In episode 320 of the MMA History Podcast, host Mike Davis and Joey Venti sit down with UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter season 3 finalist Josh Haynes for an in-depth interview about his road to the Ultimate Fighter. As a former mixed martial arts fighter with a professional record of 14 wins and 11 losses, Haynes shares his gritty journey from starting MMA in 2002 as a 330-pound amateur in Oregon's Full Contact Fighting Federation to competing at the highest levels in the UFC.
Post-retirement, Haynes transitioned to law enforcement with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 2009, where he now serves as a sergeant. He details his heroic actions during the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, saving a wounded rookie officer under fire and earning the Medal of Valor for exceptional bravery. This episode explores themes of resilience, survival mentality, and life after MMA, offering valuable insights for aspiring fighters on planning beyond the octagon.
0:00 MMA history podcast intro
0:32 Joey Venti’s guest introduction
0:52 interview start
0:54 truth about fight career
4:02 beginnings in MMA
5:43 deciding to become a fighter
10:57
15:03 thoughts on Robert Follis
19:14 Phil Baroni Sparring incident with Evan Tanner
22:40 opportunities after fighting
26:00 Josh Haynes vs Larry Vandervort
30:24 reflecting after first loss
31:49 Josh Haynes vs Josh Bennett
34:15 taking fights consistently
35:20 Gina Carano
35:52 Josh Haynes vs Carl Pope
39:30 coach Shawn Tompkins
41:16 Josh Haynes vs Jordan Ramos
43:27 training with the “White Buffalo Warriors”
44:12 Matt Hume
44:46 Josh Haynes vs Jim Pope
48:57 riding a 7 fight win streak
51:35 fighters from the Pacific Northwest
53:04 Josh Haynes vs Jerry Vrbanovic
57:19 Josh Haynes vs Vince Lucero
59:20 interactions with John Alessio
1:01:56 Ulysses Gomez Jiu jitsu
1:05:08 fighters transitioning to Law enforcement
1:08:00 realizing Team Quest was ending
1:12:04 Scrubbing information off the internet
1:13:44 heroic during Las Vegas mass Shooting
1:26:46 Josh Haynes vs Jake Villanueva
1:28:19 Josh Haynes vs Carlos Garcia
1:29:51 Josh Haynes vs Marcos Oliveira
1:31:04 Josh Haynes vs Horace Spencer
1:32:29 taking fights with injuries
1:34:05 Josh Haynes vs Cedric Marks
1:36:32 trying out for TUF
1:39:09 Matt Horwich not making the TUF cast
1:42:47 Team Quest teammates in TUF final
1:44:01 Josh Haynes vs Tate Fletcher
1:45:22 Josh Haynes vs Jesse Forbes
1:46:23 Josh Haynes vs Michael Bisping
1:50:56 talks with Joe Silva
1:55:32 evolution of MMA turning to point fighting
1:59:17 interview wrap up
2:03:53 outro/ closing thoughts
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