a small select group on there who are just evil. So, there's a difference between hate, which I get. I give you a lot to hate on. I do a lot of content, I make a lot of jokes, I send a lot of people. I get that you don't get to a certain level without attracting a lot of haters. You just don't. If you look at Logan Paul, Drake, LeBron James—name some of the massive celebrities that we have in this world—and you go online, you read their comments. Or my buddy Joe Rogan. Nobody, I don't know anybody who gets more hate than that guy, but he gets more love. You know, I'm in the business of likability. So if you watch my podcast, buy a ticket to my stand-up, buy the merch, or buy the whiskey, you're a fan. I make a living off likability. So, I just don't give the hate energy. As far as the Reddit goes, I get it, and some of them are really funny. I appreciate those guys, whether it's good or bad towards me. It gets a little dicey when they want to cross the line into my personal life.

Sam Parr

right

Brendan Schaub

It's like I'm not Tom Cruise, dude. Why the fuck do you give us that? Who cares about that stuff, you know? Thank God my wife has been with me since I was in the UFC. When you're fighting in the UFC, you get a lot of love and a lot of hate. There's no in-between if you're doing it right. So, she's conditioned to that. She doesn't pay attention to it; she doesn't care, you know? The only time I don't like it is when they make it super personal. It's about the kids, it's about certain things. But you know, nobody's harder on me than myself. There's nothing they can say that I don't tell myself, usually on a daily basis. Trust me, it's way worse than whatever they're putting out. So, although I get it, I appreciate it, and I just don't give it energy. I think one of the things I have going for me is that I "post and ghost." I don't pay attention to that stuff. But then I'm also on the road, whatever it is, 30 weekends a year. If I get done with this interview and go get coffee, I can't go down the street without somebody saying, "Hey Brandon, love you, man." So that's real. That's what I care about. Social media is a factor for sure, but it's not the end-all, be-all. I think when people realize that, if you're walking down the street, 1 in 10 people on social media, especially on Twitter, you can't give your self-value or self-worth based on what social media is. You're going to live a much happier life. So that Reddit group, they're going to do their thing, you know? That comes with the territory. I was built for that; that's why God gave me big shoulders. But you know, I...

Sam Parr

they're gonna click that

Shaan Puri

they're gonna love that

Sam Parr

one yeah

Brendan Schaub

I think I was built for it. And then also, if you look at me, I know I probably look like the guy that bored you in high school. You know, they'll use some of that, like, "Oh, Brendon's a bully" or whatever. I know I look like the guy, but if they actually knew me... These people know me, but they've never met me. They're not buying tickets to a show, so I don't give it energy. Because if I did, I wouldn't have a business. I wouldn't have this house that I'm talking to you guys in right now. So, you know, I think the lines get blurred where it's like, "Oh, he's a big strong guy. He's fighting in the UFC. He can handle this." There's no limits; everything's off-limits. They think there's nothing off-limits, and we can go as hard as we want. But it actually hurts my feelings, man. It's actually not cool. I joke; I'm all for it. I'm all for being a professional comic. We roast each other; we do our thing. So if it's funny, if it's witty, fire away. But when you start going towards the personal side, well, then you've crossed the boundary. You know, and now also, if you want to have this conversation in person, if you want to offend me, we can do that. I can do that. We can just see how it goes for you. That's never happened. As long as I've been in entertainment, I've never run into anybody that said something to my face. So I just get what they're doing. If it's funny, if it's witty, and they're going to do their thing, I actually appreciate it. But when you cross the boundary and then disrespect me in a different way, you know, that's where I have an issue with it. When I say I have an issue with it, it means that it hurts my feelings. I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm not going to beat you up. I'm not the bully you expect me to be. Then also, I think that that subreddit has crossed the line.

Brendan Schaub

Not all of them. Some of them are actually just funny, and they're fans who show it in a different way. I understand that at my age. But, you know, a lot of them have crossed that boundary where they hide behind this keyboard and want to do evil things, which I just don't understand. To me, it's like, and for what? For what? Because I do stand-up, you don't have to buy a ticket. I do free podcasts that trigger you, right? We don't have to watch. So, I'm just cut from a different cloth. I'm just a positive person. Now, there are some podcasters that will lean into it. If there's beef between comics, they'll lean into that. They like that controversy and drama all the time, like it's "Real Housewives of LA." I would probably be much more famous and much further along in my career if I entertained that. I just can't do it. Sometimes I think, "Man, I should try that." It's just not what I do. I don't like being negative. I'm a positive person, and I enjoy helping people out. So, you know, it just heavy lies the crown with that stuff, man.

Sam Parr

you were you were saying how when you moved to

Brendan Schaub

la rant I apologize

Sam Parr

No, it's good. Where there... oh, you know someone's gonna clip that. Some hater will clip that, hopefully. But somehow, hopefully that hate pushes us forward. You were talking about moving to LA and how that was like a big change. You know, basically, Sean and I both lived in San Francisco when we started internet companies. Having a crew, we were in each other's crew. We had a handful of others where you succeed together. That's like the greatest thing ever because it's fun and, actually, it's useful. You piggyback off each other, you motivate one another, and you invest in each other. It's practical. You're in this cool world. It's like you, Bobby Lee, Theo Von, Chris D'Elia, Andrew Santino, and Andrew Schultz is a little bit outside of that but somewhat inside of that. Joe Rogan, yep. You got this crew and, like, ten years ago, you know, there was Rogan, but there weren't really a lot of comedy YouTube channels or podcasts. But right now, if I go on my YouTube app, it's basically like a Theo Von or Brendan Schaub clip constantly, or the clip of Bobby Lee telling the story about the Down syndrome thing.

Brendan Schaub

viral clip in comedy podcast history that was

Sam Parr

It's hilarious! Yes, it's so funny where he talks about getting molested by a Down syndrome guy.

Brendan Schaub

it's one of the funniest I mean it it's

Sam Parr

So, like, I can't go on without seeing the funniest bits from whatever. And it's like someone in your crew. What's that like behind the scenes? Are you guys... is this like a... like Sean and I sometimes, when we want to get popular on X, Y, and Z, we're like, "Hey, can you like this? Can you share this?" Yep. Or, "Hey, do you want to come on my thing? You come." It's somewhat organized, somewhat.

Shaan Puri

or or just sharing like we

Sam Parr

were just

Shaan Puri

Ensuring, be like, "Hey yo, I'm doing this and it's working!" Like, yes, you know? What's that like?

Brendan Schaub

you know what

Sam Parr

You have like a group text when you're like, "Hey Theo." I've found that this type of... like, because you guys... and by the way, I don't know if we told you this, but if you go and look at when we first started MFM (My First Million), we just bought the same red sofa lounge chairs that you had. I love it! I would see those on the thumbnail and I'm like, "Oh, that red pops!" It makes you want to click it. I noticed that you and Theo, particularly you, I bet you probably started it, have these pretty eye-catching studios. They're not particularly fancy, but they're just eye-catching, and you're changing them constantly. I noticed Theo does the same thing; he's constantly changing. Yep, the set. Same with Andrew Schulz. Are you guys like sharing all these tactics? Like, when we're doing this, it's working, or like, "Here's how much we're paying for blank," or like, "You guys, let's pump each other around this thing."

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, you know, going back to kind of the whole... it's almost like a team, you know? And I, you know, the team captain... all this starts from Joe Rogan. So before I hit the comment...

Sam Parr

but he didn't give a shit about any of that does he he just does whatever the fuck he wants in it sometimes it works

Brendan Schaub

He does whatever he wants, and he's the leader of the pack. But he's also the reason why we embrace each other. You know, 5, 6, or even 7 years ago at the Comedy Store, there was the Comedy Rap Pack. We were the Rap Pack, and we were the guys. Every show sold out, our names were on the marquee. There was a structure, like, we don't tear each other down; we support each other. I heard Isaiah Thomas say this when he went on my boy's podcast, "All the Smoke," with Matt Barnes. Isaiah Thomas said this, and it really resonated with me. He was on there talking about Michael Jordan, and he goes, "Clearly, I'm not a black man. I don't know if you guys know this or not, but I'm not black." But it's...

Sam Parr

actually not that clear by the way

Brendan Schaub

you could be

Sam Parr

you could be

Brendan Schaub

is what I am dude

Shaan Puri

no one's on

Brendan Schaub

the if you told me

Sam Parr

You had a little India. It wouldn't be surprising. It's not that clear, actually. Yeah, earlier when you said Denver or the Buffalo Bills didn't want slow white guys, I was like, "Yeah, so you're in."

Brendan Schaub

He's not? Yes, so you made the team, right? Yeah. Wait, you tell me you're not Aaron Hernandez? No, but... so where was I? Oh, so really, it's coming... rap pack.

Shaan Puri

no no you're saying isaiah thomas said something

Brendan Schaub

yeah isaiah thomas yeah so isaiah thomas said this in I saw a clip that matt barnes posted I love those guys I started with them at showtime and they're crushing it but isaiah thomas they brought up michael jordan and isaiah thomas has issues with michael jordan and matt barnes you know we'd love to have him on and isaiah's like that's a tough one he does do interviews then isaiah said as alumni from the nba as as alumni and you guys are alumni we're this tight fraternity and not only are we a tight fraternity that we've reached certain levels of the nba in this in the on this lane that we're in but we're also black men and it is our duty to support each other it is our duty to come on the shows and make sure you guys get views make sure people get your name out there that that is something that as we it's our responsibility being in this small group and the small club and back probably 7 years ago you know rogan it was the same thing it is your fuck it is your duty to come on other shows to broaden the audience to bring everybody into these great talents you know whether it's you know back in the day find the kid outside joe rogan find the kid with the launching pad if he goes through it you look at tim dillon the andrew schultz santino theo von chris dillard you look at all the people that came on there and just exploded now is it because it the final kid audience maybe helped a little it's because those guys are so goddamn talented and once people saw who they were they out succeeded finding the kid they've gone on they've blown the roof off things now but if you look back on finding the kid and I take so much pride and joy in that where we had these guys on before they were massive and as isaiah thomas says it is our duty to do that so that resonated with me now this is 7 8 years ago even 10 years ago when fighting for the first started out we'd have all these comments on stuff like that and then the pandemic hits the pandemic hits and the leader of the rap pack leaves joe rogan leaves and the comedy store shuts down comedy la shuts down then tom segura leaves then joey diaz leaves then tim dillon leaves then theo von leaves and then brian goes through some bullshit me too movement and he has to leave and chris d'elia goes some through some bullshit me too movement chris d'elia has to leave and I'm on this island by myself I'm like woah where is your buddy I thought let's alright the troops although we're not in la we gotta rally let's rally around each other and it broke my heart man it broke my that no those days are over dude you gotta figure it out on your own those days are over the days of you know being in the in in the hallways of the comedy store and the improv and the ice house and the laugh act where you know hey podcast tomorrow yeah podcast tomorrow those days are gone everyone's they've made it everyone's in their lane you gotta figure it out on your own now it's weird because you know I was at the comedy store last night and I always have this it takes me a while I sit in the parking lot for a while because it just kinda reminds me when I pull up now that I used to pull up and rogan pull up in his porsche and we'd park next to each other we'd talk shop about the cars and what's next and then santino would pull up and we talked to him and chris d'elia and then brian would pull up and bobby lee and ceo and we'd be in there and there was a college it was the best it was it was absolute best and I wish 5 6 7 years ago somebody would've tapped us on the show I'm like hey fellas in 2 years this is all gone you I didn't realize at the moment that that was the golden age and what we were doing was so special we took it for granted and I I didn't realize at the time how special it was in in my in my theater where my fish tank are and like my man cave I've I have 4 pictures from those days I just put them up probably you know when they were done 5 6 7 years ago I didn't realize that in that picture in that frozen moment that was the best time ever for for me as far as just being in that symbiotic like team of such a team man yeah there's a special moment you know now we're all everyone's doing well we still talk we have our group chats but as far as like you know seeing each other all the time like those days are over man and it it's heartbreaking yeah

Shaan Puri

It's important to have one of those "pay it forward" cultures. I think Silicon Valley has that too. There isn't really that much gatekeeping. You can go to the most successful, richest guy in Silicon Valley, and he'll give you time. It doesn't matter who you are. If you need a favor, they'll give you a favor. They'll provide either advice, money, or an introduction. There's no "pay it back"; it's all "pay it forward" because they got helped by the person before them.

Sam Parr

and

Shaan Puri

Luckily, that stayed together. Now, like you said, with the pandemic, a bunch of people moved out of Silicon Valley, so who knows what will happen? It takes a little longer in our world to sort of see those effects. But I remember when I was living in San Francisco, kind of on the come-up. Sam and I met doing one of these founder masterminds where we would get dinner for hours and talk like, "Okay, what are you doing? How's that going? What am I doing? How's that going? How can we help each other out?" It felt like, you know, in *Toy Story* when they go to that arcade and those little minions are in the machine and it's like the claw. The claw selects one and takes it away. That's like you. They made it; they got the fame, the fortune. They got picked. But the other minions weren't pulling them down; they were like, "Congrats, brother! Go for it!" You know, you made it out. Because it's like that in Silicon Valley. You'll know somebody, and they're broke for the four years you know them, and then they're worth $150,000,000 overnight. And then you're like, "Yo, the claw picked you, and you won!" Yeah, the claw got you. The claw, which is Mark Zuckerberg buying your company, happened. And it's the same thing in entertainment; someone hits a breakout.

Shaan Puri

And now they're famous. They made it. There's a question of, like, do you just get left in the dust? Do you resent people when they're happening? Or do you realize that the rising tide lifts all boats? You really want to be in that rising tide type of situation.

Brendan Schaub

Just a side note here: in San Francisco, now paying it forward... yeah, that's great. You gotta worry about getting stabbed out there. Forget starting to attack.

Shaan Puri

will your friend watch

Brendan Schaub

your

Shaan Puri

back watch your back literally like you you gotta actually watch his other's back physically

Brendan Schaub

Just survive the day. You know, like paying it forward is carrying a gun so your buddy doesn't get stabbed in the neck.

Sam Parr

Yeah, it's insane. I was going to ask a slightly different question, but I saw a few interviews that were cool. One was with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, then Chael Sonnen, and I think actually Michael Bisping said the same thing. They were talking about being in the locker room before they fight. I think it was Chael who said, "People think that we're tough guys, and like maybe we kind of are, but every single time before a fight, I think my last one should have been my last one. What am I doing? I hate this." Then Michael Bisping, who's like a cocky dude and very confident, said, "This is the worst thing ever." Cowboy Cerrone mentioned, "I throw up before every fight. I'm so afraid." You had a really cool moment where you said, "I just beat up Cro Cop." If you don't know anything about UFC, Cro Cop is one of the goats of MMA and he's scary as hell. He's like this Croatian dude, but you think he's like a scary Russian Robocop type of guy. Yeah, and you knocked him out. I remember you said, "I knocked him out," and backstage, you went and said, "Thank you" or something like, "Good fight," and he had ice on his head. You were like, "What the fuck am I doing? I don't want to do this for my life. I don't want to be 40 or 38 or however old he was when you beat him up." But what's that like backstage, the 15 to 30 minutes before you're about to go fight to the death in your underwear in front of a million people?

Brendan Schaub

yeah I think I don't I don't know if I was the I might have been the one of the first fighters ever say that you know but a lot of guys they wanna give off the persona that oh we're these warriors it's like gladiator we we can't wait to get out there but I'm telling you so and I won't mention names I've seen dudes cry backstage they don't wanna go out there I've seen their coaches slap them like dude you have to go out there it's just I I just don't think it's natural you know I think it's a level of intelligence of your body and your mind going hey you're about to get hurt do not go out there so the anxiety's through the roof and every fight I was like what am I doing man I was like so disappointed in myself and then once I hit the cage for most of my career I was okay I knew it was time to get out when I hit the cage I'm like dude don't get hurt get out of here you got so much more to do in this life you cannot you know suffer a concussion we have got to figure this out so you know I think there's truth and honesty for most fighters where it's like it's terrifying it's to me it was the worst gig in the world there's some the highs are the highest in the world the the peaks are the best the valleys are the lowest there can be in professional sports or maybe in life it's a tough gig man you know so I think the more fighters talk about like hey we're human man and and and it is scary going out there and I think the more fighters talk about it the more people can relate to it to most people if you ever man if if tonight or today after this podcast you go to the coffee shop and you're getting your coffee and some guy goes you have some altercation the guy goes hey man tomorrow at 1 pm you and I are fighting you're like I guess we gotta fight imagine the anxiety you're gonna have that night that morning walk in that coffee shop and that's fighting billy you know from in san francisco who's gonna you know fight you over coffee and he probably didn't have skills now height net times a 1,000 not only do you know exactly when you're gonna get in a fistic cuff but the guy happens to be I don't know top 10 in the world at beating people up in your underwear and everybody's gonna see it you know what I'm saying it's human nature to be like this is not healthy

Sam Parr

Dude, we've been podcasting to our friends, and it's been cool to see some of our friends become worth hundreds of millions or even $1,000,000,000. It's cool because we'll talk to them, just hanging out, and they'll be like, "I have to fire this person, and I'm so afraid to do it. I haven't done it in like 8 months. I'm afraid of the confrontation." What that does is it normalizes fear, and you're like, "Oh, therefore I can do it." I remember thinking about Khabib. Dude, this guy is like a terminator; he doesn't show that much fear. Then I saw some of these other tough guys say, "Oh no, it's miserable." I've always wanted to hear from guys like Conor or Khabib, the most outspoken, confident guys. I want to hear them say, "I'm about to piss my pants." Because whenever I hear that, I'm like, "That's fucking cold. I could do anything if this guy's afraid." If this guy's afraid, which I know they are, even if they don't say it, I know they are. I think there are levels to it. It does seem like there are some guys, like Khabib, who are more stoic than others, but there's always self-doubt. I think it's really cool when I see some of these killers actually say that. It oddly gives me hope.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, I think it makes them human. I think it would do athletes so much more good in the public eye if, you know, before the Super Bowl or even after the Super Bowl, Tom Brady would say, "I'm scared shitless, man! That defense was good. I'm terrified to get hit, throw interceptions, and fail." I just think more people would relate to it because we've all been there.

Sam Parr

Ever were there ever any athletes that you know of? Or hung out with MMA guys or boxers? Were they built different? Were they like, "This person's looking forward to a fight," or do you think unilaterally it was...?

Brendan Schaub

No, there are people where, you know, "ignorance is bliss," right? It's like there are guys I trained with, and I'd be two weeks out from the fight. You know, the camp's tapering down, and I'd be like, "Oh man, the fight's in two weeks, man, Saturday!" The guy's like, "I know, I'm excited!" I'm like, "No dude, this is terrible!" But there are certain guys where they live for it. You know, there are guys like the Diaz brothers. Even though they say they hate fighting, I think of someone like Cain Velasquez. There are certain guys that just thrive in that. Just look at Justin Gaethje; they just love the violence. They were just born warriors, you know? They're not thinking about businesses or, you know, ten years down the road or fifteen years down the road. It's just that they were meant to do this. And God bless them, you need people like that. God bless them.

Sam Parr

Even if you're not in the UFC, if you're listening to this, go and look up Justin Gaethje's post-fight interview with Michael Chandler on YouTube. He says this amazing thing: "I was born in the wrong era. I should have been a gladiator so I could kill this person in front of all of you because that's what I'm built to do and that's what I love. I'm here to fight to the death." I heard that and I'm like, there are two different types of humans. I'm one, and he's the other. Yeah, this is crazy.

Brendan Schaub

True, and I think, you know, for me, it came to realization because I've known Justin Gaethje since she was in college. I used to go up to the University of Northern Colorado and wrestle to get ready for my UFC fight. So, I saw Justin at a young age. He's always been like that. Again, when I'd be in the locker rooms or we'd be in the training camps and those guys would talk like that... you know, don't get me wrong, I'm built like a warrior. You would look at me and I think that's one of the reasons I get hate from these guys and they think it's okay to treat me the way that they do. Because, you know, I look like a gladiator. I'm this big dude with tattoos and cauliflower ears. But really, push come to shove, I'm the guy behind going, and they're like left the field. I don't wanna be in the front lines, man. That's not what I wanna do, you know? So, I get the treatment of these warriors, but really, I'm the guy in the back playing the trombone, holding the flag, you know, making sure I look good.

Sam Parr

One of our friends, Sean and I, talked about this after Rose Namajunas, this UFC fighter. Before the fight, you see her saying, "I'm the best, I'm the best, I'm the best." It doesn't matter if you like UFC or not; it makes you cry because there's so much... you have to talk yourself up to this. It's just so motivational, inspiring, cute... I don't know what you want to call it, but it's awesome. It's one of my favorite moments of seeing her say that. Then afterwards, Joe goes, "I saw you saying you're the best. What's up with that?" And she goes, "Because I am the best." And you're like, "You're..."

Brendan Schaub

convincing herself yeah that she's the best like there's

Sam Parr

so good

Brendan Schaub

So much self-doubt, and it's just like, "No, you're the best." I'm assuming she worked with a mental coach, which I did too when I was fighting. You work with these high-level mental coaches, and they tell you that you fight the negative thoughts in your head with a positive one. You say it out loud. So that's just her freaking trying to keep the demons at the door: "Good, I'm the best. I'm the best." You know what I love about this podcast? It's usually when people bring up fighting for me, it's a nightmare. It's a nightmare! Especially if I'm doing a show outside, like whether it's a Comedy Central show or a TV show. They talk fighting, and usually, they have no clue about UFC. Like even you brought up Rose, you brought up Justin Gaethje, and the Michael Chandler stuff. Thank God you guys have an insight into the current UFC world. I'll do some shows and they'll be like, "So what's your take on Chuck Liddell and Tank Abbott? You think that's still gonna happen?"

Sam Parr

like dude they have alzheimer's man they're not having it anymore

Shaan Puri

I'm like how is conrad mcgregor doing yeah

Brendan Schaub

no man we're super fans that's why that's why it's cool to

Sam Parr

hang out with you we've had we've talked I've talked to michael bisping ben askren we've had ariel hawani on

Shaan Puri

your boy

Brendan Schaub

which I

Sam Parr

You know, you guys had a spat. We've had, who else? A bunch of people in that world. It's always fun to talk to you guys because, like, even though the intensity level that you're doing is literally life and death, starting a business is like a percentage of that. But it's like, "I can't do this! I'm freaking out! I don't know how to do this!" You constantly feel inferior.

Brendan Schaub

Oh, there are similarities with all of it. Whether you're a UFC fighter or an entrepreneur, there are similarities where you bet on yourself, and it's on you. The pressure is insane either way. So, there are takeaways from both sides. They definitely overlap. You mentioned Ariel Helwani, right? I think it's a fan thing. I've had spats over the years; it's just going to happen. I don't really entertain it, but I have no animosity towards Ariel. I'll do interviews, whatever it is. Oh, so you and Dana don't like each other? No, I don't dislike anybody. I think that might be one of the reasons why the haters can't stand it. They want that drama; they want something to feed off of. They call it "feeding the trolls." I just don't entertain that. I think it upsets them; it's just not what I do. So, when Aaron and I were having our thing, I made a mistake. I was on the fight campaign, and I said some things I shouldn't have said. He was rightfully upset, so he went on the show and did his thing. All good, man. That's how it goes. I take accountability; that's on me. But Ariel's the best journalist we have. I listen to the show; I have no issues with Ariel. With Dana, man, if anything, I probably should be giving Dana 10% because when he made that deal with Reebok, at the time, I was a young man. I took it personally; I thought it was a hit against me, and it put a chip on my shoulder. When I say chip, I had an entire Pringles can in my storage.

Sam Parr

And what you're talking about is, before you could put any logo you want, then he made a deal with Reebok. And it's just, they are the guys.

Brendan Schaub

Yeah, I lost, you know, probably $100,000 a fight. I took it personal, but being a business owner now, Dana wasn't made when the Reebok deal came. Man, how's this gonna affect Brendan Schaub? No, dude, I'm one of the elephants in the circus. You gotta do what's great for all the elephants, not just me. So I was a bystander and a casualty of that deal. It just didn't work out in my favor, but that pushed me faster into what I was supposed to be doing. So Dana actually helped me out. I have zero issues with Dana. Huge fan, huge fan. But I think some fans, for whatever reason, can't get over that. It's like, "Well, no, he screwed you over, and look, you had to retire, and he did this." I'm like, "No, he did me a favor, guys. That was 12 years ago. It's all good." He's doing great; he's lost more money than God. I'm doing pretty good at zero. If he called me today and was like, "Hey man, we need you to do this," no doubt, I'll help you out. No problem.

Sam Parr

Well, dude, you're the man! I said earlier that we had Rob on, and I knew Rob growing up as a skater. When he came on, he surprised us so much. I think his video has hundreds of thousands of views, which is good for us. You're kind of in that category where I had good expectations because I listen to you a lot. But you're a lot more insightful than I thought, and I already thought you were pretty insightful. You're just a good guest. Maybe next time you'll have a better setup instead of just being on your iPhone. Yeah, here's the...

Brendan Schaub

So, here’s the thing about that. I don’t own a computer. My company, Fig Boy Network, has whatever, 12 to 15 computers. I’m like the anti-technology guy. I don’t like it.

Sam Parr

that seems that seems good for a internet company owner

Brendan Schaub

I know, right, Mark? Yeah, can you tell I'm going to fail by next year? So, yeah.

Shaan Puri

We did the same with the... there's a guy, Mark Laurie, who bought the Timberwolves. He's a famous entrepreneur, a billionaire, and he came on. He was doing the same thing. He's like, "Is this good, guys?" He put his iPhone on a chair on top of his dining table.

Brendan Schaub

billionaire dude and he

Shaan Puri

stood up and he talked and we were like do you can you use your computer

Brendan Schaub

oh I don't

Shaan Puri

I don't own a computer. We were like, "It hits different when a billionaire says it." It's like, if somebody else says it, you're just like, "Man, what a schmuck." Then you hear him say it, and you're like, "This guy knows." What's this guy?

Brendan Schaub

knows how to live yeah you got it

Shaan Puri

he's not locked down on his fucking computer

Sam Parr

he says it because like he's got a person you know he's got people you know what I'm saying he's like

Brendan Schaub

I don't have computers, but I have humans. Yeah, no, I owe you guys. Next time we do this, I'll do it at Athlete Boy Studios. Usually, every Wednesday, I'm in the studio, but today, because yesterday I did three podcasts in a row and had a two-hour meeting for this new project that I'm doing, I started at 7:30 AM. By the time I got done with that meeting, I was home around 5 PM. I went about my kids' lizards, fed them dinner, put them to bed, then rushed over to the Comedy Store. I got home at 12:30 last night. So, today's my first off day in I don't know how long. Tomorrow, I'm on tour in Atlanta. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, I'm in Atlanta doing shows. So usually, I'm always in the studio, and I have the team set up so it looks professional. So, I owe you guys. I owe you guys, but... fuck.

Sam Parr

your man

Brendan Schaub

I hate electric cars. I think they're a disaster. I don't like electric cars, and I don't like iPhones. I'm about to switch to a flip phone. I just don't subscribe to it, man. I don't think it's healthy.

Sam Parr

let's add a couple zeros to your net worth and then we'll call it cool but until then we're gonna we're gonna

Brendan Schaub

call look like a cool

Sam Parr

You're a... you're a fucking caveman. You're a caveman. But like, maybe, maybe, maybe just add... I'll send a few zeros and we'll call you a genius. But until then, you're a Neanderthal.

Brendan Schaub

yeah yeah until then I'm just this broke guy doing it on a iphone 7

Sam Parr

well dude thank you for doing this you're amazing and we and we we appreciate it thanks

Brendan Schaub

coming on yeah besides my setup this got sad fast at the end

Sam Parr

alright that's the episode