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Interview with PRO MMA Radio host Larry Pepe

Phil Lanides: Give the Examiner readers some background on your show and what it’s all about.

Larry Pepe: Sure. We just celebrated our one year anniversary, and what a ride it’s been. It’s a weekly show, and we try to book top fighters at relevant times, whether it’s pre-fight, post-fight, or at a time of controversy. The first segment is called The Opening Round, and it’s me with another MMA media person or expert. It’s nice because it’s become a home for top media to do predictions, analysis, and recaps. And with the growth of MMA, we’re never too far away, date-wise, from an event, which keeps things fresh. We usually fill the second and third segments with top trainers and the like. Then we have the fighter interviews.

 

PL: How does your show differ from other MMA radio shows?

LP: I don’t listen to other MMA radio shows, actually, and I do that on purpose. I don’t want to adopt other show’s gimmicks; I want to remain unique. And we’ve gotten great feedback as a result. Listeners enjoy the fact that the interviews we do are more in-depth than they’re used to hearing. We do 20-40 minute interviews, so they’re longer than most other shows. Nothing wrong with the other approach, but we just don’t do the 7-minute short interviews. We’re able to get into training methods, personal feelings on different matters, etc.

 

PL: That is unique. Let’s shift gears here. I understand your background is in bodybuilding…tell us about that. Are you still active within the industry?

LP: I’m still very active, but not as a competitor anymore, which I used to be. I competed in national shows, and I’ve been on the media side for 8 or 9 years now. I write for Muscle Mag International and Flex Magazine, two of the biggest in the industry. In fact, Flex runs UFC-related content such as top-10 lists. I am also the color commentator for the Mr. Olympia contest. Bodybuilding.com, which is one of the largest bodybuilding and fitness website in the world, is one of my sponsors. In fact, we were voted Podcast of the Year in 2008 by the visitors of their site, and we were only 6 months old at the time. That’s one of the things I love about MMA: the crossover appeal. Running an MMA radio show on a bodybuilding website is like airing a football show on MLB.com.

 

PL: How has it been crossing over from bodybuilding into MMA?

LP: I have huge passion for both MMA and bodybuilding. I noticed MMA was not being followed within bodybuilding, and so I’ve tried to position myself as a bridge between the two. That is something that totally separates us from other MMA media sites: we came from bodybuilding. This is so satisfying, to see that all MMA sites have embraced us. It is so awesome that we’ve been able to introduce bodybuilding fans to MMA, and they’re now fans.

 

PL: You have interviewed some of the top MMA names out there. A recent guest was UFC 100 main eventer Brock Lesnar [http://prommaradio.com/?p=196]. Who has been your favorite interview so far, and why?

LP: A lot of guests have been fantastic. One that sticks out in my head was Rashad Evans. It was after he knocked out Chuck Liddell, and we were on for 45 minutes. I felt like I’d known him for 20 years. Good mix of MMA talk, with some light-hearted moments, but with some seriousness. Chael Sonnen is another one that comes to mind. He’s very intelligent, and not afraid to be too revealing. Before the interview, I had noticed that almost every one of his losses happened in the 2^nd round, and only after he’d been winning in the 1^st. I have a background in clinical psychology, and I asked him about those losses: was it cardio? Mental? He was so frank, and revealed that he had visited a therapist about it, and it turned out it was mental. He’s very out there, very open, which shocked me. You have to love that as an interviewer. I also loved having Joe Riggs on because he’s so funny, and loves telling stories. He told the story of him and [Nick] Diaz in the hospital fighting after their UFC bout. Riggs is so open, and not at all afraid to speak his mind.

 

PL: And we’re going to see Riggs and Diaz go at it again for StrikeForce. So, where would you like to see the show end up?

LP: That’s a great question. I think the show has accomplished so much more than I thought it could. I would like to see it grow to the point where it’s as common in people’s minds as any full-blown MMA website. More and more UFC and WEC fighters are recognizing the show when I meet them at events, and as long as more fighters and trainers are recognizing us, and we’re growing, I’m happy.

 

PL: Let’s talk about UFC 100. Does it go down as the biggest event in MMA history?

LP: I think it does. Whether it’ll be the most exciting, we’ll know on July 12^th when it’s all over. But even if it’s not, for no other reason than the UFC making it to its 100^th event, it’s the biggest. Compared to where the UFC was 10, 12 years ago, just the fact that they made it this far makes it a huge event. And then you look at the card, especially the big three main events, makes it that much more interesting. Mir-Lesnar being pushed back turned out to be a very good thing. And look how far the sport’s come in other ways: Mir-Lesnar is a true MMA fight, versus a big bully versus a guy in his pajamas, which is almost like it was at UFC 1. There’s GSP-Alves, which I can’t wait to see, and Bisping-Henderson looks awesome, with a shot at Silva at stake. You never know, but with the significance of the event, I think it will be a landmark for MMA.

 

PL: Mir or Lesnar?

LP: Lesnar within the first two rounds by TKO. He definitely won’t submit Mir; it’d be more likely a draw happens than a Lesnar submission. But I go back to the first fight when Brock was really green. Cut out the last ten seconds of that fight, and he’s totally dominating. If he doesn’t put his foot out there…who knows what would have happened. That’s the great thing about MMA: you can be beating the crap out of a guy for 99% of the fight, then lose. But I think he’s learned his lessons from his fights, and has grown. So, who has improved more? Lesnar was dominating last time, and made a mistake that I doubt he’ll repeat. And, Brock is so hard to prepare for. Mir is saying he’s big, slow, etc., but I totally disagree. And Lesnar has something Mir doesn’t: true uniqueness. And if you could have one attribute as a fighter, in my opinion it would be to be incredibly unique at anything. Look at Machida; how do you prepare with for him, with the crazy style he has? Who can you train with to prepare for someone that unique? Apply that to Brock. How many 280 lbs. fighters that can run a 4.40 40-yard dash, won a NCAA heavyweight title do you think are available to train with? Randy Couture told us how hard Lesnar is to prepare for…it’s almost like going back to Gracie at UFC 1. How do you prepare for someone that is that unique?

 

PL: Those are some very good points. Let’s take it to the Expo. Where can fans interact with you?

LP: I will be at the [UFC 100] Fan Expo. Pro MMA Radio & Bodybuilding.com are sharing a booth, and we’ll be right by the door. We’ll be there for about 3 hours a day interviewing fighters. Feel free to stop by and say hello!

 

PL: It was great to talk with you, and I look forward to more interviews from Pro MMA Radio.

LP: Thanks, Phil, and we’ll have you on the show soon!