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The PPV that is not qualified to be a PPV

Z: Wow. Yeah. This is NOT a pay-per-view card.

C: It’s dog shit.

Z: Yeah this is NOT a pay-per-view card. (Worthy of repeating).

C: Yep. It’s bad.

Z: It umm, Nunes-Aldana? I’m glad we’re not just getting Nunes-Peña 3.

C: Phil was clamoring for Nunes-Peña 3 and I was like, “listen, there’s such a thing as a set up and a punchline.” And we got it. The story of that fight is done. The extremely basic question Nunes failed to answer the first time around, was successfully answered in the rematch. Let’s do something else.

That being said, I am sympathetic to people who complain this isn’t particularly interesting because that’s the case with most of Nunes’ title fights. But okay. Another one I guess.

Z: Yeah, I mean it’s the unfortunate thing too. If I imagine Nunes getting the fight she would love to have here, I imagine a ten-foot away, one-shot-at-a-time, kickboxing match.

C: Yeah.

Z: I imagine something along the lines of like, Shevchenko against uhhh…

C: You don’t have to search to far for that, cause we saw it was exactly that fight.

Z: I think Aldana will probably let her have that fight. Much more so than Peña would. So there’s that downside.

C: Yep. At least Peña would have enforced some kind of mess on her, ya know?

Z: Yeah, Peña ya know, she has a pathological need, to create a wild fight. That both led to her absolutely mauling Amanda Nunes one time, and getting mauled the second time. No matter whether succeeding or failing she can’t take her foot off the gas.

C: Yeah. So. And then there’s the rest of the card…

Z: There’s maybe a few fights???

C: Yeah, one really good fight. A couple of interesting ones. And that’s it.

Z: Yeah, realistically what we would have here is the standard UFC Fight Night, with just Oliveira vs. Dariush headlining.

C: Yeah.

Z: But we have that plus a title fight on top of it, so…

C: But like, how are they doing this?

Z: What do you mean?

~ Zane Simon & Connor Ruebusch

Z: I think a large part of it is, they are chained to a lack of flexibility more than ever, and with that being the case, fighters are also being more picky than ever.

If you become a top-shelf talent in the UFC. If you become somebody who is making even just like, a hundred-thousand dollars, or 75K, a reasonably talented… your Ilia Kopuria’s, your Dominic Cruz’s of the world, a top-shelf talent… then it behooves you more than ever to hold out for just the perfect spot, because that’s all the leverage you have.

Like, “oh, no I wanna fight on this date, against one of these two or three people, and if I can get that fight, then I’ll wait. Because I know if I do just take whatever the UFC throws at me, then I put myself in more jeopardy, than would be worth the chance of sitting and waiting it out for a better opportunity.” We’re seeing that more and more with our talented fighters.

UFC 289 PPV Fight Card | Sat. June 10 — 10/7PM ETPT

Here’s a look at the UFC 289: ‘Nunes vs. Aldana’ main pay-per-view fight card, as it stood at the time of recording:

UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana Prelims

The UFC 289 prelims have a pretty solid featured fight for ESPN between Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis. In fact, it’s solid enough that it’s kind of a shame that it’s not on PPV. Otherwise, much like the main card, the quality drop-off here is steep. The stakes are low, the prospects are minimal, hopefully the quality of the action will make up for what it lacks in curbside appeal. ~ Zane Simon

Picks Stats

For those of you following the Vivi picks made on the show, we started tracking the stats for them in early 2020. Current event picks for the guys are now located in the last table of the current sheet in the attached file. So far, here are the overall standings:

Reference Vivi Picks Stats Spreadsheets:

Subscribe for Bonus Content

Don’t forget, in order to join the podcast Substack community and comment on the shows, or access the full show archive, or any of our Bonus Podcasts, you still have to pledge your support and become a paid subscriber.

Give us your email address and you can subscribe specifically to the podcasts and hosts you enjoy the most, and opt out of the others. You will be notified when those shows post new episodes and when we drop bonus content podcasts (like ‘The MMA Bunker/MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, ‘Show Money’, & more).

Our Talented MMA Vivi Sponsor

The UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana edition of The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by our Bloody Elbow Art Director: Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Join Us For Our Next Event

The next event after UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana, will be UFC Vegas 75 Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier, which is broadcasting from the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We have a new home on Substack

Thank you for tuning in to this ‘UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana’ MMA Vivisection Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

Our other podcast platforms

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, Outcast, Podbay.fm, Podcast App, PodBean, Podtail, ThisMMALife, Listen Notes, RSSRadio, Podtail, Podcast Republic, Castaway & Castaway 2, iVooxApp, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, AntennaPod, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Owltail, podtoppen.se, PodCruncher, Castbox, AntennaPod, PodkickerPro, Music Bee, Podvine, Muck Rack, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, & SoundCloud!

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Join us after UFC Vegas 74: ‘Kara-France vs. Albazi’ wraps up…

for our 6th Round Post-Fight Show, hosted by resident Bloody Elbow Fight Analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Eddie Mercado. The guys will recap all the action that just went down between UFC Flyweight top contenders, Kai Kara-France (No.4) and Amir Albazi (No.7), complete with hot takes, possible next fights and reactions to the overall UFC Vegas 74 event.

BONUS CONTENT

The guys will be recording audio after the shows usually wrap up. Zane and Eddie have implemented a new ‘numerical star rating system’ for reviewing the bouts on the card during these segments, which is highly entertaining. We will have the audio free and audio bonus shows both up for you during the night on Saturday.

On Sunday you can get an enhanced premium video package, with the bonus star rating segment attached, right on our substack for our paid subscribers only, all of the content in just one click. All you need to do is join us at BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com, share your email with us (so we can notify you when new shows drop), and pledge your support to our podcast team — so we can keep bringing the shows to you, especially in video (video will air LIVE on the BE YouTube Channel for PPV events, immediately after our Live PBP Watch Parties).

What Transpired?

This 13-bout card saw two exciting first round finishes, four thrilling KO/TKO’s, one sweet sub, and eight hard-fought decisions, two split. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC Vegas 74 were awarded to: Muhammad Naimov and Jim Miller. Fight of the Night for this event went to: ‘Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda’.

UFC Vegas 74: ‘Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi’ Fight Card & Results

Main Card | SAT. MAY 20

Prelims Card

Zane’s Picks

Here are Zane’s picks from the UFC Vegas 74 MMA Vivisection Main Card & Prelims shows earlier this week:

Follow Your Hosts

Please follow Zane (@TheZaneSimon) and Eddie (@TheEddieMercado) on Twitter; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Listen on Our SoundCloud

Quick View

Welcome to the 6th Round Retro Post-Fight Show

This is the show that digs into the archives and gives you a comprehensive review of classic MMA events that span as far back as UFC 1, PRIDE, K-1, and now DREAM!

This Episode: DREAM 1

Join Eddie Mercado & Victor Rodriguez as they delve into the world of DREAM (a popular MMA Promotion) based out of Japan. We conducted a retroactive post-fight show for the inaugural ‘DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 1st Round’ event this week, straight out of the archives of yesteryear. So let’s take a trip back to Sat, Mar 15, 2008.

The guys will explore the inaugural MMA Promotions event, which featured the first seven tournament bouts, fought at 154 lbs (70 kg), along with a trio of open-weight fights – complete with results, analysis, and of course a few laughs. The event was broadcast LIVE across Japan on the TBS Television network, from the Saitama Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan. The event remarkably attracted a sellout crowd for its debut, with 19,120 viewers.

For those of you not in the know, the ‘DREAM Grand Prix Tournament Series’ required all bouts be fought under their own ‘DREAM Mixed Martial Arts Rules’, which amounted to a ten-minute first round and a five-minute second round, with the fights judged overall.

The evening’s main event showcased the 2007 ‘HERO’s Middleweight Champion’, J. Z. Calvancanti of Brazil throwing down with Japan’s own judoka, Shinya Aoki. “HERO’s” was another Japanese MMA Promotion at the time, affiliated with K-1. HERO’s was discontinued in order to create the new DREAM franchise in collaboration with former PRIDE FC executives, after the UFC acquired PRIDE. And if you aren’t familiar with PRIDE – well, I don’t know what to tell you… you had best go down a google-search-rabbit-hole this weekend and learn about one of the most innovative and legendary promotions in the history of the sport.

Anyway, we had the exciting, fun, new, promising DREAM MMA Promotion debuting a tournament series with a card featuring a total of ten bouts; with half of them ending in finishes! Take away the four decisions and we got three knockouts and two submissions… then throw in one no contest thanks to an injury via illegal elbows (which btw, spoiler alert, happened to be the result of the main event) and you had one helluva event.

Watch with us

If you would like to watch the bouts, Victor says he found the event on YouTube in its entirety. I had no such luck, but was able to locate most of the individual bouts and some highlight reels, they are all linked into this post. As of the time of this writing, a message has gone out to Victor to try to obtain this elusive link; if located, the post will be updated with it as soon as possible. If a bout was split into two clips, I have them one after the other in the timestamp segment of the post below.

Join us to rediscover all the action and discuss as we go along! Let’s check it out!

TIMESTAMPS:

Have you loved this show? We always have. Sadly, this is the final round for the RETRO…

Due to our Podcast Network now being 100% listener-financed, we have been forced to make some changes to our Broadcast Schedule recently. We crunched the numbers, looked at the ratings, listened to feedback and just had no choice but to let some shows go, at least for now. 

In addition to letting some shows go, we also made the decision to cease production of “non-UFC-event week podcast content”…. the RETRO falls into that category, and we are all sad to see it retired. We would like to sincerely thank you all for listening to Vic and Eddie here on the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network over the years, though. And thanks for joining us here today, as well.

If you want to keep our new broadcast schedule going and hopefully help us bring you new content in the future, please consider pledging your support to our podcast team and becoming a paid Substack subscriber by giving us your email and five bucks (one less Happy Meal, you guys.) Do it now, the button is right here ↘︎

Follow Us

Follow Eddie at @TheEddieMercado and Vic at @VicMRodriguez us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thanks for Listening!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Catch the entirety of the last RETRO for FREE, anywhere! Including our SoundCloud right here:

The MMA Depressed-us returns for Ep. 76

Are you ready for some torturously bad fights, fellow MMA masochists?

We have made some changes to the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production Schedule, and have decided for now, this will be our last ‘non-event week’ of podcast coverage.

But don’t panic… The MMA Depressed-us gang are safe. Because we plan to eventually bring you an MMA Depressed-us episode as often as once a month — as part of our regular rotation, not just when the UFC takes a break in their calendar!

For this episode, your triple threat team are watching three of the “best worst fights” out of the recent line up. Two of these three are by no definition the best of anything actually. But that is what we do, what torturous fights and terrible MMA movies just for your entertainment.

“We’re giving you two stinkers and one instantly bad classic. A balanced diet — like a salad with no dressing and just a bucket of pork rinds, basically”… “Or like chomping on raw kale and following it up with the cooking grease from a burger.”

Connor Ruebusch & Zane Simon

Bout One

We start off this episode with a fight that made us all angry, because we all pretty much liked the fighter involved and thought she would give us some good fights. ‘Karol Rosa vs Norma Dumont’ from UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes, which occured on April 22nd., 2023.

Bout Two

To follow that up, we have the fight that this show was made for, ‘Muhammad Usman vs. Junior Tafa’, from that same Fight Night card, ‘Pavlovich vs. Blaydes’.

Bout Three

We wrap up the episode with one of those fights you would think should have been exciting, but then it absolutely wasn’t: ‘Cody Garbrandt vs. Trevin Jones’ from UFC 285. If you don’t want to subject yourself to the fight, just pause your stream, and listen to the guys discuss Garbrandt’s sideburn tattoos, Jones’ back piece, Masvidal’s latest ink, and more fun tidbits of MMA banter.

The MMA Depressed-us Podcast on the Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack Network is a 100% listener-financed broadcast. To receive emails when each new episode drops and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

~ Bloody Elbow Podcast Team

Where to watch

As is not usually the case with the show, we’re watching all bouts on ESPN+, instead of UFC Fight Pass. For those that wish to watch along with us, start each video at the beginning when Zane says, “3, 2, 1, go!” If you’re watching these videos on another platform, Connor will try to announce the start the beginning of Round 1, so you can sync up with us from there.

Substack Bonus Content Podcast

In case you were not already aware, when it was determined it was time to bring the MMA Depressed-us back from Patreon, we put it behind the Substack paywall. For those of you who are currently free subscribers or listening to us on another podcast platform you will get about a ten minute glimpse into the hilarity of the show. For those of you listeners pledging your support to keep our Podcast Network alive and support our team, you will be treated to the entire 1:22:32 run time for this episode.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more. 

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today. 

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Follow Us

Follow Zane @TheZaneSimon, Connor @BoxingBusch, & Phil @EvilGregJackson, while you’re at it follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thanks for Listening!

Catch a glimpse of the show on our SoundCloud

This Week’s Guest

Jason Lee of MMAi Fight Analytics is the founder of the popular MMA site which also features an array of fascinating documentaries on their YouTube channel. Based out of Chicago, IL, the industry leader in “analyzing the intersection of technology, business and MMA’“ can be found at YouTube.com/@mma_analytics, Jason is breaking ground there with a series of fascinating documentary videos delving deep into the technical side of the combat sports industry.

Their latest video up right now titled, “Francis’ Future and the MMAi Strategic Plan, aka: We are STILL missing the point of Francis’ Contract” is a must-see piece. It can be found right here.

‘Kid Nate’ welcomes him onto the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, while giving all you lucky BE Paid Substack listeners almost a full hour of pure, unadulterated MMA content.

This Week’s Episode

Hola cage-fighting connoisseurs! In this episode, ‘Kid Nate’ hunkers down in the MMA Bunker with his elite guest, Jason Lee, of MMAi Fight Analytics.

Their wildly popular YT channel is self-described as a place where they are “Leveraging the scientific method, data and advanced scouting to produce the most rigorous MMA breakdowns in the sport. Plus, regular investigative pieces diving deep into the most important questions in MMA and the business of MMA. Nowhere on YouTube will keep you better appraised of the FULL landscape of MMA than MMAi”.

Nate and Jason got together recently to talk over a variety of combat sports topics. Click play on the show and join the discussion…

Topics Include:

Tune-in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production with our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, and enjoy! Thanks for pledging your support to the efforts of our 100% listener-supported podcast team, and joining us for the show today!

Show History

The ‘MMA Tête–À–Tête‘ with ‘Kid Nate’ was born as a spin off of our wildly successful ‘MMA Bunker’ podcast & Kid Nate’s ‘Bathrobe Review’ series, about a decade or so ago. This show has always featured our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ inviting guests from the MMA world and MMA Media Community to have a one-on-one candid conversation with him about hot button topics in Combat Sports. Today, we continue on with that tradition.

Previous guests have included MMA notables, the likes of which include; Luke Thomas, Coach Michael Riordan, Dallas Winston, Brian D’Souza, John Makdessi, Jack Encarnacao, Zane Simon, Stephie Haynes, Eugene S. Robinson, Ben ‘The Bane’ Davis, Jason Cruz, Karim Zidan, Fight Opinion’s Zach Arnold, and now Jason Lee of MMAi Fight Analytics.

We churned out a total of sixty-six episodes of the show over the course of two years, spanning from 2011 to 2013. It is truly our pleasure to bring this MMA show back to the airwaves for you. Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production with our owner, ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox.

Follow Us

You can enjoy more from Jason Lee regarding his journey connecting MMA with Analytics. Follow him for engaging content on twitter @mmai_analytics on YouTube and instagram. You can also catch up with ‘Kid Nate’ on twitter @KidNate. While you’re browsing social media, be sure to follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for your support!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE combat sports oriented shows you love, like ‘Show Money’, ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: 

AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Listen to a Glimpse of the Show on Our SoundCloud

https://soundcloud.com/bloody-elbow-podcast/francis-ngannou-is-the-muhammad-ali-for-our-sport-mma-tete-a-tete-08/s-1P7QKUVTviB?si=f1be1d1d212f44e681e7de70eeb24fe5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

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The Show Money crew is Paul Gift, “the economist”, Jason Cruz, “the lawyer”, and John Nash, “Bloody Elbow’s Financials Columnist”, who also happens to be the man who knows everyone and everything in MMA. They bring you the business side of MMA, in depth, in a way you won’t find anywhere else! 

Show Money

In Episode 52 recorded on Friday, May 19, the issues discussed include: 

• The Show Money Crew offering their thoughts on Francis Ngannou signing with PFL
• Will the PFL (Professional Fighters League) recoup the investment it has made on Francis Ngannou?
• If Conor McGregor were fighting under Francis Ngannou’s contract in the UFC, he would be making a lot more than he has been; he would be getting a much larger percentage of the event revenue

“Francis Ngannou is NOT the highest paid fighter even with the PFL deal, Conor McGregor is. However, if Conor was under the terms Francis just got, he would be making a ton more.“

John Nash

• Francis Ngannou will be getting the high end of seven figures; making this the best contract we have seen in a major promotion to date
• It benefits PFL for Francis Ngannou to set up a boxing match before starting with them in 2024
• Will UFC leave their streaming deal with ESPN behind?
• New update on the UFC Financials that were recently released
• UFC is hitting peak everything, revenue, etcetera — yet fighter pay is reversed, down to 13%, which it the lowest percentage by combat sports industry standards

Watch the entire video on our Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack. Or listen to the show in its entirety with our audio version of the broadcast.

Follow Us

Be sure and follow Paul at @MMAanalytics, John at @heynottheface, and Jason at @dilletaunt for all of their twitter musings; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: 

AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thanks for Listening!

Catch a Glimpse of the Show on our SoundCloud (45 mins)

Bloody Elbow has a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage.  If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

Join the new Bloody Elbow

Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

Subscribe now!

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Join us after UFC Vegas 73: ‘Dern vs. Hill’ wraps up…

for our 6th Round Post-Fight Show, hosted by resident Bloody Elbow Fight Analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Dayne Fox. The guys will recap all the action that just went down between UFC Strawweight top contenders, Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill, complete with hot takes, possible next fights and reactions to the overall UFC Vegas 73 event.

BONUS CONTENT

The guys will be recording via Skype after the shows usually wrap up. Zane and Eddie have implemented a new ‘numerical star rating system’ for reviewing the bouts on the card during these segments, which is highly entertaining. All you need to do is join us at BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com, share your email with us so we can notify you when new shows drop, and pledge your support to our podcast team — so we can keep bringing the shows to you, especially in video for PPV events.

What Transpired?

This now 12-bout card saw one exciting first round finish, six thrilling KO/TKO’s, no subs, and six hard-fought decisions, one split. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC Vegas 73 were awarded to: Carlos Diego and Viacheslav Borshchev. Fight of the Night for this event went to: ‘Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill’.

UFC Vegas 73: ‘Dern vs. Hill’ Fight Card & Results

Main Card | SAT. MAY 20

Prelims Card

Zane’s Picks

Here are Zane’s picks from the UFC Vegas 73 MMA Vivisection Main Card & Prelims shows earlier this week:

Follow Your Hosts

Please follow Zane (@TheZaneSimon) and Dayne (@TheDayneFox) on Twitter; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive instant notifications when your favorite shows drop – directly into your inbox.

In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn!

Listen on Our SoundCloud

In response to a great number of loyal Bloody Elbow Podcast Network listeners asking this question since all the new changes have been happening around here, we have put together this handy guide on how to find and follow/subscribe to your favorite shows once more!

Best Place to Go:

Why BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com?

• First of all, this is our new podcast feed hosting platform. This is the first place all of our shows will post on the regular, in HD. On the home page you will find every one of our shows. At the top of the page you will find tabs leading to our various podcast “sections” (i.e.: Playlists – for each individual show). You will also find a tab to our archives, including posts made on the previous ‘BE Presents Podcast Network’.

• Secondly, there are three ways to use the podcast Substack:
  • Just access the page and browse around, for FREE.
  • Subscribe for FREE, by providing your email address. You will then be notified when new shows drop, if you want, you can opt out of emails. That’s right, you can opt in or out of the emails, for the main feed, as well as for each individual show. You can listen to most of your favorite shows in their entirety and read their corresponding posts. You will be able to catch the first several minutes of the bonus content shows to contemplate whether or not you want to become a paid subscriber so you can hear the rest of the show. You can cancel at anytime.
  • Pledge your support to our podcast team by becoming a paid subscriber for as low as $5 a month. Why? What more do I get? Provide your email address AND set up your paid subscription and you will not only be notified when all of the new shows drop, but now your notices will include all of our BONUS PODCASTS that are ONLY available to our paid subscribers! These include: ‘The MMA Bunker/MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The MMA Depressed-us’, ‘The Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, ‘Show Money’, and ‘Crooklyn’s Corner’, and maybe more shows to come! ALSO, you gain access to the BONUS CONTENT we are now recording at the end of most of our podcast episodes (20-40 mins or so of additional MMA content from your favorite hosts, or from their surprise guests, which you won’t want to miss out on).

• Benefit to having these tabs/sections/playlists to click on at Substack? Each one of our podcasts now has its own individual unique RSS feed. Which means you can choose to only follow the shows you like, or the hosts you prefer. Shows/hosts you may not be too keen on, you don’t have to follow them, OR be emailed about them. Each tab will list all of the episodes we have broadcast of that show (since we moved to Substack recently) for you to conveniently browse through.

UPDATE — AS OF MAY 18, 2023: The primary RSS feed and section tab labeled “Bloody Elbow Podcasts” now has every single one of our shows posted to that section so you can subscribe to be emailed about them all and follow that one single feed on all of our partner platforms. WE ARE BACK!

ADDITIONAL PLATFORMS TO FOLLOW US ON:

We are now back on every single one of these platforms under Bloody Elbow Podcasts, current episodes and archives as well. Many of these platforms also host our individual show RSS Feeds, in addition to the main RSS Feed.

APPLE PODCASTS/iTUNES

We now own a CHANNEL on the Apple Platform called “Bloody Elbow Podcast” (no longer ‘Presents’). That channel offers our 12 podcasts to follow individually, at your discretion. You can search for the channel – or search for each podcast individually by name, as shown below…

OUR APPLE PODCAST CHANNEL INCLUDES THESE SHOW URLS:
MAIN BLOODY ELBOW PODCASTS FEED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bloody-elbow-podcasts/id1679628841
MMA Vivisections, Main Card & Prelims Preview Shows: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mma-vivisection-shows-main-card-preview-prelims-card-preview/id1680298997
The 6th Round Post-Fight Show:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-6th-round-post-fight-show/id1680299440
The Show Money Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-show-money-podcast/id1680300849
The Hey Not the Face! Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hey-not-the-face-podcast/id1680299528
The MMA Bunker Podcast – with ‘Kid’ Nate Wilcox/MMA Tête-À-Tête: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mma-bunker-podcast-with-kid-nate-wilcox-mma-tête-à-tête/id1680301019
The MMA Depressed-us:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mma-depressed-us-podcast/id1680300962
The Level Change Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-level-change-podcast/id1680298645
The Care/Don’t Care Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/care-dont-care-podcast/id1679658955
Crooklyn’s Corner:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crooklyns-corner-podcast/id1680300166
6th Round RETRO:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/6th-round-retro-podcast/id1680300537
Exclusive Bloody Elbow MMA Interviews:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bloody-elbow-exclusive-mma-interviews/id1680300723

* NOTE: Our old podcast network was changed from ‘Bloody Elbow Presents’ to ‘Bloody Elbow Podcasts’ when this migration started, it has since been archived. It is still showing up on some platforms with shows that have not been updated for some time now. Eventually, these may drop off or these archives may live on forever, but that old feed where you used to find us will not be updated anymore. Sorry for the confusion.

Spotify

We now own a CATALOG of shows on the SPOTIFY platform called “Bloody Elbow Podcasts” (plural, and no longer ‘Presents’). That catalog offers the above 12 podcasts to follow individually, at your discretion. You must type in the full name of each show into the search area or click each individual unique “Spotify podcast url” below to find each of them on their platform and then click the ‘FOLLOW’ button on the shows you don’t want to miss. THE MAIN FEED FOR ALL THE SHOWS HAS NOW BEEBN FIXED, IT IS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN AND THE URL IS IN THE LIST BELOW AS WELL…

• The 6th Round Post-Fight Show: https://open.spotify.com/show/1wjWlMMj9YkPW7TWuF80tq?si=c58fd38d81ab40c2
• The MMA Depressed-us Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1IdQd5NQg3GbUZWvj0flN3?si=6eb3e307c93d44b7
• The MMA Vivisection Shows: ‘Main Card Preview’ & ‘Prelims Card Preview’: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kTALN1nEdEu1vyxRVqJhT?si=2d9f3100fb2440e4
• The MMA Bunker Podcast – with ‘Kid’ Nate Wilcox: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rPebLWxhytsLKJqVtZ4EW?si=935d4eb38ab149a3
• The Hey Not the Face! Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zq7EuXw3tEVFSLPZ0o0R2?si=5246da8212fa4b64
• Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iYC7YVbNppT088G96qLLy?si=5258c3eba688423c

• Bloody Elbow Exclusive MMA Interviews: https://open.spotify.com/show/24OmGnsqncbf3LobQgckav?si=95ef1db09e654018
• The Show Money Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ydgP0gJXvjfkO1wGVD70n?si=1c813adb8c84469a
• 6th Round RETRO Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yG0b4u6dVfow92W6UQYtQ?si=79e2e718339744ca
• Care/Don’t Care Podcast :https://open.spotify.com/show/4ruuVGdZ4n1xVZzqnrw7jp?si=55dade32a8a444d4
• The Level Change Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/04AqWVsPkyhlgES152ZXBw?si=0c7eaca8e84a4e68
• Bloody Elbow Podcasts (Main Feed with All Shows): https://open.spotify.com/show/55S2dpKYVqndaPTUojkELm?si=5d4185e8b97a46a7

iHeart Radio

We now own a CHANNEL on the iHeart Radio platform called “Bloody Elbow Podcasts” (plural, and no longer ‘Presents’). That channel offers the above 12 podcasts to follow individually, at your discretion. You must type in the full name of each show to search for it to follow.

Jump To

It may not be a headliner that draws many eyes, but UFC Vegas 73: Dern vs. Hill is a surprisingly alright offering from the UFC this week. The main event features two top ranked strawweights looking to reassert their claim to a spot among the division’s elite, and it should make for an interesting style clash. Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez is a quality test of still young middleweight prospects. And Andre Fialho vs. Joaquin Buckly should be fireworks for as long as it lasts. The UFC’s certainly made worse cards.

This week’s UFC Vegas 73: Dern vs. Hill prelims offering has a couple strong bookings. Maheshate vs. Borshchev looks like a slugfest from start to finish, and Vanessa Demopoulos has looked strong in her recent winning run. Chase Hooper will be worth watching up in his new division, and Natalia Silva has the appearance of a future flyweight contender in what’s essentially a showcase fight against Victoria Leonardo. Exactly the kind of fights we should be getting on the prelims of a smaller event.

Our Talented MMA Vivi Sponsor:

The UFC Vegas 73 Fight Night: Dern vs Hill edition of The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by our Bloody Elbow Art Director: Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

UFC Vegas73 Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill Fight Card

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 73 card, as it stood at the time of recording:

UFC Vegas 73 ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. MAY 20 — 7/4PM ETPT

UFC Vegas 73 ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT

Subscribe for Bonus Content

Don’t forget, in order to join the podcast Substack community and comment on the shows, or access the full show archive, or any of our Bonus Podcasts, you still have to pledge your support and become a paid subscriber.

Give us your email address and you can subscribe specifically to the podcasts and hosts you enjoy the most, and opt out of the others. You will be notified when those shows post new episodes and when we drop bonus content podcasts (like ‘The MMA Bunker/MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, ‘Show Money’, ‘Crooklyn’s Corner’, & more to come)!

Follow

Follow Zane @TheZaneSimon & Connor @BoxingBusch; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for Listening!

Vivi Picks Stats

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them in early 2020. So far, here are the overall standings:

Reference Vivi Picks Stats Spreadsheets:

The MMA Vivi’s have a new home on Substack

Thank you for tuning in to this ‘UFC Vegas 73 Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill’ MMA Vivisection Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

Our other podcast platforms

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, Outcast, Podbay.fm, Podcast App, PodBean, Podtail, ThisMMALife, Listen Notes, RSSRadio, Podtail, Podcast Republic, Castaway & Castaway 2, iVooxApp, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, AntennaPod, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Owltail, podtoppen.se, PodCruncher, Castbox, AntennaPod, PodkickerPro, Music Bee, Podvine, Muck Rack, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, & SoundCloud!

Listen to the UFC Vegas 73 Fight Night Vivi shows on our SoundCloud

Join us for our next event

The next event after UFC on ABC 4 Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida, will be UFC Vegas 73, which is of course broadcasting from the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our main event had been slotted to be Raquel Pennington vs. Irene Aldana; however, Aldana was rebooked to face Amanda Nunes in place of Juliana Peña at UFC 289. The headliner for UFC Vegas 73 is now booked as Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill, which had previously been slotted for this weekend’s main card.

This Week’s Guest

Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion is the founder of the popular MMA site, which is self-described as, “Your Global Connection to the Fight Industry; while FOX Sports cited them as “…one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA Pieces”. 

Zach is also the creator of Fight Opinion Radio. He is also a long-time professional wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts writer, focusing heavily on the North American and Japanese fight scenes.

He has written some of the biggest stories, scandals, and incidents that have taken place in the Japanese fight scene including:

• The start of PRIDE. the near-death of PRIDE in 2002-2003 (after former President Naoto Morishita was found dead), and the eventual death of PRIDE due to a major yakuza scandal
• The K-1 corporate tax evasion scandal of 2002-2003
• The collapse of the Japanese pro-wrestling scene (and the politics behind it)

‘Kid Nate’ welcomes him onto the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, while giving all the lucky BE Substack listeners over forty minutes of pure, unadulterated bonus content.

This Week’s Episode

Hola cage-fighting connoisseurs! In this episode, ‘Kid Nate’ hunkers down in the MMA Bunker with his elite guest, Zach Arnold, has written articles on numerous web sites including 1wrestling.com, WrestlingObserver.com, BoxingScene.com, and FoxSports.com. He is also the founder of PuroresuPower.com, a Japanese pro-wrestling web site started on June 20th, 2000. They talk a variety of combat sports topics. Click play on the show and join the discussion.

Topics Include:

Tune-in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production with our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, and enjoy! Thanks for pledging your support to the efforts of our 100% listener-supported podcast team, and joining us for the show today!

Show History

The ‘MMA Tête–À–Tête‘ with ‘Kid Nate’ was born as a spin off of our wildly successful ‘MMA Bunker’ podcast & Kid Nate’s ‘Bathrobe Review’ series, about a decade or so ago. This show has always featured our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ inviting guests from the MMA world and MMA Media Community to have a one-on-one candid conversation with him about hot button topics in Combat Sports. Today, we continue on with that tradition.

Previous guests have included MMA notables, the likes of which include; Luke Thomas, Coach Michael Riordan, Dallas Winston, Brian D’Souza, John Makdessi, Jack Encarnacao, as well as our very own Fight Analyst and Deputy Site Editor Zane Simon, MMA Podcast Producer and MMA Podcast Host Stephie Haynes and Guest Author and Podcast Host, Eugene S. Robinson, Ben ‘The Bane’ Davis, Jason Cruz, Karim Zidan, and now Zach Arnold.

We churned out a total of sixty-six episodes of the show over the course of two years, spanning from 2011 to 2013. It is truly our pleasure to bring this MMA show back to the airwaves for you. Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production with our owner, ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox.

Follow Us

You can enjoy more from Zach Arnold regarding global combat sports topics in North America and Japan on FightOpinion.com, and listen in on Fight Opinion Radio. Follow him for engaging content on twitter @FightOpinion. You can also catch up with ‘Kid Nate’ on twitter @KidNate. While you’re browsing social media, be sure to follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for your support!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE combat sports oriented shows you love, like ‘Show Money’, ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, Outcast, Podbay.fm, Podcast App, PodBean, Podtail, ThisMMALife, Listen Notes, RSSRadio, Podtail, Podcast Republic, Castaway & Castaway 2, iVooxApp, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, AntennaPod, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Owltail, podtoppen.se, PodCruncher, Castbox, AntennaPod, PodkickerPro, Music Bee, Podvine, Muck Rack, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, & SoundCloud.!

Listen to a Glimpse of the Show on Our SoundCloud

Jump To

Welcome to another one of our infamous and patented ‘Care/Don’t Care’ Podcasts, with…

Your Talented Trio of Hosts

The astounding Eugene S. Robinson:

Author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the upcoming “A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir”, & the ‘Fight Book’, “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of ‘The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast’, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’, as well as the recently released, ‘Bad Boss Brief Podcast’.

Eugene is joined by his co-hort, the indubitable John S. Nash:

Our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, co-host of our ‘Show Money Podcast’, & he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’.

The guys are moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes:

Host of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’, and our Bloody Elbow Podcast Producer.

Show Format

• Review our ‘Cares’ while offering up our UFC on ABC 4: ‘Rozenstruik vs. Almeida’ reactions.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming UFC Vegas 73: ‘Dern vs. Hill’ Fight Night card, quickly commenting on which fights are “HOT”, and which fights are “NOT” – by indicating if they care about the bout or not. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

If you haven’t taken a few moments to check out the WorkShyIndividual.com site, it is truly impressive, informative, and superbly compiled and displayed. We bow down to the talents of Mr. Beaton Finley in his voluntary & passionate efforts to track the stats for our show.

^{~ June M. Williams: BE Production Mgr, Ombudsperson, Podcast Syndication & Lead Fixer}

Join Us on Substack for Bonus Content

For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT, you also earn the ability to comment on the shows over on Substack & gain full access to the show archives housed there, as well as enjoying all the bonus podcasts, and podcast bonus content.

UFC on ABC 4 ‘Rozenstruik vs Almeida’ Reactions (10:53)

This now 11-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, four thrilling KO/TKO’s, three subs, and four hard-fought decisions, one split. Plus, one No Contest. Performances of the night: Ian Garry, Matt Brown, Jailton Almeida, & Carlos Ulberg. No FOTN for this event.

UFC on ABC 4 Fight Card Reactions | SAT. MAY 13 (19 Cares)

UFC Vegas 73: Dern vs. Hill ‘Cares’ & ‘Don’t Cares’ (40:58 — 15 Cares)

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC Vegas 73 Fight Night bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from the UFC APEX Facility, in Las Vegas, on Saturday, May 20th., 2023.

Here’s a look at the fight card for the upcoming UFC event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change…

UFC Vegas 73 MAIN CARD | SAT. MAY 20 — 7/4PM ETPT (14 CARES)

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT (2 CARES)

Exclusive Substack Content

Follow Us

John is on twitter as @heynottheface, you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod. Meanwhile, Eugene is @EugeneSRobinson on twitter and @MrSleep3 on instagram. Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thanks for Listening!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

Consult this guide below with all the necessary information you need on how to follow all of your favorite BE shows on your favorite platforms now, particularly if our shows are currently lost to you. Within the next week or two we hope to have this ‘RSS feed migration’ all sorted and have all of our shows appear everywhere once again…

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, Outcast, Podbay.fm, Podcast App, PodBean, Podtail, ThisMMALife, Listen Notes, RSSRadio, Podtail, Podcast Republic, Castaway & Castaway 2, iVooxApp, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, AntennaPod, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Owltail, podtoppen.se, PodCruncher, Castbox, AntennaPod, PodkickerPro, Music Bee, Podvine, Muck Rack, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, & SoundCloud!

Listen to the Show on SoundCloud: UFC on ABC 4 Reactions & UFC Vegas 73 Cares…

Table of Contents

The Event

The UFC on ABC 4: ‘Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida’ UFC Heavyweight top-fifteen contender fight goes down live this Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the co-main event, we have a surefire banger, which will be a Light heavyweight bout showcasing ‘Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker’. This top-8 contender match-up could determine a challenger for the UFC Light Heavyweight title in the future.

Rounding out the card, is ‘Daniel Rodriguez vs. Ian Garry’, ‘Carlos Ulberg vs. Ihor Potieria’, and Tim Means taking on Alex Morono.

Our Bloody Elbow expert fight analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Eddie Mercado will be throwing hot takes, possible next fights, results and reactions to the overall event out at you; immediately after the main event concludes, in our Live Stream Video 6th Round Post-Fight Show on our Bloody Elbow Podcast YouTube Channel.

Start Time

The UFC on ABC 4 Main Fight Night card begins on Saturday, May 13th., at 3/12PM ETPT on ABC/ESPN & ESPN+. Our Live Stream 6th Rd Post-Fight Show on the BE Podcast YT will commence right after the conclusion of the main event.

We approximate a 5PM ET start time for our show, and will update both this post and the Live Stream YT post throughout the event for you with a start time. We will have a ‘leniently moderated’ Live Chat for our YT Channel subscribers occurring during the show on YT as well.

That’s Too Early For Me

Don’t sweat it, you’ve gotta work or have other plans on Saturday, we’ve got you covered. Tonight we will additionally be broadcasting an AUDIO version of the show on our BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com page, which will go out to our entire Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, for FREE.

For our paid Substack subscribers we will have BONUS CONTENT, featuring Zane and Eddie’s new ‘Star Ranking’ system on the bouts from the event published on Sunday, May 14th…

In addition to that, on Sunday, our paid Substack subscribers can ALSO access a ‘Premium Enhanced Video Package’ of the show, which aired live on YT on Saturday. That video will have the audio ‘Star Ranking’ bonus content attached to the end of it — so you can get ALL of your Bonus Content in one viewing… no need to find the show on YouTube & Substack or elsewhere at that point, just go here:

SUBSCRIBE

For a meager Substack subscription fee — you not only get the ‘Enhanced Video and Bonus Content 6th Rd Combo Package’ AND full access to all of our archives, but you ALSO earn the right to comment on the posts AND receive ALL of our Bonus Podcast content! (Like The MMA Depressed-us, Show Money, The MMA Bunker, MMA Tête-Â-Tête with ‘Kid Nate’, Crooklyn’s Corner, and more!)

Full Fight Card

This now 11-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, four thrilling KO/TKO’s, three subs, and four hard-fought decisions, one split. Plus, one No Contest. Performances of the night: Ian Garry, Matt Brown, Jailton Almeida, & Carlos Ulberg. No FOTN for this event.

Here’s a look at the fight card & records for the event…

UFC on ABC 4: ‘Rozenstruik vs Almeida’ MAIN CARD | SAT. MAY 13 — 3/12PM ETPT

11. 265lbs – Jailton Almeida (19-2) DEF. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-5) — submission (rear naked choke) at 3:43 of Round 1

10. 205lbs – Anthony Smith (36-17) DEF. Johnny Walker (20-7) — unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

9. 170lbs – Ian Machado Garry (12-0) DEF. Daniel Rodriguez (17-4) — TKO (head kick & strikes) at 2:57 of Round 1

8. 205lbs – Carlos Ulberg (8-1) DEF. Ihor Potieria (19-4) — TKO (strikes) at 2:09 of Round 1

7. 170lbs – Alex Morono (23-8) DEF. Tim Means (32-15-1) — submission (guillotine choke) at 2:09 of Round 2

Check out Zane’s Picks from this week’s MMA Vivisection Shows covering UFC on ABC 4 ‘Rozenstruik vs Almeida’:
ZANE’S MAIN CARD PICKS: Almeida, Smith, Garry, Ulberg, & Morono
ZANE’S PRELIMS CARD PICKS: McGee, Williams, Stamann, Kim, Green, & Clark

ESPN/ESPN+ PRELIMS CARD | 11:30/8:30AM ETPT

6. 170lbs – Matt Brown (24-19) DEF. Court McGee (21-12) — KO (right hand) at 4:09 of Round 1

5. 265lbs – Karl Williams (9-1) DEF. Chase Sherman (16-12) — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

4. 135lbs – Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-5) DEF. Cody Stamann (21-6-1) — unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29028) // Stamann has officially contested the decision.

3. 125lbs – Mandy Böhm (8-2) DEF. Ji Yeon Kim (9-7-2) — technical split decision (28-27, 27-28, 28-27)

2. 170lbs – Bryan Battle (9-2) DEF. Gabe Green (11-5) — KO (right hand) at 0:14 of Round 1

1. 135lbs – Tainara Lisboa (6-2) DEF. Jessica-Rose Clark (11-9) — submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:20 of Round 3

Official UFC on ABC 4: Rozenstruik vs Almeida Scorecards

Streams

Catch our 6th Round Post-Fight Show Live YT Stream in the video player above, or by visiting our Bloody Elbow Podcast YouTube Channel after the conclusion of the UFC on ABC 4 Fight Night event.

Our audio broadcast of this live stream will appear on Saturday evening on the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network. as well as on our Bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com page with Bonus Content.

Our Enhanced 6th Round Post-Fight Show Premium Video & Bonus ‘Star Ranking Content Package’ for paid Substack subscribers will publish for you to stream on Sunday, May 14th., on our BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com page.

Audio 6th Round Post-Fight Show Streaming on our BE Podcast Network

We’re still found on your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile devices on these platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, Outcast, Podbay.fm, Podcast App, PodBean, Podtail, ThisMMALife, Listen Notes, RSSRadio, Podtail, Podcast Republic, Castaway & Castaway 2, iVooxApp, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, AntennaPod, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Owltail, podtoppen.se, PodCruncher, Castbox, AntennaPod, PodkickerPro, Music Bee, Podvine, Muck Rack, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, & SoundCloud.

Watch the Free 6th Round Content on our SoundCloud

Latest News

Follow BloodyElbow for all the latest news, results and analysis from UFC on ABC 4

This Week’s Guest

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016.

He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum.

He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

‘Kid Nate’ welcomes him onto the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, while giving all the lucky BE Substack listeners over forty minutes of pure, unadulterated bonus content.

This Week’s Episode

Hola cage-fighting connoisseurs! In this episode, ‘Kid Nate’ hunkers down in the MMA Bunker with his elite guest, Karim Zidan, award-winning journalist. They talk tête-à-tête on his MMA roots, the typo that lead to a captivating career in journalism, his experiences covering MMA and politics in Russia, how he came to be an expert on the infamous Ramzan Kadyrov, his unyielding devotion to his craft despite threats on his life, and more!

Topics Include:

Tune-in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production with our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, and enjoy! Thanks for pledging your support to the efforts of our 100% listener-supported podcast team, and joining us for the show today!

Show History

The ‘MMA Tête–À–Tête‘ with ‘Kid Nate’ was born as a spin off of our wildly successful ‘MMA Bunker’ podcast & Kid Nate’s ‘Bathrobe Review’ series, about a decade or so ago. This show has always featured our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ inviting guests from the MMA world and MMA Media Community to have a one-on-one candid conversation with him about hot button topics in Combat Sports. Today, we continue on with that tradition.

Previous guests have included MMA notables, the likes of which include; Luke Thomas, Coach Michael Riordan, Dallas Winston, Brian D’Souza, John Makdessi, Jack Encarnacao, as well as our very own Fight Analyst and Deputy Site Editor Zane Simon, MMA Podcast Producer and MMA Podcast Host Stephie Haynes and Guest Author and Podcast Host, Eugene S. Robinson, Ben ‘The Bane’ Davis, Jason Cruz, and now, Karim Zidan.

We churned out a total of sixty-six episodes of the show over the course of two years, spanning from 2011 to 2013. It is truly our pleasure to bring this MMA show back to the airwaves for you. Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production with our owner, ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox.

Follow Us

You can enjoy more from Karim Zidan regarding the places where combat sports intersect with politics on his @SportsPolitika Substack newsletter, continue to enjoy his work here as our Investigations Editor on Bloody Elbow, read his words in The New York Times, and The Guardian, and follow him for engaging content on twitter @ZidanSports. You can also catch up with ‘Kid Nate’ on twitter @KidNate. While you’re browsing social media, be sure to follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for your support!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE combat sports oriented shows you love, like ‘Show Money’, ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen to a Glimpse of the Show on Our SoundCloud

Jump To

Welcome to another one of our infamous and patented ‘Care/Don’t Care’ Podcasts, with…

Your Talented Trio of Hosts

The astounding Eugene S. Robinson: author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the upcoming “A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir”, & the ‘Fight Book’, “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of ‘The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast’, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’, as well as the recently released, ‘Bad Boss Brief Podcast’.

Eugene is joined by his co-hort, the indubitable John S. Nash: our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, co-host of our ‘Show Money Podcast’, & he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’.

The guys are moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes: of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’, and our Bloody Elbow Podcast Producer.

Show Format

• Review our ‘Cares’ while offering up our UFC 288: ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’ reactions.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming UFC on ABC 4: ‘Rozenstruik vs. Almeida’ Fight Night card, quickly commenting on which fights are “HOT”, and which fights are “NOT” – by indicating if they care about the bout or not. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

If you haven’t taken a few moments to check out the WorkShyIndividual.com site, it is truly impressive, informative, and superbly compiled and displayed. We bow down to the talents of Mr. Beaton Finley in his voluntary & passionate efforts to track the stats for our show.

^{~ June M. Williams: BE Production Mgr, Ombudsperson, Podcast Syndication & Lead Fixer}

Join Us on Substack for Bonus Content

For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT, you also earn the ability to comment on the shows over on Substack & gain full access to the show archives housed there, as well as enjoying all the bonus podcasts, and podcast bonus content.

UFC 288 ‘Sterling vs Cejudo’ Reactions (2:00)

This now 12-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, five thrilling KO/TKO’s, no subs, and six hard-fought decisions, two split. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC 288 were awarded to: only Yan Xiaonan. Fight of the Night for UFC 288 went to: ‘Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes’.

UFC 288 Fight Card Reactions | SAT. MAY 6 (19 Cares)

UFC on ABC 4: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida ‘Cares’ & ‘Don’t Cares’ (39:33 — 15 Cares)

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC on ABC 4 Fight Night event bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from Spectrum Center, in North Carolina, on Saturday, May 13th., 2023 — in the DAYTIME!

Here’s a look at the fight card for the upcoming UFC event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change…

UFC on ABC 4 MAIN CARD | SAT. MAY 13 — 3/12PM ETPT (14 CARES)

ESPN/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 11:30/8:30AM ETPT (1 CARE)

Exclusive Substack Content

Follow Us

John is on twitter as @heynottheface, you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod. Meanwhile, Eugene is @EugeneSRobinson on twitter and @MrSleep3 on instagram. Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thanks for Listening!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

Consult this guide below with all the necessary information you need on how to follow all of your favorite BE shows on your favorite platforms now, particularly if our shows are currently lost to you. Within the next week or two we hope to have this ‘RSS feed migration’ all sorted and have all of our shows appear everywhere once again…

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platform:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp.

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen to the Show on SoundCloud: UFC 288 Reactions & UFC on ABC 4 Cares…

Jump To

Join us after UFC 288: ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’ wraps up…

for our 6th Round Post-Fight Show, hosted by resident Bloody Elbow Fight Analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Eddie Mercado. The guys will recap all the action that just went down between UFC Bantamweight Champion, Aljamain Sterling and top-contender, Henry Cejudo, complete with hot takes, possible next fights and reactions to the overall UFC 288 event.

NOW ON VIDEO

We brought the show back to LIVE VIDEO recently — and have a plan on how to keep the train rolling forward. For every Fight Night event, the show will air live on our Bloody Elbow Podcast YouTube Channel (formerly known as: Bloody Elbow Presents Channel). For every PPV event, the show will air live on our Bloody Elbow YouTube Channel (“The Big One”) directly after our all new FREE LIVE stream PPV Watch Parties! Which will debut for UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo, Live From The Prudential Center In Newark, New Jersey, on May 6, 2023.

BONUS CONTENT

Can’t catch the live events? We’ve got you covered, on Sundays (starting with UFC 288), we will be publishing enhanced video packages of the shows, with added on bonus segments the guys will be recording after the shows usually wrap up. Zane and Eddie have implemented a new ‘numerical star rating system’ for reviewing the bouts on the card during these segments, which is highly entertaining. All you need to do is join us at BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com, share your email with us so we can notify you when new shows drop, and pledge your support to our podcast team — so we can keep bringing the shows to you, especially in video.

UFC 288: ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’ 6th Round Live Stream

What Transpired?

This now 12-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, five thrilling KO/TKO’s, no subs, and six hard-fought decisions, two split. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC 288 were awarded to: only Yan Xiaonan. Fight of the Night for this event went to: ‘Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes‘.

UFC 288: ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’ Fight Card & Results

Main PPV Card ESPN+ | SAT. MAY 6

Featured Prelims Card ESPN+

Early Prelims Card UFC FIGHTPASS

Zane’s Picks!

Here are Zane’s picks from the UFC 288 MMA Vivisection Main Card & Prelims shows earlier this week:

Follow Your Hosts

Please follow Zane (@TheZaneSimon) and Eddie (@TheEddieMercado) on Twitter; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, ‘Crooklyn’s Corner’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too: Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen on Our SoundCloud

Jump To

The Event

The UFC 288: ‘Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo’ UFC Bantamweight Championship title fight goes down live this Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The headlining top-contenders title contention bout will not be the only five-round fight on the card…

In the co-main event, we have another five-rounder, which will be a Welterweight banger showcasing ‘Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns’. This match-up could determine a challenger for the UFC Welterweight title in the near future.

Rounding out the PPV, is ‘Jéssica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan’, ‘Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes’, and Kron Gracie returning to take on Charles Jourdain.

Our Bloody Elbow expert fight analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Eddie Mercado will be throwing hot takes, possible next fights, results and reactions to the overall event out at you; immediately after the main event concludes, in our Live Stream Video 6th Round Post-Fight Show on our Bloody Elbow YouTube Channel.

Start Time

The UFC 288 Main PPV (Pay-Per-View) card begins on Saturday, May 6th., at 10/7PM ETPT on ESPN+ PPV. Our Live Stream 6th Rd Post-Fight Show on the BE YT will commence right after the conclusion of the main event.

We approximate a midnight ET start time for our show, and will update both this post and the Live Stream YT post throughout the event for you with a start time. We will have a ‘leniently moderated’ Live Chat for our YT Channel subscribers occurring during the show on YTA as well.

That’s Too Late For Me

Don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered. On Sunday, May 7th., we will additionally be broadcasting an AUDIO version of the show on our BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com page, which will go out to our entire Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, for FREE.

For our paid Substack subscribers we will have BONUS CONTENT, featuring Zane and Eddie’s new ‘Star Ranking’ system on the bouts from the event…

In addition to that, on Sunday, our paid Substack subscribers can ALSO access a ‘Premium Enhanced Video Package’ of the show, which aired live on YT on Saturday night. That video will have the audio ‘Star Ranking’ bonus content attached to the end of it — so you can get ALL of your Bonus Content in one viewing… no need to find the show on YouTube & Substack or elsewhere at that point, just go here:

Price

While the actual UFC 288 ESPN+ PPV itself would set you back $79.99 for current ESPN+ subscribers. New subscribers are offered a bundle price of $124.98 for the PPV and an annual subscription to ESPN+ (with the monthly ESPN+ option running $9.99 a month vs. $99.99 a year).

In addition to those whopping rates, they are also trying to entice you with the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ “Bundle Deal”; the ad-supported version of that package is precisely $13.99… no-ads drives it up to $19.99… those are monthly rates.

HOWEVER — FORGET ALL THAT NONSENSE…

Join us on the Live Stream on YT, OR for the rebroadcast on Sunday, and hear all the juicy tidbits about the event, details, results, breakdowns, fight analysis, hot takes, potential next bouts for winners and losers, presented in a knowledgeable yet entertaining fashion – ALL FOR FREE on our BE YT!

We will also provide you with a FREE Audio Broadcast of the Post-Fight Show on our BE Podcast Network in the middle of the night or early Sunday morning.

Plus, for a meager Substack subscription fee — you not only get the ‘Enhanced Video and Bonus Content 6th Rd Combo Package’ AND full access to all of our archives, but you ALSO earn the right to comment on the posts AND receive ALL of our Bonus Podcast content! (Like The MMA Depressed-us, Show Money, The MMA Bunker, MMA Tête-Â-Tête with ‘Kid Nate’, Crooklyn’s Corner, and more!)

WAIT – That’s not all! WE HAVE CONFIRMED WE ARE NOW PRESENTING A LIVE STREAM UFC 288 ‘WATCH PARTY’ with a LIVE CHAT, prior to the Post-Fight Show, starting with the featured prelims and going on through the entire PPV Card!

You can join us on our Bloody Elbow YouTube Channel Right Here between when the Featured Prelims start and stay for the entire PPV card for a LIVE STREAM ‘WATCH PARTY’ OF UFC 288 with PBP, reactions, and commentary from our own MMA Personalities: ‘@Caseharts’ & ‘WZodiacKodiak’, along with the return of our beloved OG Dallas Winston , aka: ‘@UncleJustice’, around 7/4PM ETPT!

Full Fight Card

ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD: ‘Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo’
SAT. MAY 6, 10/7PM ETPT

12. UFC BW Championship, 5 Rds at 135lbs — Aljamain Sterling (22-3) vs. Henry Cejudo (16-2) | Zane Picked: Cejudo

11. Co-Main, 5 Rds at 170lbs — Belal Muhammad (22-3) vs. Gilbert Burns (22-5) | Zane Picked: Muhammad

10. 115lbs — Jéssica Andrade (24-10) vs. Yan Xiaonan (16-3) | Zane Picked: Andrade

9. 145lbs — Movsar Evloev (16-0) vs. Diego Lopes (21-5) | Zane Picked: Evloev

8. 155lbs — Kron Gracie (5-1) vs. Charles Jourdain (13-6-1) | Zane Picked: Jourdain

MAKE YOUR UFC 288 PICKS HERE

^{Will it be King Aljo or King Henry on Sunday morning? Art by Chris Rini}

ESPN+ FEATURED PRELIMS | 8/5PM ETPT

7. 155lbs — Drew Dober (26-11) vs. Matt Frevola (10-3-1) | Zane Picked: Dober

6. 205lbs — Kennedy Nzechukwu (11-3) vs. Devin Clark (14-7) | Zane Picked: Nzechukwu

5. 170lbs — Khaos Williams (13-3) vs. Rolando Bedoya (14-1) | Zane Picked: Williams

4. 115lbs — Marina Rodriguez (16-2-2) vs. Virna Jandiroba (18-3) | Zane Picked: Rodriguez

UFC FIGHTPASS EARLY PRELIMS | 6/3PM ETPT

3. 265lbs — Braxton Smith (5-1) vs. Parker Porter (13-8) | Zane Picked: Smith

2. 185lbs — Phil Hawes (12-4) vs. Ikram Aliskerov (13-1) | Zane Picked: Aliskerov

1. 185lbs — Joseph Holmes (8-3) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (10-3) | Zane Picked: Ribeiro

Live Stream

Catch our 6th Round Post-Fight Show Live YT Stream in the player above, or by visiting our Bloody Elbow YouTube Channel after the conclusion of the UFC 288 PPV event, right after our Live Stream Watch Party.

Our audio broadcasts of both live streams will appear on Sunday on the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network.

Our Enhanced 6th Round Post-Fight Show Premium Video & Bonus ‘Star Ranking Content Package’ for paid Substack subscribers will publish for you to stream on Sunday, May 7th., on our BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com page.

Audio UFC 288 Watch Party PBP & 6th Round Post-Fight Show on our BE Podcast Network

We’re still found on your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile devices on these platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, Podcast App, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVoox App.

We are also coming back to the following Podcast Apps:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod soon!

Trouble Finding Our Shows? Browse Our Podcast Guide; we are updating it with new details on how to subscribe on various platforms once a week until we are restored everywhere we were located before we became independent.

Latest News

Follow BloodyElbow for all the latest news, results and analysis from UFC 288.

As always, you can’t hear Kid Nate talk about MMA unless you pay. He is really tired of MMA and only talks about it for money.

If you want to see for yourself, subscribe to The If The Shoes Fit Patreon for $1 and enjoy! 

You can get a free taste of the feds shaking down our future AI overlords and Vice’s rumored bankruptcy…along with the HEEL TURN and MISTYAF, check out If The Shoes Fit on Patreon

^{Tête-à-tête (French “head-to-head”): noun – a private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting. | adjective – involving or happening between two people in private. | adverb – between two people in private.}

This Week’s Guest

Ben “The Bane” Davis is an MMA Media Personality and up-and-coming Play-by-Play commentator. He was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona but has amassed a sizable social media following world-wide.

His PBP commentating can be caught on Rage in the Cage, AZ, Empire MMA, and the Flex Fight Series. He is an MMA Media Author with thescrapsheet, & the scrap.co, which can be found on twitter and insta under @thescrapnews. His body of work can also be found on xmma.tv and throwdownsports.com.

‘Kid Nate’ welcomes him onto the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network, while giving all the lucky BE Substack listeners over a half hour of pure, unadulterated bonus content.

This Week’s Episode

Hola cage-fighting connoisseurs! In this episode, ‘Kid Nate’ hunkers down in the MMA Bunker with his elite guest, Ben “The Bane” Davis. They talk tête-à-tête on his MMA fandom, the UFC-WWE Endeavor acquisition, the fact that Jon Jone vs. Francis Ngannou’s will NEVER happen, Ngannou’s future, Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul, and more!

Topics Include:

Tune-in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production with our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, and enjoy! Thanks for pledging your support to the efforts of our 100% listener-supported podcast team, and joining us for the show today!

Show History

The ‘MMA Tête–À–Tête‘ with ‘Kid Nate’ was born as a spin off of our wildly successful ‘MMA Bunker’ podcast & Kid Nate’s ‘Bathrobe Review’ series, about a decade or so ago. This show has always featured our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ inviting guests from the MMA world and MMA Media Community to have a one-on-one candid conversation with him about hot button topics in Combat Sports. Today, we continue on with that tradition.

Previous guests have included MMA notables, the likes of which include; Luke Thomas, Coach Michael Riordan, Dallas Winston, Brian D’Souza, John Makdessi, Jack Encarnacao, as well as our very own Fight Analyst and Deputy Site Editor Zane Simon, MMA Podcast Producer and MMA Podcast Host Stephie Haynes and Guest Author and Podcast Host, Eugene S. Robinson.

We churned out a total of sixty-six episodes of the show over the course of two years, spanning from 2011 to 2013. It is truly our pleasure to bring this MMA show back to the airwaves for you. Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production with our owner, ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox.

Follow Us

You can enjoy more from “The Bane” regarding combat sports on his @BenDavisTheBane YouTube Channel, as well as following him for his The Main Chain with Bane newsletter on Substack, and finding him on twitter @BenTheBaneDavis and insta @benthebanedavis. You can also catch up with ‘Kid Nate’ on twitter @KidNate. While you’re browsing social media, be sure to follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for your support!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE combat sports oriented shows you love, like ‘Show Money‘, ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen to a Glimpse of the Show on Our SoundCloud

Jump To

Francis Ngannou has spent the majority of 2022 and all of 2023 in promotional purgatory. After successfully defending his UFC heavyweight title in January of last year, Ngannou went through multiple rounds at the bargaining table in the months leading to his decision to walk away from the biggest promotion in the world. While many speculate on whether he’s made the right choice testing the waters of free agency, his former manager says that he’s in the perfect position for negotiating big deals, life-changing deals.

In an interview I conducted with Marquel Martin a few days ago, the former UFC executive/former CAA sports agent weighed in on a variety of topics including why his own split with the UFC was so acrimonious, what MMA representation looks like (both good and bad), what the climate was like right after WME bought the UFC and more. Also of note is the revelation that Francis Ngannou is self-representing currently.

UFC Sale

In 2016, the UFC was sold to WME for around $4.2B. Rumors had been swirling for months prior, but Dana White constantly assured media and fans that wasn’t the case. And then the sale happened. At the time, we saw execs like Joe Silva, Garry Cook, Marshall Zelaznik and Ken Berger get their walking papers, but an actual tally of released executives and employees hasn’t really been discussed. However, when asked about his layoff, Martin mentioned that the UFC—a company of around 300 employees—released about 100 of them immediately following the buyout, saying

“Basically, because of redundancies, about a third of us were essentially laid off.”

The Disruptor

When expanding on his layoff, Martin discussed why the UFC viewed him as such a threat, adding “It’s no secret that UFC, because of my representation of Francis Ngannou, they no longer like me anymore because I disrupt their business model.” He went on, “Right out of the gate, I was kind of a threat to the UFC business model. Why? Because I understood how they work, because I understood the numbers, and I could be in a better position than most managers to educate my clients on whether it’s endorsements, whether it’s contract language, or whether it’s distribution deals.”

Options

It’s been a little over 16 months since Francis Ngannou’s last fight. Almost a year after that fateful night where he would win convincingly with two injured knees, he let his sunset provision kick in (December 2022 timeframe) and with no satisfactory offer, he walked. Speculation has ranged from ‘Francis Ngannou will fight Tyson Fury’ to ‘Francis Ngannou is wasting the last of his prime years waiting for the perfect deal that’s never coming.’ Martin, who’s maintained a close friendship with the champ, says he’s doing just fine, that major deals take time.

“When it comes to these kind of dealings, it takes time, and if you’re smart, you already know you have to be strategic about it’ expanding further,

“I think he’s in a perfect situation and I kind of laugh a little bit because I see the MMA media and all the antics—thoughts here, opinions there—you don’t really know until you’re behind those closed doors, so to speak, on what’s happening. I think a lot of people are really going to be surprised. Let’s just say Francis is in a very, very good position.”

Who manages Francis Ngannou currently?

According to Marquel, exactly nobody is who manages Francis Ngannou right now. Describing him as ‘incredibly patient’ and an ‘immovable mountain’, Martin explained that since the dissolution of CAA’s MMA branch from which Ngannou was represented, the biggest free agent in the sport is now managing himself.

“To this day, no one represents him that I know of. No one manages him that I know of.”

Can UFC & Francis Ngannou mend fences?

Dana White has said on several occasions during the course of numerous interviews that the UFC is out of the Francis Ngannou business, that he’s difficult to work with, that there will never be a deal struck between the two. We’ve heard Dana say ‘never’ before. Never doesn’t always mean never, most famously displayed when he said the words “Women will never fight in the UFC.” And while White may say ‘never’ today, there is always room for consideration that the UFC could reverse their position tomorrow. Martin was quite complimentary of the efficient machine that is the UFC, even offering up some friendly advice.

“They should try to re-sign Francis. They should go back and try to mend that relationship with him.”

Managers

MMA is a unique space for representation. The criteria to be an agent/manager in MMA is almost nonexistent when compared to stick & ball sports. Martin having been an employee of the UFC for five years, then being with one of the two largest management firms in the world for nearly six years, puts him in a unique position to provide much more informed counsel than your average manager. His thoughts on the current management landscape are bleak, though.

“I think that a lot of managers—most not all—got put on alert, ‘Hey, don’t ever try to do what Marquel did. Don’t ever try to back your client.’ A lot of managers don’t fight for their client. They try to pretend that they do,” then providing some additional context, “A lot of managers will do a deal for a client simply because they have other clients they want to make sure they protect, so they’re just like, ‘Whatever the UFC says, goes.’”

Listen with your ears

To hear the rest of this podcast, head to Substack. Paid Substack subscriptions are the best way to support our work and show us that you believe in what we’re trying to do in the combat sports space. So many BE listeners have pledged to support our work so far. Will you be next?

Subscribe with your fingers

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments section and thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

We’re still also found on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadiom AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. Also coming back to Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod soon!

Join the new Bloody Elbow

Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

Subscribe now!

Follow

Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Follow Stephie on Twitter @CrooklynMMA. Thanks for Listening!

Jump To

Welcome to another one of our infamous and patented ‘Care/Don’t Care’ Podcasts, with…

Your Talented Trio of Hosts

The astounding Eugene S. Robinson: author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the upcoming “A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir”, & the ‘Fight Book’, “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of ‘The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast’, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’, as well as the recently released, ‘Bad Boss Brief Podcast’.

Eugene is joined by his co-hort, the indubitable John S. Nash: our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, co-host of our ‘Show Money Podcast’, & he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’.

The guys are moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes: of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’, and our Bloody Elbow Podcast Producer.

Show Format

• Review our ‘Cares’ while offering up our UFC Vegas 72 ‘Song vs. Simón’ reactions to bouts from that event.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming UFC 288 PPV card, quickly commenting on which fights are “HOT”, and which fights are “NOT” – by indicating if they care about the bout or not. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

If you haven’t taken a few moments to check out the WorkShyIndividual.com site, it is truly impressive, informative, and superbly compiled and displayed. We bow down to the talents of Mr. Beaton Finley in his voluntary & passionate efforts to track the stats for our show.

^{~ June M. Williams: BE Production Mgr, Ombudsperson, Podcast Syndication & Lead Fixer}

Join Us on Substack for Bonus Content

For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT, you also earn the ability to comment on the shows over on Substack & gain full access to the show archives housed there as well.

UFC Vegas 72 ‘Song vs Simón’ Reactions (1:53)

This now 11-bout card saw two exciting first round finishes, two thrilling KO/TKO’s, four subs, and five hard-fought decisions. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC Vegas 72 were awarded to: Sergei Pavlovich, Bruno Silva, Christos Giagos, and Montel Jackson. No FOTN for this event.

UFC Vegas 72 Fight Card Reactions | SAT. MAY 6 (4 Cares)

UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo ‘Cares’ & ‘Don’t Cares’ (29:00 — 19 Cares)

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC PPV (pay-per-view) event bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 6th., 2023.

Here’s a look at the fight card for the upcoming UFC event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change…

ESPN+ UFC 288 MAIN PPV CARD | SAT. MAY 6 — 10/7PM ETPT (13 CARES)

ESPN+ FEATURED PRELIMS | 8/5PM ETPT (6 CARES)

UFC FIGHTPASS EARLY PRELIMS | 6/3PM ETPT (0 CARES)

Exclusive Substack Content

• At 51:28 — “Henry Cejudo one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time” per the commentator booth… where do we rate him? How does his Olympic Medal factor in?
• At 56:49 — Ronda Rousey… where do we rank her in relation to Henry, in combat sports? She holds a Bronze Medal.
• At 1:00:44 — Sara McMann… does she fit in the picture since she has a Silver Medal?
• At 1:02:21 — Where would you rank DC? He was an alternate and on the team – Olympics.
• At 1:04:00 — Other notable names with solid credentials to be considered in the greats?
• 1:05:55 — Eugene… out of all the athletes in the realm of bjj, is there a name you would pick to be a UFC Prospect?
• At 1:08:00 — There were other notable names in kickboxing… discuss
• At 1:09:26 — BKFC 41 happened this weekend and some bouts are worth discussing

Follow Us

John is on twitter as @heynottheface, you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod. Meanwhile, Eugene is @EugeneSRobinson on twitter and @MrSleep3 on instagram. Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thanks for Listening!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platform:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp.

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen to the Show on SoundCloud

Jump To

UFC Fight Week returns with another dose of killer filler. UFC Vegas 72 has a great co-main event—I mean, who hates bantamweight fights?—but nothing else to show for it. Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon should be an absolute barn burner. The rest of it? A tire fire. Fortunately we’ve got a PPV next week that has a lot of cool fights on it.

Much like the main card, the UFC Vegas 72 prelims are all about struggle. Unlike the main card, the undercard doesn’t have a fight like Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon to hold it down. Sure Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson is alright, but that’s a poor consolation. The rest of it just feels like they rounded up everyone on the roster that had a contractually obligated fight offer coming up, and this is what fell out.

Our Talented MMA Vivi Sponsor:

The UFC Vegas 72: Song vs Simón edition of The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by our Bloody Elbow Art Director: Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

UFC Vegas 72: Song vs. Simón Fight Card

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 72 card, as it stood at the time of recording:

ESPN+ UFC Vegas 72 MAIN CARD | SAT. APR. 29 — 7/4PM ETPT

ESPN2/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT (1 CARE)

Subscribe for Bonus Content

Don’t forget, in order to join the podcast Substack community and comment on the shows, or access the full show archive, or any of our Bonus Podcasts, you still have to pledge your support and become a paid subscriber.

Give us your email address and you can subscribe specifically to the podcasts and hosts you enjoy the most, and opt out of the others. You will be notified when those shows post new episodes and when we drop bonus content podcasts (like ‘The MMA Bunker/MMA Tête-À-Tête’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, ‘Show Money’, ‘Crooklyn’s Corner’, & more to come)!

Follow

Follow Zane @TheZaneSimon & Connor @BoxingBusch; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Thanks for Listening!

Vivi Picks Stats

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them in early 2020. So far, here are the overall standings:

Reference Vivi Picks Stats Spreadsheets:

The MMA Vivi’s have a new home on Substack

Thank you for tuning in to this ‘UFC Vegas 72: Song vs. Simón’ MMA Vivisection Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Check out the MMA Vivi Facebook Page, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi. If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

Our other podcast platforms

We’re still also found on:
Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

Also coming back to:
Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod soon!

Listen to the shows on our SoundCloud

Jump to

If I Did It RETURNS with John Nash joining Eugene S. Robinson and me on issues, or blessings, created by last weekend’s street fight between Nate Diaz and a Logan Paul lookalike, answering the following questions:

You’re Diaz. Should you blame your street fight last weekend on confusing your victim for a Paul bro?

You’re the Lookalike that Diaz Choked Out. What is your best PR move for handling being choked out by Diaz?

You’re Jake Paul. How should you handle this whole fiasco?

If I Did It: Nate Diaz street fighter edition, now with 100% less Kid Nate

While you can’t hear Kid Nate talk about Nate Diaz street fighting unless you pay because he’s really tired of MMA and only talks about it for money, John gives us a freebie! Show Nate that you don’t need a paywall to subscribe to the If The Shoes Fit Patreon for $1! Want to really stick it to him? Join for even more!!!

Watch it here!

Topics Include:

WWE Acquisition via Endeavor:

• WWE acquisition by Endeavor, is it a big deal for UFC/WWE fans?
• How much did Vince McMahon’s disgrace with sexual misconduct with women affect him or the business of WWE? No criminal charges?
• Segue… Dana White also faces zero sanctions after slapping his wife on video… is Endeavor creating the brand that they have complete immunity for their corporate executives in the TKO Division?
• Dana White & Vince McMahon — how much can they get away with before seeing any sanctions or rejections of wild ideas?
• Vince’s return as a ‘Power Player’ in the company is not temporary, as we were lead to believe? Was it a swerve for WWE when he failed to return to retirement?
• Crossovers from WWE to UFC and vice-versa… will there be more Brock Lesnars and CM Punks coming our way?
• Is there even anyone on the current WWE roster that could even potentially be successful as a cage fighter? Potential crossovers include: Tad Gable & Gable Stevenson
• Is Ronda Rousey even still active in WWE events? Why isn’t she a bigger draw over there?
• Vince and Dana, who do you see being at the head of their division the longest?
• WWE is on Peacock/NBC, that arrangement is up in about a year… UFC is about up with ESPN+ around the same time or roughly awhile thereafter. Will Endeavor be trying to package them together on a streaming service?
• Follow up… Will WWE/UFC create their own streaming platform down the road? Is the financial side of streaming with ESPN/Disney too enticing for them to branch off into a subscriber based digital streaming network featuring all things pro-wrestling and MMA?

Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul Celebrity Boxing Event:

• Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul celebrity boxing event this summer… will this be the penultimate conclusion for Jake Paul in his run with this genre?
• Nate Diaz is undersized in comparison to Paul, do you see any other advantages on either side in this upcoming encounter?
• Nate Diaz’ role with PFL (Professional Fighting League) regarding this bout.
• Will Diaz return to the UFC? The trilogy fight with Conor McGregor, will that be the draw?
• Why wasn’t the UFC able to get that deal signed with Diaz before Jake Paul swooped in with his offer?
• It’s been clearly established UFC garners 85% of the take, leaving their fighters a meager 15%… but at what point do they hit diminishing returns?

Tune-in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production with our fearless leader ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, and enjoy! Thanks for pledging your support to the efforts of our 100% listener-supported podcast team, and joining us for the show today!

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen to a Glimpse of the Show on Our SoundCloud

Table of Contents

Episode 14

Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Self, I need to know more about MMA managers. What am I to do?’ Well, if you have, we’ve got the solution for you; a thorough explainer on what managers do, what credentials they must have, key differences between combat sports and stick-and-ball sports managers and more. If you were wondering how good or bad MMA managers are by comparison to their boxing forefathers, we’ve got that too.

Topic roots

When Dominance MMA (the largest MMA management company in the community, founded by Ali Abdelaziz) dropped former UFC flyweight contender Ray Borg from its roster this past Friday, fans and pundits were abuzz at the cruelty of the message conveyed in the press letter that was sent out. Part of that message referred to the company’s own “embarrassment” at the situation. The passage reads:

“Unfortunately, Mr. Borg was not willing or able to make that weight, resulting in unnecessary complications for all involved. Given the circumstances, as well as our own embarrassment, we can no longer in good faith represent our now former client.”

That’s pretty harsh by any standard, especially considering the odd circumstances of the fight even taking place at a contracted weight of 125-pounds. Bellator doesn’t even have a flyweight division. Why, Scott Coker, why?

Now that you’ve got a good image in your head of how the biggest management firm in MMA conducts their business, you’re probably wondering how the rest of them stack up by comparison. Is this company the standard or the exception? By the end of the show, your questions should be answered.

Suggestion box

And if they’re not, shoot us a comment here or a Twitter DM with questions for future episodes (both John and I have unrestricted Twitter DM so anyone can message us). If you have a suggestion for a future episode topic, please shoot us those, as well. Thanks for listening!

Outline

• What is an MMA manager supposed to do?
• Is there a difference between a manager and agent?
• What is a fiduciary duty?
• What were MMA managers like in the golden era of sponsorship?
• What happened to the sponsorship procurement manager?
• What does it mean when managers ‘maximize the platform’?
• Why are some managers called brokers?
• Do managers actually try or care about their fighters?
• What happens to managers that upset the UFC?
• Why don’t managers dissuade their fighters from signing contracts or advise them to support the Ali Act or a union?
• Do fighters even need managers?
• Did managers really try to form their own union?
• Does the UFC operate as a manager with their sponsorship deals?
• What is a boxing ‘advisor’?
• How did Mike Tyson secure the biggest purse in boxing history fresh out of prison?
• Why is Floyd Mayweather so unique?
• Why do boxing promoters seem to have such close ties with their athletes?

Subscribe

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments section and thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

We’re still also found on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadiom AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. Also coming back to Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod soon!

Join the new Bloody Elbow

Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

Subscribe now!

Follow us

Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Follow Stephie on Twitter @CrooklynMMA and John @heynottheface. Thanks for Listening!

Show Lineup

Welcome to another one of our infamous and patented ‘Care/Don’t Care’ Podcasts, with…

Your Talented Trio of Hosts

The astounding Eugene S. Robinson: author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the upcoming “A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir”, & the ‘Fight Book’, “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of ‘The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast’, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’, as well as the recently released, ‘Bad Boss Brief Podcast’.

Eugene is joined by his co-hort, the indubitable John S. Nash: our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, co-host of our ‘Show Money Podcast’, & he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’.

The guys are moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes: of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’, and our Bloody Elbow Podcast Producer.

Show Format

• Review our ‘Cares’ while offering up our UFC Vegas 71 ‘Pavlovich vs Blaydes’ reactions to bouts from that event.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming UFC Vegas 72 card, quickly commenting on which fights are “HOT”, and which fights are “NOT” – by indicating if they care about the bout or not. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

If you haven’t taken a few moments to check out the WorkShyIndividual.com site, it is truly impressive, informative, and superbly compiled and displayed. We bow down to the talents of Mr. Beaton Finley in his voluntary & passionate efforts to track the stats for our show.

^{~ June M. Williams: BE Production Mgr, Ombudsperson, Podcast Syndication & Lead Fixer}

Join Us on Substack for Bonus Content

For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT, you also earn the ability to comment on the shows over on Substack & gain full access to the show archives housed there as well.

UFC Vegas 71 ‘Pavlovich vs Blaydes’ Reactions (1:55)

This now 11-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, five thrilling KO/TKO’s, no subs, and five hard-fought decisions, one split. Plus, one No Contest. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC Vegas 71 were awarded to: Sergei Pavlovich, Bruno Silva, Christos Giagos, and Montel Jackson. No FOTN for this event.

UFC Vegas 72: Song vs. Simón ‘Cares’ & ‘Don’t Cares’ (36:20 — 4 Cares)

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC Fight Night event bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from UFC’s APEX Facility, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, April 29th., 2023.

Here’s a look at the fight card for the upcoming UFC event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change…

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. APR. 29 — 7/4PM ETPT (3 CARES)

ESPN2/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT (1 CARE)

Exclusive Substack Content

• At 47:50 — Elon Musk’s Latest Debacle – Placing unauthorized Blue Checkmarks on large accounts who protested ever paying for them Discussed
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• 1:10:22 — twitter has lost 89% of their major sponsor revenue since Musk took over, only have 11 million in ad revenue this quarter

Follow Us

John is on twitter as @heynottheface, you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod. Meanwhile, Eugene is @EugeneSRobinson on twitter and @MrSleep3 on instagram. Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. 

Thanks for Listening!

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

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If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

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Listen to the Show on SoundCloud

Jump To

The Show Money Crew

They bring you the business side of the UFC, MMA, Boxing (combat sports in general) — in depth, in a way you won’t find anywhere else! The Show Money crew consists of Paul Gift, “the economist”, Jason Cruz, “the lawyer”, and John Nash, “Bloody Elbow’s Financials Columnist”, who also happens to be the man who “knows everyone and everything in MMA”. John is also the owner and operator of our own “Hey Not the Face! Podcast”, and co-host of our “Care/Don’t Care Podcast”.

In This Episode

The crew recorded for you on Sunday, April 16; the issues they discussed included —

• UFC – WWE Merger under Endeavor discussion
• The Show Money Crew offers their thoughts on the upcoming celebrity boxing debut of Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul announced for this summer
• UFC Anti-Trust Class-Action Suit updates for you

Watch the Show on Video

Head right on over to our new Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack Show Money Podcast Section to watch the guys on video by simply giving us your email address and becoming a paid subscriber.

Follow

Be sure and follow Paul at @MMAanalytics, John at @heynottheface, and Jason at @dilletaunt for all of their twitter musings; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘Show Money’, ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too:

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Listen to the Show Preview on Our SoundCloud:

Jump To

Join us immediately after UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes wraps up…

for our 6th Round Post-Fight Show, hosted by resident Bloody Elbow Fight Analysts, Zane Simon and his co-hort, Eddie Mercado. Here, the guys will recap all the action that just went down between No. 3 ranked Heavyweight contender, Sergei Pavlovich and No. 4 ranked former NJCAA wrestler, Curtis Blaydes, complete with hot takes, possible next fights and reactions to the overall event.

NOW ON VIDEO

We brought the show back to LIVE VIDEO recently — and have a plan on how to keep the train rolling forward. For every Fight Night event the show will air live on our Bloody Elbow Podcast YouTube Channel (formerly known as: Bloody Elbow Presents Channel). For every PPV event the show will air live on our Bloody Elbow YouTube Channel (“The Big One”) directly after our all new free LIVE stream PPV Watch Parties! Which will debut for UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo, Live From The Prudential Center In Newark, New Jersey, on May 6, 2023.

BONUSES

Can’t catch the live events? We’ve got you covered, on Sundays (starting with UFC 288), we will be publishing enhanced video packages of the shows, with added on bonus segments the guys will be recording after the shows usually wrap up. Zane and Eddie have implemented a new ‘numerical star rating system’ for reviewing the bouts on the card during these segments, which is highly entertaining. All you need to do is join us at BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com, share your email with us so we can notify you when new shows drop, and pledge your support to our podcast team — so we can keep bringing the shows to you, especially in video.

Note from the producer: “Due to a technical hiccup, about 12 minutes of the bonus portion of the episode is noticeably different from the free portion. It was rectified at that point and the disrupted audio was corrected as much as possible, but there is still quite a difference. I offer sincere apologies for the error. Thank you again for listening.”

UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes 6th Round Live Stream

What Transpired?

Check back here on Fight Night, after UFC Vegas 71, for a summary of every result and updated record from Batgerel Danaa vs. Brady Hiestand in the Opening Prelims through Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes in our Main Event. We will be updating the live chat on the show, and the post with post-fight Bonus Awards details, as well…

This now 11-bout card saw four exciting first round finishes, five thrilling KO/TKO’s, no subs, and five hard-fought decisions, one split. Plus, one No Contest. Post-Fight performance bonuses for UFC Vegas 71 were awarded to: Sergei Pavlovich, Bruno Silva, Christos Giagos, and Montel Jackson. No FOTN for this event.

UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes Fight Card

Main Card ESPN+ | SAT. APR. 22 — 7/4PM ETPT

Prelims Card ESPN+ | 4/1PM ETPT

Zane’s Picks!

Here are Zane’s picks from the UFC Vegas 71 MMA Vivisection shows earlier this week:

Follow Your Hosts

Please follow Zane (@TheZaneSimon) and Eddie (@TheEddieMercado) on Twitter; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.

Our Podcasts Have a New Home

Bloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like ‘The 6th Round Post-Fight Show’, ‘The MMA Vivisections’, ‘The MMA Depressed-Us’, ‘The MMA Bunker’, ‘The Level Change Podcast’, ‘The Hey Not The Face! Podcast’, and more.

Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.

Other Places to Find Our Shows

If you enjoy what we do, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe to Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack to get these shows directly in your email inbox and instant notifications for when your favourite pod drops.

In addition to Substack you can still find our shows on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

The shows will soon be available on these platforms, too: Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod!

Listen on Our SoundCloud

Episode 241

• UFC Kansas City rewind
• UFC Vegas 71 select fight preview
• Bellator 295
• Davis vs. Garcia

UFC Kansas City turned out to be an entertaining card with impactful matchups and Max Holloway showing once again why he remains a perennial contender. Arnold Allen was outclassed soundly, but had some great moments of his own, overall. UFC Vegas 71, in stark contrast, has just two ranked fights on it, and one is questionable (Norma Dumont vs. Karol Rosa) since the UFC currently only has Amanda Nunes ranked at the 145 pound limit. There are literally no other women in their women’s featherweight rankings at the time of this writing. The only other rankings-relevant fight being the main event is kind of a problem, and one that will likely never go away.

Now, I’m not saying this weekend’s Misfits card carries any real significance in the boxing world, but for the sake of entertainment, I guess some will find merit in it. UFC Vegas 71 is a unique animal. The promotion can get away with cards like these thanks to the ESPN deal. The biggest, most talent-heavy promotion in the world is churning out duds and by all accounts, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have a special treat for you. With our latest The Level Change Podcast Substack, you get some EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT right away – stay tuned after the break for THE REST OF THE SHOW (accessible only to paid subscribers), featuring extra headline coverage that focuses mostly on UFC doings from the UFC’s dogged insistence on naming Colby Covington as the next welterweight title contender to UFC Vegas 71’s Bobby Green possibly going the royal route regarding his name. We even have a salacious tidbit from Uncle Chael to discuss.

Bonus Content

• Dana-Colby bromance?
• Uncle Chael says what?
• Bobby Green royalty?
• Paulo might be fighting who?

Subscribe

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments section and thank you for tuning in to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

We’re still also found on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadiom AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. Also coming back to Castro, Podcast Addict, Podtail, Owltail, Podbean, Chartable, imdb, podtoppen.se, Podcast Republic, DownCast, iCatcher!, Castaway, Castaway2, & BeyondPod soon!

Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Follow Stephie on Twitter @CrooklynMMA and Victor @VicMRodriguez. Thanks for Listening!

Jump to

The UFC is in a rough spot this week with a fight card that lacks much in the way of punch. UFC Vegas 71 goes down this Saturday, April 22nd headlined by a heavyweight fight between Sergei Pavlovich & Curtis Blaydes. The co-main features Brad Tavares against Bruno Silva and, other than an appearance from Bobby Green, that’s about as notable as it gets.

Unlike last week, where Brandon Royval and Matheus Nicolau were left buried on the prelims, this week’s UFC Vegas 71 undercard is light on gems. Ricky Glenn takes on Christos Giagos in the featured slot. A fight between Montel Jackson and Rani Yahya is the other most meaningful fight outside the top 5 bouts. After a couple big PPVs and great smaller cards, it seems we’ve hit a bit of a nadir in the UFC schedule.

ESPN+ UFC Vegas 71 MAIN CARD | SAT. APR. 22 — 7/4PM ETPT

ESPN+ UFC Vegas 71 PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT

Reference Vivi Picks Stats Spreadsheets:

The MMA Vivi’s have a new home on Substack

Thank you for tuning in to this ‘UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes’ MMA Vivisection Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production. Check out the MMA Vivi Facebook Page, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi. If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow. Subscribe at BloodyElbowPodcastSubstack.com; give us your email and receive notifications when your favorite shows drop – straight to your inbox.

Our other podcast platforms

We’re still also found on:
Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Simplecast, TuneIn, Overcast, Castbox, Castbox Premium, Podchaser, Podvine, Podbay.fm, RSSRadio, AntennaPod, Podkicker, Podkicker Pro, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher, PodcastApp, PocketCasts, Player.fm, PodCruncher, thisMMAlife.com, Podbean, Podtail, Owltail, Listen Notes, & iVooxApp. 

Also coming back to:
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Listen to the shows on our SoundCloud

As always, you can’t hear Kid Nate talk about MMA unless you pay. He is really tired of MMA and only talks about it for money.

If you want to see for yourself, subscribe to The If The Shoes Fit Patreon for $1 and enjoy! 

You can get a free taste of litigational shenanigans, whether Vince should be concerned about Ari Emmanuel being the alpha in wake of Kid Nate’s article, and Elon Musk swagger jacking and trolling ChatGPT and Truth Social with his TruthGPT AI announcement…along with the HEEL TURN and MISTYAF, check out If The Shoes Fit on Patreon.