Where this was said
The Dutch Kickboxing Phenomenon: Why Holland Dominates
At 1:25:15 · chapter starts 1:24:50
The discussion turns to one of combat sports' great geographic anomalies: a nation of roughly 17 million people giving the world an extraordinary proportion of all-time kickboxing legends [1] — Rico Verhoeven "A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verh…" 1:33:10 . Rogan lists them: Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, and Rico himself. Rico's explanation is elegant: the Netherlands is so small that you can drive to any gym, any trainer, any sparring partner within an hour. That physical proximity enables constant cross-pollination of techniques and knowledge. The training ecosystem is self-reinforcing. Kickboxing's roots trace back to Dutch fighters going to Thailand, absorbing Muay Thai, and bringing it home to blend with their boxing tradition. Rico notes that kickboxing is the #2 sport in the Netherlands behind only soccer — a statistic that shocks Rogan. The contrast with America, where cross-country flights make the same exchange logistically prohibitive, explains much of the gap.
Rico Verhoeven claimed kickboxing is the second most popular sport in the Netherlands, behind only soccer, yet it remains almost non-existent in the American market.
