247 Combat Sports Podcast

E19 – UFC Podcast – Fedor fight cancelled, GSP is back!

UFC Podcast

Fedor’s fight with Matt Mitrione was cancelled at Bellator!!!!

Georges St. Pierre is back in the UFC! Who is he going to fight? Will it be Conor McGregor???

Cyborg was cleared and will be able to fight ASAP for the UFC. Will she get an immediate title shot?

☐ Michael Bisping: Anderson Silva disrespected ‘everybody’ with performance at UFC 208

“He was kind of disrespecting everybody there, disrespecting his opponent,” Bisping said on his Sirius XM show The Countdown (h/t Damon Martin of FOX Sports).

“At times, he grabbed the Thai clinch on Derek Brunson, had the Thai clinch but didn’t do anything. Didn’t throw an elbow, certainly didn’t throw a knee, and he allowed Brunson to just tee off with like 10, 15 punch combinations to Anderson Silva while Anderson just held him. It’s just bizarre.”

“Now I’m not trying to kick a man while he’s down, I’m really not, because I bought the pay-per-view to watch Anderson Silva,” Bisping said. “Regardless of what’s happened between the two of us, I’m a fan of Anderson Silva and he still always brings that excitement and even still right up until the final bell of a 15-minute fight you still thought ‘hold on is he going to pull something amazing out of the bag?’ but he didn’t.

“What he did was he allowed Brunson to out work him so when he went to decision, everybody, and we had a few people over, my manager and some of his staff came over and we had some friends there, there was about 20 people in the house and everybody thought Derek Brunson was going to get the decision and of course it went to Anderson Silva, which was shocking. I guess maybe you could see an argument for Anderson winning rounds one and two but it was just a bizarre performance.”

“He’s tarnishing his legacy,” Bisping said. “Let’s put it like that.”

UFC Podcast

☐ UFC Fight Night Lewis Vs. Browne

Hector Lombard vs. Johny Hendricks

☐ the return of GSP

☐ Cyborg cleared of wrongdoing and granted retroactive TUE, setting stage for 145 title fight against  Germaine de Randamie

☐ Fedor Mitrione canceled!

UFC Podcast

E18 – MMA’s Greatest Podcast – UFC 208 Controversy!

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

☐ UFC 208 results

Dustin Poirier defeated Jim Miller by majority decision (28-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Glover Teixiera defeated Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Jacare Souza defeated Tim Boetsch by submission (kimura), 3:41 of round 2

Anderson Silva defeated Derek Brunson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Germaine de Randamie defeated Holly Holm by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

☐ De Randamie says she wants to give Holm a rematch

☐ Dana White didn’t object to Todd Anderson being the ref for Holm de-Randamie

☐ UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne fight card for Sunday,  in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 19.02.2017

Derrick Lewis vs. Travis Browne

Johny Hendricks vs. Hector Lombard

Sam Sicilia vs. Gavin Tucker

Elias Theodorou vs. Cezar Ferreira

Sara McMann vs. Gina Mazany

Nordine Taleb vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Carla Esparza vs. Randa Markos

Aiemann Zahabi vs. Reginaldo Vieira

Jack Marshman vs. Thiago Santos

Alessandro Ricci vs. Paul Felder

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Ryan Janes

Alex Volkanovski vs. TBA

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

☐ Report | Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather have reached a deal regarding financial figures for a boxing match

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

☐ Ref says bell does not end round, the ref has to

☐ changes to MMA rules in 2017

With new scoring changes, 10-8 rounds should be more prevalent

Grounded fighter

Under the original rules, fighters could place a single finger tip in the ground to establish themselves as grounded, thereby avoiding legal kicks and knees to the head. Officials have long dubbed that “playing the game.” It’s no longer viable. Now, fighters must have both hands on the ground — either their palms or fists — to be considered grounded. As always, if a fighter’s knee or any other part of the body except the hands and feet are touching the mat, then that fighter is also grounded.

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

Extended fingers

Eye pokes have been a topic of controversy lately. They are fight-ending, career-damaging illegal maneuvers. Under the original rules, referees could do nothing about it until it was too late and the poke was already landed. The new rules empower referees by making it a foul to extend your fingers outward toward an opponent’s face, which could lead to an eye poke.

Previously, a referee could tell a fighter to close his or her hand, but the ref had no recourse — a point could not be taken. Now, it can be if a fighter continues to extend fingers in the direction of an opponent’s face.

Female apparel

The days of T-shirts, half-shirts and loose-fitting tank tops (sorry, Reebok) are over in women’s MMA. Women must wear either a sports bra or a form-fitting rash guard in the cage. For bottoms, the rules are the same as for men: nothing below the knee, which means no more grappling or yoga pants.

Why is this a big deal? Well, loose-fitting shirts are actually dangerous. Fingers and toes can get caught in them. They can slip over a fighter’s head if too loose. UFC fighter Valerie Letourneau recently had an issue when her opponent Joanna Calderwood’s foot pulled down her tanktop with a front kick and she nearly had a wardrobe malfunction. Letourneau covered up and was struck in the head by Calderwood when she wasn’t defending herself. That kind of thing can’t happen in MMA.

Grappling pants, which have been used by Marloes Coenen and others, are an inherent advantage. Men have never been able to wear them under the Unified Rules. This is the first time women’s apparel has been standardized in the official rules.

Many have asked, Why are a bunch of men deciding what women can wear? That’s a good point. But MMA rules and regulations committee chairman Sean Wheelock consulted with Invicta FC matchmaker and women’s MMA pioneer Julie Kedzie .before writing these regulations.

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

Heel kicks to the kidneys

The last time any of us saw this technique was Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock. It’s not prevalent and the fact there was a rule against it was kind of odd. All other blows to the kidneys are 100 percent legal, but heel kicks (used by fighters holding opponents in guard) were banned. Not any longer.

Heel kicks to the kidneys aren’t much more than an annoyance or cause to change positions, as demonstrated Tuesday by MMA legends and Randy Couture and Jeremy Horn.

“The kidney strike with the heel is not an effective strike,” Couture told MMA Fighting. “It doesn’t make sense for it to be illegal. We do get hit in the kidneys. I can get in on a shot, if you’re trying to take an opponent down, and he’s perfectly free to hit me in the back all that he wants. It’s not illegal now.”

Grabbing the clavicle

Very few people knew this was even illegal before. The foul has now been removed. It was unanimous this week at the ABC Conference that no one had ever seen this attack attempted in an MMA fight.

MMA’s Greatest Podcast

E17 – UFC Podcast – Rousey fallout, Nunes Retire? **New**Fancast Flashback!

UFC Podcast

☐ Looking at Ronda Rousey and the devastation of the loss, will she return to the octagon ever again?

 

☐ Amanda Nunes says she is going to retire after 2-3 fights because she wants to have a family. What does this mean for the future of the UFC’s women’s division when so many ladies are looking to retire in their prime?

☐ Michael Bisping out until May, will undergo surgery

☐ McGregor to do PPV interview… Is this for real?

UFC Podcast

☐ Ferguson talking smack on Khabib & Conor

On Khabib:

“I want to make him quit,” Ferguson told MMA Junkie. “I want to push and grind him so hard that I have to look at him and tell him, ‘Are you done? Have you had enough? Because I’m tired.’”

On Conor:

“Is Conor gonna defend his belt, that little b****? Probably not,” Ferguson told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Thursday (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “He’s gonna run. Go ahead. Go run. Go try to box. You’ll get your a** kicked too. And when you’re ready to come back, they’re gonna strip your belt and at 155, I’m gonna be holding it and you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh I want my belt back’ and this and that. I don’t give a s***. The fight, the real fight, is between Conor? No. Conor, sorry buddy. The fight’s between Khabib and Ferguson.”

☐ Fancast Flashback: Bonnar vs. Griffin

Dana White called it the “most important fight in UFC history”.

The fight was also voted the greatest fight in UFC history in 2009.

Recently rated #6 best fight in UFC history by Fox Sports

The significance of this fight, the timing of this fight and the battle that we all saw could have very well changed MMA forever.

Rated most important fight in UFC history by National Post 

UFC Podcast

E14 – UFC 207 Review, Rousey to WWE? & much more!

UFC 207 Review

MMA Fancast E14 Discussion Topics

• UFC 207 review
  • Amanda Nunes defeats Ronda Rousey via TKO :48 into round 1
    • Disappointed in strategy of Ronda Rousey
    • Does Ronda have a chance to regain her glory?
    • How much to blame is Rousey’s team?
    • Where does Ronda Rousey go from here?
    • How good is Amanda Nunes?
    • Does she have the star power to push this division forward?
    • Who would win between Nunes and Cyborg?
    • Will Rousey be making the leap to WWE?
  • Cody Garbrandt defeats Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision
    • Where did Dominick Cruz go wrong
    • Has the division/age finally caught up with Cruz or was it just Cody being that good?
    • Does Cruz deserve an immediate rematch?
    • Wow! Cody Garbrandt proved so many people wrong!
    • Could Team Alpha Male have given him a more perfect game plan?
    • How much credit goes to fight camp?
    • Is Cody Garbrandt ready for pound for pound list?
    • Who should next bout be, rematch with Cruz or Dillashaw?
    • UFC 207 Review
  • TJ Dillashaw defeats John Lineker via unanimous decision
    • Was this TJ’s most impressive victory?
    • How does Dillashaw stack up against Cody?
    • Where does this leave Lineker?
  • Dong Hyun Kim defeats Tarec Saffiedine via split decision – UFC 207 Review
  • Ray Borg defeats Louis Smolka via unanimous decision
  • Neil Magny defeats Johny Hendricks via unanimous decision
    • This was a very controversial decision
    • Hendricks was able to consistently get the takedown and that was the first time that happened in quite some time
    • Hendricks blaming media for his previous fight performances
    • Where does this put each fighter?
    • Johny Hendricks did not make weight
  • Antonio Carlos Junior defeats Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision
  • Alex Garcia defeats Mike Pyle via KO 3:34 into round 1
    • Devastating knockout – overhand right
  • Niko Price defeats Brandon Thatch via submission (arm-triangle choke) 4:30 into round 1
  • Alex Oliveria vs. Tim Means was determined to be a no-contest due to illegal knees – UFC 207 Review
    • Why is there uncertainty over a rule that should be very clear
    • Should those knees be illegal or legal?
  • I am completely disgusted at the people who are just tearing Ronda Rousey down. Media, fighters and fans alike.
  • Ben Rothwell says that Cain Velazquez got pulled from UFC 207 intentionally in an interview with Flo Combat – “People are also surprised Cain got pulled and that baffles me because it’s not surprising at all,” Rothwell told Duane Finley of Flo Combat. “He started saying all that sh*t in public knowing he’s going to get pulled. Telling the commission you’re doing marijuana to manage pain and your back surgery is already scheduled is a surefire way to tell them you’re not fit to fight. But that’s pretty convenient because now it doesn’t look like Cain pulled out and it’s the commission who wouldn’t let him fight. UFC 207 Review. Cain going public with all that sh*t (stuff) two weeks before a fight is evidence he didn’t want to fight. Don’t sit there and tell me you’ve been in this business for that many years and don’t f*****g know how this works. You obviously needed them to pull you out of the fight.”
  • Khabib continues to talk about the UFC protecting Conor McGregor from him. He says in a tweet – This message to @UFC : It is clear to everyone that you hiding Conor from me. But stop lying to your fans like I don’t want fight with Aldo, I’m ready to fight with anyone in my division. Give me relevant fight, so you won’t be able to hide the belt from me after. But not the fight, where people say after my victory: he is too small, Khabib too big for him etc. I’m asking you for match that whole world is waiting for, give me Tony. You have never matched up two guys with 9 and 8 win streak in UFC, NEVER IN UFC HISTORY. #telltruthtopeople

E13 – UFC 207 Podcast, Rousey’s Return

UFC 207 Podcast

UFC 207 is finally approaching and that means one thing and one thing only… The long awaited return of Ronda Rousey! It seems like it has been far longer than 13 months since we have seen Rousey in the Octagon and she has been missed.

On this  UFC 207 podcast, we discuss:

Rousey vs. Nunes

• Ronda Rousey is not scheduled to partake in any of the media coverage during fight week
• Neither Rousey or Nunes is scheduled to take part in the media-only Wednesday Press Conference
• Which Ronda Rousey will we see on Friday night?
• Is Amanda Nunes ready for this type of spotlight?
• Nunes doesn’t understand Rousey’s media snub… and she spoke to Fox Sports on the matter…
  • “Yeah I think she’s been very weird about everything. This is MMA, people are going to talk good about you, people are going to talk bad about you. You have to be ready for it,”“You guys (the media), you’re part of our lives, part of our careers. We have to talk and speak to the media because this is part of our job. She’s being so dramatic and weird about that. She knows this is normal.”
• What does Nunes expect from Rousey come Friday night?
  • “I really don’t want to think she’s weak but she shows that she’s been avoiding all those things that made her who she is now. I think it’s a little bit weird.”“I don’t think she’s weak in mind. I really think she’s prepared for the comeback. I expect the best Ronda but I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

UFC 207 Podcast

Dominic Cruz and Cody Garbrandt 

• Is this real bad blood or fight hype?
• Is this overboard and immature banter?
• Clip of Cruz and Garbrandt from UFC of Fox

UFC 207 Podcast

Cain Velazquez vs. Fabricio Werdum is off! Cain hurt again, is this the case of a career that never got to be what it could be due to constant injuries?

UFC 207 Podcast

The entire UFC 207 Fight Card:

• Main Card (on Pay-Per-View – 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)
  Amanda Nunes (c)(13-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (12-1)
  Dominick Cruz (c)(22-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (10-0)
  Fabricio Werdum (21-6-1) vs. Cain Velasquez (14-2)
  TJ Dillashaw (13-3) vs. John Lineker (29-7)
  Louis Smolka (11-2) vs. Ray Borg (9-2)
• Prelims (on FS1 – 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
  Johny Hendricks (17-5) vs. Neil Magny (18-5)
  Dong Hyun Kim (21-3-1, 1NC) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (16-5)
  Antonio Carlos Junior (6-2) vs. Marvin Vettori (11-2)
  Mike Pyle (27-12-1) vs. Alex Garcia (13-3)
• Early Prelims (on Fight Pass – 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)
  Alex Oliveira (16-3-1) vs. Tim Means (26-7-1)
  Brandon Thatch (11-4) vs. Niko Price (8-0)

We will give our official main card predictions for UFC 207. Winner, method, round.

Other UFC News and discussion topics

• Dana squashes talk of Diaz McGregor trilogy fight
• UFC 206 replay does HUGE numbers
• Khabib vs Ferguson interim title fight expected for UFC 209?
  • UFC 209 is scheduled to take place on March 4, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Cyborg is once again flagged for having illegal substances in her body

UFC 207 Podcast

E12 – Top MMA Podcast – UFC 206, Cerrone

Top MMA Podcast

❏ UFC 206 review

Max Holloway is the new interim champ and will face Jose Aldo to unify the titles. First time ever that Pettis has been finished. Showed great timing, patience and aggression as well. Holloway seems to be acting differently and more outlandish.

Anthony Pettis – Not a good event for Pettis. He missed weight, broke his hand early in the fight. Admits he needs to go back to lightweight. He has the talent to still be relevant but needs to really get focus back and avoid the depression that accompanies many fighters after a loss.

Donald Cerrone – He showed a great deal in this fight, having come back from adversity and being rocked. I’m not sure I remember him ever having come back from being as badly hurt as he was at points in this fight. This was the greatest headlock knockout since Gonzaga-CroCop and maybe the best ever.

Matt Brown – Really tough loss for Brown, he showed so much in this fight. This is his third fight in a row. My indifference toward him changed, this fight made me like him quite a bit.

Cub Swanson – Is this for real? Like, seriously, did this dude really just do what I saw. This was quite possibly the best stand up battle in UFC history. Cub Swanson made my night, he made a lifelong fan out of many and this was truly a performance of a lifetime. He stole the show. If you missed it, you done messed up. Cub Swanson is why you don’t not watch some PPV cards. This was truly a can’t miss fight.

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Doo Ho Choi – This kids got some serious potential. All of the things said about Swanson apply as well to Ho Choi. Now this guy just has to learn English so he does not limit his potential earnings and status. Unbelievable performance and heart of a true warrior.

Kelvin Gastelum – He looked very good… and … I hate that he is insisting on returning to welterweight. He needs to stay at middleweight. He missed weight 3 out of 7 times at welterweight. Not good enough. And beating Tim Kennedy at middleweight proves he can be a top fighter there. DUDE, YOU CAN’T CONSISTENTLY MAKE 170!

Tim Kennedy – Not his best performance, he didn’t seem to be the fighter we all know and love. A second fight will determine if it was rust or if he just isn’t what he used to be.

Drew Dober – what happened?

Top MMA Podcast

Performances of the Night: Lando Vannata and Max Holloway

Fight of the Night Cub Swanson vs. Dooho Choi

Top fight of the year discussed on the Top MMA Podcast

❏ Cerrone/Dana White/Bjorn Rebney

Dana quotes – “The only thing that I need to know is that the biggest scumbag in the history of combat sports, Bjork, is involved in this thing. There are three unions out there right now battling against each other, and if you’re a fighter, all these guys are looking to get in your pocket. It’s a business where guys are going to make money. As a fighter, if this is what you want to do, you need to figure our whose hand you want in your pocket. I guarantee you don’t want Bjork’s hand in your pocket.”

White seemed genuinely baffled that Cerrone would be a part of the newly formed association. He recalled an incident that, according to him, led to legal intervention due to an altercation while Donald was on one of his boating trips. White claims that he paid for the criminal defense attorney out of his own pocket, to the tune of $100K.

“I was shocked that Cerrone didn’t give me a call. He has headlined three [UFC events]; never held a title in WEC or UFC. A couple of years ago, he was on his boat and gets into a beef with a guy on another boat, and he’s in big trouble. Who does he call? He calls me. What do I do? I go out and find him the best criminal defense lawyer and spent $100,000 of my own money. So, when I see “Cowboy” standing up there I’m like, ‘really?’”

Bjorn Rebney – “When the UFC, Jason, got sold to WME-IMG… Dana White walked away with roughly four hundred million dollars. Every year prior to that he was making in excess of 20 million dollars a year.

I can say it again – when the UFC sold to WME-IMG Dana White who just belittled Cowboy Cerrone and talked crap about a valiant warrior who has fought in the cage innumerable times and who fans love, made close to four hundred million dollars. That man, that gluttonous pig. And he got twenty million a year, on average before that to run the UFC. And he’s got the cojones to step up and to belittle Cowboy? How many fights did Dana have? How many times did Dana step into the cage in the WEC and in the UFC? But he made close to four hundred million dollars when the organization was sold. Please. Are you kidding me?”

Cerrone after speaking to Dana – “It went very good. It wasn’t a lunch, he just pulled me aside after the media scrum,” Cowboy said about speaking to the UFC president. “We talked for about 15-20 mins. He’s a happy man, and I’m a happy man.”

“We were just talking about what I wanted, like what I discussed with (the media), and what he expected out of me. It went very well. (He was) 1000% receptive, definitely.

“We were always in a good place. It’s like when you get in trouble with your dad and they don’t ground you, but just tell you how disappointed they are — which is even worse. It’s kinda what he did to me. It was kind of like a slap in his face. I should’ve let him know what I was going to get involved with. It is what it is, but we’re on the up and up now.”

❏ UFC Fight Night Albany

Derrick Lewis did not look good but finally showed some urgency and got the takedown and destroyed Abdurakhimov from there.

Top MMA Podcast

❏ Tyron Woodley called out Nick Diaz for UFC 209

Tyron Woodley’s Tweet:

Tyron T-Wood Woodley  ✔@TWooodley

@MMAFighting @arielhelwani Is @nickdiaz209 Free to Scrap to? Perfect time 4 #UFC209 I have the perfect person in mind🤔 @malkikawa @danawhite https://twitter.com/mmafighting/status/806591181702524928 …

Top MMA Podcast

He obviously wants big payday but Dana White has already said that Wonderboy rematch is next for Woodley

❏ Goldberg out the door?

Top MMA Podcast

❏ UFC on Fox 22 on Saturday, Dec 17th

UFC on FOX 22 Fight Card

Paige VanZant (7-2) vs. Michelle Waterson (13-4)

Urijah Faber (33-10) vs. Brad Pickett (25-12)

Sage Northcutt (8-1) vs. Mickey Gall (3-0)

Takeya Mizugaki (21-10-2) vs. Eddie Wineland (22-11-1)

James Moontasri (9-4) vs. Alex Morono (12-3)

Alan Jouban (14-4) vs. Mike Perry (9-0)

Bryan Barberena (12-3) vs. Colby Covington (10-1)

Josh Emmett (10-0) vs. Scott Holtzman (9-1)

Sultan Aliev (13-2) vs. Bojan Velickovic (14-3-1)

Paul Craig (8-0) vs. Luis Henrique da Silva (12-0)

Fredy Serrano (3-1) vs. Hector Sandoval (12-3)

Cole Miller (21-10) vs. Mizuto Hirota (17-7-2)

Irene Aldana (7-2) vs. Leslie Smith (8-7-1)

Top MMA Podcast

E11: Best MMA Podcast – Jones, TUF, Aging Divisions

Best MMA Podcast

MMA Fancast E11 Topics – Best MMA Podcast!

• Jon Bones Jones Joe Rogan Podcast, used to get black out drunk before fights, is he mentally mature enough to stay out of trouble going forward? Why did he care to tell us about that? Can you root for him? Root against him? Do you want to like him again?

 

Best MMA Podcast

• TUF Finale – Demetrius Johnson gets a surprising challenge, where were the fans? Stands looked empty in a tiny venue.
• Bloody Elbow’s analysis:
  • Weird ending to Jorge Masvidal and Jake Ellenberger. Ellenberger got his toes stuck in the cage and Herb Dean called a timeout to find out the rules. Masvidal was winning the contest, but expect the story to continue as Ellenberger is likely to appeal for a no contest.
  • The only loser in the Cannonier-Cutelaba fight was on the official record as both proved their toughness and gained a boatload of fans in the process. Cannonier’s no-showing Cutelaba’s punches late were the highlight as he taunted his opponent.
  • Alexis Davis and Sara McMann had a fantastic grappling contest. McMann showed newfound grappling prowess by scoring an arm-triangle choke in the second after having her face smashed by elbows in the first.
  • By the way Sara… you’re not getting the next crack at the belt. Asking nicely gets you nothing. Look at McGregor.
  • Entertaining back and forth contest between Brandon Moreno and Ryan Benoit kicked off the main card. Moreno was more consistent in his attack to earn the win, then he went too long with his interview. Sometimes less is more.
  • Dana White says he has no idea what Conor is doing in reference to his boxing license.
• • Best MMA Podcast
  • “I have no idea what Conor is doing,” White told Yahoo Sports. “Conor’s Conor. He does his thing. But he’s under contract to me. Who knows with this guy? I just let Conor be Conor. And the other thing is, it’s fun to talk about this (Mayweather) fight and what might happen, but what commission would let that fight happen? Really, think about that.”
    • Could this have to do with his future attempts at negotiating with the UFC ownership about part ownership?
• The Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight are aging greatly
• Anthony Johnson says he has bad luck
  • He was supposed to fight Jon Jones but then he was arrested for hit and run
  • Now he was supposed to fight Cormier – who got injured

Best MMA Podcast

Prelims

• Remember when Gray Maynard was pissed about Clay Guida running from him? Well, he just employed that strategy against Ryan Hall in a terrible contest. Hall rightly won, though it should be noted he ran from Maynard when the former title challenger tried to engage as well. Just a weird-ass fight.

• Jon Jones says he has conquered his demons and now he wants his belt back. Long interview with Rogan. Terry D. watched it.

Best MMA Podcast

E10: Top UFC podcasts – Conor, Rousey, Jones

Top UFC Podcasts: MMA Fancast E10

Conor McGregor applied for a boxing license in multiple states. Mayweather camp says it means nothing. Will these two ever fight? Why would Conor be applying for a boxing license now? Is it all a publicity stunt?

• Cyborg continuing to prod and publicly taunt Rousey. Cyborg talks about Rousey getting an unannounced drug test. Is Ronda Rousey going to fight long enough to even have a chance to fight Cyborg?
• MMAAA is not a union, it’s a …. ???? Bjorn Rebney is in charge of it, or the face of it? We discuss this and much more on the top UFC podcasts at MMA Fancast

• Are Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg on their way out due to “cost-cutting” efforts by WME-IMG? We hope on at the top UFC podcasts
• Demetrius Johnson vs Tim Elliott ….. Elliott says Conor has no heart ….. at press conference, he stood with his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor
• Dana White on stripping McGregor of his Featherweight belt … “Look, I let Conor fight [Nate] Diaz and then I let him fight Diaz again. Then there was the whole 155-pound thing I let him do. But at the end of the day, him doing that tied up the division for a year. There’s a logjam there and a lot of guys were [angry]. This was my way to fix the logjam. I wanted Aldo to fight Holloway for the belt, but he needed more time. So I looked at it and I said, well, it makes sense to make Aldo the champion and then have Holloway and Pettis fight for the interim title, and when Jose’s ready, barring any crazy injuries, the winner can fight him. [Conor’s coach is] misinformed. Yeah, he doesn’t know all that has gone on, I guess. Do you think I just did this? This was Conor’s decision.” ……. Dana stands by the story that Conor relinquished the belt.
• Jon Jones make proclamation that he used to get black-out drunk one week prior to his fights so that he had a built in excuse in case he ever lost.
• UFC 208, originally scheduled in California, got cancelled and what was supposed to be UFC 209 in Brooklyn now becomes UFC 208.

E9 – UFC 206 Card, Fight Night 101

Discussion on the UFC 206 Card, it blew up this week,  the UFC Fight Night 101 card, Brunson-Whittaker in particular, Rashad and Cormier being pulled, Gastelum and Kennedy being scheduled on the UFC 206 card, McGregor giving up his Featherweight Championship, does this make Jose Aldo happy now? Meisha Tate questioning Rousey’s desire to fight, Big Nog questioning Fedor, JDS calling out Stipe (politely), Rothwell being annoyed.

UFC Fight Night 101 Discussion
Robert Whittaker (16-4) vs. Derek Brunson (16-3)

Round 1 – Brunson lands a couple single shots. Brunson returns and this just turned into a brawl. Things get a little sloppy as Brunson is chasing desparately. It calms. I had to stop typing because this fight got crazy. Crazy. They exchange wildly, reminiscent of Forrest and Bonnar. Then Whittaker catches Brunson. Brunson is dazed. Whittaker swarms him but somehow Brunson stays alive. It calms for a moment and then Whittaker lands a huge right head kick and it disillusions Brunson. He covers up on the feet and Whittaker unleashes a barrage of blows that collapses Brunson. More on the ground before the ref finally steps in. WOWOWOWOW!!!!!

/ what was brunson doing?

“It really sucks,” Brunson told MMAjunkie. “I put together a streak, and worked really hard. But I came out here and fought with no game plan, like a chump tonight. Iʼll take it on the chin. Iʼm better than I showed.

“This sport is growing. Itʼs about patience, rather than getting caught up in five in a row, want a title shot, main event. The goal is to put on a great fight and be smart.”

“I had him against the cage, and I felt him breathing really hard,” Brunson told Australiaʼs Submission Radio. “I could have really slowed him down and gotten the takedown. But I didnʼt make smart decisions. Instead of going to my wrestling, which I knew I had the upper hand, I was more intent on trying to knock him out.”

Brunson could potentially fight Chris Weidman or Vitor Belfort in 2017

/ Whittaker wants to fight Moussasi next

Whittaker has his sights set on the reinvented Gegard Mousasi, who has been on a tear in the 185 pound division and has won three of his last four fights via KO or TKO.

“Heʼs a top athlete, heʼs a top fighter, and heʼs a cool dude,” Whittaker said of Mousasi at the post-fight press conference, per Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMA Junkie. “If thatʼs a fight the UFC wants, thatʼs a fight theyʼll get.”

“Itʼs funny, because I actually remember in the fight as I was backing away, I was thinking, does he think he rocked me? I wasnʼt rocked,” Whittaker said. “I was still in it. A lot of people were critical of his game plan charging forward, but ask the last four dudes. He takes you out of it.”

• /  Cormier injured off of UFC 206 card
• /  Rashad issues – off of UFC 206 card
• /  Gastelum vs Kennedy announced for UFC 206 card despite suspension
• /  UFC 206 card – PreviouslyDaniel Cormier (c)(18-1) vs. Anthony Johnson (22-5)* Max Holloway (16-3) vs. Anthony Pettis (19-5) Rashad Evans (19-5-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (18-5) Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC) vs. Matt Brown (20-15) Valerie Letourneau (8-5) vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0) Zach Makovsky (19-7) vs. John Moraga (16-5)

  John Makdessi (14-5) vs. Lando Vannata (8-1) Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Drew Dober (17-7) Jason Saggo (12-2) vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3) Nikita Krylov (21-4) vs. Misha Cirkunov (12-2) Cub Swanson (23-7) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-1) Jordan Mein (26-10) vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1)
  Mitch Gagnon (12-3) vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1)

  NOW
  Max Holloway (16-3) vs. Anthony Pettis (19-5)**
  Tim Kennedy (18-5) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2) — Pending Commission Approval

  Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC) vs. Matt Brown (20-15) Valerie Letourneau (8-5) vs. Viviane Pereira (11-0) Zach Makovsky (19-7) vs. John Moraga (16-5)
  John Makdessi (14-5) vs. Lando Vannata (8-1) Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2) vs. Drew Dober (17-7) Jason Saggo (12-2) vs. Rustam Khabilov (20-3) Nikita Krylov (21-4) vs. Misha Cirkunov (12-2)

  Cub Swanson (23-7) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-1) Jordan Mein (26-10) vs. Emil Meek (8-2-1) Mitch Gagnon (12-3) vs. Matthew Lopez (8-1) Dustin Ortiz (15-6) vs. John Moraga (16-5)

• /  McGregor gives up Featherweight belt
• /  jose aldo – does he feel better ?
• /  Meisha Tate questions Rousey’s motivation upon return, is rooting for Nunes to retain belt“I guess whatʼs really difficult for me to decide is what weʼre going to get out of Rousey,” Tate told MMA Junkie at a recent media scrum in Melbourne, Australia. “Is she doing it because she wants to or is she doing it before she feels obligated? Is that knockout going to be in the back of her mind? Is she going to be punch shy? Itʼs kind of like – I remember when I went skiing for the first time, I was like 5 years old and I just blitzed down the hill. I had no fear. The first time that I wrecked really, really hard is when I realized this is actually dangerous … so you kind of wonder what has that put in the back of her mind?”

  “I know that Amanda is a very solid fighter and she hits like a ton of bricks,” Tate said. “Sheʼs a very worthy opponent. It should be interesting. … I want Amanda to win. Sheʼs a sweetheart and a good girl. I think she deserves it.”

• /  Big Nog says its time for Fedor to retire”He waited too much to [get into] the UFC,” Nogueira said. “If he got to the UFC five years ago, maybe seven years ago, something like this, he’d be in his prime, but now, it’s not his time to go anymore. So if I’m in his place, it’s time to retire.”

  Fedor (36-4, 1 NC) will be facing Matt Mitrione on February 18th, the first of his multi-year, multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Big Nog acknowledged Fedorʼs performance against Fabio Maldonado, which ended in a controversial decision win for “The Last Emperor,” but otherwise still believes he has enough left in the tank to get the win.

  “I mean Fedor is the favorite for this fight, he’s fighting more, he’s been more in shape,” Nogueira said. “But a fight’s a fight, you never know, you know? You have a fighter in [Fabio] Maldonado, in the last fight, you know, Maldonado surprised him. So a fight is a fight, but letʼs see — Fedor’s got everything to win this fight.”

• /  JDS calls out Stipe in tweetHey @stipemiocicufc enjoy Thanksgiving in ur new home- hope it’s filled w great food & friends. Let’s fight after the holidays?Brooklyn? LMK
• /  Rothwell annoyed by JDS
  @stipemiocicufc serious who cares man. **** off. Are wegoing to build the HW division or what?

Caged Madness 46 – MMA Fancast Special Edition Live!

Fight Number 1
Quentin Deal V due to ref stoppage for injury at 1:26 of the 1st Round. Right Cross from Bennet popped shoulder out. Fight continued briefly but fighter could not go past 1:26 …… noticeable protrusion on right shoulder

Fight Number 2
MMA debut by Matt “Goat” Adams
Dustin “Big Wig” Freet out of South Bend, Indiana
TKO Ref Stoppage at :30 seconds for Adams win in debut. Take down 10 seconds into the fight with Adams on top landing heavy shots. Freet covering up could not get back to his feet and showed little defense. Adams has a college wrestling background. Fought in Super HW Division

Fight Number 3 — Ref Jerry Crisp
Steve Allen Blue Corner 6’3″ 184lbs
Cambridge MA …. New Lexington, OH
Josh “Malibu” Barbee Red Corner
6’3″ 181.5 lbs. Independent Fighter
Barbee 10 seconds in going for guillotine choke, Allen could never escape and taps out in Round 1 at :31 seconds
“When I hit the ground, I knew it was in deep, but I couldn’t get it sunk in while standing.”

Fight Number 4 Featherweight Division
Referee Victor Franscesca
Anthony “The Noodle” Kocheran Red Corner
5’8″ 143lbs. Carlson Gracie Columbus
Columbus, OH
Hector “The Jet” Mares Blue Corner
5’6″ 144 lbs. Personal Combat Systems
Kilbuck, OH
front kick by Mares backfires as opponent takes him to the ground. Ground control in favor of Kocheran as he gets an armbar submission from full guard. Tapout at :42 seconds.
“We don’t need no excuse to work, baby. We just work.”

Fight Number 5 — Super HW Division
Referee Jerry Crisp
George “The Grizzly” Pointer Red Corner
6’3″ 302lbs. Apex Fight Systems
Akron, OH MMA Debut
Omar Bedingfield Blue Corner
6’2″ 290lbs. Wrestling Factory
Cleveland, OH
up against the cage and to the ground, no defense at all from Bedingfield, blows to kidneys, tapout Victory for Pointer in Rd. 1 at :49 seconds”

Fight Number 6
Referee Victor Vantresca
Jon Knott Blue Corner MMA debut
5’9″ 162lbs. Indy Allentown, PA
Terry Neff Red Corner
5’8″ 165lbs. Cambridge MA
Cambridge, OH
rd. 1 Knott with submission attempt with reversal and back to the feet. Body slam, body blows and back control 2nd guillotine choke attempt. Neff gets position reversal and finishes rd.1 on the ground in rear naked choke attempt.
Rd.2 … Knott takes it to the mat but loses control. Neff goes into the corner and gets positioned for ground n pound ends with Rear Naked Choke and tapout for victory by Terry Neff in Rd.2 at 2:33.

Fight Number 7 Featherweight Division
Referee Jerry Crisp
J’Mar Moore Red Corner
6’0″ 148.5lbs. Indy Akron, OH
Jose “El Matador” Burgos Blue Corner
5’3″ 147lbs. Personal Combat Systems
Kilbuck, OH
Burgos quickly gets ground control and full mount. lands a few shots then Moore gets FAST reversal and back to their feet. BIG knee by Moore, Burgos takes it to the ground and up against the fence. Rd.1 finishes on the ground with Burgos on top.
Rd.2 start– not much action to start until it goes against the fence with heavy blows in a flurry from top by Moore for TKO victory 1:17 of Rd.2
moves to 4-0 and next wants a title shot.

Fight Number 8 Welterweight Title Fight
Explosive Fight Promotions
Referee Victor Vantresca
Nate Davies Red Corner
6’2″ 170lbs. Victory MA
Tyler “The Outlaw” Collins Blue Corner
6’0″ 168.5lbs.
Ares Combat Sports
Rd.1 arms gassed by red after guillotine choke attempt, back to their feet. slam to the mat by Collins, Davies goes to full guard with slick reverse by Davies …. Collins then finishes with top position to end the round. Round 1 to Collins
Rd.2 Moore starts the round quickly getting on top, big blows from the top (2) rights landing solid. Collins gets back to top against the fence and continues with top control and finishes with him on top. Round could go either way but leaning towards Davies.
Rd.3 quick into the round Collins takes it to the ground with a body slam. No action any further after about :25-30 seconds and ref orders them up. Collins again gets control against the fence, back to the ground putting Davies in half guard. Round finishes once again with Collins on top. Collins pushed the action more often with Davies on defense, round to Collins. 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 to Collins out of the blue corner for new champ. “This isn’t even my weight class …. moved up a weight class like McGregor and look what I got now.”

Fight Number 9 Middleweight Title Fight
Explosive Fight Promotions
Referee Crisp
Joe Wheeler Red Corner
5’10” 185lbs. Indy Fombell, OH
“Hershey” Myles Robinson Blue Corner
5’10” 185lbs. Westside Barbell MMA
Columbus, OH
Rd.1 — Robinson starting with kicks, fighters eventually go to the mat with Wheeler taking top position :30sc in. QUICK(wow) reverse to the top by Robinson and pushes it to the fence. No action for 1/2 minute and ref stands them up. flurry by both fighters to finish the round, even round, edge to Robinson.
Rd.2 — Robinson starts more aggressive this round and gains back control. Wheeler escapes but it is short lived. back to the feet midway. Left cross, big by Robinson with a continuous flurry, ground n pound to finish the round with Robinson on top. Solid round to Myles Robinson. note …… Wheeler never gets up after the end of the round and scuttles back to his corner
Rd.3 — big straight left by Wheeler, jabs by both, scrum to the ground then ref stands them up again after little action. Wheeler gets more active midway but no real damage. uppercuts from Wheeler end up glancing Robinson, both fighters seem tired and end up against the fence with Robinson on top. Edge to Robinson. 30-27 Unanimous decision to Robinson for title.
“I knew he gets wild with punches and I tried to stay straight ahead.” “This is just a taste of what’s to come.”

Fight Number 10 — Pro Bout 150lbs.
Ref Victor
Dru “Drucifer” Schottenheimer Red Corner
5’11” 150lbs. Victory MA
Brandon “The Head Hunter” Davis Blue Corner
5’7″ 150lbs.
Rd.1 — both fighters trying to find distance, Davis starts to land with kicks. Fence action and dirty boxing with Davis back to the fence, big knee by Dru 2X midway, 1-2 combo by Davis lands both, Davis gets knocked down, leg kicks by Dru with opponent on the ground, flurry by Davis with a few elbows, round could go either way, giving edge to Davis.
Rd.2 — jockey for position again, left by Drucifer midway lands followed by left leg kick, spinning back kick by Dru lands, continues with kicks to Davis’ legs and starting to do damage. Dru now becomes more aggressive this round. leg kicks by Davis starting to get through and do some damage to Drucifer. The fight stayed up all round, edge to Dru’s corner.
Rd.3 — Dru starts with kicks again. continues with kicks to inside front leg(left), solid kicks again to the front leg, takedown attempt by Davis was unsuccessful. Davis gets backed up to the fence with a few knees, Solid round for Drucifer …… (leg kicks brutal).
30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Dru Schottenheimer in the red corner

Fight Number 11 Pro Bout Welterweight Division
Ref Crisp
Andrew Law Red Corner
6’2″ 170lbs. Victory MA
Scott Hudson Blue Corner
6’2″ 170lbs.
Rd.1 – Hudson starts with heavy right cross then leg kick to head, stiff jabs by both. Law with takedown attempt but is unsuccessful. Right cross by Hudson misses badly and Law gets the takedown. heavy right kick by Hudson to the midsection. knee lands by Hudson, right leg kick again. Law finally lands combos on the counter. Law right starting to land. Law gets more aggressive towards round end, elbow opens cut above left eye, but edge to Hudson,
Rd.2 — stiff jabs by Hudson, to the ground. strong flurry of combos, but an illegal knee stops the fight, should end in DQ. Ref confirming with head judge with LONG conversation. Call is an intentional foul and fighter is disqualified.
“He’s tough as nails, an incredible fighter, my hat’s off to him.”

Myles Robinson gets Fighter of the Night, Octagon247.com gets exclusive interview.