Digital Social Hour
Why Most Fighters Fail After 40: Champion Reveals Solution | Dewey Cooper DSH #1089
Sat, 11 Jan 2025
Why do most fighters fail after 40? 🥊 Champion Dewey Cooper reveals the solution in this eye-opening episode! 🏆 Tune in as we explore the secrets of longevity in combat sports, mental toughness, and the power of consistent training. 💪 Packed with valuable insights, Cooper shares his incredible journey from street fights to world championships, and how he's still kicking strong at 50! 🎂 Don't miss out on his unique perspective on aging, midlife crises, and maintaining peak performance. Join the conversation as we delve into: • Cooper's intense birthday workout tradition 🏋️♂️ • The importance of family, friends, and fighters 👨👩👧👦 • His experiences training UFC champions like Francis Ngannou 🥇 • The evolution of MMA and kickboxing 🥋 Watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets from the world of combat sports! Hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more eye-opening stories on the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly! 🚀 #DigitalSocialHour #SeanKelly #DeweyCooper #CombatSports #FighterLongevity #MentalToughness #UFCTraining #AgingAthletes #clarkecarlisle #martialartslongevity #andrewtate #mentalhealthcrisis #athlete'sanxiety CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Early Fighting Inspiration 04:34 - Creative Poem Writing 10:55 - Overcoming Emotional Abuse 14:19 - Intelligence vs. Wisdom Discussion 19:17 - Tips to Avoid Midlife Crisis 20:15 - Understanding Midlife Crisis 23:03 - Reflecting on Regrets 24:39 - Kickboxers Transitioning to UFC 26:50 - Relationship with Francis Ngannou 31:30 - Conversation with Sean Strickland 32:18 - Family Importance in Life 34:26 - Distinguishing Fighters from Friends 41:54 - Overview of Team Combat League 44:14 - OUTRO APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [email protected] GUEST: Dewey Cooper https://www.instagram.com/dcblackkobra SPONSORS: Prolon: http://prolonlife.com/DSH LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/
Chapter 1: What inspired Dewey Cooper to start fighting?
all right guys we got dewey cooper here today thanks for making time to join me today brother thank you thank you pleasure to be here absolutely i know you're busy training all the top fighters in the world so appreciate it hey you know we always take time for you guys you help the sport you help the fans and all of that so we appreciate you as well absolutely you've been at this for a while now how long you've been fighting man i started training as a kid so um i started doing muay thai when i was nine years old i had my first amateur fight at 10 and
Yesterday was my 50th birthday, so I've been doing this 41 years.
Chapter 2: How did Dewey Cooper celebrate his 50th birthday?
Holy crap, fighting at 10. That's the earliest I've ever heard.
There's people who train and fight earlier than that, but yeah. I was one of the original American kickboxers from the old days that started doing leg kicks. It used to be above the waist, PKF-type kickboxing. I was one of the first generation in the U.S. with doing full Muay Thai leg kicks, clenched knees, elbows, all of that.
Wow. What drew you to fighting at such a young age?
Just, you know, being an aggressive kid, loving to fight as a kid, a lot of street fights and stuff like that. And it was a way to get discipline. And I just naturally had a fighting spirit and loved doing it. It's just something that I just love to do.
What was causing those street fights for you at that age?
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Chapter 3: What are the challenges of street fighting in Dewey's youth?
Man, I grew up in the hood. You know what it is? People like to fight. I don't know what that is. Bad attitudes. Remember, today's times is a whole different world. I'm sure when older people talk, the young people, they were making up stories. Fighting was something, a normal way to resolve things. Literally, you're seeing street fights every day. People just fought. It was a time where...
where disrespect wasn't tolerated in any way. Me, I was just an aggressive kid. I always just got in street fights with people. Street fighting was just a part of the life way back then. Different times now. Yeah, different times indeed. This is before the internet and cell phones and... Me too movements and all of that.
If you had a problem with someone, they would say something to you and you get them up right there in the street. So I was also in Los Angeles, you know, a very violent time. The gang banging thing just really erupted, you know, crack. cocaine dealing and all that erupted.
And I have older brothers who were in gangs and stuff, just following them around, you know, putting yourself in, in a lot of violent places. And unfortunately in violent places, AKA the hood, a lot of fighting happened. So it was just something that I actually enjoyed the fight and, I'm just glad it got taken to a point where you can harness it and do something with yourself. Make some money.
Well, you weren't thinking about money back then because in kickboxing, there's never been a lot of money. It was just about...
honor about winning and uh competing against other good fighters that was the main thing the money was way later in life but back then there was definitely no money involved i heard that this was for the spirit and the honor of fighting i heard that from tate actually because he was a kickboxer right he said he wasn't making that much yeah yeah kickboxers remember you guys today is a great time there's money in a lot of fight sports back then the only money was in boxing there was no other money in any other fight sports
Yeah, this was before the UFC. Yeah, yeah. You paved the way, man. Well, I didn't pave the way, but I was one of the guys who was doing it early. And a lot of people remember me from the old days. And yeah, I'm just happy to be a lifetime martial artist and still be blessed to do it now and now make money at it.
Yeah, different times, man. Now people run their mouth on social media. No consequences.
Yeah, yeah, definitely. And, you know, people do that and It's good that people have the freedom to express themselves the way they see fit, but the disrespect and all of that is at an all time high. And the era I came from, people will lose their lives for the type of things that they get away with now.
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Chapter 4: What role does mental toughness play in fighting?
Well, before I was even fighting, I was writing. First of all, my dad was a Marine, did three tours in Vietnam, all of that, Purple Hearts, all kind of medals of honor and shit like that. So at my home, it was a very... Very tough love.
Chapter 5: How can fighters avoid a midlife crisis?
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discipline home. I started writing before I actually started fighting. I started training at nine years old, but I was writing poems five to six years old. The first poem I wrote, my mom really loved it and she loved my writing and It was kind of a hobby for me. Writing today is still a hobby for me. Anytime I'm either way happy or kind of sad or feeling down or whatever, writing is my outlet.
So I write all the time. I got books and books of writing. That's cool. And so writing was my first love. Fighting was my first passion. So I've always wrote.
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Chapter 6: Why is consistent training important at any age?
I feel like poem writing is a lost art these days.
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, I'll elaborate a little deeper. I used to rap. I used to break dance. I did it all. So I got albums out, rap albums. So that's all part of the rhyme thing. It is, poetry is a lost art, but everyone's rapping nowadays from black people to white people to the guys in Asia. Everyone's rapping, guys in India. So rapping is huge and rapping is a subdivision of poetry.
It's just expressed a little differently. All these rappers could be poets if they just kind of change their outlook on what they're doing and don't view it as music and view it as prose and painting a picture that you try to inspire or influence people one way or another.
So it's all the same shit, you know, just from a time where before I thought about money and being popular and doing stuff people like, I was just trying to and find outlets that made life better for me. Nowadays, everyone's so crazy about the mental health crisis that's going on. And way before we had psychiatry and guys giving you motivational speeches online,
that was the way my outlet to manage the stress and the anxieties and the pressures and the hardships of life was just writing about it and writing how I felt. It would make me feel better. So I organically figured out an outlet to deal with all this shit we go through. And back then it was way rougher than what it is now, the shit you went through.
People being bullied was a normal day of being in school, you know, stuff like that. So that was my outlet. No, I never got bullied. No, because I fought, you know, I have a hard stance on the bullying things. There are bullies, but being bullied is an accepted choice. People are going to be dickheads in life. People are going to try to force you to do things or make you feel inferior or
So there are bullies, but being bullied is a personal choice because you have to allow yourself to be bullied and punch them in the face, stand your ground, and you won't be bullied. So yeah, people tried to bully me, but I never got bullied because I would fight really quick.
Wow, that makes sense though, because I got bullied and I never fought back. And it got worse and it got worse. Oh, yeah.
And remember, you don't necessarily even have to win. If you swing for yours and fight for yours, people will stop bullying you because the one bully may have bullied you, but all the guys looking, all the girls looking and laughing, they know that, hey, you will fight and people will leave you alone from there. And like I said,
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Chapter 7: How does Dewey Cooper maintain his fitness?
So I'd be a weirdo if I got midlife crisis or if I got depressed about being older. I'm living a dream that I started at nine years old right now. I just left the gym before doing this interview. Yeah, you were training two hours ago. Yeah, we had a great session today. So These are the things, man. All these things that we put ourselves through, a lot of them are self-sabotage.
As harsh as it may seem, you being bullied, that was self-sabotage. A person my age having their 50th birthday and they're sad about it, that's self-sabotage. It's just ridiculous to do anything negative to yourself. a lot of exterior things that already try to do that shit to us every day.
100%.
Man, I'm a motherfucking champion. I'm a Hall of Famer. And that's not just because I did well in my sport. That's because of the character I have and the soul and the spirit I have within me. So I'm going to be that way in everything I do.
And you should too. You know what I mean? Any fights you still think about? Any regrets you have from your fighting career?
No, no. There was some fights that I felt I won. If you watch them online, you can see the comments, I did win. It just didn't go my way with the judges. So no, no regrets. I have no regrets about anything except maybe being kind of a dickhead in high school, being mean to people who I shouldn't have been just because they weren't athletes or something. So you were the bully?
No, I wasn't the bully, but I wasn't the nice guy. You know, I was silly, too young, too much energy. If you didn't play sports, you couldn't talk to me. I'd be mean to you.
Oh, wow.
You were like that. But no, I wasn't a bully. I'm just like, bro, Why are you talking to me? Yeah, why are you talking to me? That was wrong, but I was just young and way too hyper and energetic and way too alpha back then. So I regret things like that, but I never bullied anyone or beat up someone because they were weaker. That's something I didn't do.
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Chapter 8: What are Dewey's thoughts on aging in combat sports?
No, I don't associate with Sean Strickland at all. He disrespected me a few years ago. I didn't even know that. Yeah, no biggie. It is what it is. I have really nothing to say about him. Wishing the best because he deals with a good friend of mine. a training partner of mine, a teammate of mine, Eric Nixick. So I don't wish any bad on him. I just don't fuck with him at all. Damn.
Yeah, he's very polarizing, I'll say that. Yeah, he's very polarizing, but... It is what it is. Like, I got nothing to say about him. You know, when it comes to that topic, you know, I got nothing to say. Wish him the best. Wish Eric the best. And that's it. That's all the time I'll spend on that topic. Respect. How important is family to you? I know you're a father.
Family is the most important thing, man. Three things in this world that matter to me. Three things. Family, friends, and fighters. That's it. Nothing else matters to me. Not saying that I'm not nice to anyone else. Everyone deserves common courtesy, respect, and all of that. But my life revolves around my family first. And when I say friends, I'm talking real friends.
People that if they're sick in the hospital, I'm there. If I'm sick in the hospital, they're there. So family, most important. And there's a saying, oh, you know, blood is thicker than water is what I believe. A lot of people say, oh, no, family could be in. I'm not trying to hear it. Family is the most fucking important thing.
And, of course, there's bad family members, and you have to deal with that accordingly. But family is the most fucking important thing because that's your own DNA. That's your own existence through another person. Your kid, the most important thing. That's something that you helped create. They have your DNA. You live as long as they live. There's nothing more important.
I'll give my life for my kids happily. I mean, most important thing, besides that, your true friends. And then in my life, for my line of work, is of course the fighters. Most important thing, I sacrifice my body for my fighters every day. And for a lot of them, it's no big deal.
But when you're training guys like Francis, for all the years I trained, one of the strongest dudes in the world, it's very demanding. It's very tough. Everybody thinks, oh, I'll train Francis better. I'll do this. 80% of these guys couldn't even train Francis. They wouldn't be strong enough to handle getting pounded by him every day. So those three things matter the most to me.
Everything else is just background music that's nice. It's good. We on the elevator here, that good elevator, relaxing music, but it's not important. You're trying to get to those different floors. And that's how I view the rest of the world.
So do you separate the fighters and the friends or like, are you friends with some of the fighters? A lot of times I separate that.
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