John McPhee — Retired Army special operations soldier (Delta Force / 'the unit') known as 'The Sheriff of Baghdad,' now a firearms instructor, gear maker, and competitive jiu-jitsu practitioner.
The gist
John McPhee joins Joe Rogan for a sprawling conversation rooted in his brutal Chicago childhood and his career in Army special operations. He recounts performing solo 'Singleton' reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan and hundreds of solo operations in Iraq, including hunting Saddam Hussein's inner circle and bringing home Saddam's hat and a Republican Guard pistol. The two discuss the evolution of martial arts, the realities of evil and danger overseas, police training, performance-enhancing drugs in sports, and cartels. McPhee also dives deep into firearms instruction, eye dominance, and his philosophy of teaching. The episode closes on his passion for jiu-jitsu, training under Rickson Gracie, and his gear company Sheriff of Baghdad.
Big reveals
- McPhee describes being roofied at the NRA show in Dallas, with hotel security reviewing tapes after his companions were drugged.
- He reveals he carried out one of the first successful solo Singleton missions of the Afghanistan war, hitchhiking through Taliban checkpoints alone.
- On that mission he had to choose between saving a boy being abused and completing his mission, ultimately looking the other way.
- He explains commanders bent rules around 'no one leaves the wire,' logging him as 'in transit' so he could conduct reconnaissance.
- McPhee shows Joe Saddam Hussein's actual Picadilly fox-fur hat, given to him by Saddam's tailor.
- He reveals he drove an Uday/Qusay secret police vehicle as a taxi and carried a captured Republican Guard pistol.
- He describes cutting to 222 pounds on 1,800 calories and 170g protein a day to compete at jiu-jitsu Masters Worlds.
- McPhee says he is the only belted competitor currently fighting under Rickson Gracie in the Masters division.
Things worth remembering
- The Rick Rufus vs Thai fighter bout is described as the fight that changed American kickboxing by introducing leg kicks.
- Calf kicks have only become recognized as more effective than thigh kicks in MMA over the last five or six years.
- Saddam surrounded himself with Christian servants because he believed Christians who martyr themselves go to hell.
- A Saddam raid turned up roughly 15 lookalikes with mustaches, like a 'Saddam lookalike contest.'
- 'Pogy bait' is military slang for snack food like beef jerky, candy, and cookies.
- McPhee argues most shooters are 'eye neutral' rather than truly eye dominant, which causes them to shoot two groups.
- BPC-157 reportedly cut his stomach healing time from one to two weeks down to about four days.
- McPhee's punch daggers and scribe tools are made of G10 plastic so they pass through metal detectors and can be cleaned of DNA with diesel fuel.
- Joe Rogan nearly bought the One World Theater in Austin, built by a cult later exposed in the documentary 'Holy Hell.'
Recommended in this episode
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The Singleton
John McPhee
“I'm writing a book it's finished maybe someone would want to publish it but it's called the Singleton and it's about my going out alone” — John McPhee 01:32:50Find it on Amazon
SOB Hat
Sheriff of Baghdad
“I got you the SOB hat this is the best hat uh we sell right here it's the one I wear this on the Range every day” — John McPhee 02:14:38Find it on Amazon
Shut Up Hippie Shirt
Sheriff of Baghdad
“we got you shut up hippie shirt sell a ton of these like uh I wear these I when I go to California teach California classes I wear a shut up hippie shirt all the time” — John McPhee 02:15:08Find it on Amazon
Condom Holster
Sheriff of Baghdad
“I got your condom holster I make these 365 it's your EDC it's all I use it's all I wear it is the most comfortable holster” — John McPhee 02:16:09Find it on Amazon
Cooling Shemagh Towel
Sheriff of Baghdad
“a cooling shemagh so basically I made a cooling towel the size of a shemagh when I'm on the Range literally I just dump a bottle of water in my neck” — John McPhee 02:16:40Find it on Amazon
Punch Daggers (G10)
Sheriff of Baghdad
“I got you punchers punch daggers so it's G10 this doesn't even go through a metal detector there's no metal in the sheath it's all plastic screws” — John McPhee 02:18:12Find it on Amazon
Combat Bands
Sheriff of Baghdad
“another thing I made and this is super important I call these combat bands it's a high temperature silicone but it's a rubber band” — John McPhee 02:19:14Find it on Amazon
Salomon Quest Boots
Salomon
“the boot kits Solomon boots made for the military I've been wearing Solomon boots you'll see a set of Solomon boots in the Saddam picture I hunted with them this year it's all I wear Solomon” — John McPhee 02:21:19Find it on Amazon
BPC-157
“I took the pill bpc 157 yeah and I'll tell you like super legit it healed my stomach and my healing went from like a week or two to like four days BPC 157 is very legit” — John McPhee 02:35:53Find it on Amazon
Choke
Rickson Gracie (inferred)
“you got to watch choke I got to one of the greatest documentaries of all time it's Hixon in his prime competing in Japan Valley tudo” — Joe Rogan 02:43:39Find it on Amazon