EDDIE BERNAL shocked audiences back at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting in May when he announced that he was retiring from MMA. At just 25, the announcement came as a shock to many of his family and friends.

So in this interview, I wanted to give Eddie the opportunity to fully explain his reasoning for leaving the fight game -- as well as a chance to tell us what might be next for him.

We also cover what happened in his last fight and I even start trying to brainstorm things he can start doing to help ease him into his post-retirement MMA life.

Be sure to check this one out, as I think Eddie does a great job of talking about his impressive run as a mixed martial arts fighter. We've had a ton of fun covering his time in the cage over the years, but I'm quite certain this is far from his last time on the show.

Cheers to a great career, Eddie.

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

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I have to say, this was one of our nerdiest episodes. A few days after punching her ticket to ADCC, we got the chance to speak with LYZZ MITROVIC about her ADCC trials experience, comparing notes on everything from preparation, game faces, and (yes) even Whoop scores and rankings.

This is also one of our longest interviews.

We hope you like that. Lyzz was such an earnest and easy-going guest to talk to, the time flew by in such a quick fashion.

But don't worry, we still were able to make time for her origin story and her unique perspectives on all things BJJ.

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

----
We’re on PATREON now!

Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

----

👾 - JOIN THE GRAPPLING HOUR DISCORD: https://discord.gg/hsePzUxZrA
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YOU CAN LISTEN TO OUR SHOW AT:

🍏 - APPLE PODCASTS - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grappling-hour/id1437702200
🎶 - SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/show/28tKXEawj9SIwlr5fd1sx3?si=5415e680b0bc4fb5
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YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR SHOW’S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES:

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I had the pleasure of catching RICK ZELADA's recent fight at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting back in May.

Rick and I have run into each other here and there at some local open mats here in Southern California.

And while I was rooting for my guy to come back with a W (spoiler: he did), I had no idea of the incredible story behind his epic win. We get into the meaning behind this last fight, that memorable post-fight moment in the cage, and the unconventional journey that brought Slick to the fight game.

There was also a cool moment where we got to walk down memory lane, talking about the insane jiu-jitsu matches that Dream Jiu Jitsu used to host.

I really appreciated MATADOR TRAINING for opening up their doors and allowing us to do this one at their gym. They just added a brand new jiu-jitsu program in association with our good friends over at NEW GROUND JIU JITSU.

If you're in the NoHo area, I highly encourage you to go visit them!

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

----
We’re on PATREON now!

Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

----

👾 - JOIN THE GRAPPLING HOUR DISCORD: https://discord.gg/hsePzUxZrA
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YOU CAN LISTEN TO OUR SHOW AT:

🍏 - APPLE PODCASTS - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grappling-hour/id1437702200
🎶 - SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/show/28tKXEawj9SIwlr5fd1sx3?si=5415e680b0bc4fb5
🛒 -AMAZON MUSIC - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/040e2ca4-e265-4be6-9477-3cd0e6474aeb/grappling-hour
🗣 - AUDIBLE - https://www.audible.com/pd/B09TYVGR51?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp&shareTest=TestShare
🔎 - GOOGLE PODCASTS - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmFmZXNwYXJ6YS5jb20vZ3JhcHBsaW5naG91cj9mb3JtYXQ9cnNz?hl=en

YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR SHOW’S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES:

📸 - INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/grapplinghour/
📝 - THREADS - https://www.threads.net/@grapplinghour
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