Level Change Podcast

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