[buzzsprout episode='207144' player='true']
Raf's Recollection | I first met Steven Briggs when I was working for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
Steve had a goofball sense of humor even back then. But whenever there was some down time while working the show, we'd shoot the shit about MMA and wrestling.
At the time I had no idea Steve had any stand-up comic aspirations (but to be completely fair I'm not even sure he was aware that I was a comedy performer myself).
In the years since, Steve has blown up and has made a great name for himself touring across the country doing a truly unique brand of stand-up comedy.
He's even been on my talk show (Early Late Night) multiple times and remains a crowd favorite for the really funny stories he shares during our sit down interviews (for the record, he is the only person who I actually tolerate who beat boxes, it's quite impressive).
Steve has always been quick with an opinion on all things MMA which is why I thought he'd make a great opponent for Kevin on this week's installment of Over/Under Kevin.
This week we preview the stacked card that is UFC 178 and go over all the major scenarios. And from the tremble you hear in Kevin's voice, he is truly scared that we brought someone who is not only knowledgeable about MMA, but can actually spit out funnier jokes than Kev.
It makes for a fantastic segment and I think y'all will dig it this week.
But beyond giving Kev a run for his money on the podcast and being and all-around funny guy, Briggs also happens to have a pretty solid wrestling background and has trained with me a few times over the past five years.
As one of the guys who was there for my humble beginnings in jiu-jitsu years ago, Steve's always been a great guy to train with.
I like to refer to him as a pace-setting training partner: a partner who you don't train with all that often, but who will push you to get even better each time. He's one of the few people I allow myself to talk shit to about BJJ because I know he'll bring it on the mats the next time we train (and that he'll talk shit right back at me).
And every time we've rolled, Steve's always been helpful identifying a cool wrestling trick or complimenting any improvements in my game. He recently came up to train with us at Valley Martial Arts Center a couple months ago and he hasn't lost a step.
Not to say I haven't taught him a thing or two myself.
Steve has one Achilles heel. He's literally defenseless against a sharpshooter.
But I felt bad for him and decided to teach him a finisher he could use to defend himself. It still needs work.
When we took the picture he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was not only applying a Boston Crab, but that he was also flipping off the camera with two middle fingers.
Layers this kid has.
Nonetheless, give it a listen and let us know what you think of this one folks and hit us up on our social media to let us know what you think!
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Oh, and also, don't forget to check out our Metamoris 4 recap here. On our latest, we review Keenan vs. Vinny. Let us know what you think, folks!