Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns
Washington Calling | UFC at the White House, Origin Game II Preview & Cam Murray to Start?
14 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What ringside stories does Matty share from UFC at the White House?
Welcome back to another week of the podcast. We're about to be joined by Matthew Live from Washington, D.C. He's going to tell us all about the UFC, some of his funny interactions over there. Also, we're going to preview State of Origin Game 2 at the MCG. What a game it's going to be. Queensland, New South Wales, Queensland.
We saw how dominant they were in game one for 60 minutes, but New South Wales ended up getting the win after the Kalamponga send-off, and some shocking team selection that has gotten a lot of backlash that we're going to talk about, ask Matthew's opinion for, but... Stay tuned this week.
Also, when this comes out and with our review on Wednesday post-match, there's a new batch of Mate vs. Mate hats up, Queensland and New South Wales. If anyone wants to head to the Instagram, the link tree is in the bio. Go and get yourself one in time for Game 3, whatever state that you follow. But nonetheless, let's get into Matthew, who's joining us right now.
And we're joined by the big fella right now, the one and only, Matty Johns live from Washington. Mate, how are things over there?
Buddy, they're good.
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Chapter 2: How did the UFC event impact the perception of the sport in Washington?
They're good. Yeah, we've got the press conference coming up a little later.
Chapter 3: What are the major team changes for Origin Game II?
Got to go in there with all the fighters and whatnot. But yeah, things are going really good. Plenty going on.
How do you get along with the fighters and the UFC people? Do they accept you?
Accept me in which way?
Like, as in, do they... Obviously, you go into a rugby league press conference, you're very well respected, but you'll go into a place where they don't know rugby league. How do they take to you?
Yeah, look, I think it gives you an insight into what it would be being just a journalist, you know, like a neutral. You go in there and, mate, you just basically go in there, Coop, and... just got a job to do, you know? And, uh, um, so yeah, like, you know, man, I must say the fighters are really, really good. I mean, there's a lot to learn about the, like with the UFC.
I know that what we've got at the moment with the NRL, we've got that new rights still going on, you know, talk about $4 billion deal. Um, And people need, you know, the broadcasters need stuff for that $4 billion. And the UFC is the best example. You know, I know we're going to talk a second about Volk.
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Chapter 4: What strategies are being discussed for New South Wales in Game II?
You know, going around Washington with Alex Volkanovsky, mate, he gets mobbed everywhere he goes. And I'm not talking about middle-aged man and young blokes your age. I'm talking about school kids. Everyone just mobs him. It is... UFC has gone from being an outlier sport, you know, five, ten years ago, to a mainstream sport, and it's getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
And I remember, like, there was, like, a nine-year-old girl rushed up and was, like, so excited. And I said... I said, like, how do you know Alex? And she goes, oh, my dad loves the UFC and me and my brothers sit and watch it as well.
Chapter 5: How does Cam Murray's potential starting position affect the team's dynamics?
And that is the tale of the tape. I mean, this is the next generation coming through, which view that don't look at the UFC as, as I said before, a sort of niche sport. They view it as a Main Street sport. It is just so big over here. And Volk's a big deal in Australia, right? He's a big star in Australia. Over here, he's much, much bigger.
Hey, Matthews, anything particularly surprised you about Washington? One, about Washington, but also around the UFC stamping their mark for the 250th anniversary of the nation.
Washington, firstly, I've had no want or desire ever to come to Washington.
Chapter 6: What are the predictions for the upcoming Origin Game II?
But coming here, it's a really good city. It's a really contained city, a very easy city to get around. It's really good. I must say at the moment it is so hot. Like today it was nearly 40 degrees. So that's going to be a factor. Jesus. Yeah, really, really good. Yeah, it's been incredibly hot today. And so that's going to be a big factor on fight day or fight night.
I mean, what it is at this time of the year, like when you boys were young fellas in England, it doesn't get dark till 11 o'clock at night in England in the middle of summer.
over here it's similar but at the moment it doesn't get dark till like 9 p.m and so fight night you know for a lot of the fighters you know it's going to be up around 30 degrees so that's going to be a big factor but the the city jack it's a really really good city a lot of really good people um yeah i've really enjoyed it it's been great
What's up? Run us through the tour because we've seen a lot of stuff on socials. The White House, we saw the visual of the stadium at the front with the big claw sort of shelter over the top of the ring.
Chapter 7: How do the hosts analyze the performance of key players in the Origin series?
But did you get a tour of the White House itself? Was it sick?
Just outside the White House. Couldn't go into the Oval Office and that, but we're all around the grounds of the White House, strolling around the White House. And, you know, of course, the venue. I mean, basically on the main lawn of the White House now has been turned into UFC Stadium. And so, man, it's crazy. It's so impressive. But it was interesting on the media day that we went there.
And honestly, it was bizarre. It was like the world's media were there. And there were people that I was looking at, like some of the world's best writers, a fellow called John Ronson, who would mean nothing to a lot of people. But John Ronson is one of the world's best authors. He wrote a couple of books, like one of which, Man Who Stare at Goats, who George Clooney tend to immerse. Oh, yes.
And so all these people are there. And what you've got to understand is... The world's media are there for the fight, yes, but for different reasons. Probably half the people there purely for the fight and the excitement are really positive, and the other half were there, or probably another quarter were there, just trying to basically work out, is this right to have this UFC event happening?
on the lawn of the White House in this iconic location.
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Chapter 8: What final thoughts do the hosts share about the significance of the Origin series?
And then when the other quarter are there, probably to gauge, probably to poo-poo it to a certain extent. I mean, New York Times, it's so bizarre, so bizarre. I got cornered by a New York Times journalist, you know, and he just said to me, he heard my accent and said, you're Australian. I said, yeah. He goes, can I ask some questions? I said, yeah, yeah.
And he said, basically he got to, he asked me a couple of Dorothy Dix's and then he got to the question he wanted and he said, I just think it's really ā I'm trying to think of a word. He said, I think it's ā quite tacky and I think it's quite grotesque to have this event on the lawn of the White House. Think about the place of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and whatnot.
He said, what do you think about that? My reply to him was simply this. I said, hey brother, it ain't my fucking country. It ain't my fucking president. I'm just here for the fight and the good time. That's what I'm there for. I never thought he would quote me word by word, but today in the New York Times, that quote
I did see that.
That quote appeared.
Yeah, I did see that. I love that it said a reporter from Australia, like you're an accredited reporter, which you're obviously not. Because you've had interviews with Dana White before. Yeah. And we actually ā Jack sent a message to the K. Roos brothers who are big on social media. They're over doing some stuff with KO as well.
I actually used to play with Nick in SG Ball at Manly, and his dad, Richie K. Roos, was the coach. We talk about Richie quite a lot. Yeah. But they said ā They said a lot of people come over here and they're a little intimidated by it and whatnot. They won't ask too edgy questions, but I think everyone saw the question you asked Dana White.
They said it's good your old man just sort of got over there because he's a bit older and he doesn't really care what anyone thinks. He just went in hot. You asked a little run-in with Dana White saying that you've come a long way and don't fuck it up. Was there any backlash from that or no?
Nah, well, I got there and he was standing there. And you're right, everyone's really nervous because... Yeah, everyone's really nervous standing there because, I mean... He's there for the reason. And, you know, in press conferences, you're on show. You know, it's very easy for a person to put you on show.
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