00:00:00:22 – 00:00:11:13

Ola Akande:

Welcome to the Fight Weeks Show people, what is going on? Look whom we have in the house, GI Jess, you doing? You good?

00:00:11:24 – 00:00:14:16

Jessica Mouneimne

I’m so good. Thanks for having me back. I’m excited.

00:00:14:26 – 00:00:33:15

Ola Akande:

Oh, my God. I mean, what a wild, wild, wild year you’ve had. What a wild ride. And what you what you have coming in the next couple months. Incredibly something that we’ve all been waiting for. You, you in particular. You’ve been waiting for it. We’ve been waiting for it. You know, all your fans has been waiting for it.

00:00:34:24 – 00:00:54:14

Ola Akande:

It’s big news that you have this official title fight coming up in March of you obviously got put off before because of injury to to to your opponent, but it’s coming alive. Nice. Bobby Ewing camp How you feeling about the whole thing, the whole build up, all of that stuff?

00:00:54:26 – 00:01:11:03

Jessica Mouneimne

I’m feeling so good. So it was actually the the fight in December was was pulled because of an injury that I sustained. Not that I yeah I had a broken rib in December, so I had to pull out and I hate that nothing I hate more than pulling up because of an injury but these things happen, especially when you’re training really hot.

00:01:11:03 – 00:01:30:21

Jessica Mouneimne

So yeah, really grateful that this camp has gotten going off without any injuries and that we’re able to to make this fight happen on the 2nd of March because it can be frustrating for I feel sorry like I don’t know Alex personally, but obviously I know what it’s like to want to fight. And at, you know, to be preparing for that and then have it don’t happen.

00:01:31:04 – 00:01:46:06

Jessica Mouneimne

And I know that often we would mean to fight in December to fight in the UK. And her opponent didn’t make weight and so that fight didn’t happen either. He’s kind of trying to make a fight happen really long. And so by so I’m really excited that we can finally do this.

00:01:46:25 – 00:02:23:23

Ola Akande:

I mean, the fight, the fight itself on, especially on the court it was going to be on because that card was was crazy and but also this card that they got coming up that it got you on is also crazy card But in terms in terms of for you and how you’ve been preparing for this fight, is it is this something have you done something different in this camp than you did in the previous camp leading to the fight that you were supposed to have in December?

00:02:23:23 – 00:02:49:03

Jessica Mouneimne

Not really. The you know, we’ve had a couple of we had a couple of shift from a team perspective and strength and conditioning coach left. So we’ve got a lot more of that kind of into our skills coaching team. So a lot of the guys are training together doing the same, you know, strength and conditioning we were always doing, but not together as a team, whereas before we were kind of working one on one each fight and separately with, with the strength and conditioning coach.

00:02:49:16 – 00:03:10:08

Jessica Mouneimne

And that’s been really great too. This just a really good team dynamic and energy, and it’s a very supportive, exciting place to train at the moment. So that’s been quite great to kind of have everyone in camp training for a different goal. But, but working together to this and even more of a team, you know, a team effort this time around, fighting can be quite a lonely sport.

00:03:10:24 – 00:03:20:23

Jessica Mouneimne

You fight alone and sometimes you have to train alone and do a lot of the hard work alone. So it’s it’s really cool to every now and again be able to pull together as a team. So that’s been it’s been cool.

00:03:21:24 – 00:03:49:27

Ola Akande:

Fantastic, fantastic. I mean we we would put our questions as well to to some of some of our viewers and on some of them come up with some of some questions for you. So we’re going to run them by you piece by piece. Okay. So one of our viewers here big up to call Rosie. He asks, would you be a very active champion of fights like a few times, a few times a year?

00:03:49:27 – 00:03:57:20

Ola Akande:

What will you know, what what what would you what type of champion are you going to be when you win, when you win the strap? Not even when.

00:03:58:09 – 00:04:16:04

Jessica Mouneimne

We’re not in the strap. I’d like to be, you know, one thing I said to you was that I’m not motivated by the belt. I’m not motivated by that shiny object. It’s just another fight for me. So nothing’s going to change for me with or without a belt. I’m the same fighter. I want to be as active as I can as long as I can.

00:04:16:19 – 00:04:33:02

Jessica Mouneimne

I’ll Division and EFC is not very deep, so it is difficult to get more than two or three fights. Zero. But that’s I’ll be satisfied with that. So if I can fight two or three times this year, that’ll make me very happy. So I don’t plan on sitting out for long after this fight in March. I’d like to get back into it.

00:04:33:14 – 00:04:55:25

Jessica Mouneimne

And I’m as you know, I’m Muslim, so I observe Ramadan. So my biggest was getting a fight in before the fast. And then, you know, between the end of March and the end of April, my focus is going to be Ramadan year and then I’ll get back into training after that. And I look to fight sort of towards June, July again, and then hopefully in December again Yemen.

00:04:55:25 – 00:05:19:27

Ola Akande:

And without being credible, I mean, you just the year that you just mapped out, you just seems perfect from from your first fight in March, going into Ramadan like yourself, like you said, and, you know, transitioning into July and December 30, you’ve got good spaces there to build up for camp and and make fights so that that sounds absolutely wonderful.

00:05:20:17 – 00:05:39:04

Jessica Mouneimne

So the same card as as myself and Alice for the title is the number one contender spot already. So that’s between Juliette. Okay. She’s Nigerian I think. Yeah. Crystal fan base so that’s already the number one contain this fight that’s being decided. So my next fight is there is going to.

00:05:39:04 – 00:06:03:04

Ola Akande:

Be the win the winner of one of them. It’s incredible because obviously from when you they fight you get to know the number one contender before going into your fights. How does that how does that actually affect does it motivate you more in a situation like that where you know, result going into the fight that might affect your fight later on down the line?

00:06:03:18 – 00:06:06:27

Ola Akande:

Does that give you extra motivation? Does that change the mindset?

00:06:06:27 – 00:06:26:07

Jessica Mouneimne

I think that the thing that motivates me is just knowing that there’s another fight coming. And like I said, because the division is still quite shallow, there’s been a lot of I felt quite anxious not knowing where my next fight is going to come from it. You know, the female divisions have a much deeper pool of guys, so you never short of an opponent.

00:06:26:07 – 00:06:39:24

Jessica Mouneimne

It’s more about wanting to choose the right opponent. Whereas with the ladies you kind of just take what you can get because the pool is so small. So I think knowing that there’s a plan and a trajectory, you know, after this fight, there’s already one lined up that’s that’s exciting for me.

00:06:39:24 – 00:07:01:05

Ola Akande:

It’s fantastic. We have here the set while it is make for Great May Champion and what are some of the qualities that maybe you should avoid in that role as well if you don’t mind, you know, explain to your audience things.

00:07:01:14 – 00:07:25:05

Jessica Mouneimne

That’s interesting. And I think, you know, you can say what you want at our level, but obviously once you get to UFC championship level, there’s a different kind of money and fame that go that comes with that title. And so perhaps, you know, not changing is is more difficult. But like I said, for me, I’m not attaching too much worth to the bout.

00:07:25:05 – 00:07:48:08

Jessica Mouneimne

I don’t necessarily think my life is going to change in a dramatic way, you know, once I win in March. So I’m going to be the same. I’m I see myself as a pretty humble, hardworking girl who just, you know, just wants to fight and love fighting. And that’s going to that’s going to stay for me how it is in terms of how I would like to see champions in general conduct themselves.

00:07:49:16 – 00:08:12:13

Jessica Mouneimne

I think it’s different for every person. Every fighter brings their own personality to their brand in order to build some kind of brand. And, you know, some people are bad boys, some are are humble and authentic the entire time. And I think as long as as long as you’re signing fights and making deals and fighting your heart out, you can be whoever you want to be.

00:08:12:13 – 00:08:43:04

Jessica Mouneimne

What I love about fighting is that it’s it’s very difficult to hide and be anything besides who you truly are. So if you’re excuse my language, but if you’re an athlete, you’re going to see it because it’s hard to hide that kind of stuff in the fight space. If you’re a martial artist that’s going to shine through. I think the only thing that I’d like to see more champs not do is sit out and shy away from hard fights because I’m nervous about losing, you know, the status and losing the belts.

00:08:43:04 – 00:08:58:27

Jessica Mouneimne

I think sometimes once you get to the top of the log, you can become a little nervous about, you know, accepting the hard fights because you’re concerned about what happens next. I think as long as champions stay hungry, I think they remain pretty good champions.

00:08:59:23 – 00:09:29:14

Ola Akande:

Fantastic. I mean, you broke it down really, really well. There. And I could I could personally attest because I follow you. I was talking about Fallujah all the time on al-Qusayr. I’ve got a pretty good handle on what your personality is like. I’ll humble you are how you relate with everybody in your gym. And and, you know, the the the advice that you give out to people on a regular basis, even health wise, how to get people’s mindset right.

00:09:29:22 – 00:09:49:17

Ola Akande:

You give that regularly on your on your on your Instagrams to run on your Instagram page. So you know, I got a good handle on that. And people if you’re not following Jess I don’t know what you’re doing We’ve you know, we’ve got social media pages go unfollow just digest what I mean on Instagram. Go and follow her mind.

00:09:49:18 – 00:10:13:15

Ola Akande:

You will regret go to correct going into going into something like like this because as you said, you know, it’s something that’s massively going to change your life. We we know, you know, the sort of business entities that you have. You have you have one. Go to the gym, go and weave with your husband, almost like a family business right there.

00:10:13:15 – 00:10:39:26

Ola Akande:

And and you’ve got you’ve got some of our endeavors going as well. But coupling all of that, having to work on all of that. And I still have I mean, time for that to prepare for for that. You know, this is something that you’ve that you’ve been after for for for such a for such a long time to now couple all of those together.

00:10:39:26 – 00:10:48:01

Ola Akande:

How how do you get the nerves and put them to one side just to concentrate on something on something like this on an important flight like this?

00:10:49:21 – 00:11:13:02

Jessica Mouneimne

Yes. It’s tough. It’s always tough. I think when when fighting isn’t your core business, when you’re always you know, when you’re always doing another job with fighting, which most people, you know, at our level are. So either you have a day job where you have this and then you come and try in the evenings, you know, or you you find yourself in an active gym type environment, but you still have to go and train and find time to train.

00:11:13:15 – 00:11:35:05

Jessica Mouneimne

It’s always difficult to balance that. I struggle with balancing the gym with family life, with my kids, you know, as well as finding time to train. And so our life is very full and very busy right now. There’s no time for for extra things. So, you know, one one of the ladies that works in the gym invited me out for dinner after tonight’s grown up one session.

00:11:35:19 – 00:11:55:10

Jessica Mouneimne

And I’m like, We’re going to finish at 830. You want me to go and eat with you and then be at the gym and it’s at six tomorrow morning. Sorry, there’s no time for social life. My son said, Mum, when it finds the skate park, I’m like, Maybe, maybe in four weeks. So right now it’s jam packed. It’s waking up at 2:00 to five every single morning.

00:11:55:10 – 00:12:15:09

Jessica Mouneimne

I’m going to bed at like 9:00 every night so we can do the whole thing game. And it’s a it’s a family affair. So I’m dragging my kids with me to the gym every morning and they come home in the evening and it’s it’s hard for all of us, but it’ll be worth it. And in four or five weeks time, we can, you know, go back to being a bit more normal.

00:12:15:09 – 00:12:32:19

Ola Akande:

Fantastic. We have a question here for Diego from the Elysee Palace. Thank you for your question, Diego. See us? He’s safe. What is your least favorite UFC Women’s Strawweight? How would you match up to that?

00:12:32:19 – 00:12:36:04

Jessica Mouneimne

Strawweight My least favorite Strawweight yet.

00:12:36:14 – 00:12:40:20

Ola Akande:

And how much if it was to Oh man.

00:12:41:24 – 00:12:45:14

Jessica Mouneimne

I can’t even think of one, but I don’t like to be on that.

00:12:47:03 – 00:12:48:24

Ola Akande:

All right, let’s go with the one that you do like.

00:12:49:15 – 00:13:16:14

Jessica Mouneimne

Yeah, look, I like I watch the Strawweight division, obviously, because it’s my division. I really close eye on it. And to be honest, like anybody that’s gotten to that level, anyone that’s gotten to that level, like they’ve got something, they’ve got something special. And then when you ask me a similar question in our last interview and I mentioned Cheyenne Christmas, purely because we have African roots and I see a lot of similarity in my like fight style as as what she has.

00:13:16:14 – 00:13:43:20

Jessica Mouneimne

Like she’s she’s a brawler. She’s actually getting close and it’s quite dirty with the fighting. So I would I would be interested to see a matchup like that or even with Jessica Andrade, like she fought recently. She’s also got quite a a brawler kind of get in close and personal kind of style about her. And I think I enjoy watching her because she’s short like me, and she really has to, you know, make a make a big effort to close distance.

00:13:43:20 – 00:13:44:03

Ola Akande:

Yeah, I’m.

00:13:45:09 – 00:14:01:12

Jessica Mouneimne

Trying to think who else comes to mind now. I think anybody that I’m trying to think of her name now, she’s I think she’s Scottish. She’s the she’s the smallest UFC fighter. She’s the shortest, I think a savage can now call.

00:14:01:17 – 00:14:02:25

Ola Akande:

Conor McKenna.

00:14:03:10 – 00:14:15:01

Jessica Mouneimne

That’s it. So. McKenna, That’s it. So I think you’ve obviously got that, that jujitsu background. But again, she’s sorry. I know I’m into having this check in the German who it was hitting pads outside.

00:14:15:01 – 00:14:23:17

Ola Akande:

It’s like, it’s all right, don’t worry about that. We know. We know you’re busy in the gym. We know it. We know our activities over there. So, yeah, please feel.

00:14:23:17 – 00:14:42:26

Jessica Mouneimne

Like it’s gotten louder because I know that accent. Yes, I think we can. We can do like she’s also she’s. She’s small, she’s short. You can see that she doesn’t cut a lot of weight. She’s a tiny percentage. And what something like that stand and you know, stand on her own two feet in the in the ups and space and and dominate is is inspirational for me.

00:14:42:26 – 00:14:58:18

Jessica Mouneimne

So that would be another fight that I would one day love to have just because I see I see similarities in our in our styles and our approach. But yeah, I can’t hate on any woman that’s made it to me. You would see it’s hard for me to hate on them and tell you that they’re my least favorite.

00:14:58:18 – 00:14:59:12

Jessica Mouneimne

I respect all of them.

00:15:00:11 – 00:15:29:19

Ola Akande:

I know that’s in your personality, but we have to ask the question because it was a fun question. Thank you, Diego, for that question. That I thank you for giving us such a gracious answer. The the states and the progress of the of women’s may right now is moving at such a rapid rate. How soon do you think to you start seeing women headlining?

00:15:29:19 – 00:15:51:03

Ola Akande:

I’m making big, big cards and making big purses. Well, like the likes of the McGregor or even Israel, I just like the sort of money that these guys are making. How long what what sort of timescale do you give it to? Like women at that level, Stats to stats to see that kind of person.

00:15:51:25 – 00:16:15:19

Jessica Mouneimne

Yeah. It’s an interesting one with, with woman because it’s not like it hasn’t been done in Ronda Rousey’s era when she was fighting, she was making more money than anybody else. That was at the John Jones era around there. And then obviously kind of mega. You want to see them and things changed. And what Ronda did with not necessarily her fight acumen, but was her personality, is she got people’s attention.

00:16:15:19 – 00:16:38:19

Jessica Mouneimne

You know, you love to hate her. You you kind of you knew that she had this kind of bratty bad boy, so to speak, persona, but you also kind of saw the side to her where you were not 100% sure if that was all she had, that sweet side and a big heart. So I think the big money’s been made and run come and she’s done that and she’s changed like the trajectory for women and paved the way.

00:16:39:06 – 00:17:09:05

Jessica Mouneimne

But I think e I think it’ll be some time before the bulk of women are getting that attention and making that kind of money because there’s so much more pay for us. I think the masses want to watch female fighters who are exciting, but they also want to watch the fighters who are easy on the eyes. So, you know, Ronda was blond and beautiful and so she she didn’t look like you’re your average fighter on first glance.

00:17:09:17 – 00:17:34:22

Jessica Mouneimne

So. Woman, I feel like there’s layers. It’s nuanced because we’re looking at other things as well. Where is this a male fighter? I don’t think that that’s necessarily you can be a good fighter and have a great personality that gets attention. You don’t necessarily have to look, but I feel like a lot of women are getting ahead in the fight space if they have good looks.

00:17:34:22 – 00:18:04:14

Jessica Mouneimne

And so if they if they deemed marketable, so they would be deemed marketable based on either a fiery personality or a good looks, if that makes sense, to have something, you know, a good fighter. So I don’t know what the timeline is. I think from an earning potential that’s I can’t tell you what that timeline is, but from just getting women into the sport and it’s very difficult to get to watch a UFC card now and not have females on the card, which is great.

00:18:04:29 – 00:18:28:12

Jessica Mouneimne

There was a time when it was where you would have one or two fights on the card and that was it. But now we’re having five, six fights on a card. Woman are obviously headlining women’s title fights. So it’s there, you know, it’s just it’s, it’s close, but obviously we’ve still got we’ve still got a journey to walk and it because there’s always going to be a level of sexual sexuality attached to female.

00:18:29:12 – 00:18:39:09

Jessica Mouneimne

I think that’s that’s kind of the thing that’s either going to put you forward or hold you back will be dependent on how willing you are to maybe work that side of things. And for everyone that’s going to be different.

00:18:39:20 – 00:19:07:02

Ola Akande:

Yeah, hundred percent. Got through recently. We will see. We see a gym. Some of the posts that you’ve made, you know, your gym is going from from strength to strength. You know, you even put out recently, you know, you LGBTQ friendly, everybody is inclusive. How is that going for the gym now up here, PSA people go and check it out as well.

00:19:07:04 – 00:19:35:05

Ola Akande:

Yet PFC Excuse me. Yeah, let’s check them out on Instagram. We’re going to put their description in the links as well. Go check them out. Good, good. Go look at what they’re doing over the fantastic, fantastic gym. They always busy over there. Everybody is always grinding. They’re working odd. How is that? How’s that going? And how is that moving from strength to strength over the over the last time you know, we spoke together.

00:19:35:27 – 00:20:01:11

Jessica Mouneimne

Yeah, it’s been it’s been busy. I think what’s been exciting has been the growing team teams that we’ve always had a really big commercial gym and it often felt like we had to almost decide if we wanted to be a commercial gym or if we wanted to be a fight gym. It was difficult to be both at the same time and just historically, I think combat sports, specifically jujitsu in South Africa, is quite a privileged sport.

00:20:01:16 – 00:20:24:21

Jessica Mouneimne

You know, if you go to if you go to Brazil, everyone’s strange. Gypsy Iggy isn’t a barrier to entry, whereas here in South Africa, you know, to afford a 3000 rand guy means that not everyone is doing it, which means that jujitsu on its own is privileged. It’s it’s like a middle aged white man’s sport because of the barriers to entry.

00:20:24:21 – 00:20:51:02

Jessica Mouneimne

Right. So I think what we’ve tried to do is keep a price point from our membership perspective as low as we possibly can. So we haven’t really had increases and because of that we’ve attracted a bigger crowd of commercial go. It’s from a boxing perspective, from a moissanite perspective, from a digital perspective. So to get that pose that that surprised me the other day, which was the LGBT one, it was a real like pattern on our backs to know that, okay, cool.

00:20:51:02 – 00:21:03:09

Jessica Mouneimne

Not only are we inclusive from a race and gender perspective, but we’re also attracting that LGBT community who I think to speak candidly and frankly.

00:21:03:21 – 00:21:04:00

Ola Akande:

Yeah.

00:21:04:14 – 00:21:26:28

Jessica Mouneimne

Because the gym is quite a masculine energy space, you would expect a fair amount of gay women to train in a space like this, but you wouldn’t necessarily expect gay men to feel comfortable in such a hyper masculine space. And we do have members, both male and female, who train you, who you feel very comfortable and are gay.

00:21:26:29 – 00:21:55:17

Jessica Mouneimne

So that has been it’s been a great testament to just see that we moving into a space where everyone feels comfortable in the space, regardless of their sexual orientation, their race, their religion, their agenda. But then sticking to that, having our five team grow in the last year the way it has has been, it’s been great. And I think it’s been one of the things that has kept bringing members through the door because, you know, it’s you get to see a gym that’s active and competing and grinding, like you said, and you want a piece of that.

00:21:55:17 – 00:22:06:00

Jessica Mouneimne

You know, you want to be part of of that success. So we’ve become a bit of an attraction over the last year because of the amount of successful fighters that we’ve that we’ve been having in the gym.

00:22:06:27 – 00:22:43:19

Ola Akande:

Is is great to see. I follow your gym as well as as well as yourself. And we’re always doing what we’re kind of in the fight week show to promote your guys I’m put you guys out there to to people that follow us so you know keep it up keep doing what you’re doing. It’s fantastic to see one thing we did obviously see a game on the on the gym’s Instagram is a record the place pulling no I commend you show love to the gym and yeah so you regularly drink or how was that whole experience like what was that like for everybody at the gym?

00:22:43:27 – 00:22:45:27

Ola Akande:

What was that? Oh, that’s nice of you.

00:22:45:28 – 00:23:20:28

Jessica Mouneimne

The guys went crazy. I think you forget how many, you know, how many super fans he actually has because to us, like because he’s he started out in the UFC, he’s just rickets. Do you know what I mean? He’s not a soon to be in a ranked UFC fight and he’s just it’s just because it’s great that he he’s such a great guy and such a humble guy that even though, you know, he is where he is in terms of his career, you wait, he makes time to when he does visit another city to go to a few gyms and he takes tiny smiley space and takes photos with every single person that asks.

00:23:20:28 – 00:23:44:05

Jessica Mouneimne

So yeah, just a genuine, great guy. And I, I become quite close to him in terms of seeing a lot of similarities in our careers. Obviously, he’s made it to the UFC and that’s not where I am. But in terms of I see a lot of similarities in our awkward, striking style. I see a lot of similarities in terms of our brains and personalities.

00:23:44:05 – 00:23:59:21

Jessica Mouneimne

Just take any fights. I can’t see him the other day and I was like, Have you ever have you ever said no to a fight? And he’s like, No, not once. Not one time was a fight put in front of me. And I said, No. And I don’t know if we spoke about this in our Lost and I lost track of we weren’t there yet.

00:23:59:21 – 00:24:26:18

Jessica Mouneimne

But this title fight with Ennis was not necessarily my first choice because on paper, you know, she’s three times more experienced than me. She’s had titles in other organizations. So experience wise, we’re not a good match. But the girls who are in my division, who would be better matches, were all saying no to fights. So this fight that EFC gave me and I was like, Cool, I don’t say no to a fight.

00:24:26:18 – 00:24:44:21

Jessica Mouneimne

I’ll take it. I mean, I would prefer not to fight for about after two pro fights, I would have preferred to have another fight or two to get that experience. This is the fight that’s been put in. And so again, game the drinks and I having that conversation, he was like, look, he’s exactly the same. People might be dodging him, but he’s never dodged anyone.

00:24:44:21 – 00:24:50:21

Jessica Mouneimne

And and so I like that I can see similarities in how we approach fights is fantastic.

00:24:50:21 – 00:25:11:23

Ola Akande:

I mean, because he’s a friend of of the show. He’s been on our show before, just before he fought Darren Till and he did come out. We’ve come on Simon Maybe I know another great guy that but they’re both give us time you know they that the personality that you described right there about them is exactly what they are.

00:25:12:11 – 00:25:33:23

Ola Akande:

Once you get to know them wanting to work with them, they give you all the time in the world of fantastic, fantastic people. And, you know, in in terms of, you know, you accept in the fact that they put in front of you, especially in this one year, we’ve we’ve we’ve the amount of experience that you have compared to your opponents.

00:25:33:23 – 00:25:55:15

Ola Akande:

I mean, it puts it puts the pressure on them. There’s no pressure on you. And it’s it’s it’s a great way to to actually to actually look at it. But I believe I believe when the time is right, you know, you’re just going to go in there and do what you do. And, you know, make the best may the best woman win.

00:25:56:23 – 00:26:22:01

Ola Akande:

The the the thing that I wanted to ask you next is just before we get you out of there, thank you so much for your time. I really, really appreciate it. We’ve seen a couple of, say, YouTubers signed for the four four big, big promotion. Logan Paul was announced yesterday signing for the UFC. Jake Paul was announced signing for PSL.

00:26:22:01 – 00:26:44:06

Ola Akande:

How does that make, you know, you guys feel not you in particular, but people like in similar circumstances are fighting so hard legit enemy fighters that’s been through the trenches. That’s being for the grind I’m trying to aspire to to get into one of these big promotions and we just see these guys just pulling up and fighting for.

00:26:45:07 – 00:27:05:03

Jessica Mouneimne

You know, I think it speaks to a little bit about what I was saying earlier when I was talking about women and and, you know, sexuality perhaps, or woman and what they bring to the table. It’s very much the same thing. I think promotions are looking for marketability. Promotions are looking to sell tickets. You know, everybody wants to see the polls get knocked out.

00:27:05:03 – 00:27:23:19

Jessica Mouneimne

Right. That’s why we tune in. If all that’s coming in to watch. You see we want to see somebody get slim because you kind of love to hate them. And they were came with that because either way, you know, if we love them or we hate them, they get paid at the end of the day. So I think they figured something out that a lot of other guys have it so you can cry and say it’s unfair.

00:27:23:28 – 00:27:48:07

Jessica Mouneimne

But this there’s a time and place, obviously for skill and and honing your skill. We’re living in a world where your brand is very important, right? Not to get noticed and building that brand and having a following and being able to bring something else to the table is important. Do I love them? No. Like, do I think that they, you know, that they have the right to be there?

00:27:48:28 – 00:28:07:04

Jessica Mouneimne

It’s it’s difficult to hate on them because they’ve clearly got something they’ve gotten you know, they’ve gotten big organizations attention because of what they’ve done and because it’s now quite a saturated sport. It’s actually not that easy to get a promoter’s attention anymore. You got to be with the right agent. You’ve got to have the right social media following.

00:28:07:04 – 00:28:35:24

Jessica Mouneimne

You got to be winning your fights with crazy knockouts that you can get bonuses. You have multiple belts in different organizations because it’s such a it’s such a saturated pool right now to get into. So anybody that’s figured out an edge and a shortcut I’ve got respectful because they get something out. Yeah, it does. When you’re at the bottom and you’re looking up and that’s your goal is you want to be a UFC champion and you’re all the way at the bottom and you feel like somebody else has been pushed in front of you.

00:28:36:03 – 00:28:42:22

Jessica Mouneimne

I get that it can be frustrating, but you can sit and cry about it or you can go work harder and figure out how you’re going to get your shortcuts.

00:28:43:21 – 00:29:06:20

Ola Akande:

What’s a lot of what outlook, what’s a way to look at things. And thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for for pulling up again and hopefully very, very soon. Maybe after your fight, we can invite you again to come back on the platform and we’ll share some of your of your experience and you know, some of some of your thoughts on the fight and stuff like that.

00:29:06:20 – 00:29:25:21

Ola Akande:

So we’re going to be we’re going to be talking to you. We’re going to stay in contact, as we always do. And is there anything that you want to promote some of your new endeavors, some of your new business ideas or your coaches, things that you want, people that you want to thank for help you in this in this camp as well?

00:29:26:15 – 00:29:45:14

Jessica Mouneimne

Yeah, thank you. I think you know, big thanks from me to you guys always for for being such big supporters and for making the time to to do this kind of stuff because it’s it helps to build my brand, obviously, and to get the Fox News out there. And as always, I’m just forever indebted to to my coaching team and to the my training partners.

00:29:45:14 – 00:30:11:09

Jessica Mouneimne

They pushed me so hard and yeah, I’ve got these two black eyes today because of my heart. And you know, the reality is that the saying of training hard and fighting easy has been true for me so far is I’m in the trenches with an amazing team every day so big thank you to them Yeah and come much the second hopefully we’ll be raising our hand with the shiny belt and I’ll bring that back and I’ll bring that back on to the show for the next one.

00:30:11:19 – 00:30:30:22

Ola Akande:

Fantastic. Fantastic. Thank you so much, Jess. You always a good sport. You always good for us. You always, you know, give make time for us and we really, really appreciate your time. Thank you so, so much for pulling up today, man. And people up until the next video as the lovely stuff people wear out.