The Joe Rogan Experience

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JRE MMA Show #183 with Rico Verhoeven

Explore episode Aug 4, 2026
Health & Fitness
Pushing Grief Down: The Fighter's Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

JRE MMA Show #183 with Rico Verhoeven · Aug 4, 2026 Health & Fitness

Rico's father died before the Ben Saddik fight. His mother died during Usyk fight camp. Both times, he converted the grief into fuel for the ring rather than processing it. He watched his mother's funeral recording for the first time 4 months after her death. He now recognizes this pattern as psychologically harmful and is working on it.

Where this was said

Boxing as Art, Floyd Mayweather, and Canelo's Evolution

At 1:59:30 · chapter starts 1:59:20

Rico's transition to boxing hasn't just been physical — it's changed how he sees the sport aesthetically. He describes boxing as having 12 rounds to paint a masterpiece, contrasting it with kickboxing's faster, more brutal but shorter format. He watches the Bivol-Beterbiev fight and marvels at how a fighter who looks hopeless through early rounds can make adjustments and win. Rogan connects this to Mayweather: the supreme example of someone standing right in front of opponents and barely getting touched, moving at the last moment, seeing everything. Then comes the Canelo discussion — both men agree Canelo's head movement improved enormously after the Mayweather fight, as if he absorbed the lesson in real time. Daniel Cormier's phrase 'getting the rub' applies here: fighting the best, even in a loss, makes you better.

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