The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Podcasts

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…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 86 is in the books and with it, we put the middleweights back on the shelf for a while….but wait, we’re not quite done with them just yet. Next week, UFC 297 will feature two contests at the 185lb limit, but fortunately for us, they’re both good fights. But let’s get back to the business of this particular event.Bloody Elbow is fighting for th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 86 is the most Apex card that ever was…until the next one. They’re all starting to look the same to us. This week’s card is packed with 185-pounders, as if we needed yet another middleweight-led show. And just in case you missed our main card episode, here’s a few facts for you to get started:UFC Vegas 86 Factoids* Ranked fights (meaning both at…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comDid you know that since 2020, more than 50% of all UFC cards have been held at the Apex? And we all know that every time an event is held there, an angel loses its wings. UFC Vegas 86 is no different, as many already know, simply by looking at the name of the event. These days, having “Vegas” in the title is a signal that the matchmakers did their level…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comFor the last two weeks, the sports and entertainment communities have been reeling from the details revealed in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against the WWE, Vince McMahon and other executives and superstars under its umbrella. But before the lawsuit came to see the light of day, two big events occurred the last several months for WWE.Bloody Elbow is fighting …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe WWE is in hot water thanks to a lawsuit filed by former employee Janel Grant. The lawsuit alleges Vince McMahon, other officials and even included a former UFC superstar engaged in sex trafficking and/or sexual assault and the suit came with evidence. McMahon resigned from all his positions at WWE and TKO Holdings within hours and the evidence from …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 85 is officially in the books and much like it was on paper, in practice, it was a mixed bag. We ended up with just five finishes out of 13 fights. We had a no contest, a majority decision and six unanimous decisions. The main event was a grueling battle that got to be quite tedious with all the wall and stall that was happening and the Khizri…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 85 is kind of a mixed bag. The main card is solid—not great, but solid. However, the prelims are a whole other story. From the ultra softball match the promotion is giving Molly McCann to the lack of any name value aside from Molly’s, this undercard is a stinker.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share ou…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 85 might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s got several ranked fighters and an important main event, even if it’s not really a fight that will hit the casual fan’s radar. And since it’s at the Apex—where only the cameramen will clap, and the lone heckler that paid a small fortune to sit cageside and shout how the athletes are losers—it happ…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIn what seems to be the most serendipitous timing in history, TKO Holdings was able to close a monumental deal with Netflix worth $5B to run WWE content over the next ten years. As a matter of fact, the press release announcing the broadcast partnership came just two days ahead of the bombshell exposé the WSJ did on former WWE head and TKO executive boa…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comA pair of unrelated videos surfaced yesterday that grabbed our attention, mainly for the inaccuracies contained in both. The first is a short clip of an interview former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy conducted with Dana White. The second is from the Joe Rogan Experience and features a conversation between Joe and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Sc…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWe’re barely into the new year and UFC has already left us high and dry just two weeks after returning from a month-long drought. But lucky for you, our terrific trio are here to get you through this week with a re-watch of three godawful title fights. If the Apex were a thing back in the good old days, we’re certain this is where these three fights wou…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 297 was not the best card. As a matter of fact, if I had to rate it on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 4. On paper, going into the event, we were quick to notice how there were no ranked fighters on the undercard and eight of those fighters were coming off losses. All four of the opening fights were loser vs. loser. The main card wasn’t much better, …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comConor McGregor is—and has been for years—one of the most enigmatic figures in combat sports. Hell, he’s one of the most enigmatic figures in all of sports. Much like Ronda Rousey, he’s had a transcendent career journey, crossing the threshold between sports and pop culture. And with pop culture actually driving the demand for more events, stars like Con…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 297 is officially in the books, the first PPV of the year and it brought us two brand new champions. The card, as a whole, wasn’t very strong on paper, and in practice, it was a bit underwhelming. The early prelims were great and saw serious action from the jump. But as the event wore on, the fights began slowing down. It was almost as if we were in…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWe were pretty happy with the main card of UFC 297, but the preliminary portion leaves a lot to be desired. We can’t figure out how this undercard was paired with the five fights that will come after it. From the lack of ranked fighters to the dearth of name value, we think it’s kind of a stinker.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 297 is here to kick off the promotion’s first PPV of the year and they’re doing it in Ontario, Canada. While the main card has an almost weird vibe, it’s a very good lineup of fights. The top two contests are title bouts, but both belts on the line are from two of the three weakest divisions, the third being heavyweight.Bloody Elbow is fighting for …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comHe’s back! Well, at least for this episode. Who? The one and only Mookie Alexander guest hosted today’s episode so we could make our yearly champions predictions, break down seven select fights from UFC 297, look back at UFC Vegas 84 and discuss how Saudi Arabia is not going to accept just any old slop the UFC tosses their way.Bloody Elbow is fighting f…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 84 just wrapped and overall, it was a pretty nice start to the new year. That said, it still had some terrible moments (looking at you Andrei Arlovski), but let’s focus on the positives before you guys start thinking we hate fights. First and foremost, we finally get to put the ridiculous, forced “rivalry” of Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker…

Legendary combat sports commentator, Mike Goldberg, spent nearly two decades with the UFC, starting in 1997 and making his exit in 2016. He then spent about four-years as a voice for Bellator MMA from 2017 to 2021. Now, the one they call ‘Goldie’ is commentating some bare knuckle at BYB Extreme 23 on January 18th, which is a Thursday show. Before sitting Trigon-side, Mike Goldberg caught up with Bloody Elbow for an interview.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Mike Goldberg spoke about how he linked up with BYB Extreme, versus how he used to try and score gigs in the olden days. He also mentions how he gets to say his catchphrase ‘It’s all over’ much more frequently now working a bare knuckle event than he did working MMA cards. With Bellator’s sale to the PFL finally official, Eddie asked Mike about what the future might look like for one Scott Coker, as well as a spate of other questions.Being a good sport, Goldie also relived some of his most famous flubs from over the years, from Watt Miman to the Progidy, which will forever live on through fight lore. I also got to be the one to inform him that Travis Lutter, A.K.A. ‘the Michael Jordan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,’ actually has a son named Jourdan, and he actually just won his MMA debut by RNC in the first round last October.Bloody Elbow will be on location for the BYB Extreme 23 event on January 18th, so make sure to follow along on our social media platforms to see and hear some of the hustle and bustle. If you happen to be in South Florida and want to attend then you can purchase your tickets HERE. This entire episode is FREE!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 twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for reading Bloody Elbow 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 is back, baby! And by “back,” we mean back at the Apex. But, all is not lost, as the prelims are actually kind of good. That said, don’t let the featured prelim fool you, because that fight is very likely going to be bad. It’s a heavyweight fight, after all, and we know how those go when the top of the division isn’t fighting.Bloody Elbow is fightin…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comAfter an entire month away, the UFC is back to the old grindstone, and trust me, the Apex is the old grindstone these days. And what do we get for all these long nights we waited for your return? A rematch nobody ever asked for that a whole bunch of people seem to not care much about.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is back after a long winter’s nap and what do they give their loyal fans? More Apex slop. One might think they’d want to kick off the new year with a firecracker of an event but instead, we get one that even if it does go off like a house afire, who’s gonna care? And more importantly, who’s gonna give that crowd pop that great fights deserve? Th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comOver the course of the last few weeks, several boxing stories have dropped. We watched Showtime air its last boxing event after nearly 38 years of broadcasting the sport. From there, PBC, who had been calling Showtime their broadcasting home, ended up signing a huge deal with Amazon, so we’ve got one major promotion secured and accounted for.Bloody Elbo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com2023 was a pretty wild year. The very first day saw UFC president Dana White slap his wife on camera and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the year. One thing that never changes is the sport’s ability to provide some of the greatest fights, and alternately, some of the worst. That’s why we’re here, to provide you with an unbiased (or maybe compl…

The holidays are always good for fun videos and photos, lively quips and interviews and lots of social media posts by combat sports athletes, but none have been quite as mesmerizing as the ones Conor McGregor puts out. Over the last two weeks of the holiday season, the Irish former champ-champ kept jaws wagging with some over the top antics.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.We start off with his appearance at the Joshua-Wallin / Wilder-Parker fight card where he was instantly memed following video footage of him seemingly jabbering Cristiano Ronaldo’s ear off, all while the soccer star looked like he’d rather be anywhere but the seat he was in. Conor delighted in his captive audience, regaling them with talks of a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao and the size of the ring the boxers would be in.From there we discuss his interview with Gareth Davies where “The Notorious” said the UFC was gravely mistreating him. He even went so far as to say that no other fighter in history had been as mistreated as he had (the entire roster would like a word). He lamented how a fight with Pacquiao was being brought to him and UFC was doing nothing.Then we got to his New Year’s announcement of the next appointment on his fight schedule. Yesterday, he announced that his next contest would indeed be against Michael Chandler. McGregor stated that the fight would go down at International Fight Week and most surprisingly, it would be at the middleweight limit of 185lbs.We also have a stellar interview with EZ PR’s Ed Zitron who weighed in on crypto and AI and all the pitfalls associated with it. It was an enlightening conversation that you won’t want to miss and to start off this 2024 year with a bang, we’re giving it away to you for FREE, so make sure you check it out and hit the subscribe button if you haven’t already done it.Thank you for reading this post 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 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.comMojave Diamonds won’t be taking the awards season by storm, but it is an unintentional comedic gem. The acting is awful, the dialogue is ridiculous, the action is brawlic and the vibe is as cringe as one would imagine when met with a cast that features Chael Sonnen, Donald Cerrone and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWhile our fearless leader battles malware demons and other wicked foes, I sneaked back into his bunker for another chat with longtime investigative journalist Zach Arnold. I don’t know where Nate hid the shotgun (even though I said it was by the door), and I’m pretty sure that the mongrel outside the gates isn’t his mighty hound, but I did pull the shad…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comMauricio “Shogun” Rua made his name in PRIDE and cemented it in the UFC with a style that was crowd-pleasing in both promotions. Fights with Rampage Jackson and Dan Henderson are what fans immediately call up to memory, but you could really go through his record and see a veritable cornucopia of names going as far back as 2003 when he faced Evangelista …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comMMA has had an incredible year news-wise, thanks mostly to three big stories. We’ve seen all sorts of drama, from the New Year all the way to now. We opened the first week of the year with Dana White assaulting his wife on video for the world to see. We’ve seen Power Slap become a real thing and it has now been sanctioned in California—something we woul…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 296 just wrapped and we’re still trying to figure out what happened to Colby Covington. The king of volume certainly had very little of it tonight. Leon Edwards basically had his way with him 26 different ways from Sunday in one of the most boring fights of the year. Perhaps now the UFC will make way for more deserving title challengers.Bloody Elbow…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThis week, our tremendous trio returns with a new episode. The big topics on deck are details around PFL’s buyout of Bellator and all the latest antitrust updates. The antitrust case has been the gift that keeps on giving as that tree continually produces fruit. This time, the guys take a look at the latest requests from the defendants.Bloody Elbow is f…

Karate Combat has been putting on quality events for several years now and their production is top tier. Their middleweight champion, Ross ‘Turbo’ Levine is a dynamic athlete with speed and power, two vital elements in the recipe that makes a champion karateka. This weekend, he’ll face 1-0 heavyweight and former UFC staple Sam Alvey for the vacant heavyweight title.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Eddie Mercado snagged a great interview with Levine where they discussed a variety of topics. You can read along here. Of course, at the top of the list was his upcoming bout with Sam Alvey. The leap to heavyweight might seem wild to MMA fans, but heavyweight in Karate Combat tops out at 205 pounds, so the leap up isn’t as stark as some might think. Let’s take a look at what else they discussed.* Doctorate in Physical Therapy by day, Karate Combat champ by night* UFC guy vs. Karate Combat champion* Moving up from middleweight* Training with big bodies* Sam Alvey or Sam Towelvey?* Ross Levine’s prediction for Sam Alvey fight at Karate Combat 43* Darren Till, Luke Rockhold, Lyoto MachidaThank 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 twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow special interview. 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 296 is how you end a tumultuous year that has seen some of the biggest news in years. From Francis Ngannou making the biggest free agency move the sport has ever seen to the antitrust lawsuit updates, 2023 was jam-packed with headlines, and most were not encouraging.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our …

We’ve all been wowed by the stellar bout sheet for UFC 296. It’s kind of hard not to. Even the curtain-jerker is a killer match-up. Who wouldn’t want to watch Randy Brown put to the test by Muslim Salikhov? And as you move up from there, the great fights just keep showing up. 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 when is the last time we didn’t complain about the heavyweights? The weakest of the men’s divisions doesn’t produce enough talent outside the top 10 to really make us sit up and take notice, but pairing 11-0 Gaziev up with 13-1 Buday is genius booking for 265.Eight fights comprise the prelims and all eight are worth checking out. If they don’t provide serious movement in the rankings, they provide potential for what every fan craves, certified bangers. Bryce Mitchell vs. Josh Emmett in the featured prelim spot is also another bit of genius matchmaking. Let’s take a look at the rest of the undercard:UFC 296 Prelims* Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell 145 lbs* Irene Aldana vs. Karol Rosa 135 lbs* Cody Garbrandt vs. Brian Kelleher 135 lbs* Casey O'Neill vs. Ariane Lipski 125 lbs* Alonzo Menifield vs. Dustin Jacoby 205 lbs* Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Cody Durden 125 lbs* Andre Fili vs. Lucas Almeida 145 lbs* Shamil Gaziev vs. Martin Buday 265 lbs* Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov 170 lbsThat said, there are a few minor annoyances with a couple of the fights but nothing that seriously detracts from the card. We’ll go through those , but again, it’s nothing that impedes or takes away from the event.Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 83 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 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

Since leaving the UFC, Sam Alvey has scored two knockouts. Once at heavyweight for the B2 Fighting Series and once at light heavyweight in Karate Combat. After a cycle of nearly five years without a win, this rejuvenated version of Alvey is finally finding success again and we’re happy for him.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Eddie Mercado scored an absolutely stellar interview with Alvey where they discussed a myriad of topics. You can read along here. Everything from his upcoming bout with Ross Levine to advice for Ian Garry was fair game. No stone was left unturned. Let’s take a look at some of the subject matter:* Sam Alvey plotting Ninja Turtle showcase* Sam Alvey on fighting the middleweight champ up at 205* Sam Alvey or Sam Towelvey* Double champ status?* Sam Alvey was couch Surfing with Sean Strickland* Karate Combat 43 prediction* Cornered by UFC Champ Sean Strickland* Strickland vs. The Karatekas* Sam Alvey’s advice for Ian Garry* Did Strickland cross the line?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 twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow special interview. 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