Nik Lentz: UFC Fighter Turned Trader - [Making Markets, REPLAY]

Nik Lentz: UFC Fighter Turned Trader - [Making Markets, REPLAY]

Author: Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts August 23, 2024 Duration: 46:32

Today, we're replaying my episode with Nik “The Carny” Lentz. It's not every day you talk to a UFC fighter turned trader. And this conversation is both intense and insightful. We start by talking about Nik's journey from a difficult childhood to a UFC career and his philosophy on fighting, parenting, and life. We then cover his move to trading derivatives full-time and his approach to position sizing, risk management, and more. This is a different kind of episode, but one I thoroughly enjoyed listening back to, and I hope you feel the same.


For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.


-----


Making Markets is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Markets, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.

Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.

Follow us on Twitter: @makingmkts | @ericgoldenx 



Show Notes 

(00:01:39) - (First Question) - Nik’s childhood and how he got into ultimate fighting

(00:08:54) - Nik’s mentality when in the cage fighting

(00:10:37) - Links between traumatic childhood and becoming a UFC fighter

(00:11:48) - How Nik feels about his children potentially fighting in the future

(00:13:29) - Nik’s earliest UFC fights and the importance of storytelling in the sport

(00:21:35) - Insecurity and work ethic, getting the balance right to be able to perform at the top

(00:26:35) - The relationship between drive and motivation and the kind of upbringing you have

(00:28:52) - How Nik got into finance and his first moves in the market 

(00:33:00) - Nik’s development of his own investment process and how he manages risk

(00:36:00) - Determining position sizes, when to get in, when to get out. The ratio between Nik’s low-risk trades versus his big swings

(00:38:16) - The similarities between gambling and investing, Nik’s opinion on the apparent lack of differentiation 

(00:40:19) - Nik’s advice to young people looking to get started in investing

(00:41:32) - Comparing the ups and downs of UFC fighting versus trading in the markets

(00:43:32) - The process of walking away from fighting and whether Nik thinks he will ever walk away from investing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


Eric Golden hosts Making Markets, a podcast that digs into the often unseen mechanics and human behaviors driving how value is assigned and traded. Rather than just analyzing charts or headlines, conversations focus on the underlying architecture-the rules, relationships, and psychology-that defines how any marketplace functions. This approach means that one episode might dissect the familiar terrain of bonds or equities, while the next ventures into the specialized worlds of fine art, cryptocurrency, or even vineyard acquisitions. The common thread is a curiosity about the actual transactions and the people who facilitate them, providing a tangible sense of what occurs when assets change hands. By speaking with practitioners and experts each week, the show demystifies the complex systems that form the backbone of global commerce, offering listeners a clearer picture of economic forces at work. As part of the Colossus network of investing and business podcasts, Making Markets builds a comprehensive library of knowledge, turning abstract concepts into accessible narratives. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered about the real-world machinery operating behind the curtain of daily financial news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Making Markets
Podcast Episodes
Meb Faber: Taxation and Diversification - [Making Markets, EP.54] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:33
My guest today is Meb Faber, the co-founder and CIO of Cambria Investments, an RIA that manages over $2B in assets. Meb is also one of the biggest investing nerds I know, and today, we dive into a wide variety of topics,…
Quarterly Market Recap: Q4 2024 - [Making Markets, EP.53] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:24
In this Q4 2024 recap episode of Making Markets, Eric and Matt examine how markets defied bearish expectations, with the S&P 500 up 23% and Bitcoin surging 150%. Eric provides insight into Bitcoin's growing institutional…
Charlie Shrem: The Journey of Bitcoin - [Making Markets, EP.51] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:29
My guest today is Charlie Shrem. Charlie was a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation and BitInstant - one of the earliest Bitcoin exchanges. In this episode, he takes us through his incredible life story-starting wit…
Adam Abbas: Navigating the Credit Markets - [Making Markets, EP.50] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:43
My guest today is Adam Abbas, Portfolio Manager and Head of Fixed Income at Oakmark. After recording over a hundred podcasts, I was thrilled to finally chat with another Fixed Income manager. We start with some valuable…
Quarterly Market Recap: Q3 2024 - [Making Markets, EP.46] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:58
Eric and Matt share insights on the market's performance through the third quarter of 2024, highlighting the S&P rising by 6% and a significant 50 basis point rate cut by the Federal Reserve, the first since the pandemic…