Training with Eddie Alvarez: Impact on Cody Russell's Career

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00:00Tell me about training with Eddie, how much that pushes you and was that a thing that

00:04helped bring you to the BKFC, just seeing what he has done there, you know, his couple

00:08fights with the organization?

00:09It did.

00:10And he brought me onto the scene for the Mike Perry camp.

00:14So I got to train with him leading up to that event as well.

00:18And then we just continue to stay in touch.

00:20But Eddie's one of those people, he is a champion inside and outside the ring.

00:24He leads the example.

00:25He knows how to push people and works well.

00:28Some people know how to push, but they don't know the balance of being a good training

00:32partner.

00:33He's an example of a champion in all fields.

00:39So it's great to look up to him.

00:40Now did that help with the transition for you too?

00:42Because obviously, you know, you could train for different styles of fighting, but nothing's

00:45like training for bare knuckle until you actually get in there, you know, to actually hitting

00:48with bare knuckles.

00:49You can't really do that in training too much, otherwise you're risking getting hurt before

00:53you get in there for the fight and the payday.

00:54So, you know, what was he able to teach you and what were you expecting as you got in

00:59there?

01:00What was it?

01:01What was different when you got in the squared circle for the first time?

01:02He was able to tell me a little bit of the small details, preparations, what to do, what

01:08not to do.

01:10But as far as actually getting in there, I've been in a few fights leading up since I was

01:15a kid.

01:16So being in the squared circle was amazing.

01:19It was one of the best feelings I would say in all sports I've done MMA, I've done box,

01:24I've done boxing, but it's the most pure and passionate, like you have no gloves on.

01:29There's no, there's no running.

01:31It's a small squared circle.

01:34It's just you versus the other guy and any one fight can change it.

01:39You know, it's funny when you are around sports, you know, you hear the different press conferences

01:43and things athletes say there are certain, you know, kind of isms that they all say they

01:47own the certain things about how you're going to get played till the end of the game, things

01:51like that.

01:52You know, I used to fight with Philly fighters, especially with the BKFC, the thing that you

01:55hear over and over again is, well, I used to fight with no gloves for fun, why not do

01:59it and get paid?

02:00You know, this isn't new to you guys, you know, you've had those, those fist fights

02:03before, but that was just for pride and, you know, for street cred and things like that.

02:08So might as well get paid for it.

02:09But now you had this great fight against Tucker, did you expect him to come out as aggressive

02:13as he did in the first round, because he came out and tried to push it and then, you know,

02:18you made him pay for it early on that first round.

02:20I did.

02:21I knew he was going to come out a little aggressive.

02:23He's not as experienced.

02:25And normally that is the kind of the way that unexperienced people go.

02:30They want to push the pace.

02:31They're not as calm.

02:32They're not as poised in there.

02:35And I, at the bottom of my heart, I love the brawl.

02:39So the whole camp, my coach was trying to veer me away, just saying, hey, just outbox

02:43this dude, outclass him, you know, just show that you can put on a performance without

02:49engaging, having to engage in a brawl.

02:51Well, you certainly did that.

02:54You were calm and collected.

02:55I mean, it felt like there were two different Tuckers in that fight.

02:59It felt like, you know, obviously, at the beginning of that round, he came out aggressive

03:02even in the beginning of the second round.

03:04He came out aggressive as well, maybe out of a different situation, maybe more desperation

03:08and worrying about what was going on than, you know, the aggressive in the beginning.

03:12But then once you caught him with that first knockdown in the first round, all of a sudden,

03:16he was not the one chasing.

03:17He was the one being chased.

03:18You know, he was the one being defensive.

03:20So you think that power that you showed early in that fight changed that for him and made

03:24him fight in a different style than he wanted to?

03:27I did.

03:28I mean, he was talking quite a bit before the fight.

03:30But when you, like Mike Tyson said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

03:36And especially with a bare knuckle, that will change, change your attitude a little bit

03:42when you actually get a shot to the face with a bare knuckle.

03:46For sure.

03:48You know, it seemed like he started to slow down after some of those shots in the second

03:50into the third round.

03:51Like, you know, the gas tank was empty, maybe, or maybe it was just, you know, the other

03:55parts of the body weren't working as well after taking some of those bare knuckle punches

03:58like you just talked about.

04:00When did you feel like you were, you know, in control and this was your night, and it

04:03was just a matter of if not when?

04:05You know, you have five knockdowns.

04:06At some point, you got to be like, all right, this guy just isn't going to get by me.

04:10Or do you still have to have that, not worry, but that respect given that any one shot with

04:16bare knuckles can, you know, catch you in the right spot and put you out?

04:20You always have to have the respect, but if you, at the end of the first round, we had

04:25a little verbal back and forth, and I basically just told him, you're out of your league on

04:29this one.

04:30And I told him that before the fight, but I just wanted to remind him that he's not

04:35in the same league as me.

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