The Competitive Edge of Control: Action Sports & Bitcoin | Bitcoin 2026

What's up, Las Vegas? I just want to start out by saying I am so honored to be sitting on the panel with these legends at the Bitcoin conference. I can't believe it. Um, can we give a big round of applause to everybody who makes this event happen? 12 years ago, I was standing at the top of the halfpipe at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and I had just won qualifiers, and I was feeling like I was about to win the Olympic gold medal. So, I look over and I get the go-ahad from the starter, click into my skis, and drop in for what I think is about to be the highlight of my career and frankly life. I drop in and the start of the run goes well. First few hits go well, then I catch an edge, miss my takeoff, and as I'm flying through the air, realize it's over. 60 seconds prior, I was convinced I had the gold medal in the bag. And now I'm laying on the ground in the middle of the halfpipe, staring at a silent crowd with a torn meniscus. And that that's just part of the game in the high-risisk sports that we're all a part of. It's uh it's it's very high risk, high reward. The highs are as high as you can get. The lows are as low as you can get. And what does this have to do with Bitcoin? I actually think it has a lot more than people think. The skill set required to navigate the risk and volatility and frankly just betting on yourself when the odds are against you. Uh there's a lot of overlap there. So I think we'll have a good conversation about some of the parallels today. So, I'd like to start out by introducing Danielle Monae, WWE superstar, also known as Summer Ray, uh, currently at the host of the Bare Knuckle Boxing League. Chris Cyborg, uh, Brazilian, arguably one of the most successful female combat sports athletes of all time, and Kenny Florian. Kenny's been on a few podcasts that I've been listening to lately. Very intellectual. Uh, and he's a three-time UFC World Title contender uh, and broadcaster. So, the first question I'd like to ask you guys is about fear. I think everybody can relate to managing fear, but maybe not on the level that you guys have. Um, Danielle, do you want to start off by letting us know how you deal with fear potentially getting ready for entering the ring or whatever you're encountering? >> Yeah, first of all, I did not know any of that about you. That's that's insane. Thank you for sharing that. Um, yeah, I think when you reach a certain level of professional sports, that fear has to drive you, you know. I think it's something that can't be taught. It's something that we all have instilled in us. And fear gets me excited. It means I care. I remember one time this man called the Undertaker. I don't know if you know him, but um we were about to go out and I was so nervous. It was like 101,000 people in the new Dallas stadium for Wrestlemania. And I just I was so nervous and he looked at us and he said, "If you're not nervous, it's time to hang it up because that means you don't care." And um yeah, it's just I I think it's something that drives me, which is a blessing. And I think it's why I've been so successful. >> It makes you feel alive a little bit. >> Sure. Maybe a little addicting, too. >> Yeah. Chris, you've you've been in more fights than probably most people in the world. Um, how do you approach that? Do you get scared? Do you have fear? How do you manage that >> about fear? So when I step in cage like uh I know feel like a fear because sometimes you you just don't know what's going to happen. So what I do is be prepared and for something you don't know. And but when you control when you training when you prepare for something you don't you don't fear you just don't know what's going to happen but you be ready for any situation thinking in the fight I think is is the smart thing to prepare yourself learning you know see study your opponent so this is don't make you fear but they make you prepare for opponent you just don't know what's going to happen so no like a fear >> so the preparation is a looking for to mitigate that. >> Yes. >> How about you, Kenny? Have you I guess what would be the is there a point in your career where you were the most anxious or nervous or what what was that like? >> Yeah. Um I remember it was the first season of the Ultimate Fighter. Um and I had made it to the finals. I was like the least experienced guy. I was the smallest guy. And I found myself in the finals. Somehow I was able to squeak into the finals. And I remember just a bunch of doubt kind of creeping in like just before I was about to go out there and I was a victim of fear that night. I remember getting into the cage and I was circling for maybe 60 sec, well maybe about 30 seconds. It felt like it was several hours. Um, and yeah, I just succumbed to the pressure. And I remember that having a very powerful impact on me because I felt like I beat myself. And maybe that opponent would have beaten me anyway, but I didn't even give myself the chance to go out there and compete because I let all the things that were out of my control um, overwhelm me. And I think it's really important to um you know, I think experience is certainly going to guide a lot of those things, right? It's like over time you realize, okay, this isn't as big of a deal as it is. And also, there's only certain things that you can control. Focus on the things that you control that you can control. What are the things that are actually real? The opponent, myself, the referee, and that's it. If you're thinking about, oh man, there's so much money on the line. Oh man, this is for a specific contract or, you know, I'm trying to get this sponsor and that those are things that are completely out of your control. So, learning to kind of like put those things aside and just focus on on um on you and being as present as possible, I I think is is crucial. >> Totally agree. I in my intro story there realized that I was I was getting ahead of myself, thinking about the future and the consequence of what I was doing. So, the key takeaway I had was be present. Preparation and presence helped. I mean, if you've done everything you can to prepare, you've done everything in your control. Like you said, if something happens that's out of your control, you did your best. >> Um, on one of the I've heard you make a couple comments about being an outsider in in UFC. And I think as Bitcoiners, a lot of us have been an outsider, uh, being ridiculed, uh, at least back in the day, not so much anymore. I mean, given the size of this conference. Um, how how does does that does that affect you? Has that ever affected you? I mean, it doesn't seem to have affected you. >> You know, I always tended to pick things that were kind of uh not the norm. you know, I come from a very like conservative family. Um, and you know, telling them that I didn't want to go to law school and wanted to become a a martial artist, whatever that meant, uh, was quite surprising and shocking to them. Um, I remember doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu when no one knew what the heck it was. Uh, now I do competitive shooting and people are like, "What the heck is that?" So, I tend to choose these things that are kind of outside the box. Um, so when you choose those things, sometimes you can kind of doubt yourself, be like, well, all these other people are doing this. I'm kind of outside here on my own, you know, like all these people are telling me I'm an idiot to invest in Bitcoin and what, you know, whenever I started. And um you know it can certainly get you to doubt yourself a little bit but that just actually in some ways because I'm probably a stubborn person gets me to actually like want to be that much more successful and prove those people wrong. I think that also has driven me a lot in my career. So whether it's, you know, I guess in in regards to Bitcoin, it would be, you know, gaining more conviction through trying to educate myself as much as possible and talking to people that are smarter than me and and learning from them and learning as much as I can about that that asset and and how it could benefit me in a lot of ways because it's very easy to get thrown off by, you know, the Elizabeth Warren of the world or, you know, some potential regulation. or some, you know, global fear that's out there or, of course, seeing the price go down. It's like, has anything fundamentally changed, you know, and, you know, and just kind of bringing yourself back to the present moment and and what's real? Chris, uh, how I feel like you've experienced a lot of managing press and potentially personal attacks and this this is kind of related to being an outsider. Um, does it affect you? Does it fuel you? Do you have a does it is it does it feel like you have a chip on your shoulder to prove something or does it motivate you? How how do you respond to that? No something in my in my beginner in my career a lot of people even my family didn't believe me because we talk about 21 years ago no don't have a lot of girls doing martial arts so I was into to the mixed martial arts and they say want to prove the girls can fight like a guys you know it's it's it was new you can beat someone by KO finish the fight quick like the guy is doing so like I listen at the beginning when you say about the fear I feel Like when people don't understand the sport and like when they then close on fight for you, they call crazy, you're going to have a fight. So you you have a little bit nervous because you didn't study your opponent. You don't know what she's good as same thing when you talk with people about Bitcoin. They don't know much. They afraid to put their money there. So but if you start study, put some hours and meet people like Ken said and start to teach you step by step and start to learn. So you know I'm afraid anymore but you control and then you can you can invest the way supposed to be. It's it's like mixed martial arts like train every day. You have some pressure but if you put the fer and the training you work hard so you're going to do your best and and you're going to know what you're doing. So this is the best thing >> on the on the fear and discomfort uh theme. Danielle, you've you've explored so many different industries and uh roles throughout your career. What's it like being new the the the new person in a new industry and dealing with people that have been doing it their whole lives? Like you're you're starting over essentially in all these new industries. It must be uncomfortable, but yet it doesn't phase you. >> Yeah, I know. I must have a screw loose or something. I don't know what it is. Um, I think, like I said, for us being professional athletes, I have a lot of friends. I live in Nashville. I have a lot of friends that are big-time country music artists. And when you think about the actual percentage of people that have accomplished the greatest goal that they've ever thought of, it's probably something like 01%. You know, people always want to be in the NBA and then you're 5 foot two. You know, it's not going to happen. So you have to have this delusional optimism maybe like where no one can tell you anything otherwise. And I think we all think that's just normal for us to I I had a degree, went to college, and then just decided one day I just want to quit and go try out for WWE. And you know, like Chris was saying, there was maybe four girls in all of WWE 17 years ago and like 78 guys. It was definitely that minority and my poor parents were like, "What the hell are you doing? Go use your degree." All my friends from back home were graduating college and having babies and doing what we were taught to do as women. And so for me, I just saw more for my life. And same goes with crypto. I remember just, you know, even starting and people fearing and be like, "Oh, it's a, you know, it's a scam. You don't know about that." And I think it's just a lack of education. Um, you see it a lot now even with like peptides and sports athletes and people, you know, having this misinformation. So, educating myself and now leaving your sport and I think all of us probably had this identity crisis where I was called a whole different name. Like I didn't even respond to Danielle after leaving WWE. I had a wrestling name. So figuring out what I want to do with my life now joining Bare Knuckle Boxing and working with I don't know about 70 men and two women. I I just enjoy the challenge. I enjoy being in something early and educating myself like Kenny said and um surrounding myself with people that are smarter than me that I can learn from. And then one day you kind of turn around and people are asking you questions and you wonder how you ended up on a stage at the Bitcoin convention. >> Amazing. Uh you you mentioned identity crisis there and I think that's something that all athletes have to deal with at the end of their careers and it's it's uh a lot more challenging than I mean not many people understand what that's like when you're the greatest in the world and then you go to what's next >> sitting on the couch. How I I know Chris, you're still fighting, but how have you guys navigated that after your athletic careers and what's next? What are you excited about? What's what's in the future? Kenny, I mean, you're you're broadcasting Battlebots. Anything else in the works? Are you you're a family man as well? Have you have you been able to meet the same uh satisfaction as when you were fighting? >> Yeah. So, um I am a pretty competitive person and I like kind of um building skills and things that are going to test me physically, mentally, spiritually. So, uh my back hasn't been what it used to be. So, um, I, uh, it's feeling much better now, uh, post treatment and things like that. So, I got into competitive shooting and, you know, it's it's not something where I'm like, I'm going to make money doing this. I I'm I'm grateful and I'm thankful that I have the time to be able to practice and compete in that. Um, and you know, Bitcoin has certain me certainly allowed me to like give me the time to be able to do that and spend more time with my family and pick and choose what jobs I want to do or whatever. But, um, so that's been something that has kind of um taken more of my time. Um, hope hopefully I can I still teach and I still travel around and and um teach whether it's, you know, organizations and people or individuals or schools. uh jiu-jitsu and and martial arts. Um but I haven't been able to like practice that and I miss that. So hopefully uh my body will be ready to start doing that again. But um I I I guess for me I I just I need something I need meaning. I think we all need meaning. But um I also need something to work towards all the time. Like I it's it it's a lifestyle and it's something daily that I do whether it's working out or you know practicing shooting. Yes. Yeah, Bitcoin is an amazing tool for freeing up some time and resources to pursue that meaning um instead of struggling to make ends meet. So, it's Yeah. Uh Chris, you're still fighting. Do you have any plans to for for the future after fighting? Are are you still still in it? Still into it? You just won a world title in boxing. You know uh one of the things I always talk about my team because uh athletes life like is a short like compete. I'm very blessed. I'm doing this sport for 21 years and but you really have to think about like when you retire you have to leave from your saves. So you have to really be smart what the money the money you did during your career. So one of the think I get into to Bitcoin because I believe my money sit in the bank is lost value then then in 20 like when you receive $1 million in 2026 in 26 2006 not going to be the same in value 2026. So we're always thinking about the future the long term. Of course after I stop fight I have some dreams. I would like to be a vet. Um I'm going to continue work at mixed martial arts uh group teaching you know teaching kids um teach share a little bit my story in mixed martial arts but one of the things I believe educated another fighters um teach them is have the short term the save the money invest in the right thing and the bitcoin I believe is the right thing to do teach them bitcoin is no crypto so one of the things we did my team this Here we did a project. We did a comic book for teach kids um about inflation, about fiat, about bitcoin as a solution. I think you we have to teach you step by step like can you know from jiu-jitsu you know started jiu-jitsu leg locks it's like really when you submit people very hard on the legs but you teach like fall we stand up I think for we can uh grow about bitcoin family I think you believe teach uh step by step where people learn and the kids can teach a parents like email you know email before nobody understand and now it's like everybody use and they just want to use my platform for educate people, teach about mixed martial art, teach about investment and they open the eyes all the people for them cannot just trust in the system but be have a freedom. >> Danielle, what's on the go for you for the next >> next couple years here? You're doing uh bare knuckle boxing. >> Um >> not doing bare knuckle boxing. >> No, no, no. Sorry. Lord have mercy. Um, yeah. So, I I have found the love of broadcasting. Thank God it's taken eight years. Nothing will ever replace walking out and hearing, you know, 50, 80, 100,000 people cheer or my case, boo you. Um, and I think for a while, the first two years after I left WWE, I was chasing that and it was empty and everything I found. And um, luckily for me, a lot of WWE people do turn to drugs and alcohol. And it's, you know, something that they use to fill a void. I turn to the gym always, which is a nice healthy habit, but I'm very similar to them where I have to have a goal and I have to be working towards something. So, um, finding broadcasting, seeing with, um, I work for BKB bare knuckle boxing, seeing these guys in their teens or their 20s, coming from a really rough past or coming out of jail and wanting to turn their life around. Me being a small part of that and helping them, whether it is marketing themselves, understanding what is your image that you want to have, it feels nice to be a part of someone's journey. now that I'm I am in front of the camera but it's not all about me. Um that's been something nice that I have enjoyed and then also diversifying my portfolio. So being able you know during COVID to study blockchain get um involved in it. I was working with a company called Prime Trust that's now dissolved, but I learned a lot from them. And I feel like I don't know about UFC, but with WWE, we weren't allowed to do other things. I was very much married to them and then we got divorced and I wanted to do everything. So, um, keeping my hands in a bunch of stuff and, um, seeing the vision early on, it's it's nice. Why not, you know? >> Awesome. I would really like to just get the point across that there's a certain type of there's an archetype of Bitcoiner high-risk sports athlete and we're we're so similar both both of our backgrounds. So I I'm always pitching Bitcoin to my buddies and I'm like you'll you'll you're built for it like you come from this type of world. So, in moving forward for for the crowd, do you guys have or what would be one piece of advice to navigate potentially the bare market or a lot of friends and family ridiculing them that they're crazy for this Bitcoin thing? Uh, one piece of advice to navigate that fear and and everything involved with it. >> For me, uh, I believe like this. be consistently like I'm going to the gym every day like you said. So believe in what you're doing. Keep study. Keep learning. Um consistently invest in Bitcoin every week. Be smart. Not just go in the deep. Go every week. Be consistent like in the gym. Go every day. Share it for friends. I believe is a great thing to share and is the freedom. And I really thank you to be here. Thank for the opportunity. Thank you all the people following me around and I hope we continue doing great things and they share know my career and the Bitcoin success. >> Yeah, for me I the most successful people I know survive the es and flows you know they are okay with going in the valleys and they're consistent like she said during that time if things were easy you know if what we did was easy if having a good body and being athletic was easy everyone would do it. So same comes with, you know, a bare market and learning and holding and um believing that at in its core it really could change the world and being able to um yeah hold hold them. >> Yeah. I I think that uh in many ways it's kind of like a living organism, right? It's like Bitcoin is a teenager still. Um and I don't know about you guys, but I was kind of weird and awkward as a teenager. there's a there's a lot of volatility as you know uh growing up and and I think that they're experiencing that. I think there's still a ton of education that needs to be done out there and as an athlete I've experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows and the key is like staying on that path having conviction having faith and and being patient and I think um >> you know understanding delayed gratification is a true superpower and just kind of staying the course and let it let it letting it play out. Amazing. Well, let's give it up for our panelists. Thank you guys for sharing. >> Thank you guys. >> That was amazing. >> Thank you. >> Every year, this community comes together to celebrate, to debate, to build what comes next. And every year the stage gets bigger. Sound money center stage. So where do you go to celebrate the next chapter in Bitcoin history? You come home. Nashville, July 2027.