The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Podcasts

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIf you thought UFC might reward you this week for making it through last weekend’s UFC Louisville card, you’ve got another thing coming. If it is even possible, this Apex event is worse than the last one and that’s saying something. You’ll understand when you get to the alternative stats portion. MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publica…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Louisville is over and if you were pulling for the underdogs on the card, you ended up with a mixed bag. The undercard saw the favorites come away with the most wins, but Dominick Reyes shined bright on the main card with a sensational TKO win over Dustin Jacoby. I know, I know, it’s just unranked Dustin Jacoby, but when you haven’t had a win since …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Louisville is such a bad card. It’s like the matchmaking brass threw darts to set the bout sheet. At the top we have a nothingburger middleweight bout—our only ranked fight on an “away card”—between No. 4 ranked Jared Cannonier and No. 7 ranked Nassourdine Imavov. There’s nothing wrong with this fight other than the fact it shouldn’t headline an eve…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWell, UFC 302 is finally over and not a moment too soon. That event was the longest in history and absolutely lackluster to boot. The two fights most were interested in played out in completely opposite fashion. Sean Strickland jabbed his way to a completely forgettable decision that drew numerous boos from the crowd and had social media wishing they’d …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIt’s UFC 302 fight week and perhaps the last hurrah for lightweight living legend Dustin Poirier. It’s hard to believe the longtime fan favorite has been in the promotion for nearly 14 years, the vast majority of his adult life. As Zane so aptly put it, “He’s been fighting his whole adult life. It’s all he knows and he’s very good at it”, fighting is hi…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comRoad House was the Little Engine that Could back in 1989, when it became a cult classic. “Pain don’t hurt” became the motto of every wannabe macho man on the planet. And then it got rebooted. They replaced the perfectly cast Patrick Swayze with a too-quick-witted Jake Gyllenhaal and gave the role of the big bad to UFC superstar Conor McGregor and made a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 92 is in the books and even though there was plenty of action, it had no hope of keeping anyone’s attention once Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk took center ring in Riyadh. But for the hardcores that stood fast and loyal to the UFC brand, you’ll be rewarded with plenty more cards just like this.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comHi. Stephie, the producer here. Just wanted to drop a quick note that this week’s written portion is going to be super brief, consisting of just the bout sheet and the alternative stats. Since I just got in from the airport a couple hours ago, this seemed like the best plan. Hope you all enjoy the shows and have a happy fight weekend.MMA Vivisection & 6…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC St. Louis just wrapped and boy oh boy, there were a few jaw-dropping moments and a fighter that was clearly rushed along way too soon. We saw Derrick Lewis score yet another TKO, we got a contender for best fight of the year in Trey Waters vs. Billy Goff, we saw Veronica Hardy notch another win and we saw Robelis Despaigne completely and utterly exp…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC St. Louis is here and unsurprisingly, it’s a decent enough card. Why did I say ‘unsurprisingly’? Well, that’s because it’s not being held in the Apex Center. Of course it’s going to be better. Are we getting a fairly meaningless heavyweight main event? You bet your caboose we are. Derrick Lewis will be sharing center stage with Rodrigo Nascimento an…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 301 has wrapped up a completely weird card. The fights weren’t terrible for the most part, but there were some real headscratcher moments dotted throughout. For starters, the venue never filled to capacity—or anywhere close. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of empty seats in the arena. The pacing was weird too, and there were some odd moments l…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 301 is here, and while it’s not a terrible card, it’s certainly not worthy of the PPV moniker, nor the hefty price tag associated with the promotion’s numbered events. There is a title fight resting atop the main card, but it’s not the type of scrap that’s going to encourage new eyeballs to settle on televisions across the world. If anyone but the h…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 91 is thankfully in the books and while it wasn’t a complete dud in practice, the only feeling that seemed universal by the Twitter (I will never call it X) standard was one of apathy. When there are two guys that are both coming off a loss for a main event spot, you just know some trickery is afoot.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supp…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 91 is almost here and with it, we return to the doldrums that are associated with Apex cards. This one at least has a solid enough main event between Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez. Nicolau had looked pretty, pretty, pretty good over six fights and then Brandon Royval decided to put a stop to that run with a gnarly knockout. Perez couldn’t get…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comPhew! We haven’t had one of these in nearly three months. The UFC’s schedule has been absolutely insane, but now that we have this small break in their dismal Apex programming, we figured we’d bring you something to make you feel right at home. THREE MORE DISMAL FIGHTS! Because that’s exactly what you needed in your life.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 300 just wrapped and it was fantastic. From the curtain-jerker to the main event, fight fans were treated to a bevy of finishes and great fights. There were so many moments. Davy Figs stopped Cody Garbrandt, as expected. Jim Miller and Bobby Green put on a war. Jessica Andrade defeated Marina Rodriguez. Diego Lopes put Sodiq Yusuff away so fast it m…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIt’s here! It’s finally here! After what seems like an eternity of terrible cards (we’re looking directly at the Apex), we’ve finally arrived at a worthwhile event. Is it “00” quality? For the most part, yes. The main event could’ve been a little juicier, but we’re here and we’re excited. With 2.5 title fights, and a card rife with intriguing bouts, who…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 90 just wrapped and Brendon Allen has taken his revenge. Chris Curtis, in true Chris Curtis fashion, ended up writhing in pain at the end of the fight and will no doubt have a detailed dissertation on why he lost. Allen somehow received a 49-46 score, completely undeserved, but the fight was by no means a robbery. It was that close, as the spl…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 90 is ready to kick off this weekend, and a whole bunch of Contender Series alumni will populate nearly half the bouts. There are a few fights that caught our eye, but overall, it’s not a great card. The main event is a rematch that absolutely no one asked for or needed, but here we are. The remainder of the card is a who’s who of top tier tal…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 90 is ready to kick off this weekend, and a whole bunch of Contender Series alumni will populate nearly half the bouts. There are a few fights that caught our eye, but overall, it’s not a great card. The main event is a rematch that absolutely no one asked for or needed, but here we are. The remainder of the card is a who’s who of top tier tal…

UFC Atlantic City’s main card is a pretty good offfering even if that portion only has a single ranked fight on it. The same can be said for the prelims, as they carry the only other ranked fight on the card, and it is also a women’s bout, this time between Virna Jandiroba and Lupita Godinez. Both women have been enjoying successful runs over their last few fights, so it gets no complaints from us. MMA Draw Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In the featured prelim spot, Jamall Emmers will be taking on the uber-tough Nate Landwehr. Emmers has begun to take on the Andre Fili “win-one-lose-one” vibe, having alternated wins and losses over his last seven fights. Landwehr is coming off a loss to Dan Ige last June. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here, as both men are insanely tough and durable. UFC Atlantic City Prelims* Nate Landwehr vs. Jamall Emmers 145 lbs* Virna Jandiroba vs. Lupita Godinez 115 lbs* Julio Arce vs. Herbert Burns 145 lbs* Connor Matthews vs. Dennis Buzukja 145 lbs* Ibo Aslan vs. Anton Turkalj 205 lbs* Melissa Gatto vs. Viktoria Dudakova 125 lbs* Andre Petroski vs. Jacob Malkoun 185 lbs* Angel Pacheco vs. Caolán Loughran 135 lbsUFC Atlantic City Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 2* Ranked fighters: 5* Fighters coming off losses: 14* Contender Series alumni: 10* Fighters coming direct from Contender Series: 2* TUF alumni: 2* Debuting fighters: 2Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thank you for reading MMA Draw Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Atlantic City is a pretty good looking card, even if the stats don’t back it up much. The headliner alone is worth the price of admission and will undoubtedly set up the next contender for the women’s flyweight belt. Both Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot are powerhouses in their own right, both incredibly durable and both with a style custom-made t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIn 2022, UFC’s lead color commentator, Joe Rogan, came under fire after a social media account stitched together a multitude of instances where Rogan used a very ugly racial epithet into a video clip that ended up going viral. Several outlets picked up the story, including mainstream news media. Joe issued a public apology—which also got picked up by nu…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 89 just wrapped, and not a moment too soon because both the main and co-main events were “mid” as the kids like to say. “Thug” Rose Namajunas took a unanimous decision against Amanda Ribas, but it wasn’t a particularly inspired performance. Her inability or refusal to throw combinations seems like it’s going to be a perpetual Achilles heel if …

After looking at UFC Vegas 89’s meaningless main card, we’re kind of surprised that there was anything noteworthy on the prelims, but there is. Even though there are five debuting fighters, there are still a few bouts worth keeping an eye on. The featured prelim—Trey Ogden vs. Kurt Holobough isn’t bad and the two contests immediately preceding it aren’t either. MMA Draw Podcast is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa could end up being a stellar banger and Miles Johns making his return to action after a bit of a layoff are storylines that might provide a little pizzazz. There’s also a debuting bantamweight that looks like she could be an exciting prospect. Let’s take a look at the undercard and some fun factoids for the card.UFC Vegas 89 Prelims* Trey Ogden vs. Kurt Holobaugh 155 lbs* Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa 145 lbs* Miles Johns vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs* Steven Nguyen vs. Jarno Errens 145 lbs* M. Rendon vs. D. Zheleznyakova 135 lbs* Igor Severino vs. André Lima 125 lbs* Mohammed Usman vs. Mick Parkin 265 lbsUFC Vegas 89 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 0 (Ribas is #8 at FLW & #7 at SW | Namajunas isn’t currently ranked)* Ranked fighters: 1* Fighters coming off losses: 9* Contender Series alumni: 11* Fighters coming directly from Contender Series: 4* TUF alumni: 4* Debuting fighters: 5Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

After looking at UFC Vegas 89’s meaningless main card, we’re kind of surprised that there was anything noteworthy on the prelims, but there is. Even though there are five debuting fighters, there are still a few bouts worth keeping an eye on. The featured prelim—Trey Ogden vs. Kurt Holobough isn’t bad and the two contests immediately preceding it aren’t either. MMA Draw Podcast is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa could end up being a stellar banger and Miles Johns making his return to action after a bit of a layoff are storylines that might provide a little pizzazz. There’s also a debuting bantamweight that looks like she could be an exciting prospect. Let’s take a look at the undercard and some fun factoids for the card.UFC Vegas 89 Prelims* Trey Ogden vs. Kurt Holobaugh 155 lbs* Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa 145 lbs* Miles Johns vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs* Steven Nguyen vs. Jarno Errens 145 lbs* M. Rendon vs. D. Zheleznyakova 135 lbs* Igor Severino vs. André Lima 125 lbs* Mohammed Usman vs. Mick Parkin 265 lbsUFC Vegas 89 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 0 (Ribas is #8 at FLW & #7 at SW | Namajunas isn’t currently ranked)* Ranked fighters: 1* Fighters coming off losses: 9* Contender Series alumni: 11* Fighters coming directly from Contender Series: 4* TUF alumni: 4* Debuting fighters: 5Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comAre you thirsty for another watered down, subpar Apex card? Well good, because the UFC has got one for you. If you thought last week’s show looked abysmal, you may want to reset your excitement barometer because UFC Vegas 89 is even more paltry, with a pretty lackluster headliner supported by a very forgettable supporting bout lineup. To its credit, the…

Sean Strickland certainly has tongues wagging this week after his latest social media video clip. His video confessional, a staple on his social feeds, comes from inside his car, where he tells fans how he doesn’t feel mentally stable, and that he told his girlfriend he just wanted to burn everything down but that he felt really connected to his fans. This level of “honesty” always seems to grab fan attention, creating the impression that Sean is using these sessions as a trauma dump rather than actually seeking therapy.MMA Draw Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We also have an update from the Haru Basho, the second grand Sumo tournament of the year. Tim Bissell stops in to provide details an all the important matches, with the latest on some of our favorite characters like the Angry Hamster, Double Boob, the Flying Monkey, Machine Gun Arm and the Peach Prince. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss and it’s completely free today!You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. The MMA Draw is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.Thank you for reading MMA Draw Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIt’s been almost two weeks since the sale of Bloody Elbow went public and GRV Media took over the various properties they acquired. Staff was warned the week of the sale that the new owners wouldn’t be keeping them and that’s been the case in actuality. They did put out a call that they were looking for experienced writers for producing content on the h…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 88 is officially in the books and with it, the hope for Tai Tuivasa to turn around his fortunes. After coming out swinging for the fences, “Bam Bam” was quickly figured out by Marcin Tybura, who got the fight to the ground, capitalized on the subpar grappling of the Aussie, then promptly submitted him with a rear-naked choke, and he did it all…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 299 is a hard act to follow but the matchmaking brass seems to have put in the bare minimum effort with their 88th Vegas-themed card. As always, the event is set to go down at the Apex, so you already know it’s going to be threadbare. If you thought the main card was shallow, the prelims certainly do their best to give it competition. It’s downright…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is back with another Apex card and it isn’t very good. Once again, a dearth of ranked fighters, fights (where both opponents in a fight carry a Top 15 ranking) and name value permeate this event. There are a couple contests that have our interest, but overall, this card is a dud, and feels like they pulled out all their “filler” athletes—the one…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 299 was a great card in practice and according to the promotion’s brass, the event garnered a sellout gate that topped $13M—their fourth best live gate. The headliner, Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera, was a title bout for bantamweight gold and it featured a fantastic supporting card with everything fight fans could possibly want—name value, action-pac…

UFC 299 just wrapped a long night of combat in Miami, and following a hellishly long boxing card in Knockout Chaos: Joshua vs. Ngannou so closely, we’re welcoming a Sunday respite from face punching. But first, we’re going to get into the action from the event, both the highs and the lows.The main event put Sean O’Malley’s remarkable striking on display, showcasing crisp, accurate boxing, excellent footwork and last, but certainly not least, durability. It took a ridiculous amount of time before Vera realized that oblique and low kicks couldn’t win him the fight, especially with the volume that O’Malley was continuously peppering him with. Sean’s jab was money. His combinations were surgical. His footwork was incredible—he seemed to be in perfect position 100% of the time. ‘Suga’ fought the perfect fight against a chronically tough veteran and made it look easy. Vera had but one saving grace tonight, and that’s his durability. The sheer volume of punishment he absorbed was massive. If only he’d get his aggression off sooner, the results would almost assuredly be better. But to achieve that, he has to actually engage, and sadly, he just takes too long to going. By the time he’s confident enough to close the distance, he’s eaten so much damage that whatever he’s throwing can’t possibly be at full capacity. Timidity is certainly his most glaring failing.In the sharpest contrast, Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis both put on excellent performances, but it would be Poirier’s grit and power that would shine brightest. The entire card was excellent overall, but this contest was worth the price of admission. And yes, in case you were wondering, it won Fight of the Night.There were about 4832 moments where Poirier gave fans reason to fret, most concerningly his determination to land a guillotine, often taking unnecessary risks on the ground. His corner even warned him to stop jumping guillotines and within the first minute of the following round, guess what he did? Jumped a gilly. Dustin, if you’re reading this, please stop giving us palpitations!In the end, Dustin’s patience and crispy boxing had its intended effect, and even though he’s one of the nicest guys in the game with a heart of gold, he’s mean as all get out in that cage. He’s like a shark in freshly chummed waters and he’s relentless. Saint-Denis got brutalized. And once it was over, Poirier switched right back into good guy mode, sending the other guy—Mr. Violence—back to the ether until he’s summoned again.From here, you’ll just have to listen to the show. But I will leave you with the results before turning you over to Zane and Eddie. UFC 299 Results* Sean O'Malley def Marlon Vera Unanimous Dec* Dustin Poirier def B. Saint-Denis KO/TKO, 2:32 R2* Michael Page def Kevin Holland Unanimous Dec* J. Maddalena def Gilbert Burns KO/TKO, 3:43 R3* Petr Yan def Yadong Song Unanimous Dec* Curtis Blaydes def Jailton Almeida KO/TKO, 0:36 R2* Maycee Barber def Katlyn Cerminara Unanimous Dec* Mateusz Gamrot def Rafael dos Anjos Unanimous Dec* Kyler Phillips def Pedro Munhoz Unanimous Dec* Philipe Lins def Ion Cutelaba Unanimous Dec* Michel Pereira def M. Oleksiejczuk Sub, 1:01 R1* Robelis Despaigne def Josh Parisian KO/TKO, 0:18 R1* Asu Almabaev def CJ Vergara Unanimous Dec* Joanne Wood def Maryna Moroz Split DecThank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our network and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The prelims for UFC 299 stand in stark contrast to the main card in that it gives all the appearance of a fight night event rather than the high-priced PPV offering that it is. The good news is that most of those fights would undoubtedly be outside the Apex, proper “on the road” fights. We even have ranked fights and fighters on this portion of the show.The featured prelim, a heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida, is a ranked, high-value bout, and one that looks intriguing. Wrestling vs. BJJ on display at the 265-pound limit. Mix in the old adage that the big boys carry a lot of heat in their mitts and we have the ingredients for a great fight. There are a couple other ranked bouts left on this section of the event, too. Katlyn Cerminara (formerly Chookagian) vs. Maycee Barber and Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos. Aside from those, there is a ranked fighter here and there, but all told, the undercard reads like a really good fight night. Considering the depth of the main [ortion, we’re absolutely fine with it. Let’s take a look at what we’re working with, as well as some fun factoids.UFC 299 Prelims* Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida 265 lbs* Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber 125 lbs* Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos 155 lbs* Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips 135 lbs* Michel Pereira vs. M. Oleksiejczuk 185 lbs* Philipe Lins vs. Ion Cutelaba 205 lbs* Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian 265 lbs* CJ Vergara vs. Asu Almabaev 125 lbs* Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz 125 lbsUFC 299 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 7* Ranked fighters: 16* Fighters coming off a loss: 10* Contender Series alumni: 8* TUF alumni: 3* Debuting fighters: 1Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 87 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our network and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Francis Ngannou got away and we’re so very happy he did. Going from a $600K payday in the UFC—all because of the UFC’s hard-nosed tactics at the negotiation table—to a 10-figure purse in your second boxing match is unheard of unless your name is Conor McGregor. Ngannou may be giving the Irish superstar a run for the money in that regard very soon, and might even wind up on the coveted Forbes List this year. But how did he get there?The long and the short of it is that he bet on himself and waited for the terms of his sunset clause to come to their conclusion, and then he took the Francis Ngannou show on the road. First stop, Riyadh, where he took the lineal heavyweight boxing champion of the world to a split decision that many in the community felt he won. He even put the champ on the canvas. Impressive for a pro debut, to say the least.Now, he’s set to take on the number one contender in the world, a former champion in Anthony Joshua, and he’ll be doing it for a huge payday. After it’s all said and done, Francis could be looking at a $30M - $40M payday in his second pro bout. And the best part is he doesn’t have to give up a percentage of that to his MMA promoter, as the UFC requires.Let’s take a look at some of the topics we covered in this episode:1. How much do we think Ngannou is making for this fight?2. How much is Joshua making?3. What is PFL going to be watching to come out of this match?4. There is a Harvard case study that came out, what does that say about Ngannou's PFL contract? Does it give us any info on what the terms are? How much he is getting paid? 5. When we look at what Ngannou is making, one would think other fighters would try to follow his path. Why haven't we seen other UFC fighters do what he did?6. What are the changes the UFC made in their contracts that prevents other fighters from doing what Francis did?You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. The MMA Draw is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 299 is a really good looking card when weighed and measured as a whole. The main event is a rematch that’s been nearly four years in the making, and as the event draws closer to fight night, the smack talk between the two has ramped up. They’re even direct messaging each other with insults. It will be interesting to see if the same Marlon Vera shows…

TKO Group Holdings, the conglomerate that went public last fall after the merger of the UFC with the WWE, released its full 2023 financial results last week. Having reported on their SEC and investor reports for the first and second quarter of last year, I am once again only going to focus on what we learn about the UFC’s finances from their 8-K, 10-K and earnings call.The MMA Draw is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.The big takeaway is that everything was gold for the UFC, setting records in almost every category. They saw increases in their revenue (including increases in each of the four segments that make up revenue), an increase in their EBITDA, and, in some good news for their fighters, even an increase in their athlete costs AKA fighter pay.REVENUEIn 2023, the UFC delivered record financial results once again. Total revenue increased 13%, from $1.140 billion to $1.292 billion, an increase of $152 million. A breakdown of the individual segments is as follows:* Media rights and content fees were up 10%, from 2022, going up $76.2 million from $794 million to $871 million last year. “The increase in media rights and content fees was primarily related to higher domestic and international rights fees resulting from increases in contractual revenues, higher fees associated with international renewals and one additional pay-per-view event in 2023 as compared to the prior year period.”* Live events revenue were up 34%, a $42.6 million increase to a record $168 million, driven by growth in ticket revenues and site fees. “The increase in live events revenue was primarily related to 5 additional events with a live audience (26 in 2023 as compared to 21 in the prior year) and higher site fees.” In 2021 they sold out 20 live events with seven of them now ranking among the top 20 highest grossing UFC events of all time.* Sponsorship revenue were up $29.5 million over the previous year, an 18% increase to another record $196 million. This was driven by new brand partners and renewal increases.* Consumer product licensing was up from $53.6 million in 2022 to $57.3 million last year.You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. The MMA Draw is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 87 prelims aren’t the worst fights, by any means. They’re not the best either, but what are you going to do? It doesn’t look like change will be on the horizon any time soon, especially with the UFC experiencing yet another banner year for revenue. As long as they can put the bare minimum effort into these Apex cards, the more warehouse-style …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 87 is the antithesis of last week’s Fight Night card. There are reasons to celebrate (albeit few), and there are reasons to be annoyed, of which there are plenty. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a ranked heavyweight with an extensive UFC resume, is taking on Shamil Gaziev, an athlete signed to the largest promotion in the world who doesn’t even have a …

UFC Vegas 87 is an ugly card, full stop. Despite the fact that the alternative stats look decent (ranked fights, fighters, etc.), the matchups don’t do much in the way of getting us amped to watch the card. If anything, it’s a deterrent to it. Let’s face it, no matter what they do, the Apex cards always seem like leftovers, even when they’re not.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.And with two last minute replacements, we even get an athlete who is scheduled to fight for another promotion next weekend. It just always feels like we’re being cheated out of good cards for one reason or another, be it due to a lack of name value (big issue on this event) or a lack of ranked athletes and fights.We get a smattering of everything on this show, but there’s nothing too egregious when we stack up our normal factoids. It’s when we peel back the layers of the records that we start to see where the seams are coming apart. Take Eryk Anders, for starters. In his last six fights, he’s only managed to win two of them.To make matters worse, Anders’ opponent, Jamie Pickett, is on a four-fight losing skid. This is supposed to be the top promotion on the planet with the very best fighters in the world. Why are we getting this level slop if that’s the case? I know we’ve beaten this poor old pony to death, but when the product never changes, it’s hard to not feel frustrated and even a little cheated.We realize fighters need to make their debuts, get back on track from losses, etc. but it generally seems like they lump all those elements exclusively into the Apex cards. As mentioned above, the alternative stats or “fun factoids” aren’t awful for this event, but it still has absolutely zero curb appeal to speak of. Let’s look at the fights we predicted:UFC Vegas 87* Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev 265 lbs * Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev 125 lbs * Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg 125 lbs * Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios 140 lbs * Javid Basharat vs. Aiemann Zahabi 135 lbsDid you talk about anything besides UFC Vegas 87?We did! We actually started the episode with our headlines this week and due to time constraints, we gave you the episode for FREE. Here’s the hot sheet list:* Israel Adesanya interview about UFC 300* Fight trailer for Ngannou-Joshua* Nate Diaz wants on UFC 306 card* Ryan Garcia calling out Sean O’Malley* Henry Cejudo’s non-retirementYou know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comRyan Garcia has once again called out UFC’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. Boxing’s babyfaced superstar engaged in a back-and-forth on X (formerly Twitter) with the UFC bantamweight champion, prompting many to wonder if Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions would be able to co-promote a fight with the UFC between the two sluggers. O’Malley has …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Mexico just wrapped and overall, it was a solid card with plenty of highlights, some good, some not. Some of the night’s more interesting situations include: a fight cancellation, a rolled ankle during the announcements, questionable judging and a few upsets (shoutout to Raoni Barcelos). Let’s get into the fights that really caught our eye.Bloody El…

UFC Mexico City is a solid card overall, even if the prelims are a hodgepodge of who’s-whos hoping to separate themselves from the pack. The opening fight aka the curtain-jerker, would be more fitting in the featured prelim spot as Naimov is looking like a real deal prospect with a fairly high ceiling. Alas, we get Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos, which is fine, I guess, but Barcelos has been looking pretty shopworn lately, so we’re giving this one a partial side eye.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.There are a couple themes going on with this event. First, it is a night of rematches. Both the main and co-main events are rematches. Buried inside those rematches are others dotting the resumes of all four men featuring in the top two bouts. This card has three rematches on it, which seems like a lot. I’m making a mental note to go back and find out what the record is for rematches on a single UFC card. I’m willing to bet that this event is pretty far up the list.Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda is the third contest featured in that aforementioned trio of rematches. Their first bout ended in a no contest after the referee in their bout jumped the gun and stopped the fight prematurely. This was back in September. The two were scheduled to run it back in October, but Lacerda pulled out prior to the card citing a medical issue. They will finally get their opportunity at a full fight tomorrow.There is one more contest on this undercard that looks interesting, though. Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam Pits the well rounded skillset of Ziam against the explosive grappling of Puelles. Claudio was made to look like a one-trick pony against Dan Hooker, but perhaps he took some lessons from that one. Either way, that one definitely has our attention. Let’s take a look at the undercard as well as some fun factoids.UFC Mexico City Prelims* Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos 135 lbs* Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça 125 lbs* Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda 125 lbs* Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam 155 lbs* Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar 125 lbs* Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos 125 lbs* Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva 145 lbsUFC Mexico City Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 2* Ranked fighters: 4* Fighters coming off a loss: 15* Contender Series alumni: 12* TUF alumni: 3* Debuting fighters: 1* Combate alumni: 6Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC 298 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Mexico City is almost here! Just a couple more days until the Battle of the Brandons as the promotion heads back to Mexico City for the first time since 2019 when Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens headlined UFC Fight Night 159. The bout would end in a no contest just 15 seconds in due to an accidental eye poke. They would run it back less than a mo…

Ian Garry barely eked out a win over the ultra tough Geoff Neal this past Saturday night, but after all the trash he talked combined with that performance, we’re left wondering if the Irish lightning rod can turn his plight around. The crowd, the fans watching around the world and his fellow fighters spent a fair amount of time roasting him on social media in the aftermath of the contest, and even into the week as the Irishman did the podcast rounds.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.One of the biggest problems we see with Garry is his inability to figure out whether he wants to be a face or a heel. The turmoil of this dilemma is almost palpable too. He spoke to Ariel Helwani about his ritual crying session he has before each fight, trying to illustrate the passion and respect he has for the sport, yet his comments and even his actions in the leadup to fight day painted the picture of a man playing the heel role—or trying to.It was particularly notable when he talked about how he was going to finish Neal on his Instagram account yet didn’t come anywhere near his prediction. It was certainly a far cry from the man that insisted on dapping before each round. (H/T MMA Junkie for the transcription)“What am I going to finish him with? I am going to make him quit,” Garry said in an Instagram post. “He’ll choose when he’s done. I’d like to kick him to the body and have him do that, when the dog’s sh—tting – the look when the dogs look at you, like, when they’re pooing, for protection. That’s what they do, right? Look at their owners when they’re pooing because that’s when they’re vulnerable for attack?”In an interview with Megan Olivi, he told her that if Geoff Neal tried to shoot for a takedown, he would “either break a limb or take his soul.”When discussing the contest during the post-fight press conference, he talked about how hard Geoff Neal hits and how “if you were in front of him, you’d run too.” I wouldn’t normally have a problem with this if he would just figure out what he wants to be, good guy Ian Garry or bad guy Ian Garry. This wishy-washy stuff leaves a sour taste in the mouth. And I must reiterate, this has nothing to do with his wife. It is 100% rooted in him.Ian talked all that smack, yet didn’t seem like he was willing to believe in himself enough to throw down and go for it. Then you look at Ilia Topuria, also poised to become a superstar (definitely the man most likely to actually achieve it) and how he fought like a man possessed. The two performances are night and day, and to hear Ian tell it, one would think he’s poised for greatness the likes of which the world has never seen. From where I’m sitting, he’s got a lot of work to do to turn this frown upside down.That said, I’m still on the Ian Garry stan-wagon, as I’ve been since he made his debut. I can’t tell you how many times I argued with my co-hosts over several shows about his talent and potential for greatness. I want to see him do well because I think his evolution has been amazing to watch. That said, Saturday night’s performance was merely a whimper, not the roar we were promised. It’s up to you to turn it around.Get the UFC to make a fight in Ireland with you headlining, and hopefully, it will be against Colby Covington. Put on a Fight of the Year performance. Gain the adulation and support of your country. Gain the fanbase you envision for yourself. And for Heaven’s sake, go heel or go face—there is no in between.What else did you talk about besides Ian Garry?We broke down five fights from this weekend’s upcoming UFC Mexico card and Victor secured a sensational interview with Josie Reisman, the unauthorized biographer of Vince McMahon. The best part is today is FREE episode day, so the entire show is on us. You’re welcome. Here’s the fights we predicted:UFC Mexico* Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 125 lbs * Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 145 lbs * Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado 155 lbs * Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios 135 lbs * Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes 115 lbsYou know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site. Please subscribe to our podcast Substack, as well. We’re constantly refining to try and provide our readers and listeners with the best, most current MMA news and opinions.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 298 just wrapped up a great night of fights in sunny southern California. The Honda Center saw all manner of action from the athletes, but there were a couple stinkers that didn’t quite pass muster (looking at you, Ian Machado Garry). We’ll get to Ian’s fight in a second but first, let’s bask in the glory that was Ilia Topuria putting Old Man Volkan…

The undercard of UFC 298 is kind of a mixed bag. As Connor Ruebusch put it, “There are a couple gems sprinkled in there but the rest are typical prelims.” We have come to expect “typical prelims” to equate to low-tier, regional level fights, and that is certainly what we’ve got with this event. Fortunately, the matchmaking brass did the rare excellent job stacking the main card with really good fights, so we can sort of excuse the haphazard way they threw together these contests.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.The featured prelim seems like whichever way the wind blows would be an expected outcome. Amanda Lemos is dynamite in the standup, especially in the proverbial phone booth, but she’s pretty easy to out-wrestle, out-grapple, what have you. Mackenzie Dern thinks she can strike, but truth be told, her striking has barely improved after several years with the promotion. If this goes her way, we’ll know why. If it goes Lemos’ way, ditto. A two-true outcome fight if ever there was one.Rinya Nakamura is another fighter we’ve been keeping our collective eyes on, but he is unfortunately stuck with a late replacement opponent that will do nothing for his advancement. Carlos Vera is coming off a loss to Brad Katona from his days on The Ultimate Fighter, so a win over him doesn’t do a whole lot for Rinya, but a loss would absolutely disrupt what he’s accomplished so far. We also have Miranda Maverick set to take on Andrea Lee in the curtain-jerker. Lee has to be in a must-win situation since she’s on a three-fight losing skid. It seems like maybe Miranda Maverick will be gearing up to give Lee her walking papers with a win over the long-time vet. That also brings us to the stats portion you’re looking for. These stats will serve the entire card, not just the prelims. UFC 298 Factoids* Ranked fights: 5* Ranked fighters: 13* Fighters coming off a loss: 10* Fighters coming directly from Contender Series: 3* Contender Series alumni in total: 6* Fighters coming directly from TUF: 1* Fighters coming directly from Road to UFC: 1* Road to UFC alumni in total: 2UFC 298 Prelims* Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern* Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Justin Tafa* Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera* Mingyang Zhang vs. Brendson Ribeiro* Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow* Val Woodburn vs. Oban Elliott* Andrea Lee vs. Miranda MaverickDon’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 86 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 298 is just a couple days away and with it comes a very stiff test for our featherweight champion. Alexander Volkanovski is coming off another loss to Islam Makhachev, a rushed bout where Volk let the UFC pressure him into replacing an injured Charles Oliveira on short notice. Now, Ilia Topuria looms ahead of him, a stout fireplug of a man with exce…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comSean Strickland had a very eventful week in the leadup to Super Bowl Sunday. It started off right after the Republican caucus in Las Vegas, Nevada where former POTUS Donald Trump was making a speech. Just a few minutes into it, Trump gave Sean an extended shoutout and following the event, stopped in with the former UFC middleweight champion for photo op…