Overview of The Fighter and the Kid Ep. 1217
In this episode, Brendan Schaub and guest Chin spend most of the show reacting to a bizarre scam story about a man allegedly posing as a San Francisco 49ers player to manipulate women out of money. The conversation veers into how the scam worked, why it was so convincing, and how much effort the con artist put into maintaining the lie. The episode also includes long tangents on true-crime documentaries, relationship manipulation, MMA PED use and grappling-heavy fighting styles, plus a lot of food/travel banter and jokes about Brian Callen being late.
The Fake NFL Player Scam
What the scammer allegedly did
- The main story centers on a man the hosts refer to as Dejon/Dajon Love, who allegedly:
- Claimed to be a San Francisco 49ers player
- Used fake social media posts, fake contracts, and staged “training” videos
- Presented a fake backstory about being:
- Born in Switzerland
- From a wealthy family
- Connected to luxury stores and real estate
- He reportedly used the image of wealth and NFL status to build trust and extract money from women.
How he sold the lie
- The hosts react to how much detail went into the con:
- Fake agent identity
- Fake business and family stories
- Luxury cars, jewelry, and designer items
- Video messages that sounded like motivational “career development” pitches
- One of the more ridiculous details discussed was a video of him in a 49ers helmet on the beach “running routes.”
- Schaub repeatedly points out that the scammer is a convincing talker and a good manipulator, even if the scheme itself is absurd.
The financial angle
- The episode discusses reports that one woman gave him $11,000, while others claimed he spent large amounts of money in front of them to reinforce the illusion.
- The hosts speculate that he may have been:
- Scamming multiple women at once
- Borrowing or renting cars and luxury items
- Using accomplices or fake financial backers to keep the story alive
- Their takeaway: the guy clearly had hustle, but he was wasting it on fraud instead of something legitimate.
Reaction from the hosts
- They mock the obvious contradictions:
- Why would an NFL player need gas money?
- Why would a supposedly wealthy man need small amounts from women?
- Why would someone “open a Balenciaga store” and still be asking for hotel cash?
- At the same time, they admit he has real salesmanship and could probably succeed in real estate or another legitimate business if he applied the same energy honestly.
Other Topics Discussed
Brian Callen’s lateness and road-life stories
- The episode opens with jokes about Brian Callen missing his flight again.
- Schaub and Chin trade stories about Callen’s long-running habit of being late to:
- Flights
- Shows
- Podcast appearances
- They also share old road stories about weird fans and odd “friends” who would show up at shows with strange requests.
True crime, documentaries, and manipulation
The conversation drifts into several documentaries and real-life cases:
- A pastor’s wife / church scandal doc involving a controlling husband, infidelity, and abuse.
- Natalia Grace and the documentary about the adoptive family who tried to pass off a child as an adult.
- A general critique of how documentaries shape narratives and how audiences can be misled by sensational editing.
- They discuss cases of:
- Domestic abuse
- False claims in true crime stories
- Legal systems failing victims because of technicalities
MMA, PEDs, and fighting styles
- A big chunk of the episode turns into MMA talk:
- Performance-enhancing drugs
- “Picogram” debates around Jon Jones
- Whether certain camps get unfairly criticized or protected
- Schaub argues that the real advantage of PEDs is training recovery and volume, not just fight-night strength.
- They also discuss grappling-heavy fighters and the “lay and pray” problem.
- The hosts debate how to beat elite grapplers:
- Force chaos
- Make them work
- Don’t try to win boring decision rounds
The “King Azule” / fake tough-guy internet fighter
- They also talk about a viral internet personality/fighter known as King Azule:
- Known for outrageous claims about being a superhuman fighter, assassin, or mafia figure
- Long history of making up stories online
- The hosts watch footage of his fight and laugh at how much of his persona falls apart once he actually competes.
- The segment doubles down on the theme of:
- Online delusion
- Fake toughness
- People building personas for attention
Food, cities, and regional recommendations
A long middle stretch becomes a food-and-travel conversation:
- Austin, Texas
- Texas Roadhouse vs. P.F. Chang’s
- Uchi for sushi
- ABBA, Jay Carver’s, InterStellar BBQ, Styles Switch, and other local favorites
- Denver
- Cherry Cricket for burgers
- Good Mexican food and barbecue spots
- Los Angeles vs. New York
- They debate which city has better food
- Schaub leans heavily on local knowledge and familiar spots
- The discussion is full of casual food flexing, local recommendations, and jokes about chain restaurants.
Notable Takeaways
Main theme of the episode
- The episode’s core idea is that the fake NFL player scam is ridiculous, but the scammer is clearly talented at manipulation.
- Schaub and Chin repeatedly come back to the same conclusion:
- If this guy used his charisma honestly, he might be successful.
- Instead, he chose a long, messy fraud scheme.
Tone of the conversation
- The episode is very loose and riff-heavy.
- It mixes:
- Comedy
- Gossip
- True-crime commentary
- MMA analysis
- Food talk
- Most of the entertainment comes from the hosts roasting absurd behavior while admitting that some scammers are genuinely skilled at reading people.
Bottom line
- The fake 49ers player story is the centerpiece, but the episode also works as a typical TFATK hangout episode: chaotic, argumentative, and full of tangents that move from scams to crime docs to fighting to barbecue.