Level Change Podcast

Hope you all got the fun you hoped for last week, because this one’s a dog’s breakfast of an event. Yes, even for an Apex card. Not much excitement here, as we’ve disowned Waldo. But Jeremy Stephens is coming back? Oh, and the potential BKFC drama is leaving us with a ton of questions. Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget to shake your fist at Mick Maynard.UFC Vegas 104 Main Card* Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 185 lbs* Elizeu Zaleski vs. Chidi Njokuani 170 lbs* Alexander Hernandez vs. Kurt Holobaugh 155 lbs* Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs* Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Brendson Ribeiro 205 lbs* Kevin Vallejos vs. Seung Woo Choi 145 lbs* Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann 265 lbs* Su Young You vs. AJ Cunningham 135 lbs* Josias Musasa vs. Carlos Vera 135 lbs* Sam Hughes vs. Stephanie Luciano 115 lbs* André Lima vs. Daniel Barez 125 lbs* Josiane Nunes vs. Priscila Cachoeira 135 lbs* Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice 125 lbsUFC Vegas 104 Alternative Facts* Ranked Fights: 1* Ranked Fighters: 3* Fighters coming off losses: 7* Contender Series Alumni: 13* TUF Alumni: 3* Road to UFC Alumni: 1* Debuting Fighters: 2We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comNot much to complain about this one here, kids. Alex Pereira aims to continue his dominant run as light heavyweight champion against a very eager Magomed Ankalaev in a great main event. Justin Gaethje may not get the fight he wanted against Dan Hooker, but instead gets a very good replacement in Rafael Fiziev in what is sure to be a great rematch, regar…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comGotta keep it real with you, chief - this card is ugly. There’s a few bright spots, but the Apex is clearly not where you’re gonna get the best or most thrilling events. Manel Kape (20-7) faces surging fellow flyweight Asu Almabayev (21-2) in a decent main event between #6 (Kape) against #8 (Almabayev). Is it a title contender? No, but it should be fun.…

It’s a nice little weekend for slams and submissions in Seattle, and the UFC graces the city with a decent Fight Night card that does exactly what it’s supposed to in building up developing talent and advancing divisions. For that, we get former champ Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong in a rather nice main event. And it’s a shame that this one was plagued with injuries and cancellations. There’s still some great meat on this bone, regardless. And that’s a good thing, considering how things can go in this game. We also cover Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett and how the news of a Pitbull brother finally signing with the UFC went on with very little fanfare. Also, Belal vs Jack Della and Valentina vs Manon? Yes, those are lovely. We’ll take both.And remember kids: nobody's gonna talk more about that Austin Vanderford guy than us. Nobody. It's the Level Change Guarantee™UFC Seattle Main Card* Henry Cejudo vs. Yadong Song 135 lbs* Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez 185 lbs* Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto 140 lbs* Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan 145 lbs* Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker 205 lbs* Ion Cutelaba vs. Ibo Aslan 205 lbs* Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa 145 lbs* Nick Klein vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik 185 lbs* Ricky Simón vs. Javid Basharat 135 lbs* Austin Vanderford vs. Nikolay Veretennikov 170 lbs* Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Eric McConico 185 lbs* Modestas Bukauskas vs. Raffael Cerqueira 205 lbsUFC Seattle Fun Factoids* Ranked Fights: 2* Ranked Fighters: 6* Fighters coming off losses: 9* Contender Series Alumni: 12* TUF Alumni: 0* Road to UFC Alumni: 0* Debuting Fighters: 2We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

No nice way to say this: this weekend’s PPV is not good. No bueno. Just a lot of filler with a deluge of local talent and two title fights. At least the co-main is guaranteed to be something for the more dedicated fans. The rest? Lotta not-great matchups and a fair amount of talent that may not really be ready for the big time. Also, bad news from outside of the sport itself. You like being propagandized and condescended to? Good, because media row is about to be gone from the UFC and replaced with a bunch of dirty yuppies you never heard before with names like Bozo909 in a swanky suite covering fights. Bon apetit!!UFC 312 * Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 185 lbs* Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez 115 lbs* Tallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa 265 lbs* Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato 205 lbs* Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado 170 lbs* Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos 145 lbs* Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev 155 lbs* Cong Wang vs. Bruna Brasil 125 lbs* Aleksandre Topuria vs. Colby Thicknesse 135 lbs* Kody Steele vs. Rongzhu 155 lbs* Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef 170 lbs* Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli 155 lbs* Hyun Sung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel 125 lbsUFC 312 Fun Factoids* Ranked Fights: 2* Ranked Fighters: 4* Fighters coming off losses: 8* Contender Series Alumni: 10* TUF Alumni: 2* Road to UFC Alumni: 5* Debuting Fighters: 5We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comUFC Fight Night goes back to the desert for another Saudi event, and it’s packed with some excellent talent on the main card. We’ve got the breakdown you need in the bonus portion where we ponder if Israel Adesanya (24-4) will feel freed from the burdens of being a champion as he attempts to beat back surging contender Nassourdine Imavov (15-4).Also, Sh…

Another cursed era begins, and we’re not shy to carve into why things suck and what happens next. First order of business? The inauguration this week, with special UFC guests and what this latest round of cozying up to government could lead to. But wait! We also discuss the odd case of Guilherme Cruz catching fire from Alex Pereira after a recent interview conducted with Alex’s sister Aline. And to top it all off, a funny yet tragic lesson of asking questions on social media from Michael Bisping, of all people. Then there’s the GFL mess. We can promise to crack that nut in depth soon, but wow. Simply wow.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comIt seems it was not meant to be. We had a cracking main event for UFC 311 between Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev, but that fell apart the day before the fight. So, what now? Well, Renato Moicano was already on the card and will be fighting for the UFC lightweight championship instead!Yeah, it’s a bummer. But it’s still a great fight and we break do…

Alright, kids - 2025 isn’t starting off great. It’s filler, through and through. Some good fighters, some awful matchups, but it’s mostly a matter of shoveling a bunch of fighters into the Apex to keep the execs happy. The era of low-effort check-cashing is only getting more intense. Mackenzie Dern (14-5) headlines against Amanda Ribas (13-5) in a rematch that is only kinda necessary due to scheduling and ranking positions. Still not a fight that anyone was clamoring to see, and neither are a bunch of these other matchups. But don’t worry, we’ve got our main man Tim Bissell on to talk Sumo and bring some level of joy discussing a combat sports operation run with some actual competence. UFC Vegas 101 Main Card* Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 115 lbs* Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris 170 lbs* Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. César Almeida 185 lbs* Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov 185 lbs* Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez 145 lbs* Punahele Soriano vs. Uros Medic 170 lbsUFC Vegas 101 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 1* Ranked fighters: 2* Fighters coming off losses: 14 + 1 NC* Contender Series alumni: 17* TUF alumni: 1* Debuting fighters: 5We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We have returned, and we’re capping off a rocky and strange year with a very special episode. We’ve racked up our pseudo-awards for different categories in the combat sports world, and you’re not gonna want to miss this.The categories are:* Event of the year* Fight of the year* Person of the year* Story of the year* Dipshit of the year* Genius of the year* Comeback of the year* Influencer of the yearFind out who our winners are, and why. Don’t be shy, let us know what you think in the comments and remember to keep an eye out on the Substack chat. We’re proud to have ended the year with your support, and hope we can continue to count in it moving forward.Have a safe and prosperous new year, kids.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Ho! Ho! Ho! The end-of year holidays are upon us, so we had to have Tim Bissell come back for a year-in-review episode for the 2024 season. We talk about the highs and lows, unexpected retirements, standout wrestlers, those that didn’t shine quite so bright and more. Take a trip down Sumo memory lane with us this Christmas.Make sure to check out Tim’s website, Sumo Stomp. It is so worth the visit considering the wealth of information there about the sport. If you’re new to Sumo or an old head, it’s a place worth going to.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

In our latest episode, we look at the best fights from UFC Tampa, but fair warning, the pickings are slim. We look at all the things wrong with the last card of the year, as well. But the best part of the episode is Matt Brown stopping by for a quick interview with Stephie. Check out the fight card, fun factoids and our topic list for Matt’s segment.UFC Tampa Card* Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley 170 lbs* Cub Swanson vs. Billy Quarantillo 145 lbs* Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva 125 lbs* Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino 205 lbs* Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez 135 lbs* Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos 205 lbs* Michael Johnson vs. Ottman Azaitar 155 lbs* Drakkar Klose vs. Joel Alvarez 155 lbs* Sean Woodson vs. F. Padilla 145 lbs* Miles Johns vs. Felipe Lima 145 lbs* Miranda Maverick vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth 125 lbs* Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras 135 lbs* Piera Rodriguez vs. Josefine Knutsson 115 lbsUFC Tampa Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 2* Ranked fighters: 4* Fighters coming off losses: 10* Contender Series alumni: 11* TUF alumni: 2* Debuting fighters: 1Matt Brown Topic List* Fight Circus* Blobtang* Matt Brown Magical Mystery Tour* Describe Fight Circus to a casual* What would be your new concept fight for FC?* Immortal Coffee* Take on Colby-Joaquin and Colby’s legacy* If you could name your elbows, what would their names be? * What’s been the best part about retirement?* What’s been the worst?* Is there a fighter out there right now that you feel uses their elbows as advantageously as you did?* If you could give one kernel of advice for fighters, what would you tell them?We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Alright, kids - big content warning at the top as we start with an impromptu conversation regarding the UHC shooting in NYC and the Daniel Penny case. But we move on to fight stuff, we promise. Once again, the pathetic spectacle that is the decline of Conor McGregor’s fighting career makes itself seen against our wishes. He’s now been involved in yet another back and forth with Michael Chandler well past the point of anyone being invested. But has he forgotten about his civil case that he just got smacked in not long ago? Gonna make it real tough to plan any fights right now with all this heat on him.Then we have middleweight, and sweet baby Jesus is that division an unholy mess. Who will get the next title shot? Only one thing is for certain: “deserve” has got nothing to do with it. Also, why does Ilia Topuria want to move up to lightweight? Is it even a good idea to begin with? Maybe it’s not so crazy after all, and perhaps may be a necessity.Finally, we’ll be scaling back our episode output for a short while. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have more bonus content for you all. Watch this space.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

UFC 310 has enough juice when it comes to really good action fights, even if there’s a few odd mismatches here and there. But man, you’d be forgiven for forgetting there was even a PPV event at all this weekend. Worse still, it’s a guy making his UFC debut in a title challenge in the most challenging division to move ahead in: the dreaded flyweight division.Also, former champ Aljamain Sterling is relegated to the prelims on this one, as are former main eventers Anthony Smith and Chris Weidman (another former champ). Feels like there’s zero buzz around it, but our mainest man and former co-host Mookie Alexander joins us to try to make sense of all of this and make some picks. One last thing: what exactly is going on with Bellator? PFL absorbed them only to do… well, it’s hard to tell what, exactly. Fighters want out and former champ Gegard Mousasi is straight-up taking legal action. Hard times, baby. UFC 310 Card* Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura* Shavkhat Rakhmonov vs Ian Machado Garry* Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov* Bryce Mitchell vs Kron Gracie* Nate Landwehr vs Doo Ho Choi* Anthony Smith vs Dominick Reyes* Vicente Luque vs Themba Gorimbo* Movsar Evloev vs Aljamain Sterling* Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle* Chris Weidman vs Eryk Anders* Cody Durden vs Joshua Van* Michael Chiesa vs Max Griffin* Clay Guida vs Chase Hooper* Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Lukasz BrzeskiUFC 310 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 4* Ranked fighters: 12* Fighters coming off losses: 6* Contender Series alumni: 2* TUF alumni: 6* Debuting fighters: 1We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The Kyusho Basho has wrapped and what an exciting tournament it was. We had photo finishes, high flying moves, matches that had to be repeated…in short, it had a little something to whet all Grand Sumo appetites. Of course we had Sumo Stomp’s Tim Bissell over for a pre-Thanksgiving celebration, and we put him to work straight away with all the fine points of the Basho.Make sure to check out Tim’s extra cool contest right here. He has one of the most unique prizes I’ve ever seen. Plus, the visit over to Sumo Stomp is worth it considering the wealth of information there about the sport. If you’re new to Sumo or an old head, it’s a site worth taking a visit to.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Conor McGregor once again in hot water as the civil trial against him in Ireland has led to him losing his case. He’s now got to shell out some cash, and we ponder the potential consequences and ramifications of it all. We also look into this weekend’s early morning Macau card, with some excellent talent on deck and some surprisingly great matchups. A great little card to watch with your Saturday breakfast.To kick off this bigass episode, we had Tim Bissell from Sumo Stomp on to give us the latest update from the Kyushu Basho, which is turning out to be one for the ages.UFC Macau Card* Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 135 lbs* Xiaonan Yan vs. Tabatha Ricci 115 lbs* Kenan Song vs. Muslim Salikhov 170 lbs* Cong Wang vs. Gabriela Fernandes 125 lbs* Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg 205 lbs* Ozzy Diaz vs. Mingyang Zhang 205 lbs* Su Young You vs. Balgyn Jenisuly 135 lbs* Kiru Sahota vs. Dong Hoon Choi 125 lbs* Xiaocan Feng vs. Ming Shi 115 lbs* Carlos Hernandez vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel 125 lbs* Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa 125 lbs* Long Xiao vs. Quang Le 135 lbs* Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Nikolas Motta 155 lbsUFC Macau Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 3 * Ranked fighters: 6 * Fighters coming off losses: 4 * Contender Series alumni: 5 * TUF alumni: 0 * Road to UFC alumni: 10 * Debuting fighters: 3We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Tyson went out sad against influencer Jake Paul, and it was a depressing spectacle despite being bonkers business. on the MMA side, UFC 309 is over, and Jon Jones was able to deftly dispatch of Stipe Miocic. Does that really help his status as heavyweight champion? Stipe handled it all with grace, but the heavyweight landscape remains murky despite a clear-cut contender in interim champ Tom Aspinall.Also, there’s Charles Oliveira. A man we don’t deserve, fighting against both Michael Chandler and the incompetence of referee Keith Peterson. Finally, it looks like Ryan Garcia found a way around his suspension, and it’s kind of an ugly one. We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comHere it is, kids. We break down the prelims for UFC 309, plus our mainest man Tim Bissell is back with more Sumo action. The UFC prelims are an odd mishmash, with Chris Weidman facing Eryk Anders as a middleweight bout. But we do get some quality matches with Jonathan Martinez facing Marcus McGhee, for example. Are these fights actually good? Some are, …

Time for the UFC to return to Madison Square Garden for a major heavyweight title fight that has pretty much lost all of its steam. But we still wanna see it! We break down the main card for UFC 309 and make our predictions, but we also look at a few headlines related to the event.Does it make sense for Jon Jones to fight for a BMF title? No. No it doesn’t. But he thinks it does! And Matt Brown tries to make sense of Jones’ reasoning on what could happen after his bout with Stipe. Plus, Jon Anik weighs in on the topic as well, and Daniel Cormier will have the task of being impartial as he calls the fights this weekend.Oh, and Jon took umbrage to some choice language Miocic employed in the Countdown special. What a timeline we live in. UFC 309 Main Card* Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic 265 lbs* Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler 155 lbs* Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig 185 lbs* Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araujo125 lbs* Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop 155 lbsUFC 309 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 3 * Ranked fighters: 7* Fighters coming off losses: 13* Contender Series alumni: 7* TUF alumni: 0* Debuting fighters: 1We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money, because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

It’s that time again—time for us all to wait with baited breath to find out if Terunofuji will compete in the Kyushu Basho, and time to see if Onosato will keep on his upward trajectory. In case you’re new here, we’re big Sumo fans, so when there’s a new tournament about to drop, we bring out the big guns aka Tim Bissell from Sumo Stomp.In this episode, we take a look at what’s happened in the interim (some elder stock awarded after a very youthful retirement), what we’re looking forward to and we provide some basic knowledge for new listeners. Tim is also running a contest with an insanely cool prize. The episode is entirely FREE, as well.Check out the prize:We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Man, it’s a strange weekend ahead for the UFC. Is this upcoming Canadian card bad? No. But it’s also not great and smacks of laziness in spots. Or maybe stinginess? Hard to tell! But there’s certainly a few bangers, some in the middle, and some atrocious clunkers. The good fights are pretty great and tough to pick, but man, the bad ones are a dog’s breakfast. But that’s fine! We’ve seen worse, and there’s some lovely action to look forward to. Here’s hoping it exceeds expectations. And we even managed to sneak a Hinchcliffe joke in there, too. UFC Edmonton Fight Card* Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi 125 lbs* Rose Namajunas vs. Erin Blanchfield 125 lbs* Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz 265 lbs* Caio Machado vs. B. Ribeiro 205 lbs* Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus 185 lbs* Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles 170 lbs* Aiemann Zahabi vs. Pedro Munhoz 135 lbs* Ariane Lipski vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius 125 lbs* Charles Jourdain vs. Victor Henry 135 lbs* A. Romanov vs. R. Nascimento 265 lbs* Serhiy Sidey vs. Garrett Armfield 135 lbs* Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs* Jamie-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrović 125 lbs* Jack Shore vs. Youssef Zalal 145 lbsUFC Edmonton Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 4* Ranked fighters: 9* Fighters coming off losses: 13* Contender Series alumni: 10* TUF alumni: 3* Debuting fighters: 0We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comIlia Topuria came out victorious once again and blazed his name into the annals of combat sports history this past weekend. That said, Paddy Pimblett still isn’t seeing the vision and wasn’t quite on board with Ilia being the guy the rest of us see him as. At least Aljamain Sterling’s got a solid perspective on the matter and is taking a very pragmatic …

Another Abu Dhabi card, so you know what that means: a solid PPV with some outstanding matchups. We’ve got Ghost on board from Phantom Punch Breakdowns to give a more detailed analysis on some of these, specifically the main and co-main events featuring Max Holloway vs Ilia Topuria and Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev. But there’s more fights of consequence, as well. We’ve got Aleksandar Rakic facing Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight, and UK dynamo Lerone Murphy against Dan “50K“ Ige. It’s a solid event with some of the best matchups on paper that can be made right now, and we carve through that thing like a pumpkin. Enjoy!UFC 308 Fight Card:* Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway 145 lbs* Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev 185 lbs* Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandr Rakić 205 lbs* Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige 145 lbs* Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan 185 lbs* Ibo Aslan vs. Rafael Cerqueira 205 lbs* Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos 170 lbs* Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rębecki 155 lbs* Abus Magomedov vs. Bruno Ferreira 185 lbs* Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett 265 lbs* Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo 135 lbs* Bruno Silva vs. Ismail Naurdiev 185 lbs* Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal 170 lbsUFC 308 Fun Factoids* Ranked Fights: 5* Ranked fighters: 10* Fighters coming off losses: 8* Contender Series alumni: 8* TUF alumni: 1 (Whittaker)* Debuting fighters: 3 (Cerquiera, Naurdiev, Leal)We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Welp, another UFC Vegas weekend has come and gone. It was what it was, a mixed bag. We take a quick look at how that went and how good or not good that was. But PFL had a very consequential show that somehow leaves us with waaaaaaaaay more questions than answers. Who does Francis even fight now? What about Cyborg? And how does the PFL actually make their PPVs profitable? Do they even need for the PPVs to be lucrative if the rest of the product is still viable? Plus, a little dream matchmaking that gets sad when you realize that an essential part of it involves a party that refuses to either co-promote or do tournaments. But that’s not all! Ilia Topuria is very confident ahead of his title defense against Max Holloway this weekend. But is he putting the cart before the horse by aiming for more belts already? Also, what’s the deal with Tatiana Suarez and her latest injury withdrawal? Finally, Kamaru Usman says he’s got gold in the vault with an unreleased podcast encounter with Belal Muhammad, but he’s putting up some absurd conditions for that to see the light of day. We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comYou’re not gonna believe this, but a very dumb guy said a very dumb thing. Also, it’s not totally noteworthy every time someone misses weight, but a particular situation ahead of this weekend’s UFC card is a bigger problem than most cases.Not only do we get into the latest musings of one Brendan Schaub surrounding the potential return of Donald Cerrone,…

So, what are we looking at this week? First: Florida Man does Florida Man things, again. MMA fighter that retired decides he’s no longer retired. Again. Another retired MMA trailblazer defies calls for retirement. Again.But that’s not all! Jamahal Hill decides that he needs to explain his post-fight gesture at UFC 307 in the least necessary explanation in recent memory. And it’s a terrible look. And look out: Dana White is absolutely, positively mad that the ranking system his organization set up is incompetent at best. Glad he finally got the memo, huh?Finally… come on. Conor McGregor is never fighting again.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

It’s a very bad week for a UFC event with a lineup that’s below paltry for various reasons. But we do at least get a banger of a main event well worth our time. But the news of the week is weird, as well. First off, Conor McGregor may be going to trial in Ireland. It’s looking very likely. But is he throwing up a smoke screen by announcing how badly he now wants to fight Michael Chandler after Chandler has moved on? And on top of that, proposing settling the score with Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier?We also look at some of the recent releases from the UFC roster, including longtime mainstays like Ovince St. Preux and Rick Glenn. After that, it’s a weird and winding road trying to make sense of BKFC’s David Feldman’s claims about how his organization actually sells out all their events. Also, a look at Kayla Harrison in a gargantuan display of grace and class as a response to PFL doing her dirty on fight night. We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Conor McGregor is everywhere except in church or in a gym these days, and now it seems he’s been offered Justin Gaethje a handful of times and turned that down. Sucks for us, it’s a banger. Shame it won’t happen…. or will it?And what was a promising card on paper didn’t quite deliver in practice, but at least the main event made up for it. Funny part is, it almost didn’t happen due to Alex Pereira suffering the plagues of Job in his camp. Kayla Harrison also had a rough road to her fight, and it got ugly fast. And former champ Amanda Nunes was watching that bantamweight championship match. Was she impressed? Not sure. But she seems to want back in, and we wanna see it. Finally, some sad news from the lawsuits against the UFC. The testimonies from the fighters are bleak, and they really need serious help. We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comThis is another fun one with another exceptional guest. The one and only Dan Tom joins us to break down UFC 307 in what should be an action-packed event with so much to look forward to.Dan’s perspective is great, and we managed to have a ton of fun analyzing this card from top to bottom. Free listeners get the prelims, but there’s almost an hour of bonu…

We’re joined this episode by none other than Alana McLaughlin, trailblazing MMA fighter and tireless advocate for equality. We get to discuss the new documentary “Unfightable“, which chronicles her struggle to get into MMA and the price she’s paid for doing so. There’s a lot to chew on here, but as usual with Alana, there’s some really fun moments. She was kind enough to stick around for the rest of the episode to discuss a few headlines as well. That includes Matt Brown anointing Kayla Harrison as the new unstoppable force at bantamweight, and Julianna Peña refusing to give her any shine when it comes to the title picture. We also discuss Jake Paul being taken to court over his serious allegations against Matchroom Boxing. It could turn out to be some very costly sour grapes. Also, did you hear about the law firm seeking litigants against as-of-yet unidentified “MMA fighters and managers” for heinous crimes? We take a look at that, as well. We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comAlright, kids… this is good. The UFC sets up shop in Paris for another Fight Night event with some truly great fights for a rabid crowd. Headlining this one will be Benoit Saint-Denis (ranked #12) facing Renato Moicano (11). It’s a tremendous bout and very fitting duel for the Parisian crowd, with the winner possibly elevated to the top 5.Nassourdine Im…

FREE EPISODE!! Please consider a donation to the Level Change Podcast. Times are tight everywhere, we know. But if you happen to have a few bucks to spare, we’d be eternally grateful.Today, you’re going to be treated to a Sumo spectacular featuring the honorable and always gentlemanly, Tim Bissell. In our continued coverage of the 2024 Aki Basho, Tim takes you from where we left off a week ago, all the way through the final days of this tremendous tournament. We were delighted by tons of action, sensational technique and dare we say…flamboyance from the Big Boy Brigade. As always, there was elite talent on display, with the winner having a near perfect run, going 13-2. It was a thriller, punctuated by two retirements, with one being a record-setter. And the bouts themselves? Glorious. It all gets discussed right here. For free. On the house. Complimentary. No charge. The Continental Breakfast of podcasts. Please remember to check out the Sumo Stomp, where Tim tirelessly devotes himself to the art of Grand Sumo and all its rich tradition.We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, kids. We start the episode in true Haterus Maximus form, celebrating the downfall and disgrace of truly horrible people. We’re good at it, and they suck. No tears for them in this dojo. But after that, we cut right into the meat of the week with Dana White being asked about Conor McGregor’s next fight while in Ireland as Conor McGregor was in New York. Whoops! That was awkward. Sorta. The verdict? It might as well have been the verbal equivalent of the shrug emoji. Then, it’s the lamentable case of one Tom Aspinall being the backup fighter for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic, and the cancellation of former UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev.Remember Matt Serra? Man, did he hate the way Tim Welch cornered Sean O’Malley. And Deiveson Figuereido got all the smoke for everybody while shoving Umar Nurmagomedov aside in the pecking order. And Dillon Danis is gonna need to get a CDL to pay his lawyers, because his last legal team just dropped him.Kevin Lee is fighting again (yes, that Kevin Lee). But don’t worry, we’ll end on a nice note regarding Paddy Pimblett inhaling a bunch of chicken wings. We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, kids! We kinda went a little off-road this week, seeing as the life of one Sean Combs was unraveling after his arrest and subsequent court hearing. We dive into a bit of that and all the weird stuff that happens when rich guys that are unaccountable to anyone actually face consequences for their actions for the first time in their lives. But don’t worry, we had plenty to address regarding UFC 306. Not just the business side of it all, but the Sphere itself, the perils of using a venue like that for fights, as well as the fights themselves. How good was that undercard? The title fights may not have been what most fans expected or wanted, but there’s plenty to talk about there as well. Also, Irene Aldana had her face split open in what may be the worst cut in MMA history.Go ahead, download now.We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comAre you ready for the Sphere? Not sure that anyone is, but we’re glad to give you our best possible analysis of what UFC 306 brings to the table and how it’s gonna shake out. There’s a lot to like here, with some true up and coming talent and a pair of title fights at the top. But before that, we touch on Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley making some rathe…

Hey, how about that Sphere! It’s looking real Hollywood for the UFC right now! Oh, wait… (presses finger to receiver in ear) oh, dear. Turns out Dana White isn’t quite as bullish on his prior prognostications regarding what a smash hit the UFC-Noche-Riyadh-of-Vegas-But-Totally-Not-Mexico is going to be. But hey, they still got money coming in and Conor McGregor is going to return in early 2025, as per Dana White. Or will he?? Because we don’t have too much faith in that, baby. We’re not just tapping the sign, our position’s in the title and will remain so until further notice. Speaking of McGregor, Belal Muhammad doesn’t have a single iota of interest in fighting him. And his reasoning is sound. Finally, we show some love to Mikey Muscumeci after his horrible ordeal that sidelined him from his match in last week’s ONE Championship event in Denver. Get better, kid. You’re a good egg.We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comAlright, kids. We gotta be real here, this card is not the prettiest. But it’s got some very fun action action bouts and some talents to really keep a close eye on. We break down the latest batch of Apex fights, but not before we address the farcical idea of Conor McGregor running for any kind of elected office, anywhere on the planet.We’re also joined …

What’s good, kids? Thank you all for your patience as we took some much needed time off, because there’s so much to dig through now that we’re back. It’s all unmitigated gall and delusion served up in the biggest KFC bucket possible. And just who are the people we’re most concerned with? Well, Michael Chandler is still refusing to hold the L, continuing to sell us on a fight that’s way overdue. Meanwhile, Darren Till is talking big like he’s still doing what he was doing in 2015. Also, Alex Pereira is eyeing an opportunity to return to his old stomping grounds at middleweight. I’mma keep it real with you, chief… we’re not big fans of that idea. But there’s a lot to consider about it and it looks like some seeds are being planted here. And did you hear about the upcoming Bellator event this weekend? No? We talk about how it’s easy to miss and why exactly it’s looking far less Hollywood than what it should be. Also, we get a little sad discussing the latest debacle in which former UFC champ (and show favorite) Jessica Andrade is accusing her former manager of embezzling around $2 million dollars from under her. Glad to be back, even if it means carving through the unpleasantness.We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’ve got UFC Vegas: Cannonier vs Borralho, which doubles as both a very consequential showcase for two top middleweights as well as another TUF finale. What’s that? Oh, you didn’t watch this past season? Don’t worry, neither did we. In fact, there may not have been too many people watching that one. But lucky for us we do have some interesting fights with some solid bangers mixed in with what can reasonably be expected to be some pretty awful duds. But the fights that are good are really, really good. Also, we take a break at the end to talk PFL and why in the world their footprint isn’t any larger or deeper. It really seems like the fighters are being done a disservice. But you know who’s not being done a disservice? You, the listener. Hope you love this episode and spread the word for us to keep building this community as we talk fights and make your day a little brighter.UFC Vegas 96 Main Card* Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho 185 lbs* Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci 115 lbs* Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin 185 lbs* Michael Morales vs. Neil Magny 170 lbs* Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert 185 lbsUFC Vegas 96 Prelims* Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall 145 lbs* José Medina vs. Zach Reese 185 lbs* Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop 155 lbs* Josiane Nunes vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti 135 lbs* Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher 145 lbs* Cong Wang vs. Victoria Leonardo 125 lbsUFC Vegas 96 Fun Factoids:* Ranked fights: 2* Ranked fighters: 5* Fighters coming off losses: 7* Contender Series alumni: 7* TUF alumni: 5* Debuting fighters: 3* Road to UFC alumni: 1We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We witnessed another bonkers performance from UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis, as he managed to shock the world, yet again, with a submission win over Israel Adesanya, of all things. That card had some bright spots that really needed to be highlighted, and we make sure to do just that. We even said some nice things about the rankings for once!But wait! We also discuss the potential implications of the new court date in the Zuffa lawsuit. Plus, Manny Pacquiao may be the luckiest man in combat sports this week after an utterly absurd situation where he dodged a big, big legal mess.Tom Aspinall is amazing in the cage, but it turns out his talk is just as lethal. Finally, for some reason we took detours in to what the hell is going on with Alicia Silverstone and the constant embarrassments of one Oscar De La Hoya.We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We break down UFC 305 this week, with a lovely little card in Australia.Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot face off in an absolute banger at lightweight, with Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg in the co-main at flyweight. And the main event? A middleweight title clash with Dricus Du Plessis venturing into enemy territory to face former champ Israel Adesanya. Not too much in the way of heavyweights on this one, and there’s a ton of local flavor here, too. With some guaranteed action fighters plugged in, this is definitely more of an action-forward card here. Some bouts have more divisional relevance than others, and it should be a good one.What will the main event look like? We look at how the vibes have shifted for both fighters recently and wonder what we’re into here. Where does the loser go? Do things fare much better for the actual winner? Find out as we talk about it all right here. Here’s the card in full:UFC 305Main card:* Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya 185 lbs* Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg 125 lbs* Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker 155 lbs* Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik 265 lbs* Jingliang Li vs. Carlos Prates 170 lbsPrelims:* Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker 265 lbs* Josh Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos 145 lbs* Casey O'Neill vs. Luana Santos 125 lbs* Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns 145 lbs* Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes 155 lbs* Kenan Song vs. Ricky Glenn 170 lbs* Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesus Aguilar 125 lbsFun Factoids:* Ranked fights: 4* Ranked fighters: 9* Fighters coming off losses: 15* Contender Series alumni: 5* TUF alumni: 1* Debuting fighters: 1 (Nicoll)We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.comIn case you were not paying attention, Dana White clearly hates the idea of awarding fights based on merit. Instead, he’d rather beat the same old tired drum of “Jon Jones will face nobody but Stipe Miocic, Amen.” That kind of sucks for fans of the promotion because Tom Aspinall is right there! More importantly, he has the interim belt—so it would make …

It’s rough to stand out in the UFC these days, but it’s gotta be extra tough when you’re stuck on a Fight Night card at the Apex. Add to that the compounding factors of not being advertised and being placed on a card that’s utterly unappealing, and well… they’re not giving us their best. While it was an event we dreaded talking about at first, we had some fun digging in and giving some insight into it. We certainly hope you have as much fun listening as we did discussing it. In fact, that’s almost a guarantee with Stephie arguing about whether or not the odds have been read yet. We do what we can, because we’re tired and they’re not giving us much. But there’s some fun to be had on the card even if it’s a lot of “who’s that“ fighters being matched against “oh, that guy?“ fighters. It was a slog that became a pleasure. Maybe UFC matchmakers will get a chance to listen, considering they’re clearly not working on giving us a better product.Anyway, it’d be swell if you shared the love and let others know what we’re cooking with over here. Check out the fights below and some fun factoids:UFC Vegas 95 Main Card Bouts* Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac 265 lbs* Chepe Mariscal vs. Damon Jackson 145 lbs* Danny Barlow vs. N. Veretennikov 170 lbs* Chris Gutierrez vs. Quang Le 135 lbs* Yana Santos vs. Chelsea Chandler 135 lbsUFC Vegas 95 Prelims* Charalampos Grigoriou vs. Toshiomi Kazama 135 lbs* Karol Rosa vs. Pannie Kianzad 135 lbs* Karl Williams vs. Jhonata Diniz 265 lbs* Jarno Errens vs. Youssef Zalal 145 lbs* Stephanie Luciano vs. Talita Alencar 115 lbsUFC Vegas 95 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 3* Ranked fighters: 6 (Tybura #8 / Spivac #9 / Santos #12 / Chandler #14 / Rosa #8 / Kianzad #11)* Fighters coming off losses: 6* Contender Series alumni: 6* Debuting fighters: 3 (Veretennikov, Le, Luciano)* Road to UFC alumni: 1* TUF alumni: 1We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This week for episode 312, we recover from a wild night of UFC action in which Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov had a clinical back and forth that really tested both fighters. But the rest of the card had some really fun offerings as well. A serviceable co-main with a work-in-progress Shara Bullet, preceded by a straight banger between Deiveson Figuereido and Marlon Vera. But that’s not all. We carve into some topics that made headlines this week, such as Conor McGregor’s about-face on Donald Trump, who confirmed that Khabib Nurmagomedov is his favorite fighter. This sent the Irishman into an online frenzy that’s equal parts hilarious and tragic. We also address UFC head honcho Dana White and his curious claim that he doesn’t pay attention to Jake Paul after he lost to Tommy Fury, of all people. Is he listening to our podcast? We won’t mind. We also won’t mind if he just happened to buy a founder’s subscription. Or a regular one. We’re not choosy.You like paying for ESPN+? Hope you like forking over more of your money to the Mouse. And we also address the absolute debacle that happened this past weekend in what should have been a celebration of Terrence Crawford’s skill and resilience with both Turki Alalshikh’s bizarre honorary induction into Nevada’s Boxing Hall of Fame, as well as the media treatment just minutes before the event was slated to begin. Oh, and that Canelo fight? He says he doesn’t want it anymore. Huh. Alrighty, then.Here’s how the fights went:* Umar Nurmagomedov def. Cody Sandhagen (UD-5)* Sharabutdin Magomedov def. Michał Oleksiejczuk (UD-3)* Deiveson Figuereido def. Marlon Vera (UD-3)* Michael Chiesa def. Tony Ferguson (Sub, R1 - yikes)* Mackenzie Dern def. Loopy Godinez (UD-3)* Sedriques Dumas def. Denis Tiuliulin (UD - who care)We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

It’s a great week for UFC action, as they head back to the UAE for a banger of a Fight Night event. It’s already hot enough in the desert, but this should take things over the top. Victor’s back from vacation, and Stephie’s got so much goodwill and energy this week as Cory Sandhagen will attempt to solve the riddle that is Umar Nurmagomedov.Also, Shara Bullet returns, and we get some solid bangers in the form of former flyweight champ Deiveson Figuereido vs Marlon Vera and newcomer Jordan Vucenic vs Guram Kutateladze.UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Nurmagomedov* Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov 135 lbs* Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk 185 lbs* Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 135 lbs* Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa 170 lbs* Mackenzie Dern vs. Lupita Godinez 115 lbs* Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener 155 lbs* Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov 205 lbs* Mohammad Yahya vs. Kauê Fernandes 155 lbs* Shamil Gaziev vs. Don'Tale Mayes 265 lbs* Guram Kutateladze vs. Jordan Vucenic 155 lbs* Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes 115 lbs* Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya 155 lbs* Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin 185 lbsUFC Abu Dhabi Fun Factoids* Ranked Fights: 4* Ranked Fighters: 8* Fighters Coming Off Losses: 17* Contender Series Alumni: 6* TUF Alumni: 3We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The Nagoya basho is over, but it certainly delivered some surprises. From the winner of the tournament to the gnarly injuries, there was quite a lot going on at the last ever tournament at this godforsaken, un-air-conditioned arena. We saw a few new faces (at least to me) that were returning to action, as well as all the usual suspects. What’s going on with our yokozuna? Which ozeki(s) have been demoted? Listen up to find out!Tim Bissell, our favorite Sumo analyst dropped in to give us all details. Make sure you follow his work over at the Sumo Stomp and be sure to subscribe. He provides consistent, top-notch coverage of every tournament along with plenty of animated gifs and video clips for those immediate gratification types that prefer to see some of those amazing finishes straight away.We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listening every week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Level Change Podcast is a reader & listener-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The Nagoya basho is well underway and Terunofuji is looking like a billion bucks. Yes, that’s billion, with a B. The only yokozuna in Sumo is kicking ass and taking names and we are here for it. All the other top-tier wrestlers are having a bit of a struggle although Kotozakura (our good friend Double-Boob) is doing well, so far.Tim Bissell, long-time Sumo analyst and pundit, routinely stops by to break down all the action from all the bashos, so we’ve got plenty of updates to get you through, just in case you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the tournament. You could also go to the Sumo Stomp where he uploads gifs of all the matches and gives a good rundown of the results. Be sure to check back next week for the final tally from this tournament.We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us your patronage and keep listening every week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Level Change Podcast is a reader & listener-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Every time I think the UFC’s Apex lineups can’t get any worse, they go and prove a gal wrong. And it’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with putting on a bunch of prospect fights (only one is ranked and doesn’t fit the classical “prospect” mold"), but when it’s nearly every event, it begs questioning if UFC really is the Super Bowl of MMA. Sure, they’re the 800-pound gorilla of the community, but are they showing that they have all the top talent? Not consistently, and they certainly can’t seem to get Conor McGregor steadfastly booked, so maybe, just maybe, it’s time to put a concentrated effort in molding Alex Pereira the bona fide superstar he is destined to be.Which brings me to this event, which has no superstars, nor potential stars in the making. That’s not a bad thing, but when ESPN is laying off staff because their numbers aren’t exactly where they need to be and UFC keeps dropping regional level cards that don’t have a hook to bring in those fresh subscribers…you get where I’m going with this. There ARE some really fun fights here. I cannot lead you astray in that regard. I just am reminded of Luke Thomas’ old show, Promotional Malpractice, and everything the UFC does at the Apex screams promotional malpractice. But I digress. Let’s take a gander at what the contests look like and some fun factoids to really illustrate just how little the biggest and baddest promotion on Earth cares about fan satisfaction.UFC Vegas 94* Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba 115 lbs* Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park 185 lbs* Steve Garcia vs. Seung Woo Choi 145 lbs* Kurt Holobaugh vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky 155 lbs* Cody Durden vs. Bruno Silva 125 lbs* Doo Ho Choi vs. Bill Algeo 145 lbs* Hyder Amil vs. Jeong Yeong Lee 145 lbs* Brian Kelleher vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs* Miranda Maverick vs. Dione Barbosa 125 lbs* Loik Radzhabov vs. Trey Ogden 155 lbs* Luana Carolina vs. Lucie Pudilová 125 lbs* Mohammed Usman vs. Thomas Petersen 265 lbsUFC Vegas 94 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 1 (main event)* Ranked fighters: 3* Fighters coming off losses: 12* Contender Series alumni: 7* TUF alumni: 4* Road to UFC alumni: 1We sincerely hope you'll give us your patronage and keep listening. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Level Change Podcast is a reader & listener-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The denizens of the Mile High City get the honors of playing host to the UFC this weekend, with local former champ Rose Namajunas (ranked #6) in a headliner against flyweight dynamo Tracy Cortez (ranked #11).Namajunas (12-6) seems to have had some struggles as of late, especially with that very strange bout against Carla Esparza in which she lost her strawweight title. upon moving up to 125lbs immediately after that, she struggled against French threat Manon Fiorot in a decision loss. While she finally was back in the win column with a win over Amanda Ribas, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if we’re seeing some decline in her overall game. On the other hand, Cortez struggled to make weight and did so after an emotional ordeal in which she had to cut her hair. It’s been a tough road since Cortez was scheduled to fight next week, but she is stepping in for Rose’s original opponent Maycee Barber. She only lost by submission once in what was her pro debut against Cheri Muraski way back in 2017, and looks to continue her undefeated UFC run and to break into the top ten with a win here. But there’s some other good stuff on this card. Muslim Salikhov faces Santiago Ponzinibbio, and blazing Brazilian prospect Jean Silva meets Drew Dober. Joshua Van has been a breath of fresh air, and he’s got a stiff test against Charles Johnson at flyweight. There’s some… less interesting stuff here that the Denver crowd will have to pay a hefty ticket fee to watch, but at least it’s not an Apex card. Listen as we try to be as kind as possible with what’s on offer and genuinely hyped for some actually great fights. Download, listen, enjoy, and be ready to give Mick Maynard a pat on the head for doing a not-bad job this time. Sean Shelby can get a pat too.Let’s take a look at the bouts and some fun factoids:UFC Denver* Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez 125 lbs* Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov 170 lbs* Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva 155 lbs* Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa 170 lbs* Christian Rodriguez vs. Julian Erosa 145 lbs* Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan 185 lbs* Joshua Van vs. Charles Johnson 125 lbs* Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Fatima Kline 125 lbs* Montel Jackson vs. Da’Mon Blackshear 135 lbs* Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova 125 lbs* Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski 185 lbs* Evan Elder vs. Darrius Flowers 170 lbsUFC Denver Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 1* Ranked fighters: 3* Fighters coming off losses: 11 + 1 NC* Contender Series alumni: 9* TUF alumni: 5* Debuting fighters: 1We sincerely hope you'll give us your patronage and keep listening. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.Level Change Podcast is a reader & listener-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

As you’ve noticed, we’ve moved our base of operations here to Substack. This will be our permanent home moving forward. We hope you enjoy the episode and will give us your continued patronage here. Today’s episode is our latest with Sumo analyst extraordinaire, Tim Bissell. If you’re familiar with our podcast, Tim is a staple, and guests frequently to break down all the details of the tournament with us. The current tournament, or basho, is the second summer tournament, also known as the Nagoya basho, begins this coming week, so we took a look at the biggest storylines as well as the highlights from the last basho.Follow Tim’s excellent work via the Sumo Stomp and continue checking out the Level Change Podcast right here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. As always, we appreciate everyone that takes the time to listen and subscribe, be it free or paid. Thank you.Level Change Podcast is a reader and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe