Overview of TFATK Ep. 1191: Scientology Speedruns & Conor’s UFC Return
On this episode of The Fighter and the Kid, Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen bounce between fitness and aging, celebrity physiques, Scientology, combat sports, and current-event/controversy commentary. A big chunk of the show is devoted to breaking down Conor McGregor’s rumored return against Max Holloway, the realities of comeback fights in the UFC, and how much of a star McGregor still is after years away. They also riff on Scientology’s weirdness and influence in Hollywood, joke about “speedrunning” Scientology building tours, and touch on comedy, cancellation, and whether roast humor should be off-limits.
Key Topics Discussed
Aging, fitness, and looking the same over time
- The hosts open with jokes about how they’ve aged, how their bodies have changed, and how they still recognize each other’s “fight shape.”
- They talk about:
- Weight gain/loss over the years
- How drinking and stress affected appearance
- Being disciplined in training even when body composition changes
- The tone is self-deprecating, with recurring jokes about bloating, faces changing, and getting older.
John Cena, The Rock, and pro wrestling physiques
- They discuss how huge and genetically gifted WWE stars are, especially:
- John Cena
- The Rock
- The conversation centers on:
- How many wrestlers are “built different”
- How hard it is for normal people to match that size
- The idea that some people are just born to be unusually strong and muscular
- There’s also a side discussion about Cena’s life choices, his public image, and whether someone that famous can realistically have a normal family life.
Scientology: Hollywood access, control, and “speedruns”
- A major recurring topic is Scientology and its influence in Hollywood.
- The hosts talk about:
- Famous Scientologists and former Scientologists
- How the church allegedly helps people get access in entertainment
- The “tribal” nature of the organization
- The idea that people who leave Scientology can end up isolated, broke, or career-less
- They mention:
- Tom Cruise
- John Travolta
- Kirstie Alley
- Giovanni Ribisi
- Michael Peña
- Jenna Elfman
- A humorous bit is the claim that Gen Z is doing “Scientology speedruns” by rushing into Scientology buildings and filming the interiors before they get stopped.
Combat sports: what it takes to go pro
- The hosts spend a long time debating the difficulty of reaching elite levels in different sports.
- They discuss a screenshot ranking the odds of going pro in:
- Tennis
- Golf
- MMA/UFC
- Soccer
- Formula 1
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Football
- Main takeaways from the debate:
- The odds are misleading because different sports have different pools, barriers, and global competition.
- MMA/UFC is especially hard because it’s now global and the elite level is so crowded.
- Wrestling, water polo, and lacrosse are brought up as “grinder” sports that build a strong work ethic.
- They emphasize that the very best athletes are separated by tiny margins once they reach the top.
Boxing talk: Benavidez, Bivol, Beterbiev, Inoue, Usyk
- They also dig into elite boxing, especially how hard it is to judge a fighter until they face truly elite opposition.
- Fighters mentioned include:
- David Benavidez
- Dmitry Bivol
- Artur Beterbiev
- Naoya Inoue
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Canelo Alvarez
- Terence Crawford
- Errol Spence
- Their main point:
- A fighter can be amazing, but until they’ve fought the absolute best, there’s still uncertainty about where they rank historically.
- They praise fighters like Inoue and Usyk as special, elite-level talents.
Conor McGregor’s comeback vs. Max Holloway
- This is the episode’s biggest sports topic.
- They react to the idea of Conor McGregor returning to fight Max Holloway and debate what version of Conor fans should expect.
- Their consensus:
- Conor will not look like prime Conor from the Aldo/Cowboy era.
- He also won’t be a completely washed-up shell.
- A realistic expectation is somewhere in the middle.
- They discuss:
- Conor’s long layoff
- His leg injury
- His legal and personal issues
- The UFC’s inability to offer “warm-up fights” like boxing does
- They also note:
- Holloway is still extremely active and improved
- The fight is dangerous for Conor because Max is bigger, sharper, and still in form
- They mention that Conor’s star power means the UFC had to do a lot to make this fight happen, including money negotiations and business-model changes.
UFC business, pay, and viewership skepticism
- The hosts question public claims about view counts and payouts in combat sports.
- They express skepticism about “official” numbers for:
- UFC events
- Mayweather vs. McGregor
- Pacquiao fights
- Big Netflix boxing/MMA events
- Their point:
- Streaming-era numbers are often unclear or inflated
- “Views” don’t always mean actual engaged viewers
- The real business details are usually hidden
Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and a suicide-awareness context
- They discuss Joe Rogan’s apology/explanation for mentioning Theo Von in a way that sounded alarming.
- Rogan explained that:
- He brought up a dark joke Theo made in the context of a conversation about depression and suicide.
- He later learned there was more context, and apologized directly to Theo.
- The hosts’ view:
- Rogan was being too hard on himself
- The situation was an oversight, not malice
- Online reactions can distort intent quickly
Free speech, roast jokes, and “gallows humor”
- Another major topic is comedy controversy, especially jokes about George Floyd and roast-style humor.
- They react to clips of people criticizing comedy and argue:
- Roast comedy is supposed to be dark
- If a joke isn’t for you, don’t watch the roast
- Comedy intent matters
- They also revisit broader culture-war reactions to offensive jokes, saying that outrage cycles usually make the comedian more famous.
Current events and random internet headlines
- The episode also touches on a few offbeat news items:
- Kim Kardashian / Skims and a story about cocaine being found in a shipment, with Kanye jokingly blaming Kim’s wealth on shady origins
- A violent local news clip about a shooting in South Carolina
- Some commentary on media virality and how quickly big stories disappear now
- The hosts treat these mostly as sidebars and comedic material.
Notable Takeaways
- Conor McGregor’s return is the big question: both hosts are excited, but neither expects prime-Conor magic.
- Scientology remains a recurring fascination: they frame it as a powerful, strange, and highly controlling Hollywood network.
- Elite sports are brutally selective: the difference between “great” and “all-time great” can be one fight, one matchup, or one bad night.
- Comedy outrage is inconsistent: they argue that roast jokes are meant to be offensive and shouldn’t be treated like standard public discourse.
- Modern virality is fleeting: big moments still spread fast, but they don’t hold cultural attention the way they used to.
Show Wrap / Promotion
- They close by plugging upcoming comedy dates and teasing a future episode featuring Michael Hearn and a “No Leg Day” theme.
- The tone throughout stays casual, argumentative, and joke-heavy, with frequent detours into sports culture and internet controversy.