Some translated bits of
Warrior Talk #16.
This was released on November 4th (recorded on the 3rd).
Before getting into the more individual conversations, the group discussed Ngannou vs. Fury for a bit and everybody was mostly surprised by Ngannou's performance.
Nabil Haryouli (Enfusion)
- Grew up in a testosterone heavy environment.
- Started doing Gymnastics at around 4-5 years old.
- Did Tennis for a bit as well.
- Started Boxing around 13-14, because he wanted to do a fight sport.
- Switched to Kickboxing around 16 when his brother opened a gym.
- Says fighting runs in the family since his father used to box and his brother was a pro kickboxer before him.
- Feels having done other sports before fighting was beneficial to him.
- Crossed over from Kickboxing to MMA during the pandemic.
- Feels the ceiling is higher in MMA compared to Kickboxing, due to it being more popular globally.
- Has starred in a popular Dutch TV show
Mocro Mafia.
- Also runs a successful business with a friend.
- Has been doing MMA fights in Enfusion, but is also in contact with dedicated Dutch MMA promotions.
- Eventually wants to go to the UFC, but thinks it's important to have patience.
Thian de Vries (Enfusion)
- Used to be a real troublemaker as a teen.
- Had drug problems and got into fights all the time.
- His therapist told him he had to find an outlet.
- He eventually ended up in a Kickboxing gym and loved it.
- Had his first fight a bit over two years ago.
- Recently made his pro debut.
- Got the nickname Tarzan during his drug-abuse days: One day he was high on mushrooms and a friend called him Tarzan, because he was walking half-naked through the woods lol.
- Says Kickboxing helped him get off drugs.
- Currently competes at Middleweight and Light Heavyweight.
- Has a five year contract with Enfusion, but is allowed to fight in other promotions.
- Recently fought (and won) at RCC in Russia.
- Wants to fight in Enfusion for 2-3 more years, then go to Glory or One.
- Is interested in going to MMA a few years down the line.
Mourad Bouzidi
- Started Kickboxing around 9 years old as a chubby kid.
- Feels Kickboxing gave him discipline.
- Says due to bad circumstances he took some fights against better judgment. He named the Cavalari fight as an example.
- Feels the LHW and HW divisions were stronger when he was still active. This sparked a bit of a discussion in the group. Ultimately it boiled down to the group agreeing that divisions have indeed gotten weaker and that - at least to some extent - it's caused by prosperity; people live under better circumstances and as a result less great fighters emergence due to a literal and figurative lack of hunger.
- Currently runs his own gym in Haarlem.
- Is currently 38 and still in shape.
- Says he is mostly satisfied with his career and doesn't necessarily feel the need to fight again, but would be open to step back into the ring for a nice offer.
Rachel John (Influencer)
- Is a former model turned influencer.
- Used to struggle with an eating disorder and drug (medicine) addiction due to model work.
- Eventually started Kickboxing.
- Says Kickboxing helped her to gain discipline and returning to better health.
- Eventually had a fight - which she won - and is interested in doing more.
- Vlogged her Kickboxing journey and has become pretty popular.
- Says nowadays it's important for fighters to share at least part of their lives through social media.
Surprisingly good talk!
Having only seen some highlights and promo footage of Haryouli I fully expected him to be a cliché macho tough guy, but he's actually really well-spoken. De Vries and Bouzidi made good contributions too. At first I thought perhaps Rachel John was a bit of a misfit - at some point Remy asked her jokingly "Why are you even here?" lol - but eventually she turned out to be an okay guest as well.
