Benny Drohan Podcast

Prince Banjaku was raised on nightclub punch-ons and street scraps before fighting his way to a 19–0 record.
He is now one win away from holding every major kickboxing belt at the same time, something no one has ever done.
Prince opens up about the rage that stopped him smiling until he was 35, why the gym was the only thing keeping him from becoming a junkie or a criminal, and the mindset that made him impossible to beat.
He breaks down the Cyrus Washington fight, where 90 percent of people picked him to lose, and the Chris Bradford knockout where he stopped a man 30 kilos heavier with a punch he does not even remember throwing.
He also breaks down the Tsushi Mori fight, where he broke his fibula in the first round and still found a way to win.
Then came the lockdowns, the SWAT raids, and the path that led to a year in jail, where everything changed.
This episode is about what happens when a man who refuses to lose hits rock bottom and comes back more dangerous than ever.
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👇 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:49 Being a Wog Kid in 90s Melton
06:22 Anyone in My Situation Should Be a Junkie
15:05 “You’re Going to Get Knocked Out”
19:30 Beating Cyrus Washington (140-Fight Legend )
20:48 30kg Heavier: The Chris Bradford Knockout
28:58 Fighting Musashi Mori With a Broken Leg
36:05 The Curse of Being Undefeated
41:52 Lockdowns, SWAT Raids & Jail
52:49 The 20–0 Fight for Undisputed

For someone to willingly step into a cage and fight another man… something’s not normal.
You’re either wired differently… or there’s a deeper reason driving it.
This week on the pod, I sit down with Luke Howard.
An OG Aussie MMA fighter who was fighting in a cage long before there was a blueprint, a pathway, or any real structure to the sport.
Before Volk, Whittaker, or Della became household names, Luke was already in there, headlining fight cards around the country.
He opens up about his Australian title fight with Jack Della, stepping in when no one else would, taking it to him, and what it actually feels like to go out cold in a cage. The physical damage, the mental fallout, and the reality of fighting in the early days when safety was less regulated and the risks were higher.
But this isn’t really a fight story.
It’s about what drives someone to do it in the first place.
Luke breaks down what he calls controlled violence, the difference between fighters who break and those who don’t, the danger of chasing validation, and why knowing your “why” can save you in and out of the cage.
That mindset is what led him to becoming a world-class boxing coach at Soma Fight Club in Bali.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it really takes to live this life, the pain, the pressure, the mentality, Luke’s lived every bit of it.
He is that guy. If you know, you know.
🥷 Watch Luke in action:
Eternal Title Fight vs Jack Della
Comeback Fight vs Anthony Bynoe
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👇 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:02 Luke Howard’s Story
03:39 Injuries That Ended Judo
09:59 Transition to MMA
18:41 Chasing a Fighting Career
26:00 Moving to Bali
33:39 Life in Bali
35:25 Fighting Jack Della
51:46 Mental Health & Demons
53:26 Advice for Young Men
🥋 Stay in the fkn Fight

From East Auckland Street violence and not expecting to make it past 21 to building Bali’s toughest fight club.
Mike Ikilei, founder of Soma Fight Club, opens up about growing up comfortable with violence, the moment a gym pulled him back from the edge, and how Soma became a global destination for fighters and more family than a facility.
He talks about fatherhood, community, the ANZAC toughness that shaped him, and why titles are just byproducts of giving everything.
If you’ve ever felt pulled toward chaos, struggled with direction, or wanted more from yourself, this conversation shows what happens when violence is turned into purpose.
Mike shares the mindset behind Soma, the standards he lives by, and the code that built one of the world’s most respected fight communities.
We break down the story behind the Soma name, the mission driving the movement, and what comes next.
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👇 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:01:41 Did Soma Become What Mike Originally Envisioned?
00:04:09 Growing Up in East Auckland
00:09:08 The Gym That Changed Mike’s Life
00:14:01 Moving to Bali and Taking the Risk
00:29:09 Building Soma Fight Club From Scratch
00:31:26 How Soma Built a Global Fight Community
00:33:07 The Biggest Challenge Facing New Gyms
00:38:41 Building the Soma Brand
00:43:03 The Story Behind the Name Soma
00:46:32 Protecting the Culture Inside Soma
00:51:40 Coaching India’s First UFC Fighter
01:02:34 Outro
🥋 Stay in the fkn Fight

Locky Tinhla grew up mixed-race with a violent, racist father before going on to fight bare-knuckle in Myanmar, inside the world’s most brutal combat sport.
He opens up about the impact that environment had on his identity and mental health, how early exposure to violence shaped his worldview, and the years of self-destruction that nearly broke him before he found something that gave him direction.
That search led him to Lethwei, the traditional Burmese bare-knuckle fighting sport widely regarded as the most brutal combat sport on earth. Locky explains how he discovered Lethwei, why it stood apart from every other fighting discipline, and what pushed him to fly to Myanmar, despite it being a red, do-not-travel zone, to take his first fight with minimal preparation.
Now known as Australia’s only active Lethwei fighter, Locky breaks down what it was really like stepping into the ring in Myanmar, the realities of bare-knuckle fighting under Lethwei rules, and why he continues to return to one of the most dangerous combat environments in the world.
This episode is a raw, unfiltered conversation about violence, identity, risk, and what it means to choose a path that everything and everyone says you shouldn’t.
If this episode brings anything up for you, you do not have to carry it alone.
If you are in Australia, you can contact MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78. Free, confidential support for men, 24 hours a day.
If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, contact Lifeline: 13 11 14
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👇 Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:22 What Is Lethwei? (Burmese Bare Knuckle Fighting)
02:56 Who Is Locky Tinhla?
04:38 Identity Struggle
10:49 Mental Health Battle
19:31 Recovery & Finding Purpose
22:28 Luky’s Role in the Comeback
30:47 The Lethwei Gym Journey
36:10 Getting Asked to Fight
47:01 First Lethwei Fight
50:45 The Only Aussie to Fight Lethwei in Myanmar
51:56 How Many Fights Since the First?
58:42 How Locky Became a Content Creator
🥋 Stay in the fkn Fight

Nick “Special K” Kara is an OG fighting legend, a world-champion kickboxer whose journey from Melbourne street fights to the wild underbelly of Pattaya, Thailand, and the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter, is one of the wildest and jaw-dropping stories you’ll ever hear.
For the first time, Nick opens up about his violent past, addiction, near-death experience, redemption and faith, from starring in cult Muay Thai film Ong-Bak to landing on Melbourne’s underworld hit list and somehow surviving it all.
He went from street chaos to movie sets, from world titles to hospital beds, fighting for his life. This is the untold story of a man who lost everything, found faith, and fought his way back.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to climb out of rock bottom and rebuild, this episode will hit hard.
Stay till the end as Nick reveals how he finally found peace, purpose, and his reason to keep fighting.
If this episode brings anything up for you, you do not have to carry it alone.
If you are in Australia, you can contact MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78. Free, confidential support for men, 24 hours a day.
If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, contact Lifeline: 13 11 14
🥷 Watch Nick in action:
Onk-Bak Fight Scene vs Tony Jaa
World Title Fight vs Manson Gibson
📲 Follow Nick:
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🎙️ Follow Benny Drohan Podcast:
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👇 Chapters:
00:00:00: Intro
00:00:55: Who is Nick Kara
00:03:19: hen Nick first discovered fighting
00:10:11: The start of his Thailand journey
00:12:56: Three major legal troubles
00:16:33: Ending up in Thailand
00:19:40: Where “Special K” comes from
00:21:43: How Nick Kara landed a role in Ong-Bak
00:28:38: Fighting Manson Gibson
00:32:45: Winning the world title
00:37:26: The addiction phase of Kara’s life
00:38:56: The underground hit list
00:45:45: Becoming a boxing coach
01:01:07: Waking up in the hospital
01:20:29: Outro
🥋 Stay in the fkn Fight