The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Podcasts

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 79 isn’t too bad. No, really, we mean it. Let’s start with the fact that we got THREE ranked fights on an Apex show. They aren’t fights that are going to set the world on fire, but they’re solid and more importantly, they’re inside the Top 15. It’s also an event that seems to not have been ravaged by injury cancellations and bout reshuffling, …

This is FREE episode week!California’s athletic commission is experiencing what appears to be a slow death. Fight Opinion’s Zach Arnold wrote extensively about it on Bloody Elbow and the word he used was “atrophy”. That seems like a perfect word to describe what happens when higher taxes, mergers, attempts to force sanctioning for promotions like Power Slap and a spate of other factors create the perfect storm for collapse. Aside from a few Bellator shows and a Top Rank boxing card here and there, there’s not much action happening on California’s sunny grounds. We discuss it.We also dive into the WWE-UFC merger that left over 100 people without jobs thanks to a gutting of WWE’s office personnel roster. We looked back on the highs and lows of Noche UFC and we looked forward to a few fights on the UFC Vegas 79 card—weak as it may be. Here’s a look at the three fights we chose:Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.UFC Vegas 79* Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot 155 lbs * Bryce Mitchell vs. Dan Ige 145 lbs * Marina Rodriguez vs. M. Waterson-Gomez 115 lbsThank 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 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.comListen, that main event was a really good fight—maybe the best of Valentina’s career, but it should not have been a draw. We felt Grasso took three rounds but we’re fine if you scored it the other way. How one judge scored round 5 a 10-8 is beyond the realm of comprehension.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comNow before you get upset, we want to preface this with the fact that this card was positively ravaged with cancellations and late replacements, hence the title. And to be fair, there are still some interesting bouts at play here. Tracy Cortez vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius is an amazing matchup between two tough-as-nails women. Lupita Godinez vs. Elise Reed i…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThat’s right, folks, a UFC title will be contested on TV with no PPV purchase required. Valentina Shevchenko will attempt to reclaim her belt from Mexico’s Alexa Grasso this Saturday night and we are pumped! Even Connor has begrudgingly admitted an admiration for Valentina aka the object of his ire and disdain for several years now.Bloody Elbow is fight…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comNow that the UFC-WWE merger is complete, the new company, TKO Holdings has been creating a stir since the move was first announced. With a joint valuation of more than $21B, far exceeding that of any other sports property, the venture has the potential to see even more dominance across the sports entertainment spectrum. During the official festivities M…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comA lot has happened in the last two weeks. The court gave a date in the antitrust suit, the defendants requested an appeal, the plaintiffs responded and we’ve got all the pertinent details. Spectrum and Disney have been in a battle over rising rates to broadcast Disney’s content—specifically ESPN. John opines on how that could affect the UFC.Bloody Elbow…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 293 had some wild moments, for sure. Whether it was Charlie Radke and Manel Kape hurling homophobic slurs, Alexander Volkov snagging a rare Ezekiel choke over Tai Tuivasa or Sean Strickland taking the belt off Israel Adesanya, there was quite an array of instances that none will soon forget. Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com*Note: Due to a technical issue, the first 39 seconds of the episode are missing. The issue has since been resolved. Thank you for your understanding.UFC 293 is here and from the looks of things, it’s not the best card. Sure, there’s definitely a few fun fights but you wouldn’t know which end is up by looking at the bout sheet order. Did we really need …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 293 is a card that seems like it was cobbled together from the leftover parts of a better PPV. We’re not saying it’s bad, but we’re not going to go as far as to call it great. We did notice the matchmakers clearly didn’t put much thought into the bout order, and setting the Tafa-Lane rematch for the main card rather than Mullarkey-Makdessi seems kin…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 293 is just around the corner and despite a lot of criticism, we like the card. It’s not heavy on fights that will make a sizable impact on the rankings, but where it lack importance in that regard, it makes up for it with entertainment value. What’s not to love about Carlos Ulberg vs. Dan Un Jung? Manel Kape may be fighting a late replacement but F…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Paris looked awful on paper but in practice, it worked out well. The finishes outweighed the decisions and the ones that went to the scorecards were mostly fun fights. As the title notes, Cyril Gane had an easy night. Serghei Spivak, for whatever reason, decided not to engage with the Frenchman. He was easily bullied around the cage, continuously on…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comFor a quick minute or so earlier this summer, we were lulled into a sense of security by the UFC. Just hear us out for a second before you get out the butterfly nets. We already know Apex cards are the “it’s okay to miss” events, but we knew when a show was targeted for anywhere else, it would end up with better matchmaking. Yet here we are, in Paris, w…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comYep, UFC is treating Paris to an almost good card. Fight cancellations and reshuffling definitely wreaked havoc on this event but there are still some bright spots worth noting. Rose Namajunas vs. Manon Fiorot is one of them. Namajunas will present the toughest challenge to date for Fiorot and the winner here could end up facing the champ or possibly go…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comNate Quarry might be most famously known for his fight with Kalib Starnes or for his comeback fight against Pete Sell, but he is doing much bigger things these days. These days, he’s known as one of the original plaintiffs in the UFC antitrust suit, but because he was part of the identity class, which was denied class certification, he is no longer a pl…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comSince the antitrust case finally received its class certification from Judge Boulware, the community has been abuzz with what the honorable judge’s written opinion means. The commentary from him was quite serious and he appears to clearly side with the plaintiffs. He used pointed language that left no doubt of this.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWe hated this main event going in, but in practice, it was a damned good fight. The Korean Zombie went out on his proverbial shield after putting forth a great effort, albeit one that fell short. The thing he was known for—leaving it all in the cage—was displayed once again, as the 36-year-old did just that, choosing to go for broke in the center of the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Singapore is a top-loaded event with the majority of the “good fights” happening on the main card. What’s left to the prelims is a spate of barely recognizable names, and in some cases, completely unrecognizable. Not to us, of course. We know every fighter in existence, their full backgrounds, their 3rd grade report card scores—we know EVERYTHING. B…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Singapore had the chance to be great, but they chose a squash match to headline the card and now we must all worry about the Korean Zombie’s future health after his contest with Max Holloway. We would prefer that Chan Sung Jung face off against Cub Swanson but no, we have to bear witness to what will likely be a rout. And for us, that kind of kills …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comConor McGregor sure has a lot of blame to issue when it comes to why he won’t be fighting in December, but unsurprisingly, none of it rests upon his own shoulders. In a series of nearly incoherent audio rants he posted to social media Saturday night, McGregor lamented that “they” were affecting his livelihood and then made a plea to Ari Emanuel to help …

Sean O’Malley walked out to Lupe Fiasco’s ‘Superstar’ and by all accounts, he fits that bill to a T. His title bout with Aljamain Sterling set records just by virtue of his being there. How do we know? Because Dana White said so. Yet despite his star power and despite the record-setting, he likely won’t ever make the fabled ‘McGregor money’—once referred to as ‘Anderson Silva money‘—even if he were to land that boxing match with Gervonta Davis he called for in his presser interview after the fight with Sterling.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.In the latest Hey Not the Face! episode, John Nash discussed the factors that present major roadblocks to Sean O’Malley’s ascension up the mega-money ladder. Our main topics were:* Why Sean and Aljamain Sterling should’ve made more* How much could he potentially make from a boxing match with Gervonta Davis* The possibility of having to cut the UFC in on outside ventures like launching a dispensaryYou 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.Thank you for reading and listening to the Hey Not the Face! podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. 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.comThe UFC certainly lets you know when they care about an event and UFC 292 is a prime example of that. Two titles bouts crown the top of a star-studded card, filled with the potential for action and entertainment. Will Weili Zhang be able to defend the belt against a hungry Amanda Lemos? Will Aljamain Sterling be able to keep Sean O’Malley at bay? Bloody…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comMake no mistake, UFC 292 is a really good card. That said, Chris Weidman’s return makes all of us a little angsty. To be honest, that angst is tinged with a healthy dose of pity. If we could count the amount of times we’ve heard or read someone ask “Why?”, well, let’s just say it would be a lot. Brad Tavares isn’t exactly a spring chicken either, and ha…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThis past week provided a treasure trove of news, so we tried to hit all the critical stories. There’s plenty on the three new changes to the sanctioned rules for MMA, the UFC’s totally obvious attempt at erasing Francis Ngannou AND Thierry Sokoudjou from the history books, Teddy Atlas feeling jilted by Ngannou, and last and maybe least, Conor McGregor’…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comLast week, Judge Boulware rendered his official comments along with a class certification for the plaintiffs in the UFC antitrust lawsuit. The statement was filled with strongly worded opinions that leave no doubt there is reason for concern about the UFC’s gargantuan market power.The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our readers and listeners. To re…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIt’s that time again, time to pull down the shades, lock the doors and buckle up for a new session in the MMA Bunker. Kid Nate has another great interview, this time with one of the three founders of SB Nation, the Blogfather, Jerome Armstrong. Armstrong talked about how he got into the blogosphere, his background in politics, how he met up with Nate.Th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 78 might not have had much heft on paper, but in practice, it delivered for the most part. From the curtain-jerker’s violent, first round KO all the way through the prelims, and into the main card, the event was jam packed with finishes of all kinds—including the ultra-rare twister. Da’Mon Blackshear was only the third athlete in UFC history t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThis week, the UFC antitrust lawsuit finally got class certification. Judge Boulware awarded the certification to the plaintiffs (the fighters), then gave his written statement, which was brutally honest. John Nash is back to break down the judge’s statements, what they mean, and how he views the impact of the UFC’s market power over the athletes. Blood…

It will be a day of celebration if we ever get an Apex fight night card that actually looks good on paper and not just in practice, in spite of itself. That day is definitely NOT today. Just in case you were wondering, there are zero ranked fights on the undercard and of course, there are zero ranked fighters there. Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Instead, what you get are several fighters coming off losses and several with names that are barely recognizable, and that is only if you follow the regional scene pretty intently. Our Kool-Aid is so watery we can see the bottom of the cup while full. Send the St. Bernard with the the little barrel of good fights please!UFC Vegas 78 Prelims* Marcus McGhee vs. JP Buys135 lbs* Terrance McKinney vs. Mike Breeden155 lbs* Francis Marshall vs. Isaac Dulgarian145 lbs* Josh Parisian vs. Martin Buday265 lbs* Montserrat Ruiz vs. Jaqueline Amorim115 lbs* Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Jose Johnson135 lbs* Juliana Miller vs. Luana Santos125 lbsThank 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.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. 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.comThis week, the UFC is back at the Apex, and trust us, it shows. The card technically has no ranked fights, even though there are ranked athletes facing each other—they just happen to be either moving down or up a division to meet their opponents. And at the top of this very Apex card, we have two men who’ve been fighting wars for most of their lengthy c…

IT’S FREE EPISODE DAY!! OUR BONUS CONTENT IS FREE TODAY!!In the latest “WTF” moment our fair sport has breathed life into, we bore witness to Utah’s athletic commission entering into a non-disclosure agreement with most of the fighters from UFC 291. What is it that isn’t being exposed? Purse amounts. For those paying attention, transparency is the necessary component to determine fair market value. If they don’t know what fellow fighters are making, how can they negotiate fair purses?The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our readers and listeners. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We also look into the grimy matchmaking that put Robert Helenius on a path of destruction versus Anthony Joshua this coming Saturday, as well as ESPN’s new sports book that will be unveiled this fall. And finally, we talked about Dana White leaving the arena early last Saturday night during the Sandhagen-Font fight which was a snoozer.We did break down some fights from this weekend’s upcoming UFC Vegas 78 and Bellator 298. Here’s a look at the fights we chose:* Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos 170 lbs * Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu 145 lbs * Khalil Rountree vs. Chris Daukaus 205 lbs * Polyana Viana vs. Iasmin Lucindo 115 lbs * Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward 170 lbsThank 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.Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. 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 Nashville was not a bad card on paper and it wasn’t bad in practice—for the most part. It had the right mix of name value and compelling contests. It saw a rising prospect looking to claim the first rung on the contender ladder taught a valuable lesson: the last men on the totem pole are the lowest tier gatekeepers to the inner sanctum. Those guys t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Nashville will be directly competing with Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, but fortunately, UFC had the foresight to throw together an above average event. The main event is going to be an absolute firecracker. Rob Font wasn’t the original opponent, that was Umar Nurmagomedov, who had to withdraw with an injury, so we are being treated to a catchweight bout…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Nashville is a good card and that’s demonstrated in the compelling matchups represented in the lineup. Every fight has a recognizable name—a marked difference from Apex cards—and every one has clear potential for upward movement. Most importantly, all the fights look exciting, at least on paper (looking at you Quarantillo vs. Jackson).Bloody Elbow i…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comMike Swick may not have won a UFC title but he won a much more important battle, the one he had with lymphoblastic lymphoma, a deadly blood cancer. Swick was diagnosed a couple years ago with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but has since beaten it into remission. He talks about the extremely unconventional approach he took to his treatment and what life’…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 291 might be over but the aftermath is still with us. It was, as the title suggests, phenomenal. Filled with action and exciting finishes, this event was as advertised. From Miranda Maverick’s gritty performance in the curtain-jerker all the way to Justin Gaethje’s incredible head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier, there were very few dull moments to …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 291 has stiff competition Saturday night. There’s a solid Bellator vs. Rizin card and of course, the most anticipated fight of the year, Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence, Jr. Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard have done good work, though. At the very least, they’ve put together an absolutely stellar main event.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 291 thankfully didn’t totally bankrupt the undercard with fights of little value. As a matter of fact, there are a few compelling matchups there. The one that is most visible is Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima and for obvious reasons. Derrick Lewis hasn’t seen an undercard since February of 2016.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the f…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comSean Strickland, fresh off the heels of a win and a callout by Israel Adesanya for a title shot, has entered his internet harasser phase. Strickland has been launching accusations of racism in Keith Lee’s direction for a few days, saying the comment stemmed from a gym conversation the two participated in over a year ago.The Bloody Elbow Podcast is suppo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThere’s been no shortage of big news in the last two weeks. From Ari Emanuel’s involvement in the SAG-AFTRA strike to how much of Disney’s assets Bob Iger was talking of selling off and everything in between. Just how differently does Ari treat actors and fighters and why, as well as what “finding a partner for ESPN” might entail.The Bloody Elbow Podcas…

This year’s UFC London card was almost a bust and definitely a far cry from the ones of Christmas past. The opening bout was absolutely bonkers for the 94 seconds it lasted, then we got the ho-hums for the next five fights. Even the crowd seemed underwhelmed by the fights, including the finishes. We did get big crowd moments for the last few fights but for the most part, this event kind of gave us a bad case of the yawns (looking squarely at you Jai Herbert and Fares Ziam).The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our readers and listeners. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.To their credit, the last four fights on the card were very good, especially the Wood-Fili fight. We figured it would be the big action banger of the event and it was as advertised. Paul Craig taking care of business was pretty nice too. Here’s a look at the results:UFC London* Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall def. Marcin Tybura via TKO (punches) at 1:13 of Round 1* Flyweight: Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann via submission (armbar) at 1:55 of Round 1* Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)* Middleweight: Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via TKO (ground and pound) at 4:40 of Round 2* Lightweight: Fares Ziam def. Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27)* Featherweight: Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26 & 30-27)* Bantamweight: Daniel Marcos def. Davey Grant via split decision (29-28 Grant, 29-28 Marcos & 29-28 Marcos)* Welterweight: Jonny Parsons def. Danny Roberts via TKO (punches) at 4:57 of Round 2* Lightweight: Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese via submission (head and arm choke) at 4:26 of Round 2* Heavyweight: Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)* Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)* Bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)* Lightweight: Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28)* Strawweight: Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27)* Flyweight: Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:34 of Round 1Thank 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.Thank you for listening to the 6th Round Post-Fight Show. This post is public so feel free to share it.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. 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.comHooray! It’s not an Apex card! It’s not PPV quality either, but it’s befitting of what a London card should be—loads of fun matches with recognizable names interspersed with rising prospects. The undercard delivers on that front and with a very important women’s bantamweight bout appearing here, it gives one the feeling that we’re going to be watching a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC London is a pretty fun card, but of course it would be since it’s not being held at the Apex. They seem to put in a little more effort when a show is on the road—a far cry from the Fight Night fodder we’ve been getting. That said, we don’t want to gild the proverbial lily here. The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our readers and listeners. To r…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comOur trio of business and finance analysts examine all the particulars of the Ngannou-Fury mega fight that was announced recently, as well as some discussion on the inner workings of who the PFL could match Ngannou with. In the bonus section, we have an update on the anti-trust suit, as well. It’s an episode you will not want to miss.The Bloody Elbow Po…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comDana White is at the center of this week’s news cycle and there’s a lot to unpack. From a proposed guest spot on Andrew Tate’s podcast to allegations of trying to sabotage the Fury-Ngannou fight, Dana’s made the headlines pretty salacious, whether directly or indirectly. We also take a look at the rumor mill where Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev were at…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 77 just wrapped up and Mayra Bueno Silva shocked the world when she finished veteran contender Holly Holm in the second round. The contest saw Holm blitzing early and Bueno Silva landing some hard combos late. The second round was a stark departure, though. Holm tried to wall-and-stall and MBS punished her for it, catching her in standing ninj…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comHo hum, back to the Apex for one of the worst booked cards of the year, possibly ever. Aside from the main event, there are no other ranked fights. As a matter of fact, only 3 fighters in total are ranked and of 17 athletes are coming off losses. Watered down, dud of a card, typical of these Apex shows.The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our reader…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 77, as a whole, is an objectively bad card. There’s very little in the way of impactful fights, name value or the promise of entertainment. It’s like Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard put names in a hat and threw together whomever they drew out. There is one blessing on the prelims, though, and his name is Jack Della Maddalena.The Bloody Elbow Podc…

This past Saturday night, the UFC put forth one of the best cards we’ve seen in quite some time. It was action-packed and entertaining from start to finish. Every fight felt important and impactful and each one felt like I could see the delineation between the UFC and everyone else. You could throw a dart and whichever promotion’s name it landed on could be number 1 or number 25 and there’d really be no difference, so wide the gulf would be. Even on paper going in, UFC 290 had plenty of curbside appeal with several ranked fighters and standout contests that had “must see” written all over them. Robbie Lawler’s retirement fight, Bo NIckal’s return, Whittaker-Du Plessis and the two title fights at the top. The undercard had some really talented prospects, as well and they all delivered. The Bloody Elbow Podcast is supported by our readers and listeners. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.But there were some real eye openers to emerge from the card. The new flyweight champion having to drive for UberEats to make ends meet up until two fights ago was a stark reminder of how that 13-14% revenue share the fighters get is spread pretty thin despite the UFC having banner year after banner year.A look at this weekend’s upcoming UFC card reveals one of the most dismal cards of the year, offering very little on paper and not much in the way of important fights aside from the main event. What a letdown it is going from UFC 290 to UFC Vegas 77. More letdowns from aging fighters taking on celebrity boxing matches and of course we talk Ngannou-Fury. It’s a jam-packed episode you won’t want to miss and it’s our FREE episode of the month. Thank you for reading and listening to Hey Not the Face! This post is public so feel free to share it.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. 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.comThe UFC is the industry leader in MMA, without a doubt. The promotion is in the unique and very fortunate position of having a monopoly and a monopsony all at once, and their financial statements illustrate that point quite well. One of the ways they’re able to profit so heavily while the fighters make so little (around a 13-14% revenue share) is becaus…