Welcome everybody. To another episode of the ride home rans podcast. This is as always your host Mike bono. I got a great guest for us today, but first and foremost, the ride home rans podcast is brought to you by my own personal merch store. These stupid shit hurt merch store. I have hats t-shirts hoodies leggings for the women and you name it.

I got. All you gotta do is go to the link in the description of this episode to find out all of the details of all the products that I have. If you type in the promo code welcome, you will get 5% off of your first purchase. Once again, link for that is in the description of this episode. That being said, my guest today is coming to us all away from California.

He is another MMA fighter. He trains with the lake of Terrence wrong turn, say turn and Blake Perry at, uh, train for life. Caesar Gonzalez joins the show Caesar. Thanks for joining my. Man. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity, man. This is a lot of fun.  not a problem, man. So you're a professional MMA fighter.

Like I said, you, you, uh, train with Terrence and Blake. Uh, first and foremost, for those people who don't know, uh, much about you take us through a little bit about, uh, Caesar man. All so Caesar's journey. Caesar's journey started at 280 pounds. Okay. So I was nearly a decade ago. You. I was getting, um, I was receiving my, my bachelor's in criminal justice and I wanted to get into law enforcement.

I wanted to become an FBI agent. I still do. Okay. But you know, there's a time for everything. So that time is not now. So, um, what's it called? I was getting, I was gonna get my bachelor's degree in criminal justice and like two months before I graduated.

Sorry about that. Let me let connect my charger. Sorry. Good. You're good. So like two months before I graduated, um, what's it called? I just looked up some dojos around, nearby, near Vallejo because I, I reside in, so I got to this dojo. Five minutes. First, five minutes, the guy kicks me out. He's like, you're never welcomed here.

Yeah. Yeah. It surprised the fuck outta me too. I'm like what? I'm like, I'm just here to check out your martial arts practices. How is it going then? I think he thought I was a spy for another gym or something, so right away kicked me out first five minutes. Like you're never allowed to hear your, you can never train with us.

So I'm like, man. That was my first dojo ever experience. And I had, I had got a bad taste. I'm like, God, after that, I'm like, damn, I don't know if I wanna go to dojo, man. These guys are, are our assholes. Cause that's my only my first communication with one and, and they just kicked me out. So I, I start driving literally down the street, maybe two blocks down the street.

I see another side that says mu tie, uh Jisu tie bow. So I'm like. They can probably teach me something. And that, that gym was at knuckle up knuckle up in BELE. I go there and sign up immediately loves the place. I'm like, oh man, this is a lot of fun. And again, I was 280 pounds. I'm like, all right. I used to think I was hell big, like, wow, no, one's gonna mess with me.

But I'm like, dude, I didn't know shit about fighting. And I got lucky because my two MMA coaches actually came out of that original gym that kicked me out. Okay. So now it's like, oh, you know, at first I'm like, man, forget these guys. These guys are assholes. And then I. Slowly started finding out that that's why they left their gym because those guys were assholes.

Right. And, and I'm like, all right, cool. These guys are cool now. It's, it's weird how that happens. It's like, all right, cool. We're cool. Now I don't even know anyone from that gym or, or even my cook at the moment, but I'm like, man, I just base it off off because they set up, they trained at that other gym.

I'm like, man, forget y'all. And um, so then like couple years later, Coach sunny, that was coach sunny that, you know, I've been under coach sunny, my whole career. So he had a plan of, of starting off train for life and I'm like, oh, interesting. What is train for life? So he slowly started, you know, leaving knuckle up and you know, well, me not being a idiot, I'm like, I'm gonna follow the guy that, that has a plan.

Right. So let's go. And, and, you know, 10 years later now, we've, uh, we've had, we had train for life, started in his, in his backyard. And then I, I remember going out there, you know, getting ready for fights. He's patting me out in his front yard, making me run Hills off of, um, Solano community college in Valle.

And I was. Now looking back, I was like, damn, we started from nothing. We started from a backyard to now being, you know, a train for life. It's a huge ass facility, huge ass space. We have a cage, we have a rain, we have two mats. We have weight room. I'm like, wow, looking back at it. You just have to enjoy the journey, man.

Cause we went from a backyard to now where we're at now. I'm like, We made this happen. Well, this is possible because of us great, absolutely. That they, uh, I, I, I follow train for life on Instagram and I, I see what you guys are doing there and it, it looks phenomenal. Um, I see everyone's really, really working hard, especially, uh, Blake and Terrence.

I follow them religiously. Uh, their careers and what's going on. It, it was tough to see, you know, Blake's last fight, you know, as a teammate off of a broken nose, the ref's not in the medical staff, not letting him, him fight. Have you had anything like that? And you know, how quickly does that help motivate you to want to be better seeing that happen to one of your teammates?

Man, bro. It was, you know what, I'm gonna be realistic. I was one of the cornermen in, in Blake's fight. And seeing him go to the hospital was like, it is like, even just taking him to the ambulance, it was like, it was heartbreaking, man. It was wow. It was like, wow, this is like, like I, I even went up to my main coach suddenly.

I'm like, man, you're tough. He's like, what do you mean? I'm like, I'm like, man, that's I feel like, like, because I was. With my team the whole time, I feel like those are my children, right? Like I'm like man seeing my child go to the hospital and having dinner without my child. He's still in the hospital, even though he came up to us, he told us I'm okay.

I'm okay. I'm like, wow. It was, it was heartbreaking. I didn't even feel like eating. I'm like, I don't deserve this meal. Blake's not with me. Like, like, man, it was really heartbreaking. Yeah. And, and just seeing his spirits, how like he's, oh man, Blake's a dog, man. Blake Blake is, is, is a fucking dog. He would just come out there.

He's like, he's like, I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's go. I'm like, let him fight. Like, that's why he signed up for the fight. He signed a contract, let him fight. Right. And cuz same thing. Same thing happened to me in my last fight. I fought for cage warrior, June 10th. I got, I got a knee to my, to my eyebrow. I don't know if you can see that huge scar right.

But yeah, it was like, it was like a minute into the fight, maybe two minutes in, and then I didn't even feel the knee. It was like a perfectly glazed knee where skin to skin. Right. Where you don't feel it, but it's like, you'll it made it a cut. So I'm like, wow, this sucks. And then same thing happened to me.

Ref came in and he's like, it's over, it's over. I'm like, what are you, what are you talking about? He's like, you're bleeding. It's over. I'm like, I, it was, it was weird, cuz I didn't even know I was bleeding. The blood was going around my eye. Okay. I was see that. So, so like, like, like when that happened, when the rest stopped the fight, he's like, wait, wait, wait.

I'm like, what are you doing? He's like, you're bleeding. I'm like, so I go like this with my gloves. I'm like from where I see all the blood on my left side. And then I go, I come like this down my eye, cuz again, I didn't even know I was bleeding. Come down. My, my finger went like this deep. My the cut. So I'm like, okay.

I'm like, but at the same time, it's like, I, I respect it, but I don't cuz it's like, man, we know what we signed up for. Right. We signed the contract. Like let me go out out at my own terms. Like, come on. I know you're a doctor. I know you're trying to do your doctor stop. But at the same time, if I signed the contract, man, let me go out on my own.

That's one thing. I mean, I, I get the doctors gotta do their jobs, but you know, I, I religiously watch MMA, the UFC, everything that I can get my hands on with combat sports. You know, and seeing some of the fights that I've seen, like the McGregor Diaz fights back in the day when they're both bloodied up and they're both just tore up and they let the fight go.

And you know what I mean? If a fighter to me is telling me I'm good to go, you know what, like you said, you guys signed the contract. You know, this is a brutal sport. You know, you're gonna get some bumps and bruises, some cuts, you know, broken bones, but you signed up for that. So like, if a fighter to me is telling me, Hey, let me go.

I, I, I gotta let 'em go. I mean, that, that, that's just me, but I mean, I understand, we know they're, they're trying to keep every athlete safe in all sports now, but I feel like that's easier said than done in the world of mixed martial arts. You know what I mean? Oh yeah, absolutely. Like, like we, we know what we stand up for.

Like, come on Lee. We don't wanna go through it. We don't wanna go through any broken balance, concussions, anything, any cuts, but we know that that's part of the. So, let us go out the way that we wanna go out, especially we're we're saying, yeah, we're good. Like, like we're not we're we're not looking like, oh my God, I got this I'm I'm rock.

No, it's like, man, I'm good. Let letting me fight. Let me go outta my own terms. And it's like, and that's where it's, it's funny. Not watching fight.  like a lot of like, I, first of all, I hate going to like bars and watching fights. Cause a lot of people don't understand or appreciate right. The fight itself, like how hard it gets to get there.

So, so when. When people, when I see people are knocked out in fights and then it's like, let him fight, let him fight. It's like, Hey man, he's clearly standing in the ground. Like that's that's. Yeah. But if the fighter's like, yeah, I'm good. Like, come on, he's begging to the rep. Please let me go. He's clearly good.

He's he had made, he may have a boo boo, but that's, that's where he's time. He knew that he might have a boo boo coming into this fight. So let him, let him come at it. Come on, right? Yeah. I mean, I agree. I've seen some gnarly knockouts in, in my days of watching mixed martial arts. Terrence's latest knockout was definitely up there.

Um, oh yeah. Amazing. One of the, the best ones I've seen in a long time. And to just put the guy out before he hit the mat. Have you had anything either having that happen to you or you doing that to someone in any of your fights lately, then what's your record for, for everyone who doesn't know much about C man?

My record is, is four and five right now. Okay. Four, four wins. Five losses, five learning lessons. They're not losses. They're learning lessons because we're still learning. We're still young at this game. We're still adapting. We're still trying to figure everything out and being the first, uh, nobody fighter is like, okay, you're setting the, the, the pay for all these future, the next generation next generation.

And, but, um, but yeah, we're, we're, we're coming back stronger. We're coming back healthier. We're doing everything correct. That's what I told my guys. I'm like, Hey guys, it took me nearly a decade. Listen to the coaches. They know what they're talking about.   oh man. That's funny. I feel like that goes for all sports though.

Cuz you know, I was an athlete growing up. I, I rarely listened to the what does he know? What, what does the coach know? I, I know better than him. Yeah. So I definitely understand it takes a lot. No, yeah. Probably should listen to what he was saying.  it, it takes it, it takes a second. It takes a second. For great people.

It takes 10 years for stubborn people, but, but we're still enjoying the journey. Absolutely. It's, it's a grind, you know, and I understand, you know, especially for, for fighters, it's not like an every week, like you see with football, with the coming right around the corner football season's right around the corner.

Um, you know where these guys are playing every Sunday, Monday or Thursday, you know what I mean? You guys, you just had a fight on, I think you said June 10th. Um, when is, when is your next fight even scheduled? Do you have one scheduled? We don't have one scheduled yet. We're looking for any opportunities that come our way and, um, yeah, that's where we're at right now.

We're like, all right, everything's good. Like I said earlier, like listen to your coaches and when the opportunities show. You don't have to drop 20, 30 pounds or you have to drop is five. Right. And that that's where I'm at. Right. And I was like, okay, if I would've done this, maybe. Three years ago, four years ago, or as soon as I turned pro is like, I would've had better opportunities, but now I, again, it took me a second.

Took me a second, but now we're just looking for anything. Anything that makes sense? It's like, all right. Let's, let's go after. Understandable and, and you know what? I, I respect it. So what is training like when you're not preparing for a fight for Caesar? I know what Blake said. I know what, uh, Terren said.

So what does it look like now for, for you now that there's no fight scheduled, you're still looking for something. So how does your training differ from camp when you're getting ready for a fight to now that you're. Kinda, I guess, quote unquote off season, if you will, uh, for a, a sports term there. And what is your training regimen like now?

You know what, bro, I'm not even lie. Hey, my, my, my training doesn't change at all. Okay. Like on and off, the mats is still the same. It's still the double days. It's still, you know, making sure that I'm there for the team. I'm making sure that I'm there for myself and for my family, you. This is a team sport.

So I need to make sure that my wife is good at it, or is, is good for me training at these times and she's all for it. But the only thing that really really changes is my nutrition. Okay. That I I'm very more, more specific with it. I'm like, okay, now that we're training for a fight, we have to be right on.

You know, I, I I've. I, I guess you can say, like I said, I used to wait two 80 and now I fight at 1 55. I walk around 1, 1 68, 1 70. So it's like, okay. The only thing that I've changed is my nutrition. And with that, it's like, we've tried everything. We've tried all diets. Um, so that's, that's why I tell my teammates is like, Hey, try and whatever works for you.

That's what works for your body, right? Because for me, For me now it's like every two hours, I have to have something in my body, get the, get the system rolling, get it, you know, activated. But that's what works for me every two hours. I with whether it's like, uh, apple, some moments, you know, so what I try to do is eat real food.

That's that's my main goal is eat real food. Like, okay, it might take me a second to cook it and everything, but that's why we meal prep, but we eat real. . Yeah, I mean, I, I, I, I couldn't do the weight cuts that you guys go through and everything like that. So you cut about 15, 20 pounds, uh, to be at fight weight at 1 55.

See, uh, I graduated high school at 155 pounds. And looking at you versus what I know, I looked like at 155 pounds.  like, there's no way, like , there's no way. That's right, man. Like I was, I was this little stick, but I, I stayed six, five, so 155 pounds at six foot five. It it's. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I, yeah, I was, I, I swam and I played football, so swimming.

I kind of have that swimmers build the broad doors, the long. And very compact and you know, it it's rough now because COVID was a very terrible time for me, weight wise, uh, the year 2020, I jumped up to 250 pounds, which given, you know, at six, five, it didn't look that terrible on me, but I knew like this is.

the, I I'm fat for me like this, this is fat for me, you know, 250 pounds. Yeah. And just didn't feel myself. And I knew what it was like for me to try to get back down to now I'm about 2 0 5, so you know. Oh, good job, bro. Great job. Hell yeah. So it's, and I I'm keeping it consistent in that, but I know what it was like to get to that.

I can only imagine doing that for a fight and trying. Mentally prepare myself every time I gotta get in there. Oh, I gotta drop 15 pounds. I gotta drop some people. I got 20, 30 pounds. Yeah. I don't under, I, I wouldn't be able to do that. I wouldn't be able to go through that. I know what it's like to, to lose weight and try to try to keep it off.

But. I I've asked every fighter this to as well. I gotta ask you this, this question. Uh, I know not every fighter is in the cage at their way in weight of 1 55. So when you enter the cage, what are, what are we, or we the one 50? How close are we to 1 55? I'll ask that, bro. All right. So before I answer that question, remember I used to wait two 80.

So after every fight. All I all I told, I always tell everyone, man, all you gotta do is weigh 1 55 for three seconds. Yeah. And then after that you leave . But after every fight I would jump back up to 200 pounds. Okay. So it's like, this was my amateur days, my beginning amateur days. And, and then it's like, fuck, I'm I'm over here dropping 50 pounds just to make a 1 55.

It suck. Fucking suck then now, now, um, back to your question. So I weighed 1 55 on Fridays because of California state rule of the hydration test. We need a it's 10%. So I always don't make that with 10%. So they kind of find me and they kind of, you know, they make sure that I'm on weight, but I usually, uh, come back in at 1 75, no more than no more than 1 75 during the fines.

That's pretty. And it's like, that's pretty consistent with what I hear with the one 50 fivers. You know what I mean? You know, when I talk to them, you know, they're, uh, well, I'm about 1 70, 1 75. When I, when I enter the cage and, you know, I, I get that that's that 15 pounds that you lost, you know, to make that weight for that three seconds that you were on the scale.

Um, and, and hit that. So, um, that, yeah, the weight cuts is just, I think that's what did it with me, you know, I, um, Growing up. I got a black belt in TaeKwonDo, you know, it was, you know, something I enjoyed, but probably something I wish I would've stuck with it as much as I watch combat sports and mixed martial arts and everything like that.

But it's yeah, it's, it's too daunting for me as a, uh, standup comedian. So, you know, I. I don't have to worry about weight every now and again, the, the worst thing I gotta do, like I'm preparing for a show now that is a PG 13 show. You know, I gotta, I gotta write a clean set. And for the past 10 years, I haven't done clean comedy.

So , that's my biggest challenge right now is I got ready to sit without any cussing in that's. That's the hardest thing for me in, in my profession. Now, another, another question I asked here before, cuz we are running down near the end of the episode here, but um, I ask every fighter this, uh, I heard you say you got a wife, so I'll, I'll gear it this way now.

And the wife are out and somebody comes up and, and they're trying to act tough. Are you letting them know, Hey man, I'm a professional fighter or is this a fuck around and find out type of situation? Like  we just letting 'em find out for themselves. Bro that that's actually the funniest thing. I'll, I'll be like, man, you're hella tough.

Like, I don't want no piece of you  I actually hang him on. I'm like Kelly, bro, you are the toughest man I've ever seen. And, and you know, words, words don't hurt me, man words, you can yell, you can scream, you can do everything. But as soon as you do this, you know, any type of physical touch is like, Hey, I'm scared for my life.

Now I'm gonna make sure that. I make sure that we make it home. So as soon as you know, any little bump, any little hole, I'm scared for my life. That is the story that I'm sticking with. So I, I gotta make it home.  that is probably the best answer I've gotten to that question that I've gotten everyone's pretty much on a part like, oh no, they're.

I call it. FHO we're gonna, FHO some people we'll fuck around and find out, you know,  go out and find out that's the best, best one I've gotten, bro. I, I fight seven days a week. Like when I go out, I wanna hang out. I don't wanna fight. Like, and the other thing is I fight for money and I was like, Hey man, I. I check their part, cuz I'm like, Hey, how much you got bro.

If they got, if they say over $2,000, all we fighting homie me  and I'm taking him money home.

by far the best answer to that question probably on in the entire two years of this show, that's probably the best answer to a question that I've asked on this show. Caesar, like I said, we are running down near the end of the episode. Uh, I gotta get this segment in. Uh, otherwise the manager of the podcast will kill me, but it is the fast 55, 5 random questions from the wonderful manager of the podcast.

Johnny fitty Falcon and Caesar. Since you know, I know you've listened to the episodes before these have nothing to do with what we've been talking about for the entire 30 minutes right now, kind of rapid fire for the new listeners out there, but you can elaborate if you need to. So if you're ready, man.

Let's get rolling with the fast 55. Let's get it. All right. Question number one, which is the best salad dressing. Ranch. All right. That's a good choice. It's a good start, Steve. I'm a ranch guy. That's a good start.  hell he is question number two. What is your, what was your favorite cartoon growing up? Oh, it's probably, um, RO uh, what was it?

Rocos modern life. Wow. Oh, that that takes me back. That  yeah, I think I used to love that show.  number three. What is your go-to ice cream flavor? Oh yeah. It's always cookies and cream cookies and cream brother. Absolutely. Question number four. Do you prefer texting or talking on the. Texting. I think that's a pretty standard answer for this, but, but it's funny cuz I'll talk text, like I'll send my, my text messages through a voicemail.

Okay. Throw a voice message. Yeah. So that's how I'm talking to everyone. Like, Hey, get this done. All right. You too.

Last question here. Who is tougher rugby players or hockey players? Rugby rugby players. They don't have no, no, no pads, no nothing. They're just, Hey, let's go straight forward that that's, that's look at it. That's a tough word for me though. You know, I'm a huge hockey fan, so that, that's a tough word for me, but I know some rugby players and they're toughest nails.

So   all right. Caesar, like I said, we are running down near the end of the episode. That was the fast 50. I give every guest this opportunity on the show Caesar here. So I'm gonna give you about a minute. The floor is gonna be yours. Anything you wanna get out there, whether it's just a good message. Um, anything else like that or whatever you wanna get out there?

The floor is yours. My man, man, first thing I wanna say, you know, I want to give a huge shout out to my mind. Coach, mind that evolve. I don't know if you can see it on the back, but she's done fucking a huge amount of work with my stuff that. I should have listened to my coach 10 years ago, but it took me a second.

So because of her, I'm finally at peace with myself, which means I am finally free to be great. I don't have no stress back then. I would be fighting like eight people inside of my head. And now I'm just. Just one appoint, which is even a whole lot better and a, a huge shout up to my dojo, train for life.

And Jisu, that's my home right there. And, um, thank you to the Ramos family man, without them, we, you know, train for life would not be there. And nobody MMA would not be there because of them seeing how, how close they are with family. I'm like, man, that's, that's gold right there. That's how I wanna be with my family.

Leave a legacy behind. And that's exactly what they're doing. You know, training. I'm leaving FL behind. So that's, that's, that's huge in my, in my core, my values and, um, huge shout out to, you know, Blake getting me on and Terrance turns as a fight. September 3rd, he can go out there, knock another guy out.

Can't wait for these guys. And then the little, the little brother, uh, little Bobby. He has a fighter. He's a bouncer fighter. He's about to go three and oh, October 1st. We're about to get it. Uh, Houston also he's fighting in, uh, uh, August, August 27th and that, but he's gonna be defending his, his 125 pound belt.

So we have a lot of fights coming up and, you know, we have a lot of work to do stuff. All right, man. Yeah. Looking forward to all those fights. I will. I do. I do follow tears now. Uh, religiously, I've been following Blake since he's been on the show. Uh, sorry to say, Carla, or you are on my radar now, man, I am going to be watching for you at that 1 55 way class, and definitely gonna try to stay in touch as much as I possibly can here.

Uh, great shout out to your gym. I love it. When people have, you know, good messages and good mindsets that like you do there. Um, and great to talk to you, man. This was, this was a lot of fun. I, I love talking to, to. Fighters. I'm a, I'm a huge combat sports fan. Been watching it since, you know, boxing in the Ali days and everything like that.

So it, it's great to, to see it evolve to where it is now. And I love talking to you guys and just seeing where all your mindsets are, cuz they're the same, but they're different at the same time, which is a great change of pace from the football players, hockey players, baseball players of the world. It's great to talk to you, man.

Uh, definitely let me know when your next fight is, man. I'm gonna be definitely checking you out. All right. Oh, I sure will. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity of having me on, on this show, man. Really appreciate it. Not a problem that is going to do it for this week's episode of the ride home ran podcast, Caesar Gonzalez.

Again, thank you for joining the show. We really appreciate it as always. If you like the show, be a friend, tell a friend, if you don't tell 'em anyways, they might like it just because you didn't, that's gonna do it for me. And I will see y'all next week.