Josh Haynes | MMA History Podcast

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 Villanue